Chapter Sixty-One: As Soon As One Week

“So this is your solution? You really think this will work?”

Looking at one end of the part, whose roughness contrasted sharply with the rest of the main shaft, Section Chief Chen found it hard to believe. They had completed their technical troubleshooting overnight, revised the part by noon, and were already back for another test run in the afternoon. This speed was simply astonishing—less than twenty-four hours and the problem was resolved. He couldn’t help but marvel at the technical abilities of these young people.

“Alright, as usual, assemble the engine for me.”

With that, Section Chief Chen stepped aside to gather his team, immediately preparing for the test. Getting everything ready for the test was no simple matter.

While Chen’s team made preparations, Yang Hui was busy assembling the engine. This time, he truly felt at ease, his hands moving with practiced familiarity. When he reached the final step of assembling the starter system, he silently offered a prayer—though he knew it was probably useless.

Once the engine was assembled, he called for the nearby project group members to join him in witnessing the second test run.

“Come on, let’s do another test. I believe we’ve found the real issue this time.”

Seeing the newly redesigned mini turbojet strapped down tightly on the test stand, everyone felt their hearts were bound just as tightly, not merely suspended but trembling with anxiety.

“All units, attention. The second test of the Little Guy engine is about to begin.” Unconsciously, the whole test center had started calling the little turbojet “the Little Guy.” The name had clearly caught on.

“Copy that. Starter motor powered on, running normally.”

As the starter motor powered up, this was the crucial moment. If the bearing reached full speed faster than last time, it would prove their diagnosis correct, and the subsequent tests could proceed with confidence.

Sure enough, the engine spun up much faster this time. It was hard to say exactly how much faster, but all the test data was being recorded and could be analyzed in detail later.

“Propane being introduced into the combustion chamber.”

“Ignition successful.”

“Liquid fuel injection commenced.”

“…Fully transitioned to liquid fuel.”

With each reported command, the engine advanced steadily through the prescribed sequence, running smoothly and emitting a low, hissing whine.

Having experienced a safe run the first time, Section Chief Chen didn’t ask the staff to leave this time. Instead, he handed over his duties to a deputy and came over to join Yang Hui among the spectators.

“Not bad. Personally, I think you’ve found the real cause of the problem this time.”

“Let’s hope your good words prove true, Chief. But who knows what other issues might crop up later!” Yang Hui’s worries weren’t unfounded—engines were always full of surprises in such harsh environments.

Nodding, Section Chief Chen agreed, continuing, “You’re right, but there’s no need for too much concern. This engine is unique—low thrust requirements, simple and sturdy construction. There shouldn’t be too many issues. Our testing team will do our part to help you get this institute’s first self-designed engine off the ground.”

No matter their nationality, people cared about reputation. This little engine had to have a good title, and “self-designed” would be its calling card.

Time slipped by as Yang Hui and Section Chief Chen chatted. Suddenly, the low whine of the engine faded away. They checked the time—forty minutes had passed, and the test run was over.

“Alright, let’s all go up and take a look. See if there are any problems this time. If anyone’s got a sharp nose, go ahead and check for any burnt smells.” Section Chief Chen led a small group from the design team toward the test stand.

Since the engine was still cooling, they couldn’t take it apart right away. They had to rely on those with sensitive noses to sniff for any sign of scorched rubber—a surprisingly effective method.

A nearby test staff member leaned in close and took a whiff. Not detecting any unusual odor, he immediately reported back.

“No smell, Chief, there’s nothing here. The problem should be fixed.”

Upon hearing this exciting news, Long Derong, who was standing behind Yang Hui, rushed to the test stand. He leaned in to sniff the still-warm Little Guy. Smelling nothing unusual, he grew excited and got a little too close. The heat made him jerk back, and the delayed pain finally registered in his brain, making him yelp in pain.

Suddenly, the whole test center echoed with cries of agony. Seeing this, everyone burst out laughing. It was pure luck—joy turning to pain in an instant. Fortunately, the burn wasn’t serious and would heal in time, but for the next week, washing his face would be a painful ordeal for Long Derong.

Learning from his colleague’s mishap, Yang Hui waited for the engine to cool before donning thermal gloves and starting to disassemble it. At first glance, the rubber connector in the starter system was completely intact—a very good sign.

He gestured to the crowd gathered around him and said, “See? No more issues. We fixed the fault in a single day.”

“Really impressive! You young folks really have some skills,” someone from the test team praised.

“Yes, very impressive indeed,” others echoed.

Yang Hui put down his tools. There was no need for him to take the engine apart personally anymore. Now it was time to discuss the next phase of testing with Section Chief Chen.

“Jian She, you take over the disassembly and inspection. I’ll go discuss the next test steps.”

Having assigned the follow-up work, Yang Hui and Section Chief Chen went to a small office nearby. Chen’s office was sparsely furnished, everything neatly stored in drawers. The desktop was bare except for a cup.

“Sit down, let’s take our time. Discussing the testing sequence will take a while. Haven’t you been on your feet enough already?” Seeing Yang Hui still standing while he searched for documents, Chen laughed and urged him to sit.

“Here, these are the test results for the components Old Li gave me yesterday. I’ve reviewed them, and many results are good enough. We can speed up the testing and skip some of the unnecessary ones.”

Chen took out a notebook and wrote down the remaining necessary test items, handing the list to Yang Hui for review.

Having once worked at the flight test institute himself, Chen was familiar with these procedures and could understand what was essential. Reviewing the list, Yang Hui found that all the items were indeed necessary, but something was missing.

He picked up a pen and added: average time from startup to successful propane ignition, time from propane preheating to the use of liquid fuel, and engine carbon build-up maintenance intervals. These were unique data points for this special Little Guy. Without such experiential data, even with the engine on hand, it would be impossible to start it reliably. For example, with propane preheating, if there was no specific time standard and liquid fuel was supplied too early, the temperature would be insufficient for vaporization in the combustion chamber, making the transition to liquid fuel impossible. So these tests were essential.

As a seasoned test and control engineer, Section Chief Chen immediately understood the significance of Yang Hui’s additions, given the engine’s unique characteristics. He promptly assured him, “No problem at all. We can do these tests. Leave it to us.”

Glancing over the list of test items again, he did a quick mental calculation and made arrangements.

“There aren’t too many items. I’ll schedule them as soon as possible. With all the parts assembled, we’ll have seven or eight engines in total. If progress is smooth, I can have results for you within a week.”

Such speed in engine development and testing was unprecedented, but this time, they intended to set a new benchmark for the institute.

“Good. Testing eight engines at once will surely speed things up. Besides, this engine is incredibly cheap to make.”

Cheap was an understatement—it was the epitome of low cost and rough workmanship. The only technically demanding part was the main shaft’s material and machining. But when it came time to sell—well, that was another story…

“Alright then, that’s settled. I’ll start arranging large-scale testing tomorrow. The whole test center will once again ring with that familiar melody.” At this moment, looking at Section Chief Chen, he seemed almost like a villainous mad scientist from a film, so obsessed was he that he could describe the piercing whine of a turbojet as a melody.