Chapter 436 You've kept this from me for so long!

"Is this that poor relative coming to beg for food again?"

A breeze blew outside the factory gates.

Elder Qian and the others also heard Li Jiajun's inner thoughts.

This respected Old Expert in the scientific research community...

...paused in his tracks.

On that face lined with the marks of time, his expression became very helpless.

Liu Jianguo, walking beside him, naturally heard this clearly as well.

The old comrade's face twitched twice.

However...

The two of them understood Li Jiajun, after all.

They knew this young man's personality had always been so flighty, and he had no filter when he spoke.

The two didn't have much of a reaction.

They just treated it as a heartless joke.

But the comrades from the Special Front who followed were almost shocked out of their wits.

This comrade in plain clothes had just stepped out of the car door.

He stood frozen in place, dazed.

His eyes widened.

Looking at Li Jiajun's self-righteous, smiling face...

...his mind was in a total upheaval.

He swallowed hard and thought to himself, 'This... how can this kid talk like that?'

A short while later, Liu Jianguo, Elder Qian, and their group walked over to Li Jiajun.

The atmosphere on the scene was a bit subtle.

Looking at Li Jiajun, who was still livestreaming, Liu Jianguo felt a surge of irritation.

Especially when he recalled how he had once courted death by putting his eye to the barrel of that pistol to check its internal structure.

Chills ran up his spine.

If that thing had misfired back then...

...his ashes would probably be cold by now.

Not to mention that after this trip ended, he would still face a strict internal investigation by the Special Front.

All these troubles, one after another, were all thanks to this heartless young man smiling before him.

He stopped.

His gaze was deep as he stared at Li Jiajun with a complex expression.

In that gaze, lingering fear, helplessness, and deep resentment were intertwined.

He said to Li Jiajun, "You kid, you've hidden it from me so well."

These words were practically squeezed out of Liu Jianguo's throat.

They were filled with endless weariness.

Facing this opening line, Li Jiajun was bewildered.

He froze for a moment, blinked, and his mind raced.

'What's wrong with Uncle Liu?'

'He looks like he's been deeply wronged.'

'Could it be because of those large pieces of equipment I made that he got criticized by the higher-ups?'

From his perspective, the biggest trouble he had caused was nothing more than those few big items that caused a sensation across the internet.

Exoskeletons, Armored Vehicles, Thermobaric Bombs, and other such insignificant little gadgets.

Thinking this, he quickly said, "Uncle Liu, I just invented those firefighting products according to the standards of firefighting equipment. But who knew..."

He still thought Liu Jianguo was talking about the firefighting equipment shown in the livestream.

To prove his innocence, he decided to use the most rigorous logic to defend himself.

"Uncle Liu, you be the judge."

"Didn't we discuss the physical stamina pain points of firefighters before?"

"In order to let them carry more heavy objects, I made a High-Torque Hydraulic Skeleton with Servo Motors. This completely fits the requirements of emergency rescue and disaster relief, right?"

Li Jiajun spoke with growing confidence.

His free hand started gesturing along.

"And then there's firefighting for high-rise buildings."

"Ordinary water guns can't reach, so I made a launch tube with an Optical Sight to project Fire-Extinguishing Dry Powder directly ten kilometers away. Isn't that just to keep our rescuers in an absolutely safe zone?"

"As for that Tracked Vehicle..."

"Chemical plant explosions are so dangerous, with debris everywhere. If it's not protected by thick Composite Armor and cleared by a high-horsepower Diesel Engine, can that vehicle even drive in?"

He spread his hands.

His face was written all over with "I am innocent."

He continued to pour out his heart's work.

"Finally, that warhead used to drain oxygen."

"That's even more based on the three elements of chemical combustion, cutting off the possibility of fire spreading from the root."

"Every single one of my designs is a perfect answer that completely adheres to firefighting standards!"

Liu Jianguo interrupted Li Jiajun before he could finish.

Hearing the other party talk about firefighting equipment, he felt a toothache.

The muscles on the old comrade's cheeks couldn't help but twitch.

Hearing these sophistries, he felt like his high blood pressure was about to spike.

After all, what decent person makes a Thermobaric Bomb when making firefighting equipment?

'Are you doing disaster relief? You're sending the people away along with the fire!'

Liu Jianguo complained wildly in his heart.

And as he thought about it...

...the old comrade finally realized he had been led astray by Li Jiajun.

He had flown all this way and accused the other party of hiding things from him as soon as he got off the car.

Was he talking about the firefighting equipment that had already been shown?

Exoskeletons, Main Battle Tanks, RPGs, and Thermobaric Bombs—these big items had long been exposed clearly before the eyes of the entire internet audience.

Everyone was well aware of the parameters of these heavy firepower items.

What room was there left for concealment?

He was talking about that Firefighting Parent-Child Pistol!

Thinking of this...

Liu Jianguo rubbed his brow.

He took a deep breath, forcibly clearing the thoughts that had been jumbled by tanks and Thermobaric Bombs.

He regained the composure of an old military industry veteran.

He locked onto Li Jiajun with a gaze that seemed to see right through him.

That gaze seemed to penetrate flesh and bone.

His tone grew heavy: "You kid, you're still trying to play dumb with me."

Liu Jianguo was speechless.

He felt this young man was truly too shrewd; even at this point, he still wanted to use those overt large-scale pieces of equipment to divert attention.

Attempting to bluff his way through.

...

Li Jiajun became even more puzzled.

His hand holding the phone stopped in mid-air.

He looked at Uncle Liu in front of him, his head full of question marks.

He didn't know what Uncle Liu meant by those words.

'How am I playing dumb?'

'Besides the inventions I just showed, there isn't even an extra iron pipe left in my factory.'

'I've explained everything clearly; how would I dare hide anything?'

He felt Uncle Liu's words had a hidden meaning.

Amidst Li Jiajun's confusion and apprehension...

...at the end of the road in the distance, a low roar of an engine broke through the wind, faintly reaching them.