Chapter 88: The Doomsday Countdown
Chapter 88: The Doomsday Countdown
By this month,
several rounds of lotteries for qualification to migrate to the Underground Shelter Cities had already been conducted.
By now, the total number of people who had relocated to the Underground Shelter Cities was close to 800 million.
The first batch of completed cities, like Lingchuan Underground Shelter City, already averaged over 8 million people each.
According to the original plan, these underground cities would continue to be filled to well over 10 million, even exceeding 10 million per city.
The reason they weren’t filled all at once yet was purely a space issue. Having 8 million people in one Underground Shelter City was actually quite crowded already.
It was only with the help of Intelligent Programs and Strong Artificial Intelligence that the entire underground city could just barely operate relatively normally.
They could only try their best to minimize the most overcrowded periods for each city,
so that each Underground Shelter City would only reach its peak population as late as possible.
Meanwhile,
with so many people already moved into the Underground Shelter Cities,
those still stuck above ground, unsure if they would ever win a lottery spot,
naturally grew more and more restless and anxious.
Especially since, as one Underground Shelter City after another was completed, certain facts became painfully clear.
The completed Underground Shelter Cities could never fit all 2.5 billion people.
Given how intensely people followed this issue,
some people had naturally run the numbers.
Even under the most extreme calculations, the completed cities currently under construction
could hold at most 1.6 to 1.8 billion people.
This meant that, at the very minimum, 700 million people would inevitably be left on the surface.
The authorities didn’t hide this information.
It was impossible to conceal anyway, and most people had already braced themselves for it.
Getting over a billion people into the Underground Shelter Cities within nineteen months was a miracle unique to the Intelligent Era.
Before the Intelligent Era, human civilization would most likely have faced extinction.
Although many people grew more restless,
the order was maintained by Intelligent Machinery and Intelligent Robots, and no major incidents occurred because of it.
Where some were restless,
others were naturally more accepting.
Or rather, in this time of apocalyptic crisis,
while some revealed their ugly, vicious, or beastly sides,
others naturally showed the brilliance of human compassion.
Some submitted applications to the authorities, voluntarily giving up their spots in the Underground Shelter Cities.
According to the current lottery plan,
these people would no longer participate in the draw, and their priority for entering the cities would be put at the very bottom.
There were quite a few people like this,
and the vast majority were elderly, people already advanced in years.
“…I’ve already stumbled through more than 160 springs and autumns. I’ve seen what there is to see, enjoyed what there is to enjoy. The only truly awe-inspiring sight I haven’t witnessed is a planet colliding with Earth. So, I won’t go underground. I want to witness Asteroid 2801 crashing into Earth with my own eyes. To experience this once would make my life complete.”
“…I still remember when I was young; Professor Qin Yu was still with us back then. Our dream was to reach for the stars. That task will now fall to the younger generation. When you all return to this land, though our civilization might have suffered a setback, it will likely emerge stronger than now… I probably won’t live to see that day. But that’s alright.”
“I’m not like you old pals, fancy sentiments and ideals, nothing that grand. I just think it makes no economic sense. I’m 170. Even without this Doomsday Crisis, I probably wouldn’t make it much past 180. Instead of me taking up a spot underground, better let a younger person who has more life ahead go. I spent my whole life on math; I can do this simple calculation in my head. So I won’t go either.”
“Yeah, same here. I also want to see the spectacular sight of Doomsday.”
Voices like these could still be heard, both online and in the real world.
As for the situation outside Huaxia Nation during this time…
It could only be described as not optimistic. But right now, Huaxia Nation had too much on its plate to worry about it much.
…
Countdown: Four months,
Countdown: Three months.
Finally, in early December of the year 281.
At Jiuzhou Launch Site, numerous new Earth-Moon transport rockets launched frequently and continuously.
Near the Lunar Base on the moon,
with the help of Lunar Surface Intelligent Machinery and coordination by Strong Artificial Intelligence,
the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor was constructed right next to the main body of the High-Power Laser Weapon.
Due to the pressing time constraints,
as soon as construction finished and the complete inspection of the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor was done,
the Negentropy Research Institute and the Energy and Power Research Institute immediately initiated the reactor’s first experimental test run.
That very day,
while most of the outside world remained completely unaware,
the inaugural test run of the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor began.
Inside the Negentropy Research Institute,
in the test run control room,
Qin Yu, the Senior Leader, and core Researchers from the Energy and Power Research Institute, Materials Research Institute, and related teams were all present.
The atmosphere in the room was inevitably tense.
Even the Senior Leader, after arriving and exchanging a few brief words with Qin Yu, fell silent, waiting in quiet anticipation for the test results.
Ignoring even the critical role this Helium-3 Fusion Reactor held for powering the High-Power Laser Weapon right now,
the value of Helium-3 Fusion technology itself was monumental for Human Civilization.
Mastering it meant that after this Doomsday Crisis,
Human Civilization would have vastly more energy resources, vastly more room to maneuver, and room for error.
The speed at which people could return to the surface from the Underground Shelter Cities and rebuild industry after the crisis, even advancing further, would be significantly faster.
Given this, it was hard for everyone present not to watch this inaugural test run with intense, anxious focus.
Screens in the room showed live feed transmitted from the Lunar Surface – the entire Helium-3 Fusion Reactor structure.
They also displayed real-time monitoring of various values.
This Lunar Surface Helium-3 Fusion Reactor was, in a way, a demonstration reactor built directly by the Energy and Power Research Institute under Qin Yu’s lead, skipping the initial, smaller test reactor phase.
If the test run succeeded, it would immediately connect to the main body of the Lunar Laser Weapon, becoming its primary power source.
Furthermore, from then on, up to and beyond the point of Asteroid 2801’s impact with Earth,
it would continue to serve as the primary energy source for the Lunar Base.
Basically, this meant the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor right now, if successful, would become a long-term operational fusion reactor immediately.
This demanded extremely high levels of completion and stability for the entire Helium-3 Fusion Reactor.
But under the intense time pressure, Academician Qin Yu and the Negentropy Research Institute didn’t get the luxury of taking things step by step.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have built the very first Helium-3 Fusion Reactor directly on the Lunar Surface.
They could only go for the goal in one big step, like this.
The scheduled experimental runtime arrived.
A researcher looked towards Qin Yu.
“Begin the experimental run.”
As the project lead for the entire Helium-3 Fusion research effort, Qin Yu gave the order.
Just like the earlier Deuterium-Tritium Fusion Reactor project,
the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor project’s control system was again managed by a Strong Artificial Intelligence.
So now,
after Qin Yu issued the command to start the experiment,
the researchers didn’t actually need to do much more.
The Strong Artificial Intelligence would naturally start operating the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor according to the planned steps.
Everyone present, including Qin Yu, focused mainly on monitoring the data changes during the experiment and the final outcome.
Immediately,
most of the power from a fission reactor and the Lunar Base’s primary power sources were redirected to start up the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor.
In the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor’s core, coils started heating the Helium-3 fuel added earlier.
The conditions needed for Helium-3 fusion reactions began to form bit by bit.
Plasma started appearing in the heart of the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor.
The environment to contain this Plasma also came into existence simultaneously.
Images transmitted from the Lunar Surface showed
that overall, the gigantic Helium-3 Fusion Reactor seemed very calm,
at least externally. Nothing visibly changed because of its startup.
However, from the obvious shifts in various data points,
it was clear that deep within the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor’s core,
terrifying energy was starting to stir.
Intense transformation was taking place.
It was just tightly held within the reactor’s many layers, confined stably to the core region.
Finally,
at one precise moment, too quick for equipment to register,
the very first Helium-3 fusion reaction happened on the microscopic level.
Then, more reactions occurred, on a bigger scale.
This violent, immense energy exploded forth like rage,
like a tiny sun trapped inside the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor,
fiercely, wildly trying to escape, struggling violently.
The highest form of energy Humanity Civilization could touch at this stage of its development
was blooming in the most extreme way.
This process,
though displayed to the researchers only as changing numbers,
was watched with eyes fixed and hearts climbing into throats. As front-runners in their field, these scholars and researchers grasped the meaning of every change.
However,
in the end, despite the violent explosion of raging energy,
the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor itself took it all in stride. The energy was ingeniously dissipated, guided out to the generators,
and converted into the power Human Civilization needed.
“Generators engaged. Power output active.”
“The Helium-3 Fusion Reactor has disconnected external power input. Power entering self-sustaining mode.”
The Strong Artificial Intelligence relayed two announcements in quick succession.
Only then did the assembled researchers snap back to the moment,
realizing their hearts were beating fiercely as calm slowly returned.
At this point,
the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor’s first run was halfway to being a success.
The rest depended on how long it could run and its power output level.
Getting those results would take some time.
But none of the researchers in the room minded waiting a little longer.
The core researchers there didn’t rush to speak to each other either.
They just waited patiently for the final outcome to become clear.
The data showed
that once the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor ‘ignited’, the monitored values gradually steadied.
While they knew the Helium-3 fusion reactions in the core remained intense,
all value changes indicated everything stayed within the reactor’s operating safety margins.
By this time, the result was quite clear.
After running continuously for about an hour,
the Strong Artificial Intelligence started executing the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor shutdown sequence according to the preset plan.
“…Helium-3 Fusion Reactor shutdown complete.”
With the Strong Artificial Intelligence’s feedback, the ground control center grew even quieter.
“…I announce the first operational test of the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor completed successfully.”
“We have achieved controllable Helium-3 Fusion.”
Qin Yu smiled and made the announcement.
As cheers erupted from the core researchers in the control center,
most also sighed deeply, releasing long-held breaths.
Nearby, the Senior Leader who had been waiting for the results smiled too, stepping forward to grasp Qin Yu’s hand.
“Academician Qin, I think we can call you the father of Helium-3 Fusion now.”
The Senior Leader offered a light jest.
Qin Yu smiled again.
After a brief exchange between them,
the cheering in the hall subsided.
Qin Yu and the Senior Leader turned their attention back to the feed from the Lunar Surface.
Celebration for achieving Helium-3 Fusion was entirely deserved.
The significance of this achievement was immense and far-reaching.
Compared to the original Deuterium-Tritium Fusion technology, Helium-3 Fusion brought Humanity much closer to the near-limitless energy source they sought.
However, right now,
for humanity living under emergency measures due to the Doomsday Crisis,
the perfect success of the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor’s first run meant something else was now possible.
Following procedure,
the Lunar Base researchers, assisted by Strong Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Machinery,
conducted a full system self-check on the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor after its run.
Once confirmed stable,
Qin Yu gave the next command as planned.
“Connect the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor to the ‘Project Hope laser system’ now.”
‘Hope’ was the final code name chosen by the researchers for the powerful laser weapon built up there.
It held two meanings.
Firstly, they hoped it could hit the target and fulfill its single purpose.
Secondly, the purpose of this High-Power Laser Weapon wasn’t to directly save humanity from this Doomsday Crisis.
Its real function was to preserve some ‘hope’ for Earth’s biosphere, reducing the difficulty of rebuilding Earth for future generations.
“…Academician Qin, you should handle this.”
After the Strong Artificial Intelligence confirmed the Helium-3 Fusion Reactor was officially linked to the Project Hope laser system,
pausing a beat, the Senior Leader beside Qin Yu spoke first.
Qin Yu nodded without saying anything further.
“Mind Core, activate the Project Hope laser system. Fire the laser at the target coordinates.”
The entire Project Hope assembly, hooked to the reactor, was a massive setup.
Activating it wasn’t instantaneous even after the command.
It took time for the Strong Artificial Intelligence to power up the whole system following its instructions.
Targeting data for the powerful laser came mainly from Lunar Surface observation stations,
with most Earth-based space instruments helping to fine-tune the aim.
This pre-targeting phase took additional time.
Then, finally, the laser fired.
Even though the laser itself travels at the speed of light,
Human Civilization would have to wait over twenty hours to learn the results after it fired.