Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1306 identifies a key character (4k)

"However, if he wants to move up any further, that's beyond our control. We need to submit a report to higher authorities. Regardless of the outcome, our department must maintain a firm stance." The leader thought for a moment and then added.

"Yes, your consideration is correct." The chief engineer nodded and said, "Fortunately, Comrade Zhendong meets the requirements in terms of qualifications, except for his age, and his rank is also about right." It's just that his age is a bit exaggerated.

"You can't say that. During the war, it wasn't uncommon to see military officers in their thirties. So, if you calculate it that way, it's not too far off, hahaha," the leader laughed.

"Yes, you have a point. Comrade Zhendong came from the army, which is a good example of carrying forward the glorious tradition of the military."

The car moved forward smoothly and steadily without any bumps, even as the two were talking.
-
In a suburb of Beijing, colleagues from the Southwest Aircraft Research Institute are conducting wind tunnel tests on a model of a certain type of aircraft.

This "type" is actually an air superiority fighter jet, but as is our custom, those who know, know, it's all called "type".

The higher-ups attach great importance to this aircraft. The comrades who came here to observe and guide the wind tunnel test of the aircraft are of high rank, and they are the kind of top-level comrades who have returned from abroad and are extremely familiar with aerodynamics.

After all, these days we have to admit that, apart from a very few people like Gao Zhendong, those who have returned from abroad are indeed far ahead in terms of technology and vision.

"Hmm, your overall design for this aircraft is very interesting. It takes into account almost all existing conditions, and the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft has been optimized to the extreme for the existing conditions."

Designing an excellent aerodynamic shape is impressive, but it's not the most impressive thing, since good designs tend to converge.

However, given the current environmental conditions, reasonable trade-offs were made, and the aerodynamic shape was optimized to its extreme, which is a different concept altogether.

Therefore, this comrade praised the aerodynamic shape design proposed by the Southwest Institute, feeling that adding or subtracting even a fraction of it would be too much or too little.

The colleagues at the Southwest Institute were very proud of the evaluation of the master-level figure. Although they felt that they did not deserve most of the credit for the appearance, good things are good things, and they were very happy as the implementers to be able to implement the plan.

"Yes, we received a lot of help from the experts within the system for this design. The main credit goes to them. We also thought about whether we could make further modifications and optimizations, but after thinking about it for a long time, apart from some minor adjustments, we really couldn't make any changes to the overall design."

The other party laughed: "Well, since it's good, don't change it. You guys continue to train and improve your abilities. Then, considering the future environment, maybe you can change it then. Just like that belly air intake, although it doesn't look as symmetrical and beautiful as the side air intakes, considering the engine power, high angle of attack performance, and high-altitude and high-speed requirements, it really is the most suitable solution at this stage."

A master is a master; he saw through Gao Zhendong's reasons and purpose for coming up with this plan at a glance.

As he spoke, he stared intently at the wind tunnel model, his eyes gleaming.

"The smoothness of this model is very high. Is it because it is only a scaled-down model, so the requirements for detail reproduction in areas such as the abdomen are not very high?"

The colleague from the Southwest Institute shook his head: "No, to be precise, this was the requirement of the colleague who provided the overall plan—to make it as smooth as possible. That was his exact words. For this reason, we basically filled in the belly between the two engines. Unexpectedly, this brought another benefit: that area provided a considerable amount of internal space, and due to factors such as wing-body integration, the internal fuel capacity increased significantly."

"Lifting body fuselage, that's what your proposal says, right?"

"Yes, yes, we've calculated it, and it does indeed bring lift benefits. Moreover, this smooth surface can reduce the aircraft's wetted surface area in the air to a certain extent, which is beneficial for reducing drag." The colleagues at the Southwest Institute didn't just rush into implementing the plan; they conducted extensive calculations and evaluations. Otherwise, they wouldn't have said that they "really couldn't proceed."

They'd done the calculations, but still couldn't proceed. That was truly impossible, at least before the wind tunnel experiments. After all, in fluid dynamics, the calculated results and the actual performance might not be entirely consistent. If they wanted to make any changes, they could only do so after examining the wind tunnel.

"Hmm... The comrade who provided this plan is quite impressive... Speed, high maneuverability, and range—he hasn't missed a thing. However, I feel that you still haven't fully grasped his ideas. His ideas may be more than what you've mentioned, but for some reason, he hasn't revealed everything."

As for what exactly he was thinking, this comrade was a little unsure. He just felt that this fuselage, which looked somewhat like a regular polyhedron and was out of step with all current aircraft designs, must not be so simple.

However, this complexity may not be limited to aerodynamics; it may involve other disciplines. After all, everyone has their own area of ​​expertise, and it's not easy for him to make a judgment.

Upon hearing this, the colleagues from the Southwest Institute were extremely excited. In terms of insight, this master-level colleague in front of them was definitely superior to them. Since he said so, it was most likely true: "Is that so? Then we'll go and ask him properly and learn from him!"

They didn't think that Chief Engineer Gao had any selfish motives; they just felt that it was probably due to some reason, most likely his own technical limitations, that Chief Engineer Gao was unable to communicate with them on deeper issues for the time being.

"Well, that's a matter for later. Let's start this experiment first."

As test commands were issued, the wind tunnel machinery began to roar loudly.
-
How are our comrades in the Arctic Circle doing?

In a certain part of Beijing, the comrades still think about those who risked their lives to forcibly enter the Arctic Circle.

"We've been in contact all along. Although it's not as convenient as it is back home, once the new communication satellite is launched, we can still get their general reports within a certain time frame through store-and-forward, which is much faster than relaying them through the White Bear." Speaking of this, the comrades were full of praise for the communication satellite that was recently launched.

Regardless of any delays, the important thing is whether the call can be connected. Moreover, the delay in this method is actually not very high; compared to methods like diplomatic emails, it's incredibly fast.

Moreover, compared to messages that are relayed through multiple layers of White Bear, this method is undoubtedly more convenient, and more importantly, it is safer!
The sender and receiver transact directly, without any intermediaries stealing information.

"Have the comrades who replaced them already gone?" "They are already waiting in Viking City on the White Bear side. From June to September, the sea route from Viking City to Barentsburg can be opened. This time, the comrades will go directly by ship, which is much safer and they can also carry more supplies."

"Yes, they have worked very hard, especially since they were the first group of comrades to go there. They lacked experience and needed to learn everything. The environment was harsh, and they also had to shoulder heavy responsibilities. We should bring them back as soon as possible."

"They wanted to come back in September, just before the deadline for closing the sea route," the comrade who reported said.

The comrade who listened to the report resolutely refused: "No, the climate there is too harsh, and working beyond the allotted time would be detrimental to their health."

"Their suggestion was that the new comrades needed a lot of time to familiarize themselves with and learn about working and living in the Arctic Circle, which might delay their work. After all, the entire year-long observation cycle had not yet been completed. They wanted to help the new comrades get into work mode as quickly as possible and share more of the tasks."

"That won't do either. They were new when they first arrived, didn't they? We have to trust our comrades. If they can do it, the comrades who replace them can do it just as well. Individual heroism is unacceptable. How about this... give them a month, at most a month! I don't believe the replacements can't get into the swing of things in a month!"

A day later, near Barentsburg, in a small new base that we funded and the White Bear helped build, a comrade stretched out his cracked hand, shut down the satellite communication terminal, and then carefully covered it with a plastic sheet.

After covering it with a plastic sheet, guests cannot see it, and it is not easy for water or dust to come into direct contact with it. Moreover, the plastic sheet can transmit electromagnetic waves without interfering with reception.

This thing is very valuable; it was airdropped from China via a plane from the White Bear region. However, it is indeed a good thing, so it's no wonder that China went to such great lengths to airdrop one, and couldn't even wait for the replacement comrade to bring it to the island.

Another comrade quickly asked, "How did it go? Did the higher-ups approve our request?"

"They didn't fully agree; they said they'd give us at most a month," the colleague operating the satellite terminal said with some regret.

“How can this be? How can a comrade who just arrived be able to take over in such a short time!” Another comrade said anxiously.

"Alright, alright, the higher-ups already guessed what we were thinking. They specifically said that we must trust our comrades and their abilities! This is an order, there's no room for discussion! Let's get ready to welcome the comrades who will take over the island."
-
Meanwhile, the supporting character that frequently appeared in our conversations—the polar bear—was not idle at all, in his work related to us.

Lubyanka, the capital of the polar bear.

"How's the progress of your investigation into the people and supplies that the comrades from the South went to Barentsburg this time?" A white bear-like man in charge of related matters asked his subordinates, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied.

His dissatisfaction was not unfounded. In fact, for various reasons, compared with the fruitful results achieved by countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, Lubyanka's achievements were not so brilliant when facing us.

Perhaps it's related to the paths he's taken, but Lubyanka often doesn't handle various old revolutionary bases as well as he does other countries. In fact, Lubyanka's biggest mistake came from dealing with the Gauls, a famous old revolutionary base.

"The investigation has revealed that some of the individuals have military backgrounds, while others are personnel working in fields such as geology and meteorology. Considering the harsh environment within the Arctic Circle, having a military background seems quite normal."

"Where are the supplies? We were already helpless against the supplies they airdropped last time, don't tell me it will be the same result this time."

"We can't be blamed for last time. Apart from the necessary notification and public procedures to let us take out the goods for a preliminary inspection, the Southerners didn't have a chance to touch the thing. They just welded the outer packaging of the airdrop shut. Unless we wanted to break off relations, we had no chance to study in detail what it was. We only knew that it was a communication device, but we didn't know anything about the inside. You know, the Southerners' electronic technology is much more advanced than ours."

"This time! This time! Don't try to explain what happened last time!" the person in charge said, clearly dissatisfied.

"Ah, this time there's nothing too strange. Survival supplies, scientific research equipment, astronomical equipment, and camera equipment are all normal, nothing else."

“Well, maybe they really are here for scientific research.” The person in charge shrugged. “But what about their home country? You should know that we’re becoming increasingly interested in their technology.”

Speaking of this, his subordinate was no longer sleepy: "Yes, yes, their cars are really good! I bought one when I went on a mission last time, and they're much better than the ones we have in China!"

Actually, there was more than one, but only one can be openly discussed.

"I didn't ask you about their cars! I asked how you were handling their work!"

The subordinate was jolted awake from his pleasant reverie: "Everything else is normal..."

Upon hearing this, the person in charge couldn't help but frown. "Everything is normal" meant there was no progress, but his subordinate's next words reassured him somewhat.

“However, through analysis, we identified a person who is closely related to their technological development.” After saying this, he took out a piece of paper.

The person in charge glanced at him, and his excitement cooled down again: "This one? We already know this one. He's a computer expert, a metallurgist and materials scientist, and a theoretical physicist. Although we don't know why he can combine these things, his role is more fundamental and he can't directly promote the development of any specific sub-field. He's important, but not new."

"No, no, no, our extremely limited intelligence indicates that this person's security level is unusually high. Even with his considerable military strength, he still maintains an extraordinary level of security, which is not simple. Moreover, we know that many people in their military-industrial complex frequently enter and exit the factory where this person works, which is very unusual."

(End of this chapter)