Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 436 Yellow River Express: Guaranteed Delivery (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
One day in March 1999.

He Yuzhu's satellite phone rang again.

"boss!"

"Say!"

"I received some information, but I don't know if it will be of any use!"

"Old Bai, when did you become so slow?"

"The main problem is that this news is a bit fake!"

"Then why did you make the call?"

"But this is a big deal. Let me get to the point. This year, Ah Chou's side will be carrying out an operation targeting the domestic region, but the specific timing, objectives, and so on are unclear."

He Yuzhu was taken aback and began to recall the information in his mind. After a moment, He Yuzhu asked, "Do we have anyone in the Balkans?"

"Yes!" Bai Yifeng on the other side was startled, his mind racing. "My boss guessed where the opponent was going to make a move so quickly. But it is indeed very chaotic over there, a suitable place to make a move. But where is the target?"

"How many people are there, and what is their skill level?"

"Who do you mean by 'boss'?"

Can advanced weapons be controlled?

"This...we need to transfer people over, but boss, you should at least give me some hints so I can transfer people accordingly."

“S300,” He Yuzhu slowly uttered.

"Ouch, this, I need to ask about this." Bai Yifeng gasped, feeling a slight toothache.

"Okay, you decide first, and be quick!" He Yuzhu said.

"well!"

After hanging up the phone, a few words flashed through He Yuzhu's mind: "S300 B2 Balkans. May".

These words swirled in his mind, coalescing into a major event: "A warning? That probably won't be very effective! Let's think of a way to intercept it first!"

Now he needs to confirm some things, especially the technical feasibility.

He picked up the internal phone and connected with Gu Yuanheng in Hong Kong.

"Yuan Heng, it's me."

"Boss, please speak." Gu Yuanheng's voice was as steady as ever.

"What level of capability has the new algorithm developed by the joint radar laboratory, which targets low-observable targets and was verified in the civilian band, achieved so far?" He Yuzhu asked directly.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, as if someone was organizing their thoughts.

"Boss, we've done a lot of simulations and a few field tests on the civilian band for that multi-base-based collaborative detection and feature extraction algorithm. Theoretically, it can detect and continuously track certain targets. However, the accuracy of the civilian band is limited, so it cannot provide fire control-level data, and it is greatly affected by weather and ground clutter."

"If... I mean if, we give you higher privileges, allow you to use non-civilian bands, and have sufficient data link support, is it possible to lock down something like the B2 level?" He Yuzhu's voice was very low.

Gu Yuanheng remained silent for even longer this time, and his breathing seemed heavier.

"Boss, the theoretical model is supported. However, it requires extremely powerful computing resources for real-time signal processing and trajectory fitting, and it has very high requirements for the placement, accuracy, and synchronization of the sensors. This is no longer a technical problem, but a systemic problem."

"In other words, it's technically possible, but it would require building a dedicated detection network covering a specific airspace, along with a powerful data processing center?" He Yuzhu distilled the core idea.

“Yes, boss. And every node in this network can’t be ordinary.” Gu Yuanheng confirmed. “There’s no finished product yet. The lab only has a principle verification system and some core algorithm modules. Turning it into something usable will take time, resources, and a legitimate reason.”

"You only have a month and a half, is that enough time for you to make one?" He Yuzhu was a little disappointed. Without a finished product, it would be a waste of time.

"Boss, is it in such a hurry? That's..." He didn't finish his sentence because these were not questions he should ask, nor were they questions he could ask.

"I'll give you a day to evaluate it; I need a definite result."

"Fine!" Gu Yuanheng said through gritted teeth.

He Yuzhu hung up Gu Yuanheng's call, rubbed his temples. He had too many things to do and had forgotten about such an important matter. If he had remembered it earlier, he might have already prepared it. He was very uncertain about how to go from laboratory principle verification to a system that could be put into practical use in just over a month, but he still had to try his best.

He picked up the phone again and this time dialed He Yuxin.

"Yuxin, it's me."

"Brother, what's up?" He Yuxin's voice came from the other end of the phone, with some background noise, as if they were at a construction site.

"Find a convenient place to talk, I have something important to say."

"Okay, I'll call back in a bit."

"toot toot"

About five minutes later, He Yuzhu's satellite phone rang again.

"Big brother!"

"To put it simply, for Jinggong and Zhonggong, you immediately select a group of absolutely reliable, technically proficient backbone engineers and master craftsmen, preferably with experience in military industry or complex system integration, to form a special technical support team, ready to be deployed at any time."

He Yuxin noticed the change in his brother's tone and immediately replied, "Understood! I'll arrange it right away. But, what kind of support is it specifically?"

"It's related to radar electronics, which may require precision mechanical structure machining, special vehicle modification, rapid field deployment, and power supply system integration. The requirements are modularity, high reliability, adaptability to complex environments, and most importantly, speed!" He Yuzhu paused and added, "The candidates must be strictly vetted, and the mission details are currently only known to you and me."

"Understood, I'll get on it right away. The list should be ready by tomorrow morning at the earliest." He Yuxin didn't ask any further questions.

The next afternoon, Gu Yuanheng called.

"Boss, after an overnight evaluation with the core team in the lab, we can integrate two experimental prototypes of the 'Special Environment Monitoring System' within four weeks by utilizing existing verified algorithm modules and combining them with high-end commercial computing hardware available in Hong Kong and some overseas subsidiaries (which needs to be urgently procured and allocated). Theoretically, this system has the capability to detect, track, and make preliminary trajectory predictions for specific types of low-observable targets in a limited airspace, with an accuracy reaching the edge of tactical level. However, the system is large, requires multi-unit collaboration, is complex to deploy, and has not been tested in actual combat, so its reliability cannot be guaranteed. In addition, the required special frequency band transmission/reception units need to be urgently prototyped with precision engineering."

"You guys go ahead and do it. I'll send people from Jinggong and Zhonggong to Hong Kong."

"clear."

He Yuxin's list was personally delivered by him; he had been in Caofeidian, not far away, before.

“Brother, the preliminary selections have been made. We’ve selected five people from the Precision Engineering team who have participated in the design of shipborne radar bases and airborne equipment structures, and three from the Heavy Industry team with experience in special vehicle modification and field emergency power supply systems. They’re all veterans who have been with the group for many years; they’re reliable both ideologically and technically.” He Yuxin spoke quickly. “Also, Factory 541 has just completed its restructuring and has several experts in light armor and NBC (nuclear, biological, and chemical) vehicle structures. Should we transfer them over there as well?”

He Yuzhu quickly glanced at the list and nodded: "Okay, but forget about Factory 541, we're not confident enough, this isn't suitable for them. Tell the people you selected to be prepared, they could leave for Hong Kong at any time to meet up with Yuanheng's people. The mission might take a while, so make arrangements for their families."

"Understood." He Yuxin hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Brother, this is quite a big commotion. What exactly are they dealing with?"

He Yuzhu looked up at him and said sternly, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

"Okay!" He Yuxin swallowed hard. He Yuzhu's oppressive tone was too strong. He rarely heard such a tone before.

A few days later, He Yuzhu flew to Hong Kong alone, citing the need to handle group affairs.

In a secluded warehouse area in the New Territories controlled by the Yellow River Group, He Yuzhu unloaded two special vehicles with their weapons removed. It wasn't that he didn't have any more in his storage space, but rather that he had repeatedly confirmed that Gu Yuanheng could only produce two sets of radar.

"It's up to you now, Yuanheng." He Yuzhu patted Gu Yuanheng on the shoulder.

We will do our best!

"Ah."

"But boss, do you really want us to do this?" Gu Yuanheng asked the question he shouldn't have.

"If they were to do it, what do you think would happen?"

"I understand!" Gu Yuanheng's face turned somewhat pale.

"I'm leaving!" He Yuzhu waved his hand.

He Yuzhu did not stay in Hong Kong for long. He turned around and crossed the border to the Special Administrative Region. After inspecting the industries in the Special Administrative Region, he made an appointment with Mei Sheng.

"Zhu Zi, you're such a busy boss, yet you still remember to visit this old man. That's rare!" Mei Sheng, with his gray hair, joked with a smile.

"You talk as if you have a lot of free time. You must have made time for this."

"Ahem, there's nothing I can do, the special economic zone is developing too fast these days," said Mei Sheng, who was already the executive mayor of the special economic zone, somewhat embarrassed.

"Now that you're in charge of this area, shouldn't you be treating the guests today?"

"I'll treat, I'll treat. After all, my girl works under you."

"What does this have to do with it? You're just stingy."

“I really can’t compare to you, a big boss,” Mei Sheng said.

"Don't give me that. Do you think I don't know what kind of lives you're living?"

"Let's not talk about this, let's not talk about this." Mei Sheng quickly changed the subject. Putting everything else aside, the eating and drinking really were just as He Yuzhu had described.

After having a drink alone, He Yuzhu went to Huacheng to visit his old buddies.

The topic naturally turned to the glorious past, from the icy snow of the north to the humid and dense forests of the south. Those life-and-death moments we experienced together have now become a source of wistful reminiscence and laughter.

Naturally, the conversation also touched on the current situation. Several old comrades-in-arms, though serving in the military, were concerned about national defense, and their words inevitably revealed their indignation at certain hegemonic acts and their expectations for a strong country.

He Yuzhu listened silently, occasionally chiming in with a few words, but he didn't say a single thing he shouldn't have, including things about the navy and air force.

Looking at his comrades-in-arms, who were once full of energy but now showed signs of aging, he felt a pang of emotion, wondering if they would ever see the three armed forces standing at the top of the world.

After spending two days in Huacheng and having two drinks with Wu Qianli, Xiong Jie, Wu Wanli, Yu Congrong, and He Yuyan (who had been promoted to colonel and was the captain of the special operations brigade), he returned to Beijing.

Time flew by and it was already the end of April, in that quiet warehouse area in the New Territories of Hong Kong.

Gu Yuanheng, with dark circles under his eyes but a look of relief and exhaustion from completing a difficult task, reported to He Yuzhu: "Boss, the two prototypes of the 'Special Environment Monitoring System' are finally finished. As per your requirements, all the core algorithm modules have been integrated. We also worked with the brothers from Jinggong and Zhonggong to convert those two vehicles into mobile platforms."

He Yuzhu walked around the two upgraded launch vehicles and nodded.

"How were the test results?" He Yuzhu asked.

"I can't do aerial tests, I can only do them at sea. Within the maximum range, the ability to capture and track simulated low-observable signal sources has met expectations. But I'm not confident about aerial tests," Gu Yuanheng said frankly. "Moreover, system power consumption and heat dissipation are problems, and the continuous operating time is limited."

"That's enough." He Yuzhu patted his shoulder. "Thank you for your hard work."

"Have you got control of the people Lao Bai sent over?"

"They've mastered it; that's what they've put into practice."

"it is good."

He Yuzhu then contacted Bai Yifeng.

"Old Bai, the stuff is ready. Find a location near Belgrade that's within S300 range and well-concealed enough to deploy it. Be quick."

"Okay, boss."

"Also, transfer your people there; they don't need to handle the cargo transportation anymore."

"Boss, you don't want to go there yourself, do you? There's a war going on over there."

"Just do what I tell you to do."

"Okay, okay."

Time has quietly slipped into May.

Bai Yifeng found a place, and He Yuzhu personally delivered the goods. This time, the load was full. He didn't show himself; after sending everyone away, he put the goods down and left.

The subordinates were very excited to see the real thing. Two days in advance, He Yuzhu, who was somewhere in Europe, made a phone call to a building in Belgrade to warn them to be on the lookout for an attack.

The other party ignored the attack and instead pressed He Yuzhu for his identity, at which point He Yuzhu hung up the phone.

He knew that the anonymous call would likely be dismissed as nonsense or even used to interfere with communication.

But this was the last effort he could make without exposing himself.

What if this makes the other party even slightly more vigilant?

Two nights later, the sky over the Balkans was clear and the stars were few.

Inside an abandoned farm, two sets of "special environmental monitoring systems" are in a silent standby state.

Inside the control vehicle, only a faint ambient noise signal was visible on the screen.

Bai Yifeng's subordinate, a middle-aged man codenamed "Nightmare," stared intently at the screen as reports of each unit's readiness came through his earpiece.

Suddenly, a very faint, intermittent light flashed across the edge of the main control screen. The system's built-in algorithm immediately detected it and emitted a low alert tone.

"Something's up! Location: XXX, Altitude: XXXXX, Speed: Extremely High!" an operator whispered.

Nightmare perked up: "Activate active scanning mode, power up to the safe limit! Continuously track and calculate the predicted trajectory!"

The atmosphere inside both cars instantly became tense.

A powerful current surges into the antenna array, and invisible radio waves penetrate the night sky, potentially creating airspace that points towards the target.

On the screen, the originally faint spot of light became clearer, but its signal characteristics remained elusive, as if blending into the background noise, demonstrating the target's excellent stealth capabilities.

"Target confirmed, matches B2 characteristics! Entering the predicted interception corridor!"

"Calculate the optimal interception point! Set the parameters!" Nightmare commanded.

"Target locked!" Nightshade shouted into the microphone without hesitation, "Fire!"

The S-300 air defense missile system, which had been waiting in its concealed position for a long time, received the order.

In an instant, a muffled roar broke the silence of the night sky. Four slender missiles, trailing blazing tail flames, pierced the sky like sharp swords, drawing several magnificent yet deadly arcs across the night.

High in the sky, the massive, strangely shaped B-2 bomber flew fearlessly, relying on its stealth technology.

The pilot had just heard the alarm and thought it was a commercial flight at high altitude. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

The missiles fired from below do not rely on traditional continuous radar illumination guidance.

Based on the initial parameters and mid-course correction information provided by the radar system, and combined with their own active radar seekers, they locked onto this expensive "ghost" in the final stage.

The first missile detonated near the target. The fragments did not hit directly, but the shock wave and debris cloud generated by the explosion disrupted the B-2's stable flight.

Then, the second, the third, and the fourth followed in quick succession!

"FUCK, calling headquarters, calling headquarters, I am under attack, repeat, I am under attack."

"Where are you? What attacked you?"

"Unknown, unknown, FUCK, I'm locked on again." The warning device on B2 sounded again after the extreme evasion.

The second wave of attacks arrived, and this time he was locked on tightly because four missiles blocked all his escape routes.

He only had time to shout one sentence over the radio: "Take care of my family!"

Then a huge and dazzling fireball suddenly exploded in the night sky, like a small sun that was ignited in an instant, turning the surrounding clouds a bright red.

The muffled explosion sounded like rolling thunder, crushing down from the sky.

The shattered fuselage, skin, and parts transformed into a rain of burning metal, scattering in all directions with a mournful howl.

Inside the farm, through the disappearance of the signal, and then through a high-powered telescope, Nightmare and his team saw the devastating flame high in the sky.

The car was silent for a moment, then a suppressed gasp broke out.

"Target hit! Shot down confirmed!"

The message was transmitted to He Yuzhu, who had already returned to Beijing, immediately via a secure line.

"The package has been delivered and the recipient has been confirmed to have received it!"

"Destroy the delivery trucks and evacuate!"

"Yes."

Nightmare led the team to physically destroy the core storage modules of all critical equipment and, according to the pre-arranged plan, planted explosives in key areas of the mobile platform. They conducted a final check to ensure that no items that could reveal their identity or origin were left behind.

"withdraw!"

The group quickly boarded two unassuming vans waiting outside the farm and disappeared into the pre-dawn darkness.

"Boom, boom." Several violent explosions came from behind, and the van sped up, heading towards the designated evacuation point.

The night sky over the Balkan Peninsula was torn apart by an unexpectedly bursting fireball.

The burning debris scattered like meteors, announcing the shattering of an invincible myth. The news, traveling at the speed of radio waves, spread through the command centers of certain circles amidst shock and disbelief.

At a North American air force base, the command center was deathly silent.

The light spots on the screen disappeared completely, leaving only meaningless electrical noise in the communication channel.

The duty officer's face was deathly pale under the fluorescent screen. He mechanically repeated the call instructions, but only silence answered him.

"Confirmed loss of all signals and telemetry data from 'Ghost One'."

Soon, a high-level emergency investigation team was established, codenamed "Truth Recovery".

Their primary task was to recover as much aircraft wreckage as possible scattered across the vast area and to determine who shot down this top-tier stealth bomber and what weapon they used.

Almost simultaneously, the atmosphere was equally somber at the NATO Supreme Allied Command in Europe.

Staff officers consulted maps and radar records, trying to piece together the whole story.

"Based on the information obtained from the search of the explosion's location, it was confirmed to be a B2. It was suddenly locked on and attacked at extremely high altitude. The attack came from the ground, but our integrated air defense suppression system had not detected any high-intensity air defense radar signals beforehand. The enemy's guidance radar had been activated for a very short time and its mode was unfamiliar."

What kind of weapon is it?

"Suspected to be an S300."

"S300? Can you confirm who did it?"

"This is difficult. Many forces possess this equipment, and a considerable amount of it leaked out from there in the first place."

"Not from the Balkans?"

"Impossible, they are too poor to afford it."

"."

Subsequently, the "Truth Recovery" team arrived and conducted an investigation and evidence collection.

"Report to command center, we have arrived at the suspected launch site. Vehicle wreckage has been found. The site has been cleaned up after being deliberately sabotaged and demolished. Repeat, the site has been cleared."

The person in charge reported.

"Collect all possible trace samples, including soil, shrapnel residue, and tire track molds, expand the search area, and look for witnesses!"

"Yes."

A few days later, in a dark alley of a European city, a silent hunt had begun.

"Vulture," a minor leader in Bai Yifeng's Eastern European intelligence network, had just emerged from a safe house and was preparing to evacuate when the "Truth Recovery" team, drawn by the scent, came looking for him.

He habitually circled around a few times to make sure there were no tails before walking toward the old car parked on the street corner.

The moment he opened the car door, a tremendous force slammed into him from the side, slamming him against the door.

The cold muzzle of the gun pressed against his temple.

“Don’t move, Mr. Vulture. Or, you prefer your real name, Ivan Petrovich?” A deep voice spoke in accented English in his ear.

Vulture's heart sank. The other party knew his code name and real name, and was obviously prepared.

"Who are you?" He tried to struggle, but his arms were immediately twisted behind his back and handcuffed with cold cuffs.

"Take him away," another voice said.

The two men moved with practiced ease, preparing to shove 'Vulture' into another black sedan that suddenly appeared.

They belonged to an auxiliary task force of the "Truth Recovery" group and tracked down the "Vulture" network by tracing the flow of funds and several locked peripheral communication nodes.

However, just as the car door was about to close, a sudden braking sound came from the other side of the street corner.

A motorcycle suddenly came rushing towards them, the rider holding a silenced pistol in one hand.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two soft gunshots rang out. The two operatives, who were about to board the vehicle, jolted, blood blooming on their foreheads, and fell to the ground without uttering a sound.

The motorcyclist opened his helmet visor, revealing a cold, stern face. He was "Owl," the member of the "Nightmare" team responsible for perimeter security.

He followed the emergency plan and lay in wait in areas where key personnel might be exposed.

"Get in the car!" 'Owl' shouted to the stunned 'Vulture', while turning the car around and pointing his gun warily in all directions.

The vulture realized what was happening and scrambled toward its car.

Just then, the rear window of the black sedan rolled down, and a submachine gun was thrust out.

“Da da da da—!”

Bullets rained down, striking the Vulture's vehicle and sending sparks flying.

'Owl' twisted the throttle sharply, and the motorcycle engine roared as it charged toward the black sedan. In the instant it got close, he threw a cylindrical object with one hand onto the undercarriage of the car.

"boom!"

The violent explosion overturned the car, sending flames soaring into the sky.

'Owl' drove up to 'Vulture' and shouted, "Change cars! There's more than just this group!"

The two abandoned the obviously exposed vehicle and crawled into a narrower alleyway next to it, where another car was waiting.

Similar scenes unfolded in several European cities in the following days.

With its strong intelligence capabilities and technical means, the "Truth Recovery" team meticulously combed through all possible clues related to the incident, constantly narrowing down the encirclement.

Meanwhile, the network set up by Bai Yifeng struggled to operate under immense pressure, cutting off its own tails to survive, and engaging in a bloody and silent confrontation with its pursuers.

The two sides clashed in the shadows, attacking and defending in the virtual world of the internet, employing the most professional and ruthless methods.

People kept disappearing, safe houses kept being destroyed, and the pursuers kept encountering unexpected counterattacks in their seemingly sure-win operations, suffering heavy losses.

This war, which took place in the shadows, was no less intense than a localized military conflict, but it remained unknown to the general public.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood; trust became a luxury, and every step felt like walking on a knife's edge.

A week later, most of the valuable leads seemed to have gone cold or pointed to a fog that could not be followed any further.

The progress of the "Truth Recovery" team has stalled. Although they are certain that the enemy has also paid a heavy price, the most critical questions—who orchestrated the attack and the origin of the mysterious radar system—remain unanswered.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, He Yuzhu listened calmly to Bai Yifeng's slightly hoarse report, which was concise and to the point, with the losses listed last.

"Understood. Those who survived will be rewarded for their service. The compensation for the others will be doubled." He Yuzhu paused for a moment, then added, "Don't ask for any more cloth over there recently."

"Yes, boss."

A few days later, one afternoon, Lao Fan's car quietly stopped at the entrance of Nanluoguxiang again.

He walked alone into courtyard number 95, where He Yuzhu was watering several orchids.

Old Fan didn't rush to speak. With his hands behind his back, he casually strolled over to He Yuzhu's side and looked down at the few thriving orchids.

"These orchids are growing well, much more vibrant than the ones in our compound," Old Fan said casually.

He Yuzhu didn't look up, continuing to carefully sprinkle water with the spray bottle: "Just messing around when I have nothing better to do. You're a rare guest, shouldn't you be busy all the time these days?"

"No matter how busy you are, you have to catch your breath." Old Fan paused, lowered his voice, but his sharp gaze swept over He Yuzhu's profile. "A couple of days ago, someone from over there asked me about something indirectly through special channels."

He Yuzhu's hands didn't stop moving, the water flowing evenly onto the emerald green leaves: "Oh? What do you want to ask?"

"Ask us if we sent any warning messages to Belgrade before May 7th." Old Fan spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly.

He Yuzhu straightened up slightly, placed the watering can on the stone platform beside him, picked up a cloth draped over him to wipe his hands, and showed just the right amount of confusion on his face: "Warning? Warning about what? Who asked that?"

Old Fan stared intently into his eyes, trying to find even the slightest flaw: "They said that two days before the explosion, they received a strange anonymous phone call warning them of a possible attack. The caller hung up quickly. It really wasn't you?"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu scoffed, shook his head, and turned to walk towards his study: "This is getting more and more outrageous. I'm too busy with company matters all day long; how could I have time to meddle in things thousands of miles away? Anonymous phone calls, no less!"

"But you happened to be out of Beijing those few days."

“I’m in Hong Kong, you can check,” He Yuzhu said.

"It's not you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, what attack, what explosion? You've successfully piqued my interest. Tell me more about it?"

"Uh..." This question stumped Lao Fan. This was classified information; how could he explain it in detail?

After a moment of silence in the study, Old Fan finally sighed, "I was overthinking it. Alright, just pretend I never asked."

"Don't overthink things. You're always coming to me, doesn't that mean people will assume everything is about me? How am I supposed to live my life then?"

"Okay, I'll try not to." Old Fan said, embarrassed.

After Lao Fan left, Xiao Man came over and asked, "What have you been up to all this time?"

"No, haven't I been under your surveillance the whole time?" He Yuzhu joked.

"Go away, who wants to spy on you? Do you think I'm a CCTV camera?" Xiaoman punched him.

Although North America covered it up very well, it still leaked out, along with various speculations, some of which suggested that B2's target was the embassy of a certain major power.

Then Lao Fang and Lao Zhao visited to discuss the international situation.

"Zhu Zi, do you think the original bombing target over there was our embassy?"

"Uncle Fang, you can believe rumors?"

"Hmph, rumors aren't necessarily unreliable; they've got something to say!" Old Zhao said.

"Hehe, are you two too idle, coming here to study this?"

"With your extensive knowledge, who else would we turn to if not you?" Old Fang said.

“I’m in business,” He Yuzhu said seriously.

"Alright, alright, then as a businessman, can you analyze this for us from a business perspective?"

"Alright, then let's talk about our opponent's wolfish ambitions."

"Quickly, we're all ears!" Old Fang urged.

He Yuzhu picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, took a sip, and then slowly said, "Uncle Fang, Uncle Zhao, since we're talking about business, let's look at capital first. Who has the most capital? Who controls the printing press? Whose aircraft carrier fleet is spread across the oceans? Whose core technology is one or even two generations ahead of others? The answer is obvious."

He put down his teacup and tapped his finger lightly on the mahogany table.

“What is a player like this, sitting at the top of the table, thinking? First, he wants to maintain his position. Anyone who might challenge his position, or who is simply less obedient and wants to play by his own rules, will be seen as someone who needs to be managed.”

Old Fang and Old Zhao exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.

"How to manage it?" He Yuzhu continued, "The treaties and rules on the surface are one layer. But the power to interpret the rules is in the hands of the strong. If the problem cannot be solved within the rules, or if they feel it is not fast or thorough enough, they will use other means. Economic sanctions are a common one, cutting off your capital flow and technology chain, preventing you from developing. Financial means are more covert. You two have both witnessed the various financial crises. They can directly plunder a country's decades of accumulated wealth."

He paused, "If economic and financial measures are not enough, or if we encounter tough opponents, we will consider flexing our muscles, or even resorting to force. The choice of location is very important; it must have the greatest deterrent effect without directly provoking a direct conflict with an opponent of equal size. Therefore, we will choose to target regions that are strategically important, have close ties with certain major powers, but whose own strength is insufficient to counter them."

"You mean," Old Fang pondered, "that they chose that place to strike because they knew they could hit the nail on the head without immediately provoking a full-scale counterattack?"

“That’s one way to understand it,” He Yuzhu nodded. “It’s a form of extreme pressure, and also a test. It tests your reaction time, your bottom line, and the reliability of your allies. It’s like in the market, when a big player suddenly dumps shares to see how long the small investors following the trend can withstand it, and also to see if other big players will step in to take over.”

"If the test results are not ideal, for example, if the other party judges that you are powerless or dare not make a strong response, will it happen at your doorstep next time?" Old Zhao replied with a serious expression.

“That’s right.” He Yuzhu’s tone remained calm, but his eyes were sharp. “In business, taking a step back often doesn’t lead to a brighter future, but rather lets the other party see your true strength and then take advantage of you. Between nations, things are sometimes more ruthless than in business. They don’t use currency, but blood and lives to measure value.”

He picked up the teapot and refilled the two elderly people's cups with water.

"So, back to the original question. Is it possible that they originally intended to test the waters or even launch a direct attack? From the perspective of behavioral logic and strategic interests, the possibility is not low. That plane wasn't going there for sightseeing. As for where the bomb ultimately landed, we can only speculate; after all, it had an 'accident'."

Old Fang was silent for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh: "From your explanation, it's clear they've been plotting against us!"

“The ambition of a wolf is never just empty talk,” He Yuzhu said. “It is hidden behind every economic strangulation, every technological blockade, every close reconnaissance, and every ‘unexpected’ military operation. What we need to do is to see clearly the rules of this game and the opponent’s tactics, and then strive to become more assertive, so assertive that the opponent dares not easily come near us. Even if they do come, we should break a few of their teeth, or beat them into submission like we did decades ago.”

"That's more like what you, He Yuzhu, would say." Old Fang nodded with satisfaction, then shook his head and said, "It's a pity you went and became some kind of businessman."

“Yes!” Old Zhao agreed.

“You can’t say things like that. Besides, what’s wrong with me being a businessman? I still get things done.” He Yuzhu winked at the two old men.

“Yes, you’re right about everything,” Old Fang said.

"Hahaha, I agree with that." Old Zhao laughed heartily.

The domestic leadership has also reacted, and in fact, they have analyzed the situation. Therefore, strengthening the military is imperative, and the General Armaments Department has put pressure on its subordinate units.

Then it spread to other subsidiaries of Yellow River, such as Huagao Technology.

Huagao Technology Headquarters Building.

Lu Shuyi's office phone and her two cell phones were almost constantly ringing, and the files on her desk were piled higher than her.

She had just hung up a call from an aerospace institute urging her to deliver goods, and was rubbing her throbbing temples when there was another urgent knocking on the door.

"Go in!" Her voice carried a hint of weariness that was hard to hide.

The person who pushed open the door was the head of the Electronic Technology Laboratory, surnamed Wu, a middle-aged professor who usually paid great attention to his appearance. At this moment, his tie was crooked and his eyes were bloodshot.

"President Lu, we really can't take it anymore!" Professor Wu slammed a list on Lu Shuyi's desk, his fingers trembling slightly. "This is what we received this morning. The Navy, the Air Force, the Second Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology, and the Third Academy all want us to advance the delivery time of the next-generation high-speed data exchange module by at least three months from the original schedule! How is that possible? Our chip fabrication schedule is already booked until next year! And the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, the performance testing of special composite materials has only reached the second round, and they want to start small-batch trial production. This is not in line with scientific principles!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the head of the precision engineering department followed him in with a livid face, without even knocking on the door.

"President Lu, you need to give me a straight answer! Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group is pushing for structural components for the integrated radio frequency system, requiring that the deformation error under cyclic impact at temperatures ranging from -50°C to 70°C not exceed 0.3%! Even in the lab, we can barely meet these specifications, how can we control them in mass production? Also, the heavy industry company has transferred requirements for the modification of the new command vehicle chassis, which involves transmission and hydraulics. Our experienced mechanics shook their heads after looking at it, saying that it needs to be redesigned, not just modified!"

Looking at the two core members in front of her who were almost about to explode, Lu Shuyi took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

She picked up the intercom: "Zhou Lei, Wu Yang, come to my office immediately. Also, notify all 'Project X' team leaders who are at home that there will be an emergency meeting in the first conference room in half an hour."

Half an hour later, the first conference room was filled with smoke, and the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed like water could drip from it.

Zhou Lei spoke first, his tone heavy: "Everyone is aware of the situation. It's not just one unit, but almost all the key units we cooperate with are stepping up their efforts and urging us to speed up the process. The pressure is being transmitted from top to bottom; it's said that the higher-ups have issued strong statements, urging us to race against time."

Wu Yang then added, pulling up a projector screen displaying a dense list of project names and progress bars: "We've done a preliminary review, and there are currently seventeen major projects directly related to the 'Strengthening the Military' mission, covering multiple aspects such as avionics, radar, materials, power, and command systems. Almost all project milestones have been required to be brought forward, by as little as three months or as long as six months. And our manpower, equipment, especially our high-level engineering personnel, have already been pushed to their limits."

A female engineer in charge of software algorithms couldn't help but interject: "Hardware can be squeezed out by working overtime and gritting our teeth. But the stability testing cycle for software and algorithms can't be shortened! Especially for code involving flight control and fire control, missing even one simulation test under extreme conditions could create a fatal hidden danger. We can't gamble with the lives and safety of our soldiers!"

“Gamble? Who wants to gamble?” The head of the materials institute sighed. “But look at these requirements,” he pointed to a line on the list, “The special alloy for the carrier-based aircraft landing hook area has a fatigue resistance requirement that is 50 percent higher than the existing standard! We know this is important, but materials research and development has objective laws, and it cannot be achieved immediately by simply piling on manpower and money.”

A brief silence fell over the conference room, broken only by the hum of the air conditioner.

Lu Shuyi looked around at everyone and slowly said, "Complaining and whining won't solve the problem. We all understand that the pressure from above stems from external pressure. The question now is, can Huagao Technology withstand it? And how can it withstand it?"

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Regarding human resources, I will submit another report to the board of directors and higher-ups, requesting coordination to see if we can temporarily borrow from other research institutions or urgently recruit a group of experienced engineers. As for the equipment bottlenecks, Zhou Lei, you are responsible for sorting them out, listing the most urgent ones that cannot be solved domestically, and submitting a report. I will personally go to the chairman to approve foreign exchange purchases."

"What about the R&D cycle?" Professor Wu pressed. "Many tests cannot be omitted."

“Connect the parts that can be connected in parallel, and use supercomputers to simulate the parts that can be simulated first. If we really can’t save money,” Lu Shuyi gritted her teeth, “then we will submit a report to apply for an extension, and I will be responsible for the explanation. But the premise is that we have to do 120% of the work that can be done, so that the higher-ups can see that we have really tried our best and that we have really encountered insurmountable technical barriers, rather than it being an efficiency issue.”

She looked at Wu Yang: "Old Wu, you're in charge of liaising with all the companies that are expediting our orders. Compile a detailed, quantifiable report on our difficulties, our progress, and the support we need, and submit it directly to me. I'll handle the wrangling with them. You guys focus on the technology."

The meeting ended in a tense atmosphere. Everyone left with a sense of unease, as if their shoulders had become even heavier.

Lu Shuyi returned to her office, looked at the lights gradually coming on outside the window, picked up the phone, and dialed He Yuzhu's number.

“Dad,” her voice was hoarse, “the pressure is too great. Every department is pushing us hard. Our production capacity and R&D cycle are really nearing their limits.”

On the other end of the phone, He Yuzhu was silent for a few seconds, then calmly asked, "Which specific parts are the most critical?"

"There is a huge shortage of high-end chip tape-out channels and cycles, stable mass production processes for special materials, and high-level system integration and testing engineers. The existing core staff have been working non-stop for almost half a year. If this continues, I'm afraid there will be problems, both in terms of personnel and project quality."

"Understood." He Yuzhu's voice remained calm. "I'll try to find alternative channels for chips and materials or put pressure on them to expedite delivery. The personnel issue still needs to be resolved within the system; outsiders aren't suitable. However, you can make a list of the most urgently needed positions and quantities, specifying the requirements, and I'll ask my North American team to help poach some people to see if we can bring some back."

"good.""

After hanging up the phone, Lu Shuyi let out a long sigh of relief.

Although the problems were still numerous, she felt much more at ease knowing that she had He Yuzhu as her support.

She sat back down at her desk, turned on her computer, and began drafting the long, detailed report on Huagao Technology's current predicament and the support it needed.

(End of this chapter)