Chapter 1252 Stanning? Even wanted criminals stan?
Far across the ocean, Scrimgeour received a death order from the Ministry of Magic, giving him a month to capture Vincent and bring him back for trial.
Taking him back for trial meant capturing him alive, which made Scrimgeour laugh in anger.
That son of a bitch Fudge! The pursuit was already a difficult task. Wayne was a natural master of Occlumency, so tracking spells were useless against him. They could only find his trail by following the residual magical aura.
Scrimgeour and his team have been in the United States for 10 days, running around like idiots from Radio City Music Hall to Wall Street, then BMG Records, and now Sony Music, but they just can't figure out what Wayne's purpose is in coming to the United States.
Acquiring music copyrights? This is very likely just a smokescreen; there must be a deeper purpose behind it.
After running around all afternoon, Scrimgeour learned that the music copyright had already been sold and even given away to a Muggle star free of charge.
After going through all this trouble, the copyright we finally got ended up being given away to someone else?
Scrimgeour immediately felt he had been tricked, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was unlikely, considering it was several hundred million dollars, which was almost 80 Galleons. There must be some unspeakable secret involved.
It's not difficult to investigate a Muggle celebrity; what's difficult is when that celebrity is extremely famous, the kind whose slightest movement will make the newspapers.
To minimize the chances of their identities being exposed, Scrimgeour contacted the Magical Congress, and they quickly sent someone over.
When the Aurors from England saw Sam looking displeased, they sensed that the investigation would not go smoothly.
"Let's begin, Director Scrinker. Who do you want to investigate?"
Scrimgeour didn't care about his attitude. "His name is Michael Jackson. He's a star in your Muggle world."
Sam was visibly taken aback when he heard MJ's name.
Vincent's room was covered with posters of Muggle stars, including Michael Jackson, and he also had a large collection of autographed albums.
"Mr. Chavez?"
Sam snapped out of his daze. "I'm so sorry, Michael Jackson, I know him."
Scrinker noticed that his expression was somewhat unnatural. "Mr. Chavez, Wayne has transferred the music copyrights he acquired to this Muggle star. We want to know the real purpose behind Wayne's move."
What other purpose could there be? Of course, it's to follow celebrities.
Sam's face tightened. "Mr. Scrimgeour, is it possible that Wayne's purpose in coming to America is actually not complicated at all?"
Scrinker frowned. "Mr. Chavez, what do you think his purpose is?"
“He’s a fan of celebrities,” Sam blurted out. “Haven’t you guys been to his house in London? His room is covered in celebrity posters.”
Scrimgeour's lips twitched violently.
Stanning celebrities? Even wanted criminals stan celebrities?
That's ridiculous, not just any ridiculous nonsense.
He knew Sam was unreliable from the first time they met, but he never expected him to be this unreliable.
No wonder the Auror office director of the Magical Congress of America has such a bad temper; he's probably driven to this state by this guy.
“Heh…” Scrimgeour chuckled dryly. “Mr. Chavez, Wayne is now the most wanted criminal in the wizarding world. On the surface, he may really look like he’s here to chase after a star, but he’s definitely plotting something in secret.”
Sam waved his hand at him. "To correct you, Wayne is only the most wanted criminal in the British and German magical communities, not here."
Scrimgeour narrowed his eyes, his lion-mane hair seemingly ready to stand on end at any moment. "Mr. Chaviz, isn't the Magical Congress going to accept our proposal to list Vincent Wayne as a major threat to the American magical community?"
Sam seemed oblivious to his aura, casually curling his lip. "Those incompetent old men? Believe me, even if you gave them a year, that initiative would still be stuck in the voting stage."
Being from the bureaucracy, Sam's bluntness made Scrinker feel inexplicably ashamed.
The American wizarding world is where magical communication devices have become most widespread the fastest, and their wizarding families certainly want to continue their partnership with Wayne Enterprises.
The British magical community does the same, except it only explicitly bans it, unlike Germany where it's a genuine ban.
Seeing that Scrimgeour had nothing to say, Sam smiled smugly. "Let's not talk about that anymore, let's get back to business."
He pulled several documents out of his pocket. "Mr. Scrimgeour, with these, we can move freely in the Muggle world."
Curious, Scrimgeour took the document and opened it. The word "FBI" was large and conspicuous, as if afraid that others would not see it.
"Commissioner Carl Smith?"
Sam rolled his eyes. "We can't exactly use our real names, can we?"
Scrimgeour always felt that this guy was looking down on him, but he had no proof.
"Alright, let's get going!"
Scrimgeour turned and gestured to his men to put away their identification. "Where is the location?"
Sam drew his wand and held it high. "Neverland Ranch, Santa Barbara, California."
at the same time,
Callum Science Centre, Oxfordshire, England.
With the addition of the research team from the University of Tokyo, the tokamak device used for deuterium-tritium fusion has finally completed its upgrade and transformation.
It makes extensive use of graphene composite materials, its internal structure has been redesigned, and its volume has been reduced to one-tenth of its original size.
The reactor is smaller, but its performance has been improved many times over.
A team from Southeast University has developed a graphene membrane specifically designed for deuterium-tritium fusion. It has a highly efficient screening capability for hydrogen isotopes such as deuterium and tritium, and can increase the tritium recovery rate to 99.9%, significantly reducing fuel consumption and solving the tritium self-sufficiency problem.
Not to be outdone, William developed a composite tritium-blocking coating of graphene and ceramics, which effectively inhibits tritium penetration and improves the safety of fusion reactors by enhancing toughness and crack resistance.
Team leader Ryan Raymond led his original team to develop a graphene-reinforced composite material made of tungsten, graphene, and tungsten in an arrangement that exhibits outstanding radiation resistance. Under simulated fusion irradiation conditions, its mechanical properties decay less and its thermal conductivity is higher, making it very suitable for use as a core material in divertors or first walls.
In addition to the significant role of graphene, the modified tokamak device also incorporates a small amount of mithril to enhance the stability of magic. Furthermore, the entire reactor is encased in "physical-magical composite armor," which minimizes the impact in the event of an explosion.
Vincent gazed confidently at a white spherical device suspended in the vacuum chamber before him.
It is only half the height of a person, with a smooth surface and a soft luster like that of mother-of-pearl.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, tomorrow's second deuterium-tritium fusion experiment should be a success.
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