Chapter 906: Wind Tunnel and Air Testing

“Boss, I want to talk to you in private.”

The chief engineer spoke at just the right moment. He glanced at the colleagues gathering around, wearing a very serious expression.

At times like this, the biggest fear—besides losing results—was losing talent.

It had been the same when he worked in a company: as soon as there was any breakthrough, people from other factories would show up frequently.

From stealing technical documents to poaching engineers and luring them away with promises, their methods were often dirty and direct—sometimes even involving threats.

Other than raising awareness among the staff, there weren’t many good solutions to deal with it.

The key was to have someone who could steady the team—not just let people leave without resistance.

When people realize they can leave without consequences, choosing a better life becomes the optimal choice—and more will follow. He had to discuss this with Lynch.

Lynch agreed, and the two entered his office.

“You shouldn’t have said that,” the chief engineer said in a low voice after closing the door. “We should’ve at least tried to keep them. Others will think…”

He paused, then found the right word: “That we’re cold. And honestly, we can’t afford to lose people right now. There’s still a lot of work ahead.”

He listed many tasks that still needed manpower—new components, new designs.

The current aircraft had many limitations: shape, engine power, interior layout—all problematic.

These issues needed skilled hands, and the two who just left had been working on key areas.

Combined with the potential impact on morale, the institute could quickly fall into stagnation.

Lynch listened quietly, then finally said, “Didn’t you know?”

The chief engineer was confused. “Know what?”

“The Ministry of Defense increased the order. We’re building six hundred planes now.”

Lynch walked to the window and pushed it open, letting the wind in. “We’re expanding the production line and recruiting more top-tier designers.”

“I understand your concern—we do need their experience…”

The chief engineer nodded repeatedly. Experience like that was invaluable. Replacing them wouldn’t be easy in the short term.

“But you’re forgetting something. They weren’t born with experience. They gained it through time and effort.”

“We can accelerate that process.”

Lynch rubbed his thumb against his fingertips. His fingers were still slightly warm. “Money accelerates experience.”

“I’m not afraid of spending. If you wreck a hundred planes, I can afford it. That’s why our team is going to grow at lightning speed. And I’ve got a new plan.”

“Have you heard of wind tunnels?”

The chief engineer shook his head. “Sure. But they’re useless.”

Seeing Lynch’s puzzled look, he continued, “My old factory had one—for cars. But the wind speed wasn’t that high.”

Through his explanation, Lynch realized that although aviation tech had stalled in this world, automotive development was booming.

To capture market share, major car companies had launched professional and amateur racing leagues, drawing huge media attention each year.

If a company’s car won a championship, their sales would surge.

Consumers in this era were blindly loyal to trends. They bought whatever successful people were buying.

So, if a winning race car bore a certain logo, they assumed the whole brand was high quality.

To make their cars faster, manufacturers ran all kinds of experiments.

Blasting cars with wind was an effective method. Since cars couldn’t stay at top speed long enough for data capture, they simply stopped the vehicle and blasted it with wind instead—allowing airflow testing and design tweaks.

But he didn’t think wind tunnels worked for planes. “Cars stay on the ground. Planes are in the air—too many variables. We can’t simulate flight conditions accurately.”

Lynch responded immediately. “Then why not hang the plane up?”

The chief engineer thought it over, then shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve never used one, so I can’t say.”

“Then build it, and let the results speak for themselves,” Lynch said as he walked to the door. “Remember, I’m not afraid to spend.”

With that, he opened the door and stepped out. The chief engineer followed, looking conflicted.

As they walked out, the two researchers who had resigned were saying their goodbyes. Perhaps to them, this was a valuable new opportunity.

Once they were gone, Lynch had the chief engineer announce the good news.

Just seconds earlier, the institute’s morale had been shaky. Now, silence swept the room—everyone was stunned.

What’s five percent of over a hundred million?

At least five million.

Split among staff based on position, even the lowest share would be over 100,000!

In an era where minimum hourly wage was only 280 bucks, tens of thousands was a fortune. There were few people in the entire Federation who could lay down 100,000 in cash at once.

The Ministry of Defense’s new order gave everyone a clear vision of the future. If a single prototype could earn them tens—or hundreds—of thousands, what would future products bring?

The academic researchers were stunned, staring at Lynch in awe. The independent scientists? They were already flattering him. Unlike pure researchers, they understood the art of social survival.

At this moment, the unsettled morale stabilized. No one was entertaining foolish thoughts like switching jobs anymore.

Fixed salaries couldn’t compare to the thrill of profit-sharing—especially in military sales.

The chief engineer also repeated what Lynch had said outside the institute, adding his own emotional touch. This stirred the researchers even more.

It meant that as long as they stayed here, almost all of their problems would be solved.

Why leave?

Only a fool would.

No one mentioned the two who had resigned. With two fewer people, the bonus pool just got bigger for everyone else.

Once the excitement had settled, Lynch spoke about the real reason he had come today.

“Our institute and our aircraft have been compromised…”

The room immediately erupted in curses. Scientists weren’t any more restrained than street thugs when it came to swearing—starting with insults to the leaker’s wife, mother, and even his unborn daughter.

After they vented for a while, Lynch continued, “Why didn’t I stop those two from leaving earlier?”

“Because the whole world will soon know about this aircraft—and begin developing their own.”

“We’re ahead of the times. We’ve taken a few steps further. As long as we keep that lead, we’ll always be the leaders of this industry.”

“And for the next phase of work, I have a few suggestions…”

The chief engineer immediately had everyone sit down, take out notebooks and pens, and stood beside the blackboard ready to take notes.

This odd sense of ceremony was oddly satisfying—it fulfilled certain emotional needs.

Having a group of scientists take notes while you spoke was a rare and gratifying experience.

“First, I heard that the aircraft returned from the mission with some structural damage?” he asked, turning to the chief engineer, who nodded.

Especially at the junction between the wings and the fuselage—some showed signs of metal tearing, though not too severe.

The fuselage was relatively cheap, and replacing it wouldn’t cost much.

“We need to solve this. If there’s a crash, it’ll be a major blow to us.”

“Either change the materials or redesign it so that it can handle more stress without changing the materials.”

“Second, find a way to integrate machine guns into the aircraft.”

He noticed the confusion on the researchers’ faces—they didn’t see the point. Even the chief engineer seemed unconvinced.

Their experiments had shown that firing machine guns from the air at ground targets was inefficient.

The accuracy couldn’t be guaranteed, and flying low enough to engage exposed the aircraft to return fire, putting pilots at risk.

Most of the institute favored bombs or shells for attacks—diving, dropping explosives, and area damage were far more efficient than machine guns.

“You might think it’s unnecessary, but let me be clear: machine guns aren’t for ground targets—they’re for air targets.”

“The leak means we’ll soon have many enemies in the sky.”

“We need aircraft and weapons not only for attacking the ground, but also for combating airborne threats.”

“Faster, higher, and with sustained firepower!”