[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-580":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1152566,1495,"Chapter 574 - 545: Monopolizing the Future (Part 2)","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-580",580,"\u003Cp>\"Holding the stars in one’s hands,\" a technological vision debated for decades: Controlled Nuclear Fusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most advanced product of this great dream was actually at Stark Industries Park in New York, where Howard Stark had built an Arc Reactor that could operate continuously. However, it couldn’t achieve positive energy output, always relying on external electricity to pressurize the reaction elements—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was purely for show, only brought out for a walk on special days like the Stark Industries Expo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now that Stark Industries had withdrawn from New York, and the legendary marketer and former tech genius, Tony Stark, had been missing for a long time, even if someone mentioned it, people would only remember that this thing had existed for decades and that commercialized Controlled Nuclear Fusion was just a pie in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When an old idea was suddenly proposed by a very persuasive contemporary figure, it once again became a hot topic. In contrast, Dalio had achieved \"capital without borders\" through brutal means, monopolizing more than 90% of the world’s oil, which reassured investors but also became somewhat... accustomed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dalio was a steady executive, a comforting leader, but they needed something new to counter the promised future by Lille.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The towering 800-meter high condensed oil refining tower, covering over a square kilometer for a single tower, each level of the multi-tiered structure having different extraction and refining functions. It used special alloys provided by Stark Industries, which could not only withstand super-high temperatures and pressures but also had anti-corrosion and anti-oxidation properties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huge automated robots scaled the surface of the tower, moving swiftly between levels, for not every situation required the highest concentration of high-energy condensed oil. They would package oils suitable for various scenarios and different purities and send them to the logistics park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, today, Dalio was showcasing the highest purity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oil was purified layer by layer upwards, and the central extraction array redesigned by Stark was surrounded by five oil towers, each with super-long structures extending toward the center. There was a special round platform in the middle where the currents in the cables could even be seen faintly glowing—it was hard to imagine how powerful the currents were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Investors could witness the multi-tier refining towers where the constantly purified high-energy condensed oil was passed upwards after undergoing various distillation technologies. The towers seemed to awaken like giant beasts, emitting dull massive sounds that seemed to make one’s heart beat along—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gentlemen, this is Rocksen’s greatest discovery of the century—the compound with the highest energy density in oil is octane. The combustion of each mole of octane releases about 5470 KJ of energy, its molecular weight 114.23g\u002Fmole, with an energy density of 47.9 MJ per kg. This means, regardless of how it’s refined, the limit of oil-based fuels might just be here, unless we blend in hydrogen...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it has already been proven not very useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, ten years ago, an accident occurred during our engineer’s work... a discovery of something unreasonable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was called an accident was actually a huge explosion at Rocksen’s refinery, killing many employees on the spot. However, they later realized that the explosive force did not correlate with the fuel stored inside the facility, clearly exceeding the theoretical limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This incident dealt a severe blow to Rocksen, but fortunately, the President at the time was also Rocksen’s partner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few years later, Rocksen repeatedly led global oil production cuts to control prices, even directly dumping oil in the Gulf of Mexico, to ensure that even after suffering damage, continued research on the explosion was possible while still guaranteeing profits for the company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The research was on the details of that explosion—ultimately, they inferred that in the fierce explosion, the nature of the oil had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An oil tower erupted with a loud sound, exaggeratedly spewing colored polluted gases under high pressure, even accompanied by flames, startling the people in the vehicles—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steam looked as if it could shred a living person into pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dalio nodded satisfactorily, \"Four years ago, we finally succeeded in stably extracting a truly high-energy condensed oil product...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A super fuel with an energy density exceeding 100MJ per kilogram, but we still didn’t understand the underlying principle, and the performance of the fuel was stuck there—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I thought, perhaps using the explosions generated by the refined fuel for secondary explosions is the next focus.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An explosion at the top of the oil tower undoubtedly occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blast of high-pressure shock waves burst instantly, and the unseated tower erupted with a ring of flames. And the flames...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looked somewhat dim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We succeeded and observed the real thing at work, which I call... Singularity Particles. As the purity of this substance in the fuel increases, the consumption of oil resources increases exponentially, but it is all worth it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the purity exceeds 70%, the energy density of high-energy condensed oil can surpass hydrogen fuel, reaching 130 MJ per kilogram, and further extraction requires large-scale detonation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the purity exceeds 90%, its energy density can be twice that of hydrogen, and it triggers some peculiar effects... Gravity is altered, and graviton particles have been captured.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames faded, and the sky seemed to be smeared with a layer of oil, vibrant in color, and it was not clear if it was an illusion...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These distorted colors... seemed to be painting a picture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dalio watched the oil-painted sky in a trance, as if the air was torn open by a wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"... Look, another world—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other investors were also seeing this scene for the first time, staggered by the spectacle—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dalio poured all the wine next to him into his mouth, mixed with the acidic air in the atmosphere, and then furiously smashed the wine glass onto the table:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forget that kid’s pie in the sky! I’ve already opened the doors to a new world!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When purity exceeds 90%, with every one percent increase in purity, the other world comes closer to us!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, let us appreciate the 98% purity high-energy condensed oil, obtained from a whopping hundred thousand tons of crude oil for one gram of Singularity Particles—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nozzles extending from the five giant towers sprayed out the previous purity level of high-energy condensed oil under thousands of pascals of pressure. At the giant platform in the center of the tower array, the cables lit up as if thunder was coursing through them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The powerful electric field instantly charged the materials as they were expelled from the nozzle. As they entered the secondary electric field, electromagnetic forces further purified the impurities and singularity particles through a second refinement, with the singularity particles flying at high speed under the deflection of the Lorentz force—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the naked eye could see was just a tiny bit of fuel burning and vanishing in the electric field—this is what Dalio saw, marked by a distinct pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what the investors saw was...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of the ultra-high-pressure nozzle, like an explosion, abruptly ceased, and the light twisted at the edge of the explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The event might have taken only an instant, but it was deeply etched into people’s minds, and they no longer cared about any damned nuclear fusion—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the center of that device, there seemed to be nothing, a pure blackness, but it seemed there was something else, though they could not clearly remember anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t known whether there was a problem with time, or with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same for Dalio: No matter how many times he saw it, he could only feel awe, knowing that was another world, but he had no information about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dalio’s somewhat disheartened voice snapped the investors back to reality, \"The door to the future is right here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those cowards who refuse to change, those lazy parasites, those parasites who can’t keep up with the tide... We are no saints, gentlemen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We need to be quick, order should be held in civilized hands, the future should... or rather, already is in our hands, we just need to accelerate and kick open its giant doors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And... yes, the world is a bit restless, we should make them quieter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bravo...\" the old man speaking now had no doubt left in his eyes, \"Let’s speak frankly, I’m in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But clearly, the President isn’t behaving as you expected, we all know that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dalio nodded—it was a good trend, they finally were not beating around the bush; this was the straightforwardness partners should have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barnes was a problem, clearly not decisive enough, as everyone could see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But that old man is not the President anyway, Congress is organizing the ’Anti-Monopoly Delusions Prevention Act’, and it will definitely pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once this law is enacted, we will introduce another bill at the meeting—through a presidential order, to be signed immediately.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What does it involve?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The presidential terms are too short...\" Dalio slowly began, \"Too short, we need to improve policy continuity, Ellis is very obedient, let him serve for a few more years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer was almost out, the investors leaned back slightly, showing their surprise—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let Congress adjust a bit, let Ellis continue as President, and continue our current policies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about Barnes?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Atlas will take care of him.\" Dalio spoke harshly, now that everyone was on the same boat, he disliked always beating around the bush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Atlas sent him a comical pick-up truck, saying it was more effective than a tank, but we’ll soon find out what’s really going on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it’s their false advertisement, maybe it’s their own stunt, creating a garbage truck just waiting to rid themselves of the President... There are many choices, we can pick a story the public likes to feed them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But the people...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We have people in Congress, in the military, and in society, a group of good citizens ready to enlist at any time... As for those disobedient parasites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’ll arrest them on the spot according to the Anti-Monopoly Delusions Prevention Act: we mobilize all the military, enact a complete martial law, whoever does or even thinks something they shouldn’t...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You know what I mean.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The investors shivered—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If assassinating the President was still within the acceptable range, what they were discussing now was a bit...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the bearded guys spoke up, \"Do you know what consequences this will cause? This will trigger a war!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, my dear friend.\" Dalio flashed a sinister smile with his white teeth in front of the camera, \"Aren’t we already at war?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And... who would protest under the shadow of an aircraft carrier? Just bomb those who resist, you all do the same, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aircraft carrier?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where did that aircraft carrier come from? In their own country?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, right, you might not know yet, my friend at the United Nations has some new weapons to show, by then we can hold another such exchange meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An aircraft carrier... flying in the sky, you will like it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one would refuse to dominate the future on such a behemoth of steel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dalio could hardly wait.\u003C\u002Fp>",1841,"2026-06-03T12:33:32.470Z","2026-06-03T12:33:39.371Z",1,"novelbin.me","e3796421dcf75a2a9cac897c00e45426febc7838dc67cfdd3747f9adf2f8ca53","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-746","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-745",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]