Chapter 589: Doomsday Mecha Chiyou

Li Mingyuan turned around, a confident glow flashing in his eyes: "Minister Zhang, remember what I said—the best way to keep a secret is not to hide it, but to display it openly, yet only let them see the parts you want them to see. They will see enough to prove our achievements, but they will never be able to grasp the key to the core technology."

He walked back to his desk and picked up a document: "Prepare a formal response; we welcome the international delegation of scientists to visit Penglai Base in three months. At the same time, begin preparing for the various tasks of the international scientific exchange conference."

"Three months from now?" Minister Zhang was somewhat surprised, "Why not sooner?"

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly: "Because we need time to complete the preliminary tests of the 'Yanlong-II'. What we let them see will not just be the result of a Q-value of 1.2, but a further breakthrough."

Minister Zhang widened his eyes: "You mean..."

"Yes," a hint of smugness flashed in Li Mingyuan's eyes, "While the Western scientists are still shocked by the Q-value of 1.2, we are already moving toward a Q-value of 3.0. I want them to see with their own eyes that the speed of Long Country's technological progress far exceeds their imagination, and make them understand that the road to catching up is longer and more difficult than they imagined."

Minister Zhang took a deep breath, feeling an unprecedented sense of pride and excitement: "Lao Li, you are truly... too amazing."

……

The central conference hall of Penglai Base was brightly lit.

Although it was already late at night, the atmosphere showed no signs of relaxing. Everyone sitting around the U-shaped conference table had eyes like torches, dozens of pairs of eyes locked onto the man in the simple military green uniform standing in the center of the podium.

Li Mingyuan stood in front of the projection screen, having just finished explaining the concept and planning for the second phase of the "Yanlong" project. The audience was silent, the air seemingly frozen.

"In summary, the second phase of the 'Yanlong' project will completely solve Long Country's energy problem, marking the birth of humanity's first large-scale practical nuclear fusion power station." Li Mingyuan's tone was calm, as if he were describing something perfectly ordinary, "It is expected to be completed within five years, with a total investment of approximately 12 billion Long Yuan."

Once this number was out, the entire conference room was as if a bomb had been dropped into it.

"How much?" General Wang slammed the table and stood up, his face ashen, "12 billion? Chief Engineer Li, do you know what this concept means? This is almost equivalent to our entire country's total annual industrial output!"

Minister Zhang looked grave and shook his head gently: "Lao Li, I have always supported you, but this time... it is too risky. We have just stabilized the situation, the country is in a reconstruction phase, the economic foundation is weak, and to take out so many resources to invest in a technology that has not yet been fully verified..."

"It's not just a funding issue," Department Head Wu of the Ministry of Finance pushed up his glasses, "The special materials, precision equipment, and industrial infrastructure required for this project are things we simply do not possess right now!"

Academician Chen pondered for a moment: "From a scientific perspective, jumping directly from a small device with a laboratory Q-value of 1.2 to a large commercial power station involves too great a technical gap. Following the conventional scientific research path, it would require at least twenty years of incremental development."

Doubts rose one after another in the venue. Li Mingyuan's gaze swept across every face, finding that those who agreed with him were few and far between.

"Comrades, everyone calm down," the leader presiding over the meeting spoke slowly, "We have all seen Chief Engineer Li's achievements, but the scale of the second phase of 'Yanlong' indeed exceeds our country's current capacity. Perhaps we can consider a more... gradual plan?"

The representative from the Military Industry Commission was even more direct: "Under the current international situation, such a large-scale project will inevitably arouse the high vigilance of Western countries. Will the Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo sit idly by while we master nuclear fusion technology? This is looking for trouble for ourselves!"

Li Mingyuan stood on the stage, a barely perceptible smile at the corners of his mouth. He had long anticipated such a reaction. In the Long Country of 1957, an investment of 12 billion was indeed an astronomical figure, exceeding everyone's imagination. But he knew that some things could not be understood with conventional thinking.

"I understand everyone's concerns," Li Mingyuan's voice was calm yet powerful, "But may I ask, if I can prove that the second phase of 'Yanlong' is not only technically feasible but already has a solid foundation, would you still oppose it?"

The crowd looked at each other, not understanding what he meant.

"Prove it? How will you prove it?" General Wang sneered, "Do you have a miniature nuclear fusion power station tucked in your pocket?"

Li Mingyuan calmly took out a remote control and pressed a button. The image on the projection screen switched.

A huge metal structure, or rather, a behemoth, appeared on the screen. As the image zoomed in, everyone's breathing began to quicken.

It was a steel giant, over 30 meters tall, painted in silver-gray, shaped like a human but with more exaggerated proportions.

"What... what is this thing?" someone exclaimed in a low voice.

Li Mingyuan's voice echoed in the deathly silent conference room: "This is the special strategic equipment codenamed 'Chiyou', and it is also the practical application verification platform for 'Yanlong' technology."

The giant on the screen stood like a demon god from ancient mythology in a massive underground cavern. It had a streamlined torso, thick and powerful limbs, and the head was designed in a low-profile, streamlined shape without any anthropomorphic facial features, only a narrow red sensor strip like a cold, single eye.

"Height 32 meters, self-weight 1800 tons." Li Mingyuan introduced it word by word, his voice carrying undisguised pride, "The core Power System is a Small Fusion Engine, which is the practical application of the first phase of 'Yanlong' technology, with a continuous output power equivalent to a 500-megawatt conventional generator set."

"This is impossible!" Academician Chen stood up abruptly, his eyes wide and round, "A fusion engine cannot be miniaturized to this extent! This violates basic principles of physics!"

Li Mingyuan revealed a mysterious smile: "Academician Chen, Galileo once said, 'Facts speak louder than words.' This Small Fusion Engine has been running continuously in an underground laboratory for 782 hours, and I can arrange for you to inspect it yourself at any time."

He pressed another button on the remote control, and the screen switched to the internal structure of "Chiyou". There were complex mechanical structures, pipelines, circuits, and the core device in the center emitting a blue-white light—the Small Fusion Reactor.

"The defense system uses a Titanium-Tungsten Composite Alloy shell, with an inner layer of Special Ceramic Composite Material; its overall protective capability is equivalent to a 10-meter-thick homogeneous steel plate. Theoretically, it can resist any conventional weapon attack except for a direct nuclear strike."