Chapter 18: Comrade Su Dingping, I support you with all my heart!

Seeing that the atmosphere was sufficiently primed, Sun Yongguo spoke up immediately.

"Chief, I suggest we restart the 956E key technology research project!"

"Restarting is no problem, but how long will you need to fully master these technologies?" Xu Dongguo asked. "The current situation won't leave our Navy much time."

This...

The group looked at one another, momentarily unable to provide an accurate timeframe.

Although they had been researching for several hours, they had only scratched the surface and had yet to touch upon the core technical points.

To say it was easy, Su Dingping had managed to get it more or less sorted in just five months! To say it was difficult, they had spent seven months hovering at the threshold, unable to take that final, decisive step.

To truly master it would require time!

After all, many of these technologies were almost entirely new fields to them.

Seeing that no one answered, Su Dingping spoke up at the opportune moment: "At the earliest, one month; at the latest, two months!"

One or two months?

Xu Dongguo was inwardly startled by this efficiency.

He had thought it would take at least a year or two! He could afford to wait a year or two, but the Navy could not.

The predatory eyes of the East Asian nation would not grant the Navy a year or two of breathing room.

"One or two months? Isn't that too rushed?"

"Reporting, Chief," Su Dingping said with absolute certainty, "I have confidence in them!"

After a brief moment of thought, Xu Dongguo made the call. "One or two months is too tight. Let's make it three months! I will stall the 956E procurement plan!"

As he spoke, he looked toward Sun Yongguo and the others.

"In three months, I want to hear your good news!"

"Please rest assured, Chief! We guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Xu Dongguo nodded with satisfaction, his gaze falling once again upon Su Dingping.

"Comrade Dingping, I will have to trouble you in the future! Feel free to make any requests; I will support you at all costs!"

"Yes, Chief!"

"Zhang Zhaoxin, come out for a moment."

Xu Dongguo glanced at Colonel Zhang and began walking toward the exit.

Closing the door behind him, Zhang Zhaoxin said, "Chief, please give your instructions."

"Professor Huang Ren is with the National Defense Armaments Department, right?"

Just as Zhang Zhaoxin was about to respond, he saw the look in Xu Dongguo's eyes and suddenly understood.

The Chief wasn't asking to confirm Huang Ren's identity; he was telling him to keep a close eye on it.

He knew that Xu Dongguo had made up his mind to bring Su Dingping into the Navy.

"Reporting, Chief, I understand. I will follow the procedures strictly!"

"Fine, go get back to work!"

With that, Xu Dongguo walked out accompanied by his guard.

By this time, the area outside the laboratory had already been cleared.

Accompanied by the roar of an engine, Xu Dongguo sat in his car and dialed a satellite phone.

The call connected quickly.

"It's me, Xu Dongguo."

"Chief Xu, please give your instructions."

"Investigate someone for me: Su Dingping, a senior at Harbin Institute of Technology. I want all his information within two days!"

"Yes, Chief Xu!"

Hanging up the phone, Xu Dongguo closed his eyes and leaned back slowly against the seat, his mind racing with thoughts.

The gains from this trip exceeded his expectations. If everything went smoothly, this would be a major historical turning point for the rapid development of the Navy.

When that time came, how to reward Su Dingping and how to recruit him would be of paramount importance!

"And the reimbursement!"

The thought of reimbursements gave him a headache.

If word of this ever reached the ears of other Chiefs—that he had "happily" reimbursed several thousand yuan in R&D expenses—they would surely laugh about it for a year.

...

Not long after Xu Dongguo left, Zhang Zhaoxin suddenly said, "Professor Huang, Professor Li, it's getting late. We need to finish the thesis reviews for the last experimental group. I'll leave this here to Professor Zhang and Dean Sun."

"The sooner we finish, the sooner I can get back to report on my work."

Hearing this, Professor Huang grew anxious.

He hadn't even had the chance to recruit Su Dingping yet, and now he had to rush to the next laboratory?

"No, I..."

"Old Huang, they're waiting!"

Professor Huang was practically dragged out of the office by Professor Li.

"Come on, let's finish early and get back!"

Professor Huang had already decided that he would just give a decent grade to get it over with.

Recruiting the person was the priority; everything else could take a backseat.

However, after only a few steps, he sensed something was wrong.

"Colonel Zhang, this isn't the way out."

Zhang Zhaoxin led them into another room and then called out, "Wan Long."

Major Wan arrived quickly.

While Professor Huang was still bewildered, he saw Zhang Zhaoxin take a document from Major Wan and hand it over.

Upon opening it, he saw it was a non-disclosure agreement.

"Colonel Zhang, do I have to sign this too?"

"Professor Huang, everything must be done according to procedure."

Professor Li realized what was happening; he knew the Chief had intervened.

Professor Huang was no fool; he quickly connected this to the fact that Zhang Zhaoxin had been called out by Xu Dongguo earlier.

"Right, right, right. Everything according to procedure."

Professor Li took a document from Major Wan and signed his name with a flourish.

Not only Professor Li, but Zhang Zhaoxin signed one as well.

Seeing the two of them sign so readily, Professor Huang felt like crying.

Hadn't they agreed on fair competition? He hadn't even started making his move or extending his olive branch, and the Chief had already stepped in!

Once this document was signed, he could not leak even a shred of information related to Su Dingping upon his return; he would have to act as if nothing had happened.

"Old Huang, your turn!"

Taking the pen, Professor Huang took a deep breath and helplessly signed his name.

"Take this for filing!" Zhang Zhaoxin handed the three documents to Major Wan. "Immediately seal those five crates in the lounge and place them at the laboratory entrance. Do not look at what shouldn't be seen, and do not enter where you shouldn't enter!"

"Yes, Colonel!"

After giving his instructions, Zhang Zhaoxin led the two men out of the laboratory.

With the departure of the three, the space in the office suddenly felt much larger.

Zhang Gongnong and Sun Yongguo engaged in a heated discussion with Su Dingping regarding the technical aspects of the 956E.

It wasn't until the sun began to set that Major Wan suddenly knocked on the door.

"Professor Zhang, your student has completed the formalities!"

Only then did Zhang Gongnong remember that Zhao Haikuo and the others had been signing non-disclosure agreements in the lounge all day.

Entering the lounge, Zhang Gongnong looked at the exhausted faces and said, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? It's getting late, go get some dinner."

"Yes!"

The instructor immediately led Zhao Haikuo and the others toward the exit.

Just as Zhang Gongnong turned around, he saw Zhao Haikuo double back.

"Haikuo, what is it?"

Zhao Haikuo hesitated, and seeing that no one was around, he whispered, "This morning, I heard that it seems Dingping has figured out the key technology for the 956E. Mentor, is it true?"

Zhang Gongnong looked at him calmly, neither confirming nor denying.

"It seems it is true."

"Why?"

"That night two months ago, in the lounge..."

Zhao Haikuo recounted everything about how they had watched the military news interview that night.

"I remember it very clearly. At that time, Dingping said, 'I'll go make what *should* be into what *must* be!' That tone, that silhouette as he turned to walk away—I still remember it to this day!"

After hearing Zhao Haikuo's account, Zhang Gongnong was deeply moved.

He hadn't realized there was more to the story; that level of character and determination was something an ordinary person could not match.

"Mentor, we can build a modernized warship, right?"

"Don't worry, we certainly can!"