Chapter Twenty-Two: Masterful Craftsmanship

The night was dim. Yin Zhen carefully carried the rattan case, his gaze scanning the surroundings with vigilance. After confirming there were no safety risks, he helped his beloved into the car. He took the driver's seat himself, placing the case at the feet of Jiang Jingzhu in the passenger seat, where he could protect it with one hand.

Soon, the car vanished into the night, its engine barely audible even to the neighbors, the Su family.

In front of the building housing the Shannan Tropical Climate Research Institute, two sets of brakes screeched in quick succession. Two jeeps pulled up, and at the sound, two middle-aged to elderly men dressed in navy gray stepped briskly out of the institute.

"Old Xiao, everyone in the institute has finished their shift; apart from the duty guards, it’s just the two of us left!" The leader, a gray-haired man named Old Meng, looked with confusion at Xiao Yong, who had pushed the car door open and stepped out with long, purposeful strides.

"So late?" What could be so urgent that the commander of the South Sea fleet would arrive in the dead of night?

"Old Gu, let this lad explain!" Xiao Yong pointed to Yin Zhen, who was stepping out of the other vehicle. Xiao Yong’s expression was stern, his thick brows knitted together.

Even in the darkness, he could see clearly. Given the importance of this matter, why did this kid bring his wife along? Xiao Yong had personally handled Jiang Jingzhu’s file; he had seen photos of her. Considering her background, he didn't doubt Yin Zhen’s judgment—Yin had always been reliable, and there must be a reason for bringing her.

Yin Zhen gestured silently toward the inside, carrying the rattan case in one hand and guiding Jiang Jingzhu with the other as they headed toward the entrance.

"Let’s go inside to talk. My wife developed the thing," Yin Zhen whispered concisely as he passed Xiao Yong.

"Old Gu, lead the way. Find us a secure office!"

The group disappeared into the institute. Inside a confidential conference room, Xiao Yong ordered his personal guards to stand watch outside. "Explain it carefully. Old Meng, Old Du—they are experts in warship design and fighter aircraft, as you well know!" These were the very men he had led a mission to retrieve from thousands of miles away.

"Teacher Meng, Professor Du, please take a look," Jiang Jingzhu said, drawing a deep breath. With practiced calm, she pulled a stack of blueprints from her bag and spread them out on the desk before the two elders.

"A modest proposal for a wake-homing heavy anti-ship torpedo. I await your corrections."

At the first glance, she recognized them as her former professors of marine and aeronautical engineering. She had truly sat in on Old Meng’s lectures and received his guidance.

"Jingzhu?" In the darkness earlier, he hadn't scrutinized the young woman, and Yin Zhen had kept her shielded. Now, hearing her voice and looking closely, he realized it was his own student.

"You..." He remembered she still had over a year until graduation. How? Considering their current circumstances—where he and Old Du relied on Old Xiao’s protection, only escaping disaster by registering here as climate researchers—it was perhaps not so surprising. They knew the girl was brilliant, but to claim she had derived a wake-homing torpedo...

Before they could speak further, the exquisite composition and data on the blueprints caught their eyes. Their eyes widened, and they were instantly transfixed, unable to tear their gaze away.

The two elders leaned over the drawings, hunching their backs in concentration, pulling out pens and paper to tirelessly verify the calculations.

"Here, and here—if you follow this logic, it is achievable!" Experts know the truth when they see it. Five minutes later, the two had verified the data they could understand; it was truly feasible.

"The principle of wake-homing: utilizing the acoustic, optical, magnetic, and thermal characteristics of a ship's wake to distinguish it from the surrounding seawater, allowing the torpedo to automatically track and destroy the vessel!"

"A filtering control module?"

"Turbocharged thermal propulsion? It can be designed this way? Yes, that’s it—it drastically improves energy conversion efficiency!"

"Nitrogen-oxygen high-energy fuel?"

"AM-6 aluminum-magnesium high-energy explosive warhead..."

Each new yet familiar label—some involving theories they had only heard whispered about—and the range of values they saw left the two men, who had spent their lives studying weaponry, deeply mesmerized.

If this could be fully realized, they would possess one of the world's most advanced underwater swords. A blade that strikes true, a wake-homing carrier-killer. With these specifications, they couldn't imagine anyone being able to withstand it.

The Su-65 from the neighbors, and rumors of research from across the sea—this was the cutting edge of torpedo technology. What they currently possessed were few in number, carrying only 400-kilogram warheads with an effective range of just 9 kilometers. They used gas and oxygen tanks for power, risking engine failure mid-run. Their guidance was merely inertial—the so-called "big iron rod" approach. And they had so few that every one fired was a loss. It was one of their most effective weapons, yet they knew how dire their need for indigenous research was—a project started years ago that had yet to yield results.

The more the two elders calculated, the brighter their eyes shone, as if invigorated by a stimulant, their spirits soaring. At the very least, the parts they understood were highly likely to be implemented, and the theories involved were things they had occasionally glimpsed in classified documents.

"So that’s how it works, utilizing wave characteristics..." Old Meng muttered, having moments of sudden realization.

"Jingzhu, this filtering module..." The two elders discussed the matter heatedly, oblivious to everything else, occasionally asking Jiang Jingzhu for guidance with the humility of students.

"Nitrogen-oxygen combination..."

Everyone was familiar with nitrogen; it made up 78% of the atmosphere. Every second, they were in intimate contact with it. Usually existing as N2, it was a "steady" molecule, but as the blueprints proved, this was mere camouflage. It was fundamentally "explosive" in nature, and most explosives were closely related to it.

Xiao Yong didn't fully grasp the intricate designs, but he understood the results. "A maximum range of 52 kilometers and a top speed of 50 knots? Can this really be achieved?"

If it could, it would be the world's most advanced equipment. It would truly mean that those who offend their nation will be punished, no matter how far away they are. Those from across the sea would no longer be able to use their superior naval technology to prowl and threaten their territorial waters.

Within the range of this torpedo, the seas would be pure. A sword that could chase down enemy warships—this was truly a divine weapon.

"A genius. This work is truly imaginative—a masterpiece of craftsmanship!"

Good, very good. Yin Zhen’s face was indeed useful.