40: Chapter 40 Let it all out

"Success!"

Inside the control room, someone was the first to shout, their voice hoarse, nearly cracking, and filled with uncontrollable sobs.

The next second, it was like a volcanic eruption.

The entire main control room erupted in a frenzy!

"Success, we really succeeded!!"

"The data is perfect! Look at that power curve, my god, what a perfect straight line!"

An old researcher with thick glasses slammed the clipboard in his hands onto the floor and, acting like a madman, hugged his young colleague nearby, laughing and crying at the same time.

Papers recording countless hours of hard work scattered everywhere, but now, no one cared.

Most others just stared fixedly at the main screen.

Staring at the stable, deep blue beam of light that had lit up in the vacuum target chamber.

Staring at the rock-solid green data lines beside it, representing various performance indicators.

They were trembling all over, so excited that they couldn't even form a complete sentence.

For these past few days, the entire Light Source Task Force had practically staked their lives on this laboratory.

It wasn't that they were unaware of the rumors outside.

"An expensive farce."

"Antique technology that was phased out thirty years ago."

These arrogant assessments from The Other Side of the Ocean were piercing to the heart.

The anger, enough to burn through their chests, had been bottled up inside everyone for far too long.

And now, this fire, along with that deep blue beam of light, had finally found an outlet!

Wei Jiancheng stood in front of the console, motionless.

His body was straight, and his old eyes, bloodshot from lack of sleep, stared straight at the screen without blinking.

An assistant beside him rushed over excitedly, grabbing his arm.

"Director Wei! It succeeded! We really did it!"

Wei Jiancheng did not respond.

His hand was still resting on the edge of the console, his entire hand trembling slightly.

That light.

The light that the whole world had mocked as a "farce."

At this moment, it was shining quietly before his eyes.

It was stable.

It was powerful.

It was perfect.

It was, in itself, the loudest slap in the face, struck across the vast Pacific Ocean, hitting those arrogant, mocking faces hard!

"Heh..."

An ambiguous low laugh squeezed out of Wei Jiancheng's throat.

He slowly lowered his head, his shoulders beginning to heave violently.

"Heh... hehe..."

The laughter grew louder, turning from a suppressed low growl into unbridled, manic laughter.

"Hahahaha hahahaha!!"

His chest heaved violently, and his face, looking exceptionally haggard from days of staying up late, flushed bright red.

"Bang!"

A loud noise.

He slammed his hand hard onto the console.

"Good! Good! Good!!!"

He roared three times, the veins on his neck bulging.

His roar echoed throughout the main control room, drowning out the cheers of everyone else.

The young researchers, looking at this old director who appeared to be in a state of manic madness, did not find it funny at all.

Their eyes all turned red.

This frustration had been held in for too long.

This sense of triumph was so satisfying!

Lin Yuan stood at the back of the crowd, not joining in the revelry.

He just watched quietly, watching this group of the most top-tier, yet most stubborn scientists in Xia Country, venting their emotions like children.

This was an excellent start.

Lin Yuan was very satisfied.

When everyone's emotions had calmed down slightly, he raised his hand and clapped gently.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The crisp clapping was not loud, but it carried a peculiar penetrative power, making the noisy main control room slowly quiet down.

Everyone's gaze converged on him.

"Seniors."

Lin Yuan walked to the front of the crowd and looked around.

"First of all, congratulations everyone."

"The continuous ultraviolet Light Source has successfully achieved standardized output."

"This is the first step, and also the most critical step, for the Photolithography Machine project to move from theory to reality."

"This step was taken beautifully."

He gave a brief word of encouragement without saying too many sentimental things.

"However..."

Lin Yuan changed the subject.

"Achieving continuous, stable, high-energy light beam output is only the first step in realizing the Steady-state Micro-focused Light Source."

"The road ahead... is still very long."

The researchers, who had just been incredibly excited, also calmed down and nodded heavily.

Indeed.

This was just a beginning.

Whether it was miniaturized integration, spectral purity and beam homogenization, or long-term endurance with low energy consumption...

Every subsequent item was a tough nut that needed to be cracked.

But in their hearts, there was no longer any fear.

All that remained was infinite confidence and fighting spirit.

Soon, this astonishing good news stirred up a massive wave throughout Research Building No. 7.

Inside the Objective Lens Task Force's laboratory.

He Yicheng was wearing protective goggles, personally operating an ion beam polishing machine to perform micro-structure etching on a fist-sized metalens sample.

The laboratory door was pushed open, and a young researcher rushed in, panting.

"Director He! Director He!"

"The Light Source Group... they succeeded!"

He Yicheng's movements paused, and he slowly raised his head.

"What succeeded?"

"Their Light Source... they achieved continuous, stable output! The power and energy levels are all up to standard!"

This sentence made the entire Objective Lens Group's laboratory go quiet.

Everyone stopped their work and looked towards the door in unison.

He Yicheng was silent for a few seconds, a complex smile appearing on his face.

In that smile, there was a part that was happy for his old friend, but more of it was a fighting spirit that had been ignited.

"Did you hear that?"

He looked around at his team members who were also in shock.

"The Light Source Group has already fired the first shot."

"What about us?"

"Are we going to wait until they've cooked the meal while we're still sharpening our knives?"

With that one sentence, everyone in the Objective Lens Group felt their faces burning.

The same scene was also playing out in the area of the Automation Control Institute.

The Light Source Group's successful crossing of the finish line first did not discourage the other groups; on the contrary, it stirred up everyone's most primitive desire for competition and sense of honor.

A silent competition had completely begun among the various groups in Research Building No. 7.

...

Inside the Light Source Group's main control room.

The ecstatic crowd had dispersed, each returning to their posts to begin reviewing and organizing the experimental data from just moments ago.

Wei Jiancheng had also calmed down; he walked over to Lin Yuan and handed him a cup of hot water, saying:

"I lost my composure just now."

"It's normal."

Lin Yuan took the cup.

"After holding it in for so long, it's time to have a proper release of frustration."

Wei Jiancheng gulped down a large mouthful of water, feeling that the turbid air that had been pressing on his chest had finally been cleared.

"Yeah, this frustration, it's finally cleared."

He looked at the equipment indicator lights still flickering in the distance and said bitterly:

"If those foreigners could see our results, I'd like to see how they'd still call us an 'expensive farce'!"

Hearing this, Lin Yuan smiled.

He put down the cup, his smile carrying a composure that seemed to see through everything.

"Then why..."

"...can't we let them see it?"