Chapter 55: Just Let Them Go Home!

On a plot of land not far from the 956E, a group of naval officers and sailors were busy at work.

Under Su Dingping's command, yesterday's greenhouse had been converted into a temporary classroom.

"Put it here..."

"This goes here..."

"That piece of equipment goes over there..."

Leading a team of 295 men, Zhou Qinglei worked with everyone to quickly complete the tasks Su Dingping had requested.

The temporary classroom was characterized by its simplicity. However, within the massive room, a whole new world had been created.

Once everything had been moved into place, Zhou Qinglei walked up to Su Dingping.

"Dingping, should we leave a few more missiles behind?"

Su Dingping shook his head. "There's no need. The missiles on the 956E are already limited; every one we fire is one less we have. We used live rounds for yesterday's testing. If I keep too many here, I won't be able to account for them to Chief Qian."

"If something truly happens, having some missiles left on the 956E might come in handy."

"Alright, we'll return as soon as we've delivered the warship. That way, if anything happens, we can help out."

With that, Zhou Qinglei led the naval personnel onto the 956E.

When Sun Yongguo and the others arrived at the classroom after breakfast, they were instantly startled by the scene inside.

In addition to the usual blackboard, desks, and chairs, the classroom now contained several pieces of large equipment and two missiles.

Aside from Sun Yongguo, no one else knew that the second phase of the course would involve live ammunition.

Looking at the setup, it seemed they were going to perform live bomb disassembly and explanation on-site.

Panic set in; they stood at the doorway, momentarily forgetting to enter.

At that moment, Su Dingping, who was writing formulas on the blackboard, turned around with a smile on his face and said to the group, "Dean, why aren't you coming in?"

That smile from Su Dingping made them feel uneasy.

Li Mingrui nudged Zhang Gongnong with his elbow and muttered quietly, "This is all your fault. Yesterday, you were more eager than anyone to pour drinks for Dingping! Now look..."

"Hey, you... if you were sitting next to him, you'd probably be even more eager to pour drinks than I am," Zhang Gongnong retorted irritably.

"Everyone, please go in," Sun Yongguo said, feigning composure.

The group filed in one after another, finding their seats and sitting down.

"Don't sit so far away, everyone, come closer."

Su Dingping beckoned to the crowd.

As he walked toward the missiles, Su Dingping continued, "We will start with disassembly to understand the internal structure, and then we will discuss the principles. Don't worry, all the necessary instruments are here."

"Come closer, everyone, so you can see clearly."

The group looked at one another, feeling a sense of dread.

If it weren't for what happened last night, they might not have overthought it.

But they remembered vividly that Su Dingping had to be helped back to his room yesterday.

Because of this, they couldn't help but worry.

Even though they knew Su Dingping wouldn't harm them, their hearts still trembled somewhat.

Once everyone had gathered around, Su Dingping spoke: "The 9M38 air defense missile is compatible with the SA-N-7 'Huracán' air defense missile system. This missile isn't significantly more advanced than ours, but this air defense system still has many aspects worth learning from."

"Area air defense has always been our weakness. Dean Lyu has made breakthroughs, but they have only just reached the threshold of area air defense; compared to this, we are still lacking."

Pointing to the second missile, Su Dingping continued.

"This one is the SS-N-22 'Sunburn" anti-ship missile, compatible with the 'Bai Ling' supersonic anti-ship missile system... Its reaction speed is about 3 seconds faster than our current active service models. Additionally, the SS-N-22 'Sunburn' possesses many core technologies that require our focused research."

After outlining the key points, Su Dingping shifted the topic.

"Gentlemen, lend me a hand. We will first perform a physical separation of the SS-N-22 'Sunburn' anti-ship missile body..."

***

That afternoon, at the entrance of the Southern Naval Military Base.

Qian Wenbing was walking briskly toward the entrance, accompanied by his guards.

At the pier, relevant naval personnel were already waiting.

"How is it? Have they arrived?"

"Reporting, Chief, they have appeared. They will arrive in a moment," the officer replied, pointing to black dots on the sea.

Taking the binoculars, Qian Wenbing observed for a long while, unable to hide his excitement.

He had originally only requested one 956E, but unexpectedly, Xu Dongguo had given him a surprise: the optimized 956E was even stronger than the original.

This single optimized 956E alone was enough to significantly enhance the overall strength of the Southern Fleet.

With this ship stationed there, Qian Wenbing felt he had more confidence in facing the "wolves" that frequently caused trouble.

The Southern sea area was vast, and his pressure was immense; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so urgent in needing the 956E to hold the line.

There was no helping it—the gap between a modernized warship and a non-modernized one was simply too large.

The claim made by the West a few years ago—that "one modernized guided-missile destroyer can take out several non-modernized ones without damage"—was not mere propaganda; it was a fact.

Before the second 956E was optimized, this optimized 956E would be not only the backbone of the Southern Fleet but also the most powerful warship among the three fleets.

As the warship slowly approached the pier, Qian Wenbing hurried forward a few steps.

Shortly after, the ship docked, the gangway was lowered, and Qian Wenbing led the group onto the vessel.

"Reporting, Chief, per Chief Xu's instructions, our unit has successfully delivered the 956E and the core technologies. Awaiting your instructions," Zhou Qinglei said, walking out quickly with the deputy captain and others toward Qian Wenbing.

"Show me."

"Yes, Chief!"

Half an hour later, Qian Wenbing returned to the deck, extremely satisfied.

He was very pleased with the optimized 956E!

A moment later, the several military industry experts he had brought out walked forward.

Qian Wenbing asked, "Gentlemen, how is it?"

"Chief, everything has been confirmed. There are no issues."

"Chief, these technologies are indeed somewhat advanced for us, but we are confident that we can overcome the difficulties; it will just take some time."

Hearing this, Qian Wenbing was instantly relieved.

He had even had the audacity to ask Xu Dongguo for the core technology manuscripts; it would have been quite embarrassing if his people couldn't handle it.

"There is time. If you encounter problems that you cannot figure out on your own, do not get stuck in a dead end. I will invite him over then."

"Please rest assured, Chief. If those Northerners can do it, we Southerners are just as capable!"

"We are all one family; why distinguish between North and South? We all serve the country!"

"Yes, Chief!"

With the matter of the military experts settled, Qian Wenbing looked at Zhou Qinglei and asked, "Your Chief Xu hasn't pressured you to head back yet, has he?"

"Reporting, Chief, no."

"Alright then, stay here for two days and take the opportunity to teach them how to operate it," Qian Wenbing said, pointing to the naval officers and sailors who had boarded the ship.

"Yes, Chief!"

Another half hour passed before Qian Wenbing and his guards departed.

The optimized 956E far exceeded expectations; he no longer had any interest in the second procurement project for the 956E.

As soon as he sat in the car, he immediately contacted Wang De.

Far away in Beijing, Wang De was stunned after hanging up the phone.

Previously, when Qian Wenbing instructed him to negotiate prices with Turgenev and the others, he always said to use emotion and reason, and to squeeze the price down as much as possible. Even when Xu Dongguo blocked a purchase, Qian Wenbing would often inquire about the progress of negotiations.

This time, however, he had simply declined it entirely.

It left him completely bewildered.

How was he supposed to negotiate now?

He might as well just tell Turgenev and the others to go home.