Rejecting Tsinghua and Peking Universities: I Will Lead Harbin Institute of Technology to World Lead

A hidden base in the Northwest.

"Chief Engineer Lin, you're back!" Academician Li, who was in charge of the radar system, stepped forward to greet him. "The quantum radar array has completed its final calibration and is ready to enter the actual combat testing phase at any time."

"What about the laser interception system?" Lin Feng asked as he walked.

"All 36 launch units are in place, and the continuous launch test has a 100% pass rate."

"Decision-making system?"

"The win rate in red-blue force-on-force exercises has remained stable at over 99%."

As reports came in one by one, they outlined the complete structure of the Heavenly Court system.

Lin Feng entered the underground command center, where a huge screen displayed the real-time situation of the entire test site. The detection range of the twelve radar towers covered the sky like a blue dome, and the aiming lines of the laser arrays crisscrossed like red threads.

He stood in front of the command platform and took a deep breath.

"Initiate a system-wide self-test," he ordered. "Twenty-four hours later, conduct the first real-world test."

"Report to Chief Engineer Lin: The quantum radar array has completed its self-test, with a calibration error of less than 0.3 per thousand, reaching the design limit."

"The laser interception system's cooling cycle is normal, energy reserves are at 100%, and the launch unit is ready."

"The decision-making system has loaded the latest combat rule library, and the multi-target allocation algorithm is running smoothly."

"The data link for the space-based early warning satellite was established with a delay of 0.07 seconds, which meets the requirements."

Reports came through an encrypted channel, echoing in the underground command center.

"Twenty-four-hour countdown, begin." Lin Feng glanced at the clock on the command platform. "All departments, proceed to the final preparation phase according to the plan."

The moment the order was given, the entire Northwest Base entered a tense but orderly state.

Time flew by amidst the intense preparations.

In the twenty-third hour, a small black dot appeared in the sky outside the base.

It was an unmarked military transport plane, escorted by four J-20 fighter jets, slowly landing on the base's backup runway.

The cabin door opened, and an elderly man dressed in a dark gray Zhongshan suit walked down the gangway accompanied by guards.

Old Li.

The country's highest leader personally came to the northwestern Gobi Desert.

When Lin Feng received the notification, he was reviewing the post-match report of the final red-blue team exercise. He put down the document and quickly walked to the ground to greet them.

"Chief Engineer Lin, you've worked hard." Old Li grasped Lin Feng's hand firmly. "I've come to take a look at our country's future 'Sky Shield'."

The old man's eyes didn't show much emotion, but Lin Feng could sense the heavy expectation in them.

"Please rest assured, Commander, the Heavenly Court system is ready." Lin Feng led Elder Li towards the underground command center. "The first combat test will be conducted in 24 hours."

When the group entered the command center, there were still forty-five minutes before the test was to begin.

On the massive screen, the real-time situation map had switched to test mode. Blue detection grids covered an 800-kilometer radius test airspace, while red interception lines crisscrossed like a spiderweb. Thirty-six flashing dots represented simulated target missiles about to be launched.

"The target missiles tested today cover all known missile threat types." Lin Feng stood beside Elder Li, pointing a laser pointer at the screen. "From subsonic cruise missiles to intercontinental ballistic missiles with speeds of up to ten times the speed of sound, from single warheads to multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), from conventional warheads to simulated nuclear warheads."

Old Li nodded slightly, his gaze sharp as a knife: "What are the interception standards?"

"One hundred percent." Lin Feng answered without hesitation, "The design goal of the Heavenly Court System is to turn any missile that dares to fly towards our territory into a pile of scrap metal."

The old man was silent for a few seconds, then slowly said, "This goal is very heavy."

"So we prepared for three years," Lin Feng said.

The countdown has entered its final ten minutes.

Inside the command center, everyone was in position. At each of the 120 operating stations, technicians' fingers hovered above their keyboards, their eyes glued to the interfaces of their respective subsystems. The air was so tense it felt like it could be wrung out of you.

Mr. Li was invited to the observation area, where there was a special explosion-proof glass partition that allowed him to have a panoramic view of the entire command center without interfering with the operations.

Lin Feng returned to the command post and put on his communication headset.

"Attention all personnel, the test is entering its final preparation stage."

"Quantum radar array, activate full-power scan mode."

"Laser interception system, energy charged to 95%, ready to fire."

"Decision-making system, load practical rules, and automatically intercept authorization."

With each instruction clearly issued, the system began to operate like a precise clock.

The blue detection grid on the screen shone brightly, almost covering the entire northwestern sky. The laser array's aiming lines moved like red lightning bolts through the grid, searching for their soon-to-appear prey.

The countdown has reached zero.

"Test begins."

In the first wave, four target missiles were launched simultaneously.

Those were simulated subsonic cruise missiles, entering the test airspace from four directions at different altitudes. They flew close to the ground, using the terrain to evade radar detection, making them one of the most difficult targets to intercept.

But the Heavenly Court system's reaction exceeded everyone's expectations.

0.3 seconds after launch, the quantum radar array locked onto all four targets. 0.7 seconds later, the decision-making system completed threat assessment and interception allocation. 1.2 seconds later, four high-energy laser beams were fired from different positions, accurately hitting the target missile while it was still accelerating.

On the screen, the four red dots went out simultaneously.

"First batch of targets successfully intercepted." The system notification was calm and unwavering.

Suppressed gasps filled the command center—it was too fast, too fast for anyone to react.

Mr. Li sat in the observation area, leaning slightly forward, his eyes fixed on the screen.

The second wave consisted of eight target missiles.

This time, the simulated missiles were supersonic anti-ship missiles, reaching speeds of Mach 3, with even more unpredictable flight trajectories. They performed large-scale maneuvers and trajectory changes in the air, attempting to evade radar lock-on.

The Heavenly Court's response was astounding.

Quantum radar not only tracks the missiles themselves, but also predicts their next maneuver by analyzing the airflow disturbances in the missile's exhaust plume and the minute deviations in its flight trajectory.

The laser interception unit did not fire blindly, but waited for the best opportunity—the moment the target missile completed a violent maneuver and its speed decreased slightly, eight lasers hit it almost simultaneously.

"Second batch of targets successfully intercepted."

The third wave consisted of twelve target missiles.

The simulation depicts medium-range ballistic missiles that dive from a higher altitude at speeds of Mach 6, following a parabolic trajectory and undergoing a terminal maneuver.

This is an extreme test of the interception system's reaction speed and computing power.

The Heavenly Court system demonstrated another capability of itss—layered interception.

The twelve target missiles were locked onto by space-based early warning satellites as soon as they entered the atmosphere and were still in their ascent phase. The decision-making system instantly calculated the optimal interception points: six missiles to be intercepted at the highest point, three during the descent phase, and the last three at an altitude of 20 kilometers above the ground.

Laser beams shot out from different heights and directions like divine punishment, weaving the twelve target missiles into a web of destruction in the air.

"Third batch of targets successfully intercepted."

The difficulty of the tests is constantly increasing.

The fourth wave simulates the latest hypersonic glider, which reaches speeds of ten times the speed of sound and has an almost unpredictable flight trajectory, making it a nightmare for all existing defense systems.

This time, the Heavenly Court system's decision-making algorithm demonstrated its true power.

It didn't attempt to "track" the target—because it simply couldn't catch up. Instead, it used quantum computing to simulate all possible flight paths of the spacecraft in a fraction of a second, and then deployed intercepting lasers along each path.

It's like having guards stationed at every exit of a maze; no matter which way the target goes, they'll eventually run into the line of fire.

When the red trajectory representing the hypersonic target missile collided with the pre-set interception line in mid-air, the first suppressed cheer erupted in the command center.

But this is not all.

The fifth wave, and the final wave.

A specially designed target missile is launched—its shape mimics the latest intercontinental ballistic missile, carrying three independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) to simulate nuclear warheads. After reaching the predetermined altitude, the mothership disintegrates, and the three warheads travel along different trajectories, hurtling towards three different hypothetical targets at Mach 12.

At the same time, the mothership also released six decoy flares, all of which had almost identical thermal signatures and radar reflection characteristics.

This is the ultimate test.

In the command center, everyone held their breath.

On the screen, nine dots of light scattered like petals, their speed, trajectory, and characteristics highly similar. Even the most experienced air defense commander would find it difficult to distinguish between real and false targets in a short time.

But the Heavenly Court system did it.

Quantum radar can identify real targets from fake targets within 0.05 seconds by analyzing minute differences in target mass, subtle differences in flight attitude, and minute changes in the exhaust plume spectrum.

The three live warheads were marked in red and highlighted, while the six decoy flares were marked in yellow and indicated as low threat.

The decision-making system did not hesitate at all—the laser interception unit's energy reserves had been largely depleted, and it had to use every joule of energy wisely.

Three of the thickest laser beams were fired, accurately hitting the three live warheads.

As for the six decoy flares... the system didn't even bother with them, letting them fly out of the exercise airspace and eventually self-destruct in the uninhabited Gobi Desert.

"The fifth batch of targets was successfully intercepted with live warheads, while the decoy flares posed no threat."

The entire testing process ends when the last system notification sound is heard.

From the first wave to the last, all thirty-six target missiles of various types were successfully intercepted.

Interception rate: 100%.

The command center fell into a brief silence.

Then, cheers erupted like a flash flood!

"We did it! We did it!"

"100%! Complete interception!"

"The Heavenly Court! The Heavenly Court is complete!"

The technicians jumped up from their seats, hugged each other, and many were in tears. Three years of hard work and countless sleepless nights had finally paid off.

Academician Li, tears streaming down his face, grasped Lin Feng's hand, his voice trembling, "Chief Engineer Lin... we did it... we really did it..."

Lin Feng stood there, looking at the screen that the test was complete and the interception success rate was 100%, and an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.

"Yes, we did it," he said softly.

The explosion-proof glass door of the observation area opened, and Mr. Li walked in accompanied by security personnel.

The old man walked steadily, but the gleam in his eyes betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

He walked to the front of the command platform, looked around at the still cheering crowd, and slowly raised his hand.

The command center fell silent instantly.

"Comrades," Old Li's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly resonated in every corner, "Today, you have made history."

He paused, then said, word by word, "From this day forward, China's airspace will truly become an inviolable sacred ground. Any enemy that dares to launch missiles at us will see their weapons turn into dazzling fireworks in the sky."

Thunderous applause erupted.

Old Li turned to Lin Feng and grasped his hand: "Chief Engineer Lin, the country thanks you. The people thank you."

Lin Feng bowed slightly: "This is what I should do."

The old man gave him a deep look, then suddenly lowered his voice: "How's the Nuwa project progressing?"

"The first plasma discharge experiment is scheduled for next month," Lin Feng replied. "If successful, we will have an inexhaustible supply of clean energy."

A glint flashed in Old Li's eyes: "Good, very good. One guards the sky, the other illuminates the earth... Lin Feng, you are equipping this country with the strongest shield and the brightest light."

He patted Lin Feng on the shoulder: "Keep up the good work. The future of this country needs scientists like you."