I started with a ship full of max-level veterans, and I'm just a complete noob.

Shortly after Aksai's initial report arrived in Beijing, the red secure phone in the Third Electronics Factory's office also rang.

Factory Director Zhang stayed up all night at his desk, with several frontline situation reports pressed under the ashtray.

As soon as the duty officer connected the line, the identification verification code from the Air Defense Headquarters was continuously reported, and then the process switched to encrypted notifications that were only accessible to key personnel at the factory level.

Director Zhang picked up a pencil and wrote down the four results on the paper in order: communication restored, enemy radio station destroyed, mine cleared, and gray pigeon captured.

The other end of the phone continued to report that the underground wireless detonation system had been deactivated, the assault troops had avoided the pre-set minefield, and the core data of "Lightning Seven" had been completely controlled.

What about the casualties of the technical assault team?

"All team members have returned to their posts. Jiang Ming and Master Sun sustained minor injuries. The equipment status is being assessed. The number of wounded in the forward combat units will be tallied separately."

Factory Director Zhang put down his pencil, pulled out the withdrawal plan that was originally under the ashtray, folded it in the middle, and stuffed it into a file bag.

"How will the formal commendation order be arranged?"

"The headquarters has issued a system-wide notification, and the First Ministry of Machine Building is simultaneously preparing for the commendation. The order for the collective second-class merit will first be read out by the front-line command, and the factory's documents will be delivered later."

After the red phone went silent, the factory's security department received a notification to raise the alert level, and the equipment department and the personnel department were also called back to their offices.

When Yuanlei-1 was loaded onto a truck and left Beijing, several liaison officers from various ministries requested that the liability clause be retained, and the equipment department had also prepared a list of responsibilities to be pursued in the event of equipment damage.

The good news from Aksai was transmitted back along the special line. The accountability materials that were waiting to be signed were quickly put into the iron cabinet, and the honor application forms that had been stuck were put back on the conference table.

An officer sent by the Ministry of Machine Building arrived at the factory overnight and immediately asked the cadre department to complete all of Jiang Ming's records of his efforts since joining the factory.

"The three achievements—Yuanlei-1, DBM, and pulse modulator—are registered separately, while frontline emergency command is listed as a separate item, and no individual signature can be omitted."

The head of the equipment department pulled out the previous equipment requisition forms and bound them together with the records of oxygen-free copper allocation, thyratron repair, and shockproof box modification.

"Jiang Ming's technical lead qualification should be written into the subsequent project charter. After 502, whatever preliminary research is submitted, the equipment department should give priority to production."

The ministry officials across the conference table also produced new forms, changing the previously ambiguous wording to "priority protection" and "special access."

After being circulated throughout the system, Jiang Ming's name has changed from an eighth-level technical cadre to a red-zone personnel in the Third Electronics Factory who cannot be easily moved.

Anyone who tries to suppress Project 502 with ordinary administrative procedures will first have to face the signatures left by the Air Defense Force Headquarters, the First Ministry of Machine Building, and the secrecy system.

The workers on duty in the early morning heard people coming into the conference room. They only knew that there had been a great victory at the front, but the specific equipment and location were still kept inside the door by a secrecy order.

In the cubicle of research lab 502, Wu Hanzhang sat at Jiang Ming's worktable, with an empty cardboard box of Daqianmen cigarettes already lying at his feet.

Each time he received a briefing, he would change a parameter on the blackboard, and the status of Source Thunder No. 1 at the top would be changed from pending confirmation to mission completed.

Xiao Zhao brought over freshly brewed strong tea and noticed a research paper on the workbench with the title "High-Frequency Early Warning Receiver Front-End" on the cover.

"Chief Engineer Wu, this project was just sent from the ministry, and it doesn't even have a formal project number yet. Are you going to put it on Engineer Jiang's desk now?"

"The front line has unearthed something with a density of over 20 gigahertz, while we're still clinging to our old three gigahertz. By the time the official numbers are released, it'll be too late."

Wu Hanzhang pressed the last cigarette into the enamel cap and wrote eight characters on the first page of the pre-research report: "Jiang Ming in charge, Fang Xudong in coordination."

"He comes back and sleeps for a day first. When he wakes up, he looks at this. The people, equipment and materials in the factory are all chosen by 502 himself."

As the dawn light shone through the factory roof, the preliminary research report was placed neatly next to Jiang Ming's usual graph paper, with a spare slide rule pressed under the cover.

At the temporary assembly area of ​​Aksai base, the technical assault team and the combat troops were already lined up, while the equipment in the direction of the mound was still guarded by guards.

Director Wang stood behind the command table and read out the commendation order from the Air Defense Forces Headquarters. The first item on the paper was the collective second-class merit of the technical assault team.

From restoring communication via DBM bypass to cracking two frequency hopping patterns, and then to atmospheric waveguide suppression and electronic fence direction finding, the command listed the key achievements item by item.

The discovery of the underground detonation system and the power outage of the ventilation shaft were also included in the criteria for commendation, allowing the two assault teams to avoid the pre-designated blasting zone and capture the mine equipment intact.

"With the joint approval of the Air Defense Force Headquarters and the First Ministry of Machine Building, the technical assault team led by Jiang Ming was awarded a collective second-class merit, which was recorded in the personal files of all members."

Applause rang out in the queue. As soon as Lao Sun raised his hand, he touched the old wound on the back of his hand. He changed his posture and continued to clap. Putty quickly seeped out from the edge of the tape.

The commendation order was subsequently announced, and Master Sun was promoted to senior technical instructor for his outstanding performance in equipment repair, field setup, and wartime support.

Old Sun looked around to make sure it was him who was being read aloud before stepping out of the line, his shoes still covered in black ash from the incinerator.

As the official distributing the certificates prepared to shake hands, Lao Sun first wiped his palms on his trouser leg, only to find that the stains spread wider with each wipe, so he had to pull his hand back.

"Instructor Sun, give me your hand. You don't need to wipe off the grease and grime left from your meritorious service on the front lines."

When the certificate and medals were placed in his hands, the applause in the queue rose again, and the No. 1 workshop that remained in Beijing also received the promotion notice via special line.

Jiang Ming stood at the front of the line, his military overcoat collar still covered in mine dust, and his shoulder slightly turned to one side due to the chafing from the steel frame.

The staff on duty brought him hot water, which he caught in the chipped enamel mug. Steam rose from the rim of the mug, obscuring the red ribbon on the surface of his medal.

The combatants around him were exchanging news about the clearing of the mine, and the artillery battalion commander even raised his fist at him across the ranks, clearly still remembering the argument when the artillery was being deployed.

Jiang Ming only drank two sips of hot water before rechecking the equipment number in the commendation order and reminding the recorder to include DBM-02 in the spoils of war evidence chain.

Director Wang stood behind the command table, observing him. Despite the applause, the 22-year-old's attention remained focused on the equipment ownership and storage procedures.

Such composure is understandable if it comes from decades of engineering experience, but it seems particularly jarring when it comes from a technical cadre who has graduated for less than a year.

Director Wang recalled Meng Dechang's loss of composure when he met Jiang Ming, and then the same silhouette in Lei Ming's photograph, turning a page of the award copy in his hand.

Clues need supporting evidence, so he temporarily kept this question in mind and instead ordered the guards to strengthen their escort for Jiang Ming's return to Beijing.

After receiving the collective second-class merit certificate, Fang Xudong returned to the queue. The notebook in his arms was pushed open by the medal box, revealing the huge question mark that had been drawn many times on the last page.

From impedance circle diagrams and double-diffused local oscillators to inversion layer propagation, and then to the square root of two minus one step and underground power supply structures, every question is marked with a date.

He tried to find the sources of knowledge, comparing Jiang Ming's learning experience and the materials he might have come into contact with one by one, but found that no single path could cover these fields.

Fang Xudong removed the pen, crossed out the question mark on the last page from top to bottom, and wrote a new line of text next to it.

He is the era itself.

This statement cannot explain the source of knowledge, but it accurately records the conclusion that Fang Xudong is willing to accept at this moment: with each step Jiang Ming takes forward, the old technological boundaries will move forward as well.

He closed his notebook, walked to the spoils loading area, and took the constant humidity chamber sealing form for the K-band fragments.

"I escorted this batch of blueprints throughout the entire process. I signed off on every vehicle change, water supply, and regrouping. After arriving in Beijing, I handed them over directly to the 502 confidential compartment."

Lu Qinghe also put the spectrum records into a separate file box. She stayed at Aksai Base for the time being, responsible for restoring the direction finding station and organizing the combat logs.

The two men signed the loading list at the end, and the professional trust they had built up on the front lines was now documented in a traceable chain of evidence.

The captured personnel were escorted onto the torture vehicle in batches. The technical supervisor, wearing handcuffs and shackles alone, still tried to identify the serial number of the constant moisture box as they passed the equipment vehicle.

The guards covered the box with a tarpaulin and pushed him into the closed carriage, while Meng Dechang had already been escorted ahead of time by Director Wang via another route.

Firearms, codebooks, secret letters, and the Lightning 7 manual were loaded into a secure vehicle, while K-band prototype components were individually secured using shock absorbers.

As the convoy prepared to leave the mining area, the communications officer ran from the mud-brick command post to the assembly area, carrying a thick envelope that was different from the size of military documents.

"Comrade Jiang Ming, this letter requires your personal signature. The forwarding unit will only verify your identity and will not register the main text."

Jiang Ming signed the mailbook, and after receiving the envelope, he found that the front was blank, with a row of dark red sealing wax pressed against the edge.

The sealing wax pattern came from the International Exchange Office of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, but there was a second overseas postmark under the seal, with only the letters Pasadena showing as the mailing address.