manynovel Chapter 17 Keep Moving Forward!
Chapter 17 Keep Moving Forward!
As Fang Huaiyuan asked the question, all the comrades fell silent.
Yes.
At present, hundreds of millions of our compatriots have not yet fully settled down.
Tens of millions of our comrades, who are just as hardworking as us, are still holding fast to their posts.
The end of the world has come, but there are still countless specific problems waiting for us to solve, coordinate, and fight for!
Where our compatriots are, that is our battlefield.
There's no time to think about such empty and pretentious things now!
Academician Qin suddenly raised his head, his eyes shining.
He volunteered to speak.
"Professor Qin, please go ahead."
Academician Qin displayed a complex national map on everyone's screens, with densely packed nodes marked with different colors and symbols.
"Comrades, as the person in charge of Project Zhulong, I would like to ask you to temporarily shift your gaze away from the sun and refocus on the land beneath our feet and our compatriots around us."
"Next, I will report to you on the results of the first phase of our work."
Academician Qin's voice was steady and powerful, and the screen then switched to the first set of data and diagrams.
"The first step is the deployment of an emergency heat source—the 'heart' of Project Zhulong, namely a small nuclear reactor."
"We successfully dismantled and packaged 28 small nuclear power modules from all available nuclear submarines and some spare reactors."
Of these, 22 are from active and reserve nuclear submarine reactors, and 6 are from early land-based prototype and experimental reactors.
"As of today, which is the eve of the [Doomsday 1.00 version update]."
The engineering corps has successfully deployed 22 small nuclear reactor modules to underground reinforced bunkers in 12 of the most critical core cities in North China, Northeast China and Central China.
The remaining six sets are stored as strategic backups at national bases.
Academician Qin retrieved real-time images of the underground bunker.
Inside the building, the steel behemoth-like reactor operated quietly, with steady readings on the instrument panel, and thick pipes connecting the main heating network to the primary emergency power grid.
"Currently, all 22 'Heart of the Candle Dragon' units have reached critical operating status and have been successfully connected to the core heating and power supply systems of their respective cities."
Academician Qin paused slightly, his tone turning serious:
"Based on Professor Zhong's team's prediction of the cooling curve during the Ice Age, combined with Comrade Li Xiaming's personal experience."
We predict that although the surface environment will deteriorate rapidly in the next one to three months, it has not yet completely become a dead zone for life.
Therefore, in the second phase of the mission, we will continue to assemble hundreds of nuclear reactor core prefabricated components and fully install the fifty complete reactor modules produced this month using the nation's collective resources.
Academician Qin zoomed in on a nationwide deployment forecast map, where red dots spread out in all directions like wildfire.
"These reactors are expected to cover most of the major underground shelter clusters across the country, ensuring basic heating and electricity needs for our people and providing key energy support for the recovery of our country's industrial production."
"Secondly, all 17 operating nuclear power plants in the country have completed extreme safety assessments and cold-weather reinforcement."
Academician Qin then switched the view on everyone's screen to a distant view of a nuclear power plant on the southeast coast.
The massive heat exchange device was emitting white steam, and several cold-resistant pipes, each several meters in diameter, stretched out like steel dragons toward the distant city.
"The 14 power plants here have been physically connected to the nearest major city heating network through newly built or renovated giant cold-resistant pipelines."
The extra heat output from these nuclear power plants each day is equivalent to replacing the combustion of approximately 1.5 million tons of standard coal.
"In the first month after the glacier descends, this will greatly alleviate the pressure on traditional non-heating areas such as the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta, keeping the temperature of large shelters and key production facilities above freezing."
As Academician Qin explained, countless people on the big screen couldn't help but smile with joy.
Project Candle Dragon, which was initially seen as a challenge to the limits of Tokyo University of Science and Technology, has been completed to this extent in just one month.
This far exceeded everyone's most optimistic expectations before the plan began.
However, Academician Qin changed his tone and poured cold water on everyone's enthusiasm.
"Comrades, now is not the time to be happy."
What we are facing is a three-year glacier marathon, and this is just the beginning.
Academician Qin pulled up a complete map of Southeast University, which marked the current status of nuclear energy coverage at the university. Large areas were still dark.
"Our nuclear-centric emergency heating and power generation network is far from secure."
The deployed reactors cannot warm every corner of our vast land, and the extreme operating modes of existing nuclear power plants are difficult to sustain in the long term.
It can be said that our all-out efforts over the past month have only secured a precious window of opportunity of two or three months, or even less, for our motherland and hundreds of millions of compatriots.
"The challenges after the apocalypse will be ten times more severe than they are now."
Our only way out is to safely transport the current stock of fifty reactor modules, along with more "Candle Dragon Hearts" produced later, to every place across the country that needs them, and complete their installation and commissioning in the extreme cold.
Academician Qin pulled up a map of the national transportation network and said in a deep voice:
"Transportation and installation will be an unprecedented challenge in the frigid environment that pushes the limits of harsh conditions."
But comrades, this is our vow to protect every one of our compatriots.
As long as there is a city that needs warmth and electricity, as long as there is a single compatriot still enduring the bitter cold, our work will never end.
After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the hall, followed by a burst of sincere and prolonged applause.
All eyes were on Academician Qin, and it was as if they could see the countless nameless but great workers behind the Candle Dragon Project.
As the applause subsided, Fang Huaiyuan slowly stood up and said:
"Academician Qin, on behalf of all my fellow students at Southeast University, I would like to thank all the comrades who participated in the Candle Dragon Project for their hard work and dedication."
After speaking, Fang Huaiyuan took a deep breath, placed his hands on the table, and the same aura that had appeared a month ago, the one that determined the fate of the nation, once again enveloped the conference room:
"Now, as the chairman of the Ice Age Doomsday Committee, I hereby issue the order to immediately launch the discussion of the second phase of the emergency response plan, based on the results and problems exposed in the first phase of the 'Candle Dragon Project'."
We must complete the remaining nuclear reactor assembly as soon as possible, and after ensuring absolute safety, transport it to any place in the country where our compatriots need it as quickly as possible!
Secondly, starting tomorrow, city officials should guide people to underground shelters in an orderly manner to ensure that people are not threatened by the upcoming super cold snap.
Departments responsible for food, medicine, and clothing supplies are also preparing to provide relief to the public.
"For those comrades who persevere, for all compatriots who await hope—"
Fang Huaiyuan's gaze became incredibly profound as he spoke, word by word:
"We must, and can only—keep moving forward!"