Volume 1, Chapter 26: Old Marks

Three days later, the area in front of the factory’s large red bulletin board was packed with people.

Beside a brand-new appointment notice hung a hastily crafted sign. On a white background with red lettering, it read: "Factory 303 Aviation Technology Rapid Verification Center." There was no ribbon-cutting, no speech from leadership, and not even a decent unveiling ceremony.

The sign was soon taken down and transported to the entrance of the former Workshop 207. Two workers climbed a ladder, hammering it onto the mottled wall, covering the old "207" mark.

Li Guishou stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sign. "A center? It sounds more impressive than a workshop, but this sign... it looks like the village clinic."

Pang Qingquan slapped him on the back. "Old Li, you’re such a wet blanket! What’s wrong with being a center? From now on, we’re the apple of the factory’s eye!"

"The apple of their eye lives in this dilapidated shack?" Li Guishou looked around.

The workshop was still the same, just a bit cleaner. A few new pieces of equipment, specially approved by Zhou Zhenhua, sat covered in tarps in the corner. Most of the space was still occupied by the familiar, paint-chipped old machinery.

"Make do with what we have; it’s better than packing up and going home," a veteran worker said with a grin, revealing yellowed teeth.

Du Yuze did not participate in their discussion. He was busy in a small room partitioned off at the far end of the workshop with a few newly assigned young people. This was to be their future laboratory.

It was more of a large storage room than a laboratory. The walls had just been whitewashed and still felt damp. The brand-new drawing boards and lab benches were things Shen Qingyun had essentially "snatched" from the design institute's warehouse.

"Director Du, is this... is this really our office?" a bespectacled young man asked softly. He was Sun Hongwei, a top graduate recently assigned from university, still carrying a hint of academic naivety.

He had originally been assigned to the well-funded First Branch Factory, only to be transferred by a single notice to this department, which had just been rescued from the "execution ground."

Du Yuze laid the final blueprint on the table and weighed it down. "Yes, it is. Is it too small?"

"No, it's not that..." Sun Hongwei waved his hands. "It’s just a bit different from what I imagined a 'center' would be."

"It’s good that it’s different," Du Yuze picked up a pencil. "Where there is a gap, there is value in us filling it."

With that, he ignored the newcomer's anxiety and buried himself in marking up the blueprints.

Shen Qingyun walked in and placed a stack of documents on the table. "The staffing plan has been approved. Besides us old folks, you've been assigned five university graduates and two researchers. Old Zhou really spared no expense this time."

Du Yuze didn't look up. "What about the equipment?"

"Everything that could be coordinated from sister units has been. A new oscilloscope, two high-precision multimeters, and a set of... second-hand wind tunnel computers," Shen Qingyun said with a dry tone. "For the rest, we have to wait for the procurement plan."

"We can't wait," Du Yuze finally stopped writing. "Chief Engineer Shen, call everyone over for a meeting."

Ten minutes later, all twenty-something members of the center were crammed into the cramped laboratory. Old, young, familiar, strange, excited, and skeptical—everyone stood, watching Du Yuze at the front.

"It’s small, so everyone bear with it," Du Yuze began. "This is the first general meeting of our center. I won't waste words; I’ll only talk about three things."

He held up one finger.

"First, forget the past. Forget the humiliation of Workshop 207 almost being shut down, and forget the farce of the rehabilitation. From today on, we only look forward."

He held up a second finger.

"Second, recognize our present. We call ourselves a 'center,' but everyone knows how thin our foundation is. Expecting the factory to feed us until we're fat is unrealistic. We have to carve out our own path."

There was a stir in the crowd. The expressions of the veteran workers turned grave.

Du Yuze’s tone remained steady as he held up a third finger. "Third, and most importantly, we must clarify what we are going to do in the future."

He turned and used a piece of chalk to write two large characters on the small blackboard behind him: *Longque* (Dragon Sparrow).

"The 'Longque' project has been restored by the factory," Pang Qingquan shouted excitedly. "Director Du, let’s perfect it! Let’s make it the best trainer for our Air Force!"

"No." Du Yuze’s answer was like a bucket of ice water poured over everyone.

Pang Qingquan was stunned. "No? Why?"

"The 'Longque' is a good platform, but its positioning is merely that of a trainer," Du Yuze turned to face the group. "Its ceiling is too low. Even if we push it to the limit, it won't solve our real problems."

Li Guishou frowned. "What problems?"

"We lack a powerful heart! We lack eyes that can see far! We lack a strong skeleton!" Du Yuze enunciated each word. "Our engines are dependent on others! Our radar is lagging everywhere! Our materials are still being explored!"

[System Store Refreshed]
[Small Turbofan Engine Design Blueprint (Verification Version), Exchange Points: 5000]
[Active Phased Array Radar Prototype Scheme, Exchange Points: 8000]
[T300 Grade Carbon Fiber Composite Preparation Process, Exchange Points: 3000]

In an instant, countless blueprints and data streams flooded Du Yuze’s mind. He saw the perfect curvature of fan blades, the precise structure of T/R modules, and the microscopic arrangement of carbon fiber tows.

His heart hammered in his chest.

"Director Du... what exactly are you trying to say?" Shen Qingyun sensed something, his expression turning serious.

"I mean that 'Longque' cannot be our goal." Du Yuze’s breathing quickened, but he forced himself to stay calm. "It can only be our tool, our test subject, our 'Li Gui'!"

"Li Gui?" Everyone was confused.

"Exactly! Use this fake 'Li Kui' to scout the path for our true 'Li Kui'!" Du Yuze picked up the chalk, drew a large question mark next to "Longque," and then wrote four heavy characters—

*Light Fighter Jet!*

The entire laboratory fell into a deathly silence.

If appointing Du Yuze as the general director was unprecedented, the goal he had just proposed was sheer madness.

A workshop that was almost shut down, a group of people just pulled back from the edge of unemployment, and a few new pieces of equipment—to develop a brand-new light fighter jet?

This wasn't reaching for the sky; this was a madman dreaming!

"Nonsense!" Li Guishou was the first to jump up. "Du Yuze! What do you think this is? Children playing house? Do you know what a fighter jet entails? We haven't even fully mastered the trainer yet!"

"I agree with Old Li," Sun Hongwei, the fresh graduate, mustered the courage to speak. "Director Du, this goes against scientific principles. Technological development requires accumulation; it cannot be achieved overnight. We should finish the finalization of the 'Longque' first; that is the safest approach."

"Safe?" Du Yuze retorted. "By the time we safely finish the 'Longque,' others will be flying third-generation jets! What will we use to compete with them? Human lives?"

"But you have to eat one bite at a time!" Shen Qingyun also spoke up, his voice full of worry. "Yuze, your idea is too bold, too unrealistic. Take the engine, for example. The technological leap from turbojet to turbofan is impossible to achieve in less than ten or twenty years!"

"Why ten or twenty years?" Du Yuze looked directly at his mentor. "We aren't building a complete turbofan! We are using the 'Longque' airframe to verify if our own high-pressure compressor design works! To verify if our new combustion chamber scheme works! We verify piece by piece, and break through piece by piece!"

He turned to Li Guishou. "Master Li, we aren't building an all-composite aircraft! We’ll start by trying to replace the 'Longque’s' horizontal tail with composite materials! First solve the problem of existence, then solve the problem of quality! We are a 'Rapid Verification Center,' not an 'Assembly Plant'! Our task is to use the smallest cost to test the greatest possibilities!"

His words silenced the objections. In the lab, only heavy breathing remained.

Li Guishou opened his mouth but couldn't find the words. Shen Qingyun furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

Pang Qingquan’s fists, however, tightened. After a long pause, he roared, "Do it! I think this is damn exciting!"

"You’re crazy!" Li Guishou cursed.

"I’m not crazy!" Pang Qingquan stiffened his neck. "When have the people of Workshop 207 ever been afraid? We didn't have the chance before, but now that the factory director has handed us this opportunity, are we going to cower like turtles? I don't care about fighter jets or not; I’m listening to Director Du. Whatever he says, I do!"

"Right! Do it!" someone shouted.

"Do it to hell!"

The long-suppressed emotions were instantly ignited. The veteran workers who had nearly lost their livelihoods now had a gambler’s red glow in their eyes.

Shen Qingyun looked at the group, then at Du Yuze. After a long while, he let out a long sigh—not of discouragement, but of release.

"Good," he said. "I’ll go crazy with you."

He walked over to Du Yuze, picked up another piece of chalk, and drew a heavy line under the words "Light Fighter Jet."

***

"I’ll go find Director Zhou," Du Yuze grabbed the sketch he had just started. "Chief Engineer Shen, you and Master Li, prepare a detailed technical verification list and equipment requirements immediately."

"Understood."

...

In Zhou Zhenhua’s office.

He was worrying over a pile of reports; the factory was in ruins, and money was needed everywhere.

"Director," Du Yuze and Shen Qingyun pushed the door open.

"Oh? It’s you two." Zhou Zhenhua rubbed his temples. "How is the work at the center? If you need anything, just submit a report, and I’ll approve it."

"We aren't here for supplies," Du Yuze laid the sketch directly on Zhou Zhenhua’s desk. "Director, we are here to sign a military pledge."

Zhou Zhenhua froze. He picked up the sketch; it showed only a rough outline of an aircraft and a few lines of text.

"Using 'Longque' as a platform, step-by-step verification of key technologies such as turbofan engines, phased array radar, and composite materials... Final goal: Develop a domestic advanced light fighter jet."

Zhou Zhenhua’s hand stopped.

The office was deathly quiet.

He slowly put down the paper, looked up, and stared at Du Yuze for a full minute.

"Do you know what you’re saying?"

"I know."

"Do you know how much this will cost? Do you know that if you fail, this 'center' of yours—and I, as the factory director—will become the laughingstock of the entire system?" Zhou Zhenhua’s tone was calm, but every word felt like iron.

Shen Qingyun stepped forward. "Director, this plan is bold, but the logic is sound. Take small steps and run fast, iterate rapidly. We aren't trying to get fat in one bite; we are trying to cross the river by feeling the stones as fast as possible."

Zhou Zhenhua ignored Shen Qingyun, his gaze locked on Du Yuze.

"I’ll only ask you this: what are the odds of success?"

"Before we start, zero," Du Yuze replied crisply. "But I also know that if we don't catch up now, there will never be a day that we do."

Zhou Zhenhua fell silent.

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping the desk unconsciously.

Suddenly, he laughed.

It wasn't a smile; it was a loud, booming laugh. He slapped the table, causing the teacup to rattle.

"Good! Good! Good!" He said the word three times. "I promoted you because I wanted this fearlessness! If you had come to me today saying you wanted to settle for the 'Longque,' I would have looked down on you!"

He stood up, walked over to Du Yuze, and patted his shoulder hard.

"Go for it!"

"If you don't have enough money, I’ll approve it! If you don't have enough people, I’ll transfer them! If you don't have enough equipment, I’ll beg or steal to get it for you!"

Zhou Zhenhua’s arm swept through the air.

"I only want one thing—results! Results that will force those who look down on us to shut their mouths!"

Du Yuze stood at attention and gave a military salute.

No more words were needed.