RPAGF Chapter 922 A Selective "Deal"?
Chapter 922 A Selective "Deal"?
After understanding Jiang Xia's intentions, Lao Wang and Zhao Gang both fell into a brief silence.
"This is no longer your responsibility. Organize all the photo negatives and scraps that were just developed, and seal them according to the highest level of secrecy regulations. Then, you few, report to the political commissar, report the situation, and receive the next phase of the mission. No one is allowed to approach this area without permission."
"Yes!" Several soldiers immediately responded in low voices, quickly began packing up the equipment, and then quietly left the darkroom.
Then, the darkroom fell silent again.
Old Wang rested his chin on his hand, leaning against the door frame, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the frame, producing a dull thud.
Only Zhao Gang's heavy breathing and the faint rustling of the sea breeze through the curtains remained in the darkroom.
Seize, study, and imitate – this is the path our soldiers are accustomed to taking.
However, Jiang Xia's direction clearly went beyond their original trajectory.
Seeing this, Jiang Xia knew he needed to add fuel to the fire. He pointed to the dry dock of the Daryan Shipyard in the distance:
"Brother Zhao, we've been circling this submarine for so long, practically examining every nook and cranny. Do you think, with our current resources, we can build an exact replica of the hull?"
Zhao Gang didn't answer immediately. He crossed his arms, squinted, as if carefully replaying every detail he'd witnessed on the "Early Tide" over the past few days in his mind. After a while, he sighed heavily, shook his head, his tone tinged with resentment yet also with a clear head:
“No. To be honest, it really can’t.” He lowered his arm and gestured with his hands. “Putting everything else aside, its ‘skin’ is completely different from ours.”
"If it were one of our own boats that crashed into us, there wouldn't even be a chance for a rescue; it would have sunk in a flash... The same would have happened with our latest 6603!"
"But theirs only had a slight dent. I saw it when I blocked the passage! The overall structure was perfectly fine, the watertightness was intact, it could float on its own, there was no need for emergency rescue at all!"
He chuckled self-deprecatingly, his voice lowering: "Even though we always call them 'little notebooks,'... just based on their 'skin,' they're enough for us to keep chasing them for years."
"So, Brother Zhao, Brother Wang, you see, this 'Early Tide' ship is like a 'white elephant' to us right now."
Jiangxia shrugged, speaking very frankly.
"Even if we disassemble and thoroughly study every single screw, and copy all the blueprints, if we can't manufacture the most fundamental materials and master the core processes, then for us it's just a pretty face."
……
Silence fell again in the darkroom.
Outside, the seagulls were still calling merrily, their wings skimming the water and creating ripples, but to the group of people, it sounded strangely noisy, as if mocking their powerlessness.
After a long silence, Old Wang's hoarse voice broke the stillness. He raised his head and said, "Then how can you guarantee... that Junichiro will be obedient after he goes back? That he will keep sending back the 'formula' we want? You can't see into someone's heart, let alone across the sea."
Jiang Xia suddenly laughed and asked, "Brother Wang, have you seen 'The White-Haired Girl'?"
Old Wang paused for a moment, clearly not expecting Jiang Xia to bring this up suddenly, but he still nodded. The story of how people were turned into ghosts in the old society was something their generation remembered vividly.
"Then," Jiang Xia asked slowly, "how did Huang Shiren in the drama make Yang Bailao work for him year after year, and eventually even pawn his daughter?"
Old Wang's pupils contracted slightly; he understood Jiang Xia's implication.
"I understand. Junichiro didn't owe money; he planted a time bomb himself. Putting aside the mission he mentioned about the little mascot, his real secret is that he's hoarding Kobe Steel's core technology and wants to take his family to Brazil to start their own business. This is the secret he's most afraid of letting anyone know!"
"Yep!"
"The Japanese government's mascot won't tolerate disloyal families, and the US won't allow Kobe Steel to operate independent overseas steel mills. These are two entities he can't afford to offend. We hold the fuse for this bomb; if they dare disobey, we'll ignite it..."
"That big mascot over there is ruthless. When the time comes, he won't care whether Junichiro is related to the Crown Princess or not; he'll settle accounts with him as he sees fit!"
“So we’re not forcing him, we’re giving him a way out.” Zhao Gang muttered to himself, finally figuring out the trick. “He uses his skills to shut us up and keep his ‘nest,’ while we get what we want. It’s a fair deal.”
“It’s not about fairness, it’s about each getting what they need.” Jiang Xia corrected, “He wants ‘security,’ we want ‘technology.’ He has no choice, but we do—that’s what it means to have the initiative.”
"But there are still some issues that need to be addressed, such as how to urge Junichiro to fulfill his contract. Brother Wang, do we have any comrades over there?"
"You don't need to worry about that. Let's write a report first. This is a big matter, and it's not something we can just decide on our own!"
Old Wang lit a cigarette, tilted his head, and thought for a moment.
"According to the captain of that little notebook, their communication cycle with headquarters is 14 days, and this should be the 6th day now..."
"Alright, let's split up. I'll go and give Junichiro a heads-up first. You go and write the report! If both sides are interested, then let's get started!"
"okay!"
……
Just as Jiang Xia and the others were setting the date for "Huang Shiren" in the secret room, Junichiro, who had been placed in a special dormitory, was experiencing something he had never felt before...
Flustered?
No, more likely it's frustration...
Chaos! Utter chaos!
He forced himself to calm down and sort out his thoughts.
Being captured was certainly a disgrace, but deep down he wasn't actually that afraid.
Junichiro had his own advantages: his family's extensive network of connections in the country, his daughter's prestigious status as the Crown Princess, and the political capital he had accumulated by "finding" a lost national treasure for the sake of the mascot.
The "Early Tide" was carrying out a secret mission for the Bald Eagle. Even if it failed and was captured, as long as it was handled properly, it could be packaged domestically as a legendary story of a heroic struggle against a powerful opponent and a "difficult escape," and could even be gilded with the halo of a "combat hero."
Hmph, have you ever seen the head of another family personally go to the front lines?
He, Junichiro, dares to do it!
If this isn't a hero, then what is?
Junichiro's real fear stemmed from the large rolls of film carried by his two henchmen!
Although he was certain that with China's current level of technology, it was impossible to understand the essence of Kobe Steel's highest technology condensed on it, the existence of this thing itself and its intended destination must absolutely not be known to anyone!
When Bald Eagle transferred its technology, it explicitly prohibited the dissemination of core technologies such as LD furnaces outside the designated areas.
Although the technology itself was "borrowed" by the Bald Eagles from the Linz steel plant in Austria after the war, and the Austrians in turn seized it from the defeated Hans Mönch...
He secretly transferred technical data to Brazil, intending to establish a family "overseas enclave" there, away from the control of the Japanese and the United States, and to build his own steel empire.
That football-loving nation was his secret base, the one he staked his family's future on, and it absolutely could not be discovered by anyone! Once exposed, the Little Pig would settle accounts with him for his "disloyalty," the White Eagle would reclaim the technology, and even destroy his steel mill, and all his hard work in this life would be for nothing.
"No, the Chinese can't understand it..." Junichiro muttered to himself, trying to comfort himself, but the unease in his heart surged like a tide, and he couldn't suppress it.
Just then, the dormitory door was pushed open, and Lao Wang walked in, followed by Zhao Gang, who was holding several folded pieces of paper in his hand.
Junichiro's two attendants, though looking utterly exasperated, dutifully stood in front of him.
“Mr. Junichiro,” Old Wang said bluntly, “we’re here to make a deal with you.”