Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 225 Castles in the Air
For the next two days, Zhai Da lived a very simple life, going back and forth between two points every day.

He went to the "Qian Xuesen Engineering Science Experimental Base" as soon as he got up. He had completed all his exercises and began to work on the huge "Tilted Tower" under the guidance of Gong Changzhang.

The main work on this engineering behemoth was completed several months ago, but all cutting-edge scientific projects are the same.

Everyone must learn by doing.

It's not the one below the high school one; those who have dirty thoughts can go stand in the corner as punishment.

Therefore, continuous adjustments and improvements are needed.

When Gong Changzhang notified the "Engineering Site Department" that it could resume operations, more than twenty workers returned to the previously empty factory.

Each of the twenty workers would be an engineer in a regular factory, but here, they are just part of the team working with Zhai Da.

Zhai Da only needs to complete the most critical tasks under Gong Changzhang's guidance, and then the testing, restoration, and cleaning will be taken care of.

By the way, Gong Changzhang has been acting differently these past two days. He seems much more enlightened, often smoking alone, lost in thought, or laughing to himself. I wonder what he's been through.

Of course, he remained focused and responsible at work, as if this was the only valuable thing left in his life.

In one section of the work area, Zhai Da was working inside a pipe with his back bent. There was a narrow space, only the size of a cigarette box, where he had to put his entire arm inside. He needed to adjust a sensor.

At this angle, no power tool can fit in; the only usable tool is a 15-centimeter-long, irregularly shaped wrench, and even then, you lose your "view" when you put your hand in.

This is cutting-edge engineering. If the design were constantly iterated and optimized, such an awkward corner could be completely avoided.

Unfortunately, it should be here, and the rest is up to people to overcome the operational difficulties.

The value of my grandfather's notes continues to increase, demonstrating the irreplaceable role of people at the forefront of cutting-edge research.

Gong Changzhang nervously said from outside, "Make sure you hold it firmly. If you don't get it right, you can try a few more times. If the wrench falls in, you'll have worked for nothing for a week."

The whole thing needs to be disassembled to find a wrench!
Zhai Da thought to himself, "Can you please be quiet? It would be more convenient for me if you weren't here. I would have taken out the Pure Gold Secret Staff and finished it much sooner."

Relying solely on his nimble right hand, Zhai Da focused his mind and calmly sensed the subtle changes in angle and torque, bit by bit.
After a while, he pulled his hand out and said, "Okay, see if it's normal now?"

Gong Changzhang immediately took out his walkie-talkie and asked the control room more than 200 meters away: "Check if QD417 is connected? Is the reading normal?"

There's no way around it; the length span is too large, and communication between different work sections can't be understood even by shouting.

After a while, a message came through the walkie-talkie: "There is a response. The initial test index is normal. I will arrange for a retest and stability test."

"Okay, let's move on to the next spot."

Zhai Da wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Let's go."

Soon, someone came to restore and conduct on-site testing. This arrangement made things much easier for Zhai Da, who was the vanguard in the massive operation.

Gong Changzhang was no longer surprised by Zhai Da's "talent," but he didn't know that this talent also required extra effort. Whenever he had free time, Zhai Da would take out the [Pure Gold Secret Staff] and tap it.

He even draws diagrams in his spare time, which gives him a much deeper understanding of the device than someone who is new to it.

The only pity is that Zhai Da only made "small, delicate changes". The overall structure of this behemoth did not change much, and it lacked the sense of accomplishment of watching it come to life from scratch.

It seems like after all these days of busy work, all I've done is get a pedicure.
After working six hours of intense work each day, Zhai Da either practices the procedures or studies for his final exams.

If I get back early, I'll have dinner with Lu Siwen; if I get back late, I'll take a shower and rest.

During this time, Xinglang contacted Zhai Da several times. To avoid trouble, he didn't mention that he was already in Beijing, only saying that there was no need to arrange plane tickets or anything else.

They gave him a schedule, and he was to check into the hotel arranged by Xinglang on the evening of the 17th. The hotel was the International Hotel next to the "Chang'an Grand Theater" venue, which would make it very convenient for him to move between venues or conduct interviews in the following days.

On the 18th, he will be interviewed twice, one alone and the other with Han Han and Guo Jinming. The three of them are known as the "Three Little Fresh Meat Writers of the New Generation". There are also some miscellaneous dinners and charity events.
Xinglang asked Zhai Da if he had brought a team. After consulting with Lu Siwen, Zhai Da decided to bring her along to join in the fun.

They are a "team" in themselves, especially when it comes to Star Wave.

Lu Siwen can participate in interviews and other activities off-camera, but she will have to sit in the back row at the awards ceremony on the 19th.

As the first-generation "online pie-sharing" event, the gala featured 70 awards, with more than 30 presented on-site, and the entire event lasted over five hours, from 7 pm to almost midnight.

It's also a physically demanding job.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The fifth day since arriving in northern Beijing, December 14th.

The work that requires Zhai Da to operate on the JF-12 is 80% complete, much faster than expected.

Zhai Da actually completed the two-and-a-half-day practice in just one and a half days, saving nearly half of the planned five-day work time.

Tomorrow, he'll wrap things up, and theoretically, his "technical flying knife" work will be finished.

Of course, this didn't mean he could leave immediately. Gong Changzhang's hand hadn't fully recovered, and if they called him in the next few days, he would have to come back. During lunch break, since there was no canteen and the area was in the suburbs, everyone had the same boxed lunch. Zhai Da took a box and ate it in the break room, while also reviewing his "Linear Algebra" textbook.

The boxed lunches were so-so. They were ordered from a nearby restaurant. According to long-time members, they've been delivering them for almost a year now, and they're getting increasingly shoddy. They might have to switch to a different restaurant.

Gong Changzhang walked in and placed a bottle of Coke in front of Zhai Da: "Xiao Zhai, you've worked hard. The conditions are simple and the hospitality is inadequate."

Zhai Da didn't stand on ceremony, unscrewed the cap and took a sip: "It's nothing, I'm only staying for a few days anyway, but you guys are staying for so long, it must be much more tiring."

Gong Changzhang said frankly:

"There's no other way. The total investment for the project so far is only a little over ten million. We've barely managed to feed the people and animals. But if this test can achieve the expected results, which is 'Mach 5 - 50 milliseconds,' it will be a different story. That would basically establish the foundation for the world's most advanced wind tunnel, and every step forward would be a breakthrough."

Zhai Da asked in confusion, "Logically speaking, our family should be very concerned about fighter jet development, so why are we being a bit stingy with our investment in wind tunnel testing?"

For such a vital national asset, 1000 million is nothing.
Gong Changzhang laughed and said, "Because it's too advanced. Fighter jets can only reach speeds of Mach 2 at most, and these days they're all about stealth, not speed. This is a wind tunnel with a minimum speed of Mach 5."

"You know that the concept of hypersonic speed was proposed by Qian Xuesen, but missiles and rockets are very simple in shape, and there are still advanced technologies like waveriders that have been around for decades. So, theoretically, wind tunnels that can reach speeds of Mach 5 or higher should correspond to complex aircraft that can reach speeds of Mach 5 or higher. For many leaders, this is a pipe dream and a castle in the air."

“A bigwig came to take a look before and said to Academician Yu in front of him, ‘It’s useless for you to build this. Foreign countries use software simulations.’ He said we are on the wrong path and wasting money. If it weren’t for the value of the phrase ‘surpassing the United States,’ the project might not have even started.”

Zhai Da doesn't know whether software simulation or engineering wind tunnels are more effective, but the answer seems to be in the future.

Are aircraft capable of speeds exceeding Mach 5 difficult to manufacture?

Gong Changzhang stroked his chin: "Difficult indeed. Even the United States doesn't have this. The F-22 only reaches Mach 2, right?"

Zhai Da comforted him, "Be confident, I believe it will happen! Times are changing."

Unlike Zhai Da, he knew that JF12 would definitely succeed and go down in history, but Gong Changzhang and the others did not.
For them, this year has been spent working in a rather "frustrating" state, with an uncertain future.

Gong Changzhang said self-deprecatingly, "Sometimes I think we people are pretty boring. As soon as we hear 'number one in the world,' we come immediately. As soon as we hear we can surpass the Americans, we work overtime with more energy than usual. I don't know what we're after."

Zhai Da devoured half a large chicken leg: "Just trying to look cool."

"That makes sense, I just want to look cool, haha!"

Just then, the door to the lounge was pushed open, and several more people came in carrying boxed lunches, including Academician Yu Hongru, the person in charge of the place.

Academician Yu smiled and said, "Xiao Zhai, Xiao Gong, are you eating too?"

It's not strange for academicians to eat boxed lunches. There aren't that many formalities on the construction site. If every meal required going out to find a fancy restaurant, the job would be pointless.

As the project's chief coordinator, this elderly man had many responsibilities, traveling between various research institutes, departments, and laboratories. However, he would still come to the site every day to take a look, and he had become quite familiar with Zhai Da.

Academician Yu found a seat, opened his lunchbox, and hesitated when he saw the large chicken leg inside: "This old man can't eat meat, young people should eat more~"

As he spoke, he picked it up.

Gong Changzhang had already pushed his lunchbox over, but Academician Yu "went to the other side," and the chicken leg ended up in Zhai Da's lunchbox.

Zhai Da smiled and said, "Thank you, Dean Yu."

Academician Yu turned his head and saw Gong Changzhang, asking in confusion, "Why are you so close?"

Its neck is stretched so long, it's almost touching my shoulder.
Gong Changzhang felt embarrassed for a moment, then quickly came up with a solution: "I'm on a diet, so I'll give mine to Xiao Zhai too."

So he gave the chicken leg from his own lunchbox to Zhai Da.

Going from a meat dish to a pure vegetarian diet is a huge loss.

Zhai Da secretly rejoiced and accepted the offer without saying a word of "no need" despite Gong Changzhang's winking and gesturing.

Academician Yu said, "As the saying goes, 'Eighteen or nineteen, you'll eat until you drop!' If Xiao Zhai still needs more, take another portion. You've been a great contributor during this time."

Zhai Da, being very savvy in social interactions, raised his hand and said, "It's all thanks to Master Gong's excellent teaching."

However, he wouldn't return the chicken leg to Gong Changzhang.

With two extra chicken drumsticks, even a mediocre bento box becomes quite tasty!
After taking a few bites, Academician Yu asked, "By the way, Xiao Zhai, when are you planning to leave?"

Zhai Da said, "Actually, the agreed time is tomorrow, but I still have some things to do in Beijing and won't be back until the 20th. If you need me here, I can come back anytime."

Academician Yu calculated for a moment and said, "Well then, our trial run on the 20th is an important milestone, so I'd like to invite you to participate as a project member."

"I heard you still have final exams, but staying here to witness this moment, whether you succeed or fail, should help you more than your final exam grade. I'm confident in that."

"If it's difficult to handle, I'll write a letter to Harbin Institute of Technology for you."

(End of this chapter)