At the center of the STAR-2 demonstration reactor base.
The construction site was bustling with activity.
More than a month had passed in the blink of an eye since the ignition test had been approved in Beijing. It was almost winter, and it was almost time to eat dumplings.
Even though the weather was getting colder and colder, it still couldn't stop the passion in people's hearts.
After countless hardships and obstacles, they finally arrived at this moment.
Soon, they would know if it was all worth it.
"Connection inspection completed! Connection confirmed to be normal!
"Attention all units, begin docking!"
The ICRF heating antenna, which was around ten meters long and four meters wide, was lifted by a steel cable. It was pulled by a crane and slowly approached the huge reactor.
At the same time, engineers from the China National Nuclear Corporation stood on the side. They were operating professional equipment as they methodically installed the antenna.
Academician Wang Zengguang, the chief engineer of the China National Nuclear Corporation, was standing next to the construction site. He was wearing a hard hat and had a proud smile on his wrinkled face.
"I used to think that after the China National Nuclear Corporation mastered the fourth-generation nuclear fission reactor technology, I would retire."
Academician Li Jiangang, who was standing next to Academician Wang, smiled when he heard this.
"What about now?"
Academician Wang stared at the steel behemoth in front of him and smiled so hard that wrinkles appeared on his face.
"Looks like I'll have to wait two or three years."
If the fusion fire is ignited …
Someone has to pass it on.
He had to continue working on it until it was on the right track.
Suddenly, a middle-aged engineer wearing a hard hat walked over to the two old men.
"The ICRF heating antenna is installed!"
Academician Li said in a serious manner, "Have you checked the sealing of the connection?"
The middle-aged engineer nodded and said, "It's been checked three times! There are no problems. "
The seriousness on Academician Li's face eased, and he nodded with approval. He then looked at his old friend next to him and said, "The mission of the Fuyang Material Research Institute has been successfully completed. It's up to you guys now. I say, Lao Wang, let's not drop the ball at this critical juncture. If your ferrofluid electric generator doesn't work, it would be embarrassing. "
Academician Wang smiled and said, "Ah, you old thing, you're worried about me.
"Heh, you're worried about me, you old thing. Don't worry, when I try to ignite the engine, if I screw up the chain on the generator set, my name Wang Zengguang will be written upside down! "
He looked at the construction site nearby and ordered the middle-aged engineer in front of him.
"Begin installing the ferrofluid electric energy generator!"
"Yes!"
The middle-aged engineer nodded solemnly and immediately jogged towards the construction site.
…
Whoosh!
Accompanied by a deafening roar, two fighter jets whizzed past the blue sky.
Recently, such sounds could often be heard here.
Lu Zhou stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in his office. He looked at the time on his watch.
Thirty minutes later, there was a meeting waiting for him to preside over.
Ever since his research work had come to an end, he had not been idle.
This month was probably the most exhausting month ever since the demonstration reactor project began.
More than a hundred research institutes were involved in projects related to the STAR-2 machine. Dozens of public institutions were directly or indirectly involved in the construction of the demonstration reactor components and the specific construction.
In order to coordinate the work of various departments, what he did the most over the past month was meetings. Almost every day, there would be at least three meetings or more, and at least ten reports had to be personally reviewed.
Lu Zhou liked to stay in the laboratory and study interesting problems by himself. This was not fun at all.
However, these days were coming to an end.
The STAR-2 demonstration reactor components had all been completed.
If everything went smoothly, Academician Wang, the chief engineer of the China National Nuclear Corporation, would report to him on the ICRF antenna and the installation of the ferrofluid electric energy generator.
These were the last two pieces of the puzzle.
After completing the installation of these two demonstration reactor components and checking the connection status of each component interface, the ignition experiment could basically begin.
Lu Zhou couldn't help but smirk.
This day was finally here.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door.
Lu Zhou looked away from the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the door.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open. Yan Yan, who was wearing a dark blue coat and holding a thermos, walked in.
"You haven't eaten, right?"
When Lu Zhou heard this, he smiled and said, "I don't have much of an appetite for lunch. I'm used to eating two meals a day."
Yan Yan sighed and gently placed the thermos on the coffee table. She said, "I know you're busy, but you still have to eat three meals a day. The cafeteria made dumplings, so I brought some for you. "
The food was already in his mouth, so Lu Zhou wasn't a pretentious person. He thanked her and walked to the sofa next to the coffee table. He then opened the thermos.
The tempting aroma of noodles wafted into his nose. The crystal clear dumplings were very appetizing.
Lu Zhou took a sip of the noodle soup and felt the warmth in his stomach. His eyes lit up.
Mhmm, it smells good.
Lu Zhou couldn't help but praise it. He picked up his chopsticks.
"Is the food in the army this good?"
Yan Yan sat down on the sofa across from him and said, "It depends on which army."
"Really?"
Lu Zhou didn't continue the topic. Instead, he focused on enjoying the delicious lunch.
A regular diet was definitely healthy. He didn't need anyone to remind him. He knew this.
But sometimes, even though he knew it, he lost his appetite when he was busy. When he snapped back to reality, it was already past mealtime. He might as well wait for the next meal.
While enjoying the dumplings in the thermos, Lu Zhou suddenly thought of something.
"Speaking of which, today is the winter solstice, right?"
Yan Yan, who was sitting across from him, paused for a second as she watched him eat. She then nodded and said, "Yes."
[No wonder it's dumplings …]
Lu Zhou smiled. If it weren't for the dumplings, he wouldn't have even noticed that today was a special day.
[But speaking of which, it's already the winter solstice.
Time flies by so fast …]
Just as he was sighing with emotion in his heart, the sound of footsteps came from outside the corridor. Not long after, a familiar face and a loud voice appeared at the door.
"The door wasn't closed, so I came in. I didn't disturb Professor Lu's meal, right?"
"How could I disturb you?" Lu Zhou smiled and put down his chopsticks. He then said, "I just finished eating."
As he spoke, he looked at Yan Yan.
"Thank you for the thermos."
Yan Yan shook her head and said, "It's fine, you go ahead."
She got up from the sofa and took the thermos from the coffee table. She then turned around and left the office. She then closed the door for the two people in the office.
Regiment Commander Dai walked across from Lu Zhou and sat down. He cleared his throat and spoke with a serious expression.
"It's almost the end of December. Is the specific date for the ignition confirmed?"
Lu Zhou thought for a bit and replied, "It's almost the end of December.
"We haven't decided on a specific date yet. We'll discuss this when we get to the meeting later. But no matter which day it is, it won't be delayed until next year. "
"Okay then, I'll come find you at night." Regiment Commander Dai nodded and said, "But my suggestion is, if you decide on the ignition date, try to notify us three days in advance. That way, we can get the provincial government to cooperate with us and arrange for traffic and safety in this area on the day of ignition. "
"Thanks for your hard work." Lu Zhou nodded. He suddenly remembered something and said, "Speaking of which, it's New Year's Day in a few days, right?"
Regiment Commander Dai nodded and said, "Yeah, why?"
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