Chapter 3: Submitting the Application

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He Xingzhou confirmed that there was nothing unusual about himself, yet his classmates still looked at him with curiosity. Finally, a girl sitting in the front row, Zhou Xiaoqin, asked inquisitively, “He Xingzhou, I heard you want to build a nuclear reactor—is that true?”

Everyone stared at him, most thinking it was just a joke.

He Xingzhou nodded calmly and said, “That’s right, I intend to build a nuclear fission reactor.”

Seeing their strange expressions, he quickly explained, “It’s a miniature one, not a nuclear power plant or an atomic bomb!”

“Oh my god, it’s actually true!” Zhou Xiaoqin exclaimed. “You really think big!”

“He Xingzhou, that’s amazing! You actually want to make a nuclear reactor!” the students cheered.

“Why would you want to make something like that? It’s totally impossible!”

“Don’t waste your time.”

Someone whispered, “I think this guy is just seeking attention. It’s obvious no student can build a nuclear reactor. Why doesn’t he design a Dongfeng nuclear warhead instead?”

“I agree, it’s totally impossible!”

One joked, “When you succeed, let us see the results.”

No one truly believed He Xingzhou could pull it off. Most were just teasing him, treating it as a joke or entertainment.

He Xingzhou remained indifferent. Before obtaining the Quantum Light Brain, he himself thought the difficulty was too high.

But now the situation was completely different. As long as his experiment application was approved, he was confident he could do it!

With a calm expression, he said to the class, “Thank you all for your attention. If my application is approved, I will make a series of videos documenting the process and upload them online. Everyone can watch.”

He Xingzhou believed that to gain the nation’s attention, he needed enough influence. Publishing videos about building a nuclear reactor was one such method.

The more attention he gained, the more likely the higher-ups would notice. Besides, he could also warn the public in advance about the impending apocalypse!

“Great, we’ll definitely watch!” the students shouted, some with smiles, eager to see a joke.

He Xingzhou was unfazed and sat down with his roommates.

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Wang Jiahao apologized, “Sorry, Old He, yesterday we talked about you in the group chat. Didn’t expect it would spread so fast—everyone knows now.”

“If you want, we can clear things up right away and say it’s just a joke.”

He Xingzhou said, “It’s fine. This is exactly what I want to do. Even if you didn’t spread it, they’d find out.”

His three roommates were puzzled. Was He Xingzhou really planning to go all the way down this path?

Now that so many knew, if he didn’t succeed, wouldn’t he be embarrassed? And besides, building a nuclear fission reactor was truly impossible.

The students were still discussing when the professor entered.

He was an elderly man with half-white hair, wearing a faded Zhongshan suit: Professor Zhang Boyan.

Professor Zhang Boyan was a leading figure in the country’s atomic physics community, nominated several times for the National Academy of Sciences, currently a candidate academician. The university’s national-level nuclear physics lab was under his management and use.

“Let’s begin the lecture,” Zhang Boyan announced, and the classroom fell silent.

After a morning-long session, as class ended, Zhang Boyan took a sip of water and said, “Class dismissed.”

The students dispersed. He Xingzhou hurriedly caught up with Zhang Boyan, handing him a document. “Professor Zhang, I have an experiment application I’d like you to look over.”

It was a file He Xingzhou had stayed up all night preparing: the “Miniature Nuclear Fission Reactor Experiment Application.”

Zhang Boyan, known for his tolerance and willingness to teach, took the file and tucked it under his arm. “Alright, I’ll take a look when I have a moment.”

“Thank you, Professor,” He Xingzhou said gratefully.

...

Zhang Boyan first returned to the research office. Many professors went directly home after class, but Zhang preferred to chat with colleagues or arrange leisure activities like fishing or hiking.

In the research office, two physics professors, Dong Chen and Cai Hao, were present. They were around Zhang Boyan’s age and also leading figures in physics. Dong Chen was even dean of the physics department.

“Old Zhang, class is over? We’ve been waiting for you. Come on, let’s head to the cafeteria!” Dong Chen called out. “There’s a new Huaiyang cuisine chef—his cooking’s amazing. I’ve already booked.”

“Alright, I’m coming,” Zhang said as he approached his desk to put down his textbooks and papers.

As he set them down, he glanced again at the materials He Xingzhou had submitted. Several bolded words immediately caught his attention.

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“‘Miniature Nuclear Fission Reactor Experiment Application’?” Having taught for so many years, Zhang Boyan had never before received such an application from a student. He couldn’t help but read it aloud.

“This student is interesting—he actually submitted an application for a miniature nuclear fission reactor! Does he really intend to build one?” Zhang chuckled.

“What? A student submitted an application to build a nuclear reactor?” Dong Chen and Cai Hao were taken aback.

“Exactly,” Zhang said, showing them the title on the document.

“Which reckless student dares to want to build a nuclear reactor himself?” Dong Chen said immediately.

Cai Hao laughed, “Haha, quite bold! I’m curious now—what did he write?”

“I’m interested too,” Zhang said. “Let me read it first, then we can eat. It shouldn’t take long.”

“Alright, let’s see it. I want to know as well,” Cai Hao said.

Obviously, they all thought this was just a whim from a student, unlikely to hold much value.

Zhang Boyan opened the file and began reading.

In this experiment report, He Xingzhou detailed how he planned to build a miniature nuclear fusion reactor, and he presented a well-developed design for a nuclear fission reactor, including the active zone, neutron reflector, control and regulation systems, cooling system, protective layers, and more.

He even submitted a comprehensive experimental plan and handling procedures.

At first, Zhang was simply curious, but as he read further, he sensed something was off.

This was no impulsive project—it was a rigorously structured, theoretically sound, perfectly designed nuclear reactor apparatus!

Although the document described only a miniature nuclear fission reactor, by Zhang Boyan’s knowledge, even if scaled up, it wouldn’t be far from a real nuclear power plant reactor.

Realizing this, Zhang couldn’t help but exclaim, “Is this really an experimental report designed by a student?”