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

Professor Qian held Tian Tian's little hand, and the group walked towards the cafeteria. After that little "test" just now, everyone was certain that this seemingly clueless little baby was not wavering between her playful nature and her determination to study, as the adults had expected.

At the very least, her perseverance, far beyond her years, is truly moving.

"Mr. Qian," Chief Designer Wang said in a low voice as he walked beside him, "wasn't that 2.5% target you mentioned this morning a bit too ambitious? With our current calculation capabilities, everyone will have to work much harder."

Professor Qian stopped and looked at him. "Old Wang, do you also think I'm being too hasty?"

"I'm not questioning your judgment."

Chief Designer Wang pondered for a moment, then said sincerely, "I'm worried that if everyone fails to make a breakthrough after repeated calculations, they will inevitably lose their enthusiasm after repeated setbacks."

"Our team already has a weak theoretical foundation and is still in the stage of learning, practicing, and growing through trial and error. If we rashly take on such a high-intensity challenge, I'm afraid..."

"I think we shouldn't underestimate them." Professor Qian's gaze softened. "We started late and our foundation is weak, but our comrades are very motivated and determined, and they all have the belief that they must succeed."

He paused, his thoughts drifting into the distance. "Back when I was in the United States, my mentor asked me why I, with my knowledge, would return to an agricultural country. What could I do? I answered him that as long as the country needed me, I would be willing to go back and grow apples."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the distant Gobi Desert. In the distant test site, the towering launch pad pierced the sky like a sharp sword, waiting for its mission.

"But look, haven't we already planted apple seeds right here in this Gobi Desert?"

Chief Designer Wang recalled the arduous journey of his son, who overcame numerous obstacles to return to China, and his contributions to laying the foundation for the Daxia missile project, and felt a deep sense of respect.

Professor Qian withdrew his gaze and changed the subject: "Old Wang, do you know the range of the 'Thor' missile that the United States recently test-fired?"

"I've read the relevant data; it's about 2400 kilometers."

"2400..." Professor Qian murmured, repeating the phrase. He turned around, pulled Tian Tian along, and continued walking. "Do you know how much our missiles' range could increase if we could reduce transonic drag by another 2.5%?"

Before he could answer, Professor Qian had already given the answer: "At least 150 kilometers."

"For a country as large as ours, 150 kilometers is not far. However," Professor Qian's voice was soft but his tone was firm, "for Great Xia's fledgling missile program, these 150 kilometers are of extraordinary significance."

Chief Designer Wang fell silent.

"It means that our missiles can be launched from safer locations and strike targets at greater distances," Professor Qian continued. "So, Lao Wang, we must push this limit. This is a race against time, a race against others' technological advantages. We can't afford to wait on this path."

Chief Designer Wang stared at him for a long while, then sighed softly and patted him on the shoulder.

"Mr. Qian, you're right. No matter how difficult it is, we have to do it." He adjusted his glasses. "Don't worry, I'll work with everyone to come up with a design framework as soon as possible."

"Okay!" Professor Qian patted him on the shoulder. "Let's work hard together."

Today at lunchtime, the canteen added an extra bowl of stir-fried cabbage. This is only the second time since the famine began that the base has had fresh leafy greens.

Last time, the soldiers bought two cabbages and made dumplings. Now, with the land the base has cultivated yielding a harvest, they should be able to eat more vegetables in the future.

Everyone ate heartily, and felt even more energetic.

Just then, the guard pushed through the crowd and quickly approached the table where Commander Liu and the others were sitting.

Last time, the soldiers made dumplings using just two cabbages; now, with the base's own...

Just then, the guards pushed through the crowd and quickly arrived at the table where Commander Liu and the others were sitting.

"Report!"

"Hmm? Speak."

"Commander, Brigade Commander Bai and his men are back from the crash site! They say they've made a major discovery!"

Commander Liu put down his chopsticks. "Did anyone find out?"

"Commander Bai said that under the plane wreckage, they dug out..." the guard swallowed hard, "...a perfectly intact radio and a codebook!"

"What?!"

Everyone's expression changed.

Without a word, Commander Liu got up and walked outside, saying, "Let's go take a look!"

Professor Qian and Chief Designer Wang put down their chopsticks and looked at Tian Tian, ​​who was blinking her big eyes. "Tian Tian, ​​be good. Eat your food first, and we'll go to Grandpa's this afternoon."

"Sweetie wants to go too!" The little girl immediately grabbed Professor Qian's hand. "It's that big airplane from yesterday, Sweetie knows it."

Professor Qian and Chief Designer Wang exchanged a glance, both having tacitly agreed. Chief Designer Wang picked her up and said, "Okay, let's go together and see what other good ideas our little lucky star has."

"Mmm!" Sweetie nodded happily.

Inside the meeting room, amidst swirling smoke, the weary Brigade Commander Bai sat in a chair, two buttons undone on his uniform collar, smoking one cigarette after another.

The long table was piled high with all sorts of things: parts with burn marks, fragments of broken aircraft, which the comrades from the logistics department and the secretariat were identifying and registering one by one.

After Professor Qian entered the room, he immediately walked quickly to the window, opened it a crack, and let in fresh air.

Commander Bai was taken aback, but when he saw Tian Tian, ​​he immediately understood and quickly put out his cigarette.

"Old Bai, tell me what you've discovered." Commander Liu handed him an enamel mug.

Brigade Commander Bai took it, gulped down several mouthfuls of water, and then pointed to the table: "Commander, esteemed officers, take a look at this."

He moved aside some loose parts, revealing a military-green radio. Although somewhat dented, the main structure was intact; with some repairs, it should still be usable. Next to it was a codebook wrapped in oilcloth, and several documents with charred edges were carefully placed aside.

"We found it under the landing gear wreckage after we cleared the site," Commander Bai tapped on the radio. "It must have been thrown out when the plane crashed. If Tian Tian hadn't reminded us to dig around in the sand, we probably wouldn't have found it."

Upon hearing this, Commander Liu silently clapped Tian Tian's little hand—a gesture of praise.

The cipher clerk stepped forward, quickly flipping through the codebook and making notes on a piece of paper as he read. Soon, his expression turned serious.

"Did you find anything?" Commander Liu asked.

"Commander, the format of this codebook should be from the US Strategic Intelligence Agency. We previously intercepted telegrams from Taiwan using this codebook."

He then picked up the documents next to him. "Although many of these documents were burned, some residual information can still be seen. Here, and here, are meteorological and geological data for Northwest my country."

"And these are the fuzzy coordinates of the experimental field."