Chapter 74: Li Yunlong: Political Commissar, is this thing really as damn powerful as they say?

The supervisor gave a standard military salute, tears shimmering in his eyes, "Chief Engineer Li, rest assured, we will definitely give it our all!"

Factory Lou Changzhang walked over with a face full of smiles, "Chief Engineer Li, a call came from the higher-ups saying to speed up the production rhythm; the frontline is in urgent need of this batch of weapons."

Li Mingyuan frowned slightly, "The Rocket Launcher is not a toy; it cannot tolerate the slightest bit of carelessness. Not a single testing step can be skipped."

"That is exactly how I replied! The Chief understood and said that even if it is a bit slower, we must ensure quality." Factory Lou Changzhang nodded quickly.

Half a month later, the first batch of 107 Rocket Launchers passed strict inspections, were secretly crated, and transported overnight to the southern frontline.

Under the cover of night, military trucks quietly drove out of the factory, covered with thick tarpaulins, making it impossible to tell what kind of important supplies were being loaded.

The convoy was escorted by Special Forces the entire way, as cautious as if they were escorting a national treasure.

This batch of Rocket Launchers had to cross mountains and ridges, spanning more than half the country, before reaching the Frontline Command.

Along the way, they encountered air raid sirens, damaged roads, enemy reconnaissance planes... every hurdle was a severe test for the transport personnel.

Transport Captain Lao Wang had been in the military for twenty years and had escorted countless important supplies, yet he had never seen such tight protective measures. He asked the accompanying officer curiously: "Chief, what exactly is this treasure?"

The officer smiled mysteriously: "Don't ask, you'll know when you reach the frontline. I can only tell you that this thing can scare the guts out of the enemy!"

Lao Wang nodded thoughtfully, feeling even more cautious in his heart.

Along the way, he never left the convoy, even arranging for specific people to guard the vehicles while he drank water.

After fifteen days of arduous trekking, the convoy finally arrived at the southern frontline.

The Frontline Command had long since received the news and dispatched a Reinforced Battalion, fully armed, to meet them ten miles out.

……

At the Military Department base, Li Yunlong was cursing in his tent.

Ever since the troops were re-equipped with the Type 56 Rifle, Li Yunlong had been like he was on stimulants, leading the soldiers on raids everywhere, making life miserable for Zhang Dabiao and the others.

"Regimental Commander, you should take it easy." Zhao Gang pushed the door open and looked helplessly at the mess on the floor, "Last time you led the charge, you almost didn't make it back."

Li Yunlong waved his hand impatiently, "What do you mean 'almost didn't make it back'? Am I not standing here perfectly fine!" He lit a cigarette and took a fierce drag, "You guys don't know a damn thing! On the battlefield, you have to be fierce; you have to scare the enemy to death!"

Zhao Gang and Zhang Dabiao exchanged glances, both showing helpless expressions. Li Yunlong had such a fiery temper that he wouldn't listen to anyone's advice.

Just then, the communications soldier Xiao Wang ran in hurriedly, "Commander, a call came from the Military Department saying that new weapons have arrived and they want us to send someone to receive them!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong immediately perked up, "New weapons? What kind of new weapons this time?"

"They said... a Rocket Launcher?" Xiao Wang recalled the content of the call, "The Military Department called personally and said this is top secret; only you can go to receive it."

"Rocket Launcher?" Li Yunlong was stunned, then burst into loud laughter, "Those sissies in the rear are bragging again, aren't they? What Rocket Launcher? I've been in the army for so many years and have never even heard of it!"

Zhao Gang, however, became serious, "Lao Li, this might be true. I heard about it before; they really were developing a Rocket Launcher."

Li Yunlong curled his lips in disdain.

"Development is one thing, and being usable is another. Who knows if they're just using us as test subjects again!"

But despite what he said, Li Yunlong couldn't wait to grab his military cap, "I want to see for myself what this Rocket Launcher actually is!"

Zhang Dabiao quickly followed, "Commander, I'll go with you."

"Go to hell, go guard the house!" Li Yunlong glared at him, "With your level of observation, what if you drop their precious weapon? Who am I going to get to pay for it?"

Zhang Dabiao shrank his neck in grievance and could only watch helplessly as Li Yunlong stormed off.

……

In the Temporary Warehouse, the atmosphere was unusually tense.

Dozens of guards with loaded weapons stood ready, and three cordons were set up around the perimeter.

Deputy Commander Xing stood at the warehouse entrance himself. Seeing Li Yunlong walk up, a rare smile appeared on his face, "Commander, you've finally arrived!"

Li Yunlong was taken aback, "Lao Xing, why are you guarding this yourself?"

Deputy Commander Xing patted his shoulder and said mysteriously: "Lao Li, this is a big deal! We are the first unit in the entire army to be equipped with this weapon, so you'd better perform well!"

Li Yunlong was even more suspicious: What kind of weapon is so precious that it's treated like a national treasure?

But he kept his face impassive and followed Lao Xing into the warehouse with a grin.

Transport Captain Lao Wang stood to the side, holding a thick document. Seeing Li Yunlong enter, he immediately saluted.

"Chief, these are the Rocket Launcher technical documents and operation manuals. Please sign for them." Lao Wang handed over a thick stack of papers, "The higher-ups require your personal signature."

Li Yunlong took the documents and flipped through them; they were densely packed with technical parameters and operating procedures, making his head spin.

He handed them to Zhao Gang, "Political Commissar, you take a look at this thing."

Zhao Gang took the documents and began to read carefully.

After reading a few pages, his expression gradually changed from serious to shocked, and then to disbelief.

"Lao Li..." Zhao Gang's voice trembled slightly, "This... this is no ordinary weapon!"

Li Yunlong waved his hand impatiently, "Cut the crap, what exactly is it? Can it hit the enemy?"

Deputy Commander Xing quickly opened a crate, inside of which was a metal tube.

Seeing this, Li Yunlong curled his lips, thinking: Is this broken tube worth such a big fuss?

"This is the 107 Rocket Launcher, a man-portable type that one person can operate." Deputy Commander Xing personally carried the Rocket Launcher out, "It has a range of 5,000 meters and an explosion radius of 15 meters. One shot can wipe out a reinforced squad!"

Li Yunlong blinked, half-believing, "That powerful? Fiercer than a Mortar?"

Deputy Commander Xing smiled mysteriously, "Isn't it all written in the documents? It's more than ten times fiercer than a Mortar! This is a new type of weapon developed by us, even more advanced than the Polar Bear's!"

Li Yunlong still didn't quite believe it, but since it was given by the higher-ups, he had to keep nodding,

"Good, good, good, it really is a good thing! Many thanks to the leaders for their care; we will definitely use it well!"

Zhao Gang said solemnly: "This Rocket Launcher is a treasure. You must personally take men to the Rear Mountain to test-fire it and familiarize yourselves with the operation. Take it out to hit the enemy tomorrow!"

Li Yunlong cursed inwardly: It's always like this, making me test every new weapon first. What if it explodes in the barrel? But he still wore a smile, "Guarantee to complete the mission!"

Returning to the command post, Li Yunlong immediately gathered a few key personnel, preparing to go to the Rear Mountain to test-fire the new weapon.

"Is this thing really as powerful as the Chief said?" Li Yunlong looked at Zhao Gang, touching the Rocket Launcher skeptically, "It just looks like an iron pipe."

Zhao Gang was also doubtful, "Who knows, but it's an order from the higher-ups, so we must give it a try."