Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

Three years, one thousand and ninety-five days and nights.

In the grand scheme of cosmic history, this might not even be considered a slight sigh. But for the "Pangu" secret laboratory buried deep beneath the northwestern desert of Kyushu, these three years were a brutal battleground forged with countless sums of money, sweat, and even lives.

This is the absolute core of the "South Heavenly Gate" project, a super fortress that hollowed out the entire mountain range and reached a depth of 800 meters underground.

In the center of the hall stood a colossal object that looked like it had stepped out of a science fiction movie. It was a huge ring-shaped device with a diameter of over fifty meters, made entirely of the latest superconducting titanium alloy developed by China, and its surface was covered with densely packed cooling pipes and complex quantum control valves.

It's like a colossal metal beast slumbering underground. Quiet, yet exuding a terrifying, world-destroying sense of oppression.

This is the **Pangu One**—the first full-scale controlled nuclear fusion reactor test machine in human history.

……

"Commander-in-chief, all the test data have returned to the green line."

At the control panel, the old academician who had made a solemn pledge to Liu Ming years ago was now supporting himself with both hands. His hair was completely white, his eyes were sunken, and he was so thin that he was just skin and bones, but his eyes burned with a fervor hotter than the sun.

"The cooling system is circulating normally."

"The divertor is in good condition."

"The 'Longyuan' supercomputing array has taken over all the underlying logic code of magnetic confinement."

"Plasma temperature preheating complete, current core temperature... 20 million degrees, and still rising!"

The old academician's voice was hoarse, each word sounding like sandpaper was being used to polish his throat. He turned his head and looked at the man standing behind him, his eyes filled with an almost pilgrimage-like anticipation.

"Mr. Liu, you can start the fire now."

Liu Ming wasn't wearing a radiation protection suit; he was still dressed in a simple black jacket, his posture upright like a pine tree.

For the past three years, he has practically made this iron box, 800 meters underground, his home. The initial 300 billion yuan of Nangong Group's capital had long been burned up, and then two more rounds of additional investment, totaling nearly one trillion yuan, poured into this seemingly bottomless pit of capital like flowing water.

Countless simulations failed, and countless materials melted. There were even two miniature explosions that nearly reduced the entire base to ashes.

But Liu Ming withstood all the pressure from the outside world and the central government. He was like a stabilizing force, firmly rooted to the spot. With his extremely strong resilience and insightful strategic vision, he managed to push this project, which the West had predicted was "impossible to achieve within fifty years," to the final countdown.

Liu Ming stepped forward, his gaze piercing through the thick radiation-proof glass, looking at the quietly dormant giant metal ring.

Within that place, an artificial sun is about to be born. A sun powerful enough to illuminate the entire Kyushu region and completely end the era of fossil fuels... the Great Sun of the East.

"Attention all units"

Liu Ming's deep voice traveled through the communicator to every corner of the base.

"For the past three years, we have eaten sand, drunk bitter water, and endured the scorn of the whole world."

"Today, it's time to show those foreign devils who the real gods are in this world."

He slowly extended his hand, his fingertips hovering above the red button that represented the final ignition process.

"five."

"Four."

"three."

"two."

"one."

"ignition!"

"Smack!" The finger fell heavily.

……

"Buzz—!!!"

With a deep, muffled roar that seemed to come from the depths of the earth, the entire base, and even the desert on the ground, trembled violently!

Then, through the radiation-proof glass, everyone witnessed the most shocking scene of their lives, and perhaps even of human history.

Suddenly, a blinding burst of light, a mixture of deep blue and pure white, erupted from inside the enormous superconducting ring device! The light was so bright that all the photosensitive instruments emitted a sharp whistling sound instantly.

"Core temperature surpasses 50 million degrees!"

"Sixty million degrees!"

"Eighty million degrees!"

The monitor's voice was distorted with extreme excitement, almost a hysterical scream.

"The plasma is stable! There are no signs of collapse in the magnetic confinement field! The 'Dragon Abyss' system is performing perfect dynamic variable compensation!"

"One hundred million degrees!!!"

"boom!"

The moment the number "100 million degrees" popped up on the main screen, it felt like a depth charge had been dropped into the entire control hall.

But that's not all! This is just ignition. The real challenge of controlled nuclear fusion lies in "controllability," in the "net output" of energy. In other words, the input energy must be less than the output energy for this thing to become a true perpetual motion machine.

Everyone stared intently at the red line on the screen that represented the "Q value" (energy gain coefficient).

The elderly academician gripped the back of the chair tightly, his nails almost breaking, and his breathing was rapid and labored, like a bellows. "Stay calm...stay calm..."

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly at that moment—one second, two seconds, ten seconds, thirty seconds…

Under the perfect confinement of the magnetic field, that dark blue "artificial sun" was like a quiet heart, steadily and continuously releasing terrifying energy.

"Q value surpasses 1.0!"

"Q value surpasses 2.0!"

"Report to Commander-in-Chief! The nuclear fusion reaction has achieved self-sufficiency! We...we are currently experiencing a stable net energy output!!!"

"The current output power has reached 100,000 megawatts and is completely stable! There has been no energy collapse!"

……

A deathly silence fell over the control room, lasting for ten seconds—a suffocating stillness.

Then, I don't know who started it.

"Aaaaaaaahh ...

A roar, like a wild beast unleashed, instantly shattered the deathly silence.

Immediately afterwards, applause, cries, cheers, and even the sound of people kneeling on the ground and frantically pounding the floor, all converged into a violent sound wave that was enough to overturn this underground base!

"We did it! We did it!"

"To hell with oil! To hell with the Western blockade! We've created the sun!"

Those scientists, who are usually so rigorous that they are almost rigid, were crying like children. They hugged each other, letting their snot and tears soak each other. Some of the senior experts were so excited that they sobbed, and the medics next to them hurriedly pinched their philtrum.

The old academician didn't cry; he just stared blankly at the screen that displayed "Stable Operation." Then, he slowly turned around and looked at Liu Ming.

This elderly man, who had dedicated his life to scientific research in China, suddenly bent his knees and was about to kneel down before Liu Ming!

"General Manager Liu...you are a hero of the land! On behalf of all the people of this world...I kowtow to you!"

"useless!"

Liu Ming reacted quickly, grabbing the old academician's arm and pulling him up. A hint of moisture appeared in his usually cold eyes.

"It's my turn to kowtow to you now."

Liu Ming held the old academician's calloused hands tightly, "It was you bunch of madmen who shattered a path to heaven for our Kyushu."

He turned his head and looked at the pale blue light inside the glass dome, still burning steadily and representing endless energy. He knew that this was more than just the success of a scientific experiment.

This is the greatest leap in the history of human civilization. From this moment on, the so-called energy crisis, the so-called petrodollar hegemony, and even the Western system of industrial plunder that has been maintained for a century will be over.

Before this pale blue light, everything turned into a pile of waste paper, soon to be swept into the dustbin of history.

"Ghost hands."

Liu Ming pressed the headset button. Although his voice was hoarse, it exuded an arrogant air of dominance.

"Send a telegram to the capital."

"Only four words."

He looked at the artificial sun, a proud smile curving his lips.

"Sunrise in the East."