Chapter 483: This Is Not a Conventional Shipyard

"No." Li Mingyuan refused decisively, "'Dragon Heart' must be our own technology. Tell those experts that we are not building a large commercial nuclear power plant, but a small modular reactor; the technical route is completely different."

He took a small notebook from his pocket and quickly sketched a few strokes: "Reduce the reactor power to 50 megawatts, adopt natural circulation cooling, and simplify the control system. This can bypass many technical difficulties and the safety will be even higher."

Liu Jianguo took the notebook and looked at it in surprise: "This... this design is too simple, isn't it? Will it work?"

"Whether it works or not, we'll know once we build it." Li Mingyuan smiled, "Remember, our goal right now is not maximum efficiency, but usability, safety, and a short construction cycle. Let's go, let's go see the site."

The two drove to the "Dragon Heart" construction site. The excavation here had been completed, and workers were tying rebar, preparing to pour the reactor foundation. Seeing Li Mingyuan arrive, several senior experts came up to meet him, their expressions not looking very good.

"Chief Engineer Li, this design is really too risky." A white-haired old expert said bluntly, "We haven't even done sufficient basic experiments, and we are going to build a nuclear power plant directly? This is unheard of anywhere in the world!"

Li Mingyuan's expression remained unchanged: "Professor Wang, you have participated in Beijixiong Guo's nuclear projects; you should know that small reactors are much simpler than large ones. Our design has only one-twentieth the power of a commercial power plant, yet the safety factor is much higher."

"But—"

"There are no 'buts'." Li Mingyuan's tone was firm, "Two years, I only give you two years. 'Dragon Heart' must be completed in sync with 'Kunpeng'. If you feel the pressure is too great, you can apply to be transferred off the project."

The old expert was so angry his beard trembled, but in the end, he said nothing and turned to leave.

Liu Jianguo said in a low voice: "Lao Wang has a very high status in the industry; it's not good to offend him..."

"It doesn't matter." Li Mingyuan waved his hand indifferently, "When 'Dragon Heart' is built, he will come back. Right now, everyone is bound by traditional thinking and cannot understand the advantages of modular small reactors. But practice is the only criterion for testing truth; once it succeeds, they will naturally be convinced."

He turned to a group of young engineers: "Starting from today, the 'Dragon Heart' and 'Kunpeng' projects will implement a 24-hour shift system, with three shifts. I will personally oversee the command to ensure progress."

High in the sky, a U-2 High-Altitude Reconnaissance Aircraft was cautiously approaching the airspace of Long Country. The pilot, Lieutenant Adams, stared nervously at the instrument panel; the altimeter showed he had climbed to an astonishing altitude of 25,000 meters, and it was difficult for Long Country's Radar to detect small aircraft at this altitude.

"Falcon calling base, I have approached the target area, preparing to execute the reconnaissance mission, over."

"Base received, Falcon. Pay attention to safety, take as many photos as possible, especially focusing on that coastal construction site, over."

Adams gently adjusted his attitude, and the aircraft slid smoothly into the scheduled flight path. Through a specially made high-magnification telescope, he could clearly see large-scale construction activities on the coastline below.

"Damn it, what the hell are these guys doing?" Adams muttered to himself, his hands continuously operating the special high-altitude camera, "This doesn't look like the layout of a conventional shipyard..."

Photos were taken one after another, recording the peculiar construction pattern of Penglai Base—more than a dozen scattered small and medium-sized shipyards, with various shapes; some were long strips, some were circular, and a few presented strange wing-shaped outlines. And at a construction site near the coast, a huge circular base was under construction, surrounded by thick concrete walls, looking like the containment building for some kind of large facility.

"Base, this is Falcon. There is large-scale engineering in the target area, at least a dozen scattered construction points, looking very unusual. There is also something that looks like... a nuclear facility? Unable to confirm, currently taking photos, over."

"Falcon, immediately increase the density of photography, especially of that possible nuclear facility, over."

Adams was focused on operating the camera when suddenly, the aircraft's alarm system sounded!

"Damn! Radar lock!" He quickly pulled the aircraft up, trying to shake off a possible interception, "Repeat, I have been locked by Radar! Currently taking evasive action!"

In the distance, several silver streaks cut through the sky; those were Long Country's high-altitude anti-aircraft Missile, rapidly approaching the position of the U-2 aircraft.

Cold sweat broke out on Adams's forehead, his hands gripping the control stick tightly, pushing the aircraft to its limit altitude. Fortunately, the Missile exploded about two kilometers from the aircraft, not scoring a direct hit, but the powerful shockwave still caused the lightweight U-2 to shake violently.

"Base, I have been attacked but am temporarily safe, currently withdrawing from Long Country's airspace. Have already obtained a large number of photos, over!"

Adams turned the aircraft and flew at full speed toward the safe zone, his heart still pounding wildly. He didn't know what he had photographed, but his intuition told him that it was definitely some kind of major military facility.

At the same time, in Earth's orbit, a spy satellite newly adjusted by Beijixiong Guo was quietly passing over Long Country. This satellite was equipped with the most advanced infrared imaging system and high-resolution optical camera of the time, capable of capturing subtle heat changes and object outlines on the ground.

Outside Moscow, inside the Beijixiong Guo space control center, several technicians were staring nervously at the display screens.

"Satellite has entered the optimal shooting position, starting recording."

"The infrared system shows a large number of heat sources in the target area, mainly concentrated at multiple points near the coastline. These heat source characteristics match large-scale mechanical operations."

"The optical system has captured multiple construction sites, irregular in shape, not conforming to the layout patterns of conventional shipyards or naval ports."

The chief analyst frowned and stared at the screen: "Zoom in on that circular structure."

The image quickly focused on a circular infrastructure under construction, surrounded by thick concrete walls.

"That looks like... a nuclear reactor containment building?" an expert said in confusion.

"Long Country is building a nuclear power plant?" another expert shook his head, "Unlikely, their nuclear technology is not that mature yet. Unless..."

"Unless they are working on nuclear-powered vessels." The chief analyst took over, "But the problem is, what are those scattered construction sites? If it were nuclear submarines or nuclear-powered warships, there should be clear hull outlines, not this kind of... scattered structure."

He turned to the communications officer: "Report to the Kremlin immediately; Penglai Base in Long Country has abnormal construction activities, possibly involving nuclear facilities and unknown military projects. Recommend increasing monitoring frequency."

Star-Spangled Country, Pentagon underground war room.

The photos taken by Adams were enlarged and projected onto the wall, and a group of high-ranking Military officials and intelligence analysts were gathered around them, engaged in a heated discussion.