Chapter 37: Dean, we are very confident now!

In the capital, at the foreign guest house, Turgenev and his delegation from the Bear Country sat in their room, feeling deeply frustrated. Over the past two months, seven rounds of negotiations had all ended in failure.

"What is going on?" Kovsky asked, looking at Turgenev. "Didn't you say last time that they were putting on a show, claiming their military experts couldn't handle the core technology of the 956E, and that they would be desperate to purchase two more in the face of the tense maritime situation? How has it turned into this?"

"How would I know? I'm just as puzzled," Turgenev replied, looking helpless.

In the first few rounds of talks, both sides had been eager to reach a deal; they held the initiative, and Wang De had even shown goodwill. But in the last two sessions, there had been no room for negotiation at all. Even when Kovsky hinted at a slight price reduction, Wang De remained indifferent. They had agreed to see who could outlast whom, but now, Turgenev and his team were the ones feeling the pressure.

"Could it be that they really have made a breakthrough with the 956E?"

As soon as Kovsky finished speaking, Turgenev shook his head vigorously. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" he said firmly. "Zhang Gongnong and I were in the same class. His grades were better than mine, yes, but you know the state of scientific research in China! Over the years, my expertise has deepened, and the gap between Zhang and me has long since reversed and widened significantly. Even so, I wouldn't dare claim I could fully master the core technology of the 956E!"

He paused, then added, "Don't forget, if they had truly made progress, they wouldn't have contacted us two months ago, and we wouldn't be here!"

Another delegate asked, "Then what do you think Wang De and his team are up to?"

"Perhaps they want to test our patience? But we intentionally ignored them for half a month this time," Turgenev said, spreading his hands. "The Chinese are too good at strategy. I can't figure them out."

Silence fell over the room. In truth, they valued this sale highly. The price was set high partly because the tense situation in the surrounding seas forced China to squeeze out the money to buy them, and partly because the Bear Country’s domestic economy was struggling; an extra few hundred million dollars would greatly relieve the pressure on their defense industry. What was once a mutually agreeable arrangement had hit a snag due to the appearance of Su Dingping.

Turgenev insisted that Chinese naval experts could not master the 956E, but he could never have imagined that Su Dingping, along with the professors of the 335 Research Institute, had already removed the backdoors left in the 956E and were not far from fully mastering its core technology.

The men stared at each other, unable to find a reason.

"Why don't you go and sound out your old classmate?" Kovsky suggested, looking at Turgenev.

Zhang Gongnong? Turgenev thought of their unpleasant parting at the beginning of the month and immediately rejected the idea. "The man is arrogant and stubborn; there's no need for further contact."

"Then what should we do?"

After pondering for a long time, Turgenev said, "How about we contact headquarters and let them make the decision?"

The group agreed and immediately reached out to headquarters. Shortly after, Turgenev and his team breathed a sigh of relief. Headquarters had authorized a price cut, with a bottom line of $1.6 billion.

"A direct drop of $200 million—Wang De and his team surely won't be able to sit still," Turgenev said, feeling highly confident about a triumphant conclusion to the next negotiation.

One hundred kilometers away from the guest house, at the 408 Research Institute, Lü Guangjun was discussing the second-stage improvement of the 051B with his researchers. After returning last night, he and his two vice-directors had spent the entire night studying the research report Su Dingping had provided, and their confidence had grown even further. He hadn't slept at all, and as soon as dawn broke, he had called together all the researchers involved in the 051B upgrade.

"...Gentlemen, I am now brimming with confidence regarding the 051B upgrade!"

The researchers below, seeing Lü looking so radiant, were filled with suspicion. When they saw the two vice-directors sitting there with smiles and clear confidence, their confusion only deepened. The three leaders had vanished for over ten days; how could they suddenly decide to restart the 051B upgrade plan upon returning? It was too fast! At the very least, they should have spent months identifying the problems, overcoming them, and then improving it! They hadn't even found a handful of problems in ten days! Even going abroad for advanced studies wouldn't yield such quick results.

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Lü Guangjun turned to his vice-directors. "Distribute the materials we brought back so they can see for themselves."

The two vice-directors immediately handed out the stack of documents. Soon, the sound of flipping pages filled the conference room. A moment later, one researcher exclaimed, "Brilliant! Who would have thought that Sifluo’s multi-element transformation could be paired with the Daphne wave code? Why didn't I think of that?"

Others followed in excitement. "I have some new ideas for the combination of the steam turbine and cruise diesel engine!"

"The terminal guidance of the missile..."

"Director, where did you get these materials? Their value is immense!"

Watching the excited crowd, Lü Guangjun felt a sense of surrealism. He was glad he had gone to the 335 Research Institute to demand an explanation from Sun Yongguo; otherwise, there would have been no such harvest.

"Gentlemen, do you have confidence now?"

"Director, we are very confident!"

"Director, give us some time, and it will definitely be fine!"

Lü Guangjun’s expression turned serious. "We are determined to successfully upgrade the 051B this time! If we fail again, I will step down as director! Everyone, Chief Xu is waiting for our news. We must fire the second shot of our counterattack against Western technological blockades right here!"

The second shot? Had the first shot already been fired successfully? But they hadn't heard a single thing about it during this time! Linking this to the materials before them, they felt a mix of shock and speculation.

As soon as the meeting ended, the researchers flooded into the laboratory, throwing themselves into the new round of upgrades.

Just as Lü Guangjun returned to his office, his phone rang.

"Hello? Old Lü? You finally answered! You told me you'd look for me that night, and I've been waiting for over ten days! I couldn't get through to your phone, and your office said you weren't there—I thought something had happened to you!" Cheng Yiqiang complained on the other end. "What on earth is going on? Our negotiations with the Bear Country..."

"Old Cheng, I have some things to attend to. I'll contact you later."

Lü Guangjun didn't give the other man a chance to speak and hung up. He didn't have time to explain to Cheng Yiqiang; he gathered his materials and headed straight for the laboratory.

Cheng Yiqiang, hung up on twice, was furious. He immediately flew to the capital, determined to get an explanation. A few hours later, standing at the gate of the 408 Research Institute, he was stunned. The entire institute was under martial law; no one was allowed in or out.

After half an hour of fruitless effort, unable to get in or reach Lü, he realized, "Fine, Old Lü, you're hiding from me!" Suddenly, he recalled that it was he who had suggested Lü visit the 335 Research Institute, after which Lü had become a different person. "I want to see what secrets the 335 Research Institute has that make you so tight-lipped, to the point where you won't even see me!"

He immediately took a private plane to Harbin. Hours later, standing at the gate of the 335 Research Institute, Cheng Yiqiang was left speechless. The 335 Research Institute was also under martial law, guarded by Wan Long and his men. No one could enter or exit.

"Fine, you win. I'll leave! I'll leave, alright?"

Completely defeated, he flew back in frustration.

Three days later, a military vehicle drove toward the Northern Maritime Military Base. The sentries, upon seeing the license plate, immediately saluted: "Greetings, Chief!"