Chapter 887
News of Room Temperature Superconductivity Revealed
Three weeks later, Nature Physics published a commentary online titled "A Breakthrough in String Theory from the East".
The article provides a detailed introduction to Wang Donglai's paper and invites three anonymous reviewers to provide their evaluation.
One of them wrote: "If Wang Donglai's compactification scheme is ultimately verified to be correct, it will be the closest construct to experimentation since the birth of string theory. For the first time, it naturally derives the three generations of fermions and the Standard Model gauge group from theory without any artificial adjustments. Although more rigorous mathematical proof is still needed, the existing derivation is already impressive enough."
Another wrote: "What shocked me was not the paper itself, but the author's identity. Wang Donglai is not a professional physicist; he is the founder of a technology company. He used his spare time to achieve what professional physicists had not been able to do in thirty years. This made me start to reflect: Are we too confined by disciplinary barriers?"
The third person wrote: "I spent a week checking his proof. I must admit, I couldn't find any errors. His algebraic geometry theorem is original, and the proof is rigorous. If this isn't genius, I don't know what is."
At the end of the article, the author wrote: "The emergence of Wang Donglai may mark the birth of a new scientific research paradigm. When entrepreneurs begin to think about the nature of the universe, and when industry begins to give back to basic science, where will the boundaries of human civilization be pushed?"
Tangdu, headquarters of Galaxy Technology.
After reading the article, Wang Dong closed the page.
"Wa, what's the reaction from the outside world right now?"
"Major domestic media outlets have begun reporting on this, with headlines including: 'Founder of Galaxy Technology Overcomes String Theory Challenges,' 'Entrepreneur or Physicist? Wang Donglai Shocks the World Again,' and 'Chinese Scientists Achieve Major Breakthrough in String Theory.'"
Wang Donglai nodded and asked, "Is there anything else?"
“Yes, the investment institutions that we rejected before have started contacting us frequently again. Zhang Shi from Hillhouse Capital asked someone to pass on a message saying, ‘We can talk about the investment again, you name your terms.’ Sun Yi from SoftBank sent a congratulatory letter saying, ‘Mr. Wang, you have proven that you are not just a businessman, you are a person who changes the world.’”
Wang Donglai smiled; these reactions were all within his expectations.
"Their reaction was faster than I expected."
"There's one more thing."
Wa continued her report: "The relevant departments called and said they hope you can take some time to go to Beijing and meet with the leaders of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. They want to understand your research and also want to discuss how to support it."
Wang Donglai paused for a moment, then organized his thoughts and said, "Tell them I'll go after I finish what I'm doing."
Use mathematics to plug the loopholes in theoretical physics.
Let equations cure human ignorance.
To elevate humanity's technological and civilizational level to the level of the cosmos.
Now, he has taken the crucial, formal first step.
"Wa, let's move on to the next question: the noncommutative geometric description of M-theory."
"Boss, don't you need to rest?"
"No need, let's rest after we solve this problem."
The screens surrounding Wang Donglai lit up again, and densely packed formulas began to flow.
……
however.
Just as Wang Donglai was engrossed in his research, the chain reaction he triggered finally brought about a qualitative change.
Originally, top international research institutions were all focused on the 'suspected room-temperature superconducting material' developed by Galaxy Technology.
Developed countries such as the United States of America and Germany have sent requests for academic exchanges.
These requests for academic exchanges were also suppressed domestically.
Such a significant technological breakthrough naturally warrants a comprehensive set of countermeasures.
To rashly bring it out, or to admit it, would only create more chaos.
But no one expected this.
Wang Donglai would suddenly produce such a paper.
String theory, the most challenging problem in physics.
That's how Wang Donglai took it out.
Judging from Wang Donglai's past achievements, his chances of successfully solving this problem are far greater than those of other top scholars.
And so, the situation changed.
No one, or no country, wants to see China grow and prosper at such a rapid pace.
The initial idea of suppressing the news and communicating with others changed instantly.
Suddenly, as if by prior arrangement, major international news media outlets began reporting on the 'Xirang-1' material across the entire internet.
The overwhelming news caused a huge stir.
When the news broke overseas, it was immediately received domestically.
How the information was leaked is no longer the most important thing at this point.
Whether it's a hacker infiltrating the internal network, a researcher accidentally giving something away, or an expert boasting at an internal seminar that was overheard, it could all be due to something else.
None of this matters anymore.
The important thing is that the news has spread all over the world.
The moment the news broke, Wa interrupted Wang Donglai's research and began to report.
"Boss, Nature just published a commentary online titled: 'Room-temperature superconductivity: A breakthrough from the East?'"
Wa's voice rang out in the office, carrying a rare hint of solemnity.
The article details the unusual activities of the Galaxy Technology Materials Research Institute over the past year: a surge in budget, personnel restrictions, unusual equipment procurement lists, and the sudden cessation of publication of several papers in related fields…
Wang Donglai didn't look up, still deep in thought, and casually asked, "Is there anything else?"
"The U.S. Department of Energy held an emergency press conference an hour ago, and a spokesperson said, 'We have taken note of the relevant intelligence and are assessing its authenticity. If necessary, we will initiate an emergency technical review process.'"
"The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology announced that it will send a joint expert team composed of the University of Tokyo, Osaka University, and Tohoku University to apply for a visit to the Galaxy Science and Technology Materials Research Center. The team will be led by Hiroshi Amano, the 2014 Nobel Prize laureate in Physics."
"The Max Planck Institute issued a statement calling for 'room temperature superconductivity, as a common asset of all mankind, to be openly and transparently subject to international peer review,' and formally submitted a request for access. The statement was personally signed by the institute's director, Martin Streler."
“Research institutions from a total of 23 countries, including the French National Centre for Scientific Research, the Royal Society of Britain, the Italian National Research Council, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, have expressed their willingness to ‘exchange and learn’ through various channels.”
"In addition, seventeen Nobel laureates sent emails or messages through personal channels to inquire about the authenticity of the news. These include Chinese scientists such as Professor Yang and Li Dao."
Wang Donglai's expression was calm, even carrying a hint of expected indifference.
"Isn't this what we expected?"
"It's room temperature superconductivity, string theory, thorium-based molten salt reactors—it would be strange if they weren't keeping an eye on me."
"At this point, I estimate their patience is running out."
"They will absolutely not just watch our science and technology advance by leaps and bounds."
Wa's voice rang out again: "Should we activate the emergency plan? We can use technical means to downgrade the information circulating online, or we can arrange for a few experts to come forward and 'debunk' the rumors, muddying the waters..."
"Need not!"
Wang Donglai interrupted. "Wa, do you think we've been too low-key all these years?"
Nuwa remained silent, waiting for Wang Donglai to speak.
"From a business strategy perspective, keeping a low profile is a wise choice. If a technology like the Breath of Earth is exposed too early, it will attract unpredictable covetousness and attacks. Making a fortune in silence is a wisdom we have accumulated over thousands of years."
"What about from a civilizational strategy perspective?"
Nuwa remained silent, knowing that Wang Donglai needed a listener at this moment.
"From the perspective of civilization strategy, what does being low-key mean? It means that we are still playing within other people's rules, that we still have to watch other people's expressions, that we still have to consider other people's reactions, and that we still have to worry that 'exposing ourselves too early' will cause trouble."
He stood up and walked to the window.
Outside the window, on the construction site of the Tang Dynasty Imperial City, tower cranes stand tall, and Tang-style buildings are rising from the ground.
Under the sunlight, the flying eaves and brackets, the red walls and green tiles are gradually revealing the former glory of this ancient capital.
"How many years have the Chinese people kept a low profile?"
"Since 1840, we have always kept a low profile. During the Opium War, we kept a low profile and signed the Treaty of Nanjing. During the First Sino-Japanese War, we kept a low profile and signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki. During the Boxer Rebellion, we kept a low profile and signed the Boxer Protocol. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, we kept a low profile and fought for eight years. When the People's Republic of China was founded, we kept a low profile and tightened our belts to carry out construction. During the reform and opening up, we kept a low profile and crossed the river by feeling the stones."
"Wa, do you know what I hate most in my life?"
"Feeling frustrated."
When Wang Dong said those two words, his voice was not loud, but it was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, stirring up ripples.
“When I was a child in Wangjia Village, I saw the old people in the village who spent their whole lives toiling in the fields, paying taxes and levies, and in the end they couldn’t even afford to eat meat. I asked my grandfather, why do we have to suffer so much? My grandfather said, because we are poor, and when you are poor, you have to endure it.”
"Later, I became the top scorer in the college entrance examination and went to study in Tangdu. I saw that the children in the city attended all kinds of tutoring classes and interest classes from a young age, and their parents could give them the best resources. What about me? I could only rely on myself. Students from rural areas can only rely on themselves. At that time, I thought that when I have money in the future, I must make sure that children in rural areas can also enjoy a good education. I want to change this situation."
"Later, I started my own business, developing beauty algorithms, creating Toutiao (a Chinese news and information platform), Douyin (a Chinese music and information platform), batteries, chips, rockets, and superconductors."
"Before I did it, in every field, people would say: Can Chinese people do this? Can Chinese people do that? Are Chinese people even qualified?"
Wang Donglai's voice gradually rose in volume.
"Now, the Breath of Earth has emerged!"
"Room temperature superconductivity, -23.4 degrees Celsius, 5 atmospheres of pressure, stable operation for more than 10,000 hours."
"The world's best materials laboratories, which have invested tens of billions of euros and hundreds of billions of dollars in research for thirty years, have failed to develop something, but we have!"
"and then?"
"And then we have to keep a low profile? Keep it hidden? Be afraid that others will find out?"
He shook his head.
"No, I quit!"
He walked back to his desk, picked up a special red telephone, and dialed a number.
Three seconds later, the call was connected.
"Mr. Wang." A steady voice came from the other end.
"Boss, do you have any instructions regarding this matter?" Wang Donglai asked directly.
"I was just about to call you. I just finished an emergency meeting about this. It was a very heated argument." The leader on the other end of the phone sounded undeniably tired.
"What's all the noise about?"
"Some people say we should refute the rumors, saying that this is a deliberate rumor spread by foreign forces to cause us trouble. Others say we should disprove it and have Galaxy Technology come forward to deny that there is any such thing as room temperature superconductivity. Still others say we should let it cool down and wait for the storm to pass before making any further comments."
Wang Donglai listened quietly without interrupting.
"But most people come to me to verify."
The voice continued, "The science and technology department, the industry and information technology department, the education department, the military, and the national security department have all come to ask if this news is true, what exactly Galaxy Technology has come up with, and how many good things Wang Donglai is still hiding."
"So what was your answer?"
“I said I didn’t know. I said Wang Donglai never plays by the rules. I said if you want to know, go ask him yourselves.”
Wang Donglai smiled.
"Boss, I'll tell you now."
"Regarding the research and development of materials for the Xirang soil, we have found the right direction, and Academician Li Zhenhua's team is pushing the critical temperature upwards."
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
"anything else?"
"The breakthrough in string theory is also real. I solved the compactification problem in superstring theory and explained why the absolute value of the Euler number in Calabi-Yau spaces is 6. The paper is finished and ready to be published at any time."
Is there anything else?
"The thrust of the Hercules rocket has exceeded 1,500 tons, which is 200 tons higher than the publicly available data. This is because the 'Xirang' coating has solved the thermal barrier problem."
Is there anything else?
"GalaxyBio's brain-computer interface can give a completely blind person 0.3 vision, which is 0.2 higher than the publicly available data."
Is there anything else?
"Galaxy Semiconductor's lithography factory is already capable of mass-producing 5-nanometer chips with a yield rate of over 90%."
Is there anything else?
"Galaxy Aerospace's whole-rocket lunar landing plan has been designed. A year from now, we will try to send a rocket to the moon, place it horizontally, and transform it into a permanent base."
"Is there anything else?" The leader's voice had become excited.
Wang Donglai paused for a moment.
"Boss, I have an idea."
Wang Donglai's sudden change of heart made the leader on the other end of the phone realize something was wrong, but he still said, "Go ahead."
"Regarding this matter, my approach is to neither deny nor disprove it, nor keep a low profile."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
"Go on..."
"I want to hold a once-in-a-century academic conference!"
Wang Donglai's voice was firm and resounding: "Bring out the Breath of Earth, bring out the breakthroughs in string theory, bring out all the scientific research achievements of Galaxy Technology over the years, and show them off."
There was silence on the other end of the phone again, this time for a long time.
Wang Donglai didn't urge him; he simply waited quietly. (End of Chapter)