I built an armada.

"I think that chieftain of the Eagles is probably terrified of us last time and has lost his mind! He even dares to bite the pie in the sky offered by the Indians!"

This is going to be interesting! Let's wait and see if their 'Shah Rukh Khan' system ends up being a 'sand sculpture system' or a 'sandstorm system'!

The two exchanged a few jokes, and the office was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

But after the laughter subsided, Su Dingping's eyes sharpened again. The alliance between the Eagle and the Indians was laughable, but the other side possessed vast resources, and in a desperate situation, they might cause trouble. Longxia, we must not let our guard down.

"Alright, Sister Xueyun, I have to get back to work."

Su Dingping put down the empty bowl, took a deep breath, and sat back down in front of the computer.

"Let them do their thing, we need to pick up the pace."

Guo Xueyun sighed as she watched his determined spirit and put away the thermos.

"Alright, alright, I can't argue with you. I'll go check on how the new liquid helium cooling system is being tested. You just be careful!"

She left the office, glancing back every few steps.

The door closed, and Su Dingping immediately immersed himself back in the vast ocean of data. On the screen, complex magnetic field simulations rotated and twisted, every change in parameters affecting the final result.

He almost forgot the passage of time and his physical exhaustion.

During the day, he calculates, deduces, and argues in the real world; at night, his consciousness sinks into a mysterious forging space, where the flow of time seems different, allowing him to conduct larger and more precise deductions and simulations.

For more than a month, I worked without sleep or rest.

The huge filing cabinet in the corner of his office was crammed full of calculation drafts and design sketches.

Every sheet of paper was soaked with his sweat and hard work.

Finally, as another dawn was about to break, Su Dingping pressed the last Enter key. On the screen, a dazzlingly complex 3D structure slowly rotated and took shape—the core blueprint of the stellarator device!
He exhaled a long, long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He slumped into the chair, too weak to even move a finger.

But a relieved smile appeared on his lips.

A few days later, when Su Dingping reappeared before everyone, he was still exhausted, but his spirits were incredibly high.

He directly summoned Jiang Tianzheng and the leaders of several other key groups, and brought them to the core area of ​​the Longxin Laboratory.

Pushing open the heavy radiation-proof door, the sight before them made everyone gasp!
In the center of the enormous experimental hall, a colossal object stood silently.

It is not a traditional cylinder or ring, but a twisted three-dimensional spiral full of strange beauty!
The silver-white casing gleamed coldly under the lights, with countless pipes of varying thicknesses winding around it like blood vessels, connecting to the equally massive energy storage matrix, cooling tower, and central control console filled with flashing indicator lights.

The entire installation covers an area of ​​12000 square meters, almost half the size of a football field!
It resembles a solidified silver nebula, or a coiled steel dragon, exuding a breathtaking sense of technological power.

"This...this is a stellarator?"

The head of the materials group, an elderly professor with gray hair, pushed up his glasses, his voice trembling slightly.

Although he participated in some of the material development, this was the first time he had seen the prototype of the entire device.

The visual impact is absolutely stunning!
"That's right!"

Su Dingping's voice was slightly hoarse, yet it was full of undeniable power.

"This is our hope for the future, the 'Dragon Star' stellarator device!"

He walked to the control panel and brought up the holographic projection of the core components.

That was a more precise and complex internal structure diagram.

"Gentlemen, the most difficult theoretical calculations and core design have been completed."

He looked around at everyone, his eyes gleaming.

"Next comes the real manufacturing and assembly phase! Time is of the essence, we must race against time!"

The holographic projection magnifies the image, clearly breaking it down into six key parts.

"First, the toroidal vacuum chamber!"

Su Dingping pointed to a huge, twisted ring-shaped cavity.

"This is where the reaction occurs; it must withstand extreme high temperature, high pressure, and strong radiation! Materials team, Professor Wang, you are in charge! Requirements."

Absolute vacuum, super heat resistance, and resistance to neutron radiation!

This is the pinnacle challenge in materials science, any questions?

Professor Wang, with his gray hair, straightened his back, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"No problem, Chief Engineer Su! Our newly developed 'Dragon Scale' composite ceramic material is designed for it! It's heat-resistant, radiation-resistant, and airtight, guaranteeing to meet design requirements!"

"it is good!"

Su Dingping nodded, his finger sliding to point to the coil structure outside the vacuum chamber, which resembled a complex vine.

"Second, the three-dimensional tortuous magnetic field coil! Chief Engineer Jiang, your engineering team is in charge!"

This is the soul of the stellarator!

Its precision directly determines whether we can contain that raging plasma! The position, angle, and current intensity of every coil must be accurate to the millisecond! I need you to use the most precise CNC machine tools and the most stringent process standards to complete this!

Looking at the complex coil structure diagram that made his scalp tingle, Jiang Tianzheng not only did not back down, but instead rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Don't worry, Chief Engineer Su! Our engineering team has been working on this for a long time! Precision? We guarantee the error will be controlled within the micrometer level! Even with a magnifying glass, you won't find any flaws!"

"Third, the first wall and the divertor!"

Su Dingping pointed to a special armored structure on the inner wall of the vacuum chamber, and a funnel-like device below it.

"This is the first line of defense against high-temperature plasma and the key to handling reaction waste! It must withstand extreme heat loads while efficiently removing impurities such as helium ash! Engineer Zhang, your thermal engineering team and structural team are jointly responsible! Heat dissipation, corrosion resistance, and material compatibility—none of these can be neglected!"

Zhang, the middle-aged engineer in charge of thermal engineering and structure, adjusted his safety helmet and said in a deep voice.

"Understood! Our designed 'Dragon Scale' active cooling jacket and 'Dragon Claw' divertor structure have passed simulation tests, and the results exceeded expectations! We are confident in their implementation!" "Fourth, the heating system!"

Su Dingping pointed to several complex microwave transmitters and neutral beam injection devices.

"How do we heat the reaction fuel to hundreds of millions of degrees? We'll rely on these! Microwave heating and neutral beam injection, a two-pronged approach! Team Leader Li, your energy team is in charge! Power, stability, and controllability—all are indispensable!"

Li, the team leader of the energy group, was a capable young man who immediately stood at attention upon hearing this.

"Mission accomplished! Our ultra-high-power microwave source and particle accelerator have been debugged and are ready for deployment at any time!"

Fifth, the cooling system!

Su Dingping pointed to the dense network of pipes connecting the massive liquid helium storage tank and the cooling tower.

"The heat generated by the entire device is astronomical! It must be removed efficiently! Otherwise, we're building a giant bomb! Engineer Zhou, your refrigeration team is in charge! Liquid helium circulation, superconducting magnet cooling, waste heat recovery—the entire chain must be foolproof!"

Refrigeration expert Zhou pushed up his glasses, revealing a calm gaze behind the lenses.

"Chief Engineer Su, rest assured, our distributed liquid helium cooling loop and high-efficiency heat exchange system have more than enough theoretical heat dissipation capacity. In actual combat, we will keep a close eye on every valve!"

"at last!"

Su Dingping's voice suddenly rose, pointing towards the central control console.

Sixth, the AI ​​control system!

This is the 'brain' of the entire device! Dr. Qian, your information group is in charge! All subsystems—real-time plasma monitoring, dynamic magnetic field control, heating power fine-tuning, fault early warning and handling—must work in perfect unison under the command of this 'brain'! Millisecond-level response speed! There's no room for error!

Dr. Qian, the head of the information group, a composed female scientist, nodded vigorously.

"Chief Engineer Su, the 'Candle Dragon' AI control system we developed has completed the basic framework construction and core algorithm embedding. The next step is in-depth integration and practical training with various subsystems. We will make it the most reliable and most sensitive 'brain'!"

As soon as Dr. Qian finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire core area became more solemn. The enormous skeleton of the stellarator "Dragon Star" stood in the center of the laboratory, its silver-white shell reflecting a cold light under the overhead lights, and the pipes wrapped around it pulsating slightly like the veins of a giant beast.

This steel construct, supported by six major systems, is currently just an empty shell waiting to be infused with a soul.

"it is good!"

Su Dingping slammed his hand on the control panel, producing a dull echo, his fatigue somewhat masked by excitement.

"Everyone, this is the future! Whether 'Dragon Star' can ignite the first ray of light of the artificial sun depends on whether we can perfectly manufacture these six key components! The military factory must provide full support in parallel!"

His gaze was sharp as lightning, landing first on Professor Wang, whose hair was gray.

"Old Wang, the toroidal vacuum chamber is the heart of 'Dragon Star,' the battlefield for fusion!"
The 12-centimeter 'dragon scale' must be as smooth as a mirror inside, without a single scratch!
I can only be at ease with this job if your materials team takes the lead and the top craftsmen from the integrated military factory cooperate!

Professor Wang took a deep breath, his wrinkled hands pressing down on the unfolded blueprints. On the blueprints, the huge, twisted circular lines outlined the cage of future fusion flames.

He traced his finger across the specially marked area, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable firmness.

"Chief Engineer Su, I understand the difficulties of this job."

The twelve-centimeter 'dragon scales' must not only have a flawless smoothness, but their density and resistance to neutron radiation must also be absolutely uncompromising.

The impact of high-temperature plasma, the bombardment of high-energy neutrons… this isn't a vacuum chamber, it's practically the lid of a hellish furnace!

He picked up a sample of "dragon scales" on the table, which emitted a faint blue luster. His fingertips traced the cool, smooth surface, his eyes sharp as a honed blade.

"We've developed the material; our survival hinges on this one-off deal!"
I will personally oversee the integrated military factory project for this!

I've got my hands on all those top-of-the-line five-axis CNC machining centers in their workshop! Using the finest diamond grinding wheels and our special coolant, I'll gnaw at them millimeter by millimeter, until I get that 'dragon's' belly right there! My life's on the line; if they dare to rip a hole in its heart, I'll offer my head in return!"

"Great! That's the spirit I've been looking for!"

Su Dingping nodded emphatically and then looked at Jiang Tianzheng.

"Chief Engineer Jiang, the three-dimensional tortuous magnetic field coil assembly requires micron-level precision!"
This is the 'stabilizing force' of the stellarator; whether the wild horse of plasma can be tamed depends entirely on how tightly the coil cage is secured! Your precision manufacturing workshop must operate at full capacity!

Jiang Tianzheng grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

"Chief Engineer Su, no doubt about it! Among the young men in our engineering team, there are several who can carve eggs with their hands! The most precise CNC winding machine and the laser calibration instrument with a precision of a few tenths of a micrometer are all ready."

Whatever twisted shape the coil is in the drawing, I can make the copper wire twist into that same shape in a magnetic field! Error? Guaranteed not even a hair's breadth will be lost!

The instructions were clearly issued one by one. The thermal engineering team was responsible for the installation and commissioning of the "dragon scale" active cooling interlayer and the "dragon claw" divertor, which were the first line of defense against the high-temperature plasma. The energy team began to carefully connect the microwave transmitter, which had enough power to instantly vaporize steel, and the neutral particle beam injection device into the frame.
The refrigeration team laid a dense network of pipes between the huge liquid helium storage tanks and cooling towers to ensure that "Dragon Star" would not become a self-destructive bomb; the information team began to connect the lines, like a dense bundle of nerves, to the huge central control console, laying the channels for "Candle Dragon" AI to control every nerve ending.

After the meeting ended, everyone rushed back to their posts like wound-up machines.

After working at high intensity for more than a month, Su Dingping suddenly relaxed, and a strong sense of fatigue washed over him like a tide, making his steps even a little unsteady.

"Peace be restored!"

Guo Xueyun, who had been quietly taking notes at the meeting, immediately stepped forward and took his arm without saying a word, her voice full of heartache and unyielding firmness.

"Alright! The mission's over. The world will keep turning even without you watching over it! Look at you, you're practically floating! Now, right now, immediately! Go back to your dorm and get some sleep! Even if the sky falls, you have to get enough sleep first!"

Su Dingping opened his mouth to refute, but when he saw the deep worry in Guo Xueyun's eyes and her slightly reddened eyes, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

He forced a weak smile and nodded obediently.

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to Steward Guo."

"Go and rest now, okay?"

Guo Xueyun rolled her eyes at him, but her support became even gentler.

"Stop talking nonsense! Let's go!"

Without a word, she practically dragged and supported Su Dingping out of the brightly lit but tense core area.

Night had fallen, and all was quiet.

Su Dingping's single dormitory room in the laboratory living area was extremely simply furnished. Guo Xueyun directly pressed him down onto the hard bed covered with a military green single quilt, and then, like a guard watching over a prisoner, moved a chair and stood watch beside his bed. (End of this chapter)