novelsite Chapter 22 The Conductor's Car
Chapter 22 The Conductor's Car
Wang Zhengyang: "Now, look at the brain of this fortress." The scene switches to a 3D cross-sectional view of the second carriage.
"This section needs to be completely rebuilt," Wang Zhengyang said. "The original structure will be completely demolished, leaving only the base frame and main load-bearing skeleton, and the functional areas will be re-divided."
The tablet computer lit up, displaying a detailed 3D sectional view. The carriage was clearly divided into two main areas: the front was a private living space, and the rear was the command and control center.
"Let's look at the living area first." Wang Zhengyang zoomed in on the front layout diagram. "The 50-square-meter space is divided into four sub-functional areas."
On the drawings, the area near the front of the vehicle is a small 12-square-meter study. The design is simple yet fully functional: a full-wall bookshelf with three adjustable shelves runs along the wall; in front of the bookshelf is a 1.8-meter-long solid wood worktable with drawers underneath; six power outlets and two network ports are embedded in the side wall of the worktable. Most notably, the back panel of the bookshelf is designed to be removable, concealing a 0.8-meter-deep storage compartment and a 1.8-meter-high car refrigerator.
"The study is mainly used for data organization, technical research, and..." Wang Zhengyang paused for half a second, "...for personal training and meditation. All furniture must be securely fixed, and the legs of the worktable should be directly locked to the chassis frame using chemical anchors. Ventilation holes and humidity control interfaces should be reserved in the interlayer of the bookshelf back panel."
Adjacent to the study is the living and relaxation area, approximately 12 square meters. The centerpiece is a 2m x 2m double bed. The mattress is made of memory foam, and underneath are three large-capacity storage drawers. A 70-inch 4K monitor is mounted on the side wall, with pre-installed high-definition interfaces and speaker wiring.
"The entertainment system should be streamlined but sufficient," Wang Zhengyang said. "The display screen supports multiple signal source inputs and can be connected to in-vehicle monitoring and external devices. The audio system is installed in a concealed manner, with four full-range units placed in the four corners of the ceiling."
Next to the living area is a 6-square-meter mini-bathroom system. It integrates a sink, a vacuum toilet, and a shower with a bathtub. The plumbing system uses quick-connect PEX pipes throughout, with an 80-liter grey water tank and a 50-liter black water tank, both equipped with level sensors and electric drain valves. A washing machine is also included.
"Finally, there's the storage area, 20 square meters," Wang Zhengyang pointed to the side wall of the carriage. "The entire wall is made into built-in storage cabinets, divided into three layers: the upper layer for valuables, the middle layer for tools and materials, and the lower layer for emergency supplies. All cabinet doors are equipped with magnetic sealing strips and mechanical locks."
Chen Yishang quickly took notes, then suddenly looked up: "Dr. Wang, what are the protective standards for this living area..."
"Consistent with the command center." Wang Zhengyang switched the screen, displaying a cross-sectional diagram of the wall's composite structure. "Three-layer composite protection: an outer 5mm cold-rolled steel plate, a middle layer filled with a 25mm thick STANAG 4569 Level 3 standard ceramic-polymer composite armor module, and an inner layer covered with a 3mm aluminum alloy interior panel. The roof and floor use the same structure." Additionally, an extra 5mm backing steel plate is added, and from the outer centerline down to the chassis area, a 12mm thick military-grade bulletproof steel plate is installed at a 45-degree angle.
He emphasized the details: "Pay special attention to cable routing. All high-voltage, low-voltage, and data cables must run through pre-designed metal cable trays, with the trays grounded throughout, and the grounding resistance not exceeding 4 ohms. Each connector must meet the IP67 waterproof rating and the vibration resistance must meet the MIL-STD-810G standard. After the conduit is pre-buried, a helium mass spectrometry leak test must be performed."
"The partition between my private cabin and the command area has been reinforced with a 20mm composite soundproofing layer to ensure absolute privacy." He swiped the screen to the rear of the vehicle. "Now for the important part: the command and control center."
As the 3D model unfolds, a technologically advanced control room appears on the screen. The 25-square-meter space is meticulously planned: directly in front is a 5-meter-long curved main control console, housing six 27-inch high-brightness monitors; the left wall is a full-length equipment rack, arranged with standard 19-inch mounting positions; the right side features a large electronic sand table and a meeting area; and at the rear is a separate data server rack. There are also separate 5-square-meter cubicles.
"This is the brain of the entire vehicle," Wang Zhengyang said seriously. "It realizes five core functions: vehicle monitoring, environmental control, power management, communication and navigation, and security."
He explained each point in detail.
First, the vehicle monitoring system. The drawings show that the entire vehicle will be equipped with 240 monitoring points: 144 high-definition cameras (covering all key areas inside and outside the vehicle, 96 outside and 48 inside), 32 infrared thermal imaging sensors (for nighttime and low-visibility monitoring), 24 vibration sensors (deployed at key structural points on the vehicle body), 24 laser radars, 24 millimeter-wave radars, 16 acoustic sensors (listening for abnormal sounds), and 8 radiation/chemical substance detectors.
"All sensor data is gathered here," Wang Zhengyang said, pointing to the main control console. "Through three independent networks: the backbone network uses a gigabit industrial Ethernet ring network, the backup network uses a CAN bus, and the emergency network uses an RS-485 bus. Data transmission latency requirements: less than 50 milliseconds for the backbone network, less than 200 milliseconds for the backup network, and less than 500 milliseconds for the emergency network."
Second, the environmental control system. A complex piping diagram pops up on the screen: the vehicle is equipped with four independent HVAC systems (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), each capable of operating independently. The air filtration system employs a three-stage filtration process: pre-filter for PM10, medium-efficiency filter for PM2.5, and high-efficiency filter for PM0.3, with an integrated activated carbon chemical filter layer. Temperature and humidity control accuracy: temperature ±1°C, humidity ±5%RH.
"Most importantly, there is redundancy in life support." Wang Zhengyang enlarged the diagram. "In addition to the main ventilation system, each carriage has an independent emergency ventilation vent that connects directly to the outside and can be opened manually. Furthermore, the entire train has a reserve of compressed oxygen sufficient for 72 hours of use, distributed in the emergency interfaces of each carriage."
Third, the power management system. The screen switches to a power topology diagram, clearly showing the parallel connection and switching logic of the three energy systems: diesel generator set, lithium battery pack, and supercapacitor array.
"The control center can monitor the speed, oil pressure, water temperature, and exhaust temperature of each engine in real time; the voltage, current, temperature, and SOC of each battery; and the load, insulation status, and fault records of each circuit." Wang Zhengyang pulled up a simulation diagram of the monitoring interface. "All data is refreshed every second, and historical data is saved for 30 days. When any parameter exceeds the standard, the system automatically alarms and provides handling suggestions."
Fourth, automated train management. The drawings show that the command center will classify and identify information transmitted from the monitoring system, manage the processes of each carriage, and directly turn on and off corresponding switches, achieving the highest level of command authority.
Fifth, the security and defense system. This is the most complex part. The drawings show that there is an independent security control panel on the right side of the console, which integrates the vehicle's access control status, monitoring screen switching, alarm control, and a reserved interface for the active defense system.
"The access control system uses dual verification: smart card and biometrics (fingerprint or iris scan). All external doors and windows are equipped with reed switches and vibration sensors. Unauthorized opening immediately triggers an audible and visual alarm, and a real-time video pops up in the control center." Wang Zhengyang pulled up the security logic diagram. "Alarms are divided into three levels: Level 1 is a prompt (e.g., a door is not closed properly), Level 2 is a warning (e.g., a sensor malfunction), and Level 3 is an emergency (e.g., a forced intrusion). Different levels trigger different response plans."
Chen Yishang asked, "Dr. Wang, with so many system integrations... where does the control software come from? There aren't any readily available solutions on the market, are there?"
"I will provide the core control software." Wang Zhengyang was prepared. "Your task is to complete all hardware installation, wiring, and debugging, ensuring that every sensor, actuator, and interface can be correctly identified and controlled by the system."
He looked at Chen Yishang's team: "This part of the work is enormous and requires the utmost attention to detail. Every cable must be tested for continuity, insulation, and shielding effectiveness; every interface must undergo plug-in durability testing; and every sensor must be calibrated and adjusted. All hardware deployment and basic functional testing must be completed within twenty days."
Wang Zhengyang finally pulled up a diagram showing the connection between the command center and the entire vehicle. "The core lies in the network architecture. We adopted a hybrid star + ring topology."
Chen Yishang then asked, "Is that 5-square-meter cubicle a rest room for duty officers? Does it need to be equipped with a bed?"
"Of course not," Wang Zhengyang smiled. "This room is very useful; you'll see when we use it. This room is next to my study, but we each face away from the entrance."
"Engineer Chen, I won't repeat the construction standards for the first section," Wang Zhengyang said to Chen Yishang. "But I want to add one more thing: the access door between the cockpit and the command center in the second section must be designed with a two-way biometric lock. Anyone other than me attempting to enter the cockpit from the command center will require dual authorization from both me and the on-duty pilot. This is an absolute red line."
Chen Yishang made a solemn note of this. This meant that even if the command center was temporarily infiltrated, the enemy would not be able to seize control of the train.