A few months later.
The progress of the EAST project has far exceeded expectations. Since the divertor problem was solved, the overwhelming reports have made almost everyone in the world deeply aware of the changes that are about to take place in their lives.
Those who initially said, "What does this have to do with me, who earns a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan?" had no choice but to step into the largest torrent of grand narratives in human history.
Massive amounts of information continue to wash away people's awareness. Technologies that were originally science fiction and have been described by the media either pertinently or exaggeratedly are beginning to gradually enter everyone's field of vision.
Vertical farm?
magnetic levitation train?
Land speed car?
Cyber city?
Space elevator?
Human imagination seems to suddenly have huge limitations in front of it. Just like humans in the middle of the 20th century could not imagine the Internet era, humans in the early 21st century cannot imagine what the nuclear fusion era really looks like.
But even so, the picture of the future is good enough.
Everyone is eagerly looking forward to that day, hoping that leap-forward technological progress will bring a change to their bleak lives.
Yellowstone Farm, Wyoming.
John Dutton sat quietly on a stake next to the corral, with his two sons standing next to him.
Wes Dutton, and Keith Dutton.
Weiss was wearing a suit and tie, and was holding a thick stack of legal documents in his hand, while Case was wearing a bulletproof vest and holding tightly in his hand an AR-15 that he knew at a glance was not a civilian version.
Keith's eyes were alert. He kept scanning the pasture in front of him, as if he was guarding against enemies that might jump out from there at any time. His brother Wes, on the other hand, had a sad face, and the look he looked at his father, John, was also full of helplessness. .
"We really can't hold on any longer. Within a few months, our entire farm's losses have exceeded 6 million US dollars. This number is so large that it even exceeds our profit for half a year."
"Give it up, John."
"Traditional animal husbandry has come to an end. As far as I know, in California, several farmers have accepted the state government's transformation plan and are ready to start cooperating with commercial companies to build large-scale vertical farms."
"This is also an opportunity for us. If we sell our land and leave the livestock industry, we can invest more than $1 billion in cash into the next more promising industry."
"Times are moving forward, and the time for old cowboys like you is gone."
"Do you have to wait until things reach an irreversible level before you are willing to let go of those unworthy things you hold on to?"
After hearing his words, John's eyes did not change at all. He just stared straight at an old cow that was grazing leisurely on the pasture, and answered:
"It's not something that's not worth mentioning."
“This farm has been our home since my grandfather’s generation, and it remains so in my hands.”
"I can change the way it works and make it more future-proof, but I can't destroy our home with my own hands."
Having said this, he paused for a moment, and then continued:
"In addition, even if you look at it from a technical point of view, the people who are most affected now are the red necks who grow wheat and corn."
“The endless electricity can be used to grow marijuana and wheat, but it is absolutely impossible to use it to raise cattle.”
"These livestock cannot photosynthesize, and their tongues are very picky. Only the grass that grows naturally in Yellowstone can allow them to grow delicious muscles."
"But no one cares."
Wes interrupted John.
"Nobody cares about the quality of the cattle, you know, what they want is the land."
Having said this, John's eyes changed slightly.
Yes, how could he not know this?
He is a cowboy, but he is also an experienced farmer and business owner. He has been dealing with state governments for most of his life. He can clearly see the color of the underwear of those well-dressed politicians even if they just raise their legs.
And this time too.
If they just want to transform the pasture, they don't need to be so anxious at all.
What they really want to do is to cleanse the "extraterritoriality" they have established on this land, and to get rid of their disobedient "family".
Yes, gate valve.
They were using the word "gentry," and when he first heard it from Wes, John couldn't even understand what it meant.
Country aristocrat?
This seemed to be in line with his identity - but when Weiss further explained to himself the political meaning behind the word, he suddenly realized that he had been classified into some kind of "urgent problem".
Thinking of this, he let out a long sigh.
Then, he said:
"I don't understand why things have turned out like this. We've been doing pretty well over the past few decades."
“This free land has always grown in free ways, providing this country with countless amounts of food and meat.”
"But why, as if overnight, did everything change?"
Wes's eyes were solemn. Unlike his father and brother, he was the only one who could really smell the weird cool breeze from the east.
His brows wrinkled slightly, then relaxed.
"This is a debt we owe."
He spoke.
"I can't explain to you too many economic and political issues. I can only tell you that this is a decision that officials must make."
"You can think about it. Now they just ask us to transfer some land to large companies, and they have already encountered such strong resistance. The conflicts that broke out even caused casualties."
"What kind of signal does this send to them?"
"It's not that you don't watch the news, so you should also know how we will develop in the future."
"Concentration of power is an inevitable trend, and community-based power will definitely be shattered and taken back."
"This is just the first step. All I can say is that the days of wild disorder will soon be over."
"Confrontation or compromise is your choice."
After listening to Wes's words, John stood up from the wooden stake.
His hand subconsciously went to his waist, where there was a Colt pistol he trusted so much.
Relying on this pistol, he has defeated opponents who challenged him several times, and also saved his lover from the claws of a grizzly bear.
But now, it seems so weak.
In the face of the advancing state machine, what can a pistol and six bullets change?
Maybe, it's really time for me to let go.
He took one last look at the cattle in the distance and asked:
"So, Tyson has made his final offer?"
"That's right, $1.12 billion, that's what they paid for the entire farm."
Wes heard that John's tone was a little loose, so he quickly continued to add:
"But this is not the final plan and we do not need to sell all the equity."
"Just reduce the equity to less than 30% and let Tyson obtain the right to operate the farm."
"In fact, according to this plan, we may still be able to take back the farm one day in the future."
"That's just a dream."
John interrupted.
"I don't know if this is the right thing to do but Wes, don't you think that even if we cooperate with the official actions, we won't get the results they want?"
“The lowest levels of community power were taken back, but not directly into official hands, but through large corporations as proxies.”
"So in the end, who really controls this country is the government or those companies?"
A sarcastic, gloating smile appeared on Wes's face.
He replied:
"It's just a matter of sequencing."
"We only have AR-15s, but Tyson can mobilize the Guard's M249s."
"Similarly, their upper limit is limited to small arms, but the official ones have tanks and bombers."
After the words fell, John fell silent.
He picked up a glass bottle filled with gasoline from the ground and glanced at Case beside him. Case understood and put on the shotgun on his back.
A few seconds later, the glass bottle was thrown far away, and Case took aim calmly and fired.
The dragon's breath bomb shattered the glass bottle into powder and ignited the fuel inside.
Flames fell from the sky and ignited the grassland on the ground.
Under the sunset, thick black smoke shot straight into the sky, and the backs of the three people gradually became blurred in the heat wave.
This is the eve of the official ignition of the EAST project. John has not yet understood the significance of this project, but this fire seems to have burned many things.
4 a.m., ah.
Hefei is not a city that gets up early. In fact, for a long time, its rhythm has been extremely "lazy".
However, the past few years have been different.
As one high-tech project after another is settled, and as the number of researchers who hang out in the laboratory increases, the entire city has to keep up with them.
The all-night snack stalls will change their appearance on time at 4 o'clock, putting away the slightly greasy barbecue and fried skewers, and bringing out the steaming steamers with moist and rich aroma.
The owner of the stall does not know the identity of the customers who come to the stall, and the customers will never say a word of nonsense in front of the stall that has nothing to do with the saltiness of the buns or the softness of the sweet potatoes. But the wonderful thing is that these words come from the simplest and most delicious food in the world. The food in the hands of the most mediocre and "humble" workers is often brought to the heavily guarded island, and together with the diners who buy it, they witness the most important "events" in human history.
I have to say, this is an emotional collision.
——
Although most of the time, neither stall owners nor diners actually think deeply about the meaning of this collision.
It was another ordinary day. Old Liu, the stall owner, changed his signboard as usual and quietly waited for his first batch of customers.
About 15 minutes later, a young man with a shaved head walked to his stall as usual and asked for a cup of soy milk, two steamed buns and a stick of corn.
Lao Liu quickly packed him breakfast, but this time, the young man did not leave directly as usual. Instead, he walked to a table nearby and sat down, and slowly peeled the corn in a leisurely manner.
This action made Lao Liu stunned.
In his memory, this young man never stayed too long. Even when it was raining, he would rather run away than take shelter in a stall.
The sun rises from the west today?
It was still early, and there were almost no customers at the stall. Old Liu suppressed his curiosity, tentatively walked up to the young man, and asked:
"Are the buns hot? They have just been put in the steamer, so I don't know if they are fully steamed."
Hearing his words, the young man raised his head and smiled, and then replied:
"It's hot enough."
"It's hot enough."
Lao Liu couldn't help but laugh.
In his opinion, the only difference between food is hot and cold. What does it mean to be hot enough?
"You're a rough young man. If it's not steamed through, I'll replace it with a new one. It won't take long. You've been eating breakfast at my place for several months. How can I let you suffer this loss?"
His tone was sincere, but the young man's rejection was also firm.
"No need, uncle, I'm not in a hurry today, I just feel it's hot enough."
Old Liu felt relieved. He wiped his hands on his apron, moved a stool and sat down opposite the young man, and then asked curiously:
"You wake up so early every day, can your body handle it?"
"What kind of job do you do? Are you so busy?"
The young man hesitated for a moment, and a flash of relief seemed to flash in his eyes.
He replied:
"Working on the island."
"Island?!"
Lao Liu immediately widened his eyes and confirmed again in disbelief:
"Science Island? Real or fake? What you are doing is not the nuclear fusion mentioned on TV, is it?"
"It's nuclear fusion."
The young man nodded solemnly, and at this moment, there was finally a hint of pride in his tone.
"My dear, that's incredible. I thought you were working on a construction site, carrying a shabby schoolbag every day."
"Hey, I heard that you are going to light a fire today, is it true?"
Lao Liu sounded excited. He looked at the young man with burning eyes, eager to get some "first-hand information" from him.
And the young man did not disappoint.
"Yes, it will be officially lit at ten o'clock this morning."
"Isn't it already mentioned in the news? Just watch the news then."
"I know, I know, you must watch the news."
Lao Liu nodded repeatedly, a little at a loss for what to do.
This was the first time he had met a so-called "big shot". In his opinion, the people working on Science Island were all the country's elites, and he might never have the chance to come into contact with them in his life.
But now it seems that it’s not that mysterious, right?
Thinking of this, he chuckled twice and continued:
"I've always seen you on TV before, but today I finally saw you alive."
"You're really lucky. If you hadn't been in a hurry today, I probably wouldn't have known that I'd ever met big shots like you in my life."
Hearing this, the young man looked at Old Liu doubtfully and asked subconsciously:
"Why?"
"I'm moving, and I won't open a stall in the future."
Lao Liu said with emotion.
"This old factory area is all going to be demolished. It is said that a factory will be built. The contract has been signed. Today is the last day. If you come back tomorrow, the place will probably be fenced off."
"Oh, I know about this. In the future, the first batch of superconducting-fusion industrial complexes will be built here."
The young man nodded thoughtfully.
In fact, he had heard about this plan, but before that, he didn't take it to heart.
The topic of demolition is actually not that friendly.
Maybe it wouldn’t be that easy to let people who have lived here for a long time leave the home where they have lived for decades?
"Then what are you going to do in the future?"
he asked tentatively.
In his mind, he had a vague idea: Although he was a soft-spoken person, if the lives of nearby residents were affected by the EAST project, he would still try his best to say a few words to them.
However, Lao Liu's answer surprised him.
"Me, I also go into the factory - I go to the cafeteria to do some homework."
“I’ve been doing this my whole life, so I still have some experience.”
"Has it been decided so soon?"
asked the young man.
"It was decided a long time ago. It was decided when the contract was signed - you don't know, but now we are short of people."
"If I can accept a job placement nearby, I can receive an additional 20,000 yuan in subsidies."
After hearing this, the young man finally felt relieved.
But at the same time, he felt that this matter was beyond his expectation.
Superconducting-fusion industrial complex, when this plan was first proposed, it was full of far-sighted technological ambitions, and the core of all discussions highlighted the advanced and high-end nature of this project.
If it can be built, China will immediately become the first country in human history to industrialize the application of fusion energy. The city where it is located will also be recorded in the annals of human development in a special way.
He has always believed that those who can participate in this project should be at least those similar to himself, or above him.
But now, he suddenly realized that these people also needed to eat.
The fates of a leader who stands at the top of academia and a night market stall owner who sells kebabs and pickled pork buns seem to be intertwined in a strange way.
The young man suddenly laughed.
He opened his mouth and said:
"You can be considered as contributing to the progress of mankind."
"That's not true!"
The boss laughed and thought it was a harmless joke.
The young man finally drank the last sip of soy milk from the disposable plastic cup. He patted his stomach and stood up. He looked up and saw that there were gradually more people on the street.
You can't see the Science Island here, but you can imagine that the behemoth is ready to wake up.
The sky in the distance has gradually lightened up, and the night has passed.
On the eve of a new era, the gears of fate of many people have begun to turn.
They may not have felt this rolling torrent yet, but maybe in the future, when they recall this day, what they will remember will not be the dazzling light emitting from the EAST device on the TV screen, but the dazzling light from the breakfast stall. A cup of hand-ground soy milk with some residue has a rough texture.
On August 10, 2012, the first ignition test of the EAST project was successful. The tokamak device operated stably for more than 60 minutes. The power of the four generator sets was 8000MW. Humanity has since entered the fusion era.
(End of chapter)
