Her eyes remained clear and calm, like a bottomless, icy pool.
“Energy dissipation,” she said, pointing to the thin black sheet on the test bench.
"Originating from...the disordered vibration of the internal lattice. Requires...anchor point."
Her fingertips traced lines in the air, as if outlining an invisible microscopic structure: "Stardust remnants... core structure... containing... a stable topological order."
Her vocabulary remains limited, yet she pinpoints the essence precisely.
“A trace amount...as a seed crystal...guides heterogeneous materials...to form...an ordered photonic lattice.”
She paused, as if organizing more complex language: "Energy...unexcited state. In...inert ground state. As the core of the resonant cavity...it only absorbs...specific frequency electromagnetic waves...and converts them into...lattice thermal energy. It does not trigger...chain reactions."
The laboratory was deathly silent.
Only Zhang Mingyuan's heavy breathing and Wang Tiezhu's chattering teeth could be heard.
Mingzhao's explanation was like a book written in the heavens, yet it carried a cold, logical power.
Photonic lattice? Topological order? Resonant cavity?
These concepts were too advanced for Sun Gong and others, but the terms "inert ground state" and "not triggering chain reactions" were like faint fireflies in the darkness, giving Zhang Mingyuan a glimpse of a theoretically extremely slim possibility.
"Theory... is ultimately just theory!"
Wang Tiezhu interrupted with a hoarse voice, trying to grasp at the last straw.
"Who can guarantee that? If the experiment goes wrong even slightly, a loss of control in a fraction of a second could be catastrophic! We can't afford to gamble! The country can't afford to gamble either!"
Zhang Mingyuan was caught in an unprecedented internal struggle.
On one side are the bloody, potentially disastrous consequences described by Wang Tiezhu;
On the other side lies the only path, as depicted by Mingzhao, leading to the "Ghost's" cloaked wings!
The stringent 99% absorption rate specification on that drawing was like a sword hanging over my head.
Without new materials anchored by stardust, relying on existing rudimentary methods, 85% is already the limit!
85% is still not enough in the face of the enemy's advanced radar!
It still couldn't prevent pilots from risking their lives to pay the price!
Time ticked by in a suffocating silence. Pressure, like an invisible giant hand, gripped everyone's throat.
---
Zhang Mingyuan abruptly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were bloodshot, yet burning with a resolute flame of desperation.
He no longer looked at Wang Tiezhu; his gaze was fixed on Mingzhao's face like a nail, his voice hoarse but carrying an undeniable determination:
"Theoretical report! Comrade, I need you! Immediately! Right now! Give me the most detailed and rigorous theoretical feasibility report! Quantify all the risk points you can think of, control schemes, energy dissipation thresholds, and the critical point of runaway! Write it all down! Not a single word can be omitted!"
He abruptly turned to Engineer Sun, his voice like a hammer blow: "Engineer Sun! Your entire materials team! Put aside all other work! Cooperate fully with your comrade! Whatever data she needs, whatever parameters she wants to measure, measure them for me! Use the fastest speed! The most accurate data! Find out the internal structure, dielectric properties, and permeability curves of this material as a function of temperature and frequency! Especially the evidence she mentioned of the nascent photonic lattice! Find it for me! Dig three feet into the ground if you must!"
Finally, he took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and spoke to the air, or perhaps to the highest decision-making body in the unseen realm.
He said in a deep voice, "The report...I will personally sign it! I'll take the responsibility! But I'm determined to have the materials!"
Wang Tiezhu was struck dumb, staggered back a step, and leaned against the cold wall, his eyes completely extinguished.
He knew he had lost. Zhang Mingyuan had staked his future, even his life!
Mingzhao did not respond to Zhang Mingyuan's boastful words.
She simply nodded slightly, her eyes showing no emotion, as if Zhang Mingyuan's decision was entirely expected.
She immediately went to the lab bench, picked up paper and pen, and began to write.
It wasn't text, but a page full of complex mathematical symbols, physical formulas, and topological diagrams that were dizzying!
The speed was so fast, it was as if it had already been imprinted in my mind.
Sun and the others were also ignited by Zhang Mingyuan's resolute decision. They cast aside their fear and immediately threw themselves into the frantic testing.
The laboratory instantly transformed into a high-speed machine.
---
Three days and three nights in the middle of the night.
The lights in the materials laboratory stayed on all night.
Mingzhao's theoretical report continued to grow thicker in Zhang Mingyuan's hands, each page embodying wisdom that transcended its time and cold, logical deduction.
Sun's team also pulled out all the stops, using rudimentary instruments to painstakingly verify some of the key inferences in Mingzhao's theory regarding the "heterogeneous dielectric-magnetic coupling structure" and the weak "photonic lattice" effect inside the material.
Although the data is rough, it surprisingly matches Mingzhao's prophecy!
Dawn on the fourth day.
Zhang Mingyuan left the base with the report that embodied Mingzhao's wisdom and his own future, as well as the experimental data pieced together by Sun's team that could barely serve as supporting evidence.
Destination: The highest decision-making level.
Waiting is agonizing.
The atmosphere at the base was extremely oppressive.
Wang Tiezhu fell completely silent, wandering around the base like a ghost.
With dark circles under their eyes, Sun and the others continued testing while anxiously awaiting their fate.
On the evening of the seventh day.
Zhang Mingyuan is back.
He looked travel-worn, with sunken eyes and chapped, peeling lips.
He didn't return to the command post or go to see Zhang Meng, but instead rushed straight into the still brightly lit materials laboratory.
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