Chapter 195 Research Points Soar

At two in the morning, Lin Mo looked up from a pile of documents.

He had already finished reading the first two volumes of the preliminary design plans for the three power stations, leaving only the last volume—the geological survey report for Yantai, Shandong. It was a thick stack, at least three hundred pages.

He rubbed his eyes and got up to pour a glass of water.

Just as he was walking back to his desk with the glass, a blue light suddenly flashed before his eyes.

[System Notification]

Lin Mo's hand paused slightly.

System notifications weren't rare, but this was the first time one had popped up of its own accord at two in the morning.

Blue glowing characters unfolded before him:

[Major Milestone Detected: National Nuclear Fusion Project Initiated]

[International Influence Expansion Detected: Reported by 127 countries worldwide, cited by 387 research institutions, cooperation intentions proposed by 23 countries]

[Technology Spillover Effect Detected: Exponential growth in industries related to Room-Temperature Superconductivity, Lithium-Sulfur Battery, and Lithium Extraction from Seawater]

[Comprehensive Assessment: Civilization Contribution Level significantly increased]

[Calculating research points...]

Lin Mo stared at the screen, his heart rate accelerating involuntarily.

research points were the system mechanism he was most familiar with—publishing results, overcoming challenges, and gaining recognition all earned points. But this was the first time there had been such a large-scale calculation.

The blue glowing characters scrolled:

[Base Reward: Successful Nuclear Fusion Ignition +5,000]

[Engineering Initiation Reward +3,000]

[International Influence Bonus +4,000]

[Technology Spillover Effect Bonus +2,500]

[National Recognition Bonus +2,000]

[Team Development Bonus +1,500]

[Hidden Achievement: Civilization Leader +3,000]

Lin Mo's pupils contracted slightly.

He quickly did the mental math—5,000+3,000+4,000+2,500+2,000+1,500+3,000—

[Total: 21,000 research points]

[Current Balance: 10,550 (original balance) + 21,000 = 31,550]

Thirty-one thousand five hundred and fifty.

Lin Mo took a deep breath.

He remembered that when he first unlocked the Lithium-Sulfur Battery, it was only 500 points; the first time he unlocked Lithium Extraction from Seawater, it was 1,500 points; and the most expensive core component of the tokamak-3, the price was only 1,500 points.

Thirty thousand points—enough to unlock an entire technology tree.

The system clearly thought so too:

[research points break the 30,000 milestone]

[Privilege Upgrade: Unlocked [Space Age] technology tree overview]

[Current unlockable core technologies:]

1. Carbon Nanotube Industrial Mass Production Technology (6,000 points required)

2. space elevator overall design plan (15,000 points required)

3. Plasma Propulsion System (8,000 points required)

4. Individual Exoskeleton/Mecha System (5,000 points required)

5. Deep Space Probe Array complete technology package (12,000 points required)

[Note: The above technologies have synergistic effects; it is recommended to unlock them in order]

Lin Mo stared at those lines for a long time without moving.

Carbon Nanotubes—the fundamental material for the space elevator, with a strength a hundred times that of steel and only one-fifth the weight. With it, humanity could truly break free from the shackles of chemical rockets and enter space at a low cost.

space elevator—humanity's "ladder" to the stars. Extending from the equatorial sea level all the way to geostationary orbit, the cable would be thirty-six thousand kilometers long. With it, space transportation costs would drop from tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram to just a few hundred yuan.

Plasma Engine—the core power for interstellar travel. Ten times more efficient than chemical propulsion, it could allow a spacecraft to reach Mars in a few months instead of the current six.

Individual mecha—auxiliary equipment for space exploration. For operations in low-gravity environments, exoskeletons are needed to provide strength and protection.

And the Deep Space Probe Array—he needed this desperately. That signal from Centaurus was still saved in an encrypted file on his computer, waiting to be further decoded.

Every single one was a technology that could change the destiny of humanity.

Every single one had once existed only in science fiction.

But now—

Lin Mo's fingers trembled slightly.

He clicked on the first item and read the description carefully:

[Carbon Nanotube Industrial Mass Production Technology]

Contents: Includes catalyst formula, chemical vapor deposition process parameters, continuous wire-drawing equipment blueprints, and quality inspection standards.

Once unlocked: Achieves annual production of thousand-ton scale Carbon Nanotubes fibers, strength over 80 GPa, and cost reduced to under 200 yuan per kilogram.

Prerequisites: Room-Temperature Superconductivity (Completed), Lithium-Sulfur Battery (Completed).

Recommended unlocking order: 1

200 yuan per kilogram, 80 GPa strength.

Several numbers flashed through Lin Mo's mind—currently, the world's most advanced Carbon Nanotubes fibers had a laboratory cost of over five thousand dollars per kilogram, with a strength barely reaching 30 GPa. If the data provided by the system was real, it meant—

It meant the space elevator was no longer a fantasy.

He continued reading:

[space elevator overall design plan]

Contents: Includes site selection requirements, anchoring platform structure, cable weaving process, climber design, power supply system, and emergency protocols.

Once unlocked: Achieves full-system feasibility verification, with a construction cycle of 15-20 years.

Prerequisites: Carbon Nanotubes Mass Production Technology (Not Unlocked), Room-Temperature Superconductivity (Completed).

Recommended unlocking order: 2

Fifteen to twenty years.

Lin Mo's gaze fell on those words. In twenty years, he would be fifty-two. If everything went smoothly, he could witness the completion of humanity's first space elevator within his lifetime.

He clicked on the third item:

[Plasma Propulsion System]

Contents: Includes magnetic confinement configuration, propellant selection, power supply matching, and thermal management plans.

Once unlocked: Achieves a specific impulse of over 5,000 seconds and thrust of 10-100 Newtons, suitable for deep space exploration missions.

Prerequisites: Room-Temperature Superconductivity (Completed), Nuclear Fusion Miniaturization (Not Unlocked).

Recommended unlocking order: 3 or 4

Nuclear Fusion Miniaturization—that was the next step. The tokamak-3 was too large to go into space. A miniaturized fusion reactor needed to be developed to provide sufficient power for a spacecraft.

Lin Mo continued looking down.

[Individual Exoskeleton/Mecha System]

Contents: Includes lightweight structure, power pack, control system, and life support.

Once unlocked: Achieves a load capacity of 200 kilograms and 8 hours of continuous operation, adaptable to lunar/Mars surface environments.

Prerequisites: Carbon Nanotubes Mass Production Technology (Not Unlocked), Lithium-Sulfur Battery (Completed).

Recommended unlocking order: 4 or 3

[Deep Space Probe Array Complete Technology Package]

Contents: Includes large radio telescope array design, spatial interferometer layout, signal processing algorithms, and communication protocol parsing.

Once unlocked: Enhances weak deep-space signal capture capability by 1,000 times, capable of parsing non-natural signals within 10 light-years.

Prerequisites: None.

Recommended unlocking order: Unlockable at any time; recommended priority to address current signal.

The last line made Lin Mo's heart skip a beat.

"To address current signal"—the system knew what he was thinking.

He was silent for a few seconds, then clicked on the fifth item.

[Confirm unlocking [Deep Space Probe Array Complete Technology Package]? Costs 12,000 research points]

[Current Balance: 31,550]

Lin Mo clicked "Confirm" without hesitation.

[Unlocking...]

[Progress: 23%... 57%... 82%... 100%]

[Deep Space Probe Array Technology Package Activated]

[You have obtained: Large Radio Telescope Array Design Blueprint x1, Spatial Interferometer Layout Plan x1, Signal Processing Algorithm Source Code x1, Communication Protocol Parsing Module v2.0 x1]

[Note: This technology package has been automatically connected to the current signal source; decoding capability enhanced]

[Signal Decoding Progress: 11.4% → 23.7% → 31.2% ...]

The progress bar ticked slowly, finally stopping at 38.5%.

Lin Mo stared at the number, his palms sweating slightly.

38.5%—this meant he was one step closer to the truth.

At three in the morning, Lin Mo finally finished reading all the unlocked technical descriptions.

Carbon Nanotubes, he decided to initiate immediately. The system had provided a thousand-ton annual capacity process package; if it could be successfully implemented, the first production line could be built within two years.

Plasma Engine required Nuclear Fusion Miniaturization; that was something for the next step.

The mecha system required Carbon Nanotubes as a base material and could be developed simultaneously.

space elevator—the grandest and most distant goal. It required sufficient Carbon Nanotubes production capacity, international cooperation, and sustained investment over several generations.

But he knew it had to start now.

He opened his computer, created a new encrypted folder, and began organizing the information he had obtained tonight.

Outside the window, the Gobi Desert was submerged in the night, with only the silhouette of the tokamak-3 device standing silently.

Lin Mo typed the first line:

"Preliminary Concept for Initiating the 'space elevator' Pre-research Project"

At eight in the morning, Lin Mo appeared in the conference room on time.

Li Xiao, Chen Xueming, and Zhao Gang were already waiting. Breakfast was laid out on the table, steaming hot.

"Senior brother," Li Xiao handed him a bowl of soy milk, "did you not sleep well again last night? Your dark circles are even heavier than last week."

Lin Mo took the soy milk and took a sip: "I had some things to do."

"What things?" Chen Xueming leaned in. "It couldn't be reading documents until midnight again, could it? The materials for the three power stations are enough to keep you busy for a month."

Lin Mo shook his head without explaining.

He put down the bowl and looked at the three of them:

"I have something to announce today."

The three of them sat up straight at the same time.

Lin Mo said, "Next, we are going to start a new project."

"A new project?" Chen Xueming's eyes lit up. "What project?"

Lin Mo was silent for two seconds, then slowly spoke:

"space elevator."

The conference room became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Li Xiao's mouth slowly drifted open, Chen Xueming's bun stopped mid-air, and Zhao Gang's brow furrowed into a knot.

Three seconds later, Chen Xueming was the first to react:

"Old Lin, are you talking about that kind—the kind built from Earth to space—an elevator?"

Lin Mo nodded.

"Can that thing... actually work?"

Lin Mo looked at him, his gaze calm:

"Three years ago, you also thought Nuclear Fusion wouldn't work."

Chen Xueming opened his mouth but couldn't find any words.

Li Xiao asked cautiously, "Senior brother, are you serious?"

"I'm serious."

"But..." Li Xiao twisted her fingers, "a space elevator, isn't that something from science fiction movies?"

Lin Mo shook his head. "The only thing between science fiction and reality is a few key technologies. Carbon Nanotubes—we already have a mass production plan. Room-Temperature Superconductivity—it's already a success. Controlled Nuclear Fusion—also a success. All that's left is to combine them."

He looked at the three of them:

"I know it sounds crazy. But three years ago, Room-Temperature Superconductivity sounded crazy too."

The conference room fell silent once again.

Zhao Gang was the first to speak: "Dr. Lin, whatever you tell us to do, we'll do."

Li Xiao also nodded: "Senior brother, I believe in you."

Chen Xueming was silent for a few seconds, then laughed:

"Old Lin, you really are—playing for higher and higher stakes. Fine, I'm in."

Lin Mo looked at the three of them, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Good," he said. "Then from now on, our goal is no longer just to light up the sun."

He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

In the early morning Gobi Desert, sunlight flooded the land, and the distant tokamak-3 device shimmered with a silver light in the dawn.

Further away was the blue sky.

Above the blue sky was the universe.

"Our goal," Lin Mo said, "is to step beyond Earth."