I built an armada.

Dead!

Only the roar of the machines pounded like hammers in the suddenly extremely awkward air!

Xu Bingxian's facial muscles froze completely! The fake smile at the corner of his mouth solidified, twitched... and shattered into pieces!
He stared at Su Dingping as if he were a monster! His eyes were wide open! It was as if he was seeing the person in front of him clearly for the first time!

This guy is a military expert who works on nuclear magnetic confinement and strong force particle beams!

What did he say?!

Solvent microrheological properties? Shear stress? Molecular bond forces? Structural stress adaptation? !!!
The senior researchers who were closer held their breath!
The old man with thick glasses stared intently at the data area and graphs that Su Dingping's fingertips were hovering over. He then snatched the report from Su Dingping's hand and quickly flipped to the corresponding position. A few seconds later, he suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with an incredulous, cloudy light.

"Yes...yes! This is it!"
"This inflection point...we initially thought it was due to turbulent boundary disturbances..."

The way he looked at Su Dingping completely changed! It was as if he had discovered a lost treasure!
Xu Bingxian's Adam's apple bobbed violently as he finally managed to find his dry, hoarse voice, which carried a vibration as if he had been completely stripped bare and ripped out from the hardest shell.

"...Expert Su...this...this...is impossible? You really...you really understand ion extraction kinetics?"

His questioning contained no more sarcasm or probing; it was only a profound sense of bewilderment and helplessness born from the instant breach of his cognitive defenses.

Su Dingping closed the stack of reports stained with blue ink and handed them back to the lab technician who was still in a daze.

He did not answer Xu Bingxian's simplistic question, which was tinged with self-doubt.

His gaze swept over the crowd of people standing around him, across the complex equipment and pipelines flashing various indicator lights, and further away, over the area where mineral samples and semi-finished concentrate tanks were piled up, as if he were measuring the strategic significance of this land.

"Director Xu."

His voice was steady and powerful, as if his groundbreaking analysis just now was merely a casual remark.

"I need the index of all the research archives of the Xijiang Institute for the past three years."

This includes discarded and archived materials, as long as they are related to rare earth enrichment and separation.

He calmly and methodically outlined the core of the list.

"1. All original process flow diagrams and control parameters of the Xijiang No. 1 and No. 2 old production lines."

"Second, all operational data and failure analysis records of the Tiangong Line 1 and Line 2 experimental verifications."

"III. All domestically produced novel extraction solvent formulations, synthesis reaction conditions, batches, and pilot-scale analytical chromatograms that are currently being or have been tested..."

"IV. Complete structural drawings, control chip logic code, and stress simulation models of key turntables and bearings of the previous generation of main centrifugal extractors..."

"All design drafts and simulation calculation reports of the fifth-generation prototype."

The last three words were concise and to the point.

I want them all.

Xu Bingxian's brain was still in a state of shock, blanked out by the precise strike.

The unfathomable power in the young man's eyes pressed down like a mountain.

He felt like a frog that had just learned to swim and was thrown into the center of a whirlpool in the ocean, and could only nod subconsciously and with great difficulty.

"Okay...okay...Expert Su! I'll have someone deliver everything to the workroom prepared for you right away! There will be absolutely nothing hidden or omitted!"

The heavy alloy door, reeking of rust, creaked shut behind Su Dingping, shutting out the mixed noise, curious gazes, and lingering air of suspicion from the research institute outside.

This is a temporary, stand-alone laboratory and office set up on the east side of the third floor.

The space was large, but at this moment it felt extremely empty.

At the center was a huge, gleaming stainless steel laboratory bench, neatly stacked with folders, scrolls of blueprints, and a disk storage array covered in dense symbols—all nearly as tall as a person.

This is a collection of paper and electronic materials, gathered over nearly ten years from the Xijiang Institute's archives, encompassing several major projects and representing the hard work of dozens of core researchers!
They are like a silent steel forest, exuding the scent of ink, old paper, and the microelectronic smell unique to data storage materials.

The only lively thing was a clean single cot in the corner and a small metal cabinet piled with compressed biscuits, mineral water, and a small bottle of concentrated vitamin tablets.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the sky over Xijiang Prefecture is a leaden gray, shrouded in thick industrial moisture.

The lights were not on.

Su Dingping stood before the mountain of documents, like a general about to face an attack by a thousand troops, ultimately left to fight alone.

His gaze swept slowly across the labels on the files and disks, like a scanner.

Summary of operational accidents on the Xijiang No. 1 old railway line from 1988 to 1990; Analysis report on abnormal flow dynamics of rare earth leaching solution; Original data for measuring the ion exchange efficiency of organophosphoramide composite system; Stress concentration failure model of the main shaft of the fourth-generation centrifuge...

He walked to the lab bench and opened the heavy drawer closest to him.

No specific report was retrieved.

Instead, he reached inside and took out... a brand new pair of white cotton gloves.

He carefully put on the gloves, feeling the pure ritualistic sensation of "preparing tools" as his fingers gently rubbed against the fabric.

Then.

He pulled out the top stack of reports, which were as thick as bricks and had worn-down edges—"The Original Operation Manual and Fault Compilation for the Entire Process of Xijiang Line 1".

He stood beside that huge, empty lab bench. He didn't sit down.

With his back straight, he stood like a military knife thrust into an unknown forest.

I turned the slightly yellowed first page with my fingertips.

sand……

The sound of pages turning echoed in the eerily quiet, empty room.

sand……

Only this single, repetitive sound, like the turning of pages of a carving knife across stone.

From day to night. And from night to the horizon outside the window turning a pale, fish-belly gray.

The light streaming through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows went from bright to dim to almost pitch black, and then stubbornly peeked out a sliver of gray-white.

A very faint, rhythmic knocking sounded at the door.

squeak-

The door was pushed open a crack. The cold white light from the hallway outside briefly streamed in, outlining Guo Xueyun's slender shadow.

She was carrying a small plate with a bowl of slightly steaming vegetable noodles and a can of milk.

Her gaze fell on Su Dingping.

He remained standing in the same spot! Like a sculpture welded to the same place!

The posture remains that the left hand holds the bottom of a thick booklet or report, while the right hand is suspended and twisting the pages!
On the lab bench, a corner of the mountain of documents had been moved aside! The empty tabletop was covered with draft papers containing complex structural diagrams, molecular formulas, and calculation drafts! Next to it was his encrypted calculator, which he carried with him and had only a few core keys.

Sweat dampened the stray hairs at his temples, his handsome profile appearing sharply defined in the dim light, his jawline taut. His eyes remained fixed on the open page to his right, densely covered with hand-drawn flow field distributions, viscous force vector arrows, and data annotations!
The bowl of dinner she had brought in that evening was now completely cold, with a layer of creamy oil on its surface. Guo Xueyun's heart clenched silently.

She walked over quietly, her movements as still as a feather landing, and carefully placed the plate she was carrying on a clean metal swivel chair beside her. She didn't make a sound to disturb him.

She simply gazed intently at his straight but clearly tense back for a few seconds with her clear eyes. Her gaze was filled with worry, understanding... and unreserved heartache.

Then, she quietly slipped out, and the door hinges creaked shut with an almost imperceptible sigh.

The door closed again.

It blocked out that faint light and fleeting vitality.

The huge room was once again enveloped in that lonely and heavy atmosphere, like the deep sea, where only the rustling of paper and the muffled clicks of calculator keys could be heard.

sand……

sand……

The sound of turning pages.

monotonous.

Persistence.

Like the never-ending second hand.

Like an iron pickaxe digging into a thick layer of rock.

It records every inch of the arduous journey as we charge into the bottomless quagmire of technology and resource barriers!

The digital clock on the white wall of the research institute ticked silently, marking the seventh "24".

The clock quietly ticked past. The cold white light from the fluorescent tube shone on Su Dingping's face, revealing the spiderweb-like bloodshot veins in his eyes and the bluish stubble on his chin. A pile of lunchboxes, half a person's height, sat in the corner, all delivered by Guo Xueyun on time, most of which he had only eaten a few bites of.

The alloy door clicked softly, and Xu Bingxian entered carrying a cup of strong tea, the smell of cooking oil from staying up all night spreading out.

"Chief Engineer Su...?"

He tentatively called out, staring at the almost stiff back view in front of the computer screen.

Su Dingping didn't turn around. The keyboard clicked away rapidly, leaving only afterimages. On the screen, a waterfall of data flowed, mixed with a complex centrifuge dynamic model. Several glaring red warning lines flashed and jumped incessantly in the critical parameter area—traces that Su Dingping had forcibly covered and overturned with his illegible formulas.

Xu Bingxian's throat was dry.

It's been a week! I've been holed up at home for a whole week, poring over all the ion extraction data from the Xijiang Institute that I've kept hidden away for nearly ten years, unfinished design sketches, and even the original records of several failed experiments.

This intensity is simply beyond what a human could withstand! The "research maniac" that the young researchers in the institute privately muttered about was now incredibly apt in Xu Bingxian's mind.

He silently put down the hot tea and quietly left.

As soon as the door closed, a barely perceptible glint flashed in Su Dingping's eyes.

The screen in front of me instantly distorted and faded, replaced by a deep spatial outline forged with a faint light! In the upper left corner of my vision, a line of semi-transparent crystal numbers floated.

Centrifugal Extraction Machine - Atomic-Level Solvent Formula - Unlock Progress Update - 13 days, 7 hours, and 42 minutes. The last time he saw this "Forging Space" progress bar appear was before he entered the data room, a full 37 days later!
'I have to go to the field... I must go to the field!' The thought exploded in my mind.

The following morning, a thick layer of moisture mixed with the pungent smell of chemicals permeated the No. 1 rare earth mine deep in Xijiang Mountain.

The massive open-pit mine, like a hideous wound, tore through the greenery, and a dull mechanical roar came from the bottom of the pit.

"Chief Xu, where is he?"

Li Ming, the deputy director of the laboratory, hurried over in his rubber boots covered in red mud, and lowered his voice.

"Didn't you say that expert Su from Beijing would be coming down into the tunnel with us today to solve the solvent rheology problem of the extraction machine?"

Xu Bingxian stood at the entrance to the slippery mine tunnel, his brows furrowed, craning his neck to look into the distance.

Not far away, below the steep ore conveyor belt, a tall, thin figure in a research institute uniform stood out.

The man neither wore a safety helmet nor entered the core extraction control room. He stood motionless beside the huge slag heap, like a weathered stone pillar, staring at the raw ore covered in wet mud on the conveyor belt.

"Here."

Xu Bingxian gestured with his chin in that direction, his tone tinged with suppressed frustration.

"They've been standing there since morning!"

Li Ming looked over and saw only the corner of Su Dingping's clothes fluttering in the wind.

He was stunned.

"He...he's looking at the slag? Instead of checking the centrifuge operating parameters in the control room?"

Several technicians in overalls gathered around and began to whisper among themselves.

"Isn't he supposed to be a national treasure-level expert? It's been days, he's been to the mine, the ore dressing shed, the waste dump... he's been everywhere, but he hasn't touched the experimental data even once!"

"Exactly! Xu gave him top-level access, but he hasn't even touched the control panel doorknob! I bet he's stumped by this tough nut to crack, so he's just wandering around aimlessly to stall for time, right?"

A young researcher couldn't help but chuckle, his voice low but clear.

"Tsk, this is hardly an expert consultant from Beijing; he's just a tourist!"

Several suppressed low laughs echoed in response.

Xu Bingxian's face darkened, and he abruptly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like a knife.

"Shut up, all of you! Go do what you were supposed to do!"

The crowd shrank back and quickly dispersed.

He took a deep breath of the cold wind filled with dust and stale air, and felt a tightness in his chest.

Looking at Su Dingping's stubbornly standing back, an indescribable emotion surged up—trust had been eroded by time.

He gritted his teeth, turned and plunged into the buzzing central control room. The heavy soundproof door slammed shut, seemingly isolating him from the outside world. Fine, if you won't do it, we'll do it ourselves!

A piercing alarm suddenly ripped through the oppressive silence of the control room! The scarlet warning lights spun wildly, and all the screens were instantly covered with red alarm icons representing data overflow and pipeline blockage! Xu Bingxian had just put on the headphones to monitor the vibration frequency of the extraction machine when he was startled by this sudden change and jumped up from his chair.

"What's going on?!"

He rushed to the control panel and questioned them in a hoarse voice.

The main screen was flashing the 3D pipeline diagram of the centrifuge unit. The key primary extraction section, with its several blue curves representing solvent pressure, was now convulsing and shaking violently like dying earthworms, with the values ​​soaring to the extreme dark red area!

"Pressure abnormality! Centrifuge No. 3 solvent pressure overload! The self-locking protection is about to trigger!"

The researcher, Xiao Chen, who was in charge of monitoring the screen, was so frightened that his voice changed.

"Don't stop! Shutting down the pump will disable the entire system! Forcefully maintain solvent injection! Quickly!" (End of Chapter)