Chapter 153: Countdown

Almost all scholars acted instinctively, choosing to download the preprint paper uploaded by Wu Tong, printing it out or viewing it directly on their computer screens to study it carefully. At that very first glance, all those in the know fell silent, overcome with a deep sense of shame.

It was not that water and hot oil could never be blended, leaving only mutual destruction for anyone who tried.

Rather, it depended on whether the person operating them possessed the capability to process water into an accelerant for oil. What they could not achieve did not mean no one else could; it was merely that their own vision had been too narrow!

That mathematical genius from the East, Wu Tong, had actually done it!

Using limit formulas, she had written a brand-new chapter for nonlinear partial differential equations, letting the world know that nonlinear differential equations could be expanded in such a manner!

Even more, the brilliant and deft incorporation of the Langlands program as the finishing touch made people involuntarily slap their thighs and exclaim in admiration. It was truly a stroke of divine inspiration; they seemed to catch a glimpse of the flavor of a grand unification in mathematics!

Only a talent of such breathtaking brilliance could create a world-astonishing solution of this caliber. She provided a certain inspiration for researchers delving into the Navier-Stokes equations, which was undoubtedly another major achievement—and Wu Tong's very first research breakthrough in a non-number-theory sector. As astonishing to the world as the Zhou conjecture at the dawn of her rise, no one could easily define Wu Tong's upper limit!

In this world, there were no lack of people who, seeing that Wu Tong had produced nothing new in September, mocked her for exhausting her talent and being merely a fleeting shooting star.

Yet unexpectedly, before October was even half over, Wu Tong threw out such a monumental research achievement, once again leaving the world in awe of her!

Wu Tong's success dropped yet another world-shaking bomb into the deep waters of mathematics.

Given the profound difficulty of mathematics, it was completely normal for researchers to spend ten, twenty years, or even a lifetime producing a single major achievement.

Compared to the arduousness of producing results in mathematics, the time elapsed since her last mathematical achievement was merely a little over a month—a speed that could only be described as lightning-fast!

Did people still say that Wu Tong's talent had run dry? Rather, it was their own narrow-minded thoughts speaking of themselves; their vision was blocked by something opaque, and with their thinking completely dried up, they could only resort to slanders, incapable of making any further progress!

While Wu Tong's new achievements continued to ferment and be discussed throughout the mathematical community, at the Xizhou 606 Institute, Lu Xiao rendezvoused with Chief Engineer Yang Wei, who had personally escorted the brand-new WS-15S engine. Together, they looked at the silver-gray, steel-winged, majestic eagle spreading its wings upon the assembly floor.

Standing there in silent, profound, and restrained repose, it exuded an overwhelming aura of razor-sharp majesty. Poised like a crouching dragon in the abyss, motionless until roused, yet possessing the lightning-fast capacity to strike with devastating force the moment it moved.

Yes! Driven by the 606 Institute's round-the-clock, urgent shifts and relentless overtime, it had taken only a single month to build the entire Mighty Dragon J-20!

With over 14,000 assembled components and more than 1,200 assembly procedures—every single one executed to the highest standards of perfection, where the clearance error of each part could not exceed 0.1 millimeters—it was forged by the engineers of the 606 Institute, including himself, who had remodeled and set up three entire production lines. Grouping the components, they had "handcrafted" it, assembling it part by part.

Years of painstaking effort had now materialized into this crouching dragon of the abyss—the Mighty Dragon. As its birth was witnessed, many of the engineers burst into tears on the spot. After all those years of anonymity and blood, sweat, and tears, witnessing the birth of the Mighty Dragon made them feel that it was all worth it—truly worth it in this lifetime!

Lu Xiao's mood was equally stirred. Back when his reputation in the physics community was at its zenith, he received news from home that China's purchase of aero-engines had been sabotaged and blocked by their former elder brother, resulting in heavy losses. His grandfather, heartbroken and infuriated, had fallen gravely ill and been hospitalized. Without hesitation, Lu Xiao decided to return to his homeland and devote himself to national construction.

For a full seven years—from the initial security systems to subsequent phased-array radars, the modification of the J-7 and J-8, the design of new fighters following official approval, and finally taking charge of the J-20 project...

Through years of relentless struggle that blurred the passage of time, he was now finally about to welcome ultimate victory and fulfill his grand ambition from all those years ago: to forge a world-class, top-tier fighter aircraft for his country.

Assisted by Wu Tong, he had already successfully perfected the optimal layout for this world-class fighter design. The blueprint models of that time, having weathered the rigorous tests of wind tunnel experiments, had now materialized into the real, peacefully resting body of the azure dragon before his eyes.

Now, all that was missing was this engine—brought by Chief Engineer Yang Wei—representing the world's absolute top tier, or rather, the data-strongest engine currently in existence, to equip the Mighty Dragon with a powerful, surging heart and transform it into a true divine dragon that would dominate the East and strike awe across the four quarters.

"We have already conducted experimental assembly tests using a backup engine, adjusted the aircraft's center of gravity, pre-written the flight control system, performed stability tests, and calibrated the fuel system. Now, all that remains is to install this true heart!" Lu Xiao looked expectantly toward the WS-15S as core experimental personnel from the 614 and 606 Institutes began unsealing its protective packaging. Once installed, the Mighty Dragon would truly come alive!

The engine used previously was merely a backup model utilized for exterior modification. Although it had allowed the Mighty Dragon to move and successfully taxi for a hundred meters or so—validating its fuel, radar, avionics, hydraulics, flight control, and weapon systems, all of which operated swimmingly—at the end of the day, that was not the Mighty Dragon's true heart.

"We are looking forward to it just as much!" Yang Wei was equally moved. Judging by the ultra-superior data from ground tests, this powerful heart could truly be said to have been reborn. Next, what awaited it was a brand-new maiden voyage—installed within the Mighty Dragon as its heart, to face the test of high altitudes. Yet Yang Wei firmly believed without a single doubt that his WS-15S, his Fire Phoenix, would encounter absolutely no issues.

Every design represented the absolute pinnacle currently attainable, and every manufacturing process was executed in strict accordance with rigorous standards. The new T5 fan blade material had performed with extraordinary perfection. As long as Lu Xiao's airframe had no issues, and the test pilots—elite aces who had honed their skills for the Mighty Dragon through countless drills—were ready, there would be no problems whatsoever.

Meeting Chief Engineer Yang Wei's resolute gaze, Lu Xiao silently and solemnly raised his hand in a military salute. Both of them were soldiers, and this was the highest form of respect. Immediately afterward, Lu Xiao waved his hand and issued a firm command.

"Begin final optimization and adjustment!"

At Lu Xiao's order, all the engineers and workers in the assembly workshop sprang into action. Removing the canopy and testing the riveting thickness and smoothness, the two most skilled master craftsmen of the 606 Institute also stood by in readiness.

These two engineers could well be considered eighth-grade master artisans of the utmost precision; all the high-precision riveting on the Mighty Dragon had been completed by them, hammer and chisel in hand.

Following repeated flaw detections and the final adjustments, Lu Xiao clenched his fist and issued the most crucial command: "Install the WS-15S!"

The countdown to the maiden test flight began to chime within the hearts of all those striving souls!