Chapter 15: I'll Handle This Matter!

Engineer Zhang Gongnong suddenly realized he had been too impatient and hadn’t explained things clearly. Hastily, he pulled Director Sun further inside.

“Director Sun, look at this!”

As one of the three lead directors of the 956E project at the 335 Research Institute, Director Sun immediately recognized it at a glance.

“956E!”

A look of astonishment crossed his face. Naval vessel construction was his specialty, and even a brief glance revealed that this model was practically carved from the same mold as the 956E. Though scaled down by more than ten times, every internal structure was intact!

The more he examined it, the more shocked he became. Many internal details were still mysteries even to him. After all, only two 956E ships existed, each costing over $400 million, and no one dared dismantle them—everything had to be deduced slowly and painstakingly.

He never imagined that Zhang Gongnong, not even an expert in naval design, could produce such an impeccable 956E model in a university lab, surpassing him in one leap.

“Comrade Gongnong, you spend all your time at the institute, yet you managed to sneak back and produce such a feat!” he exclaimed.

Now he understood why Zhang had been so anxious. Creating such a detailed model meant Zhang’s understanding of the 956E surpassed all experts involved in the project. This was a tremendous boon for the development effort.

Director Sun sighed. “Comrade Gongnong, you really kept this from me! This model is extremely valuable. Had you told me a month earlier, I would have risked clashing with the two other directors at the last meeting—I would never have agreed to their decision!”

“But now it’s too late; negotiations are underway. One model alone won’t convince the commanders to change their minds,” he lamented.

If only this model had existed a month ago, he would have been far more confident.

“How confident are you that this will sway them?”

“Less than thirty percent.”

“And what if you add these?” Zhang Gongnong gestured toward the surrounding design blueprints.

Confused, Sun Yongguo stepped forward and flipped through the drawings. His expression gradually changed.

“The detailed design drawings for the ‘Naval Bird-MA’ airborne situational awareness radar, including the underlying theory...”

“The MP-401 electronic countermeasure system, the ‘Baikal’ tactical command system...”

The more he looked, the more astounded he became. Each technology presented was a modern core breakthrough he had long dreamed of conquering. Yet after seven months of effort, progress had been slow.

He never dreamed that Zhang Gongnong had quietly made such a major scientific breakthrough.

“Comrade Gongnong, you are remarkable! You accomplished such a huge advance quietly! Tell me, how did you do it?”

Faced with the eager Director Sun, Zhang did not explain but instead asked, “With this model and these detailed blueprints, how confident are you now?”

Director Sun responded bluntly, “One hundred percent!”

With these, he was very confident he could persuade the commanders.

“Comrade Gongnong, I didn’t expect you to be hiding so much at the institute! You treat us like outsiders!” His tone carried a hint of reproach.

Director Sun knew the situation at the institute well. Compared to the apparent lack of progress there, this was a giant leap forward. He assumed Zhang had deliberately kept this from everyone, secretly working in the university lab.

But what Zhang said next stunned him speechless.

“Director Sun, neither this model nor these blueprints are my work—they’re from my protégé, Su Dingping!” Zhang pulled Su forward. “I mentioned him before. Dingping, this is Director Sun of our institute.”

“Hello, Director Sun,” Su said politely.

Director Sun looked kindly at Su. “You must be Su Dingping. Comrade Gongnong told me he recruited an outstanding student...”

But halfway through, he suddenly paused.

“Wait, Comrade Gongnong, did you say these are your student’s achievements?”

“Yes! All his research results. I had nothing to do with it!” Zhang added.

Director Sun was stunned.

“Zhang Gongnong, this isn’t a joke!”

Zhang told the whole story without holding back.

After hearing what had happened that morning, Sun Yongguo was dumbfounded, his mind blank.

“Wait a moment, let me process this.”

The news was so shocking he needed time to absorb it.

He glanced at Professors Li and Huang, as if asking, Is this real?

Both nodded.

“Director Sun,” Professor Li spoke up, “Professor Huang, Colonel Zhang, and I personally witnessed this—we can all testify!”

Colonel Zhang added, “Yes, I was planning to recommend Dingping for a first-class individual merit award based on these achievements. It’s fully justified!”

At that moment, Director Sun felt his heart pounding wildly.

He had just told Zhang two hours ago to wait for the project to restart and not to give up—and now Zhang had brought hope right to his doorstep.

“Director Sun? Director Sun?”

The voice jolted him back to reality.

“I’ll take charge of this matter.”

...

Meanwhile, at the Northern Naval Base headquarters, in Commander Xu Dongguo’s office, two staff members were reporting.

“Commander, negotiations with representatives from Bearland ended in discord once again. This was the fifth round of talks.”

“Commander, the Bearland representatives say $1.8 billion is their bottom line. They also stated that if we maintain our position in the next talks, they will refuse cooperation altogether.”

Xu Dongguo’s face darkened upon hearing the news.

“What do you think?”

The two exchanged uneasy looks before responding.

“Commander, I believe we must hold firm on our minimum price.”

“Very well, I understand.”

Xu Dongguo waved them off.

After they left, he stood by the window, gazing at the distant sea, lost in thought.

$1.8 billion—equivalent to the navy’s entire budget for two years! The price was too high, beyond his acceptable limits.

Buying two 956E ships for that sum might ease the navy’s current difficulties, but it would severely hinder future development.

This was a dilemma and a historic turning point for the navy. Every decision must be made with utmost caution.

Without the ability to build modern warships, the navy would remain weak and constantly constrained by others.

With a sigh, Xu Dongguo was suddenly interrupted by the ringing phone on his desk.

“Commander, Director Sun is calling.”

“Put him through.”

Soon the secure line connected to Director Sun.

“Comrade Sun Yongguo, this is Xu.”

“Commander, the ‘951 Operation’ succeeded.”

In an instant, Xu Dongguo’s hand trembled slightly as he gripped the receiver.