Chapter 501: Pangu, Nuwa

"Isn't that the truth? I heard from the guards that he hasn't closed his eyes for a full 48 hours, and he's been all alone in that room!"

"Could there be another major invention? I'll never forget the scene during the 'Sea Hawk' test flight for the rest of my life..."

Rumors spread rapidly throughout the base, but no one could guess what Li Mingyuan was actually preparing.

Core No. 1 Factory was located in the most central area of Penglai Base; it was heavily guarded on ordinary days, and today it was guarded by heavy troops with layers of inspections. An isolation zone was established within fifty meters around the factory building, and even a bird flying over would be spotted by the vigilant Sentinel.

At nine o'clock sharp, the invited high-level officials arrived one after another. Among them were military generals who had witnessed the Sea Hawk test flight, as well as Long Country's top scientists and engineers. Everyone's face was filled with curiosity and doubt.

"Lao Liu, what kind of mischief do you think Li Mingyuan is up to this time?" the Deputy Commander of the Air Force whispered to his colleague beside him.

"Who knows," Lao Liu said with a smile and a shake of his head, "but looking at this setup, it certainly isn't simple. I can still see that plane hovering in the air in my dreams from that 'Sea Hawk' stunt last time."

"Shh, don't mention it," the Deputy Commander gave a bitter smile, "I spent three days and three nights writing that report, and the higher-ups thought I was drunk and seeing things."

The factory doors slowly opened, and they were greeted by Minister Zhang leading the way in person, his expression even more nervous than the attendees: "Respected leaders, respected experts, please follow me; Chief Engineer Li is already waiting inside."

The group followed Minister Zhang through a long corridor and arrived at a huge space in the center of the factory. Pushing open the final door, the scene before them left everyone stunned.

The central area of the factory had been rearranged; several pieces of equipment with unfamiliar shapes were neatly arranged, and each piece of equipment was equipped with an operating console and a strange display screen. These machines were shockingly small; compared to those "behemoth" Computers in the West that occupied entire rooms, it was truly the difference between an elf and a giant. Even more surprising was their casing design—simple, smooth lines, and the light gray metal surface gave off a soft luster, as if they had traveled here from a future world.

Li Mingyuan stood in the center, watching the surprised expressions of the crowd with a smile: "Welcome, everyone, and thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to come."

"Chief Engineer Li, these are...?" an old scientist couldn't help but ask, his fingers trembling slightly as he pointed at the unfamiliar equipment.

Li Mingyuan looked around, ensuring everyone could hear his voice clearly: "This is the Third Generation Integrated Circuit Computer I have developed, codenamed 'Pangu-III'. Its computing speed is ten thousand times that of our existing equipment."

A single sentence, like a thunderclap on flat ground. The entire factory fell into instant Silence.

"Ten... ten thousand times?" an electronics expert repeated, stuttering, "Chief Engineer Li, are you...?"

Li Mingyuan did not offer further explanation and walked directly to the nearest "Pangu-III", pressing the power button.

Accompanied by a faint "hum", the display screen lit up. This was not the flashing green code everyone was familiar with, but a graphical user interface! Small, neatly arranged icons appeared on the screen, with a delicate landscape painting as the background.

The entire room gasped, as if they were collectively suffocating.

Li Mingyuan picked up a strange little device on the table—it was a square object the size of half a palm, with two buttons on it, connected to the host by a wire. He moved this device gently, and the arrow on the screen moved accordingly.

"This is a mouse, used to control the cursor on the screen," Li Mingyuan explained, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather, "This method of operation is far more efficient than punched paper tape or flipping switches."

No one responded. Everyone stared dumbfounded at the little arrow moving with Freedom across the screen, as if they were watching a magic show.

Li Mingyuan clicked the mouse with his fingertip, selecting an icon labeled "File". Immediately, a drop-down menu expanded, showing multiple options. He clicked on one of the options, and a new window popped up, containing a neatly arranged list of files.

"This is a graphical user interface, making computer operation intuitive and simple," he continued to explain, his fingers moving flexibly on the keyboard and mouse, "Work that previously required memorizing complex commands can now be completed with just a few clicks of the mouse."

Following his operations, windows on the screen switched, files opened and closed, and programs started and ran; the entire process was incredibly smooth.

The scene was deathly still, and one could hear a pin drop. Several old scientists didn't even notice their glasses sliding to the tips of their noses; their gazes were locked firmly onto the screen that seemed to have been cast with magic.

"This... this is impossible..." an electronics professor muttered to himself, "This kind of technology would take at least twenty years to..." His voice stopped abruptly, as if he dared not continue.

Li Mingyuan turned a deaf ear and continued his "magic show": "Next, I will demonstrate an important application of the 'Pangu' system—a computer-aided design system, codenamed 'Nuwa'."

He clicked on a special icon, and the screen immediately switched to a new interface. This interface was more professional, divided into multiple areas: a toolbar at the top, a parameter panel on the left, and a huge drawing area in the center.

"'Nuwa' system can help engineers perform precise designs, automatically generate engineering drawings, and significantly improve design efficiency and accuracy," Li Mingyuan explained while skillfully operating the mouse and keyboard, "Now, I will demonstrate how to use it to design the vector nozzle of the Sea Hawk fighter."

The crowd's breathing almost stopped, and all eyes were focused on the large screen. Li Mingyuan's fingers danced on the keyboard, inputting a series of parameters. Then, a miracle appeared—a complex three-dimensional model gradually formed in the center of the screen; it was the precise structure of the Sea Hawk fighter's vector nozzle!

"My God..." a mechanical engineer subconsciously covered his mouth with his hand, his eyes wide as saucers.

The model rotated slowly on the screen, showing details from every angle. Li Mingyuan clicked gently with the mouse, and the model immediately zoomed in, showing the internal structure. After a few more clicks, the model was cut open, revealing the complex pipes and mechanisms inside.

"I can rotate, zoom, and cross-section this model at will," Li Mingyuan explained calmly, his voice echoing in the silent factory, "More importantly, I can modify the design parameters in real-time."

He entered a few new values and pressed the Enter key. The model on the screen changed immediately; the nozzle angle adjusted and the wall thickness changed, but the overall structure remained coordinated. The entire process took less than ten seconds.

"Good heavens..." an old engineer with white hair said with a trembling voice, "This... this completely replaces drawing boards, slide rules... work that took days or even weeks, completed in just a few minutes?"