31: Chapter 31 The Dragon Kingdom Under the Energy Noose
The success of "guanghan palace no. 1" and the perfect performance of the lunar soil samples were like a shot of adrenaline, invigorating the entire Dragon Country. Before this joy had completely dissipated, a heavier and more lethal dark cloud had quietly shrouded Dragon Country.
In the capital of Pretty Country, a carefully planned press conference was being broadcast live globally.
A spokesperson in a suit stood on the stage, his tone cold and firm: "...Based on our shared responsibility to maintain the stability and security of the global energy market, and following a consensus among major oil-producing countries, we have decided that, effective immediately, we will implement total volume control on the international supply of crude oil and natural gas, and suspend the signing of new long-term energy supply contracts with Dragon Country."
As soon as he finished speaking, the audience erupted! This was almost a blatant declaration of an energy embargo!
Ignoring the commotion, the spokesperson continued to drop even more lethal content: "At the same time, given the aggressive moves by certain countries in sensitive technology fields recently, which may pose a potential threat to the existing international order, to ensure global strategic stability, our country will join allies such as the European Union and Japan to immediately launch a comprehensive embargo against Dragon Country on 'high-performance computing chips,' 'precision industrial mother machines,' and 'specialty industrial gases'!"
Energy! Chips! Industrial mother machines! Specialty gases!
Four giant nooses were ruthlessly thrown by Pretty Country and its allies at the same time, precisely tightening around Dragon Country's neck! This was a far more ferocious and comprehensive encirclement than any previous round of sanctions, intended to fundamentally strangle Dragon Country's industrial lifeblood and technological development potential!
As the news spread, the world was shaken.
International crude oil prices skyrocketed in response, soaring by more than thirty percent in just a few hours! Dragon Country, which relies on imported energy, saw its domestic oil and gas prices surge, and the cost pressure on transportation, chemicals, and even residential electricity consumption increased sharply.
Even more severe was the embargo on chips and industrial mother machines. Countless Dragon Country tech companies reliant on high-end chips faced the risk of production shutdowns; many manufacturing plants lost key channels for updating and maintaining precision equipment. A sense of panic over 'running out of supplies' began to spread within the relevant industries.
In the Capital of Dragon Country, a top-level emergency meeting was held overnight.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was as heavy as lead. A leader in charge of economic work pointed at the wildly fluctuating energy and commodity price curves on the screen, his voice heavy: "The initial estimate for the energy gap will reach fifteen percent, and some coastal industrial provinces have already shown signs of power rationing. The chip embargo has directly choked the throat of our industrial upgrading!"
Another military representative slammed his fist on the table: "This is a blatant act of war! They want to crush us completely just as we've shown the first signs of rising!"
"Anger won't solve the problem." The old man presiding over the meeting spoke in a steady voice, yet with an unquestionable authority. "This is an overt plot by Pretty Country; they want to force us into a panic. The more it's like this, the calmer we must be."
His gaze swept across the room: "Energy is the grain of industry, and chips are the brain of modern industry. These two lines must be protected at all costs! Activate all reserves, tap into every potential, and use every diplomatic and commercial channel available to alleviate the pressure as much as possible. But most importantly—"
His voice suddenly rose, his gaze sharp as a knife: "We must possess our own energy and chip technologies that are not subject to others! This is the lifeline of whether we can survive and break through!"
The orders were quickly passed down. The entire Dragon Country, like a giant awakened from sleep, began to mobilize all its strength to deal with this unprecedented crisis. Energy departments coordinated fully to ensure electricity for livelihoods and key industries; the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology gathered all relevant enterprises to discuss emergency plans for the chip supply cutoff; the diplomatic system was urgently deployed to seek any possible breakthroughs.
Everyone knew that these were only temporary fixes. The real hope lay in breaking through the shackles of technology.
Just at this moment of impending storm and national pressure.
In the "Qianlong" Base in Southwest Dragon Country, Old Chen looked at the "Implementation Proposal for the 'Jinwu' Miniaturized Fusion Reactor (Demonstration Reactor) Project" in his hand, which had just been printed and was still warm from the ink. He then looked up at the arrogant face of the Pretty Country spokesperson being broadcast on the screen, his palms trembling slightly from the force.
It wasn't anger, but a fighting spirit mixed with excitement and determination.
He picked up the red encrypted phone, connected to the Supreme Command Headquarters of the "Chasing Light Project," and said only a few brief sentences:
"The enemy's noose has tightened."
"In our hands, we happen to have the... 'Sun' that can cut this noose."
"I request the immediate, full-scale launch of the 'Jinwu' project!"
In a rental room in that distant city, Lin Mo was also watching the performance of the Pretty Country spokesperson on the news, as well as the heavy atmosphere revealed on the Dragon Country news channel afterward. There was no surprise or panic on his face, only a cold expression of "it finally happened."
The system's warning still rang in his ears, and the internal crisis had already erupted.
He took a deep breath, his consciousness sinking into the system interface, looking at the ["Jinwu" Miniaturized Fusion Reactor Full Technical Details (Including Key Processes)] that required a large number of points to exchange, and his remaining balance of less than a thousand points.
"It seems I need to find a way to 'borrow' some points first." He whispered to himself, his gaze turning toward several high-reward short-term tasks in the system.