The chief's words reached the control room at Northern Base through the remote voice communication equipment!
Everyone present heard them loud and clear, including Jiang Fan!
The researchers at the base had all witnessed Jiang Fan's knowledge of controlled nuclear fusion, but the chief knew nothing about it!
Zhou Huaide looked at Jiang Fan, who was checking the data on the main control console, and spoke to the chief!
"Sir, we've had a minor slipup here, but please trust me. It won't take long to resolve!"
The chief said, "Commander-in-chief Zhou, I said I would give you only five minutes. You have two minutes left!"
After saying that, the chief ended the call!
Zhou Huaide spoke to Jiang Fan.
"Xiao Fan, have you found the problem?"
Jiang Fan was puzzled too. The main control console showed that all the tokamak device's data was correct, so why had ignition failed?
"The tokamak device's data shows no problems!" Jiang Fan said!
"Then where could the problem be?" Zhou Huaide was deeply frustrated too!
The researchers present were all testing the control switches in the control room.
A moment later, a researcher called out to Jiang Fan!
"Chief Engineer Jiang, we've found the problem!"
Hearing this, Jiang Fan pushed through the crowd and hurried over.
"Look!"
The researcher pointed at the testing instrument. Jiang Fan looked and saw that it indicated a problem with the wiring of the laser ignition control switch!
Zhou Huaide instantly erupted in fury. "Who's in charge of the laser ignition device?"
Everyone fell silent. Then Zhang Wenshan spoke to Zhou Huaide!
"Commander-in-chief Zhou, Researcher Wang Bo was responsible for it before, but he was transferred away a month ago!"
"Then didn't you know to inspect the ignition equipment before ignition?"
Everyone lowered their heads. They all understood why Zhou Huaide was so furious. He had built Northern Base from the ground up, and it was like his own child.
Now, at this critical moment of life and death, a problem had turned up in the ignition wiring!
"Who here is familiar with the ignition device's wiring?" Zhou Huaide shouted!
No one present spoke, because their previous research had all focused on the tokamak device. Only two people had been responsible for the laser ignition device, and both had been transferred to the fighter jet project!
Although the laser ignition device was not complicated, it still contained quite a lot of wiring. Without familiarity with it, checking everything would take a long time!
"Commander-in-chief Zhou, I spent two days learning from them before, but I'm not sure I can fix it."
Seeing that no one else present understood it, Zhou Huaide spoke to him.
"All right, follow the schematics and repair it quickly."
"Zhang Wenshan, call Researcher Wang Bo now and ask him exactly where the problem is!"
Zhang Wenshan found Researcher Wang's number and dialed it immediately!
"No one's answering!"
Zhang Wenshan spoke with a troubled expression.
They all knew very well that researchers were not allowed to carry mobile phones while working. At this hour, it would probably be difficult to reach him!
Seeing that time was running out, Zhou Huaide picked up the control room's satellite phone and called the fighter jet research base directly.
The call connected quickly.
"This is Zhou Huaide from Northern Base. Put me through to your chief engineer immediately!"
Seeing that he was using a satellite phone, the person on the other end did not question Zhou Huaide's identity and connected him directly to the fighter jet chief engineer's office!
"Hello! Who is this?"
"This is Zhou Huaide from Northern Base."
"Hello, Minister Zhou. I'm Zhang Honglei from Dragon Country National Defense Military Academy. I'm also your junior alumnus..."
"Chief Engineer Zhang, find Researcher Wang Bo for me immediately and have him answer the phone."
"What's the matter?" Zhang Honglei asked!
"It's urgent. I'll explain afterward!" Zhou Huaide said anxiously!
Seeing how anxious his senior Zhou was, and knowing that Wang Bo had been transferred from Zhou Huaide's base, Zhang Honglei figured there must be something important to deal with!
He called Fighter Jet Research Hangar No. 6 directly, and Wang Bo soon came jogging over!
"Researcher Wang, Commander-in-chief Zhou from Northern Base wants to speak to you!" Zhang Honglei said!
Wang Bo was puzzled. The Northern Base project had already been suspended, so what did Commander-in-chief Zhou want with him? Curious, he took the phone!
"Commander-in-chief Zhou, this is Wang Bo!"
Hearing Wang Bo's voice, Zhou Huaide asked directly, "There's a problem with the laser ignition device's wiring. Where is it?"
The moment Wang Bo heard this, he understood. Back when he was at Northern Base, he had been responsible for the laser ignition device. Before he left, its wiring had worked loose because it had been there so long.
He had intended to repair it, but then he received orders to transfer elsewhere. Thinking that the controlled nuclear fusion project was going to be shut down anyway, he had left it unrepaired!
But how did Commander-in-chief Zhou know about this problem now? Could it be that the controlled nuclear fusion project had not been shut down?
Before Wang Bo could speak, Zhou Huaide's anxious voice came over the phone again.
"Wang Bo, tell me, quickly!"
"Commander-in-chief Zhou, the wiring beneath the control button should be loose!"
Hearing Wang Bo's answer, Zhou Huaide immediately spoke to the researcher who was inspecting the wiring!
"Check beneath the control button!"
Sure enough, they found a loose wire beneath the laser ignition button!
Zhou Huaide hung up immediately and hurriedly had someone reconnect the wire.
Now that they had found the problem, the rest would be easy!
Hearing the clamor of voices over the phone, Wang Bo grew even more curious. Could Northern Base really not have been disbanded?
Before he could ask, all he heard was the disconnected tone!
He put down the phone, looking bewildered!
"Wang Bo, what did Commander-in-chief Zhou want with you?" Zhang Honglei asked!
"He just asked about the laser ignition device!"
The laser ignition device?
Was his senior Zhou Huaide still researching controlled nuclear fusion? But hadn't all the researchers there been transferred away?
Still, Zhang Hongbo rather admired this senior of his. Back at Dragon Country National Defense Military Academy, Zhou Huaide had been a towering figure. Fresh out of school and still young, he had already been put in charge of fighter jet development.
Moreover, he had developed the fifth-generation J-10 fighter jet, which had ranked among the world's best ten years ago and caused a sensation in Dragon Country at the time.
Sadly, during the World Military Competition, his comrade had flown the fifth-generation J-10 fighter jet he had developed, only to be caught in an underhanded trap by the competitors led by Beautiful Country and ultimately lose his life...
Because of this, Zhou Huaide had accepted the position of commander-in-chief of controlled nuclear fusion research, hoping to develop a new energy source that would change the technological gap between Dragon Country and Beautiful Country!
In ten years, there had been no technological breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion. If his senior Zhou had continued researching fighter jets, his achievements would definitely have surpassed his own!
At this thought, Zhang Honglei could not help sighing and saying!
"Ah! What a shame. Fate hasn't been kind!"