While the STAR stellarum device has completely detonated the heat of controlled nuclear fusion technology and shaken the entire plasma physics community, the city of Greifswald, located on the corner of the Baltic Sea, is as calm as ever.

Located on the outskirts of this small town, Spiral Rock 7-X Lab is where researchers and engineers commute to and from work, completing their own work and chatting over coffee during their lunch breaks......

However, from everyone's face, a little dull expression can be seen more or less.

Just a few days ago, the paper published in Science completely shattered their pride.

They have always been ahead of the world in the study of stellarics.

Even if the Princeton PPPL laboratory opens up the technical route of stellarizers, it is impossible to have more say in the research of stellarators than them.

However, this advantage, just a few days ago, has been completely changed.

The STAR plant in Jinling City, Huaguo, has successfully achieved a one-hour confinement of 100 million degrees Celsius of high-temperature plasma.

It is no exaggeration to say that the breakthrough of this technology has not only thrown them off a lot, but also stood next to the finish line.

The most frustrating thing is that they don't even know how the STAR device did it......

Looking at the paper in his hand, Kreber's face was full of solemnity.

He had read the paper more than a dozen times.

However, no matter how many times he looked at it, when he saw those dazzling data, he couldn't help but be shocked by the facts behind this paper.

Price, the assistant standing next to him, took a deep breath and couldn't help but speak.

"Unbelievable...... How did they do it? ”

Professor Kreber shook his head and placed the paper in his hand on the table: "I don't know, if I knew, we wouldn't be so passive now." ”

As the head of the Spiral Stone 7-X Laboratory, he was under pressure that the average researcher could not have imagined.

After all, he was the one who persuaded the Max Planck Society and the Helmholtz Federation to broker a technology exchange agreement for the EGA device.

Although the responsibility was not entirely on him, he had repeatedly assured at the time that the EGA device was at least two generations behind the Spiral 7-X in all aspects of technology......

And now it seems that even if he still believes in this, it is estimated that not many people will believe it.

Price had a whim, lowered his voice and said, "Could it be...... Counterfeit? ”

Kreber shook his head: "There is nothing wrong with the data itself, and the possibility of falsification is almost zero. ”

Price reminded in a whisper: "But that Professor Lu is a mathematician......

What he really wants to say is that this kind of Fields Medal-level bigwig wants to falsify the data, and even if it really does, most others will not be able to see it.

However, Kreber continued to shake his head and said seriously.

"I believe in his academic reputation. Moreover, there is no reason for him to do such a thing. ”

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and a researcher walked in.

"Professor, Helmholtz Fellow. Professor Schimilek and the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Economy and Energy, Mr. Norbert, are now outside. ”

Hearing these two names, Professor Kreber sighed tiredly, put his hands on the armrests of his office chair, and slowly stood up.

"Got it, I'll go over now."

……

The lobby on the first floor of the laboratory.

When Professor Kreber walked from his office, he saw a group of people coming in from the outside.

Looking at the first two, Professor Kreber cleared his throat and squeezed out a slightly stiff smile on his face.

"Professor Millerke, and Mr. Norbert, welcome to the Spiral Rock 7-X Laboratory...... What is the wind that has brought you here? ”

Professor Millerk didn't smile, and said expressionlessly, "Stop talking nonsense, take me inside." ”

Professor Kreber was slightly stunned: "Inside? ”

"Spiral Stone 7-X."

"Spiral Stone 7-X? I'm sorry, but there's no experiment scheduled today—"

"Whether there is an experiment or not," Professor Millerk said, staring at Kreber, word for word, "take me over and have a look." ”

"Good ......"

Professor Kreber froze slightly, then nodded.

In academia, whoever holds the funds is the father.

This is true in all countries.

Although Professor Kreber's mood at this moment was not very good, and even quite bad, he still had to hold back all those negative emotions in his heart.

After all, the main research funds of the Spiral Stone 7-X Laboratory are in the hands of the two bigwigs in front of him.

Led by Professor Kreber, the group made their way to the interior of the institute and soon found themselves in the laboratory where the Spiral Stone 7-X device was stored.

Coming to the steel behemoth crawling in the center of the lab, Professor Miller himself stepped forward and carefully examined the instrument.

Looking at his inexplicable movements, Professor Kreber asked.

"Satisfied?"

Taking two steps back, Professor Miller nodded, "Good, it's still there." ”

Kreber: "What's still there?" ”

Turning his gaze at Kreber, Professor Millerk said unceremoniously, "I thought you would even sell your underwear for 500 million euros." ”

Hearing this, a strange expression appeared on Kreber's face.

"Although I don't know what caused you to have such a misunderstanding, you can rest assured that because ...... The Spiral Stone 7-X can't do that to this extent. ”

While such facts are frustrating, facts are facts.

After an hour of magnetic confinement experiments, they probably had to burn the cladding material on the first wall to the point that there was no slag left.

If I had to say, it might be possible to change all the outfield coils to SG-1 materials and improve the control scheme.

However, this is easy to say, but it takes a lot of time and money to do......

And now, obviously, is not a good time to ask for money.

"Here's the problem," said Mr. Norbert, the secretary general of the Ministry of Economy and Energy, who had not spoken, as he looked at Kreber and said slowly, "why can the STAR device, which was improved from the EGA unit, be able to do it, but the Spiral Stone 7-X, which you spent five years modifying, can't." Maybe my statement may not be academic enough, but I still want to ask, didn't you have the same mother? ”

A few accompanying staff members next to him couldn't help but smile on their faces.

Kreber's eyebrows twitched violently, but he explained patiently.

"Yes, you're right. But they didn't just buy our EGA unit back, I would even go so far as to assert that our EGA has been transformed beyond recognition by them. ”

"They were able to do the magnetic confinement time for an hour, and the problem wasn't the things we sold them, but the superconducting magnets, and the control scheme that went with them...... and some secrets that may only be known to them. ”

Interrupting Professor Kreber's explanation, Norbert spoke.

"I'm not here to hear you explain the reasons for the failure."

"We have invested billions of euros in you, and you have painted us a pie for decades. Not only are we far from being able to achieve results, but we are even being caught up by a country that has done nothing on this technological route. I have to say, it's not a pleasant thing to do. Even if it's to give our parliament and our allies a reasonable explanation, I want you to catch up. ”

Professor Kreber snapped, "I'm doing that." ”

Staring into Professor Kreber's eyes, Mr. Norbert said word for word.

"Then don't just promise, let me see the results."

With that, Norbert took the accompanying staff and turned to leave.