Chapter 228: Ground Testing

Washington D. C.

The atmosphere at the emergency hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee was tense.

Reporters were packed tight on both sides of the hall, and camera flashes went off one after another.

"Are you telling us that a regime that has just been founded not only possesses weapon systems more advanced than our own, but has also caused us to lose nearly a thousand men and billions of dollars in equipment in just a few short months?"

Senator Alexander Wiley's voice echoed throughout the hall; his face was flushed red, and he nearly smashed the table.

Secretary of Defense George Marshall sat in the witness chair expressionless, but the exhaustion in his eyes could not be hidden:

"Mr. Senator, I understand your anger. But that is the fact of the matter; Long Country has indeed deployed some weapon systems we do not yet fully understand, causing no small amount of loss."

"No small amount of loss?" Wiley scoffed, "This is simply the greatest military humiliation since Pearl Harbor!"

Marshall took a deep breath:

"Gentlemen of the committee, I must emphasize that the current battlefield situation remains under our control.

Yes, we have suffered a technological surprise, but our military still maintains overall superiority.

More importantly, we have already taken countermeasures, including the deployment of new fighter jets and Anti-aircraft Systems."

"The question is," said Richard Russell, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a deep voice,

"how do we explain that Long Country suddenly possesses these technologies? Who leaked our military secrets? Was it a traitor? A spy? Or... is someone lying?"

This question caused the entire hall to fall silent.

Marshall glanced at the CIA Director beside him, who gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head.

"According to the intelligence we currently possess, these technologies seem to come primarily from a Long Country engineer named Li Mingyuan.

He studied in the land of the Polar Bears, but we have yet to discover any contact between him and any Star-Spangled Country agency or individual.

As for the source of these technologies... we are still investigating."

……

Television news anchors reported the latest news with solemn expressions, while ordinary people of Di Guo in the streets and alleys were caught in a vortex of emotions mixed with fear, anger, and confusion.

"Have you heard? The Long Country guys' planes don't have pilots; they can fly all by themselves!"

"My son is fighting over there, and yesterday I finally received his letter saying their base was destroyed by a monster that explodes into hundreds of little bombs..."

"It must be the Polar Bear people! They gave the Mushroom Egg technology to the Long Country people!"

"No, I heard on the radio it might be aliens; look at the shape of those aircraft, they look just like flying saucers!"

All kinds of conspiracy theories spread like wildfire.

For a time, "Long Country possesses future weapons" became the hottest topic in Di Guo and even the entire world.

Meanwhile, in a secret hangar at the Red Star Machinery Factory in Long Country, the first J-6 prototype had already completed 90% of its assembly.

The Engine test was successful, the airframe structure was verified as qualified, and the avionics system had also undergone preliminary debugging.

Li Mingyuan stood in the center of the hangar, looking at the silver fighter jet with satisfaction; it looked both elegant and fierce, with its streamlined fuselage, the muzzle of its 30mm triple-barrel cannon, and the pylons under the wings capable of carrying Missiles, all of which highlighted its lethality.

"How is it, Chief Engineer," Lao Liu asked excitedly, "can we really make it fly into the sky within seven days?"

Li Mingyuan nodded: "No problem, the hardest parts have already been solved. Next is the final system integration and ground testing. I believe that in five days at most, this little guy will be able to see the blue sky."

"That's great!" Lao Liu rubbed his hands in excitement, "With it, those damn U-2s won't be able to act so arrogant anymore!"

Li Mingyuan smiled without a word, though a trace of worry flashed through his heart.

With the advent of the J-6, the nature of war might undergo a fundamental change.

The enemy would never sit idly by and watch themselves lose air superiority; they would certainly react, and it would likely be very intense.

……

The hangar was brightly lit, and the J-6 prototype sat quietly on the ground test stand, like a silver beast poised to strike.

Li Mingyuan stood before the control console, his eyes fixed on the instrument panel, his fingers tapping the table involuntarily.

"Chief Engineer, everything is ready." Lao Liu walked over, excitement shining in his eyes, "Ground power is connected, system check shows no abnormalities."

Li Mingyuan took a deep breath, "Final check before startup, report on each system."

"Airframe structure is normal!"

"Hydraulic system pressure is stable!"

"Electrical system is all normal!"

"Fuel system has no leaks!"

The engineers reported one by one, each of their faces filled with tension and anticipation.

"Good, start the Engine!" Li Mingyuan waved his hand, his voice firm.

The Engine startup sequence began, first with the hum of the auxiliary power unit, then the low roar of the fuel pump, and finally—

"Boom—"

A deafening roar erupted from the tail nozzle, blue-white flames shot out, and the hangar was instantly swept by a heatwave.

The body of the J-6 trembled slightly, as if it were an ancient beast about to awaken.

"Damn it, it's so loud!" a young engineer shouted while covering his ears, though his face was filled with irrepressible ecstasy.

"Thrust data!" Li Mingyuan shouted, his voice almost drowned out by the roar of the Engine.

"2500 kilograms... 2600 kilograms... 2650 kilograms!" the data monitor reported the reading excitedly, "Reached 95% of the design thrust!"

Li Mingyuan narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the operating state of the Engine.

"Temperature reading!"

"Compressor inlet temperature is normal! Combustion Chamber temperature is 1100 degrees, within the safe range! Exhaust temperature is 820 degrees, slightly high but acceptable!"

Li Mingyuan nodded and casually wrote down a few numbers in his logbook.

The material technology of this era indeed had its limitations; the exhaust temperature was a bit higher than expected, but it was not a big problem.

Suddenly, an abnormal metallic grinding sound came from deep within the Engine.

"Shut it down! Shut it down immediately!" Li Mingyuan's expression changed, and he gave the order decisively.

The engineers scrambled to execute the shutdown procedure; the roar of the Engine gradually weakened, finally falling into silence.

Inside the hangar, only the sound of heavy breathing and the humming of the cooling system remained.

"What happened?" Lao Liu asked nervously.

Li Mingyuan had already jumped down from the control console and rushed to the side of the Engine in two or three strides, "Open the inspection port!"

Several Technical Workers acted immediately, carefully dismantling the Engine casing.

As the inspection port opened, a faint burnt smell drifted out.

"Found it," Li Mingyuan reached out and pointed at the Turbine Blade, "The installation angle of the second-stage Turbine Blade has a deviation, causing abnormal friction during high-speed rotation."

Lao Liu leaned over to take a look, "Tsk, this tiny gap is hard to distinguish even with the naked eye; Chief Engineer, your ears are too sharp, aren't they?"

Li Mingyuan did not answer.

To him now, this subtle sound of metal friction was as obvious as a baby's cry to a mother.

"How long will the repair take?" he asked.