This time, Han Feng shook his head decisively.
"I'm sorry, Engineer Zhao, and all the seniors here."
His voice was calm and candid.
"My ability only lets me find where the problem is."
"As for how to solve it, I don't have enough knowledge."
He didn't pretend to know what he didn't, nor did he try to show off.
This answer stunned the few engineers in the conference room who had been waiting for a show.
Everyone present was sharp.
Not only did they not look down on this young man, but they even felt a sense of approval.
'To know what you know, and to know what you do not know.'
In the field of cutting-edge research, the most feared thing is a dabbler who pretends to understand what they don't.
Chen Gang looked at Han Feng, his expression extremely complex.
He felt as if something was lodged in his chest.
The theory he had been so proud of had solved an old problem, only to create a new one.
And this new trouble, which he himself hadn't even noticed, had its core exposed by the other man in a single sentence.
The feeling was like writing an article he was proud of, only for a passerby to point out all the typos with a single glance.
The sense of defeat was unprecedented.
"No! You've already been a huge help!"
Zhao Yu's large hand clapped firmly on Han Feng's shoulder, his eyes filled with admiration.
"Now that we know the root of the problem, we can prescribe the right medicine!"
"This is a hundred times better than us fumbling around like headless flies!"
He whipped his head around, his voice echoing through the entire conference room.
"Everyone, using the resonance point Han Feng provided as the core, scrap everything and start over! Readjust the plans!"
"Yes, sir!"
The subdued morale was ignited once more.
Chen Gang took a deep breath and, unexpectedly, walked up to Han Feng, truly looking him in the eye for the first time.
"Thank you."
His voice was a bit hoarse, but very sincere.
"If it weren't for you, my mistake might have directly destroyed a prototype."
Han Feng looked at him and smiled.
"We're colleagues, aren't we?"
Chen Gang nodded heavily. Without another word, he turned and threw himself into designing the new plan.
Only this time, his eyes held less aloof pride and more solemnity.
He knew he had encountered an opponent who was in a completely different lane, yet was just as formidable.
Watching everyone get busy again, Han Feng stood his ground, but his heart felt no relief at all.
A sense of powerlessness.
He once again felt that powerlessness—the ability to see through a problem but not prescribe a solution.
'This feeling is so damn frustrating!'
'The system only gives me a hammer. If I want to build a house, I still have to learn architecture myself.'
Han Feng knew better than anyone that his theoretical knowledge was seriously holding him back.
It was one thing to repair old propeller planes.
But when it came to truly participating in an R&D project that represented the peak of human technology, he was practically illiterate.
'I have to study!'
'Study, no matter the cost!'
The thought spread like wildfire. He went straight to Zhao Yu, who was busy directing the work.
"Engineer Zhao, I'd like to request access to the project team's more core database."
Han Feng got straight to the point, his eyes bright.
Zhao Yu stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.
'He has heaven-defying Talent, yet he's not arrogant or impatient. He clearly knows his own shortcomings and takes the initiative to make up for them.'
'This kid is an uncut jade!'
"Alright! I approve!"
Zhao Yu waved his hand decisively.
"Old Liu, give Han Feng full access to the Third Level database!"
Beside him, Liu Wenbo nodded with a smile.
He took a small, silver data chip from his pocket and handed it to Han Feng.
"Xiaohan, this contains all the technical notes and summaries of failed cases from our project team since its inception."
"You could say it's the life's blood we old-timers have kept locked away. It's never been shared with outsiders."
He patted Han Feng's shoulder meaningfully.
"Study it well. How much you can comprehend will depend on your own destiny."
"Thank you, Engineer Zhao! Thank you, Engineer Liu!"
Han Feng accepted the chip solemnly.
He knew that this tiny chip was the key to breaking through that final barrier.
It was the key to truly stepping into the hallowed halls of Spiritual Energy Technology R&D!
'I need to grind *Spiritual Energy Engine Principles* and *Mechanical Maintenance Theory* to Mastery as fast as possible!'
'And *Rune Array*, I have to reach Entry Level, then get it to Proficient!'
Clutching the still-warm silver chip, Han Feng practically ran back to his dorm.
"Madman, is your ass on fire? What's the rush?"
Pang Hu was lifting dumbbells and almost dropped one on his foot when he saw Han Feng's frantic state.
Han Feng ignored him, diving into his bunk and pulling the curtain shut.
He inserted the chip into his personal terminal.
A massive torrent of data instantly flooded his retinas.
[Hunting Falcon Gen 1 Engine Repair Manual (Top Secret Edition)]
[Hunting Falcon Gen 2 Engine Design Flaw Analysis Report (178 Cases Total)]
[Discussion on the Bottlenecks of Spiritual Energy Power Boosting Technology (Engineer Qian's Manuscript)]
[Application of Rune Arrays in Fluid Dynamics (Engineer Zhao's Notes)]
This top-secret data, enough to cause a bloodbath in the outside world, was now completely open to him.
He was no longer an outsider looking in.
He felt like a long-parched sponge being thrown into an ocean of knowledge.
[Ding! Host detected undergoing deep professional study...]
[Professional Skill — Spiritual Energy Engine Principle·Proficient Skill Proficiency +3]
[Professional Skill — Mechanical Repair Theory·Proficient Skill Proficiency +2]
It was as if stars were burning in Han Feng's eyes.
"This is it!"
He became completely immersed.
For the next three days, Han Feng became the Ghost of the dorm.
Aside from reporting to the project team and absorbing the latest research progress like a sponge, he dedicated all his time to that ocean of data.
Pang Hu and Xiaoli never saw him in the cafeteria again.
Every morning, they would see a row of nutrient paste tubes, sucked completely clean, piled up by Han Feng's bed.
"Madman's really gone mad this time."
Xiaoli looked at the tightly drawn bed curtain and whispered to Pang Hu.
"He used to risk his life flying planes for money. Now he's risking his life reading data."
Pang Hu put down his dumbbell, wiped his sweat, but his eyes held a hint of admiration.
"You don't know shit."
"This is called Enlightenment. He's realized that knowledge is power."
He pointed to Han Feng's curtain, lowered his voice, and spoke in a mysterious tone.
"Look at him. It doesn't look like he's studying. It looks like he's on drugs."
From the corner, Zhou Wen, who had been reading silently, pushed up his glasses and added faintly,
"He was talking in his sleep in the middle of the night yesterday, muttering something about 'Helmholtz Resonance' and saying he wanted to carve it onto a Flying Sword."
The three roommates looked at each other and shivered in unison.
Meanwhile, Han Feng, at the "center of the storm," was completely oblivious.
His brain was operating at an unprecedented speed.
The knowledge from the system's Empowerment was a Solid skeleton, and this massive amount of data was the living flesh and blood.
It was rapidly filling out this skeleton, making it full and vibrant, and creating a wondrous chemical reaction.
For the first time, he understood why a Rune's position shifting by just 0.1 millimeters would cause the efficiency of the entire Energy Circuit to drop by three percent.
He also finally understood why Chen Gang's seemingly perfect plan had failed.
Because Chen Gang had only seen the macroscopic fluid dynamics, but had ignored that in a high-pressure Spiritual Power environment, the Energy itself would have a more subtle, more fundamental energy exchange with the metal crystal lattice that formed the chamber walls.
This was knowledge that Human-Machine Unity could not directly tell him; it was a truth from another dimension.
[Spiritual Energy Engine Principle·Proficient Skill Proficiency +1]
[Rune Array Basics·Entry Level Skill Proficiency +1]
In just three short days, simply by reading the materials, his Skill Proficiency in *Spiritual Energy Engine Principles* had soared by more than three hundred points.
What surprised him even more was that he had successfully unlocked a new Skill—[Rune Array Basics].
And his progress was advancing by leaps and bounds!
Runes.
They were the "circuit boards" of this world's Spiritual Energy Technology, the "code" of Extraordinary Power.
Without understanding Runes, he could only ever be a top-tier "mechanic."
But from this day forward, he would have the chance to become a true "Engineer," a creator of rules!