8: Chapter 008 First Verification: Theory Feasible!
Deep in the Southwest Mountains, within the depths of the underground base code-named "Hidden Dragon," the lights remained lit all night.
In just over ten hours, a group of the country's top materials scientists, chemists, and physicists were summoned here under various emergency pretexts. Among them were gray-haired academicians as well as discipline leaders in their prime. At first, many felt doubt and dissatisfaction, not understanding why their research had been abruptly interrupted and they were brought to this isolated place.
It wasn't until they signed the highest-level non-disclosure agreements and sat in the hall of the "Chasing Light Project" Theory Verification Center, seeing the file titled "Synthesis Path of a New High-Efficiency Solidifier" on the projection screen.
A deathly silence first filled the hall, followed by a wave of uncontrollable hushed exclamations and whispers.
"This... this catalytic cycle design? It's unheard of!"
"Based on common lunar elements? This approach is brilliant; it completely bypasses the limitations of Earth's resources!"
"Look at this calculation of the reaction energy barrier. If it holds true, efficiency will increase by more than five times!"
Doubts also existed. A white-haired old professor suddenly stood up, pointing at a complex molecular configuration on the screen. "Absurd! This kind of bond angle simply cannot exist stably under normal temperature and pressure! It violates basic chemical principles!"
His words drew agreement from many. Indeed, many concepts and models in the document challenged the cognitive systems they had built over decades.
"Quiet!" Elder Chen, sitting at the head, tapped the table. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried absolute authority. His gaze swept across the room, looking at these pillars of the nation who were either excited, skeptical, or lost in thought.
"I know that some of the content in this material looks like a fantasy," Elder Chen spoke slowly. "When I first saw it, I was just as shocked and skeptical as you are. But—"
He changed his tone, becoming incredibly serious. "We are sitting here not to argue about what it 'should' look like, but to use the most rigorous attitude to verify what it 'could' be! 'Patriot X' sent it to us in a way we cannot understand, which is a signal in itself. Now, I need you to temporarily set aside your prejudices and use the most basic laws of mathematics, physics, and chemistry to deduce it!"
Elder Chen's words quieted the hall once more. Everyone there was a leader in their respective field, possessing immense professional quality and a thirst for knowledge. After the initial shock, the desire for rational exploration took over.
"Proceed in groups!" Elder Chen ordered. "Group one, responsible for thermodynamics and reaction path simulation; group two, responsible for molecular dynamics modeling and stability analysis; group three, responsible for quantum chemical calculations of key steps... All processes are to be calculated independently and cross-verified!"
With the order given, the entire Theory Verification Center instantly turned into a high-efficiency hive. The roar of supercomputers became the background noise, data streams poured down the giant screens like waterfalls, and whiteboards were soon covered with complex formulas and points of contention.
Time passed amidst intense discussions and rapid calculations.
At first, doubts and unexplainable difficulties emerged one after another. From time to time, groups reported that "this step cannot be established" or "the simulation results differ significantly from expectations." The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive for a while.
But gradually, as the calculations deepened and models were adjusted, the situation began to change.
"Wait! If we introduce this local field effect..." a young doctor from group two suddenly shouted, his fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard. "Look! The structural stability curve matches!"
"Same here! After adopting the new solvation model, the predicted reaction energy barrier error is less than three percent compared to the data in the document!" Good news came from another group.
Breakthroughs appeared one after another like falling dominoes. Those structures initially dismissed as "absurd" showed surprising rationality and superiority under more precise theoretical models; those paths that seemed to defy common sense became clear once the specific conditions described in the document (such as microgravity environments or specific radiation field catalysis) were introduced!
Four hours, eight hours, twelve hours...
While the morning sun's rays still couldn't penetrate the hundreds-of-meters-thick mountain, the atmosphere inside the Theory Verification Center had completely transformed.
The old professor who had initially stood up in fierce opposition was now wearing his reading glasses, staring intently at his group's final simulation report. His lips trembled slightly. After a long while, he exhaled deeply, took off his glasses, rubbed his reddened eyes, and said to Elder Chen beside him, "Old Chen... I... I can't believe it, but on a theoretical level, we can't find any fatal logical loopholes. On the contrary... it constructs a self-consistent and... nearly perfect system."
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly echoed through the suddenly silent hall.
No one spoke, but every face was filled with shock and excitement. All the deductions and calculations ultimately pointed to the same conclusion—this technical material was highly feasible on a theoretical level!
Elder Chen slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping across the exhausted yet incredibly excited faces. The heavy stone hanging in his heart finally fell, replaced by an indescribable sense of pride and ambition.
"Compile the verification report immediately!" His voice was slightly hoarse from excitement but carried decisive power. "Report to the 'Chasing Light Project' headquarters: Theory verification, preliminarily passed!"
"Notify the experimental group to start preparations immediately and attempt physical synthesis!"
As the order spread, the entire base felt as if it had been injected with a shot of adrenaline. Theoretical feasibility meant that what they held in their hands was most likely not a waste of paper, but a real key to the future!
Meanwhile, in a city rental apartment thousands of miles away, Lin Mo wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked at the small amount of white powder with a strange metallic luster slowly precipitating in the test tube. A prompt popped up on the system interface at the right moment:
[Trace sample of 'Lunar Regolith Solidifier' successfully prepared. Mission complete. Reward: 50 points.]
He carefully sealed the test tube, unaware that under the same night sky, a group of people who shared the same dream had just cast an incredibly trusting vote for the knowledge he had brought.