Mingzhao's calm words struck Zhang Mingyuan's heart like a cold gavel, shattering the last vestige of pretense of peace in the dean's office.
The finger pointing at the design drawings of the "Dongfeng-7" fighter jet precisely struck the research institute's most hidden and fatal wound!
The color drained from Zhang Mingyuan's face instantly, leaving it as pale as paper.
He suddenly turned his head and stared intently at the huge design drawing on the wall, his gaze focused on the area marked by Mingzhao's fingertip, the seventh rib area!
“You…how could you…” Zhang Mingyuan’s voice was dry and hoarse, trembling with disbelief.
These are classified blueprints! Not something an ordinary person can see.
He instinctively turned his suspicious gaze sharply to Howard, who was standing next to Mingzhao! It was Howard! It must be Howard!
But how did Howard obtain the classified blueprints for the Dongfeng-7 missile and show them to Mingzhao?
Otherwise, how could she, a newcomer to the institute who didn't even know which way the lab door faced, so accurately point out the structural problems that were causing headaches for their core team, based solely on a publicly available three-view drawing?! Even down to the values of the stress concentration factor and the material's yield strength?!
Howard met Zhang Mingyuan's questioning, even accusatory gaze, his brows furrowed, his eyes sharp and frank.
He shook his head slightly, silently but firmly stating his position: he had not! He would never leak state secrets!
"However, the Dongfeng-7 is extremely similar to the blueprints of a foreign fighter jet. I mentioned it before, and Mingzhao pointed out the problem. At the time, without confirmation, we dared not report it casually, but Brigade Wang knew about it..."
Zhang Mingyuan calmed down. Howard's eyes didn't seem fake.
Moreover, given Howard's rank and discipline, he would neither be able nor need to do such a thing.
Could it be that this girl named Mingzhao... discerned the deepest secret of the "Dongfeng-7" with just a few glances? This... this is beyond all his understanding of genius!
Is she really exceptionally talented?
Zhang Mingyuan didn't want to exaggerate the abilities of a girl under 20 years old, as that would be too outrageous according to common sense.
But I couldn't help but ask myself, what if? What if it's true?
How many well-trained airmen could this discovery save? If such a tragedy were to occur because of his distrust, Zhang Mingyuan could not accept it!
Compared to the lives of the air force personnel, the materials agreed to be given to Mingzhao were insignificant.
After all, materials are inanimate, but people are alive.
The nation has a future only when its people are alive!
The immense shock almost made Zhang Mingyuan lose his balance. He gripped the table, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Mingzhao's clear and calm eyes now seemed like a bottomless, icy pool, filled with an unknown and chilling power.
"Dean..." Liu Wenjun was also stunned by this sudden change. Looking at Zhang Mingyuan's pale face, she spoke up with concern.
"Don't speak yet!" Zhang Mingyuan suddenly roared, interrupting Liu Wenjun.
His mind was in complete chaos, but his instincts as a military worker and his immense sense of crisis overwhelmed everything!
If Mingzhao's words are true... if that hidden danger really exists and has already led to an accident... then the consequences would be unimaginable!
This is not a matter of saving face; it is a matter of life and death concerning the lives of countless pilots and the safety of national property!
He forcibly suppressed his turbulent emotions and looked at Mingzhao with a complex and deep gaze.
There was horror, fear, disbelief, and even... a hint of barely perceptible fear in his eyes.
He took a deep breath, his voice hoarse and weary from forced restraint, and waved his hand:
"You...go back first."
He couldn't even utter a single polite word.
Upon hearing this, Mingzhao turned and left without any hesitation, as if staying even a second longer would be a waste of time.
Liu Wenjun was still in a state of shock and confusion. She looked at Mingzhao's back, then at Dean Zhang, who was leaning on the table and seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything and followed him with a heavy heart.
Howard glanced deeply at the distraught Zhang Mingyuan, then pushed his wheelchair and silently left the extremely oppressive office.
The office door was gently closed.
Dead silence.
Zhang Mingyuan slumped back into the large chair.
He stared intently at the draft paper Mingzhao had drawn. The spot Mingzhao had pointed to now appeared to him like a monstrous black hole, capable of swallowing everything!
"Seventh rib...stress concentration...material yield strength..."
He muttered to himself, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He grabbed the phone beside him, his fingers trembling with excitement at the thought.
An internal number was dialed, and Zhang Mingyuan's voice was hoarse and urgent, carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve:
"Hey! This is Zhang Mingyuan! Now! Immediately! Right now! Notify all core members of the 'Dongfeng-7' project team to bring all original design and calculation data, wind tunnel test reports, material performance reports, and... those detailed investigation reports on the 'Dongfeng-7' in-flight accidents! All of you! Assemble in Conference Room One immediately! No one is allowed to be absent! No delays! This is a top-level emergency order!"
...
The courtyard of the military family compound was shrouded in twilight, the air still carrying the lingering warmth of the excitement brought by Liu Wenjun.
Outside the courtyard gate, the figure in blue overalls, like a silent shadow, still stood, silently declaring a certain boundary.
Liu Wenjun watched as Mingzhao picked up the carving knife again and focused intently on carving complex, dizzying lines on the metal plate, as if the approval slip symbolizing a huge concession and the abrupt "guard" outside the door were just insignificant background elements.
Her initial excitement and gratitude seemed to have hit an invisible wall, gradually cooling down and settling into a complex emotion that was difficult to describe.
“Mingzhao…” Liu Wenjun’s voice, trembling slightly and filled with confusion, broke the silence of the courtyard.
Can I ask you a question?
Mingzhao did not pause his carving knife; he merely nodded very slightly to indicate that he had heard.
Liu Wenjun took a deep breath, stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Mingzhao's lowered profile, and asked the question that had been weighing on her heart for so long, a question she could no longer suppress:
Why...?
"Why didn't you just join the research institute directly, instead of going through such a long and roundabout way?"
Liu Wenjun was very worried about Jiang Feng's leg, but she saw hope for the future, and Jiang Feng's mental state was also stabilizing.
Mingzhao, through his own recommendation and by using blueprints as a stepping stone, was able to join the research institute directly.
Why did Mingzhao refuse?
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