"Good morning, viewers. Welcome to the morning news. Due to an abnormal Pacific high-pressure ridge, temperatures will continue to climb today. It is currently 9:00 AM, and the outdoor temperature has already hit 38°C, shattering the historical high for March in this century..."
Inside the underground fortress, a wall-mounted 8K TV played the live broadcast. The male anchor wore a crisp suit, but even inside the heavily air-conditioned studio, unnatural beads of sweat formed on his forehead, causing his TV makeup to slightly melt.
Below the screen sat a newly assembled experimental rig, gleaming with a cold, cyberpunk metallic aesthetic.
Lin Yan wore protective goggles, his hands as steady as a surgeon's. Using long-handled tongs, he slowly lowered a black block of Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBCO) superconductor into a specialized cooling tank.
Hiss—
Pure liquid nitrogen injected into the tank, instantly erupting into a massive plume of cryogenic white vapor. The temperature plummeted to a staggering 77K (-196°C).
Lin Yan didn't even glance up at the TV. His eyes were locked onto his monitoring screens.
To build a micro-fusion reactor by hand in this basement, the hardest part wasn't synthesizing the fuel. It was creating the "cage." The plasma inside the reactor would reach hundreds of millions of degrees. Without a magnetic field to suspend it in mid-air, any physical material known to man would vaporize instantly.
This was exactly why the "cooling module" Chen Zhiqiang stole was destined to become a deadly bomb. That idiot thought he had stolen a high-end air conditioner. He had no idea it was actually the primary cryogenic cooling system Lin Yan designed to generate a miniature magnetic confinement field.
"Superconducting state confirmed. Electrical resistance has dropped to zero," Lin Yan muttered, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "Initiating startup current."
On the TV, the broadcast cut to a live street interview.
"This weather is absolutely insane!" a pedestrian in a tank top complained to the camera, holding a portable fan. "The asphalt is literally melting. I was just crossing the street, and my shoe almost got stuck. But the weather bureau said a cold front is coming next week. Hopefully, it rains soon..."
The pedestrian waved at the camera with a naive smile. They had no idea that the troposphere was already locked down by a terrifying thermal radiation blanket. That so-called "cooling rainstorm" wouldn't even have the chance to form.
"Foolish optimism." Lin Yan's voice was devoid of pity. His slender finger hit the Execute key on his laptop.
RUMBLE— HUM—
The two decommissioned submarine diesel generators let out a deep, guttural roar. A massive surge of electrical current flooded into the superconducting coils inside the cooling tank.
The air in the basement seemed to freeze. The metal tools lying around Lin Yan began to vibrate violently, pulled by an invisible, overwhelming force.
Lin Yan's pupils reflected the wildly spiking magnetic flux density on his screen. According to the magnetic pressure equation in electromagnetism, to confine the extreme heat of the future reactor, the magnetic pressure must exceed the kinetic pressure of the plasma.
The formula flashed through his mind: P_mag = (B^2) / (2 * mu_0).
"The vacuum permeability constant (mu_0) remains unchanged. As long as the magnetic field strength (B) breaks through 12 Tesla..." Lin Yan stared intensely at the progress bar.
8 Tesla... 10 Tesla... 12.5 Tesla!
Clink. A heavy iron nut on the workbench was violently yanked into the air. It levitated perfectly in the dead center of the superconducting coil, suspended by nothing but an invisible, god-like force.
Magnetic confinement field: Success. With this perfect, invisible prison, all he had to do was wait for the 3D printers to forge the reactor casing. Soon, his micro-fusion heart would begin to beat. In the impending 60°C or even 70°C apocalypse, this would be the only perpetual motion machine capable of providing infinite power and absolute chill.
Just as Lin Yan reached to cut the power and record the data...
BEEP— BEEP— BEEP—!!!
The annoying commercial playing on the TV was violently hijacked. A blinding, blood-red warning screen took over, accompanied by the bone-chilling shriek of the National Emergency Alert System.
Lin Yan paused his hands and looked up.
An emotionless, synthesized AI voice echoed through the bunker:
"EMERGENCY BROADCAST. The National Disaster Management Center has issued a [Black Extreme Heat Warning]. Due to unprecedented extreme climate anomalies, plain areas nationwide are projected to exceed 45°C within the next 72 hours. Localized regions may reach 50°C. All citizens are ordered to cease outdoor activities immediately, stockpile drinking water, and remain in shaded indoor areas. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill..."
Listening to the frantic sirens, Lin Yan took off his protective goggles. He picked up a glass of ice-cold cola from the desk and took a slow sip. The freezing carbonated bubbles exploded satisfyingly against his tongue.
"It has finally begun."
Lin Yan stared at the glaring red light on the screen, his eyes as deep and cold as a glacial abyss.
"Welcome to the prelude of hell."