The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

Commander Liu looked at Qian Lao, then at Tian Tian in Liang Zhe's arms, who was innocent yet had clear eyes. He knew that this scientific giant, who was rigorous throughout his life and never made hasty judgments, was now using his life's reputation to endorse the "childish words" of a three-year-old.

"Reason?" Commander Liu asked, as this was a procedural question that had to be documented.

Qian replied, word by word: "Based on the abnormal auditory information provided by Comrade Liang Tiantian, and combined with my understanding of engine system dynamics, we have ample reason to suspect that, under the current readiness state of the test stand, there is a potential risk of inducing catastrophic structural resonance. Continuing the test could very likely lead to the destruction of the entire engine, serious damage to the test stand, and endanger the lives of personnel on site."

"It is recommended that a technical investigation team be established immediately to conduct a comprehensive and targeted 'zero-based' re-examination of the engine and auxiliary systems."

He was referring to "Comrade Liang Tiantian".

This single word, "comrade," transformed sweet, childlike words into a crucial technological warning concerning the fate of the nation.

Commander Liu took a deep breath and scanned every face in the command post.

They were either heartbroken, suddenly realized, or anxious, but no one objected.

A second later, Commander Liu grabbed the red dedicated phone on the table.

"Test Run Command Center—This is Liu Zhenbang. The 'Longsword' test run is temporarily postponed. Immediately implement Level 3 alert. Unload and seal the fuel in place. All departments, re-verify all data!"

After the order was issued, all personnel at the base began operating efficiently. The technical team rushed to the test stand to conduct a thorough inspection of the combustion chamber, turbopump, and all pressure-bearing components. The research team, on the other hand, recalculated each item according to the calculation drafts and process data.

No one drank water, no one ate, everyone was engrossed in the "zeroing" review, hoping to find the root of the problem as soon as possible.

At the same time, an urgent message came from the base. Liang Zhe answered the phone, and his expression changed.

"Brigade Commander! Something's happened!"

He strode over to Commander Bai and lowered his voice: "Jiang Guoqiang is missing."

"Gone?!"

Brigade Commander Bai's voice suddenly tightened, "If I hadn't ordered strict surveillance, who let him escape?"

"I don't know. The soldier on guard was drugged. It happened three minutes ago."

"Did Wan Hongxin come back and take him away?"

"I asked around, and the soldiers all said they hadn't seen Wan Hongxin. Tian Tian also said that Wan Hongxin was injured, and if he sneaked back to the base, he would be easily discovered."

"Could there be other enemy agents in the base?" Brigade Commander Bai felt this speculation was chilling, especially at this critical juncture.

"Who else is missing from the base?"

"The investigation is ongoing. The preliminary report indicates that, apart from the troops stationed behind to search Wan Hongxin, everyone else is in their assigned positions."

"Send more manpower, search high and low, find him! If this bastard leaks the base's secrets, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Commander Bai became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and couldn't help but slam his fist heavily on the table.

"Brigade Commander, I'll go myself!" Song Dazhuang volunteered. He was a fierce general and the most suitable for this kind of emergency search mission.

Brigade Commander Bai nodded. "Be vigilant; they might resort to desperate measures. If conditions permit, try to capture them alive."

"yes!"

Even after Song Dazhuang left, the tense atmosphere at the command center did not lessen at all, and everyone continued to devote themselves to high-intensity review and calculation.

They checked for four or five hours, but still had no clue.

Projectile assembly: "Report, we manufactured it strictly according to the drawings, and the material inspection reports are complete!"

Guidance team: "All unit tests passed, and the data from the post-assembly integration test is normal."

Test team: "After verification, all data meet the design department's standard parameters, and the parts' incoming inspection reports are complete."

One potential problem after another was overturned, which meant that the review work had returned to square one.

Everyone was at a loss.

It was past midnight, but no one in the command center was sleepy.

The only one who fell asleep was Little Sweetie, who was exhausted after a long day. Liang Zhe carried her to the single bed in the inner room of the command post. She was draped in her father's military overcoat, revealing her round little face and her long eyelashes fluttering gently from time to time.

The little girl didn't sleep soundly.

Her little hand was still holding her father's big hand, and she occasionally uttered a few indistinct murmurs.

Looking at his daughter's sleeping face, Liang Zhe's heart was filled with a bittersweet feeling. She had gone to so much trouble to find him and deliver such a crucial message, but he didn't know if it truly concealed a potential crisis, or...

He dared not think any further.

"Daddy...it smells awful..."

Sweetie, who was asleep, wrinkled her little nose as if she had smelled something strange.

She rolled over, buried her face in her father's large hands, and still murmured, "Stinky, so stinky."

Liang Zhe assumed she smelled the ink or machinery in the command post, so he considerately fanned her face with his free hand and quietly asked, "Does it still smell bad?"

"It stinks... Sweetie doesn't like it, it stinks terribly."

Sweetie didn't open her eyes, but was unconsciously complaining.

Liang Zhe paused for a few seconds, and suddenly, a thunderbolt flashed through his mind!

"Guards!" he whispered urgently.

The young soldier standing outside immediately pushed the door open: "Commander!"

"Go quickly and fetch Professor Qian!"

Less than a minute later, Professor Qian rushed in, dressed in his coat, followed by Commander Liu and Chief Designer Wang.

The expressions on the faces of all three people were extremely solemn.

"What's wrong? What did Sweetie find out this time?"

Chief Designer Wang's voice was urgent.

"Old Wang, don't panic," Professor Qian stopped Chief Designer Wang. "The little girl is still sleeping..."

Before she could finish speaking, Tian Tian murmured, "It stinks..."

Professor Qian and the other two were stunned at the same time.

"Smelly?"

He and Chief Designer Wang exchanged a glance, and in an instant, countless thoughts rushed through their minds. The two of them withdrew in perfect unison.

"It's not structural resonance," Chief Designer Wang said first. "It's not a material issue either; vibration or fracture won't trigger the sense of smell."

"Could it be unstable combustion?" Professor Qian gazed thoughtfully at the clearly outlined test stand in the night.

"It smells bad?" Li, an engineer from the chemical engineering team who rushed over upon hearing the commotion, paused. "Mr. Qian, this isn't right! Our fuel products shouldn't have a strong odor under ideal conditions, let alone a foul smell! Unless..."

"Unless there's something wrong with the fuel composition," Old Qian continued, his voice turning somber. "Or, something that shouldn't have been there has been mixed in."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly chilling everyone.

"Impossible!" Engineer Li said urgently. "I calculated and wrote down the oxidizer-fuel mixing ratio myself. I wrote dozens of sheets of draft paper just for verification. How could there be a mistake?"

Another engineer chimed in, "Furthermore, we conduct sampling inspections before the fuel is stored and refueled, and the physicochemical indicators meet the standards!"

"What are the standards?" Qian asked, pressing on. "Are they inspection standards based on the formula and parameters in the design documents?"

"Yes...yes."

"What if the core parameters themselves have been tampered with?"

Commander Liu frowned. "Comrades, have you forgotten? There are not only our own people here, but also enemy agents all around."

"Retrieve the original data!" Professor Qian made the decision immediately.

Everyone realized the seriousness of the problem—if there is systemic misguidance starting from the design stage, it means that a lot of data will form a perfect "error loop" during actual testing, until catastrophic consequences occur after ignition!

"The enemy is very clever. They may not have touched the finished fuel, but rather the source of the data. The 'stench' that Sweetie smelled likely originated from there, but we overlooked it."

"Engineer Li!" Chief Designer Wang ordered, "You personally lead the team to the fuel depot to collect new samples! Skip the routine checks and go straight for full-component spectral analysis! Focus on checking for impurities and moisture!"

"Yes!" Before he could finish speaking, Engineer Li turned and rushed out.

At the same time, the relevant design drawings and calculation drafts were also urgently sent to the command center. Dozens of hands frantically flipped through the papers under the dim light.

The clattering sound of the abacus echoed throughout the hall.