Chapter 49: Our Navy Has Struck Gold!

Su Dingping?
Who is he?
Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun looked at each other, feeling even more perplexed.
They had never even heard of this name.
Unlike Lü Guangjun, who had been provoked at the time to specifically investigate the events that occurred at Harbin Institute of Technology, and out of a teacher's intuition, held student Su Dingping in high regard, leading to subsequent events.
The two of them simply did not have the time to pay attention to such matters, and naturally found Su Dingping unfamiliar.
On the contrary, Liu Huaming furrowed his brow slightly.
The three characters "Su Dingping" sounded somewhat familiar.
He felt that he must have heard or seen this name somewhere before.
Just as Xiao Chongjun was about to speak again, he heard Liu Huaming say, "Comrade Dongguo, the name 'Su Dingping'—it seems I have heard it before."
"Yes, Chief. Over half a month ago, his name was on the commission application list."
Reminded by Xu Dongguo, Liu Huaming immediately recalled.
"So it's him! The 20-year-old captain!"
He had been quite surprised when he signed off on Su Dingping back then, but considering it was submitted through Xu Dongguo's channels, he didn't ask further questions.
After all, he still had a great deal of confidence in Xu Dongguo's work.
A 20-year-old captain?
Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun were briefly stunned.
Looking across both of their fleets, there was no such precedent.
Being granted the rank of captain at such a young age showed that the individual had made remarkable contributions.
Recalling more details, Liu Huaming continued, "I remember you applied for a Class-One Individual Merit for him previously, didn't you?"
"Yes, Chief."
Another Class-One Individual Merit! And an exceptional promotion straight to captain!
What on earth had this fellow accomplished?
Curiosity burned even more intensely within Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun.
"Old Xu, stop keeping us in suspense," Xiao Chongjun urged. "Tell us, what does this Su Dingping have to do with the successful secondary upgrade of the 051B? Don't tell me this kid was involved in the 051B secondary upgrade!"
Qian Wenbing chimed in, "If this kid truly made significant contributions to the 051B secondary upgrade, an exceptional promotion would be completely understandable!"
"However, what does this have to do with you dismantling the 956E?"
Before Qian Wenbing's words had even faded, Xiao Chongjun interjected.
"Old Qian, don't rush. Let Old Xu explain things one by one."
"Su Dingping indeed made significant contributions to the 051B secondary upgrade, but he did not participate directly."
As soon as Xu Dongguo spoke, both Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun frowned.
If he didn't participate directly, how did he make a significant contribution?
That made no sense.
Xu Dongguo calmly stated, "The matter has to begin with the 956E."
At this, Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun were even more bewildered.
Weren't you supposed to explain things one by one? How did we loop back to the 956E again!
Liu Huaming was also somewhat lost by Xu Dongguo's convoluted narrative.
"In early July last year, the secondary breakthrough for the 956E commenced. Comrade Zhang Gongnong from the 335th Research Institute..."
Xu Dongguo began to explain slowly.
Hearing that Zhang Gongnong had asked his protégé to design a warship, the expressions of the men remained unchanged.
However, upon hearing about the answer sheet Su Dingping handed in early December, the complexions of Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun shifted instantly. Although Liu Huaming's expression remained calm, tumultuous waves surged within his heart.
A college senior, whose master's graduation design submission after five months of work turned out to be the core technology of the 956E!
"How is that possible! Three major research institutes, nine top military industry experts spent seven months with an R&D budget of 1.5 billion, yet the results were unsatisfactory. A student like him, without funding, without guidance, unable to even touch a complete 956E, he..."
Mid-sentence, Qian Wenbing's body jolted, and he blurted out, "I remember now! At the beginning of last month, you made a trip to Harbin Institute of Technology, and quite a commotion was made at the time! Could it be..."
Xiao Chongjun tentatively suggested, "Old Xu, could the answer sheet that kid handed in actually be correct?"
Hearing this, Qian Wenbing's heart leapt to his throat.
This exceeded his comprehension; he had never heard of such a thing. Yet, deep down, he desperately hoped Xu Dongguo would give an affirmative answer.
Xu Dongguo looked at Xiao Chongjun and said solemnly,
"Following the evaluation by Comrade Sun Yongguo, Comrade Zhang Gongnong, and Comrade Mingrui from the 335th Research Institute, along with Comrade Huang Ren from the National Defense Armaments Department, and Senior Colonel Zhang Zhaoxin from the Naval Equipment Demonstration and Research Center, there are absolutely no flaws in the core 956E technology conquered by Su Dingping!"
They had heard of all those names.
For Xu Dongguo to drop those names directly proved that the quality and value of Su Dingping's graduation project were beyond question.
"Did any external forces intervene?"
Xu Dongguo shook his head.
"Is there any problem with this kid's background?"
Xu Dongguo shook his head once more.
The conference hall fell into a brief, dead silence.
Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun could distinctly feel their hearts pounding violently.
Surpassing the brilliance of nine top military industry experts across three major research institutes, and single-handedly leading the navy out of a predicament—someone like this could no longer be called a mere talent! Calling him a genius was hardly an exaggeration.
"At the time, Su Dingping said it would take him a month or two to teach Sun Yongguo and the others..."
"What? A month or two?"
"Considering the time was too tight, I gave him a three-month deadline."
"Three months?" Liu Huaming was deeply displeased.
Wasn't this driving a talent toward an impasse? What if three months wasn't enough? How would you expect him to answer for it?
That was the 956E!
Liu Huaming asked, "So the dismantling of the 956E is related to this?"
"Yes, and no. There was a small twist in the middle."
Xu Dongguo recounted the events of that day when Sun Yongguo brought Su Dingping to tour the 956E.
Upon hearing that Su Dingping had merely taken a stroll and discovered flaws in the 956E by comparing measured data with technically deduced data, Qian Wenbing was profoundly shocked: "Really?"
Xu Dongguo nodded. "That's why the 956E dismantling plan was initiated! After the dismantling, we indeed discovered that the Bear Country had kept a trick up their sleeve regarding the 956E!"
At these words, Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun were utterly astounded.
A genius!
This was a true genius!
Xu Dongguo turned to Liu Huaming and said, "Chief, due to the special circumstances and to avoid causing too much of a stir, I had to make an arbitrary decision!"
"Comrade Dongguo, you handled this matter very well! Special circumstances require special measures; this arbitrary decision was entirely correct."
Changing the subject, Liu Huaming continued,
"However, Comrade Dongguo, there is one thing I must criticize you for! Three months—you were a bit too impatient! You shouldn't rush talent like that; you must grant them sufficient authority and ample space to perform. Every extra layer of restriction adds another layer of hesitation!"
"Indeed, Old Xu, you didn't act fairly in this matter!" Xiao Chongjun was equally dissatisfied.
Who treats a genius like that?
If he were at my Eastern Naval Base, I'd cradle him in the palms of my hands.
Qian Wenbing pressed on, "What about the 051B! What does the 051B have to do with him?"
"Lü Guangjun once led personnel from the 408th Research Institute to study under Su Dingping for half a month, reaping enormous rewards. Upon returning, they completed the secondary upgrade of the 051B!"
Hearing this, the hearts of Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun trembled violently.
Such results after studying for just half a month?
And that wasn't all. Xu Dongguo picked up where he left off.
"Furthermore, just the day before yesterday afternoon, I received word from Sun Yongguo that the 956E breakthrough has succeeded! Right now, they are presumably at the final stage of assembly!"
"A total of a month and a half! Comrade Su Dingping has overfulfilled his mission!"
At this moment, even Liu Huaming was too shocked to find the words.
He had thought Xu Dongguo giving Su Dingping three months was a shackle on a genius that would hinder his performance. He never expected—could never have imagined...
This wasn't just a genius!
This was a treasure!
A precious treasure of our navy!