dmims Chapter 31 The Power of the Nation
Chapter 31 The Power of the Nation
The storms abroad did not affect the orderly progress of domestic plans.
At this moment, on the territory of the University of Tokyo.
Factories adorned with slogans such as "Forging a shield for the nation, every second counts; for the safety of the people, mission accomplished" operate day and night, like secluded steel paradises, undisturbed by the outside world.
Amidst the bright lights, massive components within the factory stand like towering mountains, with overhead cranes operating high above, resembling steel sky bridges.
The workers, dressed in uniform dark blue overalls, flowed through the factory's veins in a rapid yet orderly fashion, like blood.
Even with sweat soaking through their clothes and fatigue showing in their eyes beneath their hard hats, the workers did not relax their tense nerves in the slightest.
Because at this moment, their project to assemble the nuclear reactor has entered its final stage.
The closer we get to the end, the more cautious we must be with such national treasures!
"Northern Xinjiang Heavy Industry's No. 36 nuclear reactor is completed today! Report complete! May it be forged in the fires of fire, forever protecting our land and ensuring its safety!"
The loudspeaker from Beijiang Heavy Industry resonated powerfully throughout the massive factory, inspiring countless workers to cheer with pride.
At the same time, in other large factories thousands of miles away.
"At the Shushan construction base, the main structure of nuclear reactor No. 24 has been installed and is now entering final commissioning! May the flame of our great nation burn forever!"
"Shougang Nuclear Engineering Group's No. 33 nuclear reactor completed its final sealing and assembly of the core compartment early this morning! May it become a pillar in the western frontier, standing tall and unyielding in the heavens!"
……
Each report of the factory's resounding success, carrying the weight of countless workers' tireless efforts, flew at top speed to the headquarters of the Ice Age Survival Committee.
A national map is displayed on the central screen of the headquarters conference room.
The red dots representing the completion of the nuclear reactor have been lighting up one after another in recent days, like sparks spreading into a prairie fire.
As the chief person in charge of Project Candle Dragon, Academician Qin excitedly said upon seeing this scene:
"The whole nation is united, comrades stand shoulder to shoulder!"
"Thanks to the silent yet powerful collective efforts of the workers, more than half of the nuclear reactor assembly tasks were completed on average one-third ahead of schedule!"
"Excellent! Every extra minute and second will greatly ensure the ultimate realization of our country's nuclear power Great Wall!"
Hearing Academician Qin's excited voice, Fang Huaiyuan asked in a deep voice:
"Professor Qin, what should we do next?"
Upon hearing this, Academician Qin's previously excited expression subsided, and he became serious and earnest.
"To complete the final step of Project Candle Dragon, these nuclear reactors will be transported to key locations across the country for final assembly."
Transportation will be the most difficult step in the entire process.
This is also the final challenge on our long march to build the Great Wall of Nuclear Power!
How difficult is it?
Academician Qin pondered for a moment and said:
"It would require the full strength of the nation, and its scale might even exceed that of building underground shelters across the country."
Fang Huaiyuan nodded, his expression remaining calm.
"Contact all committee members and call a meeting."
……
……
Li Xiaming followed Lu Yi and attended the Doomsday Survival Committee meeting again.
Li Xiaming had attended at least three such high-level conferences before, so he was more composed and natural this time compared to his previous awkwardness.
Fang Huaiyuan's image appeared on the huge curved screen inside the meeting room.
He briefly explained to all his colleagues the current progress of nuclear reactor assembly in various large factories across the country.
When everyone heard that more than half of the nuclear reactors had been assembled ahead of schedule, they applauded and cheered.
But some people looked serious.
An elderly man with gray hair and glasses slowly stood up.
This seemingly ordinary old man was actually the chief engineer who once presided over the design of the national highway network and high-speed rail system.
"Chairman Fang, so the main topic of this conference is to discuss how to transport these nuclear reactors to various parts of the country, is that right?"
"That's right."
Fang Huaiyuan nodded.
"Professor Lin, could you tell us about the problems with the road system at our university since the Ice Age?"
Professor Lin displayed a map of waterways across the country on the large screen.
"Comrades, the biggest challenge we face is the overall deterioration of the environment."
"Currently, the average temperature across the entire area of our university is below minus 30 degrees Celsius. In the northeast, northwest, and plateau regions, the lowest nighttime temperature can even drop below minus 70 degrees Celsius."
"In such a harsh environment, our ports and waterways were completely frozen off."
The ice thickness in the Bohai Sea, the northern Yellow Sea, and major inland waterways will likely require us to deploy icebreakers of Arctic Ocean specifications for operations.
"Secondly, the crisis facing our land transport is even more severe."
Currently, our national highway network is completely covered by several meters of snow and ice, making it indistinguishable from permafrost.
Professor Lin paused for a moment and then said:
"The initial estimate for restoring just one strategic corridor of 1,000 kilometers... may require the use of more than 300 heavy-duty thermal de-icing devices."
As soon as Professor Lin finished speaking, a mechanical engineering expert raised his hand and said:
"There's also the issue of transportation."
"In environments below minus forty degrees Celsius, even military-grade low-temperature rubber can easily become brittle and crack due to extreme low temperatures, and the fuel used inside the vehicle can easily freeze."
More importantly, heavy vehicle chassis structural steel faces a fatal risk of low-stress brittle fracture under sustained ultra-low temperatures.
"And what we are transporting is a nuclear reactor!"
Even the "small" ones are still enormous, with their core pressure vessels and steam generators weighing hundreds of tons and comparable in size to small buildings.
Furthermore, these nuclear materials and precision components cannot tolerate even the slightest violent shaking or collision.
"We have to redesign our existing trains and large transport machinery to accommodate such a behemoth."
Furthermore, fluctuations must be controlled to the millimeter level throughout the entire transportation process, which is equivalent to requiring an aircraft carrier to remain completely still in a Force 8 storm!
The two experts' words plunged the conference hall into a heavy silence, dampening the spirits of all those who had just been excited.
"This sounds... like a complete fantasy."
"Leaving aside car manufacturing, just building roads alone will consume a tremendous amount of resources and manpower."
"Transporting nuclear reactors is even more difficult than building them... Can we really do it in a short time? It seems that instead of building a nuclear power Great Wall, it's better to simply convert existing coal-fired power plants..."
Just when many people were losing confidence and starting to back down.
boom!
A deep, firm knock drowned out all the whispers.
Everyone looked up.
Fang Huaiyuan's palm was pressed flat on the heavy solid wood table.
His back was straight as a pine tree, his eyes were piercing, and he slowly looked at all the participants on the screen.
Comrades.
"Professor Lin and the others are telling us these things to show us where the 'difficulty' lies, not to scare us away."
"We still have many cities that are short of heating and electricity. The sooner we send the nuclear reactor there, the sooner we can save tens of millions of our compatriots."
"Now is not the time to ask 'Can it be done?'"
"But we must provide answers!"
"Today, we must sit here and discuss a viable solution! A solution that must be implemented!"