Chapter 20: A New Subject for Analysis—052D!

"Junior sister, it's getting late. You should head to the lab."

Guo Xueyun snapped out of her daze. "Right, right, right. This way."

Su Dingping didn't leave Professor Wu's laboratory until the moon hung high in the sky.

"Junior brother Su, thank you for today. I'll treat you to a meal next time!" Standing at the doorway, Guo Xueyun seemed to think of something and added, "I'll make sure to pick a place where no one will disturb us."

Waving his hand, Su Dingping departed with a carefree air.

After Su Dingping left, Guo Xueyun tidied up her things and headed toward the dormitory. She had barely taken two steps when two men in administrative jackets blocked her path.

"Excuse me, are you Guo Xueyun?"

Guo Xueyun looked wary. "Who are you?"

"We are from the Ministry of State Security." The man produced his credentials, then added, "We need your cooperation with an investigation. Please, this way."

Glancing at the ID, Guo Xueyun realized they were indeed from the Ministry of State Security. Her heart began to pound. Being targeted by the Ministry of State Security was never a good sign.

They arrived at a secluded classroom. The lead man sat opposite her, while the other took out a digital recorder and a notebook to begin documenting.

"Don't be nervous. Relax."

Guo Xueyun nodded repeatedly, but her anxiety remained undiminished.

"We would like to understand what you know about Zhao Haikuo."

"Senior brother Zhao? You should ask Wang..."

The lead man waved his hand. "I ask, you answer. Do not say anything irrelevant."

Guo Xueyun took a deep breath. She suspected she was being targeted because she and Wang Xin had lingered too long at the door of Professor Zhang's laboratory today, and she had also been in contact with Su Dingping shortly before. After a moment of thought, she said, "Senior brother Zhao, he..."

After questioning her about Zhao Haikuo, the lead man continued, "How much do you know about Su Dingping?"

"Junior brother Su? I've only met him twice..."

Guo Xueyun recounted everything she knew, down to the smallest detail. Half an hour later, the lead man took the notebook from his companion, glanced at it, and handed it to Guo Xueyun. "Take a look and see if there are any discrepancies."

"No, there aren't."

"Then sign here." As he spoke, the lead man produced a nondisclosure agreement.

Once she signed, the man packed the documents away and said, "We have never met." With that, he and his companion hurried off into the night.

Elsewhere, Zhao Haikuo was surfing the net at an internet cafe after his date with Wang Xin. Although the authorities had intervened regarding the events at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), news had still leaked out.

A pinned post on the Tiexue forum caught his eye: "Naval Chief Visits HIT Laboratory; Is the Navy Sharpening Its Sword After Three Years?"

"This afternoon, a lab at HIT was sealed off by the military, and no one was allowed inside. Shortly after, the Naval Chief arrived in person, and the university's senior leadership was turned away. I infer that after the recent provocation by the U.S. carrier fleet, the Navy has taken decisive action! Perhaps, in the near future, we will have our own modern warships! Marking this post as proof!"

Beneath the post, a heated argument broke out.

"Entering the modern era? Not likely! The gap between non-modern and modern is immense. Plus, with Western technology blockades, breaking through won't happen in just three or five years!"

"The ancients spent ten years sharpening a sword; why can't our Navy do it in three?"

"I wish our Navy would pop out an aircraft carrier tomorrow, but that's not realistic. Another eight or ten years, maybe!"

"I don't believe it! Is there any student from HIT who can confirm this?"

A moment later, a reply was upvoted to the top: "Brothers, stop guessing. This has nothing to do with naval modernization! The Navy's official website has released the latest news: the two Sovremenny-class destroyers (956E) purchased from the Bear Country have arrived!"

"So it was a purchase! I thought there was a breakthrough. What a letdown."

Watching these replies, Zhao Haikuo felt anxious and helpless. He knew the general situation, but due to his nondisclosure agreement, he couldn't say a word. The feeling was agonizing. He typed on his keyboard countless times, only to delete the text before finally liking the post.

After this, he had no heart for surfing the web and headed toward his dorm. He hadn't walked more than a few steps from the internet cafe when two men in administrative jackets blocked his path.

"Zhao Haikuo?"

"Who are you?"

"We are from the Ministry of State Security. We'd like to ask you some questions."

Upon hearing "Ministry of State Security," Zhao Haikuo shivered. "I didn't say anything! You can check online. I've been bursting to talk, but I signed an agreement! I won't reveal a single word."

As soon as he finished speaking, a black sedan pulled up.

"Let's talk."

Seeing the situation, Zhao Haikuo could only get into the car obediently, still muttering, "I really am innocent."

The lead man closed the door, and with a low roar, the vehicle drove off into the unknown.

Meanwhile, Su Dingping was standing before the "Warship Illustrated Handbook" wall in the Military Industry Forge space. Although he hadn't yet begun to analyze the two missile systems, the entry for the 956E on the wall was fully illuminated.

Radiating from that point were several other entries, three of which were flickering. Two were Western, one was Chinese—a choice of three.

The moment he saw the 052D, Su Dingping's eyes lit up.

"What is a Sovremenny-class? If I'm going to build something, I'll build the Chinese Aegis—the 052D!"

Su Dingping had a deep impression of the 052D. Derived from the 052C, it was the Navy's first true "Aegis" ship to rank among the world's most advanced warships! Its comprehensive combat capabilities far surpassed the Japanese Kongō-class destroyers.

The first 052D was launched in 2012 and commissioned in 2014, more than a decade away. But now, Su Dingping could access the core technology of the 052D. This meant the commissioning of the 052D would be advanced by at least ten years!

With this in mind, Su Dingping gently touched the icon representing the 052D. Instantly, the other two icons dimmed, and a new virtual panel appeared in his mind.

[052D Missile Destroyer — Aegis Ship, Displacement: 6,800–7,500 tons, Length: 155m, Width: 18m, an advanced 'second-generation' destroyer.]

[052D Missile Destroyer Main Propulsion System (Analysis time: 485 days, Progress: 31%); 1130 Close-In Weapon System (Analysis time: 399 days, Progress: 35%); Type 346A Active Phased Array Radar (Analysis time: 1,916 days, Progress: 8%); Forward 48-cell + Aft 32-cell Vertical Launch System (Analysis time: 657 days, Progress: 12%); 'Star' Combat Command System...]

Immediately afterward, another virtual panel appeared.

[Triggered core technology for the 'YJ (Eagle Strike) Anti-Ship Missile System'! Triggered core technology for the 'HHQ (Sea Red Flag) Air Defense Missile System'! (Note: You may continue to analyze ship-borne missile systems after completing the analysis of the main ship's core technology.)]

Looking at this information, Su Dingping's breathing grew rapid.

"I've already analyzed the 956E and mastered its core technology, yet the analysis time for the 052D is still so long! It seems the gap between them is truly massive!"