"Mozi, the President just informed us—Manager Yang Minghao has signed an official agreement to invest in nuclear power plant construction. She says we can now publicly announce the success of the nuclear fusion project."
Inside the biological laboratory of Building 1, Chen Mo was overseeing the extraction of a cactus gene sequence when Mozi's voice chimed in with the update.
The genes responsible for heat resistance, cold resistance, and viral resistance in the desert grass were derived from various plants. These were then combined using transgenic technology to synthesize novel antiviral enzyme genes and super-degrading enzyme genes capable of breaking down toxic substances.
By integrating these target genes into a specialized haploid hybrid cell, they aimed to create a new type of plant. If successful, it would be the breakthrough desert grass they needed.
During this period, Chen Mo remained stationed in the lab, focused on cultivating the new grass species. The mission would be considered complete once the plant took root and produced viable seeds.
But scientific research is never simple—uncertainty and complexity are constant companions.
Every day, surrounded by nothing but flowers and grass, Chen Mo endured Zhao Min's playful teasing. Yet, upon hearing Mozi's report, he paused and lightly rubbed his temples.
"Send an email to Wan Yuanjun. Tell him to release the announcement about the successful experiment."
"Understood. Email sent," Mozi replied.
"How's the hybrid cell developing?" Chen Mo asked.
"The two haploid cells have fused successfully, and the cytokinins are active. It won't be long before they differentiate into pluripotent tissues."
"Good. That's promising."
In another part of the city, Li Tiejun sat at his desk, casually scrolling through Weibo in search of trending news. These days, headlines changed by the hour, but he still made a habit of checking the Marching Ant Company's official Weibo page—just in case something big dropped.
Suddenly, a notification popped up from one of his priority-followed accounts. His eyes widened.
The Marching Ant account had forwarded something—a rare occurrence.
It was a message from the official website of the Star Ring Institute, a research body jointly operated by the Marching Ant Group and the Academy of Sciences under the Huaxia Nuclear Energy Group.
Why would the Marching Ant Company promote this?
As he opened the forwarded message, Li Tiejun froze. His jaw dropped, eyes bulging as his mind blanked out.
The controlled nuclear fusion experiment had succeeded.
"Yu Ji! Drop everything. Get the draft into the live newsroom, now!"
Yu Ji was still organizing materials from an earlier interview when the editor-in-chief burst into the room, flushed with excitement.
"What kind of news got you this hyped?" a nearby colleague asked, raising a brow.
"News of the century!" the editor exclaimed.
Everyone in the newsroom gathered around Yu Ji's desk, curiosity buzzing in the air. The editor handed over a hard drive containing a draft article and several photos.
On the screen, the headline blazed:
The Star Ring Institute has successfully achieved controlled nuclear fusion. Commercial power generation is now viable.
A collective gasp swept through the room.
The report detailed how the experiment achieved sustained super-high voltage, current, magnetic fields, and ultra-high temperatures. The resulting ultra-long plasma beam was stable—proof that nuclear fusion could now be used for practical energy generation.
The news first broke through the official channels of the Huaxia Nuclear Energy Group and its verified Weibo account. CCTV and other state-run outlets quickly followed.
The internet exploded.
In under thirty minutes, the story had racked up hundreds of millions of views. Hashtags rocketed up the trending list. The Weibo server buckled under the strain.
Tianya Forum, Jagged Community, Longkong—every major online platform was ablaze with discussion. Comment sections overflowed with shock and awe.
Despite the surprise announcement, no one doubted its authenticity.
It came from the nation's most authoritative sources.
The report confirmed that Huaxia Nuclear Energy Group was a joint venture between the Marching Ant Group and the state, and that Chen Mo was the chief designer and engineer behind the Star Ring project.
To the world, Chen Mo was a genius beyond comprehension—a polymath reshaping reality.
Holographic technology had matured, AI development was exploding, and now nuclear fusion had become a reality. For many, the future had arrived.
Across Huaxia, celebration erupted.
"Chen Mo is a beast!"
"Only three words can describe how I feel: Oh. My. God!"
"My country, my pride."
"I just witnessed history."
"This time, when you say China shocked the world, scared the West, and stunned the emperor—I'll believe you."
"We are witnessing the rise of a true technological superpower."
The internet boiled with pride, disbelief, and national fervor.
Meanwhile, international reactions painted a different picture.
BBC: "Huaxia's controlled nuclear fusion claim? Sounds fake."
Wall Street Journal: "Fusion success may trigger global coal price collapse. A cold winter looms."
New York Times: "China should share its nuclear fusion breakthrough with the world—for humanity's benefit."
The tone was unmistakable: disbelief mixed with envy.
"What's happening in China?"
"This can't be real. No warning at all?"
"God gave Newton to Britain; it was great. He gave Einstein and Tesla to the U.S., and it thrived. Now, He's given Chen Mo to China…"
"Chen Mo said: 'Trash. All of you. I'm not targeting anyone in particular, I mean everyone here is trash.' (Sourced from China)"
Meme after meme spread across social media. The internet was ablaze with debates, hot takes, and utter astonishment.
Soon, foreign commentators, politicians, and journalists began urging Huaxia to "share" the fusion technology—for the greater good.
Even the director of the ITER organization publicly requested collaboration with the Star Ring project.
But neither the Huaxia government nor the Marching Ant Group responded.
Fusion technology had matured. Global coal markets trembled. Countries reliant on coal were devastated—the economic impact immediate and severe.
Amid the global shock, Huaxia Nuclear Energy Group dropped another bombshell.
They had signed strategic agreements with two provinces—South China and Handan—to build the world's first commercial nuclear fusion power plants, with a total capacity of 20 million kilowatts. These weren't testbeds; they were the future backbone of China's power grid.
With that, the announcement of fusion's success reached a new crescendo, setting off a global energy revolution—and firmly placing Chen Mo's name in the history books.