Volume 1, Chapter 30: Deviation

The hangar was as bright as day.

The silver-gray fuselage of the "Fighter Prototype 1," codenamed JY1, sat silently in the center. The red five-pointed stars and the "August 1st" military emblems on its body shone like burning flames under the lights.

After countless ground tests and system integration checks, this heavily modified version of the "Air Li Kui" was finally ready for its maiden flight.

Factory Director Zhang, accompanied by a man in a flight suit, was making a final inspection around the aircraft.

"Captain Wang, how does it feel?" Director Zhang’s face was filled with irrepressible joy.

The pilot, Wang Zhen, was an ace test pilot specifically requested from the Air Force. He patted the cold fuselage, feeling the texture of the metal.

"Good machine. It feels more agile than anything I’ve ever flown." He was a man of few words, each one carrying the weight characteristic of a soldier.

Du Yuze stood not far away, watching the scene. Months of hard work and countless sleepless nights were all concentrated in this aircraft. He could almost feel the faint current in every wire and the pulse of every hydraulic line within the frame.

Everything was perfect.

He did one last mental pass of the aircraft’s 3D structural diagram, from the nose radome to the tail nozzle, checking every rivet and every weld.

Just then, a piercing alarm exploded in his mind.

[System: Warning! Abnormal stress point detected in the right main landing gear retraction mechanism. Risk of fracture under long-term use!]

In an instant, the noise of the hangar vanished. Du Yuze’s blood seemed to freeze.

The right main landing gear. Retraction mechanism. Risk of fracture.

These words hammered against his nerves like heavy blows.

Takeoff was not the problem; the problem was landing. If the landing gear fractured during a high-speed touchdown, there would be only one outcome.

The aircraft would be destroyed, and the pilot would perish.

"Wait!"

Du Yuze’s voice was not loud, but it cut through the lively atmosphere like a knife. Everyone stopped and looked at him.

He hurried through the crowd toward Director Zhang.

"What’s wrong, Xiao Du?" Director Zhang was still immersed in his excitement.

"The maiden flight must be canceled." Du Yuze’s tone left no room for negotiation.

Director Zhang’s smile froze. "What did you say? Canceled? Do you know how many eyes are on us today?"

"There is a problem with the right main landing gear," Du Yuze stated concisely.

"Impossible!" A technical lead in blue overalls immediately retorted. "We’ve performed hundreds of retraction tests, and all the data is normal. The hydraulic system, mechanical structure, sensor signals—everything is fine!"

Director Zhang’s face darkened. "Xiao Du, this is no time for jokes. All procedures have been completed, and all reports have been signed. You say there’s a problem—where is the evidence?"

The pilot, Wang Zhen, walked over. He didn't speak, just watched Du Yuze, waiting for an explanation.

"It’s a stress issue." Du Yuze had to translate the system warning into a language they could understand. "A connecting part in the retraction mechanism may have a discrepancy between its stress model at a certain angle and our design simulation. After high-G maneuvers in the air, this stress point will be magnified. The moment it touches down, there is a risk of it snapping."

The technical lead scoffed. "Design simulation? Engineer Du, our simulation software is the best in the country; we’ve run it thousands of times. And now you’re saying the model is flawed?"

"I have the results of my own manual calculations," Du Yuze was forced to bluff.

"Nonsense!" Director Zhang finally lost his temper. "Are you going to shut down the entire project based on a 'maybe' and your own 'calculations'? Make us a laughingstock to the Air Force comrades? Du Yuze, I order you to return to your post!"

Du Yuze did not move. He looked straight into Director Zhang’s eyes.

"If I’m wrong, I’ll take full responsibility—you can even have me executed. But if I don’t say anything and this plane crashes, who will take responsibility?"

The hangar went deathly silent.

"Execute you? Can you afford that responsibility? Do you know how many people’s blood and sweat went into this plane?" Director Zhang’s hands were shaking with rage.

"It is precisely because it is blood and sweat that we cannot let it turn into a pile of scrap metal."

Wang Zhen, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. "Director Zhang."

He turned to Du Yuze. "Are you sure?"

"I am sure," Du Yuze replied.

Wang Zhen nodded, then turned to Director Zhang, his tone calm but firm. "I’m not flying today."

He continued, "My life belongs to the country, but it is not meant to be gambled away. I trust my engineer. If he says there is a problem, then there is definitely a problem."

Director Zhang looked at Wang Zhen, then at Du Yuze, his chest heaving violently. He knew that if the test pilot refused to fly, the matter was beyond saving.

"Fine... fine..." he repeated twice, his anger at its peak. "Du Yuze, you investigate! Bring me your calculations, your models, your evidence—bring it all! If you can’t find a problem, prepare yourself for a military tribunal!"

"Give me two hours." Du Yuze turned immediately. "Go get Professor Shen and Master Li, right now! Tell them I need them."

Someone ran off.

Du Yuze rushed to the JY1, slid under the belly of the plane, and looked up at the complex right main landing gear.

A design flaw? Or...

He dared not think further.

Soon, Shen Qingyun and Li Weiguo arrived one after the other. Shen Qingyun was still wearing his lab coat, and Li Weiguo was carrying his toolbox.

"What’s going on?" Shen Qingyun asked, breathless.

"Old Li, remove the cover plate. Professor Shen, look at this position." Du Yuze pointed to the connecting sleeve between the hydraulic retraction rod and the landing gear strut. "I suspect there’s an issue with the material or the heat treatment here."

Without a word, Li Weiguo took out a wrench and a pry bar. In a few quick moves, he removed the inspection cover, revealing the complex mechanical structure inside.

"Looks fine to me," Li Weiguo said, shining his flashlight and checking carefully. "It’s clean as a whistle, not a scratch on it."

Shen Qingyun also frowned, looking at the pristine part. "In the design, this uses the highest-strength aviation alloy steel, treated with triple-strengthened heat treatment. The safety redundancy is three hundred. Theoretically, even if the plane were overloaded by double, this part wouldn't snap."

"Theory is just theory," Du Yuze’s mind raced. "Is it possible that the material used isn't what’s on the blueprints?"

"Impossible!" The technical lead from before came over, his tone sharp. "Every material has an inbound inspection report, material requisition forms, processing orders, and installation records. It’s a chain of custody signed by dozens of people. How could the wrong material be used?"

Li Weiguo ignored him. He took a small steel needle with a hooked tip from his toolbox, leaned in close to the connecting sleeve, and gently scratched an inconspicuous spot on the edge.

A shallow white scratch appeared.

Li Weiguo stopped.

He tried another spot and pressed harder.

Another clear scratch.

He looked up at Du Yuze and Shen Qingyun, his lips moving without making a sound.

"What is it, Old Li?" Shen Qingyun asked.

"The hardness is wrong," Li Weiguo said in a low voice. "This thing should be harder than a tempered file. My steel needle shouldn't even leave a mark."

He handed the needle to Shen Qingyun. "You try."

Shen Qingyun took it and made a scratch. His face changed instantly.

"This is not..." he muttered to himself. "Its surface hardness should be at least Rockwell 60. This one... is at most 40."

"What does this mean?" Director Zhang squeezed forward, sensing something was wrong.

"It means," Du Yuze took over, his voice as cold as ice, "that someone swapped this part. They used a cheap, inferior product that looks the same but fails to meet the strength requirements to replace the life-saving part."

This was not a design flaw.

This was deliberate sabotage.

This was murder.

Director Zhang’s face instantly drained of all color. He leaned against a nearby tool cart to steady himself.

In the hangar, everyone felt a chill rising from their feet, straight to their spines.

Du Yuze looked at the part with the white scratch, as if seeing a grinning face.

Becker was just the beginning.

The real culprit had already reached into their very heart.

Li Weiguo silently picked up the heaviest wrench from his toolbox, gripping it tightly.

He looked at the part and spoke, one word at a time.

"I’m going to check the material requisition forms."