Chapter 22: That shouldn't be right; they should be more anxious than we are!

While Su Dingping was lecturing Zhang Gongnong and the others, in the office of Xu Dongguo at the Navy's Northern Sea Area Military Base

"Reporting, Chief. Documents sent over by the Security Department."

An orderly walked in, carrying a thick stack of documents and audio recordings.

Glancing at the security seals, Xu Dongguo confirmed they were authentic and said, "Call the two experts in here."

"Yes, sir!"

A moment later, two intelligence analysis experts arrived with brisk steps.

"Chief, please give your instructions!"

"There are some documents here; I'll have to trouble you. I want to see a report in two hours!"

"Yes, Chief!"

The two glanced at the Security Department's seals and immediately knew these documents were top secret and could not be taken out. They immediately began their research on the side.

Xu Dongguo was in no hurry; he waited while reviewing other documents.

Two hours passed quickly.

"Reporting, Chief, it's all done!"

As they spoke, the two handed over a report.

Taking the report, Xu Dongguo did not rush to flip through it, but instead asked, "Tell me your findings."

One of them said, "Reporting, Chief. Based on the data downloaded from Zhang Gongnong's computer by the Security Department and the information collected from his office and other locations, we compared it with the technical catalog provided by Sun Yongguo. There is a very close connection between the two. Therefore, we infer that there is no third-party involvement behind this..."

The other added, "Through a cross-sectional comparison of this individual's life experiences, no contact with suspicious overseas personnel was found... This person is clean!"

After listening, Xu Dongguo said, "Alright, thank you both for your trouble."

The two left quickly, and only then did Xu Dongguo open the report.

*Su Dingping, male, born 1981, 19 years old (nominal age)...*

*Attended Beijing Institute of Government Primary School from childhood. Parents were involved in an accident while executing a classified project during his youth, after which he was placed under state care...*

*Skipped elementary and middle school, completed four years of university curriculum in two years, and self-studied a three-year Master's curriculum in a different major in one year. Five months ago, Zhang Gongnong specifically requested Su Dingping to participate in his third-year graduate thesis, after which he became an overnight sensation...*

All important information related to Su Dingping was recorded in this report.

The more he read, the more satisfied Xu Dongguo became.

*Pure and upright!*

That was his first judgment of the report.

It wasn't until he reached the content highlighted by the two experts that Xu Dongguo's expression began to change.

By the time he reached the end, he could not hide the joy on his face.

[*...I will turn 'should' into 'must'!*]

[*The Chinese Dream... Every generation has its own Long March, every generation has its own mission. As the baton of the era is passed into our hands, we are the sparks that will build China...*]

These records touched him deeply.

"Good lad, you have ambition! This is the spirit a Chinese youth should possess!"

A clean background, upright character, firm faith, and profound knowledge—he grew increasingly satisfied with Su Dingping. He then took out a steel seal and stamped the report.

"Orderly!"

"Chief, please give your instructions!"

"Archive this document and seal all materials! Raise Su Dingping's security clearance level!"

"Yes, Chief!"

As the orderly left, Xu Dongguo stood up and paced around the room.

Su Dingping's identity was no issue; the next step was considering rewards.

With those technical blueprints alone, individual First-Class Merits would certainly be necessary.

But if Su Dingping could truly teach Zhang Gongnong and the others within three months, individual First-Class Merits would clearly not be enough.

A talent among talents like this must be retained at all costs.

"There must be compensation in other areas as well. Rewards! Subsidies! None of them can be lacking!"

"How can I discreetly pull Su Dingping into my Navy without attracting the attention of others?"

Just as he was worrying, the telephone on his desk rang.

"Reporting, Chief. President Sun is on the line."

"Put him through."

Soon, Sun Yongguo's voice came through the phone.

"Chief, Comrade Su Dingping's lectures officially began this afternoon."

"How is the situation?"

"Chief, progress is very smooth! We are very confident about the three-month goal!"

Hearing this, the weight that had been hanging in Xu Dongguo's heart lifted significantly.

"Comrade Sun Yongguo, if Comrade Su Dingping has any requirements, you must notify me immediately!"

"Yes, Chief!"

After hanging up, Xu Dongguo's furrowed brow relaxed, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.

Now, many things could be handled more freely.

He called out to the outside.

"Orderly."

"Chief, please give your instructions."

"Contact Wang De. Regarding the subsequent negotiations with the Bear Country representatives, I have some words to impart."

...

A few days later, Wang De sat there with a grim face, having just finished the sixth round of negotiations.

Although previous rounds had not reached a consensus, he could clearly feel that the goals of both sides were moving closer together.

But this time... the talks had completely collapsed.

Recalling Xu Dongguo's instructions from a few days ago, Wang De felt quite helpless.

He had heard the subtext in Xu Dongguo's words: he didn't intend to buy anymore.

But he couldn't understand it; the higher-ups' attitude hadn't been like this recently.

"How strange. Chief Xu visited Harbin Institute of Technology a few days ago, and the attitude changed shortly after. Could there be a major scientific breakthrough?"

After thinking for a long while, he shook his head.

He felt that such a possibility was far too low!

If there truly were a major scientific breakthrough, it should be coming from one of the research institutes, not a single university.

Similarly, Turgenev and the others were also very perplexed.

They couldn't figure out what Wang De was up to.

"It shouldn't be like this. They should be very desperate for more 956Es! Why has the tone of these negotiations suddenly changed?"

"Could it be that their military experts have cracked the core technology of the 956E?"

"Impossible! How long has it been? Our anti-reverse engineering measures are excellent. For them to make a breakthrough, it would take at least eight to ten years!"

They were very confident in their own anti-reverse engineering capabilities.

If there were truly such rapid progress, there would be no need for a secondary procurement plan.

After a moment of thought, Turgenev said, "Do not panic. This is likely a ruse to make us lose our footing."

"Don't forget, the situation is unfavorable to them! We don't need to rush; they are the ones who should be in a hurry!"

The group looked at each other, found it reasonable, and felt much more at ease.

They would play the waiting game and see who would run out of patience first!

At this moment, they were full of confidence, unaware that the core technology had long been conquered by Su Dingping, and he was currently preparing to popularize the technology through teaching.

Upon receiving the news, Xu Dongguo was very satisfied with this result.

He even instructed Wang De not to rush the subsequent negotiations; just leave Turgenev and the others hanging.

However, not long after, a phone call came through to Xu Dongguo.

"Old Xu, it's Qian Wenbing. You should know the situation by now! I asked Secretary Wang, and he said the collapse of the talks was due to your interference. Old Xu, what is the meaning of this?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Dongguo knew the other party was coming for an explanation, but some matters were still in their infancy and were not convenient to discuss.

"Old Qian, this matter is complicated. You don't need to worry about it; I have my own plans!"

"Old Xu, do you have any idea how much pressure I'm under in my southern waters?"

"What, is the pressure in my northern waters somehow less than yours?"

Qian Wenbing on the other end of the line immediately grew agitated.

"Then tell me, how should those two 956Es be divided! Protect the South or the East? Or your North?"

"My North doesn't need them!"

"You! Fine, fine, fine! Xu Dongguo, you said it yourself!"

Xu Dongguo hung up the phone with a calm expression.

If something were to happen in the future, two 956Es wouldn't stop the East Ocean Maritime Self-Defense Force, and four 956Es wouldn't stop them either—it would merely mean holding out a little longer.

That was not what he wanted.

What he wanted was the core technology for the modernization of warships! Only by mastering these would the Navy undergo a complete generational upgrade!

"I wonder how Su Dingping's progress has been these past few days."

Just as the thought arose, the orderly came running in.