咚咚咚！
A soft knock echoed from outside the door. Ou Zhanpeng looked up from a pile of documents, "Come in!"
This was Shan Qiuyu's office. Heaven knew which department head was outside. It was always good to be polite.
The door opened, and Zou Zhou walked in. "Little Ou, busy?"
"Yo, Engineer Zou, what a rare visitor! Please, sit down!" Ou Zhanpeng quickly stood up. "Ah, you didn't announce your arrival. Our director isn't in; he's gone out."
He had always held technical personnel in high regard, hence his exceptional enthusiasm.
Those in technical fields were no ordinary people. While their emotional intelligence might be somewhat lacking, any one of them, if singled out, possessed an intelligence that was overwhelmingly superior. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them the military's cherished darlings.
Zou Zhou sat down and stated directly, "I'm not looking for the director; I'm looking for you!"
"Me?" Ou Zhanpeng was stunned. What was going on?
The experiment had been successfully completed, and his task was over. For Zou Zhou, the team leader, to come looking for him at this time… did this Engineer Zou have an unmarried elder daughter at home?
No, no, where was his mind going? He must have been influenced by Ling Xiao, he definitely had!
"Yes, you!" Zou Zhou said with great certainty. "Little Ou, I don't come without a reason. Today, I'm here to ask for your help. Please, you must help me."
Ou Zhanpeng desperately wanted to say, "I already have a girlfriend!"
He quickly cleared his mind. "Well, Engineer Zou, we're not outsiders. Speak your mind. If you're this polite, I feel uneasy."
Zou Zhou, hearing this, became a bit unsure how to begin. After a moment's thought, he said, "Then I'll be direct!"
"Directly, yes, please do!"
Zou Zhou seemed a little embarrassed. "Well, it's like this. Although the robot dog was successful, there are still many shortcomings. The most important one is its short battery life. We've used the best batteries. For low-intensity missions, it can last five hours, but in high-intensity combat, it can't last more than two hours."
Ou Zhanpeng understood where the problem lay. A five-hour battery life was acceptable, but the upgraded robot dog was intended to counter the Swift Dogs. When would there be low-intensity situations?
Zou Zhou didn't notice Ou Zhanpeng's expression. "We've considered other methods, like adding a battery backpack, which could extend the battery life to four hours. But the battery pack is too bulky and heavy. Not only does it affect flexibility, but it also impacts the ammunition capacity. It's really not worth it. So, hearing that Director Shan said you might have a solution, I came."
Ou Zhanpeng froze instantly and asked cautiously, "Did Director Shan tell you what the solution is?"
"No," Zou Zhou shook his head.
Ou Zhanpeng was troubled. To this day, alien technology remained top secret. Even Shan Qiuyu couldn't decide; it had to be based on orders from above. But for Director Shan to send Zou Zhou to him without consulting higher-ups… what was that all about?
He thought for a moment and said, "Engineer Zou, this matter is very complicated. How about this: please wait for me here for a moment. I need to make a call!"
"No problem, take your time!" Zou Zhou said.
For a technical person, politeness and courtesy were secondary. The key was whether the problem could be solved.
Ou Zhanpeng left the office and made a call to Shan Qiuyu. "Director, Engineer Zou is here with me…"
"It's about the battery, isn't it? It's all for fighting aliens. Help him find a way," Shan Qiuyu said.
Ou Zhanpeng was anxious. "No, Director, that technology is top secret. You can't even talk about it, so how can I just casually discuss it?"
Shan Qiuyu laughed. "Little Ou, on this matter, I'm actually not as capable as you are!"
Huh?
Ou Zhanpeng's mind was a bit muddled. "Director, what do you mean?"
"Exactly what it means," Shan Qiuyu chuckled. "After you provided those few drawings, do you think you're still an ordinary person?"
Ou Zhanpeng seemed to understand, yet he couldn't grasp the main point. "I don't understand!"
Shan Qiuyu decided to explain it clearly. "Although you haven't held any technical positions, those few drawings are extraordinary. Currently, at Luojian Mountain Base, and in the eyes of the informed technical personnel, you are a genuine technical expert, understand?"
"Technical expert?" Ou Zhanpeng burst out laughing. "Are you kidding me, me?"
"I'm not kidding. Regardless of how the drawings were obtained, they were submitted by you, right?"
"That's true." Ou Zhanpeng had no choice but to admit it.
"So, you are now a technical expert. But this situation is limited to the high-level technical realm, and not many people know about it. My position is higher than yours, but in terms of technology, my words don't carry as much weight as yours."
Ou Zhanpeng suddenly felt his image significantly elevated. "Director, I'm willing to help with this, but with my current status and situation, who can I even talk to? Besides, casually disclosing it, isn't that a security breach?"
"Can't you just not tell Engineer Zou for now?" Shan Qiuyu rolled his eyes. The kid was good in all aspects, just a bit dense. "Also, do you think, in the eyes of the higher-ups, you are still just a Major? Not only Luojian Mountain knows about those drawings; the higher-ups know too. Do you get my meaning?"
"Ah? You mean, the higher-ups will listen to my opinions?" Ou Zhanpeng could hardly believe it was true. A mere Major, all because of a few drawings, had connections all the way to the top?
"Ai, you kid, what can I say about you?" Shan Qiuyu was so frustrated he felt like taking off his belt and beating the kid.
Ou Zhanpeng scratched his head. "No one told me!"
"Do you need someone to tell you this?" Shan Qiuyu gritted his teeth. "Alright, enough nonsense. Figure it out yourself."
Without waiting for Ou Zhanpeng to reply, he hung up the phone directly.
Ou Zhanpeng rubbed his head, a look of confusion on his face. What was going on?
He turned and walked back into the office. Zou Zhou looked at him expectantly. "Little Ou, how did it go?" He thought the call was to solve the battery problem.
Ou Zhanpeng secretly sighed. What a mess!
He had nothing to hide. He laid it all out. "Engineer Zou, I do know a method, but I'm not sure if it will work. And whether this technology can be applied is not something I can decide. It needs to be applied for with the higher-ups."
"No problem, I'll apply!" Zou Zhou immediately patted his thin chest and made a promise.
"Then I have to ask, to what level can your application be submitted?"
Zou Zhou was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not looking down on you. It's just that ordinary people have no idea about this technology. If it's not submitted to the right people, there will definitely be no result in the end."
Zou Zhou started to get a headache. "Little Ou, you say these things, and I really don't understand. Just tell me what to do. You tell me who to submit the application to, and I'll give it to them!"
"Alright, then you go find Director Shan and ask him to help contact the Moon Base, explaining the difficulties you've encountered."
"Ah?" Zou Zhou was a bit confused. Why was this reaching all the way to the Moon?
Just as he was about to speak, Ou Zhanpeng stopped him. "Listen to me, don't ask anything. Even if you ask, I can't say. Pay attention, just explain the problems you've encountered and ask for assistance from the Moon."