Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

Deep in the Pacific Ocean, a nuclear submarine from Country M hovers on the seabed. Inside the command center, electronic screens flicker with a cold light, displaying a dense array of data.

"According to the surveillance report transmitted back from Country R, ​​the new nickel-based alloy recently mass-produced by Longxing Machinery Factory in China has a high temperature resistance exceeding 1850℃ and a fatigue cycle resistance of 1500 cycles."

A lieutenant colonel tapped the parameters on the screen with his fingertip, "The performance of this material has reached the top international level, and it can be used to manufacture high-performance fighter jet engine blades."

The commander stroked his stubble, his brow furrowed deeply: "China's aviation industry has always been a clear weakness. How could it suddenly achieve a technological leap?"

Two speculations.

"Either their research team overcame the technical difficulties, or there was an influx of external technology. But either way, once this engine is installed and put into service, the projection range of China's air power will directly cover the entire South China Sea, which will shake our strategic layout in the Western Pacific!"

The command center fell into dead silence, with only the crackling of radio waves echoing through the room.

A moment later, the commander said, "Increase reconnaissance efforts! Keep R-country fishing boats operating in the Bohai Bay; we must obtain the core data on the engine! Also, notify the reconnaissance aircraft at Guam to closely monitor the air force test range in northern China!"

Silent radio waves pierced through the seawater, transmitting instructions to distant targets.

At this moment, it lies quietly in a hangar at an air force test base in northern China, thousands of miles away.

The base's runway stretched straight to the sky, the leaves of the poplar trees on both sides rustling in the autumn wind, and the sentries on the outposts held Type 56 semi-automatic rifles.

He vigilantly surveyed his surroundings, the four large characters "Defend the Motherland" on his red armband standing out prominently.

Inside the control tower, red signal lights flashed continuously. The military commander-in-chief stared at the screen, while factory representatives and technicians sat to the side, providing technical parameter support for the engine.

The people from Longxing Factory arrived in military-grade Liberation brand trucks.

Li Yu was dressed in a blue overall, with the cuffs rolled up high. He held a well-worn test manual in his hand, his gaze fixed on the modified fighter jet outside the hangar, with the new engine mounted under its wing.

"Chief Engineer Li, please double-check the engine's limit tolerance parameters." The military commander turned around, his tone serious.

Li Yu immediately stood up, opened the manual, and reported the data: "Reporting to the commander, the extreme temperature tolerance is 1850℃, the continuous safe operation time can reach two hours, and the performance degradation under overload maneuvering conditions does not exceed 3%."

The commander-in-chief nodded and looked at the pilot beside him: "Initiate the test according to the scheduled procedures."

"Understood!" The pilot gave a standard military salute, climbed into the cockpit, and the cockpit door slowly closed.

Inside the control tower, everyone's eyes were focused on the screen.

With a command from the chief commander, the pilot pulled the control stick, and the new engine first emitted a deep roar, then burst forth with powerful thrust, its exhaust flame a pure azure blue, more stable and faster than the orange-red flame of a traditional engine.

The fighter jet slowly taxied out of the hangar, accelerated on the runway, and in the blink of an eye, it shot into the sky like an arrow, drawing a beautiful arc in the blue sky.

"Thrust parameters are stable! Engine operating temperature is 1720℃, far below the tolerance limit!"

"Continuous overload maneuvering for ten minutes, no abnormalities!"

As the monitors' reports rang out one after another, Li Yu's tightly pursed lips slowly turned up. This engine, which embodied the hard work of all the workers at Longxing Factory, had finally withstood the test of actual combat.

An hour later, the fighter jet landed smoothly. When the pilot stepped out of the cockpit, his face beamed with barely suppressed excitement: "Sir! This engine is so much more powerful than the ones we used before! Maneuverability and range have both seen a qualitative leap!"

The factory and military personnel who were watching erupted in thunderous cheers.

After the celebration subsided, Li Yu, as the factory's technical representative, was invited into a small seminar room at the base.

Around a long table, several high-ranking military officers and technical experts gathered together. A huge map of the South China Sea hung on the wall, with the isolated island in the south standing out prominently on the map.

"Chief Engineer Li, the success of the new engine has solved our urgent problem."

A general pointed to the map and got straight to the point, "But the challenges we face go far beyond this. As a key developer of this engine, do you have any ideas for further technological development?"

Li Yu nodded and walked to the map: "Commander, I have a technical idea that I would like to report to you all. Based on the miniaturization of this engine, we can develop a short-range tactical drone, mainly for precision strikes."

As soon as he said this, the seminar room fell silent, and everyone's eyes were on him.

"This engine is small in size and has sufficient thrust. After being modified to be lightweight, it can be perfectly adapted to the fuselage of small drones."

Li Yu picked up a pen and quickly sketched the prototype of the drone on the paper.

"The fuselage is made of lightweight alloy produced by Longxing Factory, and the weight can be controlled to within 200 kilograms. It has a range of 500 kilometers and can carry small precision-guided bombs. From a technical point of view, it can achieve low-altitude penetration, avoid the detection of conventional radar, and directly reach the target area."

He paused, his finger landing on the small islands and military outposts on the map that were occupied by separatist forces.

He emphasized, "More importantly, drone warfare can minimize our personnel casualties and can accurately target military command facilities, avoiding residential areas and reducing civilian casualties."

"Those separatist forces rely on external support, and their command center is their core. If we had a drone that could achieve precise point-to-point strikes, we could render them leaderless and create favorable conditions for subsequent unification efforts."

"What are the technical challenges of this concept?" a military technical expert immediately asked.

"There are mainly two aspects."

Li Yu answered clearly and logically.

"The first is the miniaturization of the engine, which requires adjusting the layout of the turbine blades. Longxing Factory can take the lead in tackling this part. The second is the guidance system, which requires positioning support from remote sensing satellites of the aerospace sector. This requires cooperation between the military and civilian sectors."

The general slammed his hand on the table. "Good!"

"This technological concept is both bold and pragmatic! The command headquarters will immediately organize experts to assess its feasibility, Longxing Factory will be responsible for tackling the technical challenges of engine miniaturization, and the military will provide the necessary tactical parameters and testing grounds! With all departments working together, we must build this powerful weapon!"

The atmosphere in the seminar room instantly became lively, with generals and experts alike starting to discuss the details.

Li Yu sat to the side, carefully taking notes on the technical requirements put forward by the military, and occasionally adding a few professional opinions.

Unbeknownst to anyone, this late-night seminar at a northern air force base was quietly sketching out a grand blueprint for safeguarding the southern border. The roar of new engines filled the air.