Chapter 415.3: The Ember

As the last command was issued, a vast current passed through the cables embedded in the walls, and a vast ocean of energy instantly filled Dawn City's electrical grid.

The power stations near the new industrial zone which were running at full capacity, gradually shut down.

At that moment, they finally completed their mission.

From that point on, the New Alliance no longer needed to burn wood and coal for electricity. Clean nuclear energy would cover the entire territory through the electrical grid.

From the electric arcs flickering in the steel mills to the electrolysis chambers in the hydrogen plants, to every bulb, fan, and even air conditioner in residential areas...

The energy running through the New Alliance's grid had never been so abundant!

Looking at the white light gradually stabilizing inside the reactor, Chu Guang's tense expression finally turned into a relieved smile.

The New Alliance had stepped into a new era!

On this desolate wasteland, the spark of civilization was rekindled!

That moment would be forever marked in history!

Chu Guang turned to look at the people standing by the reactor, their faces showing excitement, joy, surprise, or bewilderment.

He unlatched his visor and nodded. "Well done."

"Everyone... You’ve worked hard!"

...

After the reactor ignition ceremony ended, everyone went about their business again.

Only Gale remained with his soul seemingly lost. He held the compass in his hand and eventually stumbled out of the chamber with lifeless eyes.

"Hey, buddy, looks like the ignition ceremony's over." Lone Wolf whispered to Gale, who was standing in the hall while stuck in a daze.

Nuclear fusion was beyond his expertise, and despite watching for a long time, he couldn't decipher any of it.

Hearing his colleague's voice by his ear, Gale finally snapped back to reality.

But the expression on his face was no longer excitement or thrill.

It was one of loss, even disappointment.

"Bro, what's wrong?" Lone Wolf asked with concern.

Gale was silent for a long time, then shook his head and sighed, "The gap is too big..."

He hadn't seen the cooling device. Perhaps it was integrated inside the reactor.

But how exactly such a small reactor, only about 10 meters in diameter, contained that terrifying energy, he had no idea.

Even more unbelievable was that he could clearly see the outline of the plasma through a small window without the intense light burning his eyes...

Whether in materials or design technique, that reactor was like a mystery box, incomprehensible even when laid out before him.

It made him feel like the world around him was spinning ...

Lone Wolf looked at him, puzzled.

The gap is too big?

My goodness...

You're not planning to build one in real life, are you?!

Gale looked at the compass clenched in his hand. The wildly jumping needle had stilled, no longer trembling, pointing in its designated direction with absolute certainty.

The only thing he could be sure of was that a huge magnetic field confined the plasma at the moment of ignition.

After the ignition was successful, the magnetic field leakage completely disappeared.

He couldn't even be sure whether the magnetic field was sealed or if the reactor wasn't using magnetic energy to bind the plasma that was hotter than stars...

Lone Wolf scratched his head, wondering out loud, "I remember... There’s something on the website mentioning the shelter's reactor using pure Helium-3?"

Gale nodded succinctly. "Yes."

Lone Wolf frowned. "Can you get that stuff on Earth?"

Gale sighed. "You can't."

"..."

Glancing at the closed alloy door, Gale's expressionless face suddenly twisted into a wry smile.

He suddenly realized that obsessing over how to confine that ball of plasma was utterly meaningless.

Deuterium-Tritium fusion could be ignited with lasers.

But Helium-3 fusion...

Given the harsh conditions required, he couldn't imagine any method that could light up a reactor like that on Earth...

...

The news of the successful ignition of the West Continent Municipality Power Station quickly sprouted wings. Spread by newspapers and broadcasts, it soon reached every corner of the New Alliance.

Chu Guang wasn't worried about the reactor attracting unwanted attention.

The Enterprise’s airbase was right next to the Heavenly Water Municipality, and aside from the Great Rift Valley, no one in the River Valley Province would dare to provoke those guys.

Moreover, this place wasn't like Earth. On the wasteland, controlled fusion wasn't considered anything rare, even nuclear fuel was much rarer than the technology itself.

When one couldn’t utilize excess energy, traditional power generation might be just as good as nuclear power.

Of course, for the New Alliance, there was no need to worry about the issue at that moment.

Twelve Orca transport aircraft from the Enterprise had already moved from the northern airport of Dawn City to an open area north of West Continent Municipality.

Cables thick as pythons plugged into the sides of the aircraft, drawing energy from the New Alliance's electrical grid like whales drawing water.

In addition, water from the Heavenly Water River was being drawn.

Including solid hydrogen, metal hydrogen batteries, and other types of fuel cells, which fundamentally didn't carry oxidants but drew oxygen from the air for redox reactions, were reasons why fuel cells had a much higher energy density than traditional chemical batteries.

However, recharging metal hydrogen batteries was a bit more troublesome, requiring both a reliable electrical grid and an abundant water supply.

Standing in the newly designated airbase, Yi Chuan discussed with Chu Guang while gesturing animatedly, "... At this rate, we'll have the batteries charged in a day! Once recharging is complete, we can bring the second wave of supplies in no later than three days!"

At the moment, they only had 12 aircrafts with a range of 3,000 kilometers. However, it won’t be long before another 12 could be assembled.

With 24 large transport aircraft in service...

Relying on electrical grids on both sides, they could build a stable air corridor between the southern part of River Valley Province and the East Coast, continuously sending equipment and supplies to the front lines!

Chu Guang smiled. "Thank you!"

"Think nothing of it," Yi Chuan laughed heartily, "We're allies on the same front, this is for our common victory, to defeat our common enemy!"

"Even for a common victory, we won't forget the help you offered at a critical moment."

Shifting his gaze from the enthusiastic young man to the aircraft nearby, Chu Guang paused, then sighed lightly, "But speaking of which, it's such a waste for these planes to return empty. Why... Why don’t we send some specialties back with you?"

"Specialties?" Yi Chuan paused, then waved his hand with a smile, "No need, no need, our assistance to you is unconditional! That's what we should do!"

Looking at the sunny smile on the young man's face, Chu Guang couldn't help but feel touched. If only everyone were as generous and kind-hearted.

But...

That was obviously not possible.

It was a honeymoon period for the New Alliance and the Enterprise, and he had to seize this window of opportunity.

Whether for short-term or long-term considerations, he needed to bind more interests between the two sides while he could.

Otherwise, once the war ended, the River Valley Province wouldn't be so important to the Enterprise, and he'd have to jockey for position with that unseen tycoon next door.

Clearing his throat, he looked at the declining Yi Chuan and spoke earnestly, "I know your help is unconditional, and we appreciate your generosity, but we can't always reach out for help every time we're in trouble, it would weigh on my conscience!"

"There's a saying here, 'Courtesy demands reciprocity'. We've also prepared some gifts for you."

"They may not be anything expensive, but they're a token of our gratitude!"