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

Jiang Ming used a knife to pry open the seal along the edge of the sealing wax. After unfolding the first layer of kraft paper, an overseas envelope with an airmail mark was revealed inside.

The English address on the back clearly states Pasadena, California, USA, Caltech Aeronautical Laboratory, and the mailing date predates the departure of the technical commando team from Beijing.

Below the envelope was a string of slanted, forceful English signatures, the last letters of which were exactly the same as those in the private letters cited in Qian Xuesen's lecture notes.

Theodore von Kármán.

Jiang Ming turned the overseas envelope to the morning light and checked the postmark, forwarding stamp and the Academy of Sciences registration number again. The three time records could be matched.

"Who sent it to you?"

Old Sun, holding the box of military medals, took a step closer, but upon seeing the pages filled with English, he stepped back, shooing away the people around him who were about to move the box.

"My teacher's teacher, a senior researcher in aerodynamics."

Jiang Ming opened the inner pages and found a short English letter written on a thin sheet of paper, which began by discussing the problem of boundary layer separation in high-speed airflow.

Theodore von Kármán first mentioned the research notes that Qian Xuesen sent before returning to China, and then inquired about the way an unsteady disturbance is transmitted near a rough wall.

The letter avoided discussing politics, military affairs, and the process of returning to China, maintaining a purely academic exchange format throughout. Even Jiang Ming's name only appeared once at the end.

The old man called him an excellent disciple of mechanics from the East and raised two questions about a variable cross-section adjustment idea in the notes.

The first problem involves local energy exchange in the compressible flow boundary layer, while the second problem requires explaining how non-uniform cross sections alter the disturbance propagation path.

On the surface, the letter was asking about the derivation by Qian Xuesen's student, but before the signature, it included an invitation, allowing Jiang Ming to reply directly through the Chinese Academy of Sciences for discussion.

Since his transmigration, the Human Connection Record has always required him to establish real connections with living people, and the sealing condition of the von Kármán node points to a direct technical communication.

Qian Xuesen had clearly mentioned Jiang Ming's academic ideas in his previous letter, and Theodore von Kármán responded by giving his real name, specific questions, and an invitation to reply.

This connection was established through genuine technical cooperation between the two parties, and the conditions recognized by the system's ironclad rules were finally all closed.

When Jiang Ming read the signature, the bronze pages deep in his consciousness automatically turned to the top of Qian Xuesen's name card, where a gray seal stretched across the end of the academic lineage.

The seal, which had previously only shown tiny cracks, began to emit a series of crisp cracks, and the cracks expanded to both sides along the von Kármán node, doubling in length in the blink of an eye.

Dozens of intersecting rays of light emerge from behind the gray layer, some of which extend toward the European continent and connect to pre-World War II systems of aerodynamics, applied mathematics, and engineering mechanics.

[Confirmation of direct technical communication conditions.]

The reopening of Theodore von Kármán's academic records is progressing smoothly.

The gray seal structure is loosening; complete unlocking requires the host to complete the initial technical response.

The system only provides the changing conditions; the names and knowledge behind the seal are still covered by the gray fog, and Jiang Ming cannot read the contents in advance.

A letter opened the door, but to truly enter this network, he had to personally answer the questions, turning the technical exchange from a one-way mention into a two-way confirmation.

Jiang Ming carefully put the letter back along its original creases, and the cracks in the system stabilized, revealing the outline of the door to the European academic system.

The overseas envelope also contained a thick sheet of domestically produced notepad, with the Institute of Mechanics' internal transfer stamp stamped on the corner.

Qian Xuesen used the familiar handwriting to write only two lines.

Return to Beijing immediately; there is important business to discuss in person.

Mr. Feng's letter has been forwarded. Please answer independently first, and be careful during your journey.

After reading the note, Jiang Ming's gaze lingered for a moment on the words "respond independently." Qian Xuesen clearly wanted to use this reply to determine his true understanding of the variable cross-section problem.

The frontline results brought Jiang Ming into the spotlight at a higher level, and the tasks he would face next would no longer involve tackling single electronic components.

Mechanics, microwaves, materials science, and the national air defense system began to converge in him, and any misjudgment would affect the allocation of resources to a greater extent.

He separated the notes from the overseas letters and put them in a personal document bag, and wrote in the remarks column of the inbox that he needed to reply through the Office of International Exchange of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Fang Xudong finished sealing the constant moisture box and walked over to check the English signature on the back of the envelope. Residual wax residue was still reflected on the lens.

"Was Theodore von Kármán writing to you directly?"

"Professor Qian mentioned my derivation in his technical notes, and he also asked two questions about boundary layers."

Fang Xudong looked at the notebook where the question marks had just been crossed out, and finally only reached out to ask for the Chinese summaries of the two questions in the letter.

"Write it to me in the car. I want to see if the refraction model in microwave propagation can be connected to the second question."

"Yes, I need to write the body of the reply myself, but we can keep an internal record of the discussion process."

This reply clearly distinguished between private communication and team discussions. Fang Xudong nodded in acceptance and turned back to continue inspecting the shock absorber frame.

Lu Qinghe walked over from beside the directional vehicle and handed Jiang Ming a metal box containing data rolls.

"These are the original records of inversion propagation and 7 MHz direction finding. They were handed over to the pre-research team after returning to Beijing, and copies were kept in the base archives."

"Aren't you going back to Beijing with the team?"

"The antenna turning mechanism of Station No. 3 was worn out in the sandstorm, and the duty team also needs to be rebuilt. I have to stay and restore the system to combat readiness."

Jiang Ming took the metal box and signed the handover form: "After the K-band early warning plan is finalized, I will send parameter summaries through the military line. The actual testing at the receiving end will still depend on you."

Lu Qinghe put the signed documents into her tool bag, her gaze sweeping over the residual sealing wax on his personal file bag.

"Reply to the letter first; the twenty-odd gigahertz item won't take long to arrive."

The two only discussed project arrangements, and the personnel loading the truck around them were still unaware of the contents of the overseas letters, thus maintaining the integrity of the confidentiality boundary.

Old Sun climbed onto the equipment truck, stuffed the medal box into the toolbox compartment, and then cleared the flattest spot to place the Yuanlei No. 1 shockproof box.

"Jiang, the convoy will depart in fifteen minutes. The security compartments have already been set up at the temporary platform. Go grab something hot to eat first."

Jiang Ming handed the chipped enamel mug to the cook to refill it with water, then glanced back at the mine shaft.

The sealed vehicles are driving out one by one along the north slope. The seized technical fragments and evidence from old cases will be sent to Beijing in separate vehicles. Aksai Base has reconnected to the radar network and begun repairing the damaged sites.

Behind a scree slope on the southwest side of the Gobi Desert, an off-road vehicle covered in rock-colored dust is parked in the shadow of a dry ditch.

The observer inside the vehicle could not see inside the mine; they could only record the formation order of the vehicles on the outside through binoculars.

As Jiang Ming boarded the equipment vehicle, the observer adjusted the focus and pressed the shutter.

Distance, backlighting, and dust obscured his face, leaving only a silhouette in a military overcoat and a chipped enamel mug in his hand on the film reel.

The observer added a few more notes to the logbook: young, technician, heavily guarded.

The off-road vehicle then retreated westward along the dry ditch, and the tire tracks were quickly covered by the fine sand that fell from the slope.

Jiang Ming was completely unaware of this. On the train heading to the temporary platform, he spread out a piece of graph paper and copied down the two questions posed by Theodore von Kármán.

Before nightfall, all six shockproof boxes were moved into the secure compartment.

Steam locomotives spewed white steam, their whistles echoing across the Gobi Desert, carrying Jiang Ming and spoils of war from the front lines toward Beijing.

Meanwhile, the unwashed roll of film was being sent west along another route.