44: Chapter 44 You're complaining the temple is too small

Gao Qiqiang stood at the port of Kerch, watching the last truck drive into the port area, and dialed Zhao Yang's number.

"Hello, I've found the number you asked me to check. It should be +1-212-555-0818. Did you get that?"

Zhao Yang's voice came from the other end of the line: "What did you say? Did you dial the wrong number?"

Gao Qiqiang paused. "Sorry, I dialed the wrong number."

The goods had arrived at the respective seaports and loading had begun.

That phone call just now was a code between him and Zhao Yang—everything was going smoothly, and the goods were starting to be loaded.

Just yesterday, the massive business delegation had arrived in Kyiv. Due to the sensational effect caused by the success in Budapest, coupled with the prior publicity by Qingting, this delegation from Jinghai, Dragon Country, had attracted almost all the attention in Ulan Country.

To coincide with the opening ceremony of the first overseas counter for Hongdou Technology, a lucky draw was also held, with 2,000 hongdou phones as prizes. Although this event was claimed to be open to the public, at least 1,500 lottery tickets were distributed to officials in Ulan Country, and another 100 were specifically issued to customs personnel at the ports of Odessa and Kerch.

At this moment, the lucky draw was taking place. The two ports were in a state of lax management, minimizing the risk of the goods being inspected.

Gao Qiqiang hadn't slept for two days. His body was extremely exhausted, but his mind was incredibly excited. He kept a close eye on the loading progress until the last container was loaded onto the ship, watching as the vessels departed from the port of Kerch.

Phew...

Gao Qiqiang let out a long sigh and dialed Zhao Yang's number again. This time, no one answered. He waited for three rings before hanging up.

Then, as if all his bones had been removed, he plopped down onto the ground.

All the exhaustion erupted in an instant. He just wanted to have a good sleep.

After catching his breath for ten minutes, Gao Qiqiang slowly stood up and left the port of Kerch. He couldn't rest yet—he had to immediately organize the return of the veteran craftsmen brought from home to the country.

...

Compared to the An-225 passing through the port of Odessa, the operation for the Tu-160 carried greater risk. After all, it was a thorn in America's side, and it absolutely could not be allowed to fall into the hands of other major powers.

To prevent discovery by America's agents after the fact, the inside contact in Ulan Country had even obtained disassembled parts of two Tu-16s and piled them in the place where the Tu-160 had originally been stored, to create confusion.

The carnival in Kyiv would last for four days. No one knew that two strategic national treasures were sailing on the Black Sea, bound for the Dragon Country in the East.

After learning that the fleet had set sail, Zhao Yang also breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as there were no leaks, and unless the fleet was unlucky enough to encounter a storm, it could basically be confirmed that this operation had been a success.

It was almost too smooth to be true. Had he overlooked anything?

In the soft glow of the desk lamp, Zhao Yang repeatedly pondered the process, then suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Ha! How could I have forgotten this? It turns out that big guy was also providing cover for us."

Currently, the aircraft carrier "Varyag" was in the most difficult "Black Sea distress" period on its way home. Forced to be blocked by the Turkish government, it was unable to pass through the Bosphorus Strait and had to return to a port in Ulan Country after drifting in the Black Sea for a long time. Its plight had attracted almost all of America's attention, which was why they had completely ignored other directions.

Thinking of the ill-fated Varyag, Zhao Yang also felt a sense of helplessness. Its situation was almost laid out before the world's media—aside from relying on the power of the state, no matter how many calculations he had, it would be of no use.

After all, it was a big guy weighing over 60,000 tons; every move it made could not be hidden at all.

However, Zhao Yang knew that the big guy would eventually arrive in Dragon Country in two years and begin its Nirvana Rebirth. He didn't need to worry about this—he remembered experts analyzing that, from the logic of military development, Dragon Country developed in the order of land, air, and sea.

The army was the basic force for national defense; the air force controlled air superiority, not only providing a solid protective umbrella for the army and navy but also serving as an important strategic projection force; while the navy was a standard offensive force that required strong national power to support it.

In the recent decade of Dragon Country, the importance of the air force was clearly higher than that of the navy.

...

When the business delegation from Jinghai City left Kyiv, the fleet had already passed through the Bosphorus Strait, entered the Mediterranean Sea, and was sailing toward the Suez Canal.

By the time they finished their itinerary in Moscow, the fleet was queuing at the Suez Canal.

After the delegation returned to the country, some were happy while others were sad: the enterprises in Jinghai were delighted to have secured orders; the Investment Promotion Bureau was somewhat depressed because they hadn't attracted much investment; the artists from the performing arts troupe were excited to have received more invitations; and Phoenix Legend had transformed from obscurity into a group with some international influence.

Qingting also received higher praise in the industry for successfully organizing a pioneering cross-border business event. Before Jiang Xueqiong had even returned to the country, project invitation letters had already been sent to her email.

But the hearts of Zhao Yang, Meng Dehai, and Gao Qiqiang had not yet settled—the ships had not yet arrived at the port.

Twenty days later, the fleet successfully passed through the Strait of Malacca.

Two days later, the fleet docked in Hong Kong.

The containers holding the disassembled parts of the An-225 and the Tu-160 were loaded onto two medium-sized bulk carriers, respectively.

At 3:00 AM, one day later.

The two bulk carriers entered the port of Jinghai.

The port had long been taken over by military departments. Dozens of large trucks were ready and waiting.

In the darkness, the two ships slowly docked.

The machines at the port began to move.

Apart from the roar of the machinery, all the staff were silent, moving quickly, coordinating like precision gears.

One container after another was hoisted onto the trucks and drove away from the wharf.

When the last vehicle had left, General Feng shook hands firmly with Zhao Yang and patted Gao Qiqiang heavily on the shoulder.

"You've worked hard. The country will remember you."

Gao Qiqiang was trembling all over with excitement and couldn't speak.

Zhao Yang was also overwhelmed with emotion: "General Feng, every participant, regardless of whether they knew the inside story, is a hero."

"You are right." General Feng let out a sigh and lowered his voice, "Speaking in violation of confidentiality principles—you have saved the country five years of time."

"Actually... there is one more thing." Zhao Yang pulled General Feng aside and lowered his voice, "The contact in Ulan Country seems to have guessed something and said they have a batch of materials they want to sell. I am still contacting and confirming."

General Feng's expression turned serious: "What kind of materials? Regarding military equipment?"

"No." Zhao Yang said, "He said it's about industrial planning—that is, the industrial development plans they made in the past to build aircraft carriers, and how to establish an industrial system. I don't know if it's useful for us."

"It's useful!" General Feng's voice was trembling slightly, "Are you sure it's really about that?"

"That's what he said, but I haven't seen the content yet." Zhao Yang said, "He said he is organizing it and will email me a portion of it soon."

"Hmm." General Feng looked solemn, "After you receive the email, bring it to me immediately, and I will find experts to confirm its value. Little Zhao, it's really a waste of your talent not to join the General Staff Department. Why don't you reconsider?"

Zhao Yang smiled: "Please don't put me on the spot. I'm actually a bureaucrat at heart and don't want a military career."

General Feng stared at Zhao Yang for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed too: "Oh, get off it. You just think the temple is too small."