Chapter 41: Captain!

Su Dingping had intended to greet Zhang Zhaoxin, as they hadn't seen each other in a month. However, the moment Zhang approached him, he addressed him as "Comrade Su Dingping" and stated he was representing the Navy. Su immediately felt that the atmosphere was off.

He looked at Sun Yongguo, his face full of confusion. "Director, what is going on here?"

Sun Yongguo replied with a solemn expression, "Colonel Zhou."

At once, Colonel Zhou Qinglei, dressed in full military uniform, stepped in with a precise marching gait. "Comrade Su Dingping, I come representing all the officers and men of the Northern Sea Military Base."

With that, Zhou Qinglei stood beside Zhang Zhaoxin.

"Comrade Zhang Gongnong," Sun Yongguo said, looking toward Zhang Gongnong.

Zhang Gongnong quickly straightened his clothes, walked to the other side of Zhang Zhaoxin, and turned to face Su Dingping. "Comrade Su Dingping, I come representing all the research scientists who participated in the 956E project."

Ordinarily, these words should have been spoken by Sun Yongguo himself, but considering that Su Dingping was Zhang Gongnong's student, he had deferred the honor.

Li Mingrui and Sun Yongguo then stepped forward. With four Senior Colonels and one Colonel present, while not quite the same as a visit from a top commander, the prestige was certainly comparable.

Watching the five of them looking so grave, Su Dingping felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of panic. This was a scene he had never experienced before. Could it be that the Qingdao souvenirs Sister Xueyun sent were a violation of protocol? Was it too late to send them back?

He probed cautiously, "Gentlemen, why so serious? If I’ve committed some breach of protocol, just tell me. I haven't really memorized the confidentiality regulations, and I’m not familiar with many of the rules."

Sun Yongguo said, "Comrade Su Dingping, open the box beside you and you will see."

Su turned to look at the box. The desk, which should have been cluttered with research blueprints, had been cleared, and in the center sat a single black case. He could tell that the case was of great importance.

"Shall I open it?"

Sun Yongguo nodded.

Su Dingping carefully undid the lock and slowly lifted the lid. The moment a crack appeared, he caught a glimpse of what was inside under the light.

*Snap.*

Su quickly pulled his hand back and let the lid fall shut. He looked at Sun Yongguo in shock and suspicion. "Director, this is inside..."

"Comrade Su Dingping, everything inside is yours."

"Mine?" Su looked at the box, bewildered, and shook his head quickly. "Impossible! I am still a student; I haven't even graduated yet!"

Zhang Zhaoxin spoke up. "Comrade Su Dingping, our purpose here today is exactly because of what is in this box."

Zhang Gongnong and the others nodded in agreement.

Su Dingping slowly opened the box again, his heart racing. Inside sat a set of naval uniforms. Resting on top of the uniform was a pair of shoulder boards. The base was black, edged with the black trim denoting the Navy, and adorned with a thin black stripe and three stars.

One stripe and three stars—a Captain!

Su recognized them instantly as the "Type 88" rank insignia for a Captain. His throat tightened, and his eyes fell upon the military officer's ID card beside the insignia. He picked it up and flipped it open, gasping in shock. It bore his own photograph and his name.

"A Captain?"

"Me?"

"Director, Colonel Zhang, this isn't a funny joke."

Su Dingping carefully placed the ID card back into the box. He knew full well that he was still a student who hadn't even attended a military academy; how could he be commissioned directly as a Captain? He knew that even top graduates from military academies were commissioned as Lieutenants, and it typically took four years of service before one could be promoted to Captain. Under normal circumstances, a Captain would be at least twenty-six years old.

It was the year 2000, and he was only twenty. A twenty-year-old Captain? Where would you see that in peacetime? Instinctively, he felt it was impossible.

Zhang Zhaoxin insisted, "Comrade Su Dingping, this is real!"

"It can't be! I'm only twenty. I just turned twenty today; yesterday I was still nineteen. There’s no such thing as a twenty-year-old Captain." Su shook his head repeatedly. "Don't try to fool me just because I haven't seen these things before. A proper commissioning ceremony isn't like this—there should be the national flag, the military flag, senior leaders, and other comrades waiting to be commissioned together... I’ve seen it in the newspapers."

He felt that even if he had conquered the core technology of the 956E, it shouldn't lead to being commissioned as a Captain. There were too many ranks in between. Besides, he wasn't even a product of a military academy; it wasn't that easy to "skip levels."

The men looked at each other, and finally, Sun Yongguo spoke.

"Comrade Su Dingping, this was handed to me personally by Chief Xu this morning."

"Chief Xu?" Su was stunned. He recalled that after Xu Dongguo visited yesterday, he had spoken privately with Sun Yongguo before leaving. Was this it?

"Is this really for me? Are you sure you aren't lying to me?" Despite his words, his body was honest; his gaze kept drifting back to the shoulder boards and the ID card.

"Comrade Su Dingping, if it weren't for this, I wouldn't have called Colonel Zhang over from the North to serve as a witness," Sun explained. "The four of us alone wouldn't be enough to carry the weight of your commissioning."

"There is one more thing you may not know."

"What?" Su looked at Sun with surprise.

"I have been in contact with Director Lü. Their progress on the 051B upgrade is going very smoothly; it won't be long before the upgraded 051B is ready for sea trials! And all of this is thanks to you!"

Sun continued, "They studied under you for a while, and with the research reports you provided, they are currently forging a path for our own Navy! That alone is a massive contribution, not to mention your work in conquering the core technology of the 956E."

Su Dingping suddenly understood. From the beginning, he had believed that these top-tier military experts possessed genuine talent. What they lacked was a bridge across the technological gap. That was unavoidable; given the Western technological blockade, it had been no small feat to reach the level of the 051B. Now that he had used the 956E as an example to bridge that gap, their progress would only accelerate.

"Director, that is also because Director Lü and his team had already accumulated the necessary foundation; they only lacked the final catalyst."

As soon as Su finished speaking, Sun Yongguo interrupted. "I know my own people. Comrade Su Dingping, you have single-handedly driven us all to take a giant leap forward. For our Navy, your contribution is immense! You are a true hero."

Changing his tone, Sun added, "Chief Xu originally wanted to come in person, but the current international situation is unstable. It is not appropriate for him to appear here and draw unwanted attention. Do not take it the wrong way; the reason there is no formal ceremony is to protect you."

"You know that there are many nameless heroes whose identities must remain strictly confidential for a long time." Sun looked at Su, his expression grave. "And you, Comrade Su Dingping, are now one of them."

"I understand!" Su said.

In his previous life, he had known of many instances where top-tier military defense experts were assassinated; he understood the stakes perfectly. He picked up the officer's ID card once more and held it tightly in his hand, unable to suppress the excitement in his heart.