Reborn in 2011, I am the chief designer of aerospace.

"But there's never a foolproof system in the aerospace field..."

Song Xingye tried to explain, but his words stopped abruptly as soon as he opened his mouth.

He realized he couldn't justify his actions at all—

What gives a young technician from the East the right to point out problems with R country's spacecraft without any basis?

In Mira's eyes, this was simply absurd; it was clearly an attempt to strike up a conversation, using a particularly lame excuse.

She coldly withdrew her gaze, tightened her grip on the dog leash, and turned to walk towards the R country's base.

Song Xingye knew the importance of this matter. If he couldn't persuade the Russians to take it seriously, the impending tragedy would be irreversible.

He chased after it again, blocking the way of the large white goose, his eyes urgent. "Just one thing! Could you take me to the final assembly plant, even just to see the Zenit-2SB and Phobos probes?"

Song Xingye looked at the other person sincerely, hoping to get their permission.

He certainly couldn't expect to get access to the technical drawings, but the "Fault Prediction Eye" was just as effective on physical objects. As long as the other party agreed, he was confident he could uncover the hidden danger.

Mira frowned and thought for a long time.

Given her personality, she should have flatly refused such an absurd request.

But looking into the man's almost stubborn eyes, she hesitated.

Finally, Mira pointed stiffly towards workstation 45, "I can take you to see the Zenit-2SB rocket, but the Phobos probe is locked in a closed facility. Without Chief Designer Popovkin's approval, that's a top-priority area!"

It's good to be able to watch rockets!

Song Xingye felt a little more at ease and immediately nodded.

The two people and the dog braved the cold wind and headed towards workstation number 45.

Below the launch pad, the technicians who were conducting pre-ignition checks greeted Mira warmly.

Mira maintained her refined, cold expression, her gaze unwavering.

As for Song Xingye, who was following behind her like a little follower, although he attracted the attention of the others, no one stepped forward to stop him.

Standing beside the massive launch pad, the deafening hissing sound filled my ears.

That's the engine undergoing forced purging, where high-pressure gas sweeps away any remaining fuel.

Despite the deafening noise, Song Xingye forced himself to concentrate, and a glint of light seemed to flash deep within his dark pupils.

[Fault Prediction Eye], activated!

As his gaze swept over the massive arrow, a flood of information instantly rushed into his mind.

Static ignition, also known as the final "dress rehearsal" before a liquid rocket launch, is a process that typically involves static ignition.

That is, to rehearse the process from the 30-minute countdown to ignition.

Except for the fact that the rocket is locked to the launch pad by a huge robotic arm and will not actually take off, the rest of the process is no different from actual combat.

Of course, as far as Song Xingye knows, there was a case in China where a rocket was not properly secured, causing it to actually fly during static ignition, and the debris almost fell into the city, causing a major accident.

At this point, only the first stage of the Zenit-2SB rocket was a complete entity.

The second stage rocket, being a vacuum engine, could not be tested on the ground, so it was not fueled and was just an empty shell.

My gaze swept over every inch, scanning the area thoroughly, and found no faults.

Song Xingye rubbed his throbbing temples and followed Mira to the safe zone.

With the command for static ignition issued, the countdown timer resets to zero.

"boom--!"

The first stage engine of the Zenit-2SB suddenly roared like thunder.

Crimson flames and thick smoke instantly engulfed workstation number 45.

The RD-171 engine, designed by Kiev and manufactured by R country, unleashed astonishing thrust.

Even from a great distance, the rolling heat waves and sound waves still resonated in people's chests and made their eardrums itch.

The static ignition was a complete success.

As the smoke cleared, Mira turned around, crossed her arms, and raised her chin slightly: "So, do you still doubt the strength of our R country?"

Song Xingye found it difficult to draw a conclusion.

The first stage rocket has been confirmed to be working properly.

That narrows the suspects down to the second-stage rocket and the Phobos probe.

Song Xingye asked impatiently, "How can I get a tour of the factory?"

"Mira, who is this?"

At that moment, a deep Russian voice broke in.

The surrounding technicians all stood up to salute him, and Sergei Popovkin walked over.

He was a high-ranking official at the Lavochkin Design Bureau and the chief designer of the Phobos probe, wielding absolute decision-making power.

Seeing this, Mira nodded and said, "The person who can make the final decision has arrived. If you want to visit the factory, just ask him, and I can translate for you."

She turned around, forcing herself to suppress her disgust, and relayed Song Xingye's request to Sergei Popovkin.

After listening, Sergei glanced at Song Xingye's work badge hanging around his neck. He was just a test team member in his early twenties. He gave a dismissive snort.

"Our factory isn't a place just anyone can visit; you're far from qualified at your level. Young man, what do you want to do inside?"

Song Xingye thought for a moment and made up a reason, saying:

"I've previously reviewed some Russian meeting minutes and discovered a potential technical flaw in your Phobos probe. Of course, this is just speculation, so I'd like to confirm it on-site..."

"Ha!" Sergei laughed exaggeratedly, as if he had heard the funniest joke.

"You say the Phobos probe has technical flaws? That's utter nonsense! Are you questioning the capabilities of the Lavochkin Design Bureau?"

"No, no, no, I didn't mean that at all. I just wanted to help you eliminate the risks..."

Sergei's face suddenly turned cold, and he became aggressive, "Then tell me, where exactly is the hidden danger in the detector?"

"this……"

Song Xingye was speechless.

"Ha, you can't even produce any evidence, yet you dare to say there's a problem with our technology? This is baseless accusation, baseless speculation, and slander!"

Listening to Mira's eloquent translations using idioms, Song Xingye felt somewhat helpless.

Sergei clearly didn't understand idioms, so Mira, like him, thought Song Xingye was talking nonsense.

Sergei Popovkin criticized the young man in an imperious manner.

"Without even any evidence, relying solely on your own conjecture, do you dare to question our R country's aerospace technology and the Lavochkin Design Bureau?"

"How many probes has your Eastern country ever built? Have you even been to Mars? Our R country has been exploring Mars since 1960. We've lived longer than you've eaten rice! When did it become your place to point fingers?"

"I think you're clearly trying to use this opportunity to spy on the core technology of the Phobos probe, or even steal data!"

Sergei got angrier and angrier as he spoke, and eventually escalated the situation.

If Mira hadn't intervened in time, Song Xingye suspected that the arrogant old man might have called the security guards.

Ultimately, under the watchful eye of Sergei Popovkin, he was removed from workstation number 45.

What frustrated Song Xingye even more was that as soon as he returned to the base, Zhang Jingshan of the test team received a phone call, obviously from the Russians who had complained.

General Manager Zhang and Engineer Chen called Song Xingye in for a talk and asked him what had happened.

After listening to Song Xingye's explanation, Engineer Chen said earnestly:

"Little Song, Sergei is notoriously petty and a one-man show. He hates it when people question his skills. You've really walked right into his trap this time."

General Manager Zhang frowned even more: "Why did you go and provoke the Russians? Sergei is now using this as an excuse to restrict our test team's access to 'Firefly-1' and has even specifically named you to exclude you from the list."

Song Xingye helplessly spread his hands, "This old man's magnanimity is smaller than the eye of a needle."

"Don't blame them," Engineer Chen retorted.

"Why do you think they've got a problem, based solely on a few meeting minutes? Even I can't convince you with that reason, let alone the proud and arrogant Japanese?"

Song Xingye found it difficult to explain.

Since the truth cannot be spoken aloud, it seems we must find another way.

General Manager Zhang patted him on the shoulder, "Xiao Song, it's good that you're determined to fix the problems, but don't make unfounded accusations. Don't go to R country anymore. Be mindful of unity and don't let the overall progress of the Mars exploration project be delayed."

After the two leaders finished speaking, they shook their heads and went back to work.

For the next two days, Song Xingye continued to play the role of a lowly subordinate, assisting the test team.

He is smart and hardworking, always able to complete tasks assigned to him with precision and efficiency, and he is incredibly focused and dedicated, yet his mind is clearly wandering.

Song Xingye used his spare time to write and draw in his notebook, searching for new solutions to prevent the launch from failing.

Finally, he made a phone call to his roommate Qin Rui, who was far away in Shanghai.