NOVPUBChapter 118: Chapter 117 Three Choices
Chapter 118 -117 Three Choices
The next evening, Li Bai arrived at the multi-function hall as scheduled. He noticed guards stationed at the door and an added identity verification checkpoint, indicating that this meeting’s subject matter was different from usual.
Upon entering the hall, he saw that it was already seated with about thirty people, who were clearly top experts from various fields; Li Bai had even seen photos of many of them in news reports or science magazines.
What surprised him, however, was that the hall had activated a video projection screen, and through the projected image, he could see a camera facing the leaders’ office on the other side.
Online meetings were not unusual, but it was quite rare to see one held at the Comprehensive Control Center.
The entire place was a no-internet zone, with only a few areas permitted to connect to the external internet.
There were no assigned seats, so Li Bai walked around and, after seeing that Gao Wei was also there, decided to sit next to him—after all, at least he was someone familiar.
“You’re here, this seat’s free,” Gao Wei said warmly as he greeted him.
“Thank you. I was just looking for some company when I saw you,” Li Bai responded as he took his seat, curiously pointing at the screen, “Can this connect to the internet?”
“No. But this meeting is using special communication equipment, not based on existing networks,” explained Gao Wei. “I don’t understand the specifics; it seems related to quantum encrypted communication. We are currently connected by two quantum satellites.”
He clicked his tongue in wonder, “All this for a video meeting? Is it necessary?”
He remembered that such technology was developed for the military, primarily for its anti-jamming and anti-eavesdropping capabilities, valuable only in the complex electromagnetic environments of battlefields.
Presently, with both meeting sides located domestically, it seemed that setting up a dedicated line would have been sufficient for very high-secret demands. Utilizing satellites instead seemed somewhat superfluous.
He truly could not comprehend what the higher-ups were guarding against.
“This is only the beginning. Later on, the Control Center will also issue specialized portable communication encryption devices to replace our mobile phones. This way, everyone can easily keep in touch even inside the facility.” Gao Wei said and then suddenly lowered his voice, “The meeting is starting.”
After an opening speech from several senior leaders, the host finally steered the meeting towards the main topic.
“Currently, Professor Li Bai, Professor Han Weining, and Professor Yu’s three project teams have conducted comprehensive research on the new mineral. Aside from general mechanical property and chemical attribute reports, the most exciting discovery came from Professor Li’s lab. I believe everyone here is already informed in advance, and that is that this substance possesses natural superconductivity.”
“To honor Professor Li Bai’s discovery, the authorities have decided to adopt his suggestion and give the new mineral an official name: ‘Yaoshi.'”
Applause immediately erupted in the room.
“Congratulations,” Gao Wei whispered while clapping.
Li Bai smiled modestly, outwardly appearing calm, but inside he was elated beyond measure. For a researcher, having a newly discovered object named after oneself is a prestigious recognition, especially for something so significant!
Joining this project was undoubtedly the best decision he had made.
“Next, the research on Yaoshi will move into a new phase—the engineering application stage,” the host continued after the applause subsided. “Because the mineral cannot be mass-produced at the moment, it will be difficult to invest the same resources in every project. To utilize Yaoshi to the greatest extent, we must select one project to focus on as the main direction of attack. This is the purpose of this internal meeting.”
“Next, I will invite three experts to take the stage in turn to talk about their research proposals, and then have everyone vote to decide, selecting the most technically viable and practical revenue-generating project to focus on for the coming year.”
He extended his hand, signaling the first speaker to come up.
“Professor Wang, please share your initial proposal. If anyone has any questions, feel free to raise your hand and ask during the presentation.”
So that was it. Fu Jiangshui now understood that this meeting would determine which engineering project the first batch of Yaoshi would ultimately be allocated to—similar to a laboratory requesting funding and samples, but on a much larger scale. If the laboratory failed to yield results, at most a few grams of samples would be wasted. In contrast, a wrong direction here could delay the nation’s competitive edge and all the Yaoshi, reflecting the significance of the decision.
“Greetings, fellow experts, my research is focused on the magnetic levitation ring, with applications to the space elevator,” said Professor Wang.
Professor Wang’s explanation was quite straightforward and clear; since superconductors also possess perfect diamagnetism, or the Meissner effect, they can spontaneously levitate above magnets. If one uses electromagnets, the levitation height can be controlled by altering the current’s intensity, which is the principle behind magnetic levitation trains.
And if high-temperature superconductors are used to make the levitation ring, it would hover without any loss, remaining suspended indefinitely. If these rings were placed every several kilometers, they would form a floating track. Inside the ring, an acceleration magnetic field is set up, which can launch the elevator like a coil gun; for return trips, one simply reverses the magnetic poles of the inner ring.
“The space elevator has always been the most viable low-loss method for reaching near-earth space, and compared to the track-bound elevator fixed with carbon fiber cables, the superconductive magnetic levitation elevator is not rigidly connected, hence highly resistant to damage. Even if one ring were to be damaged, it would not lead to the collapse of the entire elevator. Moreover, there have never been viable solutions for high-altitude operations and fixing issues with carbon fiber cables, making superconductive rings much simpler to construct. Once they can be put into practical use, we will gain a space delivery advantage that other countries cannot match. My team estimates that the transportation cost will fall below a hundred yuan per ton, rendering any ground-launched rockets meaningless.”
At this point, someone raised their hand.
“Please go ahead,” nodded Professor Wang.
“Wouldn’t constructing these levitation rings require a large amount of Yaoshi? Can the mining output keep up?”
“Only the top and bottom coils of the levitation ring need room-temperature superconducting materials. Of course, considering the size of the ring itself, it does require a significant amount, around five to six tons of Yaoshi per ring. If the proposal is approved, my team plans to first create a prototype ring to test the transportation capability of the space elevator. The remaining rings can be supplemented once we have an abundance of Yaoshi.”
Several other experts followed with questions.
When no more hands were raised in the audience, the host invited the next researcher to the stage.
“The second proposal will be presented by Professor Lu, who is proposing a supercomputer.”
Compared to the space elevator project, the consumption for supercomputers is much less. Due to the zero resistance and no heat emission properties of superconductors, the efficiency of chips can be significantly improved without being affected by power consumption barriers. This indirectly lowers the manufacturing process for chips and substantially enhances computer performance.
The rationale for choosing supercomputers is straightforward; at present, there is no secrecy over the formula for room-temperature superconducting materials, so chips made from it cannot be expected to enter the consumer market. Additionally, superconductive chips don’t simply replace ordinary metal materials with Yaoshi; their architecture needs corresponding changes, which only state-backed supercomputer centers could afford to rebuild and utilize. Fortunately, research on superconductive computers is not starting from scratch; the project combining superconduction with quantum computing had already been worked on by teams a decade ago.
“I guess the higher-ups won’t vote for the second proposal,” Fu Jiangshui whispered.
“Oh? Why is that?” asked Gao Wei.
“It’s got unclear prospects and a small scale of benefits. The only advantage is the low demand for Yaoshi, which they could easily allocate a portion for independent research.” He shook his head. Superconductive chips and ordinary high-end chips aren’t in the same league, and even if they managed to develop them successfully, conquering the civilian market would be difficult. This meant that the overall market for them would be quite limited; moreover, the domestic level of supercomputing is already world-class, not only sufficient but also highly effective. Now, diverting to develop a new superconductive framework lacks appeal.
Even he could see this issue, so it was impossible for the higher-ups not to notice.
