59: Chapter 59 I was busy making a milk tea machine for my girlfriend when I received a lunch invitation from Number One!

Su Che hung up the phone, still feeling a bit dazed.

Have lunch with Number One?

He instinctively paced the room twice, trying to calm himself down.

This matter was even more nerve-wracking than hand-crafting nuclear fusion.

He walked to the window, looking at the unfamiliar military camp outside, his mind in a mess, filled with all the possible expressions General Peng and General Zhang might have.

No, I need to find something to do.

Otherwise, I'll surely drive myself crazy this morning.

What should I do?

He suddenly remembered Lin Waner.

That girl was probably sitting in a special car on her way to the airport right now.

She seemed to have said... she quite liked drinking milk tea, but there were no milk tea shops in the town.

If, when she arrived in the capital, he could make her a cup himself...

[Ding! Detected the host's strong personal need, side quest triggered!]

[Quest Name: The Tenderness of a Cup of Milk Tea!]

[Quest Content: The romance of a steel-straight man is using black technology to solve all her expectations! There is nothing that a cup of milk tea cannot solve; if there is, then two! Please develop a portable smart milk tea machine so that the moment she arrives in the capital, she can drink the love-filled milk tea you personally prepared, infused with science and technology!]

[Quest Reward: 120 skill points, unlock primary exchange authority for [Rapid Heat Exchange Technology], requires 50 exchange points.]

[Current host has accumulated 900 skill points, redeem?]

"Redeem!"

Su Che's spirits lifted.

The system really understands me.

[Ding! Consumed 50 skill points, unlocked primary exchange authority for [Rapid Heat Exchange Technology].]

[System Prompt: Can directly redeem [Milk Tea Machine Pressure Stability Control Blueprint], required skill points: 20.]

"Redeem!"

With the blueprint in hand, all that was missing were the materials.

Su Che picked up the internal phone on the table, found the number for General Peng's secretary, and dialed it directly.

"Hello, this is General Peng's secretary, Wang Hai." On the other end of the line was a very capable and polite voice.

"Secretary Wang, hello, this is Su Che."

"Engineer Su! Hello, hello! The Chief instructed that if you have any needs, you can come directly to me!" Wang Hai's voice became eight degrees more enthusiastic instantly.

"I need some materials and would like to ask for your help in coordinating."

"Please go ahead! I'll record it immediately!" The sound of pen on paper came from Wang Hai's side.

"Food-grade 316 stainless steel that can withstand a temperature difference of plus or minus two hundred degrees Celsius."

"Hmm, no problem, the special laboratory has it."

"Micro-semiconductor cooling chips, with cooling efficiency more than 300% higher than commercial products."

"We have them! Pangu Laboratory just retired a batch of prototypes, the performance will definitely meet your needs!"

"High-precision pressure sensors and micro-solenoid valves, with millisecond-level response speeds."

"This... I need to ask my colleagues in aerospace, but it shouldn't be a problem!" Wang Hai recorded it very seriously, already calculating in his heart: What heaven-defying gadget is Engineer Su making now? It sounds like some kind of new temperature control system for individual military equipment?

"Oh, right, and some food-grade thermal conductive silicone and a micro voice recognition module."

"Alright, Engineer Su, I've noted it all down!" Wang Hai's heart was already starting to race; could this combination be some kind of portable high-energy reaction device that requires voiceprint unlocking?

"Lastly, help me get some black tea, pure milk, and white sugar, the best quality."

Wang Hai: "..."

"En... Engineer Su, what did you say... you wanted at the end?"

"Black tea, milk, and white sugar," Su Che said matter-of-factly. "For making milk tea, what's wrong?"

Wang Hai felt like his brain couldn't keep up.

He rubbed his temples and asked in a very uncertain tone.

"Engineer Su, are you... are you asking for these military-grade cutting-edge materials just to... make a... milk tea machine?"

"Yeah."

Wang Hai was a bit dazed; he felt his career had faced an unprecedented challenge.

He hung up the phone and rushed into General Peng's office immediately.

"Chief! Engineer Su, he..."

General Peng was reading a document and didn't even look up.

"Whatever he wants, give it to him."

"But the things he asked for... are to make a milk tea machine!" Wang Hai's voice was almost crying.

General Peng looked up, stunned for a moment, then laughed in spite of himself and cursed.

"This brat!"

"Give it to him! Give him whatever he wants! I want to see what kind of trick he can pull off with our military materials!"

...

An hour later.

In the Expert Apartment of the Military Science Commission.

In front of Su Che were various parts exuding an "expensive" aura.

He hummed a little tune, the soldering iron flying up and down in his hands.

Ten-thirty.

General Peng, accompanied by his secretary Wang Hai, came to pick up Su Che in person.

As soon as they entered, they saw Su Che holding a silver-white metal cylinder that looked like a thermos but was full of a sense of technology, performing the final adjustments.

"Su Che, you brat... you finished it?" General Peng looked at the object, his eye twitching.

"Almost," Su Che said without looking up. "Just the final AI voice adaptation left."

General Peng walked over and circled the "milk tea machine" once.

Su Che took out his phone and said to the metal cylinder.

"Waner, Waner, make me a cup of milk tea."

The indicator light on top of the metal cylinder flickered, emitting a faint hum.

In less than a minute.

A rich, sweet aroma of milk tea drifted out from the cup's opening.

Su Che picked up the cup, took a sip, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Hmm, not bad, 30% sugar, no ice, just right."

Wang Hai, standing to the side, almost dropped his jaw to the floor.

From raw materials to finished product, done in an hour?

And it's voiceprint-controlled, fully automatic, and precisely controls sugar and temperature?

Is this a damn milk tea machine? This is a revolution in individual logistics support systems!

General Peng also had a complex expression on his face.

He patted Su Che's shoulder and sighed.

"Alright, stop playing, hurry up and change your clothes."

"The car is waiting downstairs."

...

The Hongqi sedan drove smoothly along Chang'an Avenue.

Inside the car, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

General Peng accompanied him personally.

"Su Che, don't be nervous when you see Number One later."

"Just treat it as seeing an elder in the family; answer whatever is asked, and just tell the truth."

Su Che nodded.

He watched the streetscape flying past outside the window, his palms unknowingly covered in sweat.

The car did not head toward any magnificent building but turned into an ordinary-looking courtyard guarded by sentries.

In the courtyard, several poplar trees were planted.

An old man wearing a simple Zhongshan suit, with graying hair but looking spirited, was standing at the entrance of a bungalow, smiling at them.

Su Che's heart couldn't help but tense up.

That face, seen countless times on the news, was now appearing so realistically before his eyes.

General Peng got out of the car, stepped forward quickly, stood at attention, and saluted.

"Report to the Chief! Comrade Su Che, brought here!"

Number One smiled and waved his hand, his gaze passing over General Peng and landing on Su Che.

"You must be Comrade Su Che, right?"

His voice was gentle, carrying a kind of cordiality that made one feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

"Come, don't stand outside, come in and sit, the food is almost getting cold."

The dining room was not big, with an ordinary square table, four dishes and one soup, all home-style cooking.

At the table, a middle-aged man, also dressed simply, wearing glasses and with an elegant temperament, was already sitting there.

General Peng whispered to Su Che: "This is Number Two."

Su Che felt his legs go a bit weak.

"Comrade Little Su, don't be constrained." Number One personally pulled out a chair for him. "Today, for this meal, there are no Chiefs, only elders. Sit."

Su Che sat down stiffly.

The meal was eaten by Su Che without tasting the food.

Most of the time, it was Number One and Number Two asking, and he answering.

From life in Su Family Village, to his parents' health, and then to his experiences at the National Defense University.

The atmosphere was much more relaxed than he had imagined.

Halfway through the meal, Number One put down his chopsticks, looked at Su Che, and said seriously.

"Comrade Little Su, you have done a lot for the country and for your people, and you have done very well."

"We should all thank you."

He paused, then changed the subject.

"Logically speaking, the country should give you the highest honors and the best treatment."

"However, your situation is special, and your value cannot be measured by money or status."

"Therefore, calling you here today is just to ask you in person."

Number One's gaze was gentle yet sharp, as if it could see through people's hearts.

"Is there anything you want? Or any difficulties? Personal, family, or research-related, you can bring it up."

"As long as it is within our power, the country will not hesitate."

General Peng and Number Two also put down their chopsticks, their gazes falling squarely on Su Che.

The whole room fell silent instantly.

Su Che put down his bowl and chopsticks and stood up.

He looked at the old man before him who had spent his whole life working for the country and the people, and bowed deeply.

Then, he looked up, his eyes clear and firm.

"Report to the Chief, I don't want anything."

"I only want... the raw data of all failed experiments related to the application of the 'Southern Gate' propulsion system from the 'Dragon Vein' base over the past fifteen years."