He was wearing the uniform of a B Level Engineer, but unlike Zhao Yu, he didn't exude that same overwhelming, oppressive aura. Instead, he seemed more like a kind, approachable uncle from next door.
"I'm Liu Wenbo, the project team's deputy. You can just call me Engineer Liu."
Liu Wenbo smiled and patted Han Feng's shoulder, his tone familiar.
"Engineer Zhao was talking about it before the meeting. Said two geniuses were coming today and that I should give you a proper welcome."
"You're too kind, Engineer Liu."
Han Feng quickly replied.
"Now that you're here, there's no need to be so formal."
Liu Wenbo pointed to the side.
"Go over there, get a research uniform, and change. Get familiar with the place. The morning meeting is about to start."
Soon, Han Feng had also changed into a brand-new white research uniform.
Liu Wenbo led him and Chen Gang, giving them a concise overview of the experimental area's various functional zones and a few absolute safety rules that must not be broken.
"You're people Engineer Zhao picked himself. Work hard, and you'll have a bright future."
"The atmosphere on our team is open. Engineer Zhao can't stand a one-man show."
"During technical discussions, it doesn't matter who you are. If you have an idea, speak up. If you make sense, we'll listen to you."
"Truth is forged through debate!"
His words were clearly meant for the two newcomers, intended to put them at ease.
Hearing this, Chen Gang's eyes lit up for a moment, and he unconsciously straightened his back.
After passing through a cold metal corridor, Liu Wenbo pushed open a heavy, soundproof door and led them into a spacious conference room.
Seven or eight people were already seated in the conference room, all of them engineers in formal technician uniforms.
A virtual light screen floated in front of each person, displaying waterfall-like streams of data and complex three-dimensional schematics.
When they saw the newcomers enter, the others merely glanced over for a moment before immersing themselves in their own worlds again.
The entire space was serious and focused, with only the low hum of instruments whispering in the background.
"Come, have a seat."
Liu Wenbo pointed to two empty seats, then brought up a project file for both Han Feng and Chen Gang.
"All the materials for the 'Falcon Third Generation' Spiritual Energy Engine improvement project are right here."
"The design goals, improvement directives, the current bottlenecks we're stuck on, and every single one of our previous failed proposals—not one has been deleted."
Liu Wenbo smiled. "You two take a look first. For the regular meeting later, just listen in."
Han Feng nodded, his gaze falling on the light screen.
Chen Gang, on the other hand, was like a wolf that hadn't eaten in three days spotting fresh meat. His eyes practically glowed as his fingers flew across the light screen, greedily devouring every line of data and every design schematic.
Han Feng didn't stay idle either.
'This is my future livelihood, and more importantly, a stepping stone to greater power.'
[Ding! Detected that the host is engaging in deep professional learning...]
[Professional Skill—"Spiritual Energy Engine Principles·Proficient" Skill Proficiency +1]
[Professional Skill—"Mechanical Repair Theory·Proficient" Skill Proficiency +1]
The system's notifications chimed in his mind, invigorating Han Feng.
'Reading the core materials really does give me EXP!'
"Everyone's here. Let's start the meeting."
Zhao Yu walked in right on time, followed by two recorders holding clipboards.
He went straight to the head seat and sat down. Without a single wasted word, his gaze as sharp as a knife, he got right to the point.
"Old Qian, the latest test results."
An old, white-haired engineer sitting to Zhao Yu's left—Engineer Qian—pushed up his glasses and pulled up a test video.
"Engineer Zhao, the situation is not looking good."
"Last week, following the seventh version of the plan, we optimized the Rune Matrix of the Spiritual Energy Nozzle and replaced it with a nozzle made of ultra-high-temperature resistant 'Obsidian' alloy."
"However, during the high-power output test, when the engine speed reached 85% of its peak, uncontrollable resonance still occurred."
In the video, a massive engine on the test bed let out a deafening roar.
But soon, the entire engine began to shake violently. The piercing screech of metal on metal nearly tore at the eardrums, and several monitoring probes instantly burst into sparks before the feed cut out.
"The core problem is still the pressurization chamber."
Engineer Qian sighed, his voice laced with exhaustion.
"The turbulence formed by the high-pressure Spiritual Qi inside the chamber cannot be effectively channeled, creating high-frequency resonance with the chamber walls."
"Not only does this cause a sharp drop in energy output efficiency, but continuous operation for more than three minutes will cause irreversible, permanent damage to the engine."
The conference room fell into a dead silence.
"We tried thickening the chamber walls, but that put the weight way over the limit."
"We also tried engraving the 'Zhen' series of runes on the interior, but the high-pressure Spiritual Qi flow directly interferes with the runes' energy structure, making the effect negligible."
Another engineer added, his tone filled with helplessness.
Listening to everyone's back-and-forth discussion, the notification chimes in Han Feng's mind sounded like they were throwing a party.
["Spiritual Energy Engine Principles·Proficient" Skill Proficiency +1]
["Spiritual Energy Engine Principles·Proficient" Skill Proficiency +2]
...
Before he knew it, just from listening in, his "Spiritual Energy Engine Principles" Skill Proficiency had increased by more than twenty points.
"Are there no other ideas?"
Zhao Yu tapped his knuckles on the table, making a dull thud, as his gaze swept across the room.
Everyone looked at each other, all wearing troubled expressions.
It was clear they had already tried every solution they could think of.
"The newcomers."
Zhao Yu's gaze finally landed on Han Feng and Chen Gang.
"Do you two have any thoughts?"
All eyes instantly focused on them.
This was the moment Chen Gang had been waiting for.
He stood up and took a deep breath. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a powerful confidence.
"Engineer Zhao, seniors, I have a preliminary idea."
"Since the problem is turbulent resonance, why don't we try a different approach?"
"Instead of 'blocking' it, we 'channel' it?"
"I've noticed that the inner wall of the pressurization chamber has a smooth, curved design. This is to reduce drag."
"But this also means that once turbulence forms, it's like a runaway horse—difficult to control."
He extended a finger and quickly sketched a brand-new model on his light screen.
"What if we use the 'Helmholtz Resonance' principle from the old era to design and etch a specific array of microscopic grooves on the inner wall?"
"These grooves themselves don't consume any energy, but they can form a series of tiny 'resonance traps' that guide, absorb, and cancel out the disordered turbulent energy, thereby weakening the intensity of the main resonance on a macroscopic level!"
The conference room was silent for a full three seconds.
Then, a burst of irrepressible discussion broke out.
"Helmholtz Resonance? An acoustic theory from the old era? Can that... even be applied to Spiritual Energy Fluid?"
"That's a wild idea... using a purely physical structure to interfere with an Energy Field. Interesting!"
Engineer Qian adjusted his glasses, staring intently at Chen Gang's design draft, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
"Theoretically, it seems feasible!"
"But, the required machining precision for the microscopic grooves is extremely high. And calculating their optimal frequency and depth is an astronomically difficult problem!"
"We can run computer simulations first."
Chen Gang's reply was smooth and practiced, clearly showing he had already thought this through.
"As long as the general direction is correct, we can figure out the specific parameters through trial and error!"
Zhao Yu looked at Chen Gang, the sharpness in his eyes finally softening, replaced by a hint of undisguised approval.
"Not bad."
"Clear thinking, solid theory."
He nodded and said to Liu Wenbo, "Old Liu, make the arrangements."
"This afternoon, create a simulation plan based on Chen Gang's idea."
"If the data looks promising, immediately arrange for a sample to be machined!"
"Yes, Engineer Zhao!"
Liu Wenbo immediately agreed.
As Chen Gang sat down, his back was ramrod straight, and the corners of his mouth curved up in a suppressed smile.
He could clearly feel that the gazes of the senior engineers around him had changed from scrutiny to genuine recognition and appreciation.
Just then, Zhao Yu's gaze shifted again, like a searchlight, landing steadily on Han Feng, who had remained silent in the corner.
The entire room's attention followed.
"Han Feng, what about you?"