Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Inadequate Equipment
Chloe Sinclair’s voice wasn’t soft.
Joel Quincy, who was standing nearby, was a little surprised to hear her. He asked, "How is the data wrong?"
For some time now, the experiment had been at a standstill.
Though they’d run into roadblocks before, this time, everyone was keenly aware that the problem was a major one.
Chloe Sinclair had spotted the data error at a glance. Whether she was right or not, Joel Quincy was still a little surprised.
However, the researcher she had corrected was indignant. "Where is it wrong?" he demanded. "I’ve run these numbers a hundred times over. I followed the formula exactly. How could it be wrong?"
"The formula isn’t wrong, and neither is the algorithm. But the equipment is too rudimentary; it can’t support this formula’s calculations. If we switch to a different formula, we won’t get the answer we need. So, the only thing we can do is change the equipment."
"The equipment is too rudimentary?"
The researcher grew even more indignant. He pointed at the Mark Device in front of him and said, "This is the most advanced piece of equipment our lab has! We spent a fortune on it. There are only three of them in the entire world, and the manufacturing cost alone was three billion."
More importantly, it was practically impossible to acquire.
The Mark Device was considered the most advanced nuclear apparatus in the world.
So many countries were competing for it, and the higher-ups had to go through incredible lengths to finally obtain it.
"Professor Quincy, maybe this new girl doesn’t know the first thing about any of this."
Hearing this, Joel Quincy said nothing.
Instead, he turned his gaze to Chloe Sinclair, gesturing for her to continue.
Chloe Sinclair got the message. Showing no signs of stage fright, she walked to the blank, sliding whiteboard in the center of the room and picked up a marker.
"Experimentation, equipment, temperature control, electrical engineering, mechanics, materials science, automation, computing... in all these fields, there’s nothing that is beyond our current technological capabilities."
After a brief pause, Chloe Sinclair continued to explain, "To put it another way, with humanity’s current level of technology, the Professor’s more advanced theories are simply unsolvable. That’s why our experiment has stalled."
For many of the researchers, her explanation was a revelation.
"No wonder," one said. "When I was analyzing the data, I could never pinpoint the source of the error."
But the thought that their current equipment was fundamentally incapable of supporting the theory caused their excitement to deflate.
"But what do we do now? The lab is already low on funds, and who knows how many years it would take to develop a new device."
The Mark Device was already the pinnacle of global technology, hailed as the most powerful nuclear apparatus in the world.
Surpassing it would require an unknown amount of time and money.
All eyes turned to Joel Quincy, but everyone hesitated to speak.
Joel Quincy appeared lost in thought as well. His deep-set eyes were fixed on Chloe Sinclair, unblinking.
Finally, he spoke, his tone certain. "You have an idea."
Without much hesitation, Chloe Sinclair nodded.
"I’ve read a lot about controllable nuclear fusion over the past few days. Professor, it’s no exaggeration to describe your research as a complex problem at the intersection of Science and technology."
’As expected of the man who would be hailed by future generations as a science fiend. The sheer scope of his research was enough to make one tremble.’
Joel Quincy heard the teasing in her tone and sounded a little resigned. "Our existing energy sources won’t last much longer. My generation, and yours, can live comfortably. But a hundred years from now? A thousand? Ten thousand? These resources will eventually be depleted. If we succeed in developing controllable nuclear fusion, it could sustain us for at least ten thousand years."
Ten thousand years was an impossibly long time.
But for humankind, it was more than enough.
After all, in just a few short millennia, humanity had already achieved its dream of reaching for the skies.
In ten thousand years, humanity might have moved on from Earth, or discovered entirely new ways to exist.
