12: Such materials must not be allowed to fall into the hands of others!

“What did you say? The testing machine is broken?”

Elder Xu was stunned.

He had mistaken the sound just now for the sound of a steel plate cracking.

After all.

None of the major Research Institutes had yet manufactured a steel plate that could withstand full-level pressure testing.

The maximum they could withstand was level three testing, which was the current peak.

So, he naturally assumed that level three pressure testing was the limit for this steel plate.

But now.

Zhao Zhenghua actually told him that it wasn't the steel plate that was broken, but the pressure testing machine that had collapsed.

This sentence.

Directly fried his CPU.

After a long while.

He finally came back to his senses and hurried over to check the situation.

Upon seeing it.

Elder Xu immediately froze in place, his eyes wide, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor.

The scene before him.

Was simply too unbelievable.

The testing machine,

Was truly broken.

And it was the hardest quenching steel head that had directly split into two under the pressure.

“This… this… this is too exaggerated, isn’t it?”

Elder Xu felt that the scene before him was astonishing.

He hadn’t expected.

Under maximum pressure testing.

The steel plate was perfectly fine, except for a slight deformation, while the testing machine had collapsed instead.

Is this really a steel plate?

Are you sure it’s not a diamond reinforced a hundred times over?

Suppressing the urge to curse.

He turned his head to look at Zhao Zhenghua, his expression inexplicably excited:

“Where did you buy this steel plate? Tell me quickly! This matter concerns the prosperity of the country!!”

“This… this was bought at Guo Li Steel Factory. This factory is in the county town, not too far from our military restricted zone.”

Zhao Zhenghua hesitated.

Seeing the old man's extreme excitement, he could only tell the truth.

“Guo Li Steel Factory in the county town?”

“Heroes are not judged by their origin. To be able to create such a world-beating item in such an environment, your comrade is truly a gen— ”

“No!”

“Not a genius, but a genius among geniuses, a monster!!”

Elder Xu said, continuously stroking the steel plate.

His demeanor was like he was caressing his own child, or a beloved stage, his movements extremely gentle.

And he occasionally let out loud laughs.

His eyes were also filled with tears at this moment, one could say he was weeping profusely.

Anyone who didn't know would surely think this old man was probably a mentally unstable lunatic!

No one understood better than him what the appearance of this steel plate meant.

The country was currently undergoing massive industrialization, but the establishment of an industrialized system still faced numerous difficulties.

The reasons for this were multifaceted.

And the most important one was that the raw materials produced by the country itself did not meet international standards.

Airplanes, tanks, cannons, firearms…

The steel raw materials required for these military-industrial fields had even higher quality requirements.

Ordinary steel could also be used for manufacturing.

But its strength, compared to the weapons of Eagle Country and other nations, had more than just a slight difference.

This was only the difference in raw materials; coupled with other technological differences, the gap between the two was infinitely widened.

And the result of this.

Was that if you fired a shot at someone, they would be fine; but if someone fired a shot at you, you could only be scrapped on the spot.

“Zhao, weren’t we worried about the tank armor recently?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Isn’t this steel plate the best raw material?!”

Upon hearing this.

Zhao Zhenghua suddenly realized.

Initially.

He had only come here with the intention of testing the hardness of the steel plate.

It wasn't until Elder Xu reminded him that he suddenly understood; how could he have forgotten this matter?

The Research Institute was recently preparing to develop a new type of main battle tank.

One of the challenges was the raw material problem.

But now.

With such a steel plate, wouldn't the raw material problem be easily solved?

Immediately after.

Elder Xu conducted several more tests on the steel plate.

The results of these tests left him speechless.

“This kind of steel plate is simply too perfect! Both its hardness and ductility are unprecedented!”

“I'm afraid even Eagle Country doesn't have this technology!”

“Quick, Zhao, immediately call the person in charge of this factory.”

“We want as much of this steel as they have; it absolutely cannot fall into the hands of others!”

The test ended.

Elder Xu immediately gave instructions in a great hurry.

In his opinion.

Such a steel plate fully deserved the title of a national treasure.

Such materials could be applied to various industries.

Especially in the aerospace field, which required strong support from such materials!

“Alright.”

Zhao Zhenghua also understood the importance of the matter.

He immediately returned to the office and made the call.

On the other side.

At Li Mubai’s home.

Li's Father was leisurely watching TV.

In this era, people who could afford a TV were families with a decent income.

Just then.

An urgent phone ring suddenly sounded in the living room.

Ding-a-ling…

“Hello.”

Li's Father answered the phone.

“Old comrade, how have you been?”

“You are… Zhao Ritian?”

Zhao Ritian was Zhao Zhenghua’s nickname.

The reason for this nickname was that back in the army, Zhao Zhenghua’s performance in various areas was simply too outrageous.

That’s why his comrades gave him such a nickname.

It seemed derogatory, but it was actually everyone’s recognition of his strength.

“I didn’t expect you to still remember that nickname, haha…”

“Of course I remember. These years, thank you for your help; otherwise, my Steel Factory would have gone out of business.”

“Why say such things? We are comrades; these favors were just a matter of convenience.”

“Then, why are you calling today, is it…”

Zhao Zhenghua quickly explained the matter of ordering steel plates.

“Old comrade, I didn’t expect you to still be so sharp! You actually researched and developed such an incredible steel plate at home.”

Listening to Zhao Zhenghua’s words.

Li's Father’s eyes showed surprise, his mouth slightly open, his face full of disbelief.

Where did he research and develop this steel plate?

This was clearly made by his son, Li Mubai.

At the time, when Li Mubai said he wanted to improve the steelmaking formula, he was somewhat skeptical, thinking that improving steel wasn't that simple.

Even though Li Mubai spoke eloquently, he still maintained a hesitant attitude.

Furthermore.

What he initially thought was.

If new machines were bought, and the Steel Factory still didn't get orders.

Then he would just let it close down.

He had already pulled strings to find a fallback for Li Mubai.

That was to work at a certain unit.

Although the salary might not be high, it was stable, after all, it was an iron rice bowl.

However.

Now Zhao Zhenghua actually called him personally, saying that the steel plates purchased a few days ago were of explosive quality.

Those materials could even become national treasures!

Such an exaggerated description indeed shocked Li's Father quite a bit.

“Old comrade, I will visit you tomorrow.

Now tell your son, absolutely, absolutely do not sell such steel to outsiders.

He is young and doesn't know the gravity of the situation.

As for this kind of steel plate, however much you have, I want it all.

I will explain the specific situation in detail when I come tomorrow.”

The two spoke a few more words, then the call ended.

Without time to think carefully.

Li's Father called the Steel Factory office again.

Although Zhao Zhenghua didn't elaborate on how useful those steel plates were, he could tell from his excited tone that the matter was unusual.

If the use was only ordinary.

The other party certainly wouldn't have called him personally.

At this moment, he was also very curious, what kind of steel had Li Mubai actually produced to make the other party so surprised?

The call connected.

“Hello, Dad. Why are you calling?”