149: Chapter 149 Why does Xia Guo dare to say six months?

The overwhelming news gave no one time to breathe.

The live broadcast of the academician awarding ceremony was clipped and dissected by major media outlets within hours, turning into countless special reports.

Meanwhile, television and radio stations were broadcasting related reports at high frequency on every hour.

As for newspapers, there was no need to even mention them.

The striking red headlines appeared immediately on newspaper boards in countless factories, school bulletin boards, and even the study rooms of government agencies.

But beyond that, what truly allowed this news to penetrate every corner was the countless mobile internet users.

They threw report links and screenshots into family group chats and friend circles, which were then liked, forwarded, and discussed by a swarm of relatives and friends.

It spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred.

In no time at all, from office pantries to construction site canteens, from the bunk beds of university dormitories to barbershops in small counties...

The words people kept repeating were those few terms.

Controlled Nuclear Fusion.

Six months.

Lin Yuan.

And in this nationwide discussion, what truly struck the hearts of the vast majority of people was not actually the five words "Controlled Nuclear Fusion."

For most ordinary people, while Controlled Nuclear Fusion sounded incredibly high-end and could evoke national pride, it was ultimately too far removed from their daily lives.

What truly made them care, and what made them gather together to repeatedly discuss, were the few sentences Lin Yuan threw out at the end of his speech—

"Let every factory and every household be able to use cheap, or even free, clean energy."

"No longer worrying about electricity prices."

Free energy.

No longer worrying about electricity prices.

Once these terms were brought to the table, the intensity of the discussion immediately changed.

Whose family doesn't pay electricity bills?

Whose family hasn't worried about whether to turn on the air conditioner in the summer?

This was the top priority that truly concerned every ordinary person's wallet.

Consequently, a complex emotion, mixed with anticipation and excitement, penetrated every capillary of Xia Kingdom's society in the shortest possible time.

"Free energy? Doesn't that mean we won't really have to pay electricity bills in the future?"

"Holy crap! If this really comes true, the production costs of those heavy industries and large factories will be cut by more than half on the spot, right?"

"That's natural. And if factory costs drop significantly, won't the prices of the clothes, appliances, and daily necessities we usually buy all follow suit?!"

On major forums, the number of discussion threads derived from the topic of "energy price reduction" was countless.

Some were seriously analyzing how much electricity prices could actually drop once Controlled Nuclear Fusion succeeded.

Some were imagining the terrifying explosion of industrial capacity in the future Xia Kingdom.

Some were even starting to count on their fingers, calculating in advance how much money they could save on electricity bills in a year.

"Are you guys serious? The news just came out, aren't you going to consider whether the second half of the year is reliable?"

"Hahaha, what's there to consider? When has God Lin ever fired blanks?"

"Well said! Follow God Lin, and there is hope for the future!"

This near-fanatical trust and expectation did not just remain on the internet.

In the streets and alleys, at vegetable market stalls, and in the backseats of taxis, one could hear people talking about this topic everywhere.

And this storm that swept across the Xia Kingdom also followed the invisible network, crossed the ocean without hindrance, and slammed hard into the nerves of certain people.

The Other Side of the Ocean, at a certain Joint Fusion Experimental Reactor Research Center.

Today, this heavily guarded research center welcomed an unexpected visitor.

Several black bulletproof sedans with special license plates passed through three security checkpoints and parked directly in front of the main entrance of the experimental building.

The car doors opened, and a middle-aged man in a dark suit with a gloomy expression stepped out.

Behind him followed four attendants, their paces uniform, each step landing on the same beat.

Brenner, the chief person in charge of the research center, had received the news in advance and was waiting at the door of the main control room, sweating profusely.

Seeing the visitor, Brenner hurried to meet him, extending his hand somewhat awkwardly.

"Mr. Wilson, welcome, welcome."

Wilson shook his hand briefly, with a heavy grip, and withdrew it just as quickly.

There was no small talk, no pleasantries, and not even a perfunctory smile to offer.

He walked straight past the threshold and strode into the main control room.

On the circular console, dense instrument panels and monitoring screens were emitting a faint blue light, and countless researchers were busy in front of the large screens.

Wilson swept his gaze around and stopped.

He turned around and looked at Brenner.

"Doctor, I only have one question today."

He pointed his hand toward the device in the projection.

"The Xia Kingdom has publicly announced that it will complete the landing and ignition of Controlled Nuclear Fusion within six months."

"When... exactly do you plan to finish?"

Brenner's smile froze on his face.

"Mr. Wilson, this timeline... is really hard to say."

"Controlled Nuclear Fusion involves countless cutting-edge interdisciplinary issues such as plasma confinement, superconducting magnet systems, tritium breeding blankets, and neutron irradiation damage. It is not..."

"Enough, I don't need you to lecture me."

Wilson interrupted him rudely, suppressing a dull anger in his voice.

"Dr. Brenner, I didn't come all this way to listen to your popular science."

"I just need a time, a clear time that can be written into the report."

"That young man in the Xia Kingdom named Lin Yuan has already explicitly stated that he will ignite and land it in half a year!"

"And your project, after working for so many years and throwing in so much money, now tells me the time is hard to say?"

Brenner pursed his shriveled lips, the flesh on his temples twitching uncontrollably.

"Sir, Controlled Nuclear Fusion is not a small project; it has too many uncertainties."

"Just the plasma steady-state confinement link alone has only just broken through six minutes."

"There is still a gap between now and true engineering and commercialization..."

"Then how does the Xia Kingdom dare to say six months?"

Wilson's words were like a heavy hammer, striking both heavily and accurately.

Hearing this, Brenner fell completely silent.

How?

He hadn't not thought about this question.

From a rigorous scientific perspective, achieving the engineering landing of Controlled Nuclear Fusion within six months was simply a fantasy.

He had been rooted in this field for over twenty years and knew the difficulty of every technical bottleneck like the back of his hand.

The chasm between physical principles and engineering realization in Controlled Nuclear Fusion could not be crossed simply by throwing money and manpower at it.

But, as it happened... the person who stated this timeline was named Lin Yuan!

In his heart, he wanted to swear on his life that the Xia Kingdom would absolutely not achieve the landing of Controlled Nuclear Fusion within six months; it defied common physical knowledge!

However, whenever he thought of that young man's terrifying track record in the past...

For some reason, he just couldn't spit those words out.

What if... what if he managed it again?

This thought made Brenner speak with difficulty, every word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"We will also... try our best to speed up the progress."

Wilson stared at him for a long time without speaking.

Then he turned and walked toward the door.

When he reached the door, he stopped and threw out a sentence without looking back.

"I know your situation."

"The higher-ups are already very dissatisfied with this progress."

"If you cannot produce results that can stabilize the military in the coming time, then your future funding will be completely cut, or even completely halted."

"You'd better take care of yourself."

After speaking, he turned and strode away.

Brenner stood in place with his head lowered, listening to the footsteps gradually fading away.

He didn't know what he was thinking in his heart.

...

Lin Yuan was unaware of the situation occurring The Other Side of the Ocean, and he didn't care.

He was enjoying some rare free time, accompanying his family to wander around and eating the meals his mother cooked by hand.

The storm of public opinion outside was blowing harder and harder, but he was like an idle person who had nothing to do with it.

Because he knew very well that since the curtain had been raised and the stage had been set, the rest should be left to time to ferment.

Let the system confidence grow wildly amidst crazy worship and anticipation.

The next morning.

Sunlight shone through the bedroom window, casting a layer of pale golden halo on the carpet, and the crisp chirping of birds could be vaguely heard outside the window.

Lin Yuan opened his eyes from the bed, his gaze clear, without the slightest drowsiness or confusion upon waking.

His attention was immediately focused deep in his mind, where the pale blue light screen that only he could see quietly unfolded.

[Current total confidence: 51.73%]