Chapter 577: Strategic Advantage

This proposal received universal approval. No matter how grand or tempting Li Mingyuan's plan was, it required rigorous evaluation and verification. After all, it concerned the future of the country and the direction of the global landscape.

"I agree," Li Mingyuan said calmly, "Please organize the most authoritative team of experts to go to the 'Zhulong' laboratory and witness the achievements of the 'Yanlong' project with their own eyes. I believe that facts speak louder than words."

The meeting ended there, but the expression on everyone's face as they left told Minister Zhang that the shock of this evening would last for a long time. Controlled nuclear fusion! This ultimate energy source that humanity had dreamed of had actually achieved a preliminary breakthrough in a secret laboratory in Long Country. If this were true, then the world was about to usher in an unprecedented transformation.

Walking out of the conference room, Minister Zhang caught up with Li Mingyuan, who was walking alone.

"Lao Li," he asked in a low voice, "Is all of this... really true?"

Li Mingyuan stopped, turned to look at Minister Zhang, and a complex light that Minister Zhang had never seen before flickered in his eyes: "Minister Zhang, believe me, what you have seen is only the tip of the iceberg. The future will be far more spectacular than you imagine."

After he finished speaking, he turned and disappeared at the end of the corridor, leaving Minister Zhang standing where he was, his heart filled with countless questions and a trace of inexplicable anticipation.

Outside the window, the rain had stopped, and the first ray of dawn sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining on every corner of Penglai Base. A new era was quietly arriving.

Ten floors underground at Penglai Base, the "Zhulong" laboratory.

The last member of the evaluation team, a white-haired authority on nuclear physics, walked out of the reactor control room with an expression on his face that was indescribably complex. This was the final stop of their five consecutive days of comprehensive technical evaluation. The entire evaluation team—including twelve of Long Country's top scientists and six Military technical experts—stood in the spacious conference room with grave expressions, waiting for the conference call to report to the central authorities.

No one spoke. Everyone was digesting the shock brought by what they had seen and heard over the past few days. The "Yanlong" project not only existed but had already achieved breakthrough progress; the Q-value had indeed reached 1.2, meaning the energy produced by the nuclear fusion reaction exceeded the input energy required to maintain the reaction. In the global field of nuclear fusion research, this could absolutely be called an epoch-making achievement.

Li Mingyuan stood in the corner, waiting quietly, with no expression visible on his face.

The conference call began on time. The head of the evaluation team, Academician Chen, reported their technical evaluation conclusions in a steady voice: "After a comprehensive inspection, we confirm that the achievements of the 'Yanlong' project are true and reliable. The breakthrough of a 1.2 Q-value is epoch-making, proving that controlled nuclear fusion has shifted from theoretical possibility to engineering reality."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment, and then a majestic voice came through: "What do you think of Comrade Li Mingyuan's proposal for the 'Cangjie' journal?"

Academician Chen took a deep breath: "From a technical perspective, Comrade Li Mingyuan's arguments are basically sound. The theoretical framework of the three papers is complete, the technical disclosure is controllable, and key material formulas and process details have indeed been withheld. Even if the West obtains these papers, it will be difficult for them to replicate our results in the short term."

"But risks still exist," added General Wang, the Military representative, "Especially with nuclear fusion technology; once the direction is clear, the West may go all out to catch up."

There was another silence on the other end of the line, and then the majestic voice asked: "Is Comrade Li Mingyuan present?"

"Yes," Li Mingyuan stepped forward, his voice clear, "I am here."

"Are you certain that 'Cangjie' can bring about the strategic advantage you spoke of?"

Li Mingyuan answered without hesitation: "Yes. 'Cangjie' will become a symbol of Long Country's scientific and technological soft power, reshape the global academic landscape, attract the world's top talent, and acquire massive foreign exchange and intelligence advantages through means such as supercomputing services. More importantly, it will establish Long Country's leading position in the field of future technology."

Low-voiced discussion came from the other end of the line, followed by a long silence. Finally, the majestic voice announced the decision: "After discussion by the central authorities, the founding of the 'Cangjie' international scientific journal is approved. Comrade Li Mingyuan shall serve as editor-in-chief to assemble an editorial board and prepare the inaugural issue with the highest standards and the fastest speed. The journal's content must be strictly vetted by experts to ensure scientific rigor. Regarding the publication of the three core papers, it is approved in principle, but the specific scope of technical disclosure must be re-evaluated and confirmed."

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly became much more relaxed. Although there were still doubts, the support of the central authorities meant that the 'Cangjie' plan had officially received high-level endorsement.

"Thank you for the leadership's trust," Li Mingyuan said solemnly, "I will ensure that 'Cangjie' does not fail its mission and becomes a banner leading the global scientific and technological frontier."

After the call was hung up, the people in the conference room cast complex gazes at Li Mingyuan—some with admiration, some with doubt, and some with a trace of indescribable fear. What exactly was this man's background? Why was he able to push forward so many technological revolutions in just a few short years? And why did he have such a clear plan for the future?

No one dared to ask these questions, but everyone had their own guesses in their hearts.

Long Country's capital, inside a quiet Siheyuan.

This courtyard was located in a hidden corner of the city center; its exterior was simple and unadorned, yet it had tight security. This was the temporary office location for the newly established 'Cangjie' journal editorial department.

In the main hall, a group of Long Country's top scientists and editors were discussing heatedly. A huge countdown board hung on the wall: 27 days until the release of the inaugural issue of 'Cangjie'.

"The cover design has been finalized," an art director said, pointing to the design draft on the display board, "It adopts the 'Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow' color scheme proposed by Editor-in-Chief Li, blending classical and modern elements."

The cover design on the display board was impressive—on a deep blue background, the two golden seal-script characters for "Cangjie" were solemn and mysterious, surrounded by exquisite patterns that looked like both circuit boards and oracle bone script. At the bottom was the English text "CANGJIE: The International Journal of Scientific Discovery," and the subtitle was "Redefining the Frontiers of Science."

"The printing quality must be of the highest standard," Li Mingyuan emphasized, "Every detail must be perfect, from the paper to the binding, it must exceed any top journal in the West."

He turned to another group of personnel: "How is the final version of the three core papers coming along?"

The Technical Supervisor of the Longxin project reported: "The 'Complete Theoretical System of Longxin-III Core Architecture and Chinese Programming Paradigms' has finished its final revision. Following your instructions, we have detailed the working principles of quantum tunneling transistors and the algorithmic advantages of Chinese programming, but we have deleted all content regarding material formulas and manufacturing processes."