The journey north continued in a strained and awkward "peace." After their verbal spat, Quynh Nhu finally agreed to sit still, though she still shot Lam Minh a scorching glare from time to time. Lam Minh continued to feign sleep, while To Quyen tried to focus on her work.
The military train moved at a high and stable speed. This special railway system was the transport lifeblood of the entire ASEAN bloc, protected with extreme prejudice. In theory, it was one of the safest places to be.
But "safe" didn't mean incident-free.
As the train was passing through a rugged, mountainous region in the central territories, a terrifying "BOOM" echoed, followed by an incredibly violent jolt. The entire carriage swayed violently. Luggage fell from the racks with a clatter. The lights flickered and died, leaving only the faint glow of the emergency lighting system.
"What's happening?"
"Is the train under attack?"
The passengers in the carriage, mostly scientists, screamed in panic. The security team immediately drew their weapons and took up defensive positions, their faces grim.
Lam Minh, To Quyen, and Quynh Nhu were also jolted.
"Is it Madakaros?" To Quyen asked worriedly, her hands gripping the armrest tightly.
Quynh Nhu, with the experience of a soldier, quickly regained her composure. "Doesn't feel like it. If it were an attack, there would be the sound of explosions or impact from the outside. This feels more like a technical failure."
Lam Minh said nothing. The moment the train shook, his spiritual sense had already swept outwards. He didn't sense any Madakaros qi within a several-kilometer radius. But he did sense something else.
"There's a problem with the railway system up ahead, about 500 meters away," he muttered.
Just then, the train's PA system crackled to life with the captain's reassuring voice. "Attention, passengers. The train has experienced an emergency brake failure due to an obstruction detected on the tracks. This is not an attack. Please remain calm and stay in your seats. The technical team is currently assessing the situation."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
A short while later, a chief engineer with a worried, grease-smeared face ran into the specialists' carriage, where Professor Lan Anh was seated.
"Professor, report! The situation is very bad!" he said, his voice frantic. "The main magnetic braking system was overloaded and short-circuited due to the sudden stop. The backup mechanical brake system is also jammed. We've tried everything, but we can't restart it. The train has completely lost its brakes!"
This statement left the entire carriage in stunned silence.
"What happens if we've lost the brakes?" To Quyen asked, not fully grasping the severity.
The chief engineer's face was drained of all color. "About 20 kilometers ahead of us is a long, steep downhill section with a sharp curve. If we can't fix the brakes before we get there, the train will derail at an extremely high speed. All of us..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood. They would all be annihilated.
An air of panic enveloped the carriage again. Even the elite security team's faces turned pale. Their guns were useless against a disaster like this.
"Impossible!" Professor Lan Anh said. "This train's braking system was designed to never fail. How could it get jammed?"
"We suspect the jam is in the central transmission assembly," the chief engineer replied. "But the train is moving, we can't access the engine room safely. Besides, its mechanism is too complex; we need time to find the fault."
"How much time do we have?"
"At our current speed... about 15 minutes."
15 minutes! A death sentence. Hope was practically zero.
While everyone was sinking into despair, a calm voice spoke up.
"Let me try."
All eyes turned to Lam Minh. He had stood up at some point, his face showing not a trace of fear.
"Lam Minh? You?" Professor Lan Anh was surprised. "You know about mechanics?"
"Yes, ma'am. I used to take apart toys when I was a kid, so I know a little," Lam Minh used his familiar excuse.
The chief engineer shook his head in weary disbelief. "Kid, this isn't a toy! This is the latest generation of multi-layered magnetic braking systems! Even we are at a loss, what can you do?"
Lam Minh didn't argue. He just looked at the man and asked a question.
"Is the central transmission assembly's mechanism a dual planetary gear system, controlled by three asynchronous hydraulic pistons, and cooled by a liquid Graphene solution?"
The chief engineer, who was about to dismiss him, froze upon hearing the question.
His mouth hung open, his eyes wide.
The parameters Lam Minh had just stated were the core design secrets of the train, classified as top secret. Only a few chief engineers like him were privy to this information.
How... how could a high school student possibly know this? And in such detail, down to the type of cooling fluid?
"How... how did you..."
Lam Minh didn't give him time to be astonished. "By my calculations, the problem isn't with the pistons, but with the central sun gear. Due to the sudden braking, the abrupt temperature increase caused a portion of the cooling fluid to vaporize, creating an air bubble. This bubble got stuck in one of the gear teeth, causing a phase misalignment and locking up the entire system. Am I right?"
This time, it wasn't just the chief engineer; even Professor Lan Anh was stunned. Lam Minh's reasoning was too logical, too scientific, and pointed directly to the key issue they had overlooked.
"You... you..." The chief engineer stammered. "You... are a genius!"
"So what's the solution?" Quynh Nhu, who was equally astonished, asked quickly.
"Very simple," Lam Minh said, his tone as casual as if he were talking about fixing a bicycle. "We don't need to restart the whole system. We just need to find a way to remove that air bubble. Take me to the engine room. Hurry, we don't have much time."
The chief engineer no longer had a shred of doubt. He nodded his head vigorously and quickly led the way. "This... this way! Be careful, the wind outside is very strong!"
Lam Minh, followed by Quynh Nhu and To Quyên, trailed after the engineer. As he walked, he thought to himself.
"In my past life as a combat engineer, I had to repair giant war machines all day. This braking system, compared to the engine of a Titan-class Mecha, is just child's play."
He once again had to play the role of a reluctant "expert," to the utter amazement of everyone present.