From Wage Slave to Tycoon

"Ahhh~"

Su Chen yawned, rubbing his eyes and trying to wake himself up a bit.

He was still in a daze, his brain feeling like it was just booting up.

After dinner, Su Chen had waited and waited, but Elder Xiao still hadn’t returned by ten-thirty at night. So, he simply found an unused guest room, tidied it up a little, and went to sleep.

Who would have thought... just as he was sleeping soundly and having a pleasant dream, he was woken up by Elder Xiao, who had returned at some unknown hour. Before Su Chen could even react, he was led into a car.

The cold wind blowing through the car window hit Su Chen’s face, and with a jolt, he was instantly wide awake.

"Elder Xiao, what’s this all about? You’re not planning on locking me up, are you?" Su Chen swallowed and asked, half-joking.

He had just checked the time—it was already past one in the morning. What good could possibly come from being woken up at this hour!

Moreover, Su Chen noticed that their car was being escorted by at least five other vehicles, both in front and behind. He couldn’t think of any good reason for such a massive procession.

Elder Xiao, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them upon hearing this. He shot Su Chen an irritated glance and said, "Why would we lock you up? Do you really think we have nothing better to do?"

"We’re on our way to the airport. We’ll be flying directly to Zheng Island."

Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief at that. As long as he wasn’t being thrown into a black site, he was fine. But when he thought about what Elder Xiao had just said about going to Zheng Island, his scalp began to tingle.

The level of importance placed on this seemed to exceed Su Chen’s expectations. He had originally thought the higher-ups would only send some specialists, but he never imagined that Elder Xiao himself would personally go to Zheng Island.

If Elder Xiao went to the industrial park, he would definitely get curious about the other projects and wander around. Wouldn’t all his secrets be exposed to the old man’s eyes then?

’Well, if he finds out, he finds out. Things have already come this far, so there’s no point in hiding it anymore.’

Su Chen soon came to terms with it. Even if he tried to hide it, it would only be for a few more months at most. Once the other projects were successfully developed and put into mass production, Elder Xiao would find out anyway. It was just a matter of a few months sooner.

Watching Su Chen, who was frowning one moment and sighing the next, Elder Xiao raised an eyebrow and said nonchalantly, "What’s with the long face? Don’t tell me you have some shady business going on in that park of yours."

Su Chen shot Elder Xiao a look but didn’t take the bait. Instead, he asked, "Elder Xiao, why trouble yourself with a personal trip? Isn’t this a bit of an overreaction?"

"An overreaction?" Elder Xiao chuckled and shook his head. "If I hadn’t fought your case, who knows where you’d be ’having tea’ right now."

"You need to understand that controllable nuclear fusion is a technology that can change the fate of our nation. Besides its applications in energy, which you’re aware of, it can be used in other fields as well."

Elder Xiao paused here, pondering for a moment before continuing, "For example, in aerospace, industry, and... the military!"

His tone clearly grew heavier, especially when he mentioned the military.

The first thing that popped into Su Chen’s mind was an aircraft carrier, and the second was a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier!

If a controllable nuclear fusion reactor were installed on an aircraft carrier, its operational range would multiply by an unimaginable factor. A single kilogram of deuterium-tritium fuel produces the same amount of energy as 10,000 tons of coal or 13,000 barrels of oil. The numbers were terrifying.

Based on current market prices, oil is about 73 USD per barrel, making thirteen thousand barrels worth nine hundred fifty thousand USD. In contrast, one kilogram of deuterium-tritium fuel costs only a few tens of thousands of yuan. One can only imagine the immense difference.

Although the country’s first aircraft carrier only officially entered service last year, with the nation’s industrial manufacturing capabilities, it wouldn’t take much time to build a new one.

This meant that this year or next, they could build the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier equipped with a controllable nuclear fusion reactor. Su Chen grew excited at the thought.

A wild idea had just popped into Su Chen’s head... His portfolio of civilian technologies included shipbuilding and steel material technologies. Combined with the ultra-high-end CNC machines currently under development, if he had enough manpower, it meant he could build an aircraft carrier himself in a short amount of time.

Picturing himself commanding a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, sailing across the vast ocean, Su Chen couldn’t help but chuckle foolishly. He completely missed the look Elder Xiao was giving him, as if he were staring at an idiot.

"SLAP!" A hand smacked down on Su Chen’s shoulder, startling him out of his daydream with a shiver.

"Are you getting any funny ideas about this controllable nuclear fusion, kid? Let me tell you, this thing is not something you can keep for yourself." Elder Xiao stared at Su Chen with a very serious expression.

It couldn’t be helped. Controllable nuclear fusion technology was simply too important. It would change the entire global landscape, so they couldn’t afford to be anything but cautious.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Su Chen naturally understood this. He pursed his lips and said no more.

They arrived at the airport soon after. The motorcade drove directly onto the tarmac, where Su Chen saw a massive transport plane waiting for them on the runway.

After getting out of the car, Su Chen saw the people disembarking from the other vehicles and was shocked by their appearance.