Chapter 10: Personal First-Class Merit!

Zhao Haikuo and the others stood at the back, craning their necks for a long time but saw nothing. They didn’t dare to squeeze close to the examiners and each felt an unbearable itch of curiosity.

“Haikuo, I think I just heard Professor Li say that the junior apprentice brother managed to get the 956E out?”

“Really? No way! That’s the 956E, even the mentors are struggling with it!”

“Why don’t you go ask?”

They exchanged glances, but no one dared to speak up.

Huang Wei, who only scored 60 points in the evaluation, shook his head like a rattle.

“The model stage is already quite impressive. When we developed the nuclear submarine back then, it also started from a model,” said Professor Huang, looking at the entirely wooden model. “May we take a look inside?”

Standing at the door, he asked politely. If it were anywhere else, he would have barged in long ago. He also hoped to bring Su Dingping to the National Defense Armament Department, so naturally, he was more courteous.

Professor Li could no longer contain his eagerness to enter. At that moment, he heard Zhao Haikuo and others whispering behind him, and his steps faltered.

“Colonel Zhang, I need to trouble you with this matter. The information must not be leaked!”

“All right, leave it to me!” Colonel Zhang took out his phone and made a call.

Soon after, an officer walked in.

“Reporting, Colonel. Please give instructions!”

“Immediately surround the laboratory with personnel. Without my approval, no one is allowed to enter or leave! Also, dispatch another team to take high-level confidentiality measures against them...” Colonel Zhang gestured toward Zhao Haikuo and the others.

“Yes, Colonel. I will arrange it right away.”

After giving orders, Colonel Zhang entered the office with the officer and casually closed the door behind them.

Zhao Haikuo and the others were stunned and could only turn to their instructor for help.

“Teacher, what’s going on? Did we see something we weren’t supposed to?”

“Huang Wei, shut up! I swear, I didn’t see anything! Didn’t hear anything either!” The instructor was dumbfounded.

He had just come along for the excitement; how did it suddenly involve state secrets?

What kind of graduation project could this be that it requires such high-level security?

“Students, don’t panic. This is normal procedure. Follow me to the lounge and wait.”

“Stay in your seats, don’t move about or ask questions. Just wait quietly.”

In the lounge, the instructor sat right beside Zhao Haikuo and the others, staring blankly at five large boxes in the distance.

He was extremely curious about their contents but dared not touch them.

If anything went wrong, he would be held responsible.

Meanwhile, in the office, Professor Li and two others circled the 956E model repeatedly.

“It’s exactly as I remember! Dingping, how did you do it? This is amazing!” Professor Li’s face was full of enthusiasm. He wanted to pack everything up and take it back to the 335 Research Institute, leaving not a single sheet behind.

“Old Li, come look at this,” called Professor Huang.

Hearing him, Li hurried over.

After examining a particular structure for a long moment, he excitedly slapped his thigh.

“Brilliant! How did I not think of this!”

Just as the two were discussing passionately, Colonel Zhang pulled Su Dingping aside.

“Dingping, you’ve really done a great deed this time!”

“Based on the contents of this room, when I report it, you’re bound to receive a first-class merit award!”

First-class merit award?

Su Dingping felt a surge of excitement.

He knew very well how difficult it was to earn such an honor during peacetime.

Yet now, that first-class merit was beckoning to him.

“Thank you, Colonel Zhang.”

“Call me Uncle Zhang. No need to be so formal!”

“Uncle.”

“Hey!”

Usually stern and taciturn, Colonel Zhang now couldn’t stop smiling.

“Dingping, have you thought about where you want to go after graduation? Our Naval Equipment Verification Research Center is in charge of—”

Before he could finish, Professor Li’s voice interrupted.

“What’s going on, Colonel Zhang? Recruiting people right in front of me? He’s Zhang Gongnong’s student; he should be going to my 335 Research Institute!”

“Old Li, I don’t like hearing that,” Professor Huang quickly replied. “Come on, isn’t the National Defense Armament Department better than your 335 Institute?”

As the three were about to argue, Su Dingping hurriedly said, “Examiners, I haven’t decided where to go yet.”

“Yes, yes, no rush! Take your time to think carefully!”

While speaking, Professor Li took out his phone, ready to make a call.

Professor Huang looked wary. “Old Li, what are you doing?”

“Zhang Gongnong must be tearing his hair out at the institute right now. I have to tell him this good news!”

…

Meanwhile, at the 335 Research Institute.

“The data is wrong again! Damn it! Those Russians are so good at reverse engineering!” Professor Zhang cursed as he stormed out of the lab.

He headed straight for the director’s office. Funds were burning fast, but progress was slow, and he felt things couldn’t go on like this.

Just as he neared the office, he suddenly saw an old acquaintance.

“Turgenev?”

The man turned and studied him for a long moment, then exclaimed excitedly, “Zhang Gongnong!”

“Old classmate, it really is you!”

“Turgenev, it’s been 25 years since we parted ways in Russia!”

This man had been Zhang Gongnong’s classmate during his studies there, and they had been quite close.

“When did you come to China? Why didn’t you tell me?”

While speaking, Zhang Gongnong led Turgenev straight to the reception room.

“I learned a bit of Chinese from you back then. This time, our delegation came to China to discuss cooperation, so I followed along. Didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Cooperation?

Zhang Gongnong raised an eyebrow.

He had been working tirelessly in the lab recently and was completely unaware of external developments.

“What’s going on?”

“You’re planning to purchase two more 956E vessels, but the price might be a sticking point, so both sides are negotiating.”

Zhang Gongnong’s heart skipped a beat.

He had no idea about this matter.

“How much?”

“We’re asking for 1.8 billion US dollars!”

He inhaled sharply.

The first two cost less than 900 million dollars; now the price for the next two had doubled!

“Old classmate, you should change your name to ‘Butcher’!”

“The 956E is worth that price! Your navy needs it urgently, right?” Turgenev said casually. “How’s the research on the 956E progressing?”

Zhang Gongnong was on guard.

“Don’t take it the wrong way. When you bought the first two 956Es, I knew you’d study them once back home. But it seems progress hasn’t been smooth.”

“Turgenev, what do you mean?”

His expression darkened, even his tone changed.

“We’re old classmates, so I’ll tell you frankly. The 956E technology is very complex, especially the ones sold to you! You know technology develops step by step, but your naval ship technology has gaps!”

“There’s a saying in China: a wise man adapts to the times! Don’t waste your efforts. 1.8 billion dollars isn’t expensive at all.”

Zhang Gongnong understood clearly.

All this talk about old classmates and decades apart was nonsense. The other side had been patiently leading up to this final point.

He looked at Turgenev and said deliberately, word by word:

“We will never give up! It was the same with the atomic bomb back then, and it’s the same now!”

With that, he swung his sleeve and strode away, leaving a thoroughly embarrassed Turgenev behind.