Chapter 171 N24

Seeking help from Wu Tong proved to be the wisest and most correct decision she could have made.

"Teacher Wu, it is China's great fortune to have you!" After a long while, Hua Yanxing finally managed to suppress her surging emotions and recover her voice.

True mastery commands discipleship. Even though Wu Tong was merely a seventeen-year-old girl, in the field of aerospace engines, she was more than qualified to be a master. Addressing her as Teacher Wu was an expression of heartfelt admiration. "Thank you..."

"Director Hua, let's continue. For better reserve considerations, as well as preparation costs, I chose solid fuel as the primary focus. Based on the current shortcomings of solid fuel, I conducted targeted optimization research.

I briefly mentioned it to you over the phone. During the research, it unexpectedly resonated with another pre-research project of mine, making this high-energy fuel I developed rather special!"

Wu Tong promptly interrupted Hua Yanxing's impending expressions of gratitude. Being so young, she really found it difficult to accept such deferential thanks from heavyweights in the field. Compared to those who dedicated their entire lives to the country, remaining anonymous while shunning fame and pouring their hearts into propelling the nation's scientific and technological leaps, she had only been engaged in scientific research for a few months and her contributions were limited.

She shifted the topic, pulling out the manuscript of the polynitrogen compound derivation results, placing it before them both, and explaining it in detail to Hua Yanxing.

"Struck by a sudden inspiration, I merged, summarized, and deduced two projects. Based on my deductions, I designed this high-energy fuel. It is a polynitrogen compound that I have named N18. This special polynitrogen compound possesses powerful decomposability.

Building upon this, I further evolved N24. The deduction ratios for N24 currently on the manuscript are not entirely fuel; they lean more toward explosiveness. According to the deduced data parameters, the energy per unit will be about 20 times that of TNT."

"Twenty times the explosive energy of TNT?" Hua Yanxing could not help raising her voice, astonishment frozen on her face. One had to know that before the end of World War II, TNT had consistently been the explosive with the best overall performance, earning the title of the King of Explosives.

Even now, this data meant TNT remained a very decent explosive choice. Before updating their formulas, many types of munitions used TNT, and even after formula updates, TNT still factored into the ratios. Having a background in missile development...

Hua Yanxing's first reaction was that twenty times TNT was a startling figure, meaning their munition performance was about to undergo a leap-forward, revolutionary refinement. Her second reaction was: when did she acquire the talent for making infallible predictions? Wu Tong really had come here to work on explosives!

"These are theoretical figures; we still need to see the actual experimental performance after preparation!" Meeting Hua Yanxing's burning gaze, Wu Tong felt a little embarrassed. However, prioritizing the project, she continued, "I made further deductions on my way here!"

She picked up a pen, grabbed a sheet of draft paper, and rapidly wrote down her deductions from the journey. "This is the preparation and passivation adjustment direction for the N24 fuel, making this previous version of the N24 explosive lean more toward combustibility, balancing a ratio where the fuel's energy density per unit and burning speed are controllable!"

Otherwise, introducing N24 prepared with that high-energy explosive ratio wouldn't mean sending a missile into orbit; it would literally send the missile flying straight to heaven.

Given the explosiveness of N24, coupled with the storage volume measured in tons required to launch a missile into space, once ignited, it could practically wipe a map off the surface.

"The specific impulse should reach around 800." Wu Tong made a conversion and reported a figure that shocked Hua Yanxing all over again.

"If the experimental conditions are controlled with absolute precision, this number might even be pushed up slightly!"

"It can go even higher? This predicted specific impulse data is already more than double the current domestic liquid fuel's specific impulse! If it can go even higher, the experiments will have to be meticulous to the extreme, controlled to the ultimate degree!"

Wu Tong had practically spoon-fed the meal to their mouths; if they failed to perform even the minute auxiliary work, they might as well step down, abdicate in favor of better men, and go home to grow sweet potatoes and mend the earth.

She found it simply incredible. If Wu Tong's deductions and designs were verified through experiments, it would no longer be a matter of mere improvement, but rather a leap-forward ascension for Chinese missile technology.

A pride of China! A First Prize for National Scientific Progress was a medal that simply had to be awarded!

"It all depends on the specific experiments. Director Hua, please don't get too excited just yet. These are all theoretical figures; we need to conduct experimental verification before we celebrate. I simultaneously deduced N18, which focuses on decomposability. Their specific performances must all be verified through field experiments. Director Hua, can the laboratory support the completion of these experiments? We might also need to prepare experimental equipment!

Most crucially, the funding is estimated to not be a small amount. I'm afraid I'm causing you trouble!"

This was just the engine and fuel; later on, missile body materials, guidance system experiments, overall missile testing... the places requiring money would probably be numerous.

"Funding is not an issue; I will go secure it. Wu Tong, just list out all the experimental equipment you need, and I'll check whether the instruments in the research institute's laboratory are comprehensive enough. Whatever is missing, we will coordinate and arrange it. Once I secure the funding on my end, we will start the experiments immediately!" Hua Yanxing made an immediate executive decision. Even if she had to issue a military pledge before the top leaders, she would get this project off the ground.

As long as the money was spent in the right places and could develop a missile that surpassed the world's ultra-first-class standards, every penny spent would be worth it. The classified secrets Wu Tong had deduced—let alone being nearly detailed enough to lack only experimental verification—even if they were merely correct concepts, they would press forward at all costs.

Chinese scientific research had always possessed the courage to burn the boats and smash the cauldrons. Otherwise, they could not have risen from backwardness to re-emerge within a mere few decades, striding toward becoming a major global power.

The materials and assistance designed by Wu Tong not only doubled the astonishing data of the Mighty Dragon, but also brought the Mighty Dragon to the world ahead of schedule, accelerating the research and development process considerably and saving tens of billions in funds. These funds were saved with Wu Tong's help. While Wu Tong's awards were still awaiting official issuance, they surely had priority use rights for these genuinely saved funds to conduct new projects.

Had Wu Tong not been so young, lacking direct contact with the upper echelons, and had the higher-ups not yet determined how to officially position her—granting her protection first—Wu Tong could have directly engaged with the top leadership at this moment to discuss project initiation, rather than relying on her to act as the intermediary.

"I'll organize these manuscripts a bit and put together a brief explanatory version for you!" Director Hua was single-handedly taking on the tasks of project initiation and securing funding. Wu Tong felt she could not simply sit back and reap the rewards while waiting for Director Hua to struggle alone; she wanted to provide whatever assistance she could to Director Hua.

Wu Tong immediately opened her portable work computer. Importing and organizing the entire deduction process would be rather time-consuming, but putting together a concise project initiation application explanation was relatively simple. Having genuinely led a national key project under her teacher's guidance, Wu Tong had still learned a fair amount of experience—such as the project initiation application explanation she was currently rushing to complete.