A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Yes, the coded document only outlined a few key points of Huang Shiren's plan; the rest was an emergency plan on how to quietly pull Uncle Jin out of this murky water.

Thinking of this, Uncle Jin didn't feel much relief; instead, a heavy, bittersweet feeling washed over him.

Over the years, he has lived like a real ghost, wandering in the most dangerous shadows and making significant contributions. However, the long and arduous journey has truly drained him dry.

Outsiders see those bizarre spy movies, with 007, impeccably dressed, slicked-back hair, holding a martini that says "shake well, don't stir," gambling away fortunes in Monaco casinos, always surrounded by luxury cars and beautiful women, and with a flick of his finger, world crises are resolved in bed and after a chase in luxury cars.

But what is the reality?

Uncle Jin's lips curled into a self-deprecating smile.

Night after night of revelry?

To be able to sleep through the night without talking in his sleep is his greatest luxury. He has needs too, but he dares not drink himself into oblivion...

Luxury cars and beautiful women?

His usual modes of transportation are the subway, bus, and walking. As for the beautiful woman...

There were women among the targets and liaisons, but unfortunately, they were either plotting how to catch him or figuring out how not to be exposed at the next signal point.

Can you change the world with a click of your finger?

He does move his fingers every day, but mostly he's sending telegrams, destroying documents, forging certificates, or engaging in "fierce exchanges" to pass coded messages.

In the movie, after Bond blows up the enemy base, he still manages to have a drink with the Bond girl on a yacht at sunset.

The last time Lao Jin "finished his work," he squatted by a stinky ditch in the suburbs at three in the morning, munching on half a rice ball as hard as a brick in the cold wind, and then pondered how to clean his muddy leather shoes so that no one would notice anything amiss when he went to "work" at headquarters the next day.

This is fucking reality!

No Aston Martins, only rusty bicycles...

There's no royal casino, only a treacherous black market meeting point...

There's no flirting with Manapenny, only "colleagues" you have to be constantly wary of and veiled messages that must be delivered precisely...

The gentle old man probably saw that he had become unrecognizable over the years, and this time he went along with it, perhaps also hoping that he could take this opportunity to gradually "cleanse" his skin, take a step back, retreat to a safer shadow, or even... retire altogether.

It can be considered a silent form of compensation, a dignified "retirement" arrangement.

"retire?"

Uncle Jin chuckled inwardly, and that self-mockery transformed into something even harder.

He shook his head slightly, refocusing his gaze on the flowing night outside the car window, his eyes as sharp as ever.

Still early.

As long as I remain here, in this most crucial position, I can pry open another crack, transmit another piece of information, and pave an inch more path, even if it's full of thorns.

So what if I can't talk in my sleep?

At worst... I'll just sleep less.

No... I'm not going to sleep, okay?

Bond has his martinis and beauties, and I, Old King, have my mission and my battlefield.

Although this battlefield is without gunpowder, it is just as deadly. There are no medals, but even more so, courage and loyalty are needed.

When will I be able to retire?

Uncle Jin looked out at the colorful neon-lit world...

Let's wait until things become like this in China before we talk about it!

Uncle Jin composed himself and suppressed the feelings that belonged to "Jin" deep in his heart.

"By the way, what's that kid who started this plan up to do? Probably getting restless waiting for news, huh? Hahaha..."

"Kid, thank goodness you have Uncle Jin here! You should get some sleep first! If anything happens to me, you can step in!"

What is that kid doing now?

Darian, the dormitory area of ​​the North Sea Fleet.

Jiangxia was certainly not causing any trouble.

He was sprawled out on the hard bed, fast asleep, drool practically staining his pillowcase. Several days of intense mental and physical exhaustion, coupled with the "sealed" adventure in the driveshaft compartment, had completely drained him of his last ounce of energy.

After sending away the "Early Tide" ship, this hot potato... no, this "treasure trove of technology," he returned to his dormitory and almost instantly fell into a deep, blissful sleep the moment he hit the bed.

This moment of peace was hard-won and came at a "high price"—he used a "blueprint" to temporarily buy out Teacher Shi Lu's burning obsession with "adopting a son".

For some unknown reason, Teacher Shi Lu found Jiang Xia, who was gnawing on an oyster, and said with eager eyes, "Kid, call me 'godfather' and let me hear it! I'll protect you from now on!"

Jiang Xia nearly choked on the oyster. He blinked his sleepy, red eyes and looked at the authoritative expert in front of him, who was the leading figure in the overall design of submarines in China, but whose face was now full of "call me dad" expressions. He remained silent for three seconds.

Then, Jiang Xia silently put down the oyster shell and took out a crumpled roll of blueprints from his bag.

That was the "money-losing item" he redeemed from the system store—the Early Wave-class power system package plus his own "brainstorming sketches" drawn up on the spot based on some basic nuclear submarine concepts from later published papers.

“Here, the ‘big toy’ you wanted… the preliminary design…” Jiang Xia’s eyes were almost closed as he mumbled incoherently, “Overall… layout… reactor section… roughly… like this… the specifics… you… figure it out yourself… phew… zzz…”

Before he could finish speaking, he swayed, but was caught by the quick-thinking Old Wang. He tilted his head to the side and leaned on Old Wang's shoulder, immediately snoring softly.

"What do I want? What did I ask for?"

Teacher Lu, still feeling a little regretful for not receiving his "godson," took the roll of blueprints. After Old Wang shoved the silly boy into the dormitory, he picked up the blueprints and began to examine them.

But when his gaze fell on those rough yet clearly defined sketches, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"This is... a preliminary concept based on the combination of a teardrop-shaped hull and a sail rudder plus a cruciform tail rudder?"

A preliminary fluid model based on single-shaft pump thrust?

And this… a conceptual sketch of a compartment layout for a miniaturized natural circulation pressurized water reactor? This, this…”

These concepts alone are enough to cause a stir in the field of submarine design. But the problem is—

"Xuhua! Lao Huang! Come here quickly! Take a look at this!"

Although Teacher Xu Hua, whom they met on the way, was in his prime, he had been busy helping Jiang Xia these past few days. Seeing how comfortably Jiang Xia was sleeping, Teacher Xu Hua was even considering whether he should squeeze in with the kid.

Hearing his team leader's call, he reluctantly moved over, muttering, "What is it now? I told you to stop thinking about being someone's sugar daddy..."

Before he could finish speaking, his gaze fell on the blueprints, and his muttering stopped abruptly.

Two of the Republic's top naval engineers sat head to head in the dim light of the evening sky over the Bohai Bay, their fingers tracing lines that bore Jiangxia's personal style yet possessed an exceptionally solid core.

The more they looked, the faster the relaxed expressions on their faces faded, replaced by a solemn look that was a mixture of surprise and deep bewilderment.

surprise?

No.

Shocked?

A little, but not much...

At the same time, this shock was quickly replaced by greater doubt.