Chapter 477 The Soviet Union's Request

"Are the Soviets crazy? Trading oil for our fusion technology?"

Ma Yuejin slammed the note on the table; the pages slipped out and fell to the floor. He Yuzhu neither picked it up nor looked at it, staring out the window. The wind and sand from the Gobi Desert lashed against the glass, making a rustling sound.

“They’re not crazy. We need natural gas.” He turned around, walked to the map, and pointed to Siberia. “The carbon nanotube production line consumes too much energy; the existing coal-to-gas system can’t support it. Connecting the Siberian gas pipeline directly to Northeast China would save tens of millions annually.”

Qian Zhiyuan looked up from across the room. "Which generation of technology do they want?"

"He didn't say. But he hinted at needing the latest technology." Old Sun opened his notebook and read a passage aloud. "The ambassador's exact words—'The fusion reactor on your country's Kunlun is impressive.'"

Ma Yuejin picked up the papers from the ground and stacked them neatly. "They want the set from the Kunlun?"

"Impossible." He Yuzhu walked back to the table and sat down. "Give them an old solution from the 1970s. Q value 3.2, magnetic field 15 Tesla, 100 million degrees, 100 seconds. Twice the size, short maintenance cycle. They can use it, but it's not advanced."

Qian Zhiyuan did the calculations. "The old solution consumes 40% more energy than our current one. If they take it, the operating costs won't be low."

"That's right. Selling technology isn't charity."

Old Sun closed his notebook. "When will the negotiations begin?"

"Tomorrow. You take the lead, and Lin Jianguo will be the technical advisor. The bottom line—no source code, but half of the maintenance manual."

The following morning, Soviet Ambassador Sergei's motorcade arrived at the Shiroyama Research Institute. Three black sedans, bearing the insignia of a diplomatic mission, arrived. Sergei emerged from the back seat; he was short, with gray hair, wearing a dark gray overcoat and no hat. He stamped the snow off his feet and took off his glasses to wipe the fog from the lenses.

He Yuzhu was waiting downstairs. Sergei walked over and extended his hand. The two shook hands.

"Director He, I've heard so much about you."

"Mr. Ambassador, please."

Tea and snacks were already laid out in the meeting room. Sergei sat down, without touching his teacup, and pulled a draft contract from his briefcase, pushing it in front of He Yuzhu.

"Director He, the Soviet Union is willing to provide five billion cubic meters of natural gas annually at a 10% discount to the international market price. There is only one condition—your complete fusion technology transfer plan."

He Yuzhu didn't look at the contract. "A complete solution is impossible. At most, we can provide technology from before 1985."

Sergei's eyebrows twitched. "1985? That's ten years ago."

"Even the technology from ten years ago was better than what you're using now. The Soviet tokamak was still using copper coils, wasn't it? Our old design was already superconducting."

Sergei did not immediately refute. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down. The bottom of the cup tapped softly on the table.

"Director He, what level of achievement can your 'old plan' actually reach?"

He Yuzhu tilted his head slightly towards Lin Jianguo. Lin Jianguo opened the folder and read quickly. "Q value 3.2, 15 Tesla, 100 million degrees, 100 seconds. Complete set of engineering design drawings, manufacturing process, and material list. No source code, but half of the maintenance manual."

Sergei tapped his fingers twice on the table. "Without the source code, how do we run it?"

"You write it yourselves. Soviet programmers are no worse than ours."

Sergei gave a wry smile, which lasted only a second. "Director He, you're making things difficult for us."

"No." He Yuzhu picked up his teacup, didn't drink, and put it down again. "I'm protecting myself."

A few seconds of silence filled the meeting room. Sergei put his glasses back on, opened the draft contract, and circled several clauses.

"They won't provide the source code, and they only have half of the maintenance manual. What about the debugging methods?"

"We can provide the debugging methods, but the troubleshooting manual will only cover 50% of the material."

"What can 50% do?"

"That's enough for you to run. The remaining 50% will be added once you're familiar with it."

Sergei took off his glasses and slowly wiped the lenses with a soft cloth. He Yuzhu waited. The wind and sand from the Gobi Desert lashed against the window.

"Director He, I can't make that decision myself. I need to consult Moscow."

"Go ahead. I'll wait three days."

Sergei stood up and extended his hand. He Yuzhu shook it again. This time, Sergei's hand was warmer than before.

The protest note from the US embassy arrived three days later. Old Sun read it aloud to He Yuzhu: "China's transfer of controlled nuclear fusion technology to the Soviet Union violates the restrictions on technology exports to China stipulated in the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM) agreement."

He Yuzhu was reviewing the materials list for Yanhuang II without looking up. "The COCOM agreement restricts exports to China, not imports. China is not a COCOM member. This is a commercial transaction and does not violate any international agreements."

Old Sun put down the note. "That's all?"

"Add one more thing. Tell them that if the United States is willing to exchange Alaskan natural gas for it, we can also talk."

Old Sun was taken aback. "You're deliberately trying to provoke them."

He Yuzhu raised his head. "It's not anger. It's to tell them that the technology is in our hands, and it's our business who we want to sell it to."

The Soviet response came faster than expected. Sergei returned on the fourth day, this time with a letter of authorization from Moscow. He entered the conference room, did not sit down, and placed the documents in front of He Yuzhu.

"Moscow agrees to your conditions. Five billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, five million tons of iron ore per year. The fusion technology plan is based on that of 1985."

He Yuzhu opened the document, read it through line by line, picked up a pen, and signed it. Sergei also signed. The two exchanged contract copies and shook hands for the second time.

Sergei walked to the door, stopped, and turned around.

"Director He, I have a personal question. Can the warp drive on the Kunlun really bend space?"

He Yuzhu looked at him. There was no probing in Sergei's eyes, only the curiosity of an old physicist facing the unknown.

"Mr. Ambassador, do you believe it?"

"I have a background in physics. The theory is feasible, but I don't believe anyone has actually done it."

"Whether you believe it or not, it doesn't matter whether you sign a contract with us or not."

Sergei shook his head, pushed open the door, and left.

That evening, He Yuzhu was organizing contracts in his office. His desk was piled high with documents, and the ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts. He rubbed his eyes and stored the contracts in his system space.

the phone is ringing.

He picked up the receiver, and Yang Xiaobing's voice was very low, with static.

"Director He, there's been some activity in Antarctica. The US base launched an unidentified object into space. Zhou Zhiyuan captured the launch trajectory; it's not a satellite, it's moving very fast, and it's heading towards geostationary orbit."

He Yuzhu tightened his grip on the receiver. "What is it?"

"I don't know. The reflective surface is less than one square meter. The launch time was 2 a.m., during the Antarctic polar night, when it was so dark you couldn't see anything. But the thermal imager captured the high-temperature contrail of the launch pad."

"What about the orbital parameters?"

"Calculations are in progress. Preliminary assessment: target altitude 36,000 kilometers. Geostationary orbit."

He Yuzhu remained silent for a few seconds. Geostationary orbit is filled with communication satellites and missile early warning satellites.

"Continue to follow. Tell Zhou Zhiyuan to stay hidden."

"clear."

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu sat down and pulled up thermal imaging photos of the Antarctic base from the system space. The launch pad's location was marked with a red high-temperature area, surrounded by a blue ice sheet.

He stared at the photograph.

Lin Jianguo knocked and entered. "Dean He, the materials science department can't make it to tomorrow's materials review meeting. Flights were canceled due to heavy snow. It's postponed to next Monday."

"OK."

Lin Jianguo saw the contract on the table. "Signed?"

"Signed."

"Didn't the Americans make a fuss?"

"They're making a scene. I ignored them."

Lin Jianguo smiled, turned and left. The door closed, and He Yuzhu picked up the phone again and dialed Yang Xiaobing's number.

"Yang Xiaobing, have Zhou Zhiyuan find a way to photograph that thing on the geosynchronous track. By any means necessary."

"Director He, it's 36,000 kilometers away, we can't get a picture from the ground."

"Then use the satellite from the sky. Contact the Academy of Military Sciences and request a reconnaissance satellite to be sent over."

"Adjusting satellite configurations requires approval from the General Staff."

"I'll approve it. You go and complete the formalities."

"clear."

He Yuzhu hung up the phone, stood up, and walked to the window. The sandstorm on the Gobi Desert had stopped, and the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, shining on the open space of the launch site.

The Soviets' hands didn't tremble when they signed. The Americans' protests were loud but lacked conviction. That thing in Antarctica, they sneaked up there in the middle of the night, and it's still rising at 36,000 kilometers.

He turned off the light.