Chapter 562 - Overjoyed President
Chapter 562: Overjoyed President
Yan Yan wasn’t the only one being criticized.
Across the Pacific Ocean, in the White House, the CIA director was also being yelled at.
“A bunch of idiots!
“Do we really need the Chinese to tell us themselves what they were doing?! How many times has this happened?! Tell me!”
The president hadn’t slept for 24 hours already.
Even his foundation couldn’t cover his thick eyebags.
However, since he was filled with rage, it made him feel more energetic.
A dozen or so hours ago, they were still in the White House, scheming on how to stop China’s controllable fusion experiment… or at least let America join in on the experiment.
However, when he confidently sat in the embassy to talk about this matter, Ambassador Sun told him that the experiment was already over.
Also, that the experiment went smoothly.
This was horrible news for him.
It affected the return of manufacturing jobs for his campaign policy. Only by fulfilling his policy and making America great again could he have a chance at the 2020 election.
However, China was the first to ignite the light of controllable fusion.
Not only did this destroy his plan, but it put him in a terrible position.
If they couldn’t catch up in this area within the next three years, controllable fusion reactors would be widespread across China. How could they compete by then?
Trade tariffs?
Or oil prices?
Would China even care about these threats by then?
There was a fundamental difference between a complete transformation of society’s productivity and the improvement of market competitiveness. It was just like how an improved wheel could make the horse carriage run faster and more stable, but it would never catch up to a gas car.
Gina was standing next to the office desk, and she began to patiently explain, “I admit that this is our department’s fault, but the blame isn’t completely on our intelligence personnel… The entire city of Haizhou is armed with security. Any foreigner would be tracked. The news of fusion ignition was provided by our allies in Asia at great risk… However, no one expected that they would set the experiment on the day before New Year’s Day, instead of on New Year’s Day.”
The most important thing was that this all happened too quickly.
Any type of intelligence network needed time to develop and build.
Especially when the other party was carrying out counter-intelligence precautions, it was very difficult to gain any kind of information.
The demonstration reactor project had been operating for less than a year.
No one thought that China would be progressing at such a fast speed.
Especially because ITER had been working on this project for more than 20 years. Not only did the White House think that China wouldn’t be able to complete this project so quickly, but even several national laboratories and academicians from the Energy Bureau believed that this was impossible.
Ever since China left the ITER organization, most people thought they had lost their only opportunity.
However, the truth was the exact opposite.
They weren’t the ones who were left behind in the fusion field.
They were leaving the entire world behind…
However, the president didn’t want to hear this explanation. “Go f*ck yourself.”
Gina’s face turned white. She couldn’t say anything.
Suddenly, there were footsteps coming from the office door.
Helms appeared at the door, as well as United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.
Gina and the president both looked at them.
Gina squinted and stared at Helms.
It was almost like she was asking…
“You have the balls to show your face here?”
Helms subconsciously shuddered. He was prepared to start explaining, but Mike patted his shoulder.
Then, Mike looked at the president and smiled with his arms open.
“The situation is not as bad as we think. There are some good news.”
The president snorted.
“Oh yeah? I can’t imagine anything that could be considered good news.”
“Of course there’s good news.” Mike smiled and looked at Helms. He then said, “Just a moment ago, Helms made up for his mistake. Helms, tell the president your good news.”
Helms looked at Gina and spoke nervously.
“Two hours ago, according to our informants in China… Lu Zhou, the chief designer of the demonstration reactor project, is in a coma. He is currently at the 301 Hospital intensive care unit. Even though we don’t know his specific symptoms and the cause of his coma, he might go into a persistent vegetative state…”
The president was stunned.
The CIA director Gina was also stunned.
Lu Zhou… passed out? In a coma?
He might be in a persistent vegetative state?
The president instantly stood up excitedly. He even slammed his fist on the table.
“Hahaha! Nicely done, it looks like God is still on our side!”
However, because the controllable nuclear fusion technology was already invented, Lu Zhou wasn’t an important asset anymore.
But the president still couldn’t help but feel excited.
This annoying guy is finally gone.
I hope Lu Zhou never wakes up!
Seeing that the president was in a good mood, Helms was relieved. He said, “I still think that we are neglecting China’s most important person in the nuclear fusion field. We do not respect him enough.
“According to my research, Professor Lu is integral to the entire controllable nuclear fusion demonstration reactor project. He brought together dozens of research units not only because of the government’s help, but it was also because of his personal academic aura. He has a crystal clear idea of how to implement controllable fusion technology.
“If his health becomes a problem, then China’s controllable nuclear fusion industry will undoubtedly stagnate. According to the head of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, even though China has taken the lead on controllable nuclear fusion, they are not that far ahead of us. Besides that, our European allies still have a desire for nuclear fusion energy. They have been suppressed by the Russians for too long. As long as we are united, we have the chance to catch up.”
All they needed was a little time.
Everyone looked happy when they heard this.
The United States Secretary of State smiled and said, “I knew there was a bright side to all this. I have a brilliant idea. Since the news of Lu Zhou’s collapse is still confidential, we can first release this news in a small segment of a newspaper and test China’s reaction.”
The president said, “Then what?”
Mike smiled and said, “Then we can use his health as an excuse to put a little pressure on them, after that…”
There was no such thing as an impenetrable wall.
In the age of information technology, nothing could be kept secret forever.
Whether it was good things or bad things.
Sooner or later, everything would come out.
The next day, on the fourth page of The Washington Star, there was an unusual piece of article.
Which was that Lu Zhou, the former Princeton mathematics professor and Nobel Prize laureate, who was responsible for China’s controllable fusion project, had collapsed due to overworking.
This piece of news didn’t cause a huge commotion in America. In fact, most people didn’t even notice it.
That was until this piece of news was passed around on Twitter and spread across the ocean.
The news of Lu Zhou’s coma was finally released to the Chinese people in China…