mesbooks Chapter 274
Chapter 274
Inside the core zone.Complex orbit calculation models were projected onto the massive electronic screen.
Rong Yu was conducting an orbit analysis.
Wang Xiaoli was assisting her by her side. Next to them were Zhao Mingzhe and Jiang Si, both senior engineers with exceptional capabilities in this field. Meanwhile, seven or eight researchers specializing in mathematics, physics, materials, thermal energy, and mechanical engineering were working together with them.
"If we use these parameters, the orbit insertion accuracy will drop by 0.3 percent," Zhao Mingzhe frowned. "But fuel consumption has already reached its limit."
Rong Yu stood in front of the screen, resting her chin in her hand, and said, "What if we adjust the separation angle of the third-stage rocket to 42.7 degrees and use the Earth's rotational inertia for compensation? What would happen then?"
Jiang Si frantically ran the calculations, his pupils dilating slightly. "This... this would save about 2 percent of the fuel."
TrendingReaders are talkingZhou Kids Power RankingJoin the discussion readers keep coming back toSee why›
Everyone in the room looked shocked.
This young Engineer Rong was simply too outstanding. In the entire base, there was probably only one other person as brilliant as her, and that was Chief Engineer Cui Xiao.
They couldn't even imagine how far this Engineer Rong would go, standing on the shoulders of Chief Engineer Pei's years of experience.
Rong Yu spent the whole day calculating in the office area. It wasn't until after seven in the evening that she and Wang Xiaoli got off work and walked out of the office building.
As soon as they reached the main gate, they saw four people leaning over the railing. From left to right, they were Si Lin, Hai Chang'an, Tang Mi, and Zhou Shiyu.
The four of them had been busy in the desert all day. After eating the ordinary meals they would have previously looked down upon, they were instantly revived and started wandering around aimlessly. Because they were temporary workers with insufficient clearance, they couldn't get in anywhere. This spot was the closest place they could get to observe the rocket.
Not far away stood the carrier rocket. Its silvery-white body gleamed with a warm orange glow under the setting sun, towering into the clouds and delivering a powerful visual impact.
"So cool!" Si Lin marvelled. "This is way more exciting than clubbing!"
"A rocket! It's a real rocket!" Zhou Shiyu really wanted to take a picture but didn't dare to, so she could only stare at it intently.
Just then, the door to the work area opened. The group turned around and saw Rong Yu there. They immediately grew excited and quickly gathered around her.
Hai Chang'an was the first to speak: "Miss Rong, I graduated from a renowned overseas college. I want to apply for a job change, preferably something related to rockets. I love rockets so much."
Tang Mi quickly followed, "I... I also studied abroad. I majored in economic management, so I should be able to help you with data analysis."
Zhou Shiyu was not to be outdone: "I also went to a top-tier university. Doing some clerical work should be more than enough for me."
Si Lin: "..."
He was only a sophomore in college; he wasn't anything yet.
Oh right, he was still a college student. Why wasn't he studying at school instead of coming to this wretched place to suffer?
Rong Yu's gaze swept over their sunburned, peeling cheeks and their scraped fingers. She said mildly, "Are you sure you can handle the tasks I assign you?"
The four of them nodded in unison.
As long as they could work in an office, they would do anything. It was bound to be more comfortable than baking in the desert sun.
Rong Yu said, "Gather here tomorrow morning."
The four were overjoyed.
Early the next morning, the four of them ate breakfast and waited there.
After passing through layers of security checks, they stepped inside. There was air conditioning. This was the first time the four of them had felt air conditioning since arriving at the base, and they greedily took a deep breath.
Rong Yu led them into a small public conference room and pushed a document toward them. "Work together and calculate this: what is the total cost of successfully planting and growing a single saxaul tree in the desert?"
Tang Mi opened the file, her smile freezing.
The unit price of soil conditioners, manual labor costs, the depreciation rate of the irrigation system... The densely packed spreadsheets turned her brain to mush.
"This..." Zhou Shiyu opened her pretty, bewildered eyes wide. "How am I supposed to know how to calculate the amortization period for irrigation pipes?"
Hai Chang'an was stunned. "What is carbon sequestration benefit?"
Si Lin was even more clueless.
Two hours later, Rong Yu pushed open the door to the small conference room and saw that the four were still frowning in distress.
She walked over and said calmly, "One saxaul tree, over an 18-year life cycle, requires a total investment of 327 yuan. Its carbon sequestration value is 1,420 yuan, and its windbreak and sand-fixation benefit is 8,940 yuan."
She looked at Tang Mi. "How much did that pair of high heels of yours cost?"
"Thirty... thirty-eight thousand."
She turned to Si Lin. "How much was your watch?"
"Two point six million."
Rong Yu looked at the group. "Your pair of shoes and one watch are enough to plant approximately 7,938 saxaul trees, which can stabilize half a football field's worth of quicksand."
Her gaze moved from the scratch paper to their faces, her fingertips tapping lightly on the table. "Do you know what that many saxaul trees means?"
The wind outside the window suddenly picked up, causing the glass of the observation deck to buzz and vibrate.
"It means the probability of exposed equipment outside being damaged by wind and sand is reduced by at least three percent. It also means that the people living on this land might suffer one less sandstorm." She pulled out a satellite map, her fingertip pointing at the yellow erosion zone on it. "At the same time, it means that by this time next year, the base's perimeter will have two fewer tons of sand and dust to clear away..."
All four of them were deeply shaken.
They were born into wealthy, prestigious families with silver spoons in their mouths. Normally, a piece of clothing they wore cost tens of thousands, a bag hundreds of thousands, a car millions, and a villa tens of millions...
When that money was squandered, nothing was left.
But here, it could actually create such immense value.
"But that's not the issue here." Rong Yu suddenly gathered all the documents and neatly tucked them into the folder. "Can you solve partial differential equations? Can you read remote sensing imagery?"
The four remained silent.
"So," she pushed back her chair and stood up, "when you're moving the saplings, think carefully about where your talents should actually be used."
Hai Chang'an's Adam's apple bobbed. "We..."
Rong Yu pulled open the door to the work area, and a heatwave laced with sand and dust rushed in. "Now, go and finish moving the new batch of saxaul saplings that just arrived in the East District."
No matter how reluctant they were to leave the air conditioning, they didn't have the audacity to ask to stay.
One by one, they hung their heads, stood up, and trudged dejectedly out into the scorching sun to resume the same work as yesterday.
They had just left.
Suddenly, an alarm blared from the core zone.
Rong Yu turned around and sprinted swiftly toward the core zone.
The main screen, along with all the computer monitors, simultaneously flashed blood-red warning boxes.
"The database has been breached!" an engineer's voice trembled. "The intruders have broken through the first firewall and are attempting to copy core data!"
Rong Yu's gaze sharpened.
The base's database contained at least one-third of Hua Xia's top-secret aerospace data. If it were leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable...
Cui Xiao also rushed over, speaking rapidly, "Everyone, assist the Chief Engineer of Data Security in protecting the database. You must act fast!"
Rong Yu was just about to approach a computer when Cui Xiao pulled her back. "You are a mathematical and physical genius, but when it comes to data engineering, it's better left to the professionals."
The chief engineer in charge of this area was a man in his thirties. He squeezed past Rong Yu, his hands operating the keyboard rapidly.