48: What the hell is a surprise? You really stole a B2 bomb.

Chapter 48: What the Hell is a Surprise? You Really Stole the B-2 Bomber Technology?

“That’s truly wonderful, I’ve been looking forward to it,” Lu Ze said with a smile, a hint of excitement hidden in his eyes.

The B-2 Spirit Bomber—just its name alone is the 'white moonlight' in many people's hearts.

Given the chance to copy such a high-tech item, he naturally wouldn't hesitate.

“Lucy, are we going in the morning or the afternoon?”

He wasn't in a hurry, instead, he slowly finished the noodles in his bowl.

He didn't even need to ask for the specific time. After all, both Lu Ze and Lucy, being somewhat renowned in the art of slacking off, naturally wouldn't do anything to 'ruin their reputation.'

They would definitely only go to the maintenance center during working hours. Would they go after work?

“Let’s go at ten o’clock. We can come back for lunch right afterward.”

Lucy thought for a moment and said seriously, “They say there’s taro pie today; we can’t miss it.”

“I’m finished.” She set down an extra-large bowl and elegantly wiped the oil from her mouth.

Although Lucy ate very quickly, her table manners were typically ladylike.

“Alright.” Lu Ze nodded, began to clear the dishes, and pondered silently.

‘For Da Xia, which technology is better: the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer or the B-2 Bomber?’ Lu Ze mused.

If Da Xia had to choose, the answer to this question would undoubtedly be the latter.

After all, simply looking at the development timeline, the Arleigh Burke-class, which began service in the 1990s, is already on the fringes of its era.

It is a remnant of the old era; in the new world of the 21st century, there is no ship to carry it.

The 052D missile destroyer that Da Xia is currently building, apart from having slightly fewer vertical launch cells, has advantages in almost every other aspect. Not to mention, after accumulating experience from building the 052D, the 'invincible' 055-ton large destroyer was developed and launched a few years later.

Who would have thought that a missile destroyer’s displacement could exceed 10,000 tons, and it would even be maniacally equipped with hypersonic anti-ship missiles like the Yingji-21, making it a proper aircraft carrier killer?

And traditional missile destroyers like the Arleigh Burke-class have long been directly phased out.

It can be said that in the next decade, Da Xia's development speed in destroyers will probably exceed the imagination of the entire world.

Possessing the technology of the arleigh burke-class destroyer might only make Da Xia's research and development Ideas smoother, but it wouldn't be significantly better.

But the B-2 Bomber is different. As a Stealth Strategic Bomber, even more than a decade later, it is still the only one in service worldwide. Even Da Xia’s H-20, developed over many years, has not yet disclosed any first flight information, let alone entered official service batches.

In this regard, it's not just the demand for long-range Stealth Strategic Bombers, as a considerable part of their functions has been replaced by large drones. The latter are largely more convenient, lower cost, easier to mass-produce, and so on. Another part is also due to Da Xia's high technical specifications for the H-20.

But no matter how it is explained, the technology of a successfully developed B-2 Bomber holds immense significance for Da Xia, and it can help avoid many detours in the H-20 development project.

‘And opportunities to access the B-2 Bomber are much rarer than for the burke-class destroyer.’

Thinking of this, Lu Ze made up his mind: ‘It’s decided then, B-2 Bomber!’

There are only a few B-2 Bombers in the entire world, scattered across various Air Force bases, making it not so easy to access them.

It was hard enough for the LLNL National Laboratory to get one B-2 Bomber, and it was only staying for five days of maintenance before returning.

Who knows when he would have another chance to encounter it? Therefore, Lu Ze couldn't let it go no matter what. He could go for the destroyer during the next Navy open day.

At half past ten in the morning, the midday sun hung high in the sky, making the heat almost unbearable.

LLNL National Laboratory, at the main entrance of the maintenance center storage area.

“Lu Ze, let’s hurry inside.”

Lucy fanned her sun-reddened cheeks with her hand: “It’s too sunny.”

Although the temperature in California in May isn't high, it can definitely peel off a layer of skin. It was deadly not to have applied sunscreen before going out.

“I should have brought a parasol,” Lu Ze said apologetically, handing her a few wet wipes.

If Lucy's skin, which was as smooth as congealed fat, got tanned, he would feel very bad.

Without another word, the two walked straight in.

The entire storage area was still piled with a dazzling array of weapon equipment, and among this latest batch of equipment, there were some new items Lu Ze hadn't seen before.

‘AH64 Apache Attack Helicopter.’

‘A-10 Thunderbolt II Attack Aircraft.’

‘Stryker Wheeled Combat Vehicle.’

‘...’

Lu Ze didn't spend too much time admiring these new gadgets; all his attention was focused on the behemoth in the distance.

Hundreds of square meters around it were completely cleared, with only this one piece of equipment resting steadily in the very center.

It was that B-2 Bomber.

Lu Ze chuckled, “No wonder some people say this is a flying saucer the Eagle Nation got from aliens; it really looks like one.”

Its appearance was almost unlike any other aircraft currently on Earth.

Its unique triangular shape and extremely flattened structure, at first glance, didn't resemble an aircraft; it looked more like a fish or an unidentified flying object.

However, this also confirms the saying that in military equipment, aesthetics are combat power. How can good-looking weapons be mere showpieces?

The better they look, the more painful they hit!

“Lu Ze, this time we only have five minutes and cannot enter the cockpit.”

“The reason it’s so urgent this time is because—”

Lucy was about to explain the reason when Lu Ze waved his hand, interrupting her: “Five minutes is already enough.”

In his opinion, for Lucy to allow him to visit this B-2 Bomber alone for five minutes was already an extremely incredible privilege.

Even a professor-level person like Michael Hassen at the laboratory might not be able to casually enter this area, let alone bring someone to wander and visit.

Lu Ze had also been curious about Lucy's identity, as he hadn't heard of any high-ranking official named Hill at the LLNL National Laboratory.

But since she didn't want to reveal it herself, why should he ask too many questions?

Under Lucy's gaze, Lu Ze slowly walked up to the bomber, his palm gently touching its pitch-black outer shell. A unique sensation, cold and hard, came through.

He silently counted to five in his mind: ‘54’

Instantly, a piece of information popped up on the light screen in his eyeball.

【Current technological item: B-2 Stealth Strategic Bomber.】

【Value: 50,000 Achievement Points.】

【Please choose whether to copy.】

It actually had as many as 50,000 Achievement Points? This huge number was beyond his expectation.

He had originally estimated it would only be about one or two times the value of an F22.

‘It must be due to its rarity and value, which is why this B-2 Bomber is worth 50,000 Achievement Points,’ he quickly guessed.

The technological content of the B-2 Bomber absolutely cannot exceed that of the F22 by five times; this is obvious without much thought.

But considering the F22’s nearly 200 units and its two-hundred-million usd price tag, it pales in comparison to the B-2 Bomber.

If understood by Lu Ze's concept of playing gacha games in his previous life, the F22 could only be considered an SR card, while the B-2 Bomber was categorized by the system as an SSR level, thus the Achievement Point reward increased significantly.

Thoughts flashed by.

‘Yes.’ Lu Ze, without any hesitation, decisively chose to copy it.

【Current technological item, B-2 Strategic Bomber, successfully copied!】

【Reward: 50,000 Achievement Points, complete set of B-2 Strategic Bomber design blueprints, physical entity (stored in inventory).】

【System Space Inventory: B-2 Strategic Bomber, F22 Fifth-Generation Heavy Air Superiority Fighter × 2, Boeing 777-300ER, ...】

Five minutes quietly slipped by.

“Lucy, let’s go.”

Lu Ze felt incredibly pleased: “Today, I’m treating you to a big meal; no more cafeteria.”

“Then shall we go to that new French restaurant? I hear their foie gras is good.” Lucy’s eyes lit up.

It was just as she thought: as long as she took Lu Ze to see high-tech equipment, there would be a big meal.

“Alright!” Lu Ze nodded. Today, he was going all out!

A few hours later.

It was still midnight in Da Xia, and a room in the Xia Academy of Sciences was brightly lit.

Two old men sat stiffly in chairs, military coats draped over their shoulders for warmth.

“General Zheng, Dean, you should go rest. I and others can stand guard here.”

Liu Zhixue looked at the two with concern: “If there’s any unusual situation, I’ll notify you urgently.”

As a middle-aged man in his late forties, he could still hold on for a while.

But Zhang Yuli and Zheng Lixing were both over sixty years old, and staying up all night for them was more than just bad for their health.

“It’s fine, we’ll go rest in a bit.” Zheng Lixing waved his hand slightly, sipping tea from his cup to stay awake.

“Old Zheng, let’s go rest for a bit.”

Zhang Yuli felt a bit dizzy and also advised, “Little Liu watching here is enough. It’s only for a short while; you can’t wait that long, can you?”

After speaking, he directly pulled Zheng Lixing, this stubborn old man, to the adjacent resting room to recuperate.

Ever since Zheng Lixing learned that the Mysterious Organization was preparing a surprise gift, he had been unable to eat or sleep, constantly awaiting the arrival of a new email.

If he continued to stay up for a few more days like this, he might not get the surprise, but rather a shock first.

Just as he was dozing off for an hour, suddenly.

“Dean, a new email has been sent.” They seemed to hear this voice, and both immediately opened their eyes and walked into the signal-shielded room.

“Old Zhang, quickly verify it.” Zheng Lixing’s expression was tense, and he was somewhat restless.

“Aren’t I already going as fast as I can?”

Zhang Yuli sat in the chair, swiftly verifying one security command after another.

In less than a minute, he logged into the email backend, and a new email instantly popped up.

【There was a small unexpected twist in this plan; the surprise prepared for Da Xia this time might be even bigger!】

【The technology our organization couldn't get last time, we've brought it to you this time.】

Seeing this content, all three men's faces changed dramatically.

“The technology they couldn’t get last time? The technology the Mysterious Organization mentioned last time seemed to be…” Liu Zhixue swallowed, his face filled with shock and stupor.

“They wouldn’t really have gotten the B-2 Bomber technology, would they?”

Zheng Lixing’s heart pounded violently: “This is simply too outrageous.”

No matter what he had guessed the Mysterious Organization's surprise would be, he had never considered this possibility.

How could something like that be so easily obtained?

Even the Eagle Nation itself might not be able to produce it smoothly now, let alone steal the complete set of technology?

“Although I also think it’s impossible, but…” Zhang Yuli didn't continue.

If it were anyone else, he would absolutely not believe it, but when it came to this 'Mysterious Organization,' Zhang Yuli truly believed them!

He decisively typed a line of text to reply.

‘Our Da Xia greatly anticipates this surprise and will still provide your esteemed organization with corresponding compensation.’

Everyone in the room stared intently at the screen, awaiting a response from the other side.

At this moment, they felt as if every passing second was unprecedentedly long.

After a while, the Mysterious Organization's reply arrived.

【Is this technology surprising enough? How much compensation do you think it’s worth?】

【B-2 'Ghost' Strategic Bomber Technology Design Blueprints!】

【B-2 Bomber Manufacturing Process and Material Analysis.】

【General Electric F118-GE-100 Turbofan Engine Technology Detailed Blueprints.】

【B-2 Stealth Coating Alternating High-Frequency Material (AHFM) Synthesis Formula and Preparation Methods.】

【...】

Suddenly.

“It’s really the B-2 Bomber technology?”

Zheng Lixing said, dumbfounded, “They really got this technology?”

Good heavens, you explain what the hell a surprise is! So this is the surprise!

The Mysterious Organization really got their hands on the complete set of B-2 Bomber technology?

(Two chapters combined, the next chapter should be around 6/7 PM.)