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

Jiang Ming took the calculation paper handed to him by Ren Xinmin, wrote down four sets of sampling intervals on the whiteboard, and substituted the average period of the complete cycle back into the original stable model.

Non-equidistant sampling cannot rely on random variations; each interval must be fixed in advance, and the cycle length must be constrained by both mechanical timing and electronic circuitry.

He wrote the four-phase pulse distribution as a recursive equation, and then connected the weighting coefficient of the holding loop to the integrator to ensure that the equivalent gain returns to the original design value after each cycle.

Ren Xinmin was responsible for reviewing the stability of the control, while the returned control expert calculated the time-varying delay term. The two used different paths, and the resulting boundaries gradually converged.

The structural team presented the allowable drift range of the three resonance peaks on the podium. Jiang Ming substituted the peak error into the worst-case scenario and readjusted the sampling intervals of the second and fourth groups.

The modified pulse sequence avoids three dangerous frequency bands and also avoids their low-order harmonic relationships.

After Zhou Chengan arrived from 502, he broke down the four modules—frequency division, triggering, holding, and zeroing—on paper according to the logical conditions given by Jiang Ming.

"Using existing vacuum tubes, the drift cannot be controlled. Silicon tube triggers can shorten the switching time. Four-phase distribution requires two levels of registers."

After reviewing his module diagram, Jiang Ming asked him to add power fluctuations and device discreteness.

When Zhou Chengan calculated the second page, he found that if the gain of a set of tubes fell below the lower limit of the batch, the fourth phase pulse would have insufficient width.

He didn't cover up the problem; he wrote the failure conditions directly on the edge of the whiteboard.

"We need to add a shaping grade, otherwise the second batch of tubes may not all work stably."

Jiang Ming added a limiting branch before the shaping stage and asked Ren Xinmin to check whether this delay intruded into the servo interface.

The extra delay is kept within acceptable limits, thus completing the electronic closed loop of the four-phase trigger circuit.

Tu Shou'e picked up the meeting minutes and read through them item by item in the three columns: structural modifications, device conditions, and stability recalculation. He then signed his name in the overall responsibility column.

Ren Xinmin followed up by signing the guidance review opinion, while Jiang Ming wrote his name in the column for person in charge of electronics verification.

For the first time, the three disciplines jointly undertook the results around the same frequency boundary. The deadlock that was originally stuck between the mounting bracket and the gyroscope was rewritten into an engineering solution that could be verified in stages.

Vasily rose from the audience and closed the Soviet technical manual.

"The Soviet Union will not provide computers for modifications that violate existing regulations, nor will it assume responsibility for the consequences of such tests."

After the translator finished speaking, Vasily had already left the venue with two assistants.

Qian Xuesen did not try to persuade them to stay, but only instructed the recorder to include the Soviet statement refusing to provide machine time in the minutes, and then asked the Chinese calculation team to reschedule the nighttime verification.

After the meeting ended, Qian Xuesen called Jiang Ming over.

The two entered the adjacent small office, where a newly received international technical briefing and several unopened foreign letters were laid out on the table.

Qian Xuesen did not discuss Vasily's attitude, but instead presented Jiang Ming with a timetable for Soviet aid projects.

"How much more time do you think they'll give us?"

Looking at the delivery dates of several pieces of equipment on the table, Jiang Ming noticed a significant change in the Soviet Union's recent technical behavior. From concealing parameter defects to exerting pressure by cutting off supplies, and then to refusing to provide opportunities for China's independent solutions, the room for cooperation is shrinking.

"If political relations continue to change, aid programs may be tightened earlier than originally planned, and a complete handover may not be possible until the original plan is completed."

Qian Xuesen picked up his pen and wrote 1960 on the edge of the timetable.

"I'm also watching this watershed moment. No one can say for sure what will happen right now. What we can do is get the essential information into our hands in advance."

Jiang Ming looked at the four numbers, without revealing that he came from the future.

He knew that a full evacuation had not yet occurred, and he was also aware that this window of opportunity was shorter than many people had anticipated, but he could not replace real evidence with inexplicable memories.

"Independent links must be prepared for guidance, materials, electronic devices, and computing methods. The data that the Soviet side is still willing to provide must first undergo engineering acceptance."

Qian Xuesen nodded and put the timetable back into the folder.

"Go back to 502 and continue with the electronics verification. External changes will be coordinated by the Fifth Academy. Don't let speculation disrupt the project's schedule."

As Jiang Ming returned to the Third Electronics Factory by car, rain clouds pressed down on the west side of the city once more.

Director Wang stood outside the 502 confidential cubicle, next to an official in a gray Zhongshan suit holding a leather file folder.

Comrade Song checked Jiang Ming's documents before letting him enter the cordon.

Director Wang explained, "Li Da is in charge of old case documents and handwriting analysis. We have the results for the ink on the note."

Li Da took out the identification report from the file folder and first pointed to the ink chromatography diagram.

"Blue-black ink contains a combination of resin and dye that is not commonly used in domestic formulas. A batch of fountain pen inks produced in Britain in the 1940s used similar ingredients."

The paper was stored in a relatively dry environment, the ink bottle may have been stored for many years, but the writing was done recently, and there are no signs of long-term oxidation on the edges of the strokes.

"The paper is domestic office paper, the pen and ink have a British background, the writer may have kept old stationery, or may have deliberately used old items to guide us."

Director Wang did not directly take the identification results as a conclusion regarding his identity.

"We cross-screened Lei Zhenbang's connections in the UK, former technical staff of the Third Electronics Factory, and the list of those who returned to China in the 1940s, and now only three people meet the basic requirements."

Jiang Ming accepted the three resumes.

The first person has been teaching at universities in Shanghai since the founding of the People's Republic of China. He has been actively involved in public activities in recent years, but no contact with the Third Electronics Factory has been found.

The second person was transferred to the Northeast Industrial System, and his hospitalization records and work attendance records were able to cover the period before and after the paper slips were sent.

The third resume is for Gu Shaowen, who studied electromagnetic measurement in England in his early years. After returning to China, he first worked in the old military supply system. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, his job transfers involved temporary technical support on several occasions.

Jiang Ming flipped to 1953, where his resume suddenly stopped in March and didn't reappear until December. In the nine months in between, there was only one line about an internal secondment, without specifying the unit or task.

"Investigate all the connections between these three individuals and the Third Electronics Factory, including equipment acceptance, temporary secondment, and training lists."

Li Da pulled out the last file and turned to the appendix.

The supplementary page was obtained from the old personnel department's supplementary records. The paper color was darker than the main file, and the "employer" column was filled in as "temporary technical consultant of the Third Electronics Factory".

The time was May 1953.

As Jiang Ming stared at the date, images of the first batch of Soviet equipment arriving at the factory, the adjustment of the old inspection system, and the personnel purge following Lei Zhenbang's case flashed through his mind.

That year, the factory's internal systems changed frequently, and the temporary consultants were able to access the equipment layout, boiler room passages and side door locations, and may have even seen the technical materials left behind by Lei Zhenbang.

Gu Shaowen's file was restored in December of the same year, but his work unit had changed to an instrument factory in the south, and he never publicly returned to Beijing after that.

Director Wang placed a recent traffic investigation form next to him.

"We have not yet found his official accommodation registration in Beijing, and the three observation teams have not found any identifiable targets."

Jiang Ming flipped to the last page of the file and saw that Gu Shaowen's last organizational review conclusion stated that the historical relationship was pending verification and the use of technology was restricted.

This conclusion could either distance him from core units or make him a person overlooked in old cases.

"First check the person who approved the temporary transfer within the factory in 1953, then verify which equipment and personnel he came into contact with before leaving the factory, without alerting his original unit in the south."

Director Wang put away the resume and approved of this investigation approach.

Around dinnertime, Old Sun rode his tricycle into the courtyard. The back of the tricycle was filled with several baskets of freshly steamed meat buns, with white steam rising from under the cotton cloth.

After entering the building, he handed out the meat coupons to the staff working overtime one by one, muttering that the cafeteria chef had shortchanged him by two meat coupons and that he would have to make up for it tomorrow.

Da Liu stood by the test bench, munching on a steamed bun. The capacitor bridge meter kept tilting to the left. He adjusted the mechanical zero point several times, but the pointer still couldn't return to the center.

"Jiang, this meter is acting up today. It's reporting a capacitance even when there's no load."

Jiang Ming put down Gu Shaowen's documents, picked up a screwdriver, and removed the watch head cover.

The hairspring retainer had been vibrated and the zero-position screw had loosened. He tightened the retainer again and then asked Da Liu to disconnect the input terminal to check the insulation.

After the pointer returned to the zero line, Da Liu stuffed the remaining half of the bun into his mouth and retested under the original conditions. The reading finally recovered.

In the office, some people were distributing steamed buns, while others were filling out test forms. From the diesel engine room came the sound of Old Sun checking the belts.

Jiang Ming put Gu Shaowen's file into the highest-security safe, handed over the investigation authority to Director Wang, and left himself with the task of silicon tube aging and four-phase sampling verification.

The faster a technology line develops independent capabilities, the more difficult it becomes for those hiding in the shadows to exploit supplies, equipment, and data to create new gaps.

Thunder rumbled across the factory roof outside the window, and raindrops pounded on the drainage ditch.

At the same time, the gates of the Soviet experts' residence opened, and a jeep with Moscow diplomatic license plates drove onto the street.

The police station only had time to note the license plate and the time of departure; the person inside the car never showed up.