Jing Mingqiu didn't look up. "It's just a miniature nuclear fusion generator, with a maximum power of only 200 watts."
Wei Deze's voice trembled with excitement. "The power output isn't important; what matters is that it's achieved controlled nuclear fusion. That's the most crucial step for humanity to journey towards the stars!"
"Jing Mingqiu, if you can make miniature nuclear fusion generators, can you make a large-scale one that can power a lithography machine for billions?"
Under Wei Deze's anxious gaze, Jing Mingqiu gently shook his head. "No, large-scale controlled nuclear fusion generators require a large amount of high-grade alloys, all of which need to be custom-made."
"Furthermore, to ensure the reaction proceeds stably, a special coating needs to be added inside the central reactor. This requires a lot of rare earth elements, which I don't have on hand."
"The miniature nuclear fusion generator installed on the 'Little Fatty' drone was assembled from various appliances I took apart not long ago."
Upon hearing Jing Mingqiu's refusal, Wei Deze's heart tightened, but then he breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the reasons.
"Jing Mingqiu, you don't need to worry about materials. As long as the materials exist in this world, I can get them for you..."
"Never mind," Jing Mingqiu interrupted Wei Deze directly. "Even if the raw materials were abundant, building a large-scale controlled nuclear fusion generator, from alloy refining to final assembly, would take at least three years."
"But?"
Wei Deze's expression changed drastically. He opened his mouth, about to try and persuade him, but Jing Mingqiu interrupted him again.
"Dean Wei, while I can't help with the construction, I can provide you with the blueprints. Based on my calculations, your success rate should be well over ninety percent if you follow the drawings step by step."
"I do enjoy research and mechanical work, but I've finally survived the arduous studies of high school and can now enjoy university life. I really don't want to be confined to a cold laboratory."
"I'm sorry, I got too excited," Wei Deze gradually recovered from the ecstasy of seeing controlled nuclear fusion. "Chief Engineer Xuan went to such great lengths precisely so you could have a normal university life and enjoy your youthful freedom."
"Whether it's lithography machines or controlled nuclear fusion technology, these were all researched and developed by you. We provided no assistance, so neither in fairness nor in principle should we demand these technologies from you."
Jing Mingqiu was surprised by Wei Deze's words. He paused for a moment, then chuckled. "It shouldn't be called demanding; it should be called cooperation. The country needs the technology, and I need the country's support to complete these top-tier devices that can change humanity's destiny."
Lithography machines or controlled nuclear fusion, these are just the beginning. Earth is too small; my path lies in the vast, boundless ocean of stars!
Jing Mingqiu looked at the semi-transparent system interface, his eyes growing brighter, his heart filled with immense pride!
After spending over two hours drawing out all the structural diagrams for the lithography machine, Jing Mingqiu returned to his bedroom and spent over a hundred knowledge points to redeem a USB drive containing all the necessary information for building a large-scale lithography machine.
It was also adjusted according to Jing Mingqiu's writing style, with substantial traces added online to prevent others from suspecting the origin of the data.
After handing over both the blueprints and the USB drive to Wei Deze, Jing Mingqiu hesitated for a moment, then picked up the special admission letter and stuffed it back in as well.
"For me, academic qualifications aren't important. The score I got is the score I got. If I can't get into a top-tier university, attending a second-tier one is fine too."
Wei Deze had expected Jing Mingqiu to join his research institute but was surprised when he directly refused the special admission and hurriedly tried to persuade him.
"Mingqiu! We caused such a stir by sealing off the campus earlier. If you aren't specially admitted, many people will talk."
"It's fine," Jing Mingqiu waved his hand with a smile. "Let them talk if they want to. It won't harm me in the slightest."
"Moreover, if I'm not specially admitted and end up attending an ordinary second-tier university, it will better prevent foreign powers from noticing me and protect my life."
Besides the overt reasons, there was another crucial reason that Jing Mingqiu did not disclose. His total score of 556 in the college entrance examination, while not particularly high, was the result of his three years of hard work. If he accepted special admission, it would be as if his efforts over the past three years were completely wasted.
Seeing that Jing Mingqiu had made up his mind, Wei Deze didn't try to persuade him further. He spent twenty thousand yuan to buy the modified drone from Little Fatty and then walked over to the steampunk-style water dispenser to get a cup of heavy water, the fuel for nuclear fusion.
Heavy water, also known as deuterium oxide, sounds mysterious but is found in our everyday drinking water, albeit in extremely small quantities, less than one-thousandth. It requires specialized equipment to separate.
After watching Wei Deze leave, Jing Mingqiu re-hung his shop sign and continued running his small store. Soon, a new customer arrived, pushing his electric scooter into the shop...
Meanwhile, at the Shuimu Chip Research Institute, experts and professors from all over the country were anxiously waiting while continuing to study the parts of the lithography machine.
Suddenly, the institute's door was kicked open, and Wei Deze, holding a drone, burst in energetically.
Xuan Mingliang quickly went to meet him. "Old Wei, why are you back alone?"
"Jing, tut," Wei Deze blurted out, almost mentioning Jing Mingqiu's name. He quickly corrected himself, "Chief Engineer Xuan, the master has something to attend to and cannot come for now, but I've brought the structural diagrams for the lithography machine."
"Big Ox, quickly bring out the drawings."
"Okay! Okay!"
Zhao Da Niu fumbled through his bag and pulled out a thick stack of A4 papers, holding them with both hands as he passed them over.
Xuan Mingliang took the drawings and quickly scanned them. Upon confirming that these depicted the high-precision structural diagrams of the lithography machine, his brows first relaxed, then furrowed tightly.
"Old Wei, why is only one copy of such important material printed? Where's the electronic version? Hurry and get it, go to the copying room, and print more copies for everyone here."
Wei Deze quickly explained, "Chief Engineer Xuan, there is no electronic version. These were all hand-drawn by the master."
"What did you say?" Xuan Mingliang couldn't believe his ears. "You're saying these drawings were all hand-drawn! How is that possible? The precision of these lines, and the annotations smaller than a grain of rice next to them, how could they be purely handwritten!"
Facing Xuan Mingliang's accusation, Wei Deze felt like crying. "Chief Engineer Xuan, I personally watched the master draw them. There really isn't an electronic version."
"Alright," seeing Wei Deze's wronged expression, Xuan Mingliang didn't press further. He waved his hand and called Fang Haosi over. "Old Fang, please arrange to make multiple copies of these drawings and distribute them."
"Understood, Chief Engineer Xuan."
After Fang Haosi left to carry out the order, Xuan Mingliang finally noticed the drone in Wei Deze's arms, which piqued his curiosity.
"Old Wei, why are you holding onto a drone like that?"