A genius? I just love studying.

Chapter 330 We are becoming the starry sky itself
Let's have a rational discussion. If this "Eternal Life No. 1" project can truly restore youth to eighty-year-olds and allow ordinary people to live to two hundred, then I wonder, what about those who have retired? Will they receive pensions from age sixty to two hundred? And will young people work until they are one hundred and eighty and then frantically pour money into the pension fund?

That's not just injecting water, that's giving yourself a blood transfusion!

[If someone really lives to two hundred, working until they're one hundred and eighty and then retiring won't help; we can't afford to support them. Let's rehire these rejuvenated seniors and keep them working!]

[What kind of devil are you? Just thinking about my 90-year-old great-grandmother having to go back to work makes me give that same expression as the old man on the subway looking at his phone.]

Suddenly, I realized that immortality doesn't seem so appealing anymore. The thought of being a beast of burden at 180 years old makes me want to cry.

Why are you crying? Think about our next generation and the generation after that. They're the ones who should be crying. We all live so long, where will we find the opportunity to give them? They might be unemployed at home at sixty.

"Then I'd like to know, if someone doesn't want to live forever, when exactly would they retire?"

[The question upstairs is good. If someone initially didn't want to use the immortality potion, retired at age 65, received a pension for 20 years, and then used the potion, how would that pension be calculated?]

[Everyone asked some good questions, but have you all forgotten that Chen Shen has already built a nuclear fusion power plant? Our next journey is to the stars and the sea. It's pathetic that you're still wasting your brain cells on retirement pensions.]

[That's right, if I live to be 150, I'll quit my job and go see space.]

[Haha, I'm different! I'll apply to support the construction of Mars when I'm sixty!]

People were having a lively discussion in the comments section. Although there was some sadness, the feeling of being able to live for several more decades was still wonderful. They also talked about the enormous changes brought about by nuclear fusion, which allowed them to imagine a more distant future.

They had no doubt about the authenticity of the immortality potion. Chen Hui had already brought them too many miracles, so although this matter had greatly shocked them, they would not have any doubts if it was announced by Chen Shen.

"Hey buddy, this isn't even confirmed yet, and you guys are already speculating?"

Of course, not everyone is without doubt. After all, this matter is indeed beyond people's imagination. In terms of both technological sophistication and impact on human civilization, it far surpasses nuclear fusion power generation, and is even more emotionally unacceptable.

Why must volunteers be over 80 years old? My dad is only 63, but he looks 80. Why can't he sign up?

[I'm starting to get scared. Is Chen Shen using people as guinea pigs? He talks about unknown risks so lightly. Who will be responsible if something goes wrong?]

I urge everyone to calm down. Even if it succeeds in the end, how much would this drug cost? It will inevitably become exclusive to certain privileged classes. Will ordinary people like us be able to afford it? Retirement pensions? That's laughable.

Compared to the uproar on Weibo, the academic community's reaction was more restrained, but the shock was more profound and intense.

The editorial departments of the three top journals, which had just published a major commentary on Nirvana-1, held another emergency meeting. This was no longer a single technological breakthrough, but rather the opening of a completely new research field.

The heads of world-leading biological laboratories and anti-aging research centers are putting pressure on the project team: "We need to change direction immediately! We must keep up with the epigenetic resetting race!"

Countless postdoctoral fellows and researchers began to re-examine their own research topics, trying to establish connections with Chen Hui's research.

What was most impressive were the top scientists who were closest to Chen Hui's research field.

They understood better than the general public how enormous the technological gap behind this announcement was. Their reaction was not to speak out immediately, but to silently and frantically study all the publicly available technology roadmaps, trying to understand how Chen Hui was solving those obstacles that they considered insurmountable.

They hailed it as the greatest biological revolution since Copernicus or Darwin.

This is seen as a milestone in humanity's shift from being slaves to nature to mastering its own destiny.

Research funding is pouring into the field of aging research, with countless geniuses trying to decipher the underlying principles of Chen Hui's success or to find other ways to extend lifespan.

Of course, compared to Nirvana 1, which cured cancer, Immortality 1 has brought much more controversy.

Traditional bioethicists and some conservative medical professionals have issued stern warnings that we are opening up an abyss without a map!

Interventions in aging could trigger unpredictable consequences, including new cancer risks, immune system disruptions, and even unknown neurodegenerative problems. We are playing God, and the cost could be the biological stability of all humanity.

Not only the medical community, but all walks of life were shaken by the recruitment notice for clinical volunteers for Immortality No. 1.

For example, if people can actually live healthily to 150 years old, then existing actuarial models will completely collapse, and all long-term investments and plans based on current life expectancy, such as real estate and consumption patterns, will be filled with uncertainty.

Even though they didn't know the clinical effects of Immortality No. 1, they had to prepare for this possibility, and for a time, the lights in countless office buildings stayed on all night.

It is foreseeable that countless researchers will go bald because of this.

……

Chengdu, December 28th

After several busy years, Chen Hui finally returned here. During this time, although he would come back to spend a few days with his uncle and aunt every Chinese New Year, he was always worried about the research and worried that his uncle's condition would suddenly worsen, so he would always leave again after only a few days.

Upon his return, his mindset had undergone a tremendous change, as if he had a sense of control over everything.

Chen Hui was somewhat wary of this mentality, which seemed a bit arrogant, but being able to resolve his uncle's illness did make him very happy.

Nirvana No. 1 has been on the market for about six months now, and so far, no terrible side effects have appeared. It can be preliminarily concluded that Nirvana No. 1 has a powerful curative effect on cancer and can completely cure cancer.

Li Tianhua also received Nirvana No. 1 treatment a few days ago, and his mental state is getting better and better. Qingrui and Qingshan didn't even know that Li Tianhua had been sick before.

I drove my uncle back to Qingfeng Times City from Huaxi. When I opened the door, Qingrui and Qingshan were doing their homework in the living room.

"elder brother."

Upon seeing Chen Hui, Li Qingrui excitedly skipped and hopped over, just like the little girl who used to rush over on the bus like a rabbit, her pigtails wagging.

Now, Li Qingrui has grown up to Chen Hui's chest, and her twin ponytails have been replaced with a single ponytail. Apart from still being lively, she has grown into a young woman.

"I can't carry you anymore."

Chen Hui pinched Li Qingrui's oval face, somewhat surprised. Who would have thought that the chubby little girl from back then would now be tall and thin, completely changed. "Brother."

Aoyama put down his homework and came over, his eyes full of joy. However, he tried his best to keep a calm expression. The once skinny little guy had now grown tall and strong, and with his steady expression, he gave people a very reliable feeling.

Chen Hui rubbed Qingshan's head and suddenly felt that the two-bedroom apartment in Qingfeng Times City was a bit too small, and it was time for them to move.

This time, Chen Hui didn't need to go to great lengths to persuade his uncle and aunt. He was already a world-renowned scientist, and buying a house was a piece of cake for him. The two elders had no reason to refuse.

"Brother, I saw you in my textbook!"

"That Yang-Mills-Chen theorem, I don't understand it at all, bro, tell me, how exactly did you prove it!"

Li Qingrui said excitedly that although she didn't understand it, she was overjoyed when the teacher introduced the theorem, especially after hearing her classmates' admiration for Chen Hui. The sense of satisfaction she felt then still makes her excited and dance with joy when she thinks about it now.

Li Qingshan, standing to the side, gave Li Qingrui a strange look and asked, "Are you sure you want to listen to your brother give you a lesson?"

"Oh, um, I suddenly remembered that the dishes aren't cooked yet, I'll go help."

Li Qingrui jumped up like a rabbit and rushed into the kitchen.

Chen Hui smiled. The two little ones are already in junior high school. Presumably, the teacher is only giving them general information and wouldn't actually teach them this level of knowledge.

"We have a parent-teacher conference when school starts, bro, can you go and attend it for me?"

Suddenly, Li Qingrui poked her head out of the kitchen, looking at Chen Hui with a mischievous grin. Her big, watery eyes blinked, and she put on a pitiful look.

“You’re the idol of our class now. If you go to her parent-teacher conference, she’ll be all high and mighty at school.”

Li Qingshan saw through Li Qingrui's little scheme.

Li Qingrui glared at him angrily, "Li Qingshan, don't you have any manners? Remember to address me by my title at home, call me 'sister'!"

Li Qingshan pursed his lips and went to do his homework on the balcony.

"Okay."

Unexpectedly, Chen Hui readily agreed.

Li Qingrui was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up with joy. "Really?"

Even Li Qingshan on the balcony looked up, somewhat surprised. He wasn't surprised that his brother had agreed to attend Qingrui's parent-teacher conference; he was surprised that his brother would stay home for so long this time.

They usually start junior high school after the Lantern Festival, and since they have to attend parent-teacher meetings, it can only be after the Lantern Festival.

In the past, Chen Hui usually left around the fifth or sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

"of course."

Chen Hui gave an affirmative answer.

Li Qingrui felt as if a sun had risen in her heart. Overjoyed, she returned to the kitchen, "Mom, let me help you chop the vegetables. I'm really good at chopping vegetables..."

"Go away, get away from my knife, and go wash the cutting board..."

The sounds of Li Qingrui and her daughter playfully bickering came from the kitchen, and their joy could be heard even in the living room.

Li Tianhua sat on the sofa watching TV. Although his eyes were fixed on the screen, a mysterious smile appeared on his face. It was unclear why he was smiling so happily while watching the news.

"In the fourth year since human civilization officially entered the Fusion Era, the Moon Palace Base and the Martian Crimson City Colony have both achieved energy self-sufficiency rates exceeding 500%, marking another milestone in the development of the solar system!"

Chen Hui sat down next to his uncle Li Tianhua and watched the news with him. The TV screen showed aerial footage of the lunar orbital space station Guanghan Palace, with giant fusion thrusters spewing out streams of dark blue particles.

"The tenth batch of Helium-3 transport fleet is setting sail from the Sea of ​​Tranquility base on the moon. The newly built Yutu fusion matrix on the far side of the moon has achieved all-weather power supply, and the efficiency of lunar soil processing has been increased by 300%. It can provide Earth with clean energy equivalent to ten years of global consumption in the old era every year!"

Watching the sci-fi-like scenes on the TV screen, Chen Hui was somewhat lost in thought. He hadn't expected that in just four short years, China had developed to this extent. These past few years of cancer research had truly given him a sense of disorientation, like a few days in a cave while a thousand years had passed in the world.

But considering the terrifying industrial Cthulhu-like nature of China, once key technologies are mastered, the subsequent infrastructure construction and development speed doesn't seem so unacceptable.

"And on the Red Planet, a project to rewrite the planet's fate is accelerating!"
By using fusion technology to melt polar dry ice, the atmospheric density on Mars has increased by 7 percentage points over the past three years. Inside the ecological dome of Mount Sumeru, the first batch of genetically modified pine trees have successfully survived, signifying that humanity has achieved a closed ecological cycle on another planet for the first time!

The scene shifts to the Martian equatorial canyon, where hundreds of nuclear fusion-powered geological terraforming machines are working with great fanfare.

Chen Hui chuckled to himself. He had underestimated the country’s execution and creativity. Today’s nuclear fusion power generation devices are no longer the traditional tokamak. There are large fusion reactors on large spacecraft and small fusion reactors on small aircraft. Chen Hui even saw micro fusion reactors integrated into some tools.

He didn't know how many generations of improvements this fusion reactor had undergone, and it was no longer the clumsy thing it used to be. According to the data disclosed in the news, its energy efficiency had also increased countless times. Today, China no longer has to worry about energy.

With the breakthrough in key nuclear fusion technologies, they have already ventured deep into the stars. Thinking about the infrastructure capabilities of their motherland, Chen Hui is really looking forward to seeing what the solar system will look like in a few years.

No wonder the power dynamics on Earth haven't changed much; it's simply because China's focus has long since shifted from this tiny planet to the stars and the sea.

"Not only in the inner solar system, but also yesterday the exploration team on Europa reported good news: the fusion drill has broken through 20 kilometers of ice and is about to release a deep-sea exploration robot. Scientists excitedly said that we are only one step away from solving the mystery of extraterrestrial life!"

The host smiled, while the background transformed into a classic shot of the Earth and the Moon together.

"From lighting a lamp to igniting a star, controlled nuclear fusion has not only ended the energy crisis, but also transformed humanity from an Earth-based civilization into an interstellar species. As Xu Yong, director of the China National Space Administration, said, 'We no longer look up at the stars; we are becoming the stars themselves!'"

(End of this chapter)