Inside the test field, the absolute silence was broken by the barely suppressed elation and heavy breathing that followed the ordeal in the control room.
The pure, snowy dots on the two radar screens announced to everyone that the stardust-anchored radar-absorbing material had been successfully installed!
It successfully swallowed the radar waves that represented the highest level of detection in the world at present!
Academician Zhang Meng took off her glasses, forcefully wiped away the hot tears from the corners of her eyes, and said in a choked voice, "I never thought... it would succeed... it really succeeded!"
She turned abruptly to look at Mingzhao in the corner, her eyes filled with unprecedented, almost devout gratitude and awe.
Zhang Mingyuan slammed his fist hard on the control panel, making the instruments buzz. The immense pressure was released at that moment, turning into a low, tearful laugh.
Sun and his assistants hugged each other, laughing and crying, seemingly in a frenzy. This small, thin black sheet of paper held so much despair and sweat!
Wang Tiezhu, as if his spine had been removed, slumped onto the cold metal bench, staring blankly at the two screens.
He unconsciously kept repeating, "Impossible...this is impossible..."
His lifelong belief in experience and common sense crumbled completely in the face of absolute power.
Meanwhile, Mingzhao, who caused the storm, remained calm.
She slowly emerged from the shadows of the corner, her cool gaze sweeping over the retrieved, black panel that had swallowed the radar waves.
My fingertips gently brushed across the cold surface of the plate, feeling the sense of disorder emanating from the photon lattice anchored by stardust, which operated steadily inside.
She felt no joy, only a calm acceptance that her goal had been achieved.
"The materials are...qualified."
Her cool voice was like an ice cube thrown into boiling water, slightly cooling down the excitement in the control room.
"Entering...mass production preparation."
These few simple words acted like a powerful stimulant, injecting strength into everyone's heart!
Mass production! This means that the "Ghost" skin is no longer a fantasy!
---
Life at the base was suddenly put on fast-forward.
Small-scale trial production of stardust-absorbing materials was carried out secretly under the highest level of security.
Sun's team was working with boundless enthusiasm, day and night under Mingzhao's almost stringent process parameters.
The wind tunnel roared again, and this time, the key parts of the test model covered by canvas had been covered with prototype patches of "black feather" material.
The entire base was like a high-speed war machine, the air thick with the smells of engine oil, sweat, and a desperate, all-or-nothing excitement.
Mingzhao's figure moved between various key nodes: the materials laboratory, the wind tunnel control room, and the prototype area of the final assembly workshop.
Her very existence is the highest technical standard.
However, this unusually high-intensity operation and the frequent, concentrated mobilization of key resources, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirred up imperceptible ripples.
---
The base's logistics warehouse was filled with the smell of dust and engine oil under dim lighting.
Old Qian, the warehouse manager, is a middle-aged man with gray hair who looks honest and unassuming. He is hunched over and slowly arranging the work gloves on the shelf.
He moved slowly, his eyes were cloudy, and he was humming an off-key tune, looking like he was indifferent to the world.
A young technician in oil-stained work clothes rushed in and slammed a material requisition form stamped with a red "Urgent" mark on the table:
"Master Qian! Hurry! The materials team urgently needs two kilograms of No. 3 special graphite powder! Also, five bottles of high-purity argon gas! Engineer Zhang personally signed the order!"
Old Qian raised his cloudy eyes, slowly picked up the form, squinted at it under the light for a long time, and then slowly said:
"Oh... Powder No. 3... The warehouse is almost empty... Argon gas is also running low... Wait a minute, I'll go look in the back warehouse..."
He hunched over and slowly walked toward the heavy, locked alloy door deep inside the warehouse.
The young technician stamped his feet anxiously, but there was nothing he could do but wait.
The heavy alloy door closed behind me.
Inside the door is a special materials storage warehouse with constant temperature and humidity and strict security.
Old Qian's honest and dull expression vanished instantly!
His cloudy eyes flashed with a venomous light!
He nimbly locked the door, quickly walked to an inconspicuous corner, lifted a piece of camouflaged floor covering, revealing a small encrypted transmitter disguised as an old radio!
His fingers flew across the keyboard, typing out a string of complex code—concise yet deadly:
"Target: Materials Group ('Black Feather'). Actions: High-frequency, high-dose deployment of special graphite powder, high-purity inert gas, and chromium/manganese-based rare powders. Related: Recent abnormal canyon closure test (suspected to be successful). Threat level: Dramatically increased. 'Mole' continues to monitor the core ('Zero') and new material developments. Over."
Information, like invisible radio waves, penetrates thick mountain rocks and shoots towards the unknown distance.
Old Qian, codenamed "Mole," quickly put away the transmitter and restored the linoleum flooring.
His facial expression reverted to that of a dull, wooden warehouse manager.
He slowly picked up two buckets of graphite powder and several bottles of argon gas, and walked out with faltering steps.
"Here... young man... take this... these are all that's left..."
He handed the supplies to the anxious technician, a barely perceptible sly smile flashing in his cloudy eyes.
---
In the initial stage of the final assembly workshop, the massive metal frame is already taking shape.
Mingzhao stood on a high shelf, using a special measuring tool to check the installation angle of a key rib.
The afterglow of the setting sun slanted in through the tall skylight, casting a faint golden edge on her focused profile.
Jiang Feng's tall figure appeared below the shelf.
He was still wearing his crisp military uniform, but his matte mechanical left leg made a regular, slight "clicking" sound as he walked on the metal floor.
He looked up at Mingzhao high above, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
The mission of escorting Stardust made him more deeply aware of the risks and burdens Mingzhao bore.
"Comrade Mingzhao."
Jiang Feng's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the noise of the workshop.
Mingzhao stopped what she was doing and looked down at him.
Jiang Feng took out a brown paper envelope without a postmark or any markings from his pocket and handed it over: "Commander Huo asked me to pass this on."
Mingzhao's eyes flickered slightly.
She put down her measuring tools, nimbly climbed down from the shelf, and took the envelope.
Touching the rough kraft paper with my fingertips, I could almost feel a touch of warmth from afar.
She walked to a relatively quiet corner of the workshop, turned her back to the busy crowd, and opened the envelope.
There was only a thin sheet of paper inside.
Howard's handwriting is strong and powerful, just like him:
Zhao Zhao:
Everything is fine here, don't worry. The pomegranates in the sunny courtyard are bearing fruit, and they are very red.
Minglang and Comrade Gongzhu are set to become revolutionary partners on the eighth day of next month. They asked me to inform them.
The radio at home has been repaired and can now be used to listen to the news.
At this time, the first frost and snow have fallen, covering the world in silver.
I think of Zhao Zhao, and long for Mu Mu.
—Howard.
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