A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 1037 Only by Planning Can One Act Properly

The morning mist completely dissipated, and sunlight, cut into patches of light and shadow by the sycamore branches and leaves of the base, fell on the group's path toward the Little Red Building.

The usual hustle and bustle of the group was gone. Baoqiang trailed behind dejectedly, clutching his Red Dragon Eye cigarette in one hand and rubbing his stomach every now and then with the other. His steps were unsteady, yet he struggled to keep up with those ahead, panting and muttering, "Jiang Guawa, you're so mean! I just stole your cigar, and you actually won't let me get on the bus! I'm exhausted... Ouch, I can't hold it in anymore, I need to pee!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he ignored everyone else, grabbed the eggplant vine, and darted to the sycamore tree by the roadside. He turned his back and hurriedly finished his business, which made Old Wang in front of him turn around and glare at him. He just waved his hand with a grin.

Jiang Xia walked at the front, listening to the commotion behind him, a barely perceptible wicked smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Secretary Liu had no interest in getting involved in the two's little squabble. When his gaze swept over the six-wheeled armored vehicle under the shade of a tree not far away, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The cold, hard metal body was somewhat dull in the sunlight, and the anti-slip treads on the body were still covered with morning dew. It was the same car he had bumped into this morning, and it was still parked in the same spot. A little heat was faintly seeping out from the gaps in the hood, like a lurking beast, watching the road leading to the Little Red Building with predatory eyes.

Secretary Liu quickly composed herself and hurried to catch up with Jiang Xia, but her eyes remained fixed on the armored vehicle.

Director Zheng walked beside Jiang Xia, taking in Secretary Liu's reaction. He also glanced at the armored vehicle following Jiang Xia's gaze, a cold glint in his eyes. He raised his hand and lightly patted Jiang Xia's arm, signaling him to quicken his pace.

After Baoqiang finished, he pulled up his pants and quickly caught up with Jiang Xia. Unlike usual, he didn't cling to Jiang Xia and chatter on. Instead, he subtly quickened his pace and walked to a position slightly behind or to the side of Jiang Xia.

"By the way, kid, didn't you finish your cigars a long time ago? How come you still have some!"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. It was at that little guesthouse that a small factory from Sichuan province came to visit, and their factory manager gave it to me!"

"Eh...is it a factory in Shifang?"

"No, it's from Factory 773!"

"Oh, no wonder. It must be the state-owned Hongguang Electron Tube Factory!"

"you know!"

"That's right, it's the largest production base for picture tube glass shells in the country, producing electronic components such as black and white picture tubes, oscilloscope tubes, and radar indicator tubes. Hey, isn't it under the jurisdiction of the Third Ministry of Machine Building?"

"I do not know then……"

As he spoke, Baoqiang glanced quickly at the armored vehicle in the distance, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he moved closer to Jiang Xia, subtly shielding her in front of him.

The movement was extremely stealthy, with a touch of nonchalance, as if it were just to avoid losing the group, but it blocked the spying view from the direction of the armored vehicle and quietly kept away any potential dangers hidden in the roadside bushes.

Ha, who says a wind listener's ears can only be used to listen to radio waves!

……

Secretary Liu had no interest in getting involved in the two's rambling discussion. She quickly laid out Jiang Xia's recent anxieties and plans: "Director Zheng, Engineer Jiang has been uneasy. Although the incident with Zuo Peng was resolved, he feels it was just the tip of the iceberg. He's worried that the base is too prominent and unsafe. He privately mentioned to me that he wants to transfer the core teams and data of some sensitive projects to the third-tier cities in Sichuan Province as soon as possible."

He's now frantically launching various projects, wishing he could turn all the blueprints into production lines overnight..."

Director Zheng paused almost imperceptibly as he listened, a deep sense of gravity flashing in his eyes. He didn't turn around, his gaze seemingly fixed on the entrance to the small red building in the distance. He nodded slowly, his voice low and somber: "I understand his concerns. The tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease. In the current situation, it's truly impossible for anyone to peacefully shut themselves away for research. Open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows... are the hardest to guard against."

Old Wang, who had sharp ears, overheard this and chimed in with a gruff voice, his tone filled with undisguised disgust: "That Zuo Peng, he brought this on himself! It's just that he's hard to interrogate, otherwise, I'd make him cross the single-plank bridge like Lao Ai!"

"The people behind him have never stopped trying to get him out of trouble, constantly making small moves, which is very annoying."

Director Zheng walked forward in silence. The morning breeze swept across the open space, causing the hem of his slightly worn Zhongshan suit to flutter. After a long while, he uttered a low murmur, as if to himself, or perhaps to a figure in the void:

"If only I had known... I wouldn't have taken that bullet back then."

These words came out of nowhere, and the voice carried an indescribable weariness, which surprised both Secretary Liu and Old Wang standing next to him.

Secretary Liu opened her mouth, wanting to ask, but seeing Director Zheng's gloomy expression, with many inexplicable past events and emotions hidden deep in his eyes, she swallowed her words in the end, but her doubts only deepened.

He then gestured with his eyes to the armored vehicle and whispered, "That vehicle came in before dawn this morning and drove straight here. Its origins are unknown, and we don't know who it is. Judging from its appearance..." He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Director Zheng's gaze fell on the armored vehicle again, his brows furrowing slightly before quickly relaxing, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips: "Their origins are quite obvious, they're from the Ministry of Defense."

"Huh? How can you be sure?"

"The Fire Seed Base only produced three of this model of evaluation vehicle, how could I not know?"

Director Zheng's tone was playful yet tinged with coldness: "One vehicle underwent destructive testing and was thoroughly thrashed by the cannon barrel. Another was given to Jiang Xia for a road test, but who knew he'd modify it and give it to an old geologist, who used it as a field exploration vehicle..."

"The other one..."

Director Zheng pointed his chin at the armored vehicle:

"The last one was converted into someone's mobile office. He puts it wherever he goes, as if afraid others won't know his importance." At this point, Director Zheng paused, his gaze sweeping across the armored vehicle's window, as if he could see through the glass to the inside. "Heh, I didn't expect to run into it here."

"They're definitely after Jiangxia!" Old Wang immediately turned around, "I'll take a few men and detain them first, then we'll find out what's going on!"

"They're definitely after Jiangxia!" Old Wang immediately turned around, "I'll take a few men and detain them first, then we'll find out what's going on!"

"Nonsense."

Director Zheng raised his hand to stop him, his tone seemingly reprimanding, but a cunning glint flashed in his eyes.

Even his usual composure and steadiness faded somewhat, replaced by a ruthless, unrestrained spirit: "To act without any basis is just giving others ammunition, isn't it? Last time, your method of arresting Zuo Peng was swift and lawful, so what's wrong with doing it again? I'd like to see how ugly that 'big shot' and his men will look when two groups of people fall into the same trap."

Secretary Liu and Old Wang were stunned for a moment, then realized that Director Zheng was referring to the previous incident where he had used regulations to swiftly and cleanly detain Zuo Peng.

Judging from Director Zheng's tone, he intended to do the same thing, and even seemed to enjoy the spectacle. The two felt a little relieved; it seemed the director had already planned this.

"Hey, hurry up! We'll have to take apart the hardware multiplier and other modules when we get there, it'll be a hassle..."

Jiang Xia turned around and saw the group of people huddled together, seemingly discussing something. He couldn't help but think to himself that they were too slow and urged them on.

"Let's go, let's get down to business." Director Zheng said no more and walked towards the small red building.

The group quickened their pace, seemingly chatting casually as they walked, but in reality, each of them was doing something else:

Director Zheng used his peripheral vision to track the movement of the armored vehicle, and pressed his fingertip against the clasp of his briefcase—inside, besides the draft of the coded telegram, was an emergency transfer order from Bureau 701.

Although Lao Wang appeared to be walking on the outside, his footsteps subtly blocked the path between the armored vehicle and the small red building, and his aura grew increasingly cold and hard.

While turning around to organize the documents, Secretary Liu quickly scanned the area around the armored vehicle and spotted two tall, plainclothes men leaning against a tree, their eyes subtly fixed on them, clearly on lookout duty.

Meanwhile, inside the six-wheeled armored vehicle.

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses was looking through the observation hole and saw Director Zheng and his entourage entering the small red building.

"Indeed, one must plan carefully before taking action!"