Chapter 55: Just Let Them Go Home!

Not far from the 956E destroyer, a group of naval officers and soldiers were bustling with activity.

Under Su Dingping’s direction, the large tent from yesterday had been converted into a temporary classroom.

"Put it over here..."

"This goes right here..."

"Place that equipment over there..."

Zhou Qinglei led two hundred and ninety-five men in a joint effort, quickly completing all the tasks Su Dingping had requested.

The temporary classroom was defined by its simplicity, yet the spacious interior held its own unique sophistication.

Once all the equipment was moved into place, Zhou Qinglei walked up to Su Dingping and asked, "Dingping, should we leave a few more missiles behind?"

Su Dingping shook his head and replied, "No need. The missiles on the 956E are limited—every one we fire is one less we have. We used live ammunition for yesterday's tests, and if I keep too many here, I won't be able to explain it to Chief Qian."

"If anything unexpected happens, leaving some missiles on the 956E could still come in handy."

"Alright, once we deliver the warship, we'll return as quickly as possible. That way, if anything comes up, we'll be able to help."

With that, Zhou Qinglei led the naval officers and soldiers aboard the 956E.

When Sun Yongguo and the others arrived at the classroom after breakfast, they were instantly startled by the sight inside.

Aside from the usual blackboard, desks, and chairs, the classroom now contained several large pieces of equipment and two missiles.

Apart from Sun Yongguo, no one else knew that the second-stage coursework would involve live ammunition training.

Judging by this setup, it looked like they were going to conduct on-site missile disassembly lectures.

A wave of panic rippled through them. They stood frozen at the doorway, temporarily forgetting to step inside.

At that moment, Su Dingping, who was writing formulas on the blackboard, turned around. A smile graced his face as he called out to the group, "President Sun, why aren't you all coming in?"

That smile from Su Dingping sent a chill down their spines.

Li Mingrui nudged Zhang Gongnong with his elbow and muttered under his breath, "This is all your fault! Yesterday, you were more eager than anyone else to pour wine for Dingping! Look at us now..."

"Hey, you..." Zhang Gongnong retorted irritably, "If you had been sitting next to him, you probably would have been even more eager to pour his wine than I was."

"Everyone, go on in," Sun Yongguo said, putting on a brave face.

Immediately, the group filed in one by one and settled into their respective seats.

"Don't sit so far away, everyone move a bit closer," Su Dingping beckoned to them.

Walking toward the missiles, Su Dingping continued, "We'll start with the disassembly to understand the internal structure, and then we'll go over the principles. Don't worry, all the necessary instruments are ready."

"Come closer, everyone, so you can see clearly."

The group exchanged glances, their hearts filled with quiet anguish.

Had it not been for the events of last night, they might not have thought much of it.

However, they distinctly remembered that Su Dingping had to be supported back to his room yesterday.

Because of this, they couldn't help but let their imaginations run wild.

Even though they knew Su Dingping would never intentionally harm them, their hearts were still trembling somewhat.

Once everyone had gathered closely around, Su Dingping began his lecture. "The 9M38 surface-to-air missile is compatible with the SA-N-7 Gadfly air defense missile system. This missile is not vastly more advanced than our own, but there are still many aspects of this air defense system that are well worth studying."

"Area air defense has always been our weakness. President Lü has made some breakthroughs, but he has only just managed to cross the threshold of area air defense, which still falls short compared to this system."

Pointing to the second missile, Su Dingping continued.

"This one is the SS-N-22 Sunburn anti-ship missile, compatible with the Moskit supersonic anti-ship missile system... Its reaction time is about three seconds faster than the ones currently in active service with us. Furthermore, the SS-N-22 Sunburn harbors many core technologies that require our focused research."

After outlining several key points, Su Dingping abruptly changed the subject.

"Everyone, lend a hand. We will first perform a physical separation of the SS-N-22 Sunburn anti-ship missile body..."

That same afternoon, at the pier of the Southern Naval Military Base.

Qian Wenbing and his guards were walking briskly toward the dock.

Relevant naval personnel were already waiting at the pier.

"How is the situation? Have they arrived?"

"Reporting to the Chief, they have appeared on the radar and will be here in just a moment," the officer replied, pointing to a black dot on the sea horizon.

Taking the binoculars, Qian Wenbing observed for a long time, unable to suppress the excitement in his heart.

He had originally only asked for one 956E destroyer, but Xu Dongguo had given him a pleasant surprise—the optimized 956E was even more formidable than the original.

This single optimized 956E alone was enough to significantly boost the overall combat capability of the Southern Fleet.

With it anchoring their forces, Qian Wenbing felt much more confident about facing the jackals who frequently came to cause trouble.

The southern waters were vast, and the pressure on him was immense; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so eager to have the 956E stationed there.

There was no helping it—the gap between modern and non-modern warships was simply too vast.

The Western proclamation from a few years ago that "a single modern guided-missile destroyer can destroy several non-modern guided-missile destroyers without taking any damage" was not groundless; it was a fact.

Before the second 956E could be optimized, this upgraded 956E served not only as the backbone of the Southern Fleet's confidence but also as the most powerful warship among all three major fleets.

As the warship slowly docked at the pier, Qian Wenbing quickly took a few steps forward.

Shortly after, the vessel came to a complete halt, the boarding ladder was lowered, and Qian Wenbing led his entourage aboard the ship.

"Reporting to the Chief, per Chief Xu's instructions, our unit has successfully delivered the 956E along with its core technologies. Please provide your instructions, Chief."

Zhou Qinglei, accompanied by the executive officer and others, walked up swiftly and saluted Qian Wenbing.

"Show me around."

"Yes, Chief!"

Half an hour later, Qian Wenbing returned to the deck looking extremely satisfied.

He was thoroughly pleased with the optimized 956E!

Shortly after, several military-industrial experts he had brought along walked out briskly.

Qian Wenbing asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"Chief, everything has been verified. There are no issues."

"Chief, these technologies are indeed somewhat advanced for us, but we are confident that we can overcome these obstacles. We just need a little time."

Hearing these words, Qian Wenbing finally set his mind at ease.

He had brazenly badgered Xu Dongguo into handing over the core technology blueprints; if his own people hadn't been able to figure them out, it would have been quite embarrassing.

"You have the time. If you encounter problems and find yourselves stuck in a dead end, don't bang your heads against the wall—just let me know, and I'll personally invite the experts over."

"Rest assured, Chief! If the northerners could figure it out, we southerners won't fall behind!"

"We're all one family, why distinguish between north and south? We are all serving our country!"

"Yes, Chief!"

With the matter of the military experts settled, Qian Wenbing looked at Zhou Qinglei and asked, "Did your Chief Xu urge you to head back immediately?"

"Reporting to the Chief, no, he didn't."

"Very well. You'll stay here for a couple of days and take the opportunity to teach them how to operate the vessel." Qian Wenbing gestured toward the naval officers and soldiers he had brought onto the warship.

"Yes, Chief!"

Another half hour passed before Qian Wenbing and his guards finally left the area.

The optimized 956E far exceeded expectations, and he had completely lost interest in any secondary procurement project for additional 956E destroyers.

As soon as he sat down in his car, he immediately contacted Wang Desheng.

Far away in Beijing, Wang Desheng hung up the phone and was instantly left in a daze.

Previously, Qian Wenbing had repeatedly instructed him to appeal to both reason and emotion when negotiating prices with Turgenev and the others, pressing down the cost wherever possible. Even when Xu Dongguo tried to obstruct the procurement, Qian Wenbing had frequently checked in on the negotiation progress.

Now, however, he had done a complete about-face and simply dropped the matter entirely.

It caught him so off-guard that he had no idea what to do next.

How was he supposed to negotiate now?

He might as well just tell Turgenev and the others to pack their bags and go home.