novelPromise of Time
| ← Ch.1580 | Ch.1582 → |
A 49% success rate was very good.
At least according to the supercomputing results on Ceres, even if the 51% probability failure did happen, Lu Zhou's design plan for causing a major accident was much lower than the other sets of plans.
After some discussion by the expert group, almost in the form of unanimous approval, the space elevator project team decided to use Lu Zhou's design plan as the construction blueprint. Many engineering units, such as East Asia Heavy Industries, would be responsible for the construction.
After a three-day meeting, after all the preparations were completed, Academician Ge Huaizhi rushed to Jinling in the Yangtze River Delta City Group and arrived at Academician Lu's home.
When Academician Ge arrived, Lu Zhou happened to be fiddling with the newly-purchased equipment in his front yard laboratory. So Lu Zhou asked him to wait outside the laboratory for a while. After he had dealt with the matters at hand, he ordered Xiao Ai to bring him in.
"Academician Lu, I have finally found you!"
Across the cardboard boxes piled at the entrance of the laboratory, Academician Ge Huaizhi walked towards Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou guessed something from his expression, so he said casually, "It seems that you have something to discuss with me. How about it? Does the design work?"
A wry smile appeared on Academician Ge's face as he said, "I don't know... But for now, that's the best choice."
Lu Zhou glanced at him strangely and asked, "What does that mean?"
Without hiding anything, Academician Ge told Lu Zhou about what happened at the expert review meeting and the results calculated by the quantum supercomputing array on Ceres.
After listening to Academician Ge's words, Lu Zhou sighed and said, "Calculations are just calculations. They do not mean absolutes. They can be used as a reference at best. Modeling that can completely restore reality does not exist. Any tiny variable that is not taken into account can influence the final calculation result."
Academician Ge sighed and said, "Of course we have considered what you said, but after all, there is no precedent for a space elevator. Apart from this method, we can't think of a better way to compare which set of solutions is more appropriate."
"So this requires you to think about how to innovate." After filling a tube of metal powder into the 3D printer, Lu Zhou casually pressed a few buttons on the 3D printer and said at the same time, "Just like the earliest controllable fusion reactor was also unprecedented for people at the time. However, creating miracles and making the impossible possible is exactly what we scholars should do, no?"
Academician Ge: "You are right, I very much agree with your point of view! But I have to admit that not everyone has the ability to create miracles."
Lu Zhou's movements paused slightly, and a bad premonition suddenly appeared in his heart.
For some reason, he had a feeling that someone was about to ask him for a favor.
Sure enough, before he could speak, Academician Ge looked at him intently and spoke sincerely.
"After discussion and research by our expert group, we agreed that it is really a waste for you to serve as chief consultant."
"What do you want to do... ?"
Academician Ge smiled embarrassedly and said with a dry cough, "We hope that you will be the chief designer of this space elevator project. We have already applied to the chairman of the board for this matter, and he has approved it, saying that as long as we can convince you, everything is OK."
Lu Zhou: "..."
Seeing how Lu Zhou seemed reluctant, Academician Ge said quickly, "Don't rush to refuse. If you have any requirements, you can let us know, and we will try our best to meet your requirements!"
Seeing the sincere expression of Academician Ge Huaizhi, Lu Zhou couldn't refuse immediately.
After being silent for a while, he said with a sigh, "It's not that I don't want to be the chief designer, but you should try to learn to think about some problems on your own. You can't expect me to always think of brilliant ideas or brainstorms to solve all the troubles you have."
Why not?
Academician Ge wanted to ask this, and he even almost asked it.
However, looking at the expression on Lu Zhou's face, he guessed that this big man would probably not be willing to hear this question, so after hesitating for a moment, he changed to a set of euphemisms.
"I don't quite understand why you are obsessed with letting us solve these problems alone. You are still young. Even after I'm no longer here, you will still be in your prime time... Isn't it too early for you to start thinking about cultivating a successor now?"
Too early?
Lu Zhou smiled when he heard this sentence, but for a while, he didn't know how to answer this question.
The 3D printer suddenly stopped rumbling.
When the lacquered metal shell unfolded, the finished product in the cabin was also revealed.
Attracted by the oblate and wide hourglass-shaped object on the printer, Academician Ge asked curiously, "What is that?"
"Z particle oscillator."
"Z particle oscillator?"
"Oh, no one researches this stuff these days? It is the key to open the hyperspace channel, a warp drive, or the core of the faster than light communication device..." Seeing how Academician Ge had a dull expression, Lu Zhou quickly added, "Of course, this thing is only a part of the experimental product. It is still far from your imagination."
"Beyond the speed of light... Can this really be done?"
Lu Zhou sighed after being silent for a while.
"To be honest, I didn't expect that 100 years after the discovery of the Z particle, someone would ask this question."
One hundred years ago, he had already proven the hyperspace theory and the related physical properties of Z particles through experiments. Academician Ge Huaizhi was not a researcher in a related field, so it was excusable to not understand the research in this area, but the fact that he hadn't even heard about it meant that the people of the past 100 years hadn't paid attention to the Z particle.
Looking at Academician Ge who had a trace of shame on his face, Lu Zhou continued, "About 100 years ago, I used two Z particle clocks to open a hyperspace channel once, but due to the conditions at that time, there was no way to make it exist stably. And after coming to this era, I checked many papers and came up with some new ideas on how to maintain the hyperspace channel. If it weren't for that damn mission... I mean the trouble that a certain director threw to me, I would have solved this problem."
"Why... ?"
"Because I want to travel to a very faraway place, and the warp drive is a must if I want to go there. I once promised someone to leave a legend about us on it."
Academician Ge opened his mouth to say something, but he suddenly closed his mouth, as if he was thinking of something.
He thought of a rumor.
Or rather, a legend.
A century ago, Academician Lu once promised to give his fiancee a star and set up a fund for the future in her name, hoping to send a colonial ship to the distant Tau Ceti someday in the future.
Is this the romance of scientists... ?
He was also a scholar, but he did not particularly understand this crazy idea.
Although the academic opinion was that, considering the brightness of Tau Ceti's star, there might be a habitable terrestrial planet there, sending oneself to an uncivilized and uninhabited planet was still no different from an exile.
No, it was suicide...
Academician Ge said with a more dazed expression than before, "Are you... serious?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" After looking at him, Lu Zhou said, "Forget about the chief designer, my opinion remains the same. You should learn to solve some problems on your own instead of putting everything on me. If you are in trouble, just come and ask me, and I will try my best to help you wherever I can."
Lu Zhou paused for a second. He then continued, "Also, I have solved the problem of materials and design for you. If you still can't build this space elevator...
"Then we don't deserve it yet."
| ← Ch. 1580 | Ch. 1582 → |