Chapter 296 Dividing the Army into Two Groups

Hearing this, Liu Jianguo was speechless. Who was this meant to defend against?

Shortly after, Liu Jianguo stood at the main gate of the General Armament Department, holding the slip of paper with the new address written on it.

Looking at the endless stream of traffic in the Imperial Capital, he felt as though his life had turned gray.

He took a deep breath, his expression carrying a tragic air of "marching to his doom."

The surrounding air was muggy, but the heat could not dispel the chill in his heart. He clutched the light slip of paper, yet it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

This trip abroad had been a perfect vacation he had planned for months. His wife's joy and his daughter's cheers were still swirling in his mind from the night before.

Now, it was all ruined.

That piercing alarm, his daughter's bold words about taking the fall, and Old General's look as if he were staring at a complete idiot—all of it replayed in his mind over and over again.

And the culprit behind all of this was that Little Rascal who had sworn up and down that he had no ideas!

"Director Liu, the car is ready." A staff member walked over and reported respectfully.

Liu Jianguo nodded heavily. He strode toward the black official car parked on the roadside and climbed inside.

He was not alone in the car; several relevant materials Experts were accompanying him. These Experts were top-tier talents specifically selected for this mission. Their purpose was clear: to follow Liu Jianguo to Baishui City and see for themselves the factory capable of producing top-secret grade carbon fiber.

The car door closed, and the driver started the engine. They were heading to the military airport to take a special flight to Baishui City.

The atmosphere in the car felt somewhat strange. The Experts were all high-spirited, restless with excitement. They whispered to one another, discussing the Fishing Rod in hushed tones.

"The tensile strength of that carbon fiber definitely exceeds 7000 megapascals! This micro-weaving structure is simply unheard of!"

"It's not just the strength; the surface coating is also a major issue. It has extremely strong repulsion against corrosive liquids. What kind of process was used to apply it?"

The Experts' discussion drifted into Liu Jianguo's ears. Sitting in the car, Liu Jianguo listened to these words, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

On one hand, he felt both angry and amused at being led in circles by this Little Rascal, Li Jiajun.

He recalled asking him about his progress on WeChat just a few days ago. Li Jiajun had replied so bluntly, complaining of a headache and saying he had no ideas.

Looking back now, Liu Jianguo realized he had actually believed Li Jiajun's words, even feeling relieved that the other party had finally "encountered a technical bottleneck." While he had been smugly satisfied, that kid had been in a new factory in Baishui City, rolling fighter-jet grade materials into a Fishing Rod and brazenly mailing it to him.

On the other hand, he felt full of resistance toward the upcoming "meeting." Just thinking about facing Li Jiajun again made his head buzz. Every time that kid caused a stir, he was always the one left to clean up the mess.

This time was even more outrageous; he wasn't just going to clean up the mess—he had become a "suspect" in the mess itself.

His mind was filled with the image of Li Jiajun's righteous expression once he arrived.

'The level of this kid's weirdness is simply rising exponentially!' A thought like this surfaced in his mind.

The car merged smoothly onto the highway. The Experts' discussion gradually quieted down, and they began to lower their heads to look at the various test data in their hands. The car became quiet.

Liu Jianguo leaned back against the seat. Then, he thought back to that feeling of meeting a kindred spirit with him on QQ.

He remembered his online alias, "Seasoned Old Angler." He remembered how he had been drawn to that "Fishing Rod Manufacturer" in a fishing group.

He remembered the two of them in the chat box, trading messages back and forth, discussing the qualities that a "top-tier Fishing Rod" should possess.

For the sake of his pride, he had taken the military specifications he heard from Old Qian and sent them over as his own requirements for the Fishing Rod.

He clearly remembered that the other party had questioned him at the time, asking if these requirements were a bit too high and if this was even a Fishing Rod.

And how had he answered? He had actually boasted shamelessly that top-tier Fishing Rods were just like that, and that many people in the Air Force liked to use them.

Liu Jianguo now wished he could slap his past self twice across the face. Why act like such a big shot!

How congenial and resonant the conversation had been then, and how awkward it felt thinking about it now.

Liu Jianguo stared blankly at the back of the front seat. Then, the corner of his mouth twitched. He had actually been calling this troublemaker brother online and had even become the one to propose the requirements for the other party's product.

"Director Liu, do you think this preparation process might use some kind of new high-pressure reactor?" an Old Expert sitting next to him suddenly turned and asked.

Liu Jianguo snapped back to reality, speechless. "How would I know?" Liu Jianguo retorted irritably, "Maybe it was stir-fried in a wok."

Meanwhile, on a highway in Lu Province, a Coaster minibus with special license plates was traveling smoothly.

Outside the window, the summer sun was somewhat blinding. The trees on both sides of the road flew backward. Inside the car.

Old Qian was wearing his reading glasses, sitting upright in the front seat. He held a few sheets of paper, carefully studying a list and data that had just arrived regarding all the "Fishing Rod factories" within Lu Province.

This data had been specifically retrieved by the MIIT. It densely listed the names of over a hundred fishing tackle manufacturing enterprises, large and small, in Lu Province.

His industrial census team had been traveling across the country for the past few days, and after experiencing initial disappointment, their morale was not very high.

They had visited countless relevant enterprises and seen countless production lines, but the technology of those private manufacturers was still a far cry from the T1100-grade carbon fiber composite material they needed.

"Director Zhang." Old Qian raised his head and called out.

Director Zhang, sitting on the other side of the aisle, immediately turned around. "Old Qian, do you have any instructions?"

"Has this list been verified? There aren't any omissions, right?"

Director Zhang quickly sat up straight and replied, "Old Qian, it has been verified. Every Fishing Rod factory in Lu Province with any scale is registered here. However, the technical level of these Fishing Rod Manufacturers is likely even lower. Should we filter them?"

Old Qian shook his head. "No filtering."

The Coaster minibus sped along the highway, heading toward the city ahead.