20: Chapter 20: Building Top-Tier Armor! Money can solve anything!

The generals suspected they had misheard.

Deputy Chief Engineer?

A 21-year-old Deputy Chief Engineer???

Everyone couldn't help but start whispering to each other.

Lin Mo serving as the Chief Designer for the national-level Exoskeleton Armor project was understandable; after all, the project's restart was due to him, and he was the only one suitable for it.

But a Deputy Chief Engineer position was a position of real power and authority!

In the Supreme Military Region, any position with "Chief" in the title was held by at least a general!

However, not every general's position had "Chief" in the title. Among the many generals present, fewer than one-third held positions with "Chief" in the title!

This meant that as soon as Lin Mo enlisted, his rank arrangement already surpassed two-thirds of everyone present!

Furthermore, with Lin Mo occupying this position, there was one less opportunity for everyone else!

"Chief Li, I firmly obey the General Armament Department's arrangements, but wouldn't such a position be too conspicuous?"

A general raised an objection: "We all know that Comrade Lin Mo is excellent, but he is still young after all and lacks management experience. If he suddenly ascends to such a high position, wouldn't it..."

"Wouldn't what?" General Li Jingwu asked indifferently.

The general hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said: "Wouldn't his qualifications be insufficient, making it hard to convince the masses? This is also for the sake of his future development!"

"Bang!!"

"Does Lin Mo's development require your consideration?"

General Li Jingwu slammed the table, and the general's face turned pale.

General Li Jingwu glared and said: "Most of the generals in our General Armament Department come from technical backgrounds, and many of you are even senior schoolmates of Lin Mo in the same major!"

"Ask yourselves properly: what technical achievements do you have that can compare to the Individual Exoskeleton Armor technology and more than thirty supporting sub-technologies independently developed by Lin Mo?"

"What face and qualifications do you have to be concerned about his future?"

The general's face turned even more livid. He felt increasingly ashamed.

"Put away your seniority-based hierarchy!" General Li Jingwu scanned the crowd.

"Everyone has already witnessed the various performances of the 'Kunlun' Individual Exoskeleton Armor developed by Comrade Lin Mo."

"It can be said that this epoch-making military equipment has completely changed the mode of modern warfare!"

"The special operations method of 'winning by surprise' will become the optimal solution for winning modern wars!"

"The 'decapitation' operations launched by Kunlun Armor combat squads will also become a nightmare for all of China's enemies!"

"Equipping the Exoskeleton Armor with all configurations as soon as possible and then mass-producing it for service is the primary task concerning our nation's destiny, and it is also a key move to break through the technological blockade of the Eagle Country!"

"At that time!"

"Advancing, we can engage in a differentiated arms race with the Eagle Country! Retreating, we can also conduct technology exchanges with the Eagle Country!"

"The extreme importance of Comrade Lin Mo is self-evident; he is completely worthy of being treated as a national treasure!"

General Li Jingwu's tone was firm and resonant.

"Every single person present must absolutely implement the instructions of the top leadership from now on!"

"From the deepest depths of your souls, discard the remnant thoughts about Comrade Lin Mo being young or lacking seniority. Fully cooperate with Comrade Lin Mo's work, and do not have any more decadent ideas about seniority-based hierarchy!"

"Anyone who affects Comrade Lin Mo's research plan will face the most severe punishment from the Supreme Military Region!"

"Did you all hear me?!"

Everyone stood up and shouted: "Understood!"

Lin Mo, sitting on the side, watched this scene and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Coming to the General Armament Department of the Supreme Military Region this time was really the right choice!

Seniority-based hierarchy is a traditional convention passed down through thousands of years of Chinese history and cannot be easily broken.

If he had gone to the research institute of Xiang Guangming and Academician Lan Mingcheng, even if he were astonishing, it would be very difficult to gain everyone's recognition in a short time.

By then, he might have had to fight alone for a long time and encounter many obstacles.

But the soldiers of the Supreme Military Region are different; their bounden duty is to obey orders.

They could consolidate their strength the fastest and become the best assistants for Lin Mo.

This is also a potential advantage that other research institutes cannot have!

General Li Jingwu restrained his anger and began to assign tasks.

"In the coming period, the most important breakthrough task arrangement for our General Armament Department,"

"ranked first, is to fully equip all the supporting systems that have not yet been installed, and build a complete version of the Kunlun Armor!"

"Secondly, it is mass production and equipment!"

"The initial goal is to build at least one hundred sets of Kunlun Armor in the next six months of this year!"

"The task is very arduous, and everyone must cooperate with all their might!"

"Xue Yunqi, Yuwen Xi, Chi Zhonglong, as the original sub-project leaders of the Exoskeleton Armor project, starting from today, you three will serve as deputy chief designers of the project and obey the full command of Lin Mo!"

"Here, I entrust it to everyone!"

General Li Jingwu stood up and saluted solemnly.

The generals present also stood up and saluted one after another!

The meeting ended. The crowd dispersed. General Li Jingwu and Lin Mo remained in the conference room.

"How was it, was it imposing?" General Li Jingwu laughed.

Lin Mo smiled awkwardly. Could he really praise himself like that?

But for his superior, he still had to offer some compliments.

"Chief Li cares about China and has a lofty perspective. Every word you say is profound, naturally commanding the entire room. You are a role model for us young people!"

"Hahahaha," "You kid! Who taught you this flattery skill?" General Li Jingwu laughed loudly.

"Deserving of being a genius, even your flattery is better than others'!"

Lin Mo was speechless.

General Li Jingwu continued to laugh.

"Last night, I already submitted a commendation for you. The General Armament Department meeting has tentatively decided on a First-Class Merit!"

"However, it will have to wait until you perfect all the functions of the Exoskeleton Armor and pass the test of actual combat drills!"

"In this peaceful era, a First-Class Merit for someone who is alive is not easy to come by. The previous few First-Class Merits were either for those who sacrificed themselves or were severely disabled!"

"Because it hasn't been finalized yet, I didn't announce it at the meeting just now."

"You must work hard. A First-Class Merit is something that brings honor to your ancestors; even I am extremely envious!"

Lin Mo nodded and said: "Thank you, Chief Li."

In his previous world, it wasn't until about ten years later that the criteria for First-Class Merit were slightly relaxed.

Given the current strictness, even some martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the country did not receive a First-Class Merit!

"Do you have any other opinions to raise regarding the project?" General Li Jingwu asked.

Lin Mo thought for a moment and said: "If we are to fully equip all configurations, the project budget might exceed 500 million. Wouldn't that be too high?"

"How about we just equip about 60% of the configurations? We could save several hundred million, and some configurations are indeed not needed."

"No!" General Li Jingwu waved his hand.

"Equip everything! Any problem that money can solve is not a problem!"