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

Chapter 78 Northwest Base, Top Experts

His gaze was complex—it held scrutiny, expectation, and doubt… As the head of the military-industrial complex, he knew all too well the weight of the words “sixth-generation fighter jet.”

That was more than just an airplane.

That is the ticket to air supremacy for the next ten to twenty years; it is a gamble on the nation's destiny.

"Comrade Lin Feng," Old Zheng's voice was low, as if he were suppressing something, "do you know what a sixth-generation fighter jet means?"

He didn't use a questioning tone; it was more like a heavy confirmation. Because he already knew who the young man before him was—the chief designer of the Kunpeng aircraft carrier, a man who had already created a miracle; otherwise, he wouldn't have met him.

"I know." Lin Feng's answer was simple and affirmative. "It means that from now on, we will write the rules of the skies. It means that our pilots can fly fighter jets that are a generation ahead of the world and guard every inch of our airspace."

Old Zheng's fingers tightened slightly.

"Do you know our current level?" he continued, as if going through a necessary procedure. "The J-20, our pride, is comparable to the Free Country's F-22, a fifth-generation fighter. As for sixth-generation fighters... the Free Country has invested hundreds of billions of dollars, and it's still stuck in the PowerPoint and conceptual model stage."

Lin Feng did not answer immediately.

He walked to the desk and gently placed the specially made USB drive in front of Mr. Zheng.

"Old Zheng," his voice remained calm, but each word was like a nail driven into wood, "the fact that the Free Nation hasn't been built doesn't mean we can't build it."

He paused, looking directly at Old Zheng: "Just like a year ago, no one believed we could build a 120,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. But we did it."

Old Zheng's breathing paused for a moment.

"Inside this," Lin Feng pointed to the USB drive, "is all the theoretical data for the Zhuque sixth-generation fighter jet. Aerodynamic design, propulsion system, stealth technology, weapon configuration, avionics architecture... every subsystem has complete mathematical derivations and physical models..."

He looked at Old Zheng and said, "You can take a look first."

Mr. Zheng was silent for a few seconds, then reached out and picked up the USB drive.

The hand was steady, but the fingertips were slightly white.

He inserted the USB drive into the computer, entered the triple password, and opened the encrypted folder.

The first document: "Analysis Report on Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of Zhuque".

Old Zheng opened the app, but after reading only three pages, his pupils suddenly contracted.

It was an aerodynamic layout he had never seen before—the wing and body were perfectly integrated, the leading edge of the wing was like a blade, the trailing edge was like a feather, and the entire fuselage resembled a single, streamlined stone that had been eroded by wind for millions of years.

Even more astonishing are the figures: lift-to-drag ratio 27.5, maximum overload 15G, stall angle of attack 45 degrees…

"This..." Old Zheng suddenly raised his head, "How is this lift-to-drag ratio possible?"

"We've adopted active flow control technology," Lin Feng's voice echoed in the office. "Millions of micro-flow holes have been deployed on the wing surface, and an intelligent system adjusts the airflow in real time to reduce drag and increase lift. The specific principles are explained in Chapter 3."

Old Zheng took a deep breath and continued flipping through the pages.

The second document: "Design Scheme for Variable Cycle Adaptive Engine".

This time, he watched for a full ten minutes.

His expression shifted from shock to solemnity, from solemnity to excitement, and finally to an almost devout focus.

"Triple-duct variable circulation..." Old Zheng muttered to himself, "At subsonic speeds, the outer bypass duct saves fuel; at supersonic speeds, the inner bypass duct provides acceleration; at hypersonic speeds... what is this 'pulse detonation boost'?"

"A propulsion method based on detonation combustion." Lin Feng walked to his side and pointed to the diagram on the screen. "Traditional turbofan engines use slow combustion, while detonation combustion propagates at more than ten times the speed of sound, resulting in high thrust and efficiency. However, the challenges lie in control and materials—these are addressed in detail in Chapter 5."

Old Zheng's hands began to tremble.

He quickly opened the third document: "Principles of Full-Spectrum Stealth Technology".

This time, he stood up immediately.

"Plasma stealth layer?" His voice changed. "You mean... a layer of controllable plasma enveloping the fuselage to actively absorb and scatter radar waves?"

"That's right." Lin Feng nodded. "Traditional stealth coatings are passive, only effective against specific frequency bands. Plasma stealth, on the other hand, is active, capable of dealing with all radar frequency bands from longwave to millimeter wave by adjusting plasma density and temperature. Moreover..."

He paused for a moment, then added, "It can also achieve visible light invisibility."

"What?!" Old Zheng exclaimed.

"When the plasma density reaches a certain level, light will bend and bypass the fuselage," Lin Feng explained. "Although it can only be maintained for a very short time at present, it is enough to complete key tactical maneuvers. Detailed parameters are in Chapter Seven."

Old Zheng slumped back into his chair.

He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes vigorously, and then put them back on. Then he looked at Lin Feng, his gaze completely changed.

"Comrade Lin Feng," his voice was a little hoarse, "I...have a few questions."

"May I ask you something?" Lin Feng straightened up.

The next hour was filled with intensive Q&A.

Professor Zheng's questions grew increasingly difficult and in-depth. From the boundary conditions of aeroelasticity to the fatigue life of engine hot-end materials; from the weather resistance of stealth coatings to the ethical boundaries of artificial intelligence air combat algorithms…

Lin Feng's answers remained calm throughout.

He didn't look at any reference materials; all the data came to him effortlessly. When Professor Zheng asked about the derivation of a key formula, he even went to the whiteboard and casually wrote down three pages of complete mathematical derivation.

The sound of the pen tip gliding across the whiteboard was soft and rustling, like a silkworm eating leaves.

After the last question was answered, Mr. Zheng fell silent.

He leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. The only sounds in the office were the ticking of an old-fashioned wall clock and the soft breathing of the two men.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled.

"The younger generation is truly formidable."

He only said four words, but each word carried immense weight.

Then, he fell silent.

My fingers tapped the table unconsciously.

Boom, boom, boom.

Each sound was like a heartbeat, like a countdown.

"How confident are you about this project?" Old Zheng finally spoke, his voice low.

"Theoretical completeness is 100%." Lin Feng answered without hesitation. "As long as the resources and personnel are in place, the first prototype can be completed within two years, and initial combat capability can be achieved within three years."

hundred percent.

Looking at the young man before him, Old Zheng suddenly recalled what Old Chen had said on the phone: "Old Zheng, if there is one more person in this country who can create miracles, it is Lin Feng. To believe in him is to believe in the future."

A long silence fell over the office once again.

Outside the window, the wind whips up sand and dust on the Gobi Desert, making a soft, rustling sound as it hits the glass.

Then, Old Zheng smiled.

That wasn't a happy laugh, nor a relieved laugh, but a desperate, do-or-die laugh. Like an old general, on the eve of a decisive battle, finally receiving the sword that could cleave through the darkness.

"Okay." He only said one word.

But this one word carries the weight of Mount Tai.

He stood up and walked to the east wall of the office. There hung a huge world map, with the military deployments of various countries marked in red and blue.

Old Zheng reached out and gently pressed a spot in the inconspicuous lower right corner of the map.

Click.

A slight mechanical sound rang out.

The map slowly slid to one side, revealing a metal wall behind it—no, it wasn't a wall, but a hidden elevator door.

Old Zheng turned around and looked at Lin Feng.

"Come on," he said, "I'll take you to meet some people."

The elevator doors opened, revealing a small but clean space inside. Mr. Zheng pressed the button for floor "-3," and the elevator descended silently.

Lin Feng could feel a slight sense of weightlessness.

The elevator descended very deep. Twenty seconds, thirty seconds, forty seconds... When the number displayed "-3", the door opened.

Before me stretched a wide corridor with thick concrete walls and an explosion-proof light every ten meters, emitting a cold white glow. A faint smell of engine oil and metal filled the air.

At the end of the corridor was a heavy explosion-proof door.

Mr. Zheng walked to the door and aimed his eyes at the iris scanner. The green light swept across, the door lock made a soft "click," and then slowly opened inward.

Behind the door was a huge conference room.

The long conference table can seat thirty people. At this moment, seventeen elderly people are sitting around the table.

Most of them had white hair; some wore military uniforms, some wore Zhongshan suits, and some wore lab coats. Lin Feng could name each and every one of them—not from the news, but from top-secret files.

Academician Liu, a leading figure in aerodynamics, was the aerodynamic designer of the J-10 fighter jet.

Chief Designer Wang is an engine expert and the chief designer of the WS-15 turbofan engine.

Professor Chen is an authority on stealth materials and the pioneer of the stealth coating for the J-20 fighter jet.

President Li was the founder of avionics systems and the person in charge of China's first airborne phased array radar.

There are also weapon systems, flight control systems, materials science, artificial intelligence... In each of these fields, those sitting there are national treasures, the backbone that has supported China's aviation industry for half a century.

The meeting room was quiet.

When Elder Zheng and Lin Feng walked in, seventeen pairs of eyes immediately fell on Lin Feng.

Those gazes held curiosity, scrutiny, disapproval, and expectation.

Old Zheng walked to the head seat but did not sit down.

He surveyed the room, his voice echoing in the empty conference room:

"Everyone, let me introduce myself."

He turned to the side and pointed at Lin Feng:

"This is Comrade Lin Feng."

He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"He brought something with him."

"Sixth-generation fighter jet."

Code name: Vermilion Bird.