Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

When the last piece of metal casing was securely fastened, Shen Zhiyuan let out a long breath, feeling utterly exhausted, and leaned against the worktable.

Successful

"Mr. Lin... Assembly complete. Performance testing shows everything is normal."

Lin Yang looked at the enormous thing lying quietly on the worktable; it was a true "spirit-building bomb."

It has no sound, no light, but the destructive power it contains is enough to change the entire world order.

"Okay." Lin Yang nodded, then turned to Chen Feng beside him. "Immediately notify the Internal Security Regiment. Level one combat readiness. Prepare for transfer."

Target: Lop Nur, Xinjiang.

That was a no-man's-land known as the "Sea of ​​Death".

The transfer process was a brutal march.

The massive special train traveled across the vast Gobi Desert. Every hundred meters along both sides of the railway, an armed guard stood watch. These young soldiers, in the sub-zero temperatures, stood like ice sculptures, steadfastly protecting this vital artery of steel.

After entering the heart of Lop Nur, the climate became increasingly violent.

The sky was filled with yellow sand, obscuring the sun and reducing visibility to less than ten meters.

Wearing a heavy sheepskin coat and holding a Type 56 assault rifle with a properly fitted bayonet, He Yuzhu stood in the back of a military truck, his eyes scanning the surrounding sand dunes warily.

As a core member of the security team, He Yuzhu has long since shed his former roguishness under Lin Yang's tutelage and become a true sharp blade.

"You all better watch out!" He Yuzhu roared through the sandstorm. "Not even a fly is allowed to get past! Anyone who dares to cause trouble at this critical juncture, I'll skin them alive!"

Behind him was a huge convoy of dozens of heavy-duty tractor-trailers.

The atomic bomb was placed in a specially designed temperature-controlled carriage in the very center.

Lin Yang sat in the passenger seat of the lead car, coldly watching the sandstorm ahead. His left hand subconsciously touched the scar on his chest, only two centimeters from his heart.

War has never gone away.

U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft of American imperialism have been frequently circling over the northwest in recent months. Taiwanese spies have also been constantly attempting infiltration and sabotage.

But none of this can stop China's rise.

Finally, the convoy arrived at the core test site of Lop Nur.

A steel tower over 100 meters high, like a long sword piercing the sky, stands silently on the desolate Gobi Desert.

This is the detonation tower.

Assembly, hoisting, wiring, and final testing.

All the work is proceeding in an orderly and meticulous manner.

1964 October.

In the depths of winter, Lop Nur is so cold that even your breath can freeze into ice crystals.

This was more than half a year earlier than the original test explosion date of October 1964!

This was not only because Lin Yang used iron-fisted methods to intercept enough supplies and protect the health of the scientists, but also because he used an extremely efficient military leadership style to cut out all unnecessary bureaucratic approval procedures, maximizing the efficiency of the entire project.

On the eve of detonation.

Inside the underground command post, dozens of kilometers away from the tower, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

In the huge command center, indicator lights on various instruments flashed wildly, and radios constantly broadcast data reports from various observation stations.

"Weather station report: wind direction northwest, wind speed level 5, no cloud cover at high altitudes, conditions for detonation met!"

"Radar station reports: airspace clear, no suspicious flying objects detected!"

"Optical observatory in place!"

"Radiation detection station in place!"

Lin Yang, dressed in a crisp general's uniform, had a gold star on his shoulder that gleamed under the lights. He rested his hands on the command platform, his gaze fixed on the red detonation control panel in front of him.

Standing beside him were Qian Xuesen, Deng Xiaoping, Wang Ganchang, and a host of other distinguished scientists. Their hands were clasped tightly together, their palms sweating profusely.

"Sir, all detonation circuits have completed their final test, and the resistance values ​​are normal. Detonation is permitted!" the operator reported loudly.

Lin Yang straightened up and glanced at the clock on the wall.

The clock hand slowly pointed to the scheduled detonation time.

Lin Yang turned his head and looked at Elder Qian, Elder Deng, and the others.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this moment belongs to you. It belongs to this great nation that has endured countless hardships and remained indomitable."

Lin Yang took a step back, suddenly raised his right hand, and gave a solemn military salute.

With tears welling in his eyes, Mr. Qian nodded slightly.

Lin Yang looked at the operator again, and his eyes, which had been tempered in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, shone with an unprecedented light. He mustered all his strength and let out a roar that could shatter the heavens:

"Detonate!!!"

"ten!"

"Nine!"

"eight!"

……

"three!"

"two!"

"one!"

"zero!!!"

The operator pressed the red button hard.

A current of electricity traveled at the speed of light along a cable tens of kilometers long and instantly rushed into the top of the iron tower, which was more than 100 meters high.

Then, time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Everyone in the underground command post instinctively held their breath.

one second.

two seconds.

Suddenly, the officer observing through the bomb disposal periscope let out a desperate shout: "I see it! Light! A bright light!"

On the site of the iron tower, dozens of kilometers away, a burst of indescribable light erupted without warning.

That light was more dazzling than ten thousand suns.

The entire Gobi Desert of Lop Nur was illuminated as if it were daytime in that instant. The sand and gravel that had remained unchanged for thousands of years instantly vaporized into glass under this terrifying temperature.

Immediately afterwards, an enormous, bright red fireball, like a primordial beast breaking free from the depths of hell, roared and soared into the sky.

The fireball rapidly expanded in the air, tumbling and devouring all the surrounding air.

Then, the iconic, towering column of smoke, like a pillar supporting the sky, lifted the fireball and shot straight into the heavens.

A huge, perfect, and awe-inspiring mushroom cloud proudly bloomed in the sky above Lop Nur in Xinjiang!

It carries the indomitable spirit of the Chinese people and the five thousand years of soul of this land, and roars the most deafening roar to the whole world!

Until about ten seconds later.

The terrifying shockwave, accompanied by a deafening roar, swept across the entire Gobi Desert like a Category 12 hurricane, crashing heavily against the protective layer of the underground command post.

Rumble, rumble—!

The entire basement shook violently, as if an 8.0 magnitude earthquake had struck. Dust fell from above, but no one sought shelter.

All eyes were fixed on the paper tape recorders connected to external sensors.

"The peak overpressure of the shock wave has reached expectations!"

"Preliminary calculation of the optical fireball's equivalent weight...22,000 tons of TNT!"

"The nuclear reaction was completely complete! No incomplete fission occurred!"

The operator turned around, his face streaked with tears. He screamed in a distorted voice, "General Manager Lin! Elder Qian! We did it! The explosion was a complete success!!!"