Chapter 453 Shock Absorption System

"Only 200 kilograms nationwide a year? You need 50 a month?"

Director Liu's voice came through the receiver with a suffocating tone, like someone had their throat grabbed. He Yuzhu heard the hand flipping through the account books on the other end of the phone stop—not slowly, but suddenly, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

"Fifty kilograms per month, for six consecutive months."

Director Liu remained silent. He Yuzhu could hear his breathing become heavier, like someone carrying a bag of cement halfway up a staircase, unable to go any further or come down.

"Dean He," Director Liu finally spoke, his voice much lower than before, "where am I supposed to get it? The French and Japanese are restricting our quotas, so we can only import less than 100 kilograms a year. A few domestic companies are using old-fashioned purification techniques, with a recovery rate of only 60%, and the output is so meager."

He Yuzhu held the receiver without speaking. He looked out the window; the wind and sand lashed against the glass, the fine grains sticking to the surface and slowly sliding down.

"If I can increase the recycling rate to 95%, how much will you give me?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone. Director Liu hesitated. He Yuzhu could hear him breathing heavily.

Do you have this technology?

Answer my question.

"If we can raise it to 95%, the domestic self-sufficiency rate can increase from 30% to 70%. That would mean an extra 300 kilograms produced annually. 50 kilograms a month should be enough for you."

He Yuzhu redeemed rare earth purification technology from the system space for 15 million points. The kraft paper envelope was in the drawer; he took it out and placed it on the table.

"Next week, I will send someone to Baotou to deliver the process documents. I will cover the costs of the production line upgrade. For the next six months, supply me with 50 kilograms per month."

Director Liu didn't hesitate any longer. "Okay."

He Yuzhu hung up the phone, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table a few times. Then he picked up another phone and dialed Harbin Institute of Technology's number.

"Professor Wang, I want to see a physical demonstration of the shock absorption platform solution."

Professor Wang's voice was slow and deliberate, with the unhurried pace typical of people from Northeast China. "The actual object hasn't been made yet, only a model."

"Bring the model."

The next morning, Professor Wang, accompanied by two graduate students, stood in He Yuzhu's office and pulled a metal platform the size of a washbasin from a wooden box. Underneath the platform were four cylindrical electromagnetic actuators, each barely larger than a cigarette box. One student squatted down to connect the power supply, while the other held the platform steady to prevent it from tipping over.

Professor Wang placed the platform on the table, plugged it in, and pressed the surface of the platform with his hand.

"Dean He, look. When it's not powered on, the platform shakes when you press it." He pressed it a few times, and the platform wobbled slightly. Then he flipped a switch, and the four actuators emitted a slight humming sound. "Now it's powered on, please press it again."

He Yuzhu reached out and pressed down. The platform didn't budge. He increased the pressure, but it still wouldn't move. He pressed his entire palm down and leaned forward. The platform still didn't move.

Ma Yuejin, who had been squatting beside the table, stood up and pressed the platform with his hand. It wouldn't budge. He pressed it again, still nothing. He looked up at He Yuzhu, his lips twitched, but he didn't speak; however, his eyes changed—from doubt to "not bad."

Professor Wang pulled a blueprint from the box and pointed to the data on it. "The maximum output of a single actuator is fifty kilograms, and four in parallel is two hundred kilograms. The vibration generated by the five electromagnetic coils of the Kunlun has a peak impact force of about one hundred and fifty kilograms. After being canceled out by the actuators, the vibration transmitted to the hull is less than fifteen kilograms."

Ma Yuejin crouched down and shone a flashlight inside the actuator. "Is the response speed fast enough? The vibration and impact are in the millisecond range; can your electromagnet keep up?"

Professor Wang adjusted his glasses. "The control circuit uses Hall effect sensors to detect vibration acceleration, and the signal is transmitted to the actuator. The actuator generates a counterforce within 0.5 milliseconds. The Kunlun's vibration frequency is about 200 hertz, with one cycle lasting 5 milliseconds. A response time of 0.5 milliseconds is sufficient to cancel it out during the rise phase of each cycle."

Qian Zhiyuan came in through the door, holding a black strip sample in his hand. He walked to the table, placed the strip on the platform, looked at the actuator, and then looked at Professor Wang.

"Professor Wang, is neodymium iron boron used in the magnetic circuit design of this actuator?"

"Yes. Neodymium iron boron permanent magnets plus electromagnetic coils."

Qian Zhiyuan picked up the strip and waved it in front of Professor Wang. "If we replace neodymium iron boron with high-temperature superconducting coils, the output power can be increased tenfold, and the response time can be shortened to 0.1 milliseconds. Moreover, it doesn't require rare earth elements."

Professor Wang took the tape and examined it several times. He held the tape up to his eyes and looked at the edges against the light.

"Director Qian, the superconducting coil needs to be cooled with liquid nitrogen, and it's too bulky to mount on a vibration-damping platform."

"Then install it outside the platform. Bring in the liquid nitrogen pipeline, and make the coil itself smaller. I've calculated that the size of a single actuator can be controlled to be about the size of a lunchbox, not much bigger than yours." Qian Zhiyuan pulled out a crumpled sheet of calculation paper from his pocket, on which a sketch was drawn.

Professor Wang glanced at it for a few seconds, folded the calculation sheet, and put it in his pocket. "I'll try it when I get back."

He Yuzhu stood by the window, listened to their argument, and then turned around.

"The neodymium approach and the superconducting approach will proceed in parallel. Professor Wang, you should first build an engineering prototype using neodymium iron boron to verify the vibration reduction effect. Director Qian, you should simultaneously conduct preliminary research on the superconducting actuator." He glanced at Professor Wang, "No matter which path works, the Kunlun spacecraft cannot launch with vibrations."

Professor Wang nodded and began packing up the model. Ma Yuejin squatted down to help him put the platform back into the wooden crate, and the two of them carried the crate outside. When they reached the door, Professor Wang stopped, glanced back at He Yuzhu, seemed to want to say something, but then turned and left without saying anything.

Qian Zhiyuan stood in front of the table, without moving.

"Dean He, can the matter of the woman be resolved in Baotou?"

He Yuzhu took the kraft paper envelope from the drawer and handed it to Qian Zhiyuan. "You personally deliver this set of process documents to the Baotou Rare Earth Research Institute. Give it to Director Liu and have him modify the production line according to the documents."

Qian Zhiyuan took the envelope, pulled it out, and flipped through a few pages. His hand stopped on the first page, motionless. His eyes stared at the data on the paper for several seconds, then he looked up at He Yuzhu.

"This technique... Dean He, where did you get it from?"

He Yuzhu didn't answer immediately. He looked at Qian Zhiyuan. Qian Zhiyuan looked back at him. The silence lasted for several seconds, long enough for Qian Zhiyuan's Adam's apple to bob.

"Don't ask," He Yuzhu said. "Just deliver it."

Qian Zhiyuan opened his mouth, then closed it again. He stuffed the documents into his briefcase, zipping it up slowly. When he got to the end, he paused, then picked up the bag, turned, and left.

He Yuzhu stood by the window, looking down at the building. Qian Zhiyuan walked out of the building, stood on the steps, tucked his briefcase under his arm, and lit a cigarette. He took two puffs, looked down at the cigarette in his hand, then stubbed it out in the sand on top of the trash can and left.

The sandstorm subsided. Sunlight streamed through the clouds, illuminating the Antarctic Peninsula on the map. He Yuzhu turned and walked back to the table.

Yang Xiaobing pushed open the door and came in, the scar on his face appearing dark red under the fluorescent light. He was holding a manila envelope in his hand.

"Director He, what's the latest situation in Antarctica?"

He Yuzhu took the envelope and pulled out the photos and documents inside. The photos showed the US military base on Alexandria Island completely empty. The planes on the runway were gone, the hangar doors were closed, and the ventilation vents in the underground facilities were covered with camouflage netting. He laid the photos out on the table one by one. Close-ups of the empty runway, the closed hangar doors, and the netted ventilation vents. After laying out the last photo, his hand remained on it, not withdrawing.

"They didn't leave. They've just hidden themselves even deeper." Yang Xiaobing placed the analysis report next to the photograph. "The official reason given was 'the end of the research project.' But satellite reconnaissance revealed that the electromagnetic signals from the underground facilities hadn't disappeared; low-frequency signals were still being emitted. It's speculated that they've transitioned to a clandestine operation."

He Yuzhu picked up the report and looked at it.

Yang Xiaobing walked to the door, his hand already on the doorknob, then stopped.

"Director He, there's one more thing. Zhou Zhiyuan photographed a ship in Chile that came from the direction of Antarctica and stopped in Punta Arenas for resupply for two days." He took a crumpled photograph out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "The ship was covered with a tarpaulin, but what was exposed was exactly the same as the containers that were previously transported to the Antarctic base."

He Yuzhu picked up the photo. The outline of a cylinder was vaguely visible under the canvas. He turned the photo over to look at the back, where Zhou Zhiyuan had written a line in pencil: "Suspected transshipment equipment, destination unknown."

He put the photo in his pocket.

"Have Zhou Zhiyuan follow this ship. Wherever it goes, you need to know."

Yang Xiaobing nodded, pushed open the door, and left.