Chapter 116 Research Site Planning
Lin Mo sat in the Prefabricated Building for the entire night.
It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep, but that he couldn't. On the light screen before him, those numbers and options were like a group of restless sprites, jumping around, forcing him to calculate and think over and over again.
「Current research points: 6800」
This was what remained after redeeming the three core blueprints.
6800 points seemed like a lot. However, the tokamak-3 was divided into a total of 12 core sub-modules, and the blueprints for each module required anywhere from 500 to 1000 points. To exchange for all of them, he would need nearly ten thousand points.
He still had 6800 points, which was enough for most, but not all of them.
He had to choose.
He had to prioritize.
He pulled up the complete structural diagram of the Tokamak from the system, zooming in and rotating it on the light screen, examining every part carefully.
The device looked like a giant metal donut. Around the circular Vacuum Chamber, various systems and equipment were densely wound. Magnets, Vacuum Chamber, First Wall Material, Tritium Breeding Blanket, Divertor, Heating System, Diagnostic System, Control System, Cooling System, Power System, Vacuum System, Fuel Cycle System...
Twelve in total.
Each one was a complex engineering challenge, and each required countless days and nights to tackle.
Lin Mo stared at the diagram, his mind racing.
Magnet System—already exchanged. This was the most core part; without sufficient magnetic field strength, the plasma could not be confined. This had the highest priority, no problem there.
First Wall Material—already exchanged. This was the most difficult hurdle, directly facing plasma at hundreds of millions of degrees; if the material failed even slightly, the entire device would be ruined.
Tritium Breeding Blanket—already exchanged. This was the key to the fuel cycle, directly connecting with Tritium Extraction technology.
Next...
His gaze fell upon the Vacuum Chamber.
The Vacuum Chamber was the vessel that contained the plasma, and its requirements were extremely high—ultra-high vacuum, radiation resistance, good thermal conductivity, and structural stability. Without it, no matter how strong the magnets were, it would be useless.
「Vacuum Chamber Structural Blueprint — 800 points」
Lin Mo noted in his mind: Second priority.
Then he looked at the Heating System.
The plasma needed to be heated to hundreds of millions of degrees, relying on powerful external Heating Systems—Neutral Beam Injection, Electron Cyclotron, Ion Cyclotron... each was a complex engineering feat.
「Heating System Scheme — 900 points」
Third priority.
Then came the Divertor, Diagnostic System, Control System...
Lin Mo looked through them one by one, ranking them in his mind.
The Divertor was responsible for exhausting impurities and heat; it was important, but could be pushed back a bit. The Diagnostic System was used to monitor plasma parameters; it was indispensable, but could wait until the device was built to be installed. The Control System was what Li Xiao would work on in the future; if he exchanged for it now, no one would understand it anyway...
He calculated again and again, finally listing out a checklist on paper:
First Tier (Already Exchanged):
Magnet System (1200 points)
First Wall Material (1500 points)
Tritium Breeding Blanket (1000 points)
Second Tier (Exchange Immediately):
Vacuum Chamber (800 points)
Heating System (900 points)
Divertor (600 points)
Third Tier (Exchange Later):
Diagnostic System (700 points)
Control System (800 points)
Cooling System (600 points)
Power System (500 points)
Vacuum System (500 points)
Fuel Cycle System (700 points)
He counted them up.
Three items in the second tier, totaling 2300 points.
Six items in the third tier, totaling 3800 points.
He currently had 6800 points. After exchanging for the second tier, he would have 4500 points left, which was enough to finish exchanging for the third tier with a few hundred points left as a reserve.
Lin Mo looked at the list and let out a long breath.
It was enough.
But only just enough.
With a thought, he selected the three items from the second tier.
The light screen flickered, and three blueprints unfolded in sequence—the structural diagram of the Vacuum Chamber, the scheme for the Heating System, and the design of the Divertor. Densely packed lines and data spread out before his eyes like a bottomless sea.
Lin Mo didn't examine them closely, closing them for now.
He stood up and walked to the window.
Outside, the sky was already beginning to brighten. The morning light of the Gobi Desert peeked through the horizon, dyeing the device in a faint golden hue.
He checked his watch; it was 5:40 AM.
In another twenty minutes, Li Xiao would wake up and come knocking with breakfast. Chen Xueming would also emerge from his Prefabricated Building, standing by the device with his thermos, lost in thought. Zhang Zhe would rub his eyes and go to the equipment room to clock in. Zhao Gang would lead the soldiers for the shift change.
A new day was about to begin.
Lin Mo turned back to the table, picked up the hand-written list, and looked at it once more.
Magnets, First Wall, Tritium Blanket—already exchanged.
Vacuum Chamber, Heating, Divertor—just exchanged.
The remaining six items, with 3800 points waiting for exchange.
6800 points were indeed enough.
But where would the future research points come from?
He thought about it.
The successful optimization of Tritium Extraction would grant a sum. The industrialization of Lithium Extraction from Seawater would grant a sum. The start of the new base construction would grant a sum. The breakthrough in the research and development of the First Wall Material would grant a sum.
Step by step, he would eventually save up enough.
Just as he was thinking, there was a knock on the door.
“Teacher Lin?” It was Li Xiao's voice. “It's time for breakfast.”
Lin Mo gave a response, folded the list, and put it in his pocket.
Pushing open the door, Li Xiao was standing there with two steamed buns, looking curious.
“Teacher Lin, did you stay up all night again?”
Lin Mo took the buns and smiled.
“Just thinking about some things.”
Li Xiao nodded and didn't ask further.
The two of them walked toward the Canteen.
The morning light shone on them, casting two long shadows on the ground.
In the distance, Chen Xueming was already standing by the device, holding his thermos and watching the rising sun in the east.
Lin Mo walked over and stood beside him.
“Teacher Chen, morning.”
Chen Xueming turned his head and glanced at him.
“Up all night again?”
Lin Mo nodded.
Chen Xueming didn't ask further, only pointing at the distant sky.
“The weather is good today.”
Lin Mo followed his finger.
In the eastern sky, the morning clouds filled the horizon, red as a blazing fire.
He took a bite of a bun and nodded.
“Yes, the weather is good.”
The two stood side by side, watching the sun slowly rise.
A new day had begun.