Chapter 65: Utterly Stunned! Ours is Stronger Than the 956E!

To scatter the ashes of the Eight-Eight Fleet?

How much courage and wild ambition does it take to utter such words?

Lü Guangjun’s mind was shaken to the core. This was something he would never even dare to imagine. The deeper he understood the Eastern Ocean Maritime Self-Defense Force, the more he realized just how terrifying the Eight-Eight Fleet truly was.

"Old Lü, youth is truly a fine thing—full of drive, full of vigor, leaving opponents completely out of consideration. Strategically despise the enemy, but tactically take them seriously!"

Sun Yongguo changed the subject, a look of hopeful anticipation flashing in his eyes: "For some reason, I really look forward to that day arriving."

Lü Guangjun rolled his eyes and casually remarked.

"It’s understandable for Dingping to be young and full of vigor; he has the strength and the confidence. Given enough time, maybe he really stands a chance. But you—you’ve got one foot in the grave, what are you joining in on the nonsense for?"

"Let’s wait until we can build a shield frigate comparable to the Kongō-class guided-missile destroyers before talking about scattering ashes. Who knows when that will even be."

After a brief pause, Lü Guangjun added helplessly.

"Even if that day truly comes, we won't live to see it."

Sun Yongguo and the others fell into a brief silence.

They firmly believed that the future of the navy would certainly be bright, but they simply felt they might not live to witness that day.

"Put that aside for a moment. Do you guys really think the modified 052 will be stronger than the 956E?"

Lü Guangjun turned his head to look at the others.

"Let’s hope so." Sun Yongguo wasn't entirely certain either. "Our navy does indeed need warships stronger than the 956E to hold the line. Relying solely on two 956E ships and the newly-modernized 051C, I’m afraid we can't shoulder the heavy burden of the navy dealing with complex situations."

"I trust Dingping!"

Zhang Gongnong suddenly spoke up, his expression full of determination.

"He used to be my student, and I know him. Dingping has never been someone who just talks big; he is capable of miracles! Optimizing the 956E was like that, and modifying the 052 will be too!"

The men looked at each other in dismay. Though they didn't know where Zhang Gongnong's confidence came from, for some inexplicable reason, they felt a lot more settled in their hearts.

At that moment, Su Dingping walked over.

"Gentlemen, it’s about time."

Sun Yongguo said, "Dingping, you can rest assured and leave it to us!"

Lü Guangjun took over the conversation, "Although our manpower is smaller this time, we are extremely familiar with the 052, making disassembly much easier. Besides, we’ve already collaborated with them twice, so working together will be even smoother."

"Gentlemen, let’s begin!"

At Su Dingping’s command, everyone present sprang into action.

Glancing at the busy crowd, Su Dingping turned and headed toward his quarters. He needed to go back and refine a few more details.

Since the boast had already been made, the burden on his shoulders remained quite heavy.

Just as Sun Yongguo and the others were directing the naval officers and soldiers in dismantling the 052, Li Mingrui, accompanied by fifteen defense industry experts, arrived by special plane at the Eastern Maritime Military Base of the Navy.

As soon as the sixteen of them stepped off the plane, they saw Xiao Chongjun personally leading a welcoming party to greet them.

"Chief, why did you come in person?" Li Mingrui was startled and hurriedly spoke.

Xiao Chongjun smiled and said.

"Professor Li and your team have come to help out my Eastern Fleet, so it’s only right that I come myself."

Despite saying that, his gaze swept across the crowd, only to find a group of defense experts in their forties and fifties. Immediately afterward, his eyes shifted back toward the cabin door.

Failing to see the person he wanted to see, he withdrew his gaze with a trace of disappointment.

Old Xu really something else; for such a big matter, he didn't even let the young comrade come in person.

Even if it was just to stay for a few days and leave, that would have been fine.

Truly lacking in sportsmanship!

After mentally venting his frustration at Xu Dongguo, Xiao Chongjun maintained his smile and said, "Gentlemen, I’ve brought everyone here. From here on out, I’ll have to trouble you all."

Behind Xiao Chongjun, a group of defense experts nodded in greeting to Li Mingrui and his team.

Clearly, Xiao Chongjun hoped not only to optimize the 956E, but also for his own defense experts to catch up to the pace of Research Institute 335, ensuring they wouldn't fall too far behind.

Xiao Chongjun asked, "Right, the 956E is still on exhibition today. Do we need to recall it? As you know, to maintain the overall stability, we had no choice but to take the 956E out for a public appearance."

"Let's do it tomorrow," Li Mingrui explained. "Today we’ll familiarize ourselves with the procedures alongside them, and we'll start construction tomorrow."

"Construction starts tomorrow? Won't that be too rushed?"

"We'll follow the method Dingping taught us—learning and exploring through practice. Rest assured, Chief, nothing will go wrong."

Since this method had been learned from Su Dingping's side, Li Mingrui felt completely at ease.

"I’ll assign someone to coordinate with you later. If you need anything, just give the order!"

"Understood, Chief!"

After settling Li Mingrui and the others, Xiao Chongjun finally returned to the Eastern Fleet Command Headquarters.

The moment he sat down, he eagerly placed a call to Xu Dongguo.

"Old Xu, what's wrong with you? Last time I told you the young comrade didn't need to come, and that was just talk—how could you actually take it seriously?"

"I didn't take it lightly, it's just that Dingping has truly been too busy lately and couldn't spare the time."

"Hey, you Xu Dongguo! I just don't get it—what on earth could possibly be more important in your Northern Fleet right now than optimizing the 956E?"

Xu Dongguo on the other end of the line instantly fell silent.

Regarding the 052 modification, he had zero confidence in his heart and literally had no way to explain it.

"Old Xu? Say something!"

"There is something, but it's not convenient to discuss over the phone."

"Fine, fine, fine. I see how it is now—you just take the Chief's words as an imperial edict!" Xiao Chongjun grew anxious as well. "You even treat me like an outsider. Go ahead and keep secrets; who could ever keep anything from you?"

With that, Xiao Chongjun slammed down the phone.

After taking two steps toward the door, he turned right back around and returned to his desk.

Originally, he had indeed planned to go to the Northern Fleet to find Xu Dongguo and see what on earth they were up to, but the moment he thought of the delicate current situation, he had to dismiss the thought.

If he went there, the hidden eyes and ears would undoubtedly all turn their focus toward the Northern Fleet, which would bring a great deal of uncertainty and instability to Su Dingping at the Northern Maritime Military Base.

"The young comrade truly needs key protection, and running around everywhere isn't appropriate either. Oh well, I'll settle accounts with Old Xu the next time our training exercises bring us together!"

Putting Su Dingping's matter aside, Xiao Chongjun called out, "Guard!"

Soon, the guard pushed the door open and walked in.

"Reporting to the Chief, please give your instructions."

"Pass down the order—cancel the third day of the 956E exhibition!"

"Understood, Chief!"

Just as the guard was about to leave, Xiao Chongjun called him back.

"Has the Bear Country delegation left yet?"

"Reporting to the Chief, they’ve been lingering around Zhejiang these past few days and show no signs of leaving."

Still staying here?

Xiao Chongjun's eyes flashed with contemplative thought.

The night before yesterday, the moment Turgenev and his group arrived in Ningbo, he had received the intelligence.

The news regarding the fourth Kongō-class guided-missile destroyer of the Eastern Ocean was leaked by Bear Country, so he paid quite a bit of attention to the whereabouts of Turgenev and the others.

Yesterday, when they blended into the crowd to visit the 956E, Xiao Chongjun had also turned a blind eye.

The 956E was an exhibition open to the public anyway, so naturally, no extra restrictions were set—as long as on-site security was guaranteed. Of course, facing so many naval officers and soldiers armed with live ammunition, no one dared to act recklessly.

He had originally assumed these people would just come for a look and leave, but they had actually stayed behind.

This forced him to suspect whether Bear Country might make further moves next!

"We aren't even planning to buy it anymore; why are they still pushing and prodding us to buy?"

After pondering for a long moment, he said.

"Keep people assigned to watch them, and report any developments to me immediately."

"Understood, Chief!"

As the news of the exhibition's cancellation spread, the military enthusiasts who had planned to come and see the 956E were instantly dumbfounded.

Not everyone had weekends off; some had rest days during the middle of the week and had planned to take the train to Ningbo on Sunday night for a look.

Zhao Haikou was left in a daze upon receiving the news.

He had originally planned to take advantage of the school's winter vacation starting tomorrow to take Wang Xin to Ningbo to visit the 956E. Now, that plan had gone down the drain.

"What happened? Everything was fine, why was it suddenly canceled?"

Filled with doubt, he logged onto the Tiexue Forum.

The moment he entered, he saw numerous military enthusiasts frantically discussing the matter in the forums.

"Brothers, no need to go to the site tomorrow. I've got inside info—tomorrow's 956E exhibition is canceled!"

"What's going on? Weren't they supposed to exhibit for three days? Why cancel on the third day? Could something have happened?"

"Is there any possibility that nothing went wrong at the exhibition site itself, but rather something happened out at sea?"

"Damn! For real? No way, the Three Fleets haven't made a single peep. You're definitely overthinking it."

"Why not! Then you tell me why it was canceled? Everything has a reason! I reckon..."

The military enthusiasts grew increasingly outrageous in their speculation, to the point where Zhao Haikou thought a third world war was about to break out.

After scrolling through the replies for a long time without finding any valuable information, he helplessly logged out of the Tiexue Forum.

"They always say there are masters on the Tiexue Forum, but it looks like even masters have their limits."

Zhao Haikou let out a soft sigh.

If he hadn't been so bogged down by experiments over the past two days and unable to break away, he would have gone to the site yesterday.

He had yearned for the 956E for a long time, but alas, it seemed he was destined never to see it.

He found Wang Xin and explained the situation, and the two decided to change their travel destination instead.

Guo Xueyun watched the two of them sweetly planning where to play, feeling a sudden sense of trance.

In the past, she only found their clinginess somewhat annoying, but now she had a different perspective, feeling somewhat hollow inside.

She suddenly recalled the wonderful memories of celebrating New Year's Day with Su Dingping in Qingdao.

Abruptly, a thought flashed through her mind.

If Junior Brother Su were here, I could also discuss where to travel with him like that...

The moment the thought emerged, a blush immediately bloomed on her face.

She shook her head repeatedly, banishing the distracting thoughts from her mind.

Just as the two were about to leave, Guo Xueyun asked subconciously, "Senior Brother Zhao, has Junior Brother Su still not come back?"

"No, he hasn't. Why?"

"Nothing," Guo Xueyun casually replied. "Just asking."

The two waved goodbye to Guo Xueyun and left the laboratory hand in hand.

Watching their retreating backs, Guo Xueyun seemed to remember something and pulled out her pale blue Nokia 3310.

The 3310 was a product newly released by Nokia earlier that year, out of stock everywhere on the market, yet Guo Xueyun already had one in hand.

Flipping through her contacts, her gaze landed on the name Zhang Gongnong.

She naturally couldn't save Su Dingping's contact information since she didn't have it.

However, Zhang Gongnong did, so the day she left, she had quietly asked Zhang Gongnong for his contact number.

For nearly a month, she had never reached out to him. Now, influenced by Wang Xin and her partner, coupled with the approaching New Year, she suddenly felt a strong urge to inquire about Su Dingping's situation.

Her slender, fair fingers tapped back and forth on the keypad for a long time. Staring at the drafted text message, she hesitated indecisively.

"He should be busy. If he weren't busy, he would have returned to school by now."

Deep down, she actually knew very well that if Zhang Gongnong was truly engaged in a classified project, she wouldn't be able to reach him. By the time the other party saw her message, who knew how many days would have passed.

In the end, she did not press the send button, but instead deleted it character by character.

Glancing back at the laboratory one last time, Guo Xueyun also prepared to pack her things and return to Qingdao.

In her wildest dreams, she would never have guessed that Su Dingping was also in Qingdao.

Meanwhile, under the direction of Sun Yongguo and the others, the crowd worked until evening, finally completely dismantling the 052. The 052 now floated on the water's surface as nothing more than an empty shell.

"Everyone’s worked hard; I’m going to go find Dingping." With that, Sun Yongguo walked swiftly toward Su Dingping's quarters.

Knock, knock—

"Dingping, it's done."

Opening the door, Su Dingping walked out with an expression of surprise.

"Dean, so fast this time?"

"We know the 052 inside and out, and there's no real difficulty in dismantling it, so naturally it went quickly," Sun Yongguo explained. "Rest assured, we completely hollowed out the 052, strictly according to your requirements."

Carrying a huge stack of blueprints, Su Dingping followed Sun Yongguo to the site.

Handing the blueprints over to Sun Yongguo, he climbed the gangway stairs, glanced inside, and nodded with great satisfaction. With the 052's disassembly complete, it was time to get to work.

Seeing the work go by so quickly, Zhou庆磊 (Zhou Qinglei) had genuinely worried that some details might have been left undone. Now seeing Su Dingping nod, Zhou Qinglei and the naval officers and soldiers let out a collective breath of relief.

"Dingping, just let us know whenever you need anything. Carry on with your work!"

With that, Zhou Qinglei led his men away from the site. He was well aware of when he should appear and when he should keep his distance.

Stepping down the gangway, Su Dingping said.

"Dean, have everyone clear away all these disassembled parts later. We won't be needing them."

What?

Won't be needing them?

Isn't this a modification?

Sun Yongguo took out Su Dingping's blueprints and asked.

"Dingping, the few of us skimmed through this earlier. The design scheme here is indeed modified on the basis of the 052, but surely we don't need to throw away all these components, do we?"

Lü Guangjun also chimed in, "They're brand new after all. I feel like we could make do with them by making a few adjustments."

"I know they're brand new, but the technology they carry is outdated. We have to undergo a complete blood transfusion."

Glancing at the blueprints in Sun Yongguo's hands, Su Dingping explained.

"You guys looked at the wrong one. This copy is my earlier Design Scheme A, which I already scrapped. I grabbed it by mistake just now out of habit when picking things up."

Ah?

Sun Yongguo and the others looked at each other in blank dismay.

They had discussed this very design scheme earlier; once modified successfully, its combat capability would definitely surpass the 051C, representing a massive leap forward.

Yet, a design scheme like that had actually been scrapped!

The men couldn't wrap their heads around it.

Su Dingping began rummaging through the thick stack of blueprints.

Soon, he pulled out a folded blueprint.

"This is Design Scheme B that I subsequently improved."

"This is the overall diagram. There are too many detail drawings; we'll go fetch them together in a moment."

When the blueprint was unfolded, it was roughly half the size of a blackboard.

The overall structural diagram of the warship was drawn on the blueprint, with every component heavily annotated with pen on the side.

Sun Yongguo and the others crowded around and studied it for a long time before raising their heads with expressions of utter disbelief.

At last, they finally understood what Su Dingping meant by a complete blood transfusion.

They also understood why Su Dingping required over fifty million in military funding, along with some of the high-end, cutting-edge machine tools that hadn't been used when conquering the 956E—it turned out that the vast majority of components needed to be forged anew.

If they couldn't spot the remnants of Scheme A within it, they would honestly have believed this was an entirely new model.

If they truly followed the standards on this blueprint step by step, the modified 052 would genuinely surpass the optimized 956E in combat capability!

A surge of excitement coursed through the men.

Dingping really didn't lie to us!

A smile surfaced on Zhang Gongnong's face, as if he were saying: I told you so, Dingping is someone who can work miracles.

"Dingping, judging from the blueprint, fifty million and change isn't enough!" Sun Yongguo said.

Lü Guangjun immediately patted his chest and said, "Dingping, I’ll apply for military funds from the Chief right now—let's start with 200 million!"

Su Dingping shook his head repeatedly. "We don't need that much; fifty-odd million is about right."

"Dingping, we absolutely cannot skimp when it's time to spend! You mustn't let penny-wise savings ruin the big picture. Although our naval funds are tight, the Chief will definitely approve money that needs to be spent!"

Lü Guangjun tried to persuade him earnestly, yet the moment he heard Su Dingping's next sentence, his entire body went numb.

"Dean Lü, I understand what you mean, but let's just get it right in one go."

What?

Get it right in one go?

Such a major modification project, passed in one go? Did I hear that right?

The men froze in place.

Trial and error, forging, refinement, mature craftsmanship—all these processes can just be skipped?

Following that standard set of procedures, thinking about it without ten or eight hundred million yuan would be sheer daydreaming.

Su Dingping added indifferently and lightheartedly.

"It's just modifying an 052, why make such a huge fuss out of it? Getting it right in one go is no problem at all."

The men stared at each other, their minds completely blank.

"Alright, let's not waste time. Let's begin."