Chapter 358

Chapter 358: The Sweet Taste of Success

"Um, um, hold on a second. I need to find a place with a wireless hotspot to contact my supervisor," Lin Mo said, pointing to the backpack tossed into the seat of the business car. In addition to daily necessities and a change of clothes, there was a tablet he had brought back from the "Night" base, capable of connecting with the base through a specialized VPN channel using a unique communication protocol and encryption method.

"No problem! My business car is equipped with 4G wireless signal devices, so we can set up a wireless environment immediately," Chen Haiqing boasted, feeling pleased with his purchase.

As the "Shilang" crossed the national border, Lin Mo had already reported his return flight message. The "Night" base sent back new instructions half an hour later, granting him ten days to return.

This meant Lin Mo could stay away for a maximum of ten days and return to the "Night" base on the tenth day. During this time, the "Night" base did not restrict Lin Mo’s actions or destination, but he needed to report his location once a day, which involved simply turning on the "Night" tactical tablet to allow satellite positioning.

As long as the tactical tablet had battery, it possessed satellite positioning capabilities without needing to be powered on. A simple human operation could confirm the user’s safety status. If there was no response for a certain period, the "Night" would dispatch rescue personnel to check on the tablet user’s condition and whether a rescue operation was needed.

While on the way to the designated restaurant, Lin Mo copied over a hundred alloy process formulas directly in the car. He even noted their performance and pros and cons. Although he did not include smelting processes, for professional metallurgical companies, as long as there were parts, producing them would not pose significant challenges. Some critical components didn’t even require large metallurgical furnaces; they could be produced in small batches using laboratory equipment.

"These are great! Truly great!"

Chen Haiqing stuffed a pile of alloy formulas into his bag like a treasure, planning to send them back to National Defense Star for evaluation.

From the descriptions of some of the formulas, Chen Haiqing quickly realized their extraordinary and precious nature. Many technical barriers faced by National Defense Star during development could find perfect solutions on these papers.

These formulas could fundamentally enhance the performance of existing fighter jets, leveraging material improvements to achieve significant effectiveness. With the right technology paired with them, they could be even stronger.

Upon arrival at the restaurant, Chen Haiqing didn’t even bother to greet Lin Mo. He had the driver take Lin Mo to the private room to order, instructing him not to limit spending on anything.

Then, he hustled off to find the nearest fax machine to send all the data back to National Defense Star’s headquarters.

After a while, before the dishes even arrived, Chen Haiqing returned, drenched in sweat yet grinning widely.

Seeing Lin Mo already seated at the table, he couldn’t help but give a thumbs up. "Solid, brother, solid! Heh heh."

This guy had clearly received a great benefit from Lin Mo. If it had been someone else with these alloy formulas, they would not have passed them so easily.

“Ah, it’s nothing! I have plenty of these around,” Lin Mo said shamelessly, taking ownership of the hard-earned labor represented by the gold coins. Neither he nor the dragon could have guessed the astonishing value of what they had.

“Alright then, make sure to give me more later! And spill the beans—where did you get these formulas?”

Chen Haiqing felt that this trip was not in vain; coming in person proved to be a great decision. The elders back home would surely praise him. Just the hundred-plus formulas alone could increase National Defense Star’s asset value significantly.

"Hmph! Not telling you! You run around all the time, but you seem to be the most idle in the brigade!" Lin Mo scoffed at this slacker, wondering if he was really in the military to have fun or to be a fighter pilot, still just a second lieutenant at this stage. By the time he made it to major, his hair would probably be gray.

"Idle? Come on! My National Defense Star has established cooperation agreements with several aviation squadrons, including the ‘Chicken Coop,’ providing experimental equipment to validate products, and eventually, we’ll offer a full set of training machines," Chen Haiqing grinned, more like a scheming businessman.

"Looks like you’re a spy!" Lin Mo immediately sensed that this second-generation wealthy kid joined the air force with ulterior motives, getting into the air force to leverage his advantages and pull in his family’s business.

This strategy was surely ruthless; encouraging end-users to speak well was more effective than countless advertisements.

The profit from arms was staggering; behind several major wars and internal conflicts internationally lay the shadows of arms dealers, especially with high-tech weapons, which were far more profitable than making light arms. There was not just product profit but also service profit, making it quicker to rake in cash than robbing a bank.

Consider how major countries sold fighter jets abroad, practically making enormous profits for each one sold. In addition, continuous earnings came from parts supply.

It was no wonder Chen Haiqing was so invested; pilots already had plenty of free time, and this only made him feel more in his element. After entering the air force, he was thriving.

"Hehe!" Chen Haiqing kept smiling, neither admitting nor denying anything. It was like a blind person eating dumplings; everyone knew the score. He wore a peculiar smile as he sat back in his seat, patting Lin Mo’s shoulder and saying, "I think I know where you got those alloy formulas. Haha!"

"What do you know now?" Lin Mo rolled his eyes. The gold coin was deeply hidden; could Chen Haiqing actually read minds?

"Stop pretending! Honestly confess—did you dig these formulas from Professor Yan? Hmph! A lot of the formulas you gave me can be used in the aerospace industry. This must be a secret stash from Professor Yan. I knew the 611 Institute had good stuff and was intentionally keeping it hidden. Just admit it!"

Chen Haiqing thought he had figured it out, playing the role of an investigator. But Lin Mo wouldn’t give in to him, knowing this guy often took advantage of situations; he needed to put him in his place. He shot back, “Go ahead and guess!”

Chen Haiqing seemed even more mysterious than Lin Mo. He had already placed inquiries into Lin Mo’s background; it was incredibly clean. Being a pilot means investigations are inevitable. Yet after interacting with Lin Mo for so long, he felt like a layer of fog surrounded him, making it impossible to see through this newly accomplished fighter ace.

Although Chen Haiqing had high expectations for Lin Mo’s potential, he didn’t realize he was only scratching the surface, with even greater surprises waiting for Lin Mo to unveil.

"Little Song, don’t save money on my brother’s order! Shark fin and bird’s nest, order plenty," Chen Haiqing signaled the driver, Little Song.

The restaurant featured classical decor that displayed understated luxury, indicating a high-end establishment. Menu prices started at three digits, showcasing how much value Chen Haiqing placed on Lin Mo.

Before Little Song could respond, Lin Mo pushed the menu toward him. "Don’t worry about saving for me; I’m tired of seafood. I’m ordering mountain delicacies instead. You can see what you like and add whatever you want."

The waiter, assigned for exclusive service in the private room, smiled slightly and approached Chen Haiqing, holding a special PDA to take orders.

"Alright, just order what you like. I’m picking up the check anyway. I’m not even in the mood for food right now; I’m waiting for you to share more insights," Chen Haiqing waved his hand, indicating that no additional dishes were necessary.

"Understood." The waiter stepped back and pressed a button on the PDA to send the signal to start serving.

Soon enough, the table was filled with an array of dishes.

Watching at least ten portions of food arrive, Chen Haiqing was quite taken aback, despite expecting it. Little Song also sat there, wide-eyed, holding his chopsticks over the table and muttering, "Is it too much? Is anyone else coming? Should we pack some?"

In truth, while ordering, the names of the dishes didn’t feel substantial, but the sheer volume and weight that arrived left everyone, especially those seeing Lin Mo’s appetite for the first time, astonished.

"Pack? Our Lin Ge never packs food! Little Song, today you’ll see what a big eater looks like," Chen Haiqing recalled how, during a meal at a Korean dog meat restaurant, Lin Mo not only overturned a band of thugs but maintained his determination to keep eating. It was unmatched.

"Come on! Stop staring! Let’s dig in! If we wait too long, you won’t get to eat!" Lin Mo casually said, grabbing his chopsticks, making Little Song’s heart race.

All three were drivers, but two were pilots, and one drove a car; all of them couldn’t touch alcohol.

There were no formalities or table etiquettes among them. Having traveled so far, they were all hungry, launching into the feast without hesitation.

After a whirlwind of eating, Chen Haiqing faced a bill exceeding twenty thousand yuan as the main financier, yet he didn’t bat an eye and simply paid with his card.

In a vast semi-military restricted area located somewhere in northwest China, clusters of factory buildings belonged solely to this land. The enormous buffer zone prevented the outside world from gleaning anything. Only endless barbed wire and various warning signs reminded intruders that this was a dangerous place.

Perhaps the level of secrecy and vigilance exceeded that of general aircraft manufacturing plants; however, for National Defense Star Aerospace Company (NDS), which aspired to be the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer, setting rules in advance was essential to ward off prying eyes from both domestic and foreign intelligence agencies.