Chapter 558: and ===GLOSSARY===

At one o'clock in the morning, the research workshop's machine tools' roar gradually softened, leaving only a few testing instruments emitting a faint hum, like silent guardians in the deep night.

Light streamed through the tall glass windows, casting long shadows on the floor that stretched and shrank with the busy figures; the air still held traces of machine oil, food, and a faint mint scent, mingling into the most distinctive flavor of these hard‑pressed days.

Lin Zhengcheng had just entered the final set of engine compatibility data into the computer; his fingertips, from long hours of gripping a pen and operating instruments, were already stiff and numb.

He raised a hand to rub his brow, the red blood vessels in his eyes deepening; in the enamel bowl at the desk corner lay the last two dumplings Zhang Xiaoran had brought, already cold, yet he could not bear to throw them away—they were the warmest comfort of the night, carrying the girl's feelings, which he tucked carefully into his heart.

"Still not resting?" Chen Mo approached with a cup of hot ginger tea, gently placing it beside him; the warmth of the cup wall transmitted through the enamel to his fingertips, dispelling some fatigue.

He too showed weariness in his eyes, a faint coating powder dusting his face; his draft paper was covered with optimization curves for the stealth coating, dense annotations filling the margins.

Lin Zhengcheng lifted the ginger tea, took a sip, and the spicy warmth slid down his throat into his stomach, easing the stiffness throughout his body somewhat.

"Let's check the data once more; that set of compatibility parameters still seems to have room for optimization."

He pointed to the curve on the computer screen, his tone carrying the rigor typical of researchers: "The Americans have ample funding and a solid foundation; we cannot afford the slightest carelessness—even a 0.001‑millimeter deviation could affect later test flights."

Chen Mo nodded, pulled over a chair and sat beside him, leaning in to stare at the screen while his fingertips swiftly calculated on the draft paper:

"I understand. Just now Qin Hua and I checked the coating data and found that, even in high‑temperature environments, the coating's reflectivity still fluctuates slightly—though within standard limits—if we could optimize it a bit more, we could completely widen the gap with the F‑117."

The two were speaking softly when Lin Qinhua walked over holding a stack of test reports, her hair a little disheveled, bangs stuck to her forehead with fine beads of sweat.

"Look, this is the newly added high‑temperature fatigue‑resistance test data."

She placed the report on the table and pointed to one page: "I adjusted the nano‑alumina ratio a little more, lowering the reflectivity by 0.002; though the change is small, small gains add up, and we can gradually catch up or even surpass."

Lin Zhengcheng picked up the report, flipping through it page by page, a faint smile gradually appearing at the corners of his mouth:

"Good, this adjustment direction is correct. Our domestic nano‑materials may not match the Americans' purity, but they have strong adaptability; with gradual tuning we will find the optimal ratio." He paused, looking at Lin Qinhua: "You've been up half the night too—go rest over there for a while; I and Chen Mo will keep watch."

Lin Qinhua shook her head, rubbed her sore shoulders, and said with a smile:

"It's fine, I'm not tired. We're a team; we should work together, not let the two of you bear the burden alone. Besides, Chen Mo has been up this long—I'll stand in for him a bit so he can catch his breath."

Chen Mo saw the determination in her eyes, felt warm inside, did not refuse, and simply said softly:

"Then take care—if you get tired, speak up, don't tough it out. I'll go check on Xiao Zhang and the others debugging the parts, and bring them some ginger tea along the way." Saying that, he picked up the thermos on the table and turned toward the other side of the workshop.

In a corner of the workshop, Xiao Zhang and two young technicians were squatting on the ground, carefully installing the fasteners for the fuselage skin.

The skin was a composite material selected by Lin Qinhua and Chen Mo—light yet tough—but its installation demands extreme precision; a moment's carelessness could damage it.

Xiao Zhang held a small wrench, tightening the screws bit by bit; sweat beaded on his forehead, trickled down his cheeks, fell to the floor, and spread into a tiny damp spot.

"Brother Zhang, take a break and have some ginger tea to warm up." Chen Mo walked over and poured a cup of ginger tea for each of them.

Xiao Zhang took the ginger tea, drank it in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and said with a smile:

"Thanks, Engineer Chen. No rest—this skin installation is delicate work; we must seize the momentum and finish quickly, or we'll delay tomorrow's final assembly schedule." The young technician beside him nodded as well: "Yeah, the more we hurry, the sooner we can breakthrough; we can't let the Americans laugh at us."

Chen Mo looked at their determined eyes, his heart full of satisfaction.

These young people, most having just left school not long ago, possess a stubborn, unyielding spirit; even if they sleep only three or four hours a day, even if blisters form on their hands, they never utter a complaint, simply standing firm at their posts, giving their all for the same goal.

Meanwhile, Lin Shengli sat in the temporary office, holding the intelligence summary of the American "Dark Star II," flipping through it over and over.

The door was gently pushed open, and Zheng Juan entered carrying a bowl of hot porridge, steam rising faintly; it was the millet porridge she had specially cooked, with a few red dates added, soft, sweet, and most refreshing.

"Still not asleep?" She set the porridge bowl on the table, her voice full of concern: "The kids are taking a break; you shouldn't stay up too long either—your health matters."

Lin Shengli set down the intelligence, rubbed his throbbing temples, and said with a smile:

"I can't sleep; my mind keeps turning to the project. The Americans are pressing step by step, we cannot afford any slack—even watching a little longer gives us more assurance."

He lifted the porridge bowl, took a sip, and warmth instantly spread through his body, the fatigue of recent days seeming to ease somewhat.

"I know you're anxious, but you also need to look after your health." Zheng Juan sat beside him and gently patted his shoulder,

"The kids are working hard, and our logistics are keeping up, so you can relax. Besides, with you here, the kids feel reassured; as a family, united in effort, there's no obstacle we can't overcome."

Lin Shengli nodded, gazing at the workshop lights outside the window, his eyes full of hope.

He knew this hard‑won battle was destined to be difficult—insufficient funds, technology blockades, tight schedules—each problem looming like a mountain before them. Yet he also knew he was not fighting alone; beside him stood a team shoulder‑to‑shoulder, a family offering gentle guardianship, relatives giving silent support—these forces combined could break through any obstacle.

At three o'clock in the morning, the workshop lights remained bright. Lin Zhengcheng finally finished checking all the data, let out a long sigh, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rested for a moment.

In his mind lay one side: the engine compatibility parameters and the coating optimization curves; on the other: Zhang Xiaoran's gentle smile, the family's warm reminders, and the silhouettes of the team standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder.

He pulled out a bookmark from his pocket—a gift from Zhang Xiaoran—on which a small chrysanthemum was drawn, fresh and elegant, with a line of tiny text on the back:

"Where the heart holds hills and valleys, the road reaches far." He lightly rubbed the bookmark with his fingertips, his heart filling with strength.

Chen Mo and Lin Qinhua also finished optimizing the coating data, walked to his side, and lightly patted his shoulder.

"All done?" Lin Zhengcheng opened his eyes and asked with a smile.

"Yeah, all done." Chen Mo nodded, his eyes showing a trace of fatigue yet brimming with a sense of accomplishment,

"Let's rest another two hours; at dawn we'll begin installing the engine and the skin, striving to finish the final assembly as soon as possible."

Lin Qinhua looked at the two of them and said with a smile:

"Good, let's push forward together. When the project succeeds, we'll take a good few days off—I'll treat everyone to dumplings, either shrimp‑and‑chive or leek‑and‑egg filling."

The three exchanged smiles, and most of their fatigue melted away in that laughter.

In the workshop, the testing instruments' hum remained soft, the lights stayed bright, the night outside gradually faded, and a pale fish‑belly whiteness appeared on the horizon.