Chapter 587: Incomprehensible, Despair

The meeting continued, but in everyone's heart surged an unspeakable fear: the world's landscape was quietly changing before their eyes, and they seemed powerless to stop it.

London, Royal Society, Nuclear Physics Symposium.

The originally scheduled topic was "Efficiency Optimization of Nuclear Fission Reactors," but now, the entire venue was occupied by one subject—the "Flame Dragon" nuclear fusion paper in *Cangjie*.

"This is complete nonsense!" Professor Hawkins stood on the podium, his voice trembling with anger, "The magnetic field topology claimed by the Long Country people cannot possibly stably confine high-temperature plasma! This violates basic principles of physics!"

A young researcher in the audience raised a hand: "But Professor Hawkins, our laboratory has already conducted preliminary simulations based on the partial parameters provided in the paper, and the results show that this topology is theoretically feasible."

"That is only because your simulations are overly simplified!" Hawkins retorted sharply, "In actual experiments, this structure would collapse within seconds!"

Another professor stood up: "In fact, James, our team also conducted more complex simulations, and the results are shockingly consistent with the Long Country people's claims. If they have truly mastered the nanocomposite first-wall material technology mentioned in the paper, it could theoretically maintain a stable fusion reaction."

The atmosphere inside the venue grew increasingly tense. Professor Hawkins's face turned from red to white, then from white to green. As a staunch supporter of the traditional Tokamak approach, his entire academic reputation was built upon the existing path of nuclear fusion research. If the Long Country people's new direction were proven correct, then his decades of research might instantly become worthless.

"You have all been fooled!" Hawkins finally roared, "That paper intentionally blurred the key details, just to make us fill in the blanks ourselves and deceive ourselves! The Long Country people don't even have decent scientific journals; how could they possibly make a breakthrough in the field of nuclear fusion?"

An awkward silence followed. Then, a young ethnic Chinese researcher slowly stood up, their voice calm but firm: "Professor Hawkins, science has no borders. Whether a theory is correct or not does not depend on which country it comes from, but on whether it conforms to the laws of Nature. The paper in *Cangjie*, although we cannot yet verify all its details, has already shown a high degree of scientific rationality. Refusing to acknowledge this is not a scientific attitude, but prejudice."

An uproar broke out in the venue. Professor Hawkins opened his mouth to speak, but found himself speechless. He looked around and noticed that more and more of his peers had doubt and contemplation in their eyes. That solid academic fortress, that Western scientific superiority they were accustomed to, was collapsing bit by bit.

Finally, he angrily packed up his materials and strode off the podium, leaving behind a room full of scientists engaged in heated discussion.

Princeton University, Plasma Physics Laboratory.

In Doctor Sitan's office, it was a mess. Torn papers, spilled coffee, and broken equipment were scattered on the floor. In front of the desk, this once gentle and refined scientist was facing the dense formulas and charts on the wall, his hands clenched into fists, veins bulging.

"Damn it! Why is it in Chinese! Why aren't the key parts written clearly!" He roared at the wall, his voice filled with frustration and rage.

Over the past two weeks, Doctor Sitan had led his team in working day and night to attempt to reproduce the nuclear fusion theoretical model described in *Cangjie*. They had made some progress—the basic theoretical framework was proven to be feasible, which in itself was a shocking discovery. But every time they tried to delve into specific details, they would hit an invisible wall: either it was a translation issue, or it was the intentionally blurred descriptions in the paper.

"Professor," his assistant knocked cautiously, "The Pentagon is on the phone again; they want to know our progress..."

"Tell them to go to hell!" Doctor Sitan roared, "Tell them if they want results, get me a translation team proficient in both nuclear physics and Chinese! Tell them we are being locked out of scientific progress by a language we cannot understand!"

The assistant flinched, but did not back down: "Professor, we have already hired the best translation team. The problem is that the paper uses a large number of self-created technical terms, and there are no corresponding English words. Moreover, even if translated, those key technical details remain blurred, as if..."

"As if they were intentional." Doctor Sitan gave a bitter smile, his anger gradually replaced by a deep sense of frustration, "As if they knew we would try to replicate it, so they carefully designed a trap, letting us see it, but not touch it."

He walked to the window and looked at the sunny campus outside. Students walked carefree among the ancient buildings, completely unaware that behind these walls, a technological race concerning the future of the nation was quietly underway.

"The most ironic thing," Doctor Sitan said softly, "is that we always thought science was universal, transcending language and culture. But now, we are blocked from the most cutting-edge scientific discoveries by a language. The open scientific tradition we have always been proud of has suddenly become our weakness."

He turned around, determination flashing in his eyes: "I am going to the Long Country myself. I want to see that Li Mingyuan, and see that 'Flame Dragon' device with my own eyes. Tell the Pentagon I need an official scientific exchange invitation letter."

Major scientific research institutions around the world were plunged into similar chaos. From the California Institute of Technology to the University of Tokyo, from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology to Cambridge University, physicists, materials scientists, and energy experts were frantically trying to understand and reproduce the breakthrough research in *Cangjie*.

Telephone lines were jammed, and international telegram costs soared, just to confirm one piece of news: Is the Long Country's nuclear fusion real or fake?

The most frustrating thing was that the deeper they researched, the more the evidence tended to confirm the answer. Those scientists who had initially scoffed now had to face an unsettling reality: they might truly have been surpassed.

And this surpassing was not just technical, but also in terms of mindset. The Western scientific community was accustomed to the role of leader, accustomed to other countries following in their footsteps. Now, they suddenly found themselves chasing others, and chasing a country they had once looked down upon. This psychological shock was harder to accept than the technical gap itself.

Bali, an international physics academic conference was in full swing.

The conference's scheduled theme was to discuss the latest progress in quantum mechanics research, but in reality, almost all tea breaks and informal discussions were occupied by *Cangjie*.