Zhao Yu's gaze shifted.
It landed on Han Feng.
Every eye in the conference room followed, snapping toward him in unison.
After Chen Gang's brilliant and exceptional theoretical presentation, everyone was curious.
They wanted to see what kind of world-shattering insights this "Perception Genius"—also recruited unconventionally by Zhao Yu—could offer.
Even Chen Gang subconsciously straightened his back.
A hint of challenge was hidden in his scrutinizing gaze.
However, Han Feng's reaction was completely unexpected.
He stood up.
And calmly shook his head.
"My apologies, Engineer Zhao, seniors."
"On the theoretical side, I don't have any better ideas than Chen Gang at the moment."
As soon as he said this, a faint stir went through the conference room.
Mixed with unconcealed disappointment.
Chen Gang couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth lift into a smirk.
It seemed as if his apprentice had just reclaimed half the face Zhang Yi had lost back at the assessment field.
Zhao Yu said nothing.
He gestured for Han Feng to continue.
Han Feng ignored the surrounding gazes and calmly continued:
"My abilities lean more toward practical application."
"If it's just a matter of looking at blueprints and data, I can't be of much help."
He paused, then his tone shifted, a glint of confidence in his eyes.
"However, if you let me get in the cockpit and use my Perception while the engine is actually running,"
"I might be able to find the precise location of the resonance and any abnormal energy nodes more intuitively than the instruments can."
It sounded like he was just making excuses for himself.
But to Zhao Yu, it instantly brought to mind Han Feng's godlike performance during the promotion assessment.
'That's right.'
'This kid's greatest strength is his almost instinctual intuition with machinery!'
"Do it!"
Zhao Yu looked at Liu Wenbo.
"Old Liu, arrange a simulation test immediately."
"During the test, have Han Feng in the cockpit!"
"Yes, sir!"
Liu Wenbo immediately stood up to make the arrangements.
The atmosphere in the conference room instantly grew lively again.
The engineers began discussing the specific simulation parameters for Chen Gang's "Helmholtz Resonance Trap" proposal.
Chen Gang once again became the center of attention.
He answered questions fluently, radiating confidence.
Meanwhile, Han Feng sat quietly to the side like an outsider.
Listening in silence.
But the system notifications in his mind never stopped.
[Skill Proficiency +1 for Spiritual Energy Engine Principles·Proficient]
[Skill Proficiency +1 for Rune Array Basics·Entry Level]
...
He couldn't get a word in edgewise.
But every technical term he heard, every debate, was building up his knowledge base.
「That afternoon, at the project team's dedicated simulation center.」
The Falcon Third Generation prototype was parked silently in the center of the facility.
A spiderweb of diagnostic wires connected to various points on its fuselage.
Following the design provided by Chen Gang, the technicians had already added the corresponding array of microscopic grooves to the digital model of the engine's supercharger chamber.
"Han Feng, are you ready?"
Liu Wenbo's voice came through the communicator.
"Ready, Engineer Liu."
Han Feng replied, sitting in the cold cockpit.
He took a deep breath and gently placed his hands on the control stick.
[DING!]
[Spiritual Link established between Host and 'Flying Sword·Falcon Third Generation (Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact)'...]
[Human-Machine Unity state activated!]
A familiar sensation of merging with the machine washed over him.
In an instant, the entire fighter jet was no longer cold steel.
It felt as if it had become an extension of his own body.
The minute state of every circuit and every component appeared clearly in his mind.
"All units, attention!"
"Test countdown initiating!"
"Ten, nine, eight..."
In the main control room, Zhao Yu and a group of engineers stared grimly at the data stream on the main screen.
Chen Gang stood behind Zhao Yu, his fists clenched unconsciously.
This was the first time his proposal was being tested.
Everything was riding on this.
"...Three, two, one!"
"Ignition!"
"RUMBLE—"
The engine roared to life, its deep growl echoing throughout the testing center.
The power curve on the screen climbed steadily upward.
"Power at thirty percent... stable!"
"Power at fifty percent... stable!"
"Power at seventy percent... resonance frequency monitoring is normal!"
"Chen Gang's solution is working!"
an engineer shouted excitedly.
A wave of suppressed cheers went through the control room.
A triumphant smile spread across Chen Gang's face.
"Continue to increase pressure!"
"Take it to eighty-five percent!"
Zhao Yu ordered in a low voice.
The power continued to rise.
"Power at eighty percent..."
"Power at eighty-three percent..."
Just as the power indicator was about to touch the eighty-five percent red line,
a piercing alarm suddenly blared!
"Warning!"
"High-frequency resonance detected at the root of turbine blade number three!"
"Frequency has exceeded the safety threshold!"
"Abnormal temperature spike inside the engine!"
Zhao Yu's expression changed.
"Emergency shutdown!"
The roar of the engine cut off abruptly.
The control room fell deathly silent.
It had failed.
Although the main resonance had been suppressed, it had erupted elsewhere in a different form.
The color instantly drained from Chen Gang's face.
The smile on his face froze.
'How could this be?'
'The theoretical calculations were flawless.'
"Don't just stand there!"
"Pull up all the sensor data immediately and analyze where the problem is!"
Zhao Yu's voice shattered the silence.
The engineers immediately scrambled to work.
Just then, the cockpit canopy opened.
Han Feng jumped out.
Zhao Yu immediately walked over.
"Han Feng, what did you feel in there just now?"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over in unison.
Han Feng frowned, seemingly still processing the sensation from a moment ago.
"Engineer Zhao, Chen Gang's solution is brilliant."
"The turbulence in the supercharger chamber was indeed smoothed out."
He first affirmed Chen Gang's achievement.
Hearing this, the color returned slightly to Chen Gang's face.
"But," Han Feng said, his tone shifting,
"that smoothed-out energy didn't just disappear."
"It was flung out at high speed by the groove structure, coalescing into a higher-frequency energy stream."
"It directly impacted the blades of turbine number three."
"And the point of impact was extremely concentrated."
"Right at the weakest structural point where the blade connects to the rotor shaft."
Han Feng raised his hand.
He called up a 3D structural diagram of the engine on the holographic screen.
And precisely drew a circle around a spot less than a millimeter in size.
"The instruments detected resonance across the entire root of the blade."
"But I could feel that all the Destructive Power was concentrated on this single point."
"If that had continued for even one more second, the blade would have sheared off right there."
The room was utterly silent.
Engineer Qian adjusted his glasses and magnified the sensor data to its absolute limit.
He compared it with the point Han Feng had indicated.
"He's right..."
"The peak stress is indeed on this exact spot!"
Engineer Qian's voice was filled with shock.
He hadn't expected Han Feng's Perception to have such incredible precision.
Zhao Yu looked at Han Feng, his eyes filled with unconcealed admiration and amazement.
"So, what do you think we should do to fix it?"
Zhao Yu pressed.