Industry: Cthulhu

Chapter 42 Winning the Prize
The atmosphere became tense and expectant. The three candidates, Fang Yan, Foskelder and Zhou Zhengkang, all stood on the stage, waiting for the final announcement. Everyone in the audience held their breath, and the audience was silent, as if time had stopped at this moment.

Novlen cleared his throat, and his steady voice echoed throughout the square. "After rigorous selection and discussion by the jury, the winner of this year's Star Ring Award is—Fang Yan!"

As soon as the words fell, the whole venue suddenly became boiling.

There was endless applause and cheers, as if even the thousand-meter-high trees were shaking. The audience was a sea of joy, and countless engineers and scientists stood up to cheer for Fang Yan.

Although Foskelder and Zhou Zhengkang are also top scientific research talents, everyone knows that Fang Yan's award is well deserved.

Fang Yan stood on the stage, finally feeling relieved. He felt the thunderous applause from the audience, and those heartfelt cheers made him feel dazed for a moment. He never expected that he would actually win an award, and it was the Galaxy-renowned Star Ring Award.

Novlen continued, "The jury ultimately chose Fang Yan not only because his compass algorithm has greatly improved galactic shipping safety, reduced accidents by over 90 percent, and saved countless lives, but more importantly, it has opened up entirely new possibilities for exploring the galactic fringes and dark regions, and even the unknown regions beyond the galaxy, allowing us to safely reach those distant shores."

"The jury also believes that Fang Yan's achievements extend beyond just technology. After all, he comes from a marginal planet with only Level 1 technology. His ability to stand out in such a short period of time, breaking through regional and knowledge barriers, proves that young people in any corner of the galaxy, as long as they have dreams and perseverance, have the potential to change the future of the galaxy!"

The following paragraph is like a warm spring breeze, blowing into the hearts of every audience member.

Fang Yan's success has brought a ray of light and hope to young people living in remote areas with difficult living conditions.

The audience in the audience could no longer contain themselves and stood up to applaud. The entire Star Ring Awards venue was like a carnival feast, and everyone's face was filled with excitement and admiration.

The scene was completely boiling.

……

In the Gillon family's estate, Isabella and Aunt Fanny were also nervously watching the Star Halo Awards ceremony.

When Novlen announced Fang Yan as the winner, Aunt Fanny suddenly stood up, her whole body trembling with excitement, and she murmured, "He did it! Fang Yan really did it!"

Her old eyes were shining with unprecedented excitement, as if she had returned to the glorious days of her youth.

Isabella was also so excited that she couldn't control herself. The emotions that had been suppressed for a long time finally burst out, and tears rolled down her cheeks involuntarily.

Seeing Fang Yan standing on the dazzling stage, Isabella's joy and excitement surged like a tide, as if Fang Yan's victory was also her own victory.

Even the servants in the villa were infected by this scene and talked to each other in low voices, excited about Fang Yan's success.

However, when Isabella calmed down a little and wiped the tears from her face, she suddenly found that Aunt Fanny's excitement seemed to be even stronger than her own.

She looked at her aunt in confusion, feeling puzzled. Her aunt had always been calm and composed, and could remain calm even in the face of major events, but today, her reaction seemed very strange and unusual.

"Aunt, are you okay?" Isabella helped her aunt sit down and couldn't help asking.

Aunt Fanny smiled slightly, moved closer to her, and whispered in her ear, "It turns out that Fang Yan is a man you can trust."

Isabella was stunned, feeling even more confused. "Why do you say that?"

Aunt Fanny didn't answer immediately. Instead, she put down the teacup in her hand and looked at the screen in the distance with a gentle gaze. "Fang Yan called me last night."

"Telephone?"

Isabella was surprised. Fang Yan and Aunt Fanny were actually in contact privately?
She asked curiously, "What did Fang Yan say to you?"

Aunt Fanny didn't tell her the details right away. Instead, she smiled mysteriously and said, "It's not the time to tell you yet. Keep reading, and you'll understand soon."

……

Novlen took a step back and motioned Fang Yan to come forward. As the winner, according to convention, Fang Yan should give his acceptance speech at this time.

The applause and cheers from the audience grew even louder. Fang Yan, somewhat embarrassed, stood in the center of the stage, facing the countless scientists and engineers from all over the galaxy, and said, "Thank you to the judging panel, thank you to all my friends who support me, and thank you to my colleagues back home on Earth."

Then, when everyone expected him to continue, nothing happened...

To Fang Yan's surprise, he took out a holographic projection device from his arms, gently placed it on the stage floor, and then started the projection.

"What is he doing?"

"I don't know, but it feels weird."

"What the hell is going on?! This is a galaxy-wide live broadcast, right?"

"Perhaps geniuses are always unexpected. Let's wait and see what Fang Yan is going to do."

The applause from the audience stopped instantly, and the audience fell into confusion and astonishment, whispering to each other. The same was true for all the audiences watching the live broadcast across the galaxy.

For such a grand and formal occasion, Fang Yan actually took out a projector? Such a move was clearly inappropriate.

However, when the holographic projection was activated and a device appeared in the center of the stage, everyone was so surprised that they were speechless.

Anyone with a basic understanding of high-energy physics or who has worked on controlled fusion can quickly determine that this is a controlled fusion reactor.

However, the design of this controlled fusion device is significantly different from mainstream equipment. It is so small, only one-eighth the size of the current mainstream reactor. Its structure is simple and exquisite, and all complex systems are integrated to the extreme.

People opened their eyes wide, breathed rapidly, and spoke in low voices.

"How can this be!?"

A senior engineer in the audience couldn't help but mutter, "If this design were real... the galactic shipping industry would be completely overturned!"

"Look at the size! It's so small! It can be loaded onto a very small ship..."

"Yeah, I don't know how he did it."

"Impossible, right? If this small device is real, it would definitely be no less than an earthquake in the energy industry!"

"What's going on now? Aren't we here for an awards ceremony? Why does it feel like a new product launch?"

Exclamations and speculations arose among the crowd.

The scientists' eyes were fixed on the small fusion device, and countless ideas emerged in their minds. If this device could really be realized, the galaxy's energy structure, shipping safety, and logistics model would undoubtedly be completely reshaped.

This astonishingly small fusion device is definitely a revolutionary invention.

Standing in the crowd, Aliat had a helpless expression on his face.

He recognized the device at a glance. It was Fang Yan's original quantum field controlled fusion.

Aliat felt a headache. Although he didn't know what Fang Yan was going to do, he had a bad premonition in his heart at this moment.

"I'm afraid Fang Yan, this kid, is going to cause trouble." Aliat thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)