Just then, Mingzhao seemed to have finished the last solder joint. She put down the soldering gun, picked up the connecting wires, and quickly connected the modified small board to the main circuit of the oscilloscope.

Then, she turned on the power switch of the oscilloscope.

"Buzz—"

A soft, buzzing sound, tinged with electrical noise, rang out. The dusty, circular screen of the oscilloscope flickered with static a few times, then a clear, stable green scan baseline slowly and firmly lit up in the center of the screen!

She succeeded! Using a bunch of scrap parts and the core of a "scrapped" oscilloscope, she managed to cobble together a basic signal display device that still works!

Howard stood quietly in the shadows by the door, watching Mingzhao straighten up slightly, seemingly letting out a soft sigh of relief, then pick up a multimeter and begin testing the voltage at key points on the board she had just soldered.

Her oil-stained profile remained expressionless, but Howard keenly caught a fleeting glint of focused concentration in her eyes, a testament to the success of a technical breakthrough.

This light was more dazzling than the cold fluorescence of the instruments in the lab last night.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps and Wang Ai's deliberately raised voice, filled with dissatisfaction and urging, came from the corridor.

"Li Weiguo! I asked you to deliver parts to the new 'person in charge,' what are you dawdling about? Where are you? Did you deliver the parts? Her 'great' project can't even get off the ground without the parts!"

The footsteps and voices stopped abruptly at the door.

Wang Ai and Chen Songnian also appeared at the door, and just then they saw the "scrapped" oscilloscope on the experimental table, which had been dismantled into pieces, but whose core screen was lit with a stable baseline.

And the scattered parts at Mingzhao's feet and the homemade board in her hand that was obviously freshly soldered and connected to an oscilloscope.

Wang Ai's expression froze instantly, as if she had been punched hard, filled with astonishment and disbelief.

Chen Songnian's eyes behind his glasses widened suddenly as he stared intently at the lit screen and Ming Zhao's simple yet effective "work," his expression shifting rapidly.

The laboratory was deathly silent.

Only the faint green light emitted from the oscilloscope screen illuminated Mingzhao's calm and focused face, which was covered in dust and grease, as well as the various expressions of shock, embarrassment, and gloom on the faces of the people at the door.

The steady green light on the oscilloscope screen was like a silent slap across Wang Ai and Chen Songnian's faces.

The laboratory was so quiet you could hear dust falling.

Wang Ai's astonishment was quickly replaced by an offended anger. She stared at the result of piecing together the "waste," her voice rising and piercing the silence in the air.

"Who gave you permission to dismantle the institute's equipment?! This is state property! And who allowed outsiders into the core laboratory?!"

Her gaze suddenly shifted to Howard, who was standing in the shadows by the door, her eyes sharp as knives.

The confidentiality regulations are an ironclad rule of the research institute! Although Howard is the team leader, he is not a member of this project, and his presence here is a serious violation of the rules!

Chen Songnian snapped out of his shock, his gaze behind his glasses becoming unusually serious. He looked at Huo Hua, his tone carrying an undeniable pressure and a hint of scrutiny.

"Commander Huo? This is a highly classified research and development area. According to regulations, you are not allowed to enter. Please leave immediately."

His gaze, seemingly unintentionally, swept over the slightly bulging pocket on the chest of Howard's military uniform shirt, as if something was stuffed inside.

Howard's eyes, hidden beneath his hat brim, suddenly sharpened, and the atmosphere around him instantly cooled. He knew the rules, of course, but his steps seemed rooted to the spot.

He ignored Wang Ai and Chen Songnian, his deep gaze fixed only on Ming Zhao.

She was putting down the multimeter, picking up a cotton cloth soaked in alcohol, and slowly wiping away the excess solder on the circuit board and the oil on her fingers, seemingly oblivious to the conflict at the door.

"Commander Huo!" Seeing that he remained unmoved, Wang Ai's anger flared even more, and she stepped forward, almost blocking Huo Hua's path.

"Get out of here right now! Otherwise, I'll call security! Comrade Mingzhao, this is outrageous! You're damaging public property before the project has even started, and bringing in unauthorized personnel! Dean Zhang gave you the responsibility, not the right to act with impunity!"

"Unrelated personnel?" Howard finally spoke, his voice low and cold, as if tempered with ice. His sharp gaze finally shifted from Ming Zhao to Wang Ai's face, carrying a sense of oppressive authority from someone who had long held a superior position.

"I'm here to conduct a routine inspection of key classified projects by the military region. Mr. Liu, do you have any questions about my identity and responsibilities?"

He deliberately emphasized routine inspections and key classified projects, even though these inspections should not have been carried out by him, the regimental commander, and the timing was too coincidental.

Wang Ai felt a chill run down her spine under that gaze, her momentum weakening slightly, but she still stubbornly insisted: "Inspection? You need to give advance notice and register according to regulations! Commander Huo, what you're doing is..."

“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.” Howard interrupted her, his tone resolute and brooking no argument.

"The communicator project is related to border defense communication security and has the highest priority. I received a report that someone in the institute was creating obstacles for the project leader and was being uncooperative."

His cold gaze swept meaningfully over the dismantled oscilloscope wreckage on the ground, and the list covered with red crosses that Li Weiguo had brought him.

"Engineer Wang, is this list that Comrade Li Weiguo sent, along with this faulty piece of equipment that was specially 'assigned' to you, the 'cooperation' you mentioned?"

Wang Ai's face flushed red instantly, then quickly turned deathly pale. She hadn't expected Huo Hua to be so direct in tearing down their facade! He even brought up the accusation of "passive cooperation"!

Chen Songnian frowned and immediately stepped forward to smooth things over, his tone still calm but with a hint of urgency.

"Commander Huo has misunderstood! Comrade Wang was just being cautious about the project and wanted to test Comrade Mingzhao's ability to solve problems independently."

Although the oscilloscope is old, its core components are still usable, so we're making the most of it! As for the shortage of parts, it's indeed an objective difficulty for the institute, and we're trying to find a way to coordinate..."

He tried to disguise the difficulties as "tests" and "objective challenges".

Just then, Mingzhao, who had been facing away from them as if she were detached from the situation, wiped her hands clean and turned around.

Her gaze calmly swept over Wang Ai, whose face was ashen, and Chen Songnian, who was trying to smooth things over, before finally landing on Huo Hua's tense profile.

“He stayed.” Mingzhao’s voice was clear and calm, without any emotional fluctuations, but it carried an undeniable certainty, as if stating an established fact.

"What?!" Wang Ai almost thought she had misheard.

Chen Songnian was also stunned: "Comrade Mingzhao, this is against the rules..."

“My project.” Mingzhao’s gaze shifted to Chen Songnian, his clear eyes devoid of any emotion, yet carrying an invisible pressure. “Within the rules, I’m in charge. He,”

She pointed to Howard, "He has the authority to understand the basic progress of the project and ensure that the military region's needs are met. Now, he is my contact person."