Chapter 74 Verification Experiment

At six in the morning, Chen Xueming was already standing in the laboratory.

Today was the day of the verification experiment.

Following the parameter plan given by Lin Mo last week, he, Zhang Zhe, and Li Xiao had spent a full six days completely redesigning the entire device. The new gradient magnets were installed, the solenoid was replaced with a more precise curvature, the flow control system's sensors were upgraded, and even the position of the collection tank was adjusted to the optimal angle based on simulation results.

Everything was ready.

Chen Xueming stood before the device, checking each item one by one. Magnetic field strength, gradient distribution, pipe sealing, data acquisition... Only after confirming every link was correct did he let out a long breath.

"Dr. Chen, you're here so early again!"

Li Xiao's voice came from behind him. Chen Xueming turned around and saw her carrying a thermos and a bag of buns.

"I brought you breakfast," Li Xiao handed it over. "Today is a big day; you need to eat your fill."

Chen Xueming took the buns and smiled: "Thank you."

Li Xiao leaned in toward the device, her eyes bright: "Is everything ready?"

Chen Xueming nodded: "Everything that needed checking has been checked. Now we just have to see the actual results today."

At seven o'clock, Zhang Zhe arrived as well. He didn't say anything, simply walking to his workstation, opening his computer, and beginning to check the data acquisition system. He had worked overtime until the early hours of the morning last night to calibrate all the sensors.

At seven-thirty, Zhao Gang pushed the door open, carrying a large bag: "I brought soy milk for everyone, it's hot."

Li Xiao took it and smiled: "Uncle Zhao, why are you here so early today?"

Zhao Gang glanced at the device: "Isn't today the verification experiment? I came to see if there's anything I can help with."

At eight o'clock sharp, Lin Mo appeared on time.

He walked up to the device and looked at Chen Xueming: "Ready?"

Chen Xueming took a deep breath: "Ready."

Lin Mo nodded: "Then let's begin."

The experiment began.

Li Xiao started the data acquisition system, and real-time data began popping up on the screen. Zhang Zhe stared at the magnet console, ready to make adjustments at any time. Zhao Gang stood by the door, alertly watching the surroundings. Lin Mo stood to the side, watching quietly.

Chen Xueming personally opened the valve for the seawater simulant.

The pale blue liquid slowly flowed into the pipes, passed through the gradient magnetic field area, and then entered the collection system. On the screen, the inlet lithium concentration value stabilized at 0.17 milligrams per liter—the concentration of standard seawater.

Everyone held their breath.

Time passed minute by minute. Ten minutes later, the first batch of collection liquid was sampled. Li Xiao sent the sample to the analyzer and pressed the start button.

On the screen, the analysis progress bar slowly advanced: 10%, 30%, 50%, 80%...

Chen Xueming's palms were covered in sweat.

100%.

The results were out.

Outlet lithium concentration: 0.018 milligrams per liter

Li Xiao's breath hitched for a beat. She quickly calculated in her head and then reported the numbers with a trembling voice:

"separation efficiency... 89.4%."

The laboratory was silent for a second.

Then Li Xiao was the first to jump up: "89.4%! It's even higher than 82%!"

Chen Xueming stared at that number, unable to speak for a long time.

89.4%. It was even a bit higher than the 87.3% theoretical value Lin Mo had given.

Zhang Zhe showed a rare smile: "Is the data stable? Let's test another set."

Li Xiao nodded and took another sample. Second result: 0.017 milligrams per liter, separation efficiency 90.1%.

Third time: 0.018 milligrams per liter, 89.4%.

Fourth time: 0.017 milligrams per liter, 90.1%.

Across five samples, the average separation efficiency was 89.7%.

Chen Xueming turned around and looked at Lin Mo.

His eyes were slightly red, and his voice was raspy:

"Teacher Lin, it worked. It really worked."

Lin Mo looked at him and smiled:

"I saw. Congratulations, Dr. Chen."

Chen Xueming shook his head, wanting to say something but unable to find the words.

He walked to the device and reached out to touch the pipes where the liquid was quietly flowing. The seawater was still flowing, the data was still jumping, everything was the same as in countless previous experiments. But this time, the numbers were no longer in the twenty-percent range, but close to ninety.

He had truly extracted lithium from seawater.

"Dr. Chen!" Li Xiao ran over, "Should we try another set with a different flow rate?"

Chen Xueming took a deep breath to steady his emotions:

"Try it. Verify every combination of parameters. Today, we're going to run this device through its paces."

Over the next six hours, the device ran continuously through a dozen sets of experiments with different parameters.

Flow rates ranged from 0.01 meters per second to 0.05 meters per second, temperatures from 15 to 30 degrees, and the magnetic field gradient was fine-tuned several times. Every set of data was recorded in detail by Li Xiao, with comparison curves generated in real-time.

The best result was still the set of parameters Lin Mo had provided:

Flow rate 0.018 meters per second, temperature 22 degrees, gradient 5.8 Tesla per meter—separation efficiency 90.1%.

Other combinations were slightly lower, but all remained stable above 80%.

At two in the afternoon, Chen Xueming announced the end of the experiment.

He stood before the whiteboard, looking at the data table Li Xiao had organized, and didn't speak for a long time.

Zhang Zhe walked over and stood beside him, also looking at those numbers.

"Dr. Chen," Zhang Zhe said, "do you know what this means?"

Chen Xueming nodded:

"It means Lithium Extraction from Seawater is truly feasible."

Zhang Zhe was silent for a few seconds and then said:

"I didn't believe it before. Now I do."

Chen Xueming turned to look at him and noticed that this usually taciturn man's eyes were also slightly red.

He patted Zhang Zhe on the shoulder:

"It was those materials you made that allowed the device to run stably."

Zhang Zhe shook his head: "It's something we all did together."

At three in the afternoon, Fang Lin suddenly appeared at the laboratory door.

Behind her were two people in plain clothes, both holding folders.

"I heard you were doing the verification experiment today?" Fang Lin walked in, her gaze falling on the device. "What are the results?"

Chen Xueming went to meet her: "Director Fang, it worked. The separation efficiency is 90%."

Fang Lin was stunned for a moment, then quickly walked to the monitor screen to look at the data.

She looked for a long time.

Then she turned to look at Chen Xueming:

"Dr. Chen, do you know what the words you just said mean?"

Chen Xueming nodded: "It means we will no longer rely on imported lithium resources."

Fang Lin shook her head:

"More than that. It means that starting today, the rules of the game for global lithium resources have changed."

She walked to the window, looking at the Kunlun Mountains in the distance:

"Australia has mines, Chile has salt lakes, but we have the sea. The seawater in the Pacific Ocean is enough for all of humanity to use for tens of thousands of years. They can't bottleneck us anymore."

She turned around, looking at everyone in the laboratory:

"You have done something extraordinary."

Li Xiao said softly: "It was the direction Teacher Lin gave..."

Fang Lin looked at Lin Mo, who only smiled and didn't say anything.

Fang Lin nodded: "Good. I will report this immediately. Wait for the good news."

She left with the two people.

That evening, Chen Xueming uncharacteristically proposed to treat everyone to dinner.

"Same mutton restaurant as before," he said, "my treat."

Li Xiao was the first to raise her hand: "Me, me, me! I want roasted lamb chops!"

Zhang Zhe rareley took the initiative to say: "I can go too."

Zhao Gang laughed: "Then I'll be responsible for ordering the food."

Lin Mo, of course, agreed.

The five of them went back to that "Old Mas Mutton Restaurant." The owner, Lao Ma, recognized them and greeted them with a smile: "Same spot?"

Chen Xueming nodded: "Same spot. We'll order a few more dishes today to celebrate."

Lao Ma looked at them and smiled: "It seems there's good news? Alright, I'll cook personally today!"

The food arrived, even more lavish than last time. Hand-grabbed mutton, roasted lamb chops, lamb offal soup, big plate chicken, cold cucumber salad, peanuts... the entire table was filled.

Chen Xueming raised his glass, looking at everyone present:

"This toast is to everyone."

Everyone raised their glasses.

Chen Xueming said: "I used to think scientific research was a one-man job. Now I know it's not."

He looked at Lin Mo:

"Teacher Lin, thank you for giving me this opportunity."

He looked at Zhang Zhe:

"Teacher Zhang, thank you for staying up late with me to work on materials."

He looked at Li Xiao:

"Xiao, thank you for that bowl of porridge and those databases."

Finally, he looked at Zhao Gang:

"Captain Zhao, thank you for always standing at the door, letting us do our experiments with peace of mind."

Zhao Gang waved his hand: "That was my duty."

Chen Xueming shook his head: "It's not just duty. You truly treat us as your own."

He took a deep breath and raised his glass:

"Come, a toast to our team."

Everyone raised their glasses at the same time, clinking them together.

After dinner, the five of them walked back slowly.

The night in the small town was still quiet, and the starry sky overhead was still brilliant. It was exactly the same as during their last gathering.

But Chen Xueming knew that things were different now.

Last time it was the success of the Lithium-Sulfur Battery. This time it's a breakthrough in Lithium Extraction from Seawater.

Last time, he was still lamenting that "now there are four of us." This time, he could already say with confidence, "We are a team."

As they reached the base gate, Zhao Gang suddenly stopped and looked alertly into the distance.

"What's wrong?" Lin Mo asked.

Zhao Gang lowered his voice: "Over there, someone has been standing for a long time."

The group followed his gaze. On the street of the small town in the distance, there was indeed a figure standing under a streetlight, seemingly peering in this direction.

The stranger in town that Fang Lin mentioned?

Zhao Gang said: "You guys go in first, I'll go take a look."

Lin Mo nodded: "Be careful."

The five of them entered the base, and Zhao Gang walked toward that direction alone.

Chen Xueming looked back, a trace of unease rising in his heart.

But he quickly withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.

No matter what was outside, the device in the laboratory was still running, the data was still jumping, and the 90% separation efficiency was still glowing on the screen.

That was enough.

Back in the dormitory, Chen Xueming sat at his desk, not feeling sleepy at all.

He opened his computer and looked through today's data once more. 90.1%, 0.017 milligrams per liter, stable operation for six hours.

He thought of what Lin Mo had said: "Physical limits are not impossible to break through."

Now he believed it.

He picked up a pen and wrote a line in his notebook:

August 15, 2025, verification experiment for Lithium Extraction from Seawater successful, separation efficiency 90.1%.

After writing it, he stared at that line for a long time.

Then he closed the notebook and lay down on the bed.

Outside the window, moonlight shone in, casting a silvery white patch on the wall.

He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

That night, he slept very soundly.

The next morning, as soon as Chen Xueming arrived at the laboratory, he saw Lin Mo standing in front of the whiteboard, writing something.

He walked over to take a look; on the whiteboard was written:

Next Steps:

Pilot-scale production device design (processing capacity × 100 times)

Superconducting Magnet engineering (joint research with Academician Wang's team)

Seawater intake and pretreatment system (coastal site selection)

lithium enrichment liquid subsequent processing (lithium carbonate preparation process)

Lin Mo turned to look at him:

"Dr. Chen, 90% is just the beginning. What comes next is the real hard battle."

Chen Xueming nodded:

"I know."

He looked at the words on the whiteboard, a surge of passion rising in his heart.

90% was just the beginning.

There were more challenges ahead.

But he was no longer afraid.

Because he was not alone.