Chapter 142: What New Invention Are You Working On Again?

Li Yunlong stood on the mountaintop that had just been captured, looking at the mountains under the setting sun, his mood incomparably cheerful.

"Old Zhao, this battle was fought with great satisfaction!" He turned to Zhao Gang, joy of Victory flashing in his eyes, "In the past, for these few hilltops, how many times did we fight, how many brothers died..."

Zhao Gang also could not hide his excitement: "Indeed, this time it is different. The new equipment truly played a decisive role."

A staff officer ran over and handed over a note: "Chief, the situation from the interrogation of prisoners."

Li Yunlong took it and looked, unable to help but laugh out loud: "Look at what these guys are saying? They say our soldiers are 'undying ghosts', and bullets hitting their bodies do nothing!"

Zhao Gang also laughed: "The psychological deterrent effect of the Bulletproof Vest is even greater than we imagined. The enemy does not understand this technology, so naturally, they will feel fear."

"It is not just a psychological effect," Li Yunlong pointed toward the direction of the field Hospital, "The medics reported that at least a dozen soldiers had bullet marks on them, but they were all blocked by the Bulletproof Vest, leaving only slight bruises. Without these 'clothes', today's casualties would likely have been several times higher!"

He turned to the communications soldier and said: "Immediately report the battle situation to the superiors, especially emphasizing the role of the new equipment. Also, send a telegram to the Rolling Mill, saying that Li Yunlong thanks Chief Engineer Li here for the 'divine weapon', it saved the lives of my entire regiment!"

At the Military Region Headquarters several hundred kilometers away, when Li Yunlong's battle report arrived, it caused an uproar.

"Captured three commanding heights in one day? Casualties of only 30 people?" The Military Region Commander looked at the battle report in disbelief, then looked at the detailed description of the new equipment in the attachment, "Is this true?"

The Chief of Staff nodded: "Confirmed to be correct, Chief. Li Yunlong's troops used the new equipment developed by Li Mingyuan—the Ultra-light Mortar and the Bulletproof Warm Clothing. According to the report, these pieces of equipment played a decisive role in the mountain warfare."

The Commander pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped the table and stood up: "Immediately organize people from the Military Region's equipment department to go to the front lines to inspect the effects of this new equipment on-site. If the report is true, we must promote this equipment to all mountain combat troops as soon as possible!"

The Chief of Staff noted the order and added: "Li Mingyuan is still that Chief Engineer who developed the Numerical Control Machine Tool and the Radar System; his inventions have already proven their value many times."

The Commander nodded: "I remember him; that young man is indeed a genius. Immediately report the experience of this battle to the superiors and suggest increasing support for Li Mingyuan's research and development projects. In this critical period, this kind of technological innovation that can rapidly improve combat effectiveness is more important than anything else!"

At the same time, an unexpected situation was spreading among the enemy troops.

Enemy soldiers fleeing from Gaodi spread what they had seen and heard to other units.

Those terrifying rumors about "undying soldiers" spread like wildfire among the enemy troops.

"They are wearing some kind of clothes, and bullets hitting them are like hitting an iron plate!"

"Their Mortar is as small as a toy, but its power is shockingly great, and it never misses!"

"They seem to know the location of every one of our fire points; the shells always hit with precision!"

These rumors rapidly disintegrated the enemy's morale.

In the following few days, Li Yunlong's troops pursued the victory and captured seven enemy strongholds in succession, encountering almost no effective resistance.

When enemy soldiers heard that it was Li Yunlong's troops coming, many even fled without a fight.

This situation drew serious attention from the enemy's high command.

They urgently convened a military meeting, attempting to figure out the reason why the Long Country army had suddenly become so powerful.

"They must have obtained some kind of new weapon!" the enemy Intelligence Officer analyzed, "Our spies reported that Long Country has recently been vigorously developing its own military industrial system and may have made a breakthrough."

The enemy commander-in-chief had a gloomy face: "Regardless, we cannot let the soldiers continue to believe those ridiculous rumors. Send out elite troops; you must find out what exactly the Long Country army's new equipment is!"

The mid-April sun was warm but not scorching.

In the Rolling Mill's laboratory, Li Mingyuan was focused on calibrating a piece of precision equipment.

This was an Electronic Tube Manufacturing Device he had designed himself, looking like a combination of a complex glass processing machine and a vacuum system.

Department Head Zhao pushed the door and entered, his face carrying irrepressible joy: "Mingyuan, good news! A battle report came from Li Yunlong's troops; using the new equipment you developed, they captured the three commanding heights the enemy had occupied for a long time in one fell swoop! Casualties were at least five times lower than expected!"

Li Mingyuan looked up and smiled, though there was not much surprise in his eyes: "As expected, those pieces of equipment can indeed play a decisive role at the current stage."

Department Head Zhao handed over a telegram: "Li Yunlong even sent a thank-you telegram specifically to you, saying your 'divine weapon' saved the lives of his entire regiment."

Li Mingyuan took the telegram, read it carefully, and the corners of his mouth rose involuntarily.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, he still felt gratified in his heart that his invention could save lives.

"Li Yunlong is a straightforward person," Li Mingyuan laughed, "However, I am more concerned about how the Bulletproof Vest performed in actual combat? Is there anything that needs improvement?"

Department Head Zhao nodded: "We have already had the front lines record the usage of every Bulletproof Vest in detail, including the hit locations, bullet types, protective effects, etc. Preliminary reports show that 17 soldiers were hit directly, but all were safe and sound, with only slight bruises. The performance of the Ultra-light Mortar is even more astonishing; the accuracy is more than double that of traditional mortars!"

Li Mingyuan nodded with satisfaction but did not say much, turning instead to point at the equipment before him and asking:

"Department Head, has the special material I applied for last time arrived? The germanium and high-purity glass?"

Only then did Department Head Zhao notice the changes in the laboratory—several new pieces of equipment were arranged neatly, the walls were covered with circuit diagrams and process flow charts, and various precision parts and raw materials were placed on the workbench.

"Everything is arranged; it will arrive tomorrow." Department Head Zhao asked curiously, "What new invention are you working on?"

Li Mingyuan pointed at a blueprint and explained:

"Electronic tubes and Transistor. These are the core components of future electronic equipment, capable of amplifying signals or acting as switches. The radio equipment and Radar System we currently use are all made with electronic tubes, but most are imported or imitations, with average performance and poor reliability."

He picked up a sample—a thumb-sized glass tube with several precisely arranged metal components inside.

"This is the small electronic tube I trial-produced; it is half the size of the imported ones, consumes one-third less power, and has twice the lifespan. If mass production can be achieved, our communication and Radar equipment will have a qualitative leap."

Department Head Zhao looked at this small thing in surprise: "Such a small gadget can have such a big effect?"