Volume One, Chapter 18: Success Achieved

Silence.

Li Guishou’s question was like a small pebble tossed into a deep pool, sending silent ripples through the deathly quiet workshop.

Du Yuze did not turn back; he merely raised his hand to gently wipe a smudge of oil from the console knob. "Master Li, it has always looked this way."

This answer left Li Guishou stunned, followed by a bitter smile. Indeed, how else could it look? He said nothing more, walking instead to the edge of the wing to gaze at the neatly arranged cotton threads as if they were a work of art.

"We did it! We actually did it!" Shen Qingyun finally broke free from the ecstasy of the data. He rushed up to Du Yuze, his face flushed with excitement. "Xiao Du! Do you know what this means? We bypassed the shock wave! We used a controllable vortex to replace the uncontrollable shock-induced boundary layer separation! This is a brand-new approach! Brand-new!"

Pang Qingquan walked over as well, leaning against the console, his legs still feeling weak. "Xiao Du, about Factory Director Zhou..."

"I will report it," Du Yuze interrupted. "But not now. We need more complete data, and... we need to reinforce this 'wind tunnel' again."

"Right, right!" Li Guishou slapped his thigh hard, becoming a staunch supporter of the project. "This thing is just a tin box; another few runs at eighty-five percent and it will fall apart! I’ll go find Old Jin and have him get some steel plates to weld this whole thing shut!"

"Old Jin?" Shen Qingyun hesitated.

"The veteran worker who helped us get the titanium alloy scraps," Pang Qingquan explained, then lowered his voice. "We... we still need to keep a low profile regarding this."

Before the words had even faded:

*CLANG—!*

The iron door of Workshop 207 was kicked open from the outside. The massive impact echoed through the cavernous space, jarring everyone’s eardrums.

Seven or eight men in blue uniforms, sporting red armbands marked "Factory Security," stormed in. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a square face, a heavy jowl, and an expression as cold as ice.

"Nobody move!" he barked sharply. "We are the Factory Security Department. We’ve received reports that Workshop 207 is involved in major violations. We are officially taking control!"

Pang Qingquan’s face went pale. "Section Chief Zhang? What is this? Surely there’s some misunderstanding?"

The man called Section Chief Zhang ignored him entirely. Holding a document, he strode to the center of the workshop, scanned the room, and finally locked his gaze onto the menacing J-5 fighter.

"Misunderstanding?" Section Chief Zhang sneered, raising the document. "We received an anonymous report that Workshop 207 has been illicitly trafficking national secondary strategic materials—titanium alloy!"

Li Guishou was the first to explode. "Bullshit! Trafficking? That was just scrap metal from the warehouse! Junk!"

"Junk?" Section Chief Zhang lifted his chin. Two security officers immediately rushed to a toolbox in the corner. The box was pried open, and a stack of banknotes bound by rubber bands spilled out. Beside it, an elderly man in worn-out work clothes sat slumped on the floor in terror—it was Old Jin, whom Li Guishou had just mentioned.

"Jin Fuquan!" Section Chief Zhang pointed at the old man. "Caught red-handed! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Old Jin’s lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a word. "I... I just... sold some scrap..."

"Take him away!" Section Chief Zhang waved his hand mercilessly.

"You can't take him!" Pang Qingquan, desperate, rushed forward to block them. "Section Chief Zhang, Old Jin is a temporary worker rehired by our shop; he doesn't understand the regulations. I’ll take responsibility for this!"

Section Chief Zhang looked as if he had heard a hilarious joke. "You’ll take responsibility? Pang Qingquan, you can barely save yourself! The second item in the report is about you! Unauthorized hiring of civilian personnel for production work in a critical department! Do you know what the nature of this is?"

Pang Qingquan swayed, unable to say a word. He knew that with this charge, his future was over.

Shen Qingyun clutched his data sheets, his hands shaking. "You’ve got it wrong... we are conducting experiments! This is all for the project! For technological innovation!"

"Technological innovation?" Section Chief Zhang finally turned his attention to Du Yuze and the aircraft. He walked over and tapped the wing, producing a dull thud. "Is this your technological innovation? The third item in the report! Unauthorized and dangerous illegal modifications! Tampering with military industrial products without permission, with unclear intent, posing a major safety hazard! Du Yuze, you have some nerve!"

Du Yuze had remained silent, but now he finally spoke. "Who reported it?"

"You have no right to ask."

"Where is the evidence?" Du Yuze asked again. "You claim trafficking; where are the transaction records? You claim illegal modification; where is the inspection report?"

"Evidence?" Section Chief Zhang looked amused. He gestured at the entire workshop. "Everything here is the evidence! Seal it! Put a seal on everything! This aircraft, this equipment, these blueprints, and this data—all of it is to be impounded, pending investigation by the superior committee!"

"No!" Shen Qingyun roared like an enraged lion, shielding the data sheets in his arms. "You can't take this! We spent nights calculating this! This is the proof of our success!"

Two security officers stepped forward, grabbing Shen Qingyun by the arms. He struggled desperately, and the precious data sheets were scattered in the scuffle, trampled underfoot with black footprints.

"My data... my data!" Shen Qingyun cried out in despair.

Li Guishou’s eyes reddened with fury. He grabbed a wrench and prepared to charge, but was held back firmly by Pang Qingquan. "Old Li! Don't be impulsive! This is a setup!"

"A setup?" Section Chief Zhang heard him. He stepped up to Du Yuze, their faces nearly touching. "That’s right, and what if it is? Du Yuze, you’re so capable, aren't you? Even Factory Director Zhou speaks for you? Now, let’s see who can protect you!"

Du Yuze did not move; he looked at the man calmly.

There was no anger in his mind, only cold information rapidly assembling itself.

The report was anonymous, yet incredibly precise.

The titanium scraps, Old Jin—these were strings laid out long ago.

The unauthorized hiring—that was aimed at Pang Qingquan.

The illegal modification—the target was the entire project, and himself.

Three charges, interlinked, each striking at the weakest, most indefensible points. This was not a spur-of-the-moment action; it was a long-planned, precise strangulation.

Tian Weijun.

The name surfaced in Du Yuze’s mind. Aside from him, no one had the motive, nor the ability, to mobilize the Security Department in such a short time and weave such a lethal web of charges.

"You four, from this moment on, you are under isolated investigation!" Section Chief Zhang stepped back and waved his hand. "Take them to the confinement room! No contact with anyone until the investigation results are in!"

The security officers escorted the four of them out.

As Du Yuze passed the scattered data sheets, he paused. He saw a formula, blurred by a footprint—the very vortex stability equation he had derived.

The success had lasted less than half an hour.

The peak of ecstasy and hope was nothing more than an abyss.

The heavy iron door of the workshop slammed shut behind them, followed by the sound of the lock.

In the darkness, inside Tian Weijun’s office, the phone rang. He picked up the receiver, listened for a dozen seconds, and hung up.

He walked to the window and looked toward the distant Workshop 207. The lights were out; it was a scene of deathly silence.

He picked up the teacup on his desk and blew on the steam.

Du Yuze, what do you have to fight me with?

He sneered to himself.

"Let's see how you crawl out of this!"