Chapter 103: Antimatter Engine

"Is it that advanced?"

Zhang Mingyang had never worked in design, so he hadn't expected current design software to be this sophisticated.

After viewing the three inner zones, Xiao Sun asked if Zhang Mingyang would like to take a look at the outer zones.

"Of course."

"Then please wait a moment while I go find someone to handle the handover."

"Very well."

Once Xiao Sun left, Zhang Mingyang began to look around the design studio on his own.

"Bring up the engine schematics."

Several designers were huddled around a VR projection, taking no notice of Zhang Mingyang standing nearby.

"The forty-fifth design draft is ready."

As soon as the words were spoken, the VR system projected a model of an engine. Zhang Mingyang studied the projection; it looked vastly different from a rocket engine. While a rocket nozzle is circular, this one was shaped like a ring of pipes. Furthermore, whereas a rocket engine is surrounded by a ring of circulation pipes, this engine bore more of a resemblance to the core of a nuclear fusion reactor.

"Excuse me, sir, why does this engine look so much like a nuclear fusion reactor?"

Zhang Mingyang’s question caught the attention of an older man, who looked at him and asked, "You understand nuclear fusion?"

Zhang Mingyang nodded. "I studied nuclear engineering within the energy field. This engine looks quite similar to the reactors I’ve seen."

The old man laughed upon hearing this, but after glancing at Zhang Mingyang’s ID badge, he understood. "You’re from the collider laboratory downstairs?"

Zhang Mingyang nodded. "That’s right. I just transferred positions."

Seeing that Zhang Mingyang understood the basics, the old man spoke candidly. "Antimatter isn't like solid, liquid, or nuclear fission fuels. Those are relatively stable and don't require special handling for the engine."

"But antimatter is different. Just like with nuclear fusion, it must be contained using a magnetic field. Matter and antimatter must be kept strictly separated; otherwise, when they meet, they will annihilate each other, causing an explosion and releasing immense energy, which would render our engine useless."

Zhang Mingyang asked, "Then how do you make the matter and antimatter collide without damaging the engine, while still generating massive thrust?"

The old man replied, "Have you ever seen the Taiji symbol?"

"Taiji?" Zhang Mingyang thought for a moment. "You mean the black and white pattern?"

The old man nodded. He manipulated the projected engine model to initiate a simulated startup. "Look, in this circular, sealed space, the black and white sections of the Taiji represent the matter and antimatter. The S-curve partition in the middle and the surrounding circles are magnetic field modules that provide containment and separation. When this circular Taiji spins at high speeds, the interior of the sphere reaches a vacuum state. We then install magnetic energy tubes on the sphere for both the matter and antimatter zones, causing them to spiral as well."

"Have you ever seen a tornado?"

Zhang Mingyang nodded. "Of course."

The old man pulled up a model of a tornado. "A tornado is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom; it also moves in a spiral. Its energy flows from bottom to top. Our engine, however, uses acceleration and wind energy to force the matter and antimatter downward. We cause the collision beneath the 'tornado' to release the energy. This allows us to propel the spacecraft while keeping the explosion within a safe range."

Listening to the old man’s explanation and watching the simulated startup, Zhang Mingyang was stunned. What a brilliant, ingenious solution!

"Sir, if you do it this way, what is the thrust-to-weight ratio of a single engine?"

The old man smiled. "We’ve only just finished the full-scale engine and haven't run tests yet, so we aren't entirely sure of the exact thrust-to-weight ratio."

"I see."

"Mr. Zhang, let’s go." Xiao Sun had returned.

"All right."

Before leaving, Zhang Mingyang asked the old man one last thing: "Sir, does this engine have a name?"

The old man replied, "The Tornado Engine."

"The Tornado Engine?" Zhang Mingyang felt the simple, blunt name was actually quite fitting.

He followed Xiao Sun out of North Mountain to the base's airfield, where they boarded a vehicle. On the way, Zhang Mingyang asked, "Xiao Sun, where are the engines designed by your propulsion department actually built?"

Xiao Sun replied, "Mr. Zhang, the spacecraft hull is designed at the West Mountain No. 2 Factory and built at the Monan Base. The electronic equipment is designed at the West Mountain Electronic Machinery Department and also built at the Monan Base. The engine is designed in the propulsion department's inner zone, and it is built at the place we are heading to now. It is the only part of the spacecraft where both design and construction happen in the same location."

"I see."

The vehicle traveled through the jungle for nearly half an hour before they finally saw a building, nestled halfway up a mountain. As they drew closer, a squad of soldiers in black uniforms blocked their path.

"Comrades, please present your identification."

They each showed their IDs, and the soldiers let them pass once everything checked out.

"Hey, Xiao Sun, have all the troops around the base been replaced with Space Force personnel?"

Xiao Sun replied, "They were replaced yesterday. I don't know why, though."

Looking at the soldiers along the road, Zhang Mingyang hadn't expected there to be so many of them; it seemed the military was taking this very seriously. As the road widened, Xiao Sun drove for another five minutes before finally arriving at the test site.

Stepping out of the vehicle, Xiao Sun led him into a five-story building. After scanning their IDs for verification, they walked inside.

"Hurry up and bring the vehicle over!"

"Xiao Wang, get over here quickly!"

The shouting of people inside and the roar of machinery vibrated against Zhang Mingyang's eardrums. A massive engine was suspended from the ceiling.

Xiao Sun pointed at the engine overhead and said, "Mr. Zhang, this is the one-to-one scale engine. It is fifty-five meters long, thirty-five meters wide, and thirty-five meters high. The 'Energy' will be equipped with eight of these engines."

Zhang Mingyang gripped the railing and looked up at the behemoth, deeply awed by its sheer scale. What else could humanity possibly build? There was a deep pit beneath the railing, so Zhang Mingyang couldn't walk down; he could only observe it from the side.

"Xiao Sun, has this engine been loaded with antimatter yet?"

Xiao Sun replied, "Mr. Zhang, since your energy department hasn't provided enough antimatter yet, it hasn't been installed."

"Then how do you conduct tests on this engine?"

Xiao Sun pointed to the deep pit below. "Just like with a rocket engine, we mount it on a fixed lock and add fuel to fire it. However, we don't dare use full power; we can only activate one-ten-thousandth of its energy."

"Why?"

Xiao Sun looked at the building and replied, "The thrust of the engine is too great. The fixed lock below wouldn't be able to hold it. Even without going to full power, at one-thousandth of its energy, the engine would tear itself free. We can only use one-ten-thousandth for simulations, and we use computers to simulate the rest of the full-power output."

"That makes sense!"

This wasn't the liquid or solid fuel of decades ago; even nuclear power wouldn't be tested at full capacity, let alone an antimatter energy source.