Chapter 344: Detonation Lenses, Precision Detonation, and Safety Interlocks

The hour was still early, but the Rear Mountain laboratory was already full of people.

More than twenty top scientists had been urgently summoned, each of them wearing an expression of confusion and anticipation.

At the laboratory entrance, two armed guards stood ready; any unauthorized person was unable to approach this mysterious location.

Li Mingyuan stood before the crowd, scanned the room, and confirmed that everyone had arrived. He took a deep breath, his gaze resolute.

"Everyone, thank you for coming at such risk. I have summoned you today for a top-secret mission that concerns the life and death of our country."

He turned and walked to the blackboard, writing down three terms: "Detonation Lens", "Precision Detonation", and "Safety Interlock".

"From today on, we will tackle these three core technologies simultaneously. There is only one goal—to let Long Country possess its own nuclear weapons."

The conference room instantly became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath, their eyes wide open.

Dean He was the first to break the silence: "Chief Engineer Li, are you saying... we are going to develop that weapon?"

Li Mingyuan nodded: "Exactly. The Centrifuge has succeeded, the enrichment problem has been solved, and now we are facing the three major technical challenges of the nuclear explosive device itself."

He pointed to the first term on the blackboard:

"First is the Detonation Lens. As everyone knows, an explosion requires uniform compression of the Hexin to reach critical mass and trigger a chain reaction. Traditional spherical charges are difficult to make perfectly symmetrical, but a Detonation Lens can transform spherical detonation waves into centripetally converging spherical shockwaves, ensuring the Hexin is compressed uniformly."

He quickly drew a diagram on the blackboard, resembling a sliced watermelon, with the Hexin in the middle and layers of different materials on the outside.

"The key to the Detonation Lens lies in the shape design and material selection. We need to find the perfect geometric configuration and material combination to ensure the detonation waves converge at the center in the proper way. This determines the efficiency and power of the entire device and is the key to the success or failure of the nuclear weapon."

The crowd watched the blackboard intently, and some had already begun scribbling furiously in their notebooks.

"The second challenge," Li Mingyuan continued, "is the Precision Detonation System. An explosive device usually has dozens or even hundreds of detonators, and these detonators must be triggered simultaneously within the millisecond range, with an error not exceeding 0.1 milliseconds."

He drew a complex circuit diagram with countless branches, each branch connected to a detonator at its end.

"This requires us to design an extremely precise electronic triggering system, including high-precision timers, synchronization circuits, and anti-interference measures. Once any single detonator has too large a deviation in its detonation time, the entire detonation wave will lose symmetry, leading to a significant drop in device efficiency or even complete failure."

"The third challenge is the Safety Interlock System." Li Mingyuan's voice became even more serious.

"This weapon is one of the most dangerous inventions of mankind and must have strict safety measures to prevent accidental detonation. We need to design multiple independent safety mechanisms to ensure that the weapon can only be activated when specific conditions are met."

He drew a series of switches and locking devices connected in series on the blackboard.

"This includes mechanical locks, electronic locks, combination locks, and even environmental sensing systems. Only when all safety locks are disengaged in order can the core components be assembled into place and the Detonation System be activated. This is the final line of defense to protect operating personnel and prevent catastrophic accidents."

The conference room was silent; everyone was stunned.

Each of these technical challenges would be enough to rack the brains of a country's team of scientists for years, yet Li Mingyuan actually intended to overcome them all at once.

"Chief Engineer Li," Dean He could not help but ask, "these technologies... even Beijixiong Guo and Di Guo spent years and invested tens of thousands of scientists to solve them. We..."

"We can do it," Li Mingyuan interrupted him firmly, "because we have two advantages. One is that we can draw on the experience of our predecessors and avoid many detours; the second is that we have industrial robots and improved Computer systems, which can greatly accelerate the research and development process."

He scanned the crowd, his gaze flashing with unquestionable confidence: "I have already drawn up the technical roadmap, and each challenge has a clear direction for attack. Next, we will divide into three teams and advance simultaneously."

Li Mingyuan picked up a thick folder from the table and began distributing it to the scientists present.

"Dean He, you will lead the Detonation Lens group; your experience in physics and explosion mechanics is crucial."

"Lao Liu, you are responsible for the Detonation System group; your expertise in electronics is just right."

"Professor Zhang, you will lead the Safety Interlock group; your attainments in mechanical design and systems engineering are our precious asset."

Once the division of labor was complete, Li Mingyuan took out a huge schedule and posted it on the wall:

"From now on, we will work in three shifts, with each team working 24 hours a day without interruption. Every night at eight o'clock, the three groups will report their progress here and solve the problems encountered together."

He pointed to the last day on the schedule, his voice low and firm: "Three months; we only have three months."

Dean He gasped: "Three months? This..."

"There is no choice," Li Mingyuan said seriously, "the threat of Di Guo's biochemical weapons is imminent, and we must possess sufficient deterrent power before they launch an attack."

The atmosphere in the conference room became heavy and tense.

Everyone understood how arduous, yet how sacred, the mission they shouldered was.

"Are there any more questions?" Li Mingyuan asked.

No one spoke, only firm gazes and slight nods.

"Then, let's start working, for the future of Long Country!"

In the days that followed, the Rear Mountain laboratory became a city that never slept.

The scientists of the three groups worked in shifts, the machines ran day and night, and tea and tobacco became the necessities for staying awake.

In the experimental area of the Detonation Lens group, Dean He led the team in conducting a series of precision tests.

They used specialized cameras to capture the propagation process of the detonation waves in miniature explosive devices, analyzing the shape and velocity of the wavefronts.

"Look here," Dean He pointed to the slow-motion playback of the explosion footage, "the wave velocity in the third section is obviously too slow; the lens shape needs further optimization."

A young engineer quickly modified the parameters on the Computer and recalculated the geometry of the Detonation Lens.

Calculations that would have taken weeks in the past could now be completed in a few hours with the help of the Computer system improved by Li Mingyuan.

"The material ratio also needs to be adjusted," Dean He added, "the transition between the second and third layers is not smooth enough, which will cause the wavefront to distort."

The team immediately began preparing a new round of small-scale test devices; although these models did not contain any nuclear material, they could accurately simulate the detonation process in an actual nuclear device.

"Don't forget, our goal is 99.5% spherical symmetry," Dean He reminded everyone, "any asymmetry exceeding 0.5% could lead to a significant drop in device efficiency."