"Cosmic Time 13:35. Commencing the initial critical ignition of the N-3 Type Nuclear Fusion Power Reactor."
Fred's deep voice echoed in the quiet control room.
"Yes, the ignition test begins," Heinline added.
The low-frequency hum of giant circulation pumps began to reverberate throughout the test site.
However, no one reacted, each person simply focused on the work at hand.
Amidst the silence, Heinline continued.
"Injecting Ignition Seed into the Main Cooling Circulation Pipeline."
"Commencing Inert Gas Filling..."
With each of Heinline's announcements, the experiment proceeded in an orderly fashion.
A waterfall of green data flowed down dozens of screens, and next to every environmental parameter was the word "Ready."
Watching this scene, the hearts of everyone involved in the experiment began to pound.
Everything up to this point was just a warm-up; the possibility of failure during energy injection was practically nonexistent.
Or rather, if they could fail at this stage, there would be no point in conducting any further experiments. They would have stumbled before even taking the first step.
Seeing this, Heinline also took a deep breath, steadied his slightly trembling fingertips, and, after making his tone as even as possible, slowly announced, "All Control Rods locked in safe position. Preparing for final energy injection."
"...Achieving Self-Sustaining Criticality."
Inside the control room, the noise from the Power Reactor grew increasingly wild.
But there were still no human voices.
As the director, Fred's fingers hovered over the red main switch, which was protected by a transparent cover.
He took a deep breath, his eyes sweeping over the safety checklist scrolling on the screen one last time.
"For the future of humanity."
"For the future of PLANT."
Hearing Fred's words, and sensing the suppressed excitement and tension of everyone present, Joule looked at him with a very complicated expression.
She didn't know how much sincerity was in his words "for the future of PLANT," but if he could truly deliver, she wouldn't mind giving him as much support as possible.
Of course, right now, the success of this experiment was still uncertain.
Only after the others repeated the phrase did the cover pop open, and Fred pressed the switch.
A colossal amount of energy was injected into the reactor.
On the Power Reactor's monitor, the brightness surged.
The data showed that its core temperature had instantly leaped to over a hundred million degrees Celsius.
The Magnetic Confinement System hummed as it bore the extreme load.
The tension in the hearts of everyone in the control room reached its peak.
Finally, on the screen, the two curves representing "Energy Output" and "Energy Consumption" trembled violently. Under everyone's watchful gaze, the output curve steadily surpassed the consumption line and continued to rise.
"We've reached Self-Sustaining Fusion Criticality!" Heinline's voice trembled with excitement.
Everyone present was a professional; they naturally understood the significance of this.
The critical value had been reached, and there were no stability issues whatsoever.
Without a doubt, they had completed the majority of the steps.
All that was left was to scale up this energy value.
Although it didn't mean the future would be smooth sailing, the first step was, at the very least, a complete success.
"We did it!"
After a brief moment of contemplation, Heinline turned to look at Fred, his excitement barely contained.
Around Heinline, applause broke out in concert.
Thunderous applause instantly filled the once-quiet control room.
Their applause was from the heart.
After all, the completion of such a Power Reactor would undoubtedly elevate PLANT's national strength to a new level.
Fred didn't interrupt immediately. He waited until everyone had vented most of their emotions before clearing his throat, causing the applause to subside.
"Thank you all for your hard work."
Fred's tone was a few notches higher than usual.
"Next, I'd like to invite Representative Joule to say a few words."
It was no joke; the boss was still here. He certainly wasn't going to steal the spotlight.
Hearing Fred say this, Joule, who was still in a state of excitement, looked at him with an even more complex expression.
However, Joule did not refuse. After Fred finished speaking, she stood up.
"Colleagues!"
Joule's tone was markedly different from Fred's; it carried a profound weight.
It was the excitement of a Coordinator for the achievement before them, something Fred lacked.
"Just now, here beneath Jachin Due, we have witnessed the birth of a 'new star' together."
"Many of us once lived on Earth. We have seen blue, clear oceans and felt the natural restraint called 'gravity.'"
"But our compatriots have more keenly experienced another, heavier 'restraint'—an invisible shackle forged from prejudice, fear, and rejection."
As Joule spoke, the gazes of the crowd grew more fervent.
"PLANT is our home, a miracle we built with our own hands among the stars."
"However, a home without the power to protect itself is merely an exquisite glass greenhouse."
"The fleets of the Council Nations still patrol outside our homeland. In their words and deeds, they continue to deny our right to exist and our value."
Joule's words were fierce, but they successfully ignited the crowd's emotions.
Watching this scene, Fred felt like a mere bystander.
And Joule, likewise, did not emphasize his existence as the main person in charge of this Power Reactor.
This was to be expected.
After all, he was a Natural.
If she were to mention him, it would only increase his prestige here.
Clearly, they didn't trust him to that extent.
But Fred didn't care. What he cared about were his family and his own abilities.
Although the journey had seemed smooth, this was the first time he had led a research project, and now that project had achieved a complete success.
He had truly utilized his authority as director, along with the assistance of others, to complete the development of such an Engine.
This was just the Engine for the most common Laurasia-class ships in future battles, but it also represented that he now possessed the strength to influence this world.
Fred didn't know if the Engine he had just created was the same one used by the Laurasia-class in the future war, or how its performance compared.
But that wasn't too important at the moment.
After all, he couldn't just go and ask for the specific parameters of the engine from the plot.
What was important was that he was here, and he had successfully completed the research.
Moreover, he could complete even more technologies in the future, holding cutting-edge science in his own hands.
At this moment, his slightly excited analysis was completely detached from the emotions of everyone around him.
What he needed to do hadn't changed at all: just keep getting stronger.