Chapter 209: When They Started Talking, It Was Clear They Didn't Dare to Act

Chapter 209: When They Started Talking, It Was Clear They Didn't Dare to Act

During his conversation with Li Gui Ning, Lu Heng initially thought it was just casual chit-chat.

Midway through their chat, Lu Heng believed they were discussing the international situation.

Only after the conversation did Lu Heng realize that it was actually an ideological and moral evaluation.

Yes, it was indeed an ideological and moral assessment.

A little thought would have made it clear.

Li Gui Ning, as the leader of the Southern War Zone, had a military planning staff, and each staff member was a brilliant strategist.

They had already conducted numerous simulations regarding the Open Sachs Technology Data and its potential outcomes, reaching various conclusions through collective discussions.

Therefore, there was no need for Lu Heng, a young man, to explain the situation to a war zone leader.

Of course, Lu Heng's conclusions were not mere speculation but based on his memories from his rebirth and his understanding of the Abyss, which he had carefully considered.

Although Li Gui Ning didn't require Lu Heng to analyze the situation, he found that Lu Heng's analysis aligned perfectly with the staff's simulations.

Some details were even more meticulously explained by Lu Heng.

These details were not part of Lu Heng's simulations but things he had witnessed firsthand, making his account more authentic.

It was only after the conversation, on his way back, that Lu Heng realized the true nature of the meeting.

Indeed, it was an ideological and moral evaluation.

Lu Heng's formidable combat power had already caught the attention of someone at Li Gui Ning's level.

Moreover, the recent betrayal of a guard captain had made the higher-ups in various war zones even more cautious.

A betrayal by someone like Lu Heng, standing at the pinnacle of the Ability Warriors said. "The consequences of such a betrayal are unimaginable."

The betrayal of a guard captain had almost led to the theft of crucial technology data.

If a warrior of Lu Heng's caliber were to betray, it wouldn't be a matter of loss but would cause immense harm.

Therefore, Li Gui Ning, as the leader of the war zone, personally conducted this ideological assessment.

Throughout the conversation, it seemed like they were discussing the world situation, but Li Gui Ning was actually asking the same question: Where does your loyalty lie?

For a figure like Li Gui Ning, there was no need to consider what Lu Heng had done or whom he had killed.

All that mattered was: Do you identify with your country?

This was Li Gui Ning's true concern, and as long as this fundamental direction was correct, the minor details didn't matter.

Apparently, Lu Heng's answers satisfied him.

So, as Lu Heng was leaving, he received a card with just a number on it—Li Gui Ning's private number.

It wasn't even the deputy's number; he had given Lu Heng his personal private number.

...

Time gradually entered the ninth month of the Abyssal Descent.

The Rift Fog continued to expand, compressing humanity's living space.

Large mercenary organizations began to emerge worldwide, accepting contracts to enter the fog and handle crises.

Due to the expanding fog coverage, the Great Xia government had to abandon some areas and retract its defense lines.

Facing the Abyssal invasion, humanity retracted its living space and constructed defense lines to resist the demons, an inevitable development trend.

With the adjustment of defense lines, some areas had to be gradually abandoned.

This led to the relocation or abandonment of some factories and energy facilities.

Among them were several nuclear power plants that had to be shut down because they were not within the planned defense lines.

The reason for this situation was that nuclear power plants, due to nuclear pollution, were usually built in sparsely populated areas.

These remote locations meant that including them within the defense lines would exponentially increase defense costs, so abandonment was the right choice.

This led to a shortage of electricity supply, prompting the government to implement power rationing policies, limiting electricity during specific periods.

This was an inevitable outcome of the situation, and the power shortage would become more severe.

This was the case even in Great Xia, which possessed unparalleled electricity technology.

In other countries, some areas had returned to the Age of Darkness.

...

Although there was a shortage of electricity supply, this world was much better off than the previous one.

Because Lu Heng had brought back Sachs Technology Data, which included information on controlled nuclear fusion technology.

In fact, humanity's research on controlled nuclear fusion had already reached its final stages, and some technical challenges remained to be overcome. Once these challenges were conquered, the controlled nuclear fusion technology tree could be unlocked.

Just how important was this controlled nuclear fusion technology?

Why was this technology considered a groundbreaking step, propelling planetary civilizations towards stellar civilizations?

The reason was simple.

With this technology, humanity would no longer have to worry about energy issues.

This technology was so powerful that once mastered, humanity would have an endless supply of electricity.

Nuclear fusion power plants' required materials could be extracted from seawater, and the energy output was several times that of nuclear fission plants.

More importantly, controlled nuclear fusion technology was a clean energy source.

There were no carbon emissions or radioactive waste pollution.

It was highly safe, and chain reactions would not occur.

This meant that nuclear fusion power plants could be built in urban areas, unlike nuclear fission plants that could only be constructed in remote locations.

Now, the Open Saxxon Technology Data on Controlled Nuclear Fusion, is in the hands of the research team at the Great Xia National Defense Academy of Sciences.

The research team has already begun conducting technology verification experiments.

Since the technology data was obtained from the Sykes Civilization, it cannot be directly applied without further research.

It needs to be replicated and tested in the lab to validate the feasibility of the technology before it can be turned into a final product.

Moreover, many of the required technologies, tools, and materials in these technical solutions are not readily available in the human world and need to be developed from scratch.

While controlled nuclear fusion may seem like a single technology, its realization requires the support of a massive industrial system.

Fortunately, human research on controlled nuclear fusion has reached its final stages, and all that's left is to find solutions to existing technological challenges based on the Sykes data.

Among these, the most crucial technology is the plasma confinement solution.

During the nuclear fusion process, plasma behavior is complex and unstable, with phenomena like turbulence and magnetohydrodynamic instability potentially leading to energy leakage and plasma confinement failure.

This is one of the most critical technological challenges in human controlled nuclear fusion.

However, the Sachs Tech Data provides a comprehensive solution for plasma confinement.

By optimizing magnetic field structures and improving heating efficiency, the control over plasma can be enhanced, reducing the impact of its instability on the nuclear fusion reaction.

Additionally, there is another technical challenge that must be addressed.

Due to the requirement of extremely high temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees for controlled nuclear fusion, a massive energy input is necessary to maintain the reaction.

To sustain this temperature, an enormous amount of energy is required.

However, the energy conversion ratio of current human technology is relatively low.

In current human controlled nuclear fusion experiments, the input energy often exceeds the fusion energy obtained from the reaction.

When the input energy surpasses the output, it becomes impossible to achieve a net energy gain.

The Sykes Civilization's controlled nuclear fusion data also includes mature energy conversion solutions, which can improve energy conversion efficiency and provide more advanced energy storage technology.

Therefore, with this Sykes Civilization's controlled nuclear fusion technology data in hand, it only requires laboratory verification, and within a short time, the technology of controlled nuclear fusion can be mastered.

The forefront of human energy research is currently focused on controlled nuclear fusion technology, and whoever possesses this technology will have access to an inexhaustible energy source.

With energy secured, issues related to high-power laser weapons and electronic warfare energy supply can be resolved.

Civilization levels could even leap directly from 0.8 to 1.0, although other supporting technologies would need to catch up.

This is why the White Eagle Federation sent Metahumans to seize this technology data.

Whoever controls the technology of controlled nuclear fusion will undoubtedly become the leader of the future human world.

A brief reflection makes this clear.

At the beginning of this century, what was the primary energy source? The answer is oil.

Major powers have engaged in fierce competition around the Al-Fath Sea region to secure oil resources.

However, from an energy perspective, oil is not an ideal energy source.

Factors like pollution and extraction difficulty make oil less desirable.

Of course, the development and utilization of oil have formed a comprehensive industrial system, allowing this black liquid substance to be processed into various products.

Nevertheless, from the perspective of its origin, oil is still valued primarily for its energy.

Whenever there's an issue with oil trade, it leads to drastic fluctuations in oil prices.

Even with its severe pollution, high extraction difficulty, and low energy conversion rate, oil has become a hard currency in the human world, directly linked to monetary value.

In comparison, controlled nuclear fusion technology offers a reaction material readily available from seawater, providing energy millions of times more potent than oil, and its value cannot be measured by mere numbers.

It can be said that any country that possesses this technology at this moment will immediately ascend to the pinnacle of the human world, becoming a divine nation.

This technology is that terrifying.

Understanding this point clarifies why the White Eagle Federation is willing to go to such lengths to obtain this technology, even resorting to manipulating public opinion to rally other Western nations against Great Xia.

Unfortunately, the times have changed, and humanity is already struggling to resist the Abyssal invasion, leaving no capacity to wage war against other nations, and even proxy wars are challenging to initiate.

Thus, the White Eagle Federation can only resort to public opinion warfare, making various threats, but they dare not take direct action.

For bandits, when they have the power to take by force, they won't hesitate to do so. When they start talking, it means they truly dare not act.

Evidently, the White Eagle Federation is hesitant to engage in a hot war.

As for proxy wars, even if any nation were foolish enough to initiate a hot war, with the strength of the top industrial nation on Blue Planet, it would only take a few days to teach that proxy a harsh lesson about the consequences of angering the rabbit.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end