Chapter 1153
Eagle and Bear Military Exercise! Provocation at Home
Large anti-submarine patrol aircraft circled like vultures, mercilessly casting their long magnetic detector "tails" into Longxia's exclusive economic zone! In the icy seawater, underwater detection arrays began to extend like greedy pythons, reaching towards the submarine patrol area secretly deployed in Longxia's coastal waters...
The sound of war machines starting up rang so clearly in the ears of hundreds of millions of people in Longxia for the first time!
This is no longer an exercise; it is a blatant threat of force and a brutal violation of the border!
Meanwhile, a joint statement, equally strongly worded but logically absurd, was widely disseminated through the official mouthpieces of the U.S. military and the Russian bear, as well as major mainstream media outlets around the world.
Joint Statement from the Eagle Tribe and the Bear Tribe
"...Based on the latest highly consistent scientific risk assessment obtained by the international community, the stellarator fusion reactor energy project that the Longxia tribe is accelerating faces serious and irreversible environmental, ecological, and human social security threats!"
"This technology uses strong magnetic fields and ultra-high temperature and high-energy particle streams for confinement, and simulates nuclear fusion activities in an uncontrolled state at an extremely unstable physical boundary level."
Extensive evidence suggests that the unstable turbulence generated during its operation will tear apart space plasma, triggering a subdimensional subspace collapse of enormous magnitude…
The statement was followed by a large amount of so-called "scientific analysis," the core argument of which was...
If Longxia's stellarator device goes out of control, it will be like opening the gates of hell, tearing open a spatial rift, instantly sucking out the air within a range of hundreds of miles, triggering a global "planetary-destroying climate catastrophe", and even triggering a chain reaction that leads to "planetary collapse"!
The final paragraph of its statement reveals its naked hegemonic nature.
"...Based on the 'Law of Coexistence between the World Environment and Human Security' and an attitude of responsibility for the fate of all mankind, the Eagle Tribe and the Bear Tribe hereby jointly and strongly demand that the Dragon Summer Tribe..."
1. Immediately halt all construction work on related facilities;
2. Immediately freeze all Zhulong Energy projects involving this device;
Third, immediately open all technical details and experimental sites to the international community for safety review by a scientific verification committee led by truly responsible entities…
Whoosh—!
This statement, filled with absurd science fiction plots, was like a spiked club, smashing hard on the land of Longxia, which had just begun to gather hope due to the initial completion of the nuclear fusion power plant!
The capital city, the core decision-making body.
The chief watched the real-time feed of the joint naval exercise and listened as the spokesperson read out the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' concise announcement, which contained only the cold word "refutation," with a powerful and disdainful tone.
"Humph!"
He put down the briefing he was holding, his eyes burning with icy rage.
"One of them is throwing mud!"
One used a knife! What a shameless performance of collusion! They smear our hard-won spark by throwing water on us! They flex their muscles by brandishing a knife, threatening our border security! And they still have the nerve to talk about environmental protection and human responsibility? Do they think the whole world is blind and stupid?!
He looked at the head of the strategic intelligence department.
"It seems that the Russians have really been stung by our cold treatment attitude."
Unable to swallow this insult, it directly sent its least favorite eagle friend to cause us trouble! The Emperor's arrogant face, trampled on by us, has stung! It's gotten angry!
The intelligence chief nodded solemnly.
"Yes, Chief. The Russians are eager to regain face and are willing to join forces with their former adversaries to exert pressure. The eagles are taking the opportunity to fan the flames, using our threat to regional stability as an excuse to flex their muscles alongside the Russians."
Their purpose is clear.
On the one hand, they suppress the positive impact of the Longxing military exercise and undermine public morale; on the other hand, they use the guise of military exercises to probe our near-shore defense deployments and test our bottom line.
"Bottom line?"
The chief's eyes were as cold as knives.
Our bottom line is that we will not yield an inch of land!
Their clamor over that absurd statement doesn't deserve a single serious response from us! It's just barking!
However, the calm of the decision-making body could not completely stop the wave of panic.
Despite the diplomatic response being strong and full of disdain, and despite the official media's unified narrative calling it "an absurd and unscientific political farce," emphasizing that border defenses were strong enough to make the enemy suffer heavy losses...
but--
The towering silhouette of the eagle's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier! The cold, iron-black shadow of the Soviet battleship's main guns raised!
The piercing roar of military aircraft breaking the sound barrier, like the wailing of ghosts, was a terrifying sight projected onto the eyes of countless households through television signals and online videos!
An unavoidable sense of unease, known as the "shadow of war," began to creep into the undercurrents of society.
Countless people privately discussed the matter with fear.
"A drill right here at our doorstep...it's so close..."
"The Russian bears are involved too? That's terrifying!"
"Are nuclear fusion power plants really that dangerous? Could it be...?"
"Don't talk nonsense! They're just jealous of our success!"
"But those warships... those planes... are right in front of our house..."
Supermarkets saw some residents rushing to buy rice, flour, and salt in bulk; there was a small wave of cancellations of pre-booked overseas travel orders; and countless ordinary families watched the evening news that night, anxiously observing satellite images of naval exercises on the screen, their brows furrowed and their appetites gone.
The sharp blade hanging at the doorstep ultimately casts an indescribable shadow of fear and apprehension in the hearts of the people!
The combat command center deep within the Longxin Laboratory base.
A massive electronic sand table is projecting dynamic satellite aerial images of the northwest sea. In the image, the menacing nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Stars and Stripes Never Falls" of the Eagle Tribe resembles a dark sea monster, surrounded by a densely packed escort fleet of destroyers;
In the northern seas, several giant ships of the Russian Bear Tribe's Arctic Fleet were also prominently featured. Two torrents of steel, like a pack of malicious wolves, lingered and roared outside the azure border of Longxia!
In one corner of the screen, the absurd text of the so-called "joint statement" was switched in real time, every word and sentence exuding domineering distortion of the truth and malicious stigmatization.
"Click!"
A sharp, resounding thud of a metal teacup slamming onto the control panel shattered the oppressive atmosphere created by the screen's display. General Jiang Tianzheng, dressed in his crisp military uniform and bearing the three-star emblem on his shoulder, had a face as black as the bottom of a pot, his eyes blazing with an almost explosive fury!
He pointed at the aircraft carrier image on the screen, his chest heaving violently. "Those damned eagles! Last time they were exposed for falsifying blueprints and lost face so badly, but they still haven't given up! Now they actually dare to mess around with that mad bear from the Russian ice field, brandishing knives on my doorstep?! Do they really think our missiles are just for show?! They've given us too much face!"
He slammed his hand on the table.
"I really want to give the order right now! All Rocket Force sights, aim at that bunch of bastards' fleet! An exercise, huh? I'll put on a doomsday live-fire show with them, a Dongfeng Express mission, mission accomplished!"
"Old Chiang! Calm down!"
Sitting next to him, Liu Huaming immediately spoke up to stop him, his brows furrowed and his voice unusually solemn, suppressing Jiang Tianzheng's almost boiling anger.
He was dressed in a dark Zhongshan suit, but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, staring intently at the unusual activity in that area of the sea, and then sweeping over the absurd statement of so-called "environmental threats".
"This time, although the gun is pointed at our hearts, the finger pulling the trigger is the hand of the bear pressing down on the hand of the eagle!"
Liu Huaming's voice was low and deep, carrying a chilling, analytical tone.
"That emperor couldn't bear the humiliation of being ignored by us, but he was also afraid that if he went out of his way to ruin things, he would get burned. So he went to his eagle friend, whom he looked down on the most."
The eagles, taking advantage of the situation, continue to smear our Longxing (a region in Taiwan) and suppress our international influence; on the other hand, they take the opportunity to probe the strength and reaction of our coastal defense forces!
In this farce, the bear is the protagonist flexing its muscles on stage, while the eagle is the cunning fisherman behind the scenes, handing over the knife and reaping the benefits!
He turned his head to the side, his gaze passing through the light and shadow on the screen, landing on Su Dingping, who was sitting in the corner on the sand table chair, his brows furrowed in deep thought.
"They're betting that we're fragile, afraid of being hurt, afraid of losses, and won't dare to really overturn the table! Especially... they're certain that the Russian bear is our biggest land power, and they think we could never wage war on both sides at the same time! That's why they're so fearless and audacious!"
Liu Huaming stood up, walked a few steps to Su Dingping, sat down in the chair opposite him, leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and spoke with a solemnity that bordered on entrusting a heavy responsibility.
"Comrade Dingping, the noise and threats from the outside world will be dealt with by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Defense Force! We will withstand the pressure and will not back down!"
But what truly turns this farce into a self-inflicted embarrassment and silences them completely... isn't just empty rhetoric, but the hard power we hold in our hands! It's the large-scale Longxing Power Plant project!
It is the inexhaustible energy that truly illuminates the land of China! It is the moment when large-scale, inexpensive, and clean fusion energy completely replaces oil and natural gas!
He stared intently at Su Dingping.
"I need you to give me a straight answer!"
One year! Just one year from now! Will Project Zhulong be able to be rolled out? Will Tenglong-1 take root, blossom, and bear fruit across China?
These words, like a heavy hammer, shattered the clamor brought by the nautical charts and struck Su Dingping's heart.
Su Dingping raised his head, his eyes showing no hesitation, only a burning, unwavering conviction!
He suddenly straightened his back and slammed his right hand heavily on his left chest, near his heart, producing a deep and resolute sound.
"Please rest assured, sir! The pledge made by the Energy Department is etched in my heart!"
One year! All colleagues at Longxin Laboratory will crawl, roll, and grit our teeth to build these first batch of forty fusion power stations for you, our leader!
One year from now, the light of the Candle Dragon will surely illuminate the myriad landscapes of Dragon Summer!
His tone was resolute, and every word he spoke resonated deeply!
"Great! With your guarantee, I feel half relieved!"
A sharp glint flashed in Liu Huaming's eyes, and a huge weight was lifted from his heart.
But his tone immediately turned somber again.
"However, Dingping! Everything is ready, but we still lack the crucial element! The core control system of the power plant is vital to the stable operation and safe output of the entire fusion reactor, and its core chip... must be absolutely foolproof and top-notch reliable!"
The lifeline of this chip is now firmly in the hands of Eagle and his team! The predicament of high-end chips, and the success or failure of the Loongson project, directly determines whether Candle Dragon can unveil its weapon as scheduled!
Liu Huaming's voice carried an immense weight of pressure.
"Now, the eagle and the bear are brandishing their weapons at our doorstep, and their blockade has been welded shut layer by layer! The time left for Loongson and for the independent breakthrough of lithography machines... has been squeezed out by this threat at our doorstep... leaving us with less than a year!"
He stretched out his thin but powerful hand and slowly clenched it, as if grasping the ever-flowing, yet incredibly heavy, grains of time.
"A year?!"
These two words were like a thunderclap, instantly creating ripples in the vast command hall! Professor Yuan Tao and several senior technical supervisors standing around immediately turned extremely ugly upon hearing this!
A tremendous, almost suffocating sense of urgency, like a cold block of lead, suddenly pressed down on everyone's chest! The excitement brought about by the breakthrough in silicon wafer purity and 250nm chips paled in comparison to this absolute time constraint!
Photolithography machine!
That monster, representing the pinnacle of human precision manufacturing and sealed like an iron barrel by layers of black-box technology! It's going to break through the blockade within a year?!
This was no longer climbing Mount Everest, but a vain attempt to break free of the Milky Way in the human body! The immense pressure, like a materialized iron curtain, heavily enveloped them, causing some of the young researchers to breathe rapidly and break out in a fine sweat on their foreheads.
One year!
This is no longer a challenge, it's almost a countdown to despair!
"Chief Engineer Su..."
Professor Yuan Tao's voice was dry and hoarse as he looked at Su Dingping with barely concealed anxiety.
Su Dingping's expression tightened instantly, and a fierce light flashed deep in his eyes!
He took a deep breath of the gunpowder-smelling air and forced himself to calm down quickly!
He knew that at this moment, the backbone of the entire "Loongson" team lay in his own shoulders! He absolutely could not bend!
"Lord Liu".
Su Dingping spoke, his voice not flustered, but rather carrying a calm strength that suggested he had nothing to lose.
"It's all about human effort! While lithography machines are incredibly difficult to obtain, there are always key milestones to be found! The first major obstacle we face now, which is also the most critical, the most critical bottleneck, and the one that time cannot afford to delay, is photoresist!"
He emphasized the strategic value of photoresist, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Without this solution, even the most precise carving tool is just scrap metal! The West's monopoly on high-end EUV adhesives is even tighter than their ability to build aircraft carriers! Trying to cross this mountain in one step is far too difficult!"
Su Dingping suddenly stood up and walked to the huge whiteboard displaying the technology roadmap.
"Therefore! I propose that the strategic focus be temporarily shifted to the objective."
ArF photoresist!
This is the second best option after EUV! The West has some technical disclosure and some expired patent barriers for this, but the core formula, especially the ArF adhesive that can support high-performance, high-sensitivity, low-impurity, and high-uniformity formulas for high-end nodes, remains a top secret!
Instead of launching a direct assault on the impossibly high EUV cliff, let's concentrate all of Dragonxia's forces and completely flatten ArF, this relatively small hill! Take it! (End of Chapter)