Chapter 585: Is It Real or Fake After All?

Secretary of Defense James Wilson listened to the briefing from the intelligence department with a gloomy expression.

"We have intercepted secret communications between various European countries," the Intelligence Officer reported, "they have begun to take the papers in *Cangjie* seriously."

"That nonsense?" Wilson scoffed, "Didn't our experts already prove that it was all political propaganda?"

"In fact, sir," the Intelligence Officer said cautiously, "our assessment is being adjusted. Doctor Sitan and his team have completed a more detailed translation and analysis, and they believe... at least part of the content may be true."

Wilson's expression froze: "What?"

"Satellite imagery and energy monitoring data also support this," the officer continued, "Penglai Base is indeed conducting some kind of large-scale energy experiment. Moreover, according to our computer experts' analysis, the theoretical architecture of 'Longxin-III' does have breakthrough innovations, although we still cannot fully understand the Chinese programming paradigm within it."

Wilson was silent for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "Damn it! This is impossible! How could Long Country surpass us in these fields? There must be something wrong with the intelligence!"

"Sir," the Intelligence Officer said calmly, "we are considering a possibility... perhaps Long Country has obtained some kind of... unconventional technical support."

"What do you mean?"

"It means," the officer lowered his voice, "the speed and breadth of these technological advancements do not conform to the normal laws of scientific development. Someone has proposed a bold hypothesis—perhaps Long Country has obtained technology from... the future."

Wilson widened his eyes: "You mean, time travel? That is ridiculous!"

"Or," the officer said cautiously, "some kind of external force we do not yet understand. In any case, we need more information. The CIA has launched Project 'Vermilion Bird' to attempt to infiltrate Penglai Base and the 'Flame Dragon' project."

Wilson let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with worry: "If this is true... God, how are we supposed to explain to the President that the technology we publicly mocked in the newspapers might change the world's balance of power?"

Penglai Base, Li Mingyuan's office.

"Lao Li, the latest report from the intelligence department." Minister Zhang walked into the office with a document in his hand, "The West has begun to secretly investigate the technology published in *Cangjie*. They have shifted from public mockery to private panic."

Li Mingyuan put down his work and took the report: "Faster than I expected. It seems their scientists and intelligence agencies are smarter than the politicians and the media."

He quickly scanned the report, a satisfied smile appearing on his face: "Sitan from Princeton, Dupont from Paris, and even the Royal Society in London have begun to take our papers seriously. Very good, this is exactly the effect I wanted."

"But they still cannot fully understand those technologies, right?" Minister Zhang asked.

"Of course," Li Mingyuan said confidently, "we intentionally blurred the key details in the papers, and coupled with the language barrier, they can at most understand the general framework and cannot grasp the core technology. But this is enough to convince them that our breakthrough is real."

Minister Zhang took a deep breath: "Then, what is the next step?"

Li Mingyuan stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the new experimental facilities under construction in the distance: "The next step is to let them witness the existence of these technologies with their own eyes. We will invite an international delegation of scientists to visit the 'Flame Dragon' project and the Longxin R&D Center."

"Are you sure this is safe?" Minister Zhang asked worriedly.

Li Mingyuan turned around, a mysterious light flickering in his eyes: "Minister Zhang, remember what I said—sometimes, the best way to keep a secret is not to hide it, but to display it openly, while only letting them see the parts you want them to see."

He walked back to his desk, picked up the inaugural issue of *Cangjie*, and gently stroked the cover: "This is just the beginning. The real storm is yet to come."

……

Beijixiong Guo, inside an inconspicuous gray building on the outskirts of Moscow.

This building, surrounded by pine forests, looked plain to the point of being crude on the outside, but inside it was one of the highest-level scientific research centers in Beijixiong Guo. At this moment, in the office of the center's director, Academician Kravchenko, the atmosphere was terrifyingly heavy.

Kravchenko put down the report he had just received with trembling hands. This report was submitted by an Expert Group composed of twelve top physicists after seven days of research without sleep or rest. The subject of the report was only one: An assessment of the authenticity of the "Flame Dragon" nuclear fusion paper published in *Cangjie*.

"Are you sure this analysis is correct?" Kravchenko's voice was hoarse, and his face was paler than the snow outside the window.

Professor Maxim, who was sitting opposite him, nodded, his expression grave: "We have repeatedly checked every possible doubt and cross-verified all the data and principles that could be extracted from that paper. There is only one conclusion—from the theoretical framework to the experimental data, it shows a high degree of self-consistency and credibility."

"But a Q-value of 1.2..." Kravchenko closed his eyes in near agony, "This means..."

"Yes, Comrade Director," Maxim interrupted him, "it means the people of Long Country have solved the key bottleneck problem of nuclear fusion energy. They have achieved positive energy output, while our research institutions are expected to need at least another fifteen to twenty years to reach this level."

Kravchenko stood up abruptly and paced to the window. Snowflakes were falling slowly outside the window; the winter in the north had come earlier and colder than in previous years.

"The Chief will arrive in half an hour," he said in a low voice, "How am I supposed to explain this news to him?"

Maxim shook his head: "Tell the truth. Science cannot be faked, at least not on this scale."

Just as they fell into silence, the office door was pushed open, and a burly middle-aged man strode in. Although he was not wearing a military uniform, his entire being radiated an unquestionable aura of authority—this was the actual ruler of Beijixiong Guo, Chief Koriakin.

"How is it, Comrade Kravchenko?" the Chief asked straight to the point, his voice resonant, "That nuclear fusion story from Long Country, is it true or false?"

Kravchenko took a deep breath, turned to face the Chief, and his expression was extremely serious: "Comrade Chief, according to our analysis... it is not fake! The direction is correct! They... might have really... achieved the first step!"

His voice almost turned into a roar on the last few words, his emotions too agitated to control.