A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 669 Epilogue: In conclusion, a certain project needs to be stopped!

The rising sun generously showered the sea with its golden rays, completely washing away the gloom and bloodshed of the previous night's fierce battle. The sea surface resembled a vast, burning, flowing golden-red ribbon, shimmering so brightly it was blinding.

The sky was a pure, flawless azure, like a giant jeweled dome overhead.

Ah, the scenery of my hometown...

I've watched it many times, but I still can't get enough.

Liu Huaqing hastily bandaged his injured leg with bandages and iron bars, then leaned against the cold railing of the Anshan warship, holding binoculars and staring intently at the scene in the distance that was destined to be etched into the deepest part of his memory.

In the footage, the massive, jet-black Bald Eagle nuclear submarine, bathed in the morning sun, resembled a comical yet terrifying monster that had just crawled out of hell. Atop its conning tower, a depth charge reflecting a cold, metallic gleam in the golden light—the "medal of honor" personally "awarded" by him—it moved at an appallingly slow pace, under the "friendly and steadfast" "escort" of its own fleet, inching towards the high seas.

Three knots! We absolutely dare not exceed three knots in speed!

With each small wave, the massive hull could only undulate slightly in an almost frozen posture, like a giant baby learning to walk, afraid that a stumble would shatter the crown on its head.

Turning? That's an even longer, more agonizing process that requires calculations starting kilometers in advance, a process so cautious it's almost suffocating. Every time the submarine veers even a few degrees, Liu Huaqing can almost see through his binoculars the pale faces of the Bald Eagle sailors on the submarine's hull and the cold sweat rolling down their foreheads.

Even more ironic is the DD-744 "Blue" destroyer.

Last night it was so arrogant, its searchlight beams sweeping across the sea like haughty scepters. Now, however, it resembles a dejected follower, cautiously navigating to the side and front of the submarine, its massive hull struggling to shield the submarine from the waves ahead. Its once imposing turrets now point skyward, like a toothless tiger.

What gave Liu Huaqing the most twisted sense of pleasure was the scene on the submarine's outer deck. Several Bald Eagle Marines, dressed in dark olive-green combat uniforms, were nervously surrounding a small air pump.

Liu Huaqing remembered one of the guys, a burly man with bulging muscles, very clearly.

Last night, it was this "third-class citizen" in the Bald Eagle Navy who, like a raging bull, swung his oar and gave the gunnery captain of the Sea Eagle a few hard blows, almost shoving him into the sea!

At this moment, the burly man was hunched over, his face covered in oil and fear, carefully operating the buzzing air pump, sucking out the leaked mixture of fuel oil and seawater from the submarine's conning tower. His large hands, which had wielded the oars the night before, were now trembling slightly.

"Serves you right!" Liu Huaqing spat fiercely, the saliva mixed with blood and the salty smell of seawater. A strong sense of vengeful pleasure and a deeper resentment surged in his chest.

"Old Liu! Can you still hold on? If not, I'll have the escort boat take you back!" The captain of the Anshan ship walked over and asked with concern, looking at Liu Huaqing's pale face and immobilized limbs.

"Yes! Of course I can!" Liu Huaqing abruptly put down his binoculars, his voice hoarse but resolute. "I want to etch this scene into my brain! Engrave it into my bones! I'll never forget it for the rest of my life!"

Seeing his fierce expression, the captain of the Anshan warship nodded in agreement, a relieved smile spreading across his face. He chuckled for a while, "Me too! Damn, that was so satisfying! It's just a pity..."

He sighed heavily, gazing at the receding "spectacle," his voice filled with regret, "It's a pity we can't let the whole country know! We can't let the whole world see what a great victory we won!"

Liu Huaqing fell silent. An indescribable sense of suffocation, colder than seawater, gripped his heart like vines.

He slammed his fist on the cold railing. "Whether it's publicized or not doesn't matter!"

Liu Huaqing gritted his teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between them, "We know what we've done! The Dragon King of the Sea knows! This sea knows! I don't care about that empty fame!"

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, and his gaze returned to the submarine, filled with intense hatred and resentment.

"It's just...it's just that they got away like that! They were just 'politely' escorted out of the country! My heart...it's fucking sore!" He suddenly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes staring directly at the captain. "Tell me, if our family...if our family had a big thing like 'Little Boy'! If we had something that could overturn their lair! Would the higher-ups...would the higher-ups still put up with this humiliation? Would they just stand by and watch this bastard who invaded our home, carrying a bomb, swagger out like that?!"

"It's so frustrating! It's so frustrating!"

…………

"It's so frustrating! So incredibly frustrating... Even if I managed to get something from them, it still leaves me feeling uneasy!"

In a study in the lake, someone also uttered such a sigh.

"There's no other way, this is the best solution. They want to save face, we want to save substance. A compromise is the best we can do."

"Stretch your fist when you need to, and shrink back when you need to. This world isn't that simple. Sometimes, pulling your fist back is so you can punch it out even faster!"

"To cope with the current situation, we still need to hone our skills!"

After these words, the study fell silent. After a long while, someone finally spoke.

"Speaking of diligently practicing martial arts, that kid said something during the conference call just now..."

"Ch..."

As the match was lit, a plume of smoke rose into the study.

“What he said makes a lot of sense. The fact that today’s incident was resolved relatively smoothly is largely thanks to the ‘digital radio’ he came up with; otherwise, the communication wouldn’t have been completed so quickly!”

"Yeah! The first thing to detect the enemy destroyer's incursion was his modified radar..."

"Looking at it this way, his proposed Skynet seems... to be really feasible!"

"The facts speak for themselves! I've always felt that what this kid did before was very disjointed. One minute it's a computer, the next it's some flying cat-and-mouse car..."

"But today, this kid's 'concept of building a digital regional joint defense system' seems to connect all the things he's done. Is this the system he's been claiming to have?"

"Since there's a defense system, there should also be an attack system! If we broaden the scope of this system, what about an industrial system? An agricultural system? Or even... a development system?"

"Hiss..." Upon hearing this, someone excitedly stood up and spun around in circles: "There's great potential! There's great potential!"

"Boss! I have a very vague idea right now. I feel like it's a direction, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like looking through a thin sheet of paper. Ugh! It's so frustrating..."

"Don't be annoyed, don't be annoyed... We'll cross the river by feeling for the stones. Let the little guy write down what he said carefully, and based on his opinions, we can do a pilot project... We can't afford to see the whole picture from a small part; this defense system is a good opportunity to see how good this new idea is..."

"Sir, does that mean you agree to terminate the Dongfeng 113 program?"

"Promote it gradually..."

"We can't just dismiss everyone on a whim. Let's hold an evaluation meeting. Our comrades should have discovered quite a few good things during the research process..."

"Then... I'm afraid very few people are capable of handling the identification work..."

"Haha, I remember approving a pretty big building for the little guy. Let's get his standardization association moving. I believe this association is not something he's just messing around with."

"Tsk, boss, what are you going to do..." The man paused, his mind filled with surprise.

These days, leaders rarely name specific individuals to be in charge of projects anymore. What does that mean?

Permit?

No taboos?

Yes, yes. This is such a large project, involving nearly a hundred research institutions and tens of thousands of people. The relationships involved are incredibly complex, so it definitely can't be rushed…

The leader's approval was also intended to make that person...

Before he could finish thinking, his boss continued, "Oh, and pass on a message to the young man: Take it one bite at a time; work is never-ending. He needs to take care of himself!"

"He doesn't need to think so much before we old guys fall. Just do what you want!"

"Haha, old friend, your posture is just like a mother hen protecting her chicks..." another gentle old man clapped his hands with a smile.

"Hey, I'm saying this for you too! Take good care of yourselves! These little seedlings haven't grown tall yet, we have to support them!"