Chapter 26: Chief, the arrow is on the string and must be released!

"Lead us in adjusting it?"

Upon hearing these words, Sun Yongguo froze in place, his mind momentarily blank. One moment he was wallowing in regret and frustration over a major failure, and the next, Su Dingping was claiming this problem could be solved—and that he would lead them in doing it! The sudden wave of hope was so overwhelming that he found it hard to believe.

He asked cautiously, "Dingping, are you saying this 956E can be adjusted? Adjusted to the combat parameters it was originally meant to have?"

Hearing this, Zhang Gongnong and Captain Zhou both turned their gazes toward Su Dingping, holding their breath, afraid to miss a single word.

Su Dingping spoke with solemn gravity. "Dean Sun, fixing it isn't actually difficult. Didn't I promise the commander I would teach you all the core knowledge within three months? By the time that day comes, you will be able to do it yourselves. It just so happens that I’ve run into it now; dismantling it on-site and explaining the assembly will be even more helpful for your understanding of the 956E’s core technology!"

While feeling shocked, Sun Yongguo was also deeply touched: *Dingping is saving my face.* He himself could have discovered the problem eventually, but he had been limited by a gap in technical knowledge. Once the core technology was mastered, identifying and solving the problem would come naturally.

However, after hearing the second half of the sentence, he fell silent.

The 956E would have to be dismantled!

They had to remember that when they had initially invested 1.5 billion and tasked nine top military industry experts with the project, they hadn't even been granted permission to dismantle it.

"If we dismantle it, the difficulty might be quite high," Sun Yongguo added.

Zhang Gongnong, who had been immersed in joy, also came back to reality. When the meetings were held back then, several high-ranking commanders had strictly emphasized that under no circumstances should the 956E be dismantled! After all, if a crisis broke out at sea, the 956E needed to be ready for deployment at any moment. What if a standoff occurred elsewhere while they were busy reassembling the ship? How embarrassing would that be? And if they failed to put it back together, wouldn't a modern warship be ruined?

Who could guarantee that the Russians hadn't tampered with the internal equipment of the 956E? Once dismantled, a single issue could trigger a chain reaction. The nine military experts were well aware of the gravity of the situation, which was why none of them had dared to suggest taking it apart.

But now, facing this sudden situation, dismantling the 956E had become an unavoidable issue.

"Is it difficult?" Su Dingping asked.

"It's not easy," Zhang Gongnong replied, briefly explaining the situation.

"If we want to master the core technology as quickly as possible and help the navy enter the modern era, we must make some sacrifices! Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth; I am very confident in this!"

Seeing Su Dingping’s firm tone, Sun Yongguo took a deep breath and said, "Fine, I will handle this! Comrade Gongnong, stay here with Dingping for a while. I’m going to find the commander and explain the situation!"

With that, Sun Yongguo strode toward the gangway.

"I’ll go too," Captain Zhou said, following closely behind.

***

"Dingping, let’s wait here! It’s not far from the command headquarters; if everything goes well, they’ll be back in an hour and a half," Zhang Gongnong said, pulling Su Dingping toward the edge of the deck.

"I truly didn't expect such a huge gain from this outing! I’ve had enough of these frustrating days. Sooner or later, we will catch up to them and surpass them!"

Su Dingping said solemnly, "It won't be long before we have our own modern warships!"

"I believe in you!"

"It’s not about believing in me; my individual strength is limited after all," Su Dingping shook his head. "It’s about believing in us! Believing in all of us who are working hard for the rise of our navy!"

Zhang Gongnong looked at Su Dingping, momentarily stunned. He realized that Su Dingping did not possess the arrogance of other geniuses. Youthful success often led to looking down on others—a common flaw in many geniuses, and the result was often that they ended up lost in the crowd. Yet, none of that was present in Su Dingping. He was brilliant, yet humble; he possessed great merit, yet remained modest.

Where would such a genius go in the future? Zhang Gongnong didn't dare to imagine. *Heaven has truly looked favorably upon our navy, sending us a genius just when our situation is at its worst.*

Just as he was lost in thought, his phone rang. He checked it; it was Li Mingrui.

"Old Li, what’s going on? We haven't been out for long, and you're already stumped by questions from other professors? Calling for help already?" Zhang Gongnong joked, his mood excellent.

"Old Zhang, let's talk business."

Hearing the tone, Zhang Gongnong immediately realized something was wrong and straightened up. "What's the situation?"

"Dean Lu is here! He says he wants to settle the score with Dean Sun!"

"Settle the score? That old guy still dares to come? I told the Dean last time that if I had been the one at that meeting, if he dared to say we couldn't build it, I would have dealt with him! Tell him to wait, tell him to wait until I get back..." He trailed off, seemingly thinking of something. "Forget it, just tell him to go back. I don't have time to deal with him right now."

"He won't leave! He says if he doesn't see the Dean today, he’s staying put! He’ll leave when the Dean returns," Li Mingrui said, explaining the situation.

After hearing this, Zhang Gongnong laughed. "Let him wait. Who knows, we might not be going back for a while."

Li Mingrui on the other end was clearly stunned.

"Old Li, do you have a situation on your end too?"

"It’s not convenient to talk over the phone. In any case, you'll know when the time comes."

"By the way, one more thing: the 051B improvement plan has failed!"

"Fine, I understand! We'll talk when we meet!"

***

Li Mingrui hung up the phone, completely confused. *Talk when we meet?* Didn't he say they wouldn't be back for a while?

Before he could make sense of it, he heard the voice of Lu Guangjun from a distance.

"Professor Li Mingrui, how is it? When is your Dean coming back?"

"Dean Lu, I'm truly sorry, but our Dean says he’s tied up for a while and won't be coming back."

"Preposterous! I'm not leaving!"

...

On the other side, at the Northern Naval Military Command Headquarters, in Xu Dongguo's office.

"Commander, Dean Sun and Captain Zhou are here!"

"Let them in."

Soon, Sun Yongguo and Zhou Qinglei walked in. Seeing only the two of them, Xu Dongguo looked toward the door and asked, "Comrade Sun Yongguo, where is Comrade Dingping? Why didn't he come with you?"

"Commander, some accidents occurred. Comrade Dingping and Comrade Gongnong are still on the 956E waiting for our news."

Xu Dongguo instinctively sensed that something was wrong. "What's the situation? Tell me, let's see if I can help."

"Commander, this is truly something only you can help with," Zhou Qinglei added.

At this, Xu Dongguo became intrigued.

"Commander..." Sun Yongguo recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

One could see a distinct change in Xu Dongguo's expression. Although he quickly regained his composure, it was clear that he was not calm inside.

"Must we dismantle it?"

"Commander, this is a last resort. The arrow is on the bowstring; we must fire!"

Xu Dongguo tapped his fingers on the desk, producing a rhythmic *tap-tap* sound. Whether they could reassemble it after dismantling it was one thing. Beyond that, he had only just promised Commander Qian last night that the Northern Navy would give up this 956E to the Southern Navy. Now that they wanted to dismantle it, how would he explain it when Commander Qian came to collect the ship?