NEC Chapter 51: The Design Specification

For the East Xia Cihang Project Office, their sole purpose at this stage was to await the echo of the Wanderer from across unknown dimensions.

The moment the data stream flashed on the screen, Acting Director Lin Xiangdong felt a surge of joy, followed immediately by a tightening in his chest.

The joy came from the Wanderer finally making contact. It had been over forty days and nights since the last offering, and according to the Wanderer’s earlier statements, even the first use of the stimulating potion shouldn’t have required such a long recovery period.

For those who remained on constant standby here, each extra day was agonizing, like sitting on pins and needles.

Lin Xiangdong could only hope that the Wanderer was simply too busy, delayed by some matter, and not caught in some unforeseen accident.

Now, with the arrival of a new transmission signal, the staff at the Cihang Project Office finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But the accompanying worry stemmed from the transmission weight displayed on the screen.

After the last transmission, the Cihang Project Office had expanded and renovated the secure vault. A high-precision scale had been placed beneath the beacon, and when the transmission weight appeared, Lin Xiangdong’s heart leapt into his throat.

Could the Wanderer have been injured or encountered some dire emergency requiring immediate reinforcement?

He didn’t even bother strictly adhering to the decontamination protocol. Grabbing a mask and securing it over his face, he barreled through the heavy isolation door of the secure vault.

Fortunately, it was a false alarm.

The rigorous emergency response drills proved their worth at this moment. The entire Cihang Project Office sprang into action like a finely tuned gear system, swiftly relaying directives to every endpoint.

A message of safety was sent with top priority to the desks of East Xia’s two leaders. Cross-dimensional materials were allocated to core research institutes, material deployment orders were methodically adjusted, and all tasks were systematically broken down, assigned, and communicated.

The most critical step was analyzing the “bizarre demands” from another world, which often defied the physical laws of reality, as well as the Wanderer’s deeper, perhaps unconscious, underlying needs. These had to be translated into concrete technical projects that real-world technicians could understand and execute, then assigned to suitable units.

Soon, Xu Yanfeng, an engineer specializing in optoelectronic vision systems at the Aviation Optoelectronics Research Institute under East Xia’s Military Industry Oriental Industrial Group, received a top-secret military file.

The file was delivered by a young major. After signing the relevant confidentiality agreements, the officer handed the design specification to the chief engineer.

“You’re messing around!” Xu Yanfeng exclaimed after skimming just a few pages, tossing the file back onto the desk.

“Young comrade, I don’t know where your superiors are from, but they clearly don’t understand technology at all.”

“Amateurs dictating to professionals, utterly ridiculous!”

“A heads-up display, what are its core parameters? Field of view, virtual image distance, brightness contrast, resolution refresh rate, latency, eye-box range, sunlight load installation position… where are these parameters? Without parameters, are you joking?”

“What about the application scenario? The matching platform? The performance requirements? Nothing! You expect me to design this blind? What is this if not a farce?”

The heads-up display Xu Yanfeng referred to, also known as a HUD, was a projection display technology first used in fighter jets, allowing pilots to view critical parameters projected within their forward line of sight without looking down at the dashboard.

In civilian applications, this technology had been widely adopted as a dashboard substitute in vehicles, considered a relatively mature technology.

Precisely because it was mature, Engineer Xu was furious at this absurd design request. These bureaucrats clearly hadn’t put in any effort!

The young major saluted crisply. “Engineer Xu, I must remind you, this is a military design specification, not a design proposal. Its authority is equivalent to a military order!”

Xu Yanfeng froze.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his glasses, and carefully read through the [Design Specification] again.

“If I’m not mistaken, you need a heads-up display small enough to be worn on the chest, nearly undetectable in appearance, with clear projection in all weather conditions, visible only to the operator. The virtual image distance must be adjustable across a wide range, not only up and down but also quickly zoomable in and out, with smooth, stable, and precise movement…”

“And the core feature embedded within is the ability to freely switch and project a set of geometric shapes?”

“Forgive my bluntness, but this design concept is absurd. For single-user application, why not use VR glasses? Or 3D projection? At the very least, you need to give me a focal point for the virtual image. Without knowing anything, do you realize how much extra work this creates?”

“A military order shouldn’t be this nonsensical. Please tell those higher-ups to stop pretending they understand when they don’t. If they can’t articulate it, just give me the application scenario, and I’ll figure out how to design the relevant parameters.”

“Instead of them coming up with a bunch of bizarre requirements on a whim, with such a tight timeline!”

Clearly, Xu Yanfeng was struggling to contain his anger. He placed the file back on the desk, thought for a moment, and explained in a milder tone, “Comrade, science must respect objective laws, not be treated carelessly. Unless this task is included in East Xia’s key scientific research projects, I cannot waste valuable time on such an absurd project.”

“Our next-generation aircraft are still waiting for updates!”

The young officer nodded. “Very well, please wait a moment. It will soon be designated as a national key scientific research project!”

Twenty minutes later, a letter from East Xia’s National Strategic Development Committee arrived in Xu Yanfeng’s hands, its bright red seal almost stinging the middle-aged engineer’s eyes.

The deputy director of the Oriental Industrial Group, who had rushed over, looked at Xu’s bewildered expression and patted his shoulder.

“Old Xu, this is a rushed photocopy. The original is already on a plane and will be delivered to you as soon as possible. Trust me, I wouldn’t joke about this.”

“The Strategic Committee has granted the highest authorization. From now on, any research team, equipment, or expert talent you deem necessary, whether from state institutions, research institutes, or private enterprises, will cooperate unconditionally as long as you name them!”

“Budget? No upper limit!”

“The only requirement is to deliver a finished product as quickly as possible, per the specifications!”

“Please, we’re counting on you!”

“Understood…” Xu Yanfeng nodded. What was there not to understand?

“I’ll draft a list of personnel and equipment as soon as possible. Please handle the coordination, Director.”

“And, Director, I’m not trying to be difficult or make demands. Last time, with the ‘Ten Thousand Talents Plan’ leadership quota, I didn’t mind not getting it. There are plenty of excellent engineers in the institute, and giving it to Old Xu or Old Zhou would’ve been fine. But awarding it to someone who just flatters and handles administrative work? That’s really not right!”

The deputy director nodded vigorously, with exaggerated enthusiasm. “You’re absolutely right. We must respect engineering talent. Don’t worry, we’ll adjust this immediately and correct it at once!”

“As for you, Engineer Xu, forget the Ten Thousand Talents Plan. Complete this project, and I’ll nominate you for the Yangtze Distinguished Professorship!”

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