Courtyard House: A Major Power's Heavy Industry, Hand-Crafted Nuclear Fusion

Base 504, underground assembly workshop.

There is no roar of machines, no clamor of slogans, and even the sound of footsteps is swallowed up by the thick anti-static flooring.

An almost sacred stillness permeated the air.

Hundreds of workers in white protective suits are busy in this factory, which is the size of a football field. Each of them wears a mask, revealing only their focused eyes.

In the very center of the workshop, on that huge stainless steel workbench, lay the enormous machine being assembled.

It looks like a giant metal egg, more than a meter in diameter, with its surface covered with complex wires and sockets.

"This is... Miss Qiu?"

General Zhang stood in the observation room on the second floor, speaking in a low voice through the explosion-proof glass, afraid of disturbing the sleeping "princess".

Not yet.

Su Zheng stood beside him, holding an assembly process sheet in his hand. "Right now, it's just an empty shell. It hasn't been infused with a soul yet."

"When will the soul be installed?"

"Now."

Su Zheng glanced at the clock on the wall.

"The auspicious time has arrived."

……

At the final assembly stand.

Su Zheng changed into a brand-new dustproof suit and walked up to the "egg".

Behind him were Ye Xinyi, the old professor, and several top technicians whose hair had turned white from working in this workshop.

"Take your positions."

Su Zheng's voice came through the earphones, calm and clear.

"The first step is to install the explosive lens."

Twelve top-level technicians, working in pairs, carefully approached the projectile, carrying the yellow explosive blocks sculpted from the life-saving machine.

These explosive blocks have extremely complex shapes and must be fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle, fitting perfectly around the core of the projectile.

"Position number one, aim!"

"Position number two, aim."

……

"Perfect fit!"

At a command, six massive explosive lenses were simultaneously attached.

There wasn't a single gap.

It's as if they were born to grow together.

"Gap detection," Su Zheng ordered.

A technician used a feeler gauge to probe the seam little by little.

"0.01 mm feeler gauge...cannot pass!"

"Perfect fit!"

Su Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. This meant that the previous calculations and processing were completely correct.

"The second step is to install the detonator."

This is the most tedious step.

Thirty-two detonators correspond to the detonation points of 32 explosive lenses. Each detonator is connected to two gold wires and passes through a complex circuit distributor.

Su Zheng personally took charge.

He used the specially made tweezers to navigate through the dense network of wires.

His movements were fluid and graceful, like weaving a beautiful embroidery.

The routing of every wire and the bundling of every wire harness have been meticulously designed. This ensures insulation, shock resistance, and zero delay in signal transmission.

One hour.

Two hours.

By the time the last wire was connected, Su Zheng's back was soaked with sweat.

"Circuit testing."

Ye Xinyi pressed the button on the testing device.

"The pathway is normal!"

"Resistance balance...99.99%!"

"it is good."

Su straightened up and stretched his stiff spine.

"Next comes the most crucial step."

He turned around and looked at the small cart behind him, which was tightly protected by lead canisters.

There, lies the heart of "Miss Qiu".

Highly enriched uranium spheres.

The atmosphere in the workshop froze instantly. Everyone held their breath, and the sound of their heartbeats seemed to be the only background noise.

"Unauthorized personnel evacuated behind the blast wall."

Su Zheng waved his hand.

The technicians silently retreated. Only Su Zheng and the old professor remained at the worktable.

Su Zheng opened the lead canister.

The silver-gray metal sphere exuded a deadly allure under the soft light.

It is heavy. Although it is only the size of a fist, it is extremely dense.

Su Zheng, wearing specially made anti-radiation gloves, held it in both hands.

At this moment, what he was holding was not metal, but the weight and hope of five thousand years of Chinese civilization.

"Old buddy," Su Zheng said in a low voice, "be patient once you're inside. Wait until you hear the order before you lose your temper."

He carefully inserted the uranium sphere into the cavity pre-drilled in the center of the missile.

"Click".

A soft metallic clicking sound.

That is the most beautiful sound in the world.

"It's in place!" The old professor was so excited that his beard was shaking.

"Wait, it's not over yet."

Su Zheng picked up the last component—the uranium-238 reflector plug, which was called the "plug".

This is the last door.

Only by inserting this plug and tightening the screws can the atomic bomb be considered to have truly achieved physical closure.

Su Zheng picked up the golden torque wrench.

This wrench is specially made and has a fixed torque value set.

He inserted the plug into the hole and then put on the wrench.

"One lap."

"Two laps."

……

Su Zheng turned very slowly.

Each turn of the thread represents a step closer to our goal.

until--

"Click!"

The wrench made a crisp click, indicating that the torque had been reached.

Su Zheng stopped what he was doing.

He didn't immediately loosen the wrench, but remained in that position and closed his eyes.

He is feeling.

Feel the pulse of this metallic heart. Feel the joy of those atoms in the microscopic world.

"Seal it off!"

Su Zheng suddenly opened his eyes, his voice booming like a bell.

"yes!"

Technicians rushed over and began the final sealing and securing.

The massive metal casing was closed, and countless screws were tightened.

at last.

That concept, which existed only on blueprints, has been transformed into a real, massive steel behemoth weighing several tons.

It lay there quietly, its exterior cold, but everyone knew that it contained a power capable of destroying the world.

"Raise the hook!"

With a whistle, the massive gantry crane slowly moved, and the hook caught the lifting ring on the projectile.

"rise--"

The winch rotates, and the steel cable taut.

"Miss Qiu" slowly left the worktable and hovered in mid-air.

At that moment, thunderous applause erupted in the workshop.

But the applause was restrained. No one cheered, no one screamed. Everyone just clapped loudly and shed tears.

Because they know this is only the first step.

The real test is on the detonation tower 100 kilometers away.

……

Two hours later.

A specially modified temperature-controlled transport vehicle, carrying "Ms. Qiu," drove out of the underground workshop.

Su was sitting in the passenger seat, holding the detonation control box in his arms (it was actually just a safety device; the real detonator was on the tower).

Outside the car window, the vast Gobi Desert stretched out in the night.

"Dean Su," the driver, a young soldier, said nervously, his hands trembling, "this...this thing won't explode on the way, will it?"

"rest assured."

Su Zheng patted the control box. "It won't dare to explode unless I give the order."

"That's good, that's good..." The young soldier swallowed hard. "My mother is still waiting for me to get married back home."

Su Zheng smiled.

"Want to get married?"

"think."

"After this mission is over, I'll have your mother arrange the prettiest one for you."

Su Zheng looked out at the starry sky.

"As long as we get this done, our children can marry whomever they want and live whatever life they want."

"No one dares to wave a big stick in front of our house anymore."

……

The convoy arrived at the detonation site at dawn.

That 102-meter-tall iron tower stands like a steel giant between heaven and earth.

On the platform at the top of the tower, the hoisting equipment is ready.

"Su Zheng, the weather forecast is here."

General Zhang walked over, wearing an overcoat, his face looking rather grim. "The situation isn't good."

"What's wrong?"

"The weather station says a strong sandstorm is forming and is expected to pass through the area tomorrow afternoon."

Su Zheng's heart skipped a beat.

Tomorrow afternoon is the originally scheduled detonation window.

If a sandstorm arrives, not only will the observation equipment be unable to work, but it may even generate static electricity, which could detonate the detonators.

"Postponed?" General Zhang asked.

"It cannot be postponed."

Su Zheng shook his head. "The uranium sphere has already been installed, but the explosive lens is greatly affected by thermal expansion and contraction. If it's delayed, the temperature difference between day and night might cause cracks in the explosive. That would render it all useless."

"Then what should we do? Force it?"

"Forcing it is suicide."

Su Zheng raised his head and looked at the flag fluttering in the wind at the top of the tower.

[Eye of Truth, Atmospheric Mode: Activated.]

His gaze pierced through the clouds, looking towards the air currents higher up.

"Old Zhang, do you trust me?"

"Nonsense! I'd entrust my life to you!"

"Alright then."

Su Zheng pointed to the sky, "That sandstorm is short-lived. It comes quickly and goes quickly."

"I've calculated it. There will be a brief 'eye of the storm' around 3 PM tomorrow, which is around the originally scheduled detonation time."

"It only lasted about half an hour."

"That's a crack in the door that God left for us."

"What we need to do is send 'Miss Qiu' to heaven in those half an hour."

General Zhang stared at Su Zheng for a long time.

Finally, he stomped his foot hard.

"Okay! I'll do as you say!"

"Half an hour it is!"

"Let's take this gamble with fate!"

The wind picked up.

The swirling sand and gravel hit the car window with a crackling sound.

But in Su Zheng's eyes, that wasn't sandstorm.

Those are war drums.