In the main control room, the cheers lasted for a full three minutes.
The sound gradually died down.
Zhao Yu stared at the perfect power curve on the screen.
The elation on his face slowly faded, replaced by an unreadable, deep-set gaze.
He hadn't joined the wild celebration, hadn't mentioned a vacation, and certainly hadn't brought up a victory banquet.
He turned and walked through the crowd of still-celebrating engineers, stopping in front of Han Feng.
"Han Feng."
Zhao Yu's voice was soft.
But the moment he spoke, the entire control room fell silent.
Everyone's eyes once again focused on the young man who had just worked a miracle.
"The primary resonance is solved, and the engine's performance even exceeded expectations."
Zhao Yu's gaze was sharp, as if trying to see right through Han Feng.
"But I want to ask you."
"Is this the limit of the Falcon Third Generation?"
The question sobered everyone up.
'The limit?'
They'd solved a major problem that had plagued the academy for years and even gotten a free performance boost of nearly two percent.
This achievement was enough to be written into the history of East Sea Martial Arts University.
'And Engineer Zhao still isn't satisfied?'
The thermos in Engineer Qian's hand wobbled, almost falling to the floor.
He couldn't help but say, "Engineer Zhao, this result is already perfect."
"If we push any further, the time and money required will be astronomical. It's not worth it."
"Yeah! This result is more than enough to report back. It's absolutely brilliant!"
The others all chimed in.
Their immense success made them want to do nothing more than pop open the champagne.
Only Chen Gang was watching Han Feng, saying nothing, seemingly lost in thought.
Han Feng met Zhao Yu's gaze and calmly shook his head.
"No."
Just one word.
Yet it silenced all discussion in the room.
"It's not enough."
Han Feng scanned the room. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard him crystal clear.
"We've only just cured its heart condition, allowing it to run."
"But its blood vessels are still brittle and its neural responses are slow. It's nowhere near its true limit."
His words stunned every top engineer present.
Zhao Yu's eyes lit up instantly.
"Go on!"
"Alright."
Han Feng walked to the holographic projector and brought up the complete engine schematic.
"My idea is to build the entire engine as if it were a human body."
His finger traced over the complex Spiritual Power conduits.
"These conduits are the 'meridians.'"
"The current design is too crude. It just aims for the shortest and thickest paths."
"But Energy Flow needs rhythm."
Han Feng's fingers flew across the controls. He rerouted several key conduits, and the new paths had a certain ineffable elegance.
"This change will make the Spiritual Power change direction three times before entering the combustion chamber, neutralizing any internal turbulence. The Energy Flow will be 'purer'!"
Next, he pointed to a red area on the heat dissipation system.
"This is the 'circulatory system.'"
"Right now, we're basically slapping an ice pack on a fever spot. It's passive cooling, and the efficiency is too low."
"I suggest we add a set of 'Wind' series micro Rune Arrays to the main heat sink to actively draw the heat out, letting the thermal energy 'walk' itself away."
Finally, he pointed to the energy buffer unit.
"This here is the 'Dantian,' where reserve power is stored."
"The current design is like a pool of stagnant water. You only draw from it when you need it, so the response is too slow."
"I propose adding a micro 'vortex array' to keep the reserve energy constantly spinning at a low speed."
"When you need it, it can be deployed instantly. Zero latency!"
Meridians.
Circulation.
Dantian.
These words, completely unrelated to cutting-edge technology, tumbled one after another from Han Feng's lips.
The conference room was dead silent.
Last time, the "Qi-Guiding Pattern" was metaphysics.
This time, what Han Feng was proposing was a complete "Engine Cultivation Immortality Theory"!
"I object!"
A senior structural engineer finally snapped out of it and shot to his feet, his face red.
"Han Feng, are you insane?!"
"This is tantamount to scrapping the entire engine and starting over!"
"Every change you make means everything else has to be altered. The workload would be incalculable! Besides, everything you're saying... there's no theory, no data! It's pure fantasy!"
Han Feng looked at him, not arguing, but simply asking a calm question.
"Do you have a better solution, then?"
The engineer opened his mouth, his face flushing beet-red, but couldn't utter a single word.
'A better solution?'
'If they had one, they wouldn't have been driven to the brink of cancellation by a simple resonance problem.'
"I agree with Han Feng's proposal!"
Chen Gang suddenly spoke up, his voice firm.
He strode to Han Feng's side, pointed at the new conduit design on the light screen, his eyes fervent.
"Everyone, look here!"
"These three turns might look like a detour, but in the morphology of High-dimensional Energy, this is a perfect topological model for an 'energy stabilization field'!"
"This is a work of genius!"
He then pointed to the 'Wind' series Rune Array.
"And here! Actively guiding thermal energy!"
"This idea directly cuts the Gordian knot of heat dissipation and energy-conduction latency!"
"We were so focused on how to add pressure to the water pump that we never thought about widening the riverbed itself!"
The more Chen Gang spoke, the more excited he became, completely transforming into Han Feng's "interpreter."
It was as if he had opened the door to a new world.
He took those abstruse concepts and, one by one, broke them down and explained them in scientific language the engineers in the room could understand.
The only sound left in the entire control room was Chen Gang's voice, trembling with excitement.
All the engineers went from skepticism, to shock, to sudden realization.
Finally, all that remained was awe.
They felt like they weren't in a technical meeting, but rather attending an introductory lecture from an extraterrestrial visitor.
Zhao Yu watched the scene unfold, his heart filled with emotion.
He thought he had found two geniuses.
Now it seemed he had found one unreasonable prodigy, plus an interpreter who could translate that prodigy's ideas for mere mortals.
He slammed his hand on the table—BANG!
"We're doing it Han Feng's way!"
Zhao Yu's gaze swept over everyone, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"I don't care about theory or data!"
"From now on, Han Feng is the project team's 'Chief Concept Architect'!"
"His ideas are the highest directive!"
"Chen Gang, you'll be the chief technical officer. I want you to turn Han Feng's ideas into blueprints, down to the last detail!"
"Engineer Qian, you will coordinate all departments!"
"If we don't have enough people, add more! If we don't have enough equipment, buy more! If we don't have enough money, I'll go to the dean and get it!"
"I'm only giving you one week!"
Zhao Yu held up one finger, his voice booming.
"One week from now, I want to see a brand new, perfect Falcon Third Generation!"
"Yes, sir!"
This time, everyone's response was filled with confidence.
For the next seven days, the project team went all out.
Under the guidance of Han Feng's wild "Cultivation Immortality Theory," combined with Chen Gang's efficient engineering translations, technical hurdle after technical hurdle was easily resolved.
Every component of the engine was redesigned.
Every Rune was re-etched.
The entire Falcon Third Generation engine, aside from its outer casing, was almost completely new on the inside.
Han Feng's system panel was also refreshing frantically.
[Spiritual Energy Engine Principles·Mastery Skill Proficiency +10]
[Rune Array Basics·Proficient Skill Proficiency +8]
...
「One week later, Simulation Test Center No. 3.」
The all-new Falcon Third Generation engine was mounted on the test stand.
Looking at the engine, everyone felt as if they were gazing at a work of art. It felt surreal.
"Final ground-based, full-power test—begin!"
Zhao Yu gave the order.
The engine started up.
This time, there was no deafening roar, no high-pitched scream.
There was only a low, steady HUM, like some ancient leviathan breathing in the deep sea.
The power curve shot straight up.
It easily broke 100%!
105%!
108%!
Finally, before everyone's disbelieving eyes, it stabilized at 110.8%!
The main control room was dead silent.
Engineer Qian stared at the glaring data on the screen, and his thermos fell to the floor with a CLANG.
Scalding hot tea spilled everywhere, but he didn't even notice.
"Ex... Exceeding design specifications... by ten point eight percent..."
His voice trembled, as if he had just seen a god.
"This... This isn't the Falcon Third Generation..."
"This is the performance of a Falcon Fourth Generation!"
Zhao Yu let out a long breath, releasing all his pent-up stress and exhaustion.
He walked up to Han Feng and Chen Gang and clapped each of them heavily on the shoulder.
He said nothing, but turned around and announced loudly to everyone.
"The era of ground testing is over."
"Gentlemen, are you ready to look to the skies?"
"Spread the word. Tomorrow, we fly!"
...
「The next morning.」
It was the day of the test flight. The entire project team was gathered on the tarmac in front of Hangar No. 3.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the silver-gray Falcon Third Generation prototype in the center of the field.
It sat there quietly, its smooth lines reflecting the cold morning light, exuding a sense of power and dangerous beauty.
"Everyone, allow me to make an introduction!"
Zhao Yu's voice was brimming with excitement.
"This is Li Wei, an elite student from our own East Sea Martial Arts University's Flight Academy, and he's A Level!"
"An officially certified Golden Three-Star Pilot!"
"This time, he will be the chief test pilot for the Falcon Third Generation!"
A round of applause broke out.
A tall young man stepped forward, dressed in a special silver-white flight suit.
He took off his sunglasses, revealing a handsome but arrogant face.
"Hello, engineers. My name is Li Wei."
He gave a simple nod, his gaze skipping past the crowd to land on the prototype, full of a professional pilot's critical scrutiny.
Zhao Yu laughed and gave him a friendly punch on the arm.
"Li Wei, this plane is the lifeblood of our entire project team. You'd better take it easy, you brat."
Li Wei put his sunglasses back on and grinned, his smile looking playful and smug.
"Engineer Zhao, don't worry."
He spoke languidly, his tone casual.
"It's just a Hunting Falcon. Piece of cake."