As soon as the King stepped off the bus, he eagerly took in the beautiful surroundings and made his way quickly toward the institute's entrance. Waiting for him there was Wan Yuanzhen.
Today marked the start of the second experiment. Upon receiving the news from Wan Yuanzhen, the King had immediately rearranged his schedule and rushed to Binhai.
Fortunately, the experiment hadn't begun yet—he had arrived just in time.
"First, we need to enter your fingerprint information," Wan Yuanzhen said, using his institute credentials to help the King input his basic visitor data.
Every non-staff visitor entering the institute had to be accompanied and required full identity registration.
Once the fingerprint, facial, and voice data were recorded, Wan Yuanzhen brought the King into the institute.
"Is the second experiment ready?" the King asked.
"Fully ready," Wan Yuanzhen replied. "Yesterday, Academician Chen modified the experimental parameters, and they finished preparing today. The experiment will begin soon. If you'd arrived any later, you might have missed it."
"That fast?" the King asked, surprised.
"He built this entire research institute in under a year and even has the [Star Ring] device operational. You can't judge Academician Chen using our normal standards," Wan Yuanzhen said as they walked.
After passing through several layers of security, they arrived at the [Star Ring] Command Center.
Chen Mo and the team were already inside. Upon seeing the King, they exchanged simple greetings. The King didn't interrupt and quietly joined Li Jian and the others, waiting for the experiment to begin.
At each workstation, final checks on the [Star Ring] were underway. Once all systems passed inspection, the second experiment could officially start.
"Chen Mo, final inspection is complete. No abnormalities found," Bai Lijing reported, handing over the inspection results.
Chen Mo reviewed the data and stepped over to the console computer to verify the experimental parameters one last time. Over the past few days, he and Mo Nu had simulated the setups and prepared three different parameter sets in the lab.
After finalizing the settings yesterday, the team had immediately begun prepping the experiment. Thanks to a clear division of labor and assistance from intelligent robots, everything progressed swiftly.
After five minutes of cross-checking, Chen Mo set aside the report and announced solemnly, "Begin the second [Star Ring] experiment."
With that, the entire command center snapped to attention.
"Initiate the second controlled nuclear fusion experiment. Powering up."
"Startup successful."
"[Star Ring] field system operating normally. Vacuum chamber status: normal. Background vacuum pressure: 4×10⁻⁶ Pa. Cooling system operational."
"Increasing current in the B-coil... 10,000 amps... 100,000 amps... 200,000 amps... 1.3 megaamps..."
The calm, robotic voice of the AI steadily reported the progress, but the tension in the room was rising.
The success of the first experiment had given everyone hope. Now, each trial brought them one step closer to controlled nuclear fusion.
"Fuel loading... Fuel injection complete. E-coil (Ohmic heating) current rising to max..."
"Divertor functioning properly. Water cooling system nominal..."
...
As with the first test, the magnetic field and current reached their target values. Some parameters differed from the initial experiment, but the rest remained consistent. The system was fully prepared for ignition. Everyone silently clenched their fists in anticipation.
"Ignition countdown initiated. 10... 9... 8... 2... 1... Ignition."
The AI's countdown ended, and the computer readouts began changing in real time. Everyone held their breath.
The [Star Ring]'s data collection system streamed live updates. Every fluctuation across the system was tracked, allowing researchers to monitor the internal conditions of the device closely.
"Ignition successful. Plasma temperature: 84.45 million degrees Celsius. Fuel injection in progress. Plasma is pressurizing and heating..."
Yes!!
Several team members pumped their fists in silent celebration. The initial data was significantly better than the first experiment, confirming the effectiveness of Chen Mo's improved parameters.
Now came the critical part—how long could the plasma remain stable?
89 million degrees Celsius... 90.84 million degrees...
As the plasma temperature surpassed 90 million degrees, everyone's heart soared. It was another small but significant breakthrough.
Excited yet focused, the team monitored the readings.
The King could barely contain his joy, cheering quietly with a red face. He looked no different from Wan Yuanzhen and the other researchers during the first experiment.
Li Jian and the senior staff, having witnessed this once before, remained calmer—but their eyes betrayed their excitement.
The continuous run time passed 500 seconds. Every second after that broke a new record. Amid cheers and focused tension, the experiment continued.
9500°C. 762 seconds.
They had shattered the 12-minute mark.
The data sent the research team into a frenzy.
Though stable long-term plasma wasn't achieved yet, the second experiment had broken all records from the first.
With continued optimization, success felt inevitable. If word got out, the world would be shaken. Everyone in the room could feel it—the dawn of an energy revolution was here.
This time, Chen Mo didn't even need to speak. As soon as the experiment concluded, the team jumped right into preparing for the next one.
Unknowingly, everyone had started to adopt Chen Mo's mindset. They had only one goal: to stabilize long-term plasma discharge and realize controlled nuclear fusion.
Three days later, the third experiment began.
With the experience of the first two, operations ran smoothly. Everyone rigorously tested their responsibilities, ensuring not even the smallest mistake occurred. The third experiment shattered yet another record—99 million degrees Celsius with a 964-second discharge.
The fourth experiment hadn't even begun, but Wang Nian, Li Jian, and the others all joined the preparations in person.
That third run had breached the 99-million-degree mark with a duration of 964 seconds. Everyone could now see the light at the end of the tunnel. The [Star Ring], once underestimated, was quickly becoming the most promising path to nuclear fusion.
Thanks to their continued efforts, the fourth experiment proceeded as scheduled—breaking an astonishing record of 102 million degrees Celsius and a stable plasma discharge lasting 1042 seconds.
The numbers had reached their projected goals. Of course, plasma couldn't run indefinitely. Both temperature and duration exceeded their theoretical limits, highlighting the gap between theory and practice.
Still, no one was discouraged. Instead, they doubled down, preparing for the fifth experiment.
With each experiment, Chen Mo and Mo Nu continuously tweaked the parameters. The data gradually converged toward the final answer.
Back on Science Island, a new level of intensity settled over the institute. During this period, no staff were allowed to leave.
Even Chen Mo remained onsite nearly full-time, except for brief trips to the first-floor lab at March Ant Headquarters. He didn't return home.
The news of these breakthroughs was kept under tight wraps. The outside world remained unaware that, on this quiet little island, the age of energy transformation was rapidly approaching.