Chapter 158: The First Test

The last traces of darkness before dawn were fading, and a crowd had already gathered at the open-air test site specially constructed by the research institute.

This area, strictly guarded by wire fences and Sentinel, was where the first Jet Engine of Long Country was about to face its "baptism of fire."

The test platform was a reinforced concrete structure, equipped with a special fixture in the center that could firmly lock the Engine while measuring key parameters such as thrust, temperature, and rotational speed.

Multiple technicians were positioned all around to observe from different angles, recording every detail of the Engine's operation.

"Be careful, this is a national treasure-level item!" the Assembly Group Leader directed six workers nervously as they carefully installed the silver-gray Engine onto the test stand.

Li Mingyuan stood not far away, his gaze fixed on every detail of the installation process.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his inner tension.

He had looked forward to this moment for a long time—the first Jet Engine he had designed was about to face its most rigorous test.

After the installation was complete, the technicians began the final checks: fuel line connections, electrical system tests, calibration of data acquisition equipment... no link could afford any errors.

"Chief Engineer Li, all systems have been checked, and we are ready to begin the test at any time," the Inspection Group Leader reported to Li Mingyuan.

Li Mingyuan nodded and looked around.

The test site was crowded with people, including not only colleagues from the research institute but also Military Representative and officials from the Ministry of Industry.

Everyone's face was filled with anticipation and nervousness, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Engine.

"Everyone, please move to the safe area," Li Mingyuan announced, raising his voice, "the ignition test is about to begin. For safety reasons, all non-essential personnel must evacuate to the observation area 100 meters away."

The crowd began to move in an orderly fashion, but at that moment, they heard the sound of car engines.

Three military jeeps sped over and stopped at the edge of the test site.

Minister Zhao jumped out of the first vehicle, followed by several Advanced officials in military uniforms.

"Almost didn't make it," Minister Zhao walked quickly toward Li Mingyuan, his face full of excitement, "This is a historic moment, how could I miss it?"

Li Mingyuan smiled and nodded: "Minister, you arrived just in time; we were just about to start the test."

After everyone had evacuated to the safe area, only Li Mingyuan and three Hexin technicians remained in the control room.

This was a reinforced concrete building, located 50 meters away from the test stand.

"Final check of all systems, prepare for ignition," Li Mingyuan's voice spread throughout the test site via the loudspeaker, "Ten, nine, eight..."

As the countdown progressed, the atmosphere at the scene became increasingly tense.

Everyone couldn't help but hold their breath, eyes fixed unblinkingly on that silver "steel heart."

"Three, two, one, ignite!"

Inside the control room, Li Mingyuan pressed the start button.

In an instant, a flash of orange-red flame erupted from the Engine's nozzle on the test stand, followed by a low roar.

The Engine's turbine began to spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster.

In less than five seconds, the roaring sound became deafening, and the hot air expelled from behind the test stand formed a visible shockwave.

"Engine running stably, speed 2000 RPM, temperature normal, pressure normal," the technician in the control room reported loudly, their voice filled with unconcealable excitement.

Li Mingyuan stared intently at the data, his fingers dancing nimbly on the control panel to fine-tune various parameters.

The roar of the Engine grew louder and more rhythmic, as if a long-dormant steel beast had finally awakened and was displaying its power.

"Speed 5000 RPM, thrust has reached 40% of the design value!"

In the observation area, the experts were dumbfounded, some even unconsciously covering their mouths with their hands.

"Speed 8000 RPM, thrust has reached 60% of the design value..."

Just when everything seemed to be going so smoothly, disaster suddenly struck.

The roar of the Engine suddenly became unstable, a harsh sound of metal grinding was heard, followed by a series of explosions.

Alarms in the control room blared one after another, and various indicator lights flickered incessantly.

"Pressure abnormal! Temperature rising suddenly! Oil pressure dropping!" the technician reported in a panic.

Li Mingyuan reacted immediately: "Emergency shutoff of fuel supply, activate the fire extinguishing system!"

A few seconds later, the Engine on the test stand slowly stopped running; the "steel beast" that had been roaring just moments ago now lay there quietly, as if it had never awakened.

The test site was deathly silent, with only the carbon dioxide sprayed by the fire extinguishing system forming a white mist in the air.

Everyone stood where they were, their expressions frozen, not knowing how to react.

Li Mingyuan took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm:

"Preliminary judgment is that there was a fault in the fuel supply system, leading to unstable combustion. But the Engine did run for 30 seconds, proving the basic design is feasible."

His voice reached the observation area through the loudspeaker, but it did not elicit much of a reaction.

The expressions on people's faces were complex and contradictory—a mix of the shock of witnessing a miracle and the disappointment of a failed test.

After safety was confirmed, Li Mingyuan led the technical team to the test stand to begin inspecting the condition of the Engine.

There was no obvious damage to the exterior of the Engine, but when they disassembled it to inspect the interior, they found slight deformation in the turbine section and carbonization marks on the fuel nozzle.

"Found the problem," Li Mingyuan said, pointing to the fuel nozzle, "The aperture design here is slightly too small, leading to insufficient fuel atomization and causing unstable combustion. At the same time, the gap between the turbine and the casing needs to be fine-tuned to avoid friction during high-speed operation."

The engineers nodded one after another and began recording the areas that needed improvement.

Although the first test was not a complete success, valuable data and experience had already been collected.

Minister Zhao and Zhou also walked over; their expressions were not as disappointed as Li Mingyuan had expected, but instead revealed a sense of relief.

"Being able to run for 30 seconds on the first test is already a remarkable achievement," Zhou patted Li Mingyuan on the shoulder,

"The first Jet Engine of the Polar Bear reportedly only ran for 12 seconds before it exploded during testing."

Minister Zhao also nodded: "The key is that you have already found the source of the problem and know how to improve it. This is more valuable than succeeding on the first try—at least it proves that our technical team has the ability to solve problems."

Li Mingyuan smiled gratefully: "Thank you for understanding. We will start modifications immediately and can conduct the second test by tomorrow at the latest."

Zhou raised an eyebrow: "Tomorrow? That fast?"

"The problem is not complicated; it only requires replacing a few parts and adjusting some parameters," Li Mingyuan said confidently, "The team has already prepared spare parts and can replace them at any time."