Chapter 139: Happy Li Yunlong

"Have you checked everything?" Department Head Zhao stood beside the aircraft ramp and shouted to Li Mingyuan, who was just walking out of the cabin.

"Everything is fine," Li Mingyuan nodded, "I personally tested every Mortar and every set of Bulletproof Vest; I guarantee there will be no mistakes."

"Very good," Department Head Zhao said with satisfaction, then pointed to the young man standing to the side,

"This is Lao Zhang, a technical expert in our factory and also your student. He will follow the equipment to the Southwest Frontline and be responsible for training the troops to use this new equipment."

Lao Zhang looked to be in his early thirties, with a sturdy build and a firm gaze; at a glance, he was the type of practical person with strong hands-on ability.

"Greetings, Chief! Greetings, Chief Engineer Li!" Lao Zhang stood at attention and saluted, his voice resonant, "I guarantee to complete the mission and let the officers and soldiers on the front line master the use of the new equipment as soon as possible!"

Li Mingyuan carefully sized up this technician who was about to head to the battlefield and couldn't help but feel a bit worried: "The situation on the front line is complex; you must pay attention to your safety."

"Don't worry, Chief Engineer Li," Lao Zhang grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth,

"My father was in the guerrilla force back in the day; fighting is our family tradition! Besides, with your magical equipment protecting me, what is there to fear?"

Li Mingyuan smiled, took a small booklet out of his pocket, and handed it to Lao Zhang: "This is the supplementary instruction manual I wrote. It contains some details and precautions; read it again before you set off."

Lao Zhang respectfully took the booklet and carefully placed it into his inner pocket: "Understood, I will definitely keep every detail in mind!"

"It's time for takeoff!" the pilot shouted, poking his head out of the cockpit.

Lao Zhang gave a standard military salute to Li Mingyuan and Department Head Zhao, then quickly boarded the plane.

The cabin door closed, the plane slowly taxied toward the runway, and soon disappeared into the morning sun.

Li Mingyuan watched the direction in which the plane disappeared for a long time, silently praying in his heart that this batch of equipment could fulfill its intended role and protect the safety of the soldiers on the front line.

……

Southwest Frontline, a certain mountain command post.

Li Yunlong was studying a map with Zhao Gang, his brows locked in a frown.

The map on the table was covered with red and blue markings, showing the situation of both sides.

"This mountain road is too hard to walk; our heavy equipment can't be transported up at all!" Li Yunlong pointed at a winding mountain road on the map with a thick finger, his voice full of annoyance, "The enemy occupies the commanding heights; our firepower can't reach them at all!"

Zhao Gang pushed up his glasses and pondered: "Indeed, this terrain is too disadvantageous for us. Traditional artillery is too heavy; it takes at least a company of manpower to transport it up the mountain, and we have to risk the enemy's artillery fire."

Just as the two were looking troubled, a Communication Soldier ran in hurriedly:

"Report to the Commander! Higher-ups have sent emergency supplies and new weapons and equipment, saying they were personally developed by Chief Engineer Li!"

As soon as Li Yunlong heard this, he immediately perked up, slapped the table, and stood up: "Which Chief Engineer Li? The one from the Rolling Mill?"

"Yes, Chief! It's that Chief Engineer Li who invented the Numerical Control Machine Tool and the Triangulation System!" the Communication Soldier replied excitedly.

"Damn it, that's a real treasure!" Li Yunlong grinned, "Quick, take me to see what good things he sent us!"

Zhao Gang also revealed a look of anticipation and followed Li Yunlong out of the command post in a hurry.

The transport plane had already landed at the temporary airfield, and soldiers full of curiosity surrounded it.

When Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang arrived, the staff were carefully unloading the equipment.

"What kind of stuff is this?" Li Yunlong looked at the small Mortars and the Bulletproof Vest that looked like ordinary cotton-padded clothes, frowned, and turned to ask the Communication Soldier beside him,

"Are you sure this is weapons and equipment? Not toys?"

A strange voice replied: "Report to the Chief, this is indeed the latest developed weapons and equipment. I am the technician from the Rolling Mill, Lao Zhang, ordered to come and assist the troops in using this new equipment."

Li Yunlong looked Lao Zhang up and down, then looked at the "toy-like" Mortars and the "cotton-padded clothes-like" Bulletproof Vest, looking skeptical: "How far can such a small cannon shoot? Can this clothing stop a Bullet?"

The surrounding soldiers also whispered:

"Is this the legendary new weapon? It doesn't look like much!"

"This cannon barrel isn't even as thick as my leg; what can it shoot?"

"That clothing looks like the cotton-padded jacket my grandma made; can it block a Bullet?"

Lao Zhang was not flustered; instead, he smiled confidently:

"Chief, this is called an Ultra-light Mortar. The total weight is only 15 kilograms; one soldier can carry it. The maximum range is 4000 meters, and the accuracy is 50% higher than a traditional mortar. That piece is a Bulletproof Warm Clothing; it can not only block Bullets and shrapnel from 100 meters away but also maintain body temperature in extremely cold environments."

Li Yunlong shook his head as he listened: "You have to draft a script even when bragging! A cannon carried by one person can shoot 4000 meters? Clothing can block Bullets? Do you think I've never fought a war?"

Seeing this, Zhao Gang stepped forward to smooth things over: "Lao Li, don't be in such a hurry to draw conclusions; let's look at the actual results first."

Turning to Lao Zhang, "Comrade, can you demonstrate the performance of this equipment on the spot?"

Lao Zhang nodded immediately: "Of course! Please, Chief, designate a soldier with a thin build; we will first test the portability and setup of the Ultra-light Mortar."

Li Yunlong turned his head to look at the surrounding soldiers and pointed to a Communication Soldier who looked less than twenty years old and thin: "Xiao Liu, come here."

Xiao Liu walked up with some trepidation. Lao Zhang handed him the Ultra-light Mortar and a few shells:

"Comrade, please carry this mortar up to that small hill, just like you usually carry your backpack."

Xiao Liu took the mortar and was surprised to find it was surprisingly light; he could barely feel any burden.

Under the gaze of everyone, he easily shouldered the cannon barrel and a few shells and began to climb the nearby small hill.

There was Silence throughout the scene; everyone stared at the thin Communication Soldier.

A traditional 82 mm Mortar weighs over 60 kilograms and usually requires 3-4 strong men to take turns carrying it, but now, a thin Communication Soldier could actually carry it up the mountain alone; this scene itself was shocking enough.

"This... this can't be, right?" Li Yunlong muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on Xiao Liu's back without blinking.

Xiao Liu soon climbed to the top of the small hill and waved downward to signal.

"Now, please watch the setup speed." Lao Zhang took out a pocket watch and then said into the walkie-talkie:

"Comrade Xiao Liu, follow the method I taught you before and start setting up the mortar."

Xiao Liu immediately took action, first putting down the cannon body, unfolding the tripod, adjusting the level, checking the aiming device... although the movements were a bit stiff, the process was clear.

"Time!" Lao Zhang shouted.

"40 seconds!" a soldier reported the time.

There was an uproar throughout the scene again.

The setup of a traditional mortar usually requires 3-4 people working together and takes at least 3-5 minutes, but now, a novice who had never touched it before completed the setup alone in just 40 seconds!

"That's because that thing is too small; it's not a real cannon!" an old gunner said unconvinced, "How far can it shoot? How heavy are the shells? It definitely doesn't have much power!"