Chapter 160 - 156 Okada, Come Back Quickly!_1

But after Lin Ju sat down, the discussions within the meeting room never ceased, and the big shot no longer seemed intent on interfering.

The only person involved who was present, He Tang, had become the new star among the attendees and was surrounded by the crowd, teasing him:

"Deputy Director He, it looks like the higher-ups are quite satisfied with the ’Cloud Open’ retrieval system. You’ve got the Science and Innovation Progress Award in the bag this year!"

"Not at all, not at all. We also bought New Yuan’s technology; I feel like it’s just a replication project."

"That’s not necessarily true, though. That supercomputing simulation attitude system is globally unique; even Xinyuan Company doesn’t have it. Mr. He, you shouldn’t be modest. Pretty soon you’ll be an aerospace scientist!"

He Tang himself was actually quite confused now; he couldn’t understand why his superiors were suddenly willing to throw them a curveball. He felt undeserving and blushed profusely, not sure if it was due to excitement or something else.

The other experts were also quite envious, and at the same time, a passion they had never felt before stirred within them.

Inside the system, they had goals to strive for, but the enticement of potentially going to space was novel and unprecedented.

As aerospace researchers, they had dealt with space their whole lives, possibly sending countless astronauts into orbit and making innumerable spacecraft. However, they had never considered that one day they too might go up there.

That was space, after all. Which space enthusiast wouldn’t want to have a real look?

Especially according to this list, Tang Weitian, who is even older than Zhou Rui, was going up, which meant many of those seated here had a chance.

Take Yun Hongjun, who was sitting next to Lin Ju, for instance. He was the chief designer of the CZ-10 and a key figure in the Dawn Project. If the CZ-10 launched successfully this year, he would definitely qualify for space training.

The big shot sat at the head of the long conference table, observing the behavior of everyone in the room.

It seemed the assessment of the higher-ups was very accurate; the space training policy provided a stronger incentive for the aerospace bureau’s research staff than awarding bonuses, potentially bringing new vitality to the bureau.

In the course of their conversation, they discussed why the engineers at Xinyuan Company were dedicated, incorruptible, and efficient. After careful analysis, they agreed it was due to their initiative.

The engineers at Xinyuan were constantly making history, whether for China or for the world, and this brought them an extraordinary sense of honor and achievement.

In contrast, although the aerospace bureau previously had this feeling, it was more about completing tasks.

This mentality was caused by many factors, some changeable, some not.

For those that could be changed, they should be decisively altered, such as establishing the Aerospace Development Committee to give researchers more autonomy, rebooting the Dawn Project, and enhancing the sense of honor and so on;

For those that couldn’t, they would try to compensate in other ways, which was where the idea for space training came from.

In fact, at the time, the superiors felt that to set an example, they should send the big shot up first, given that he was only in his fifties...

The big shot still remembered the shudder that ran through his body at that moment, and then he shook his head frantically, leaving the opportunity to the younger comrades.

Going to space was indeed very tempting, but to set an example for himself... he’d wait and see.

In fact, it wouldn’t be quite appropriate for him to go now, as he hadn’t achieved anything noteworthy. It would depend on whether the manned lunar landing plan could be perfectly accomplished in 2018; by then, he would naturally be able to go up happily.

Moreover, by that time, he would certainly be able to ride on a spacecraft made by the aerospace bureau...

...

On May 8th, ten days ago, Masashi Okada, the chief designer of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ H3 rocket and a JAXA board member, arranged for a passport through connections and then disappeared on vacation without a trace.

Three days later, on May 11th, the higher-ups at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries had some new suggestions for changes to the H3 rocket. They contacted Okada to ask him to come back to work soon, but received no reply.

It had been three days since Masashi Okada went missing, and neither Mitsubishi Heavy Industries nor JAXA had any suspicions until they discovered that 13 engineers from the rocket design department had taken leave one after another.

When they realized something was off, on the evening of May 16, the police only found two electrical system engineers at the airport about to board a tourist flight.

Since they had all their documents in order and no criminal records, and after a search that only turned up ordinary luggage, the police, who hadn’t received any specific instructions, chose to let them go.

On May 18, after N number of calls to Masashi Okada made by his friend Sakai Shinichiro at the request of JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the call finally got through.

"Hello?"

Hearing a familiar voice, the president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Izumi Seijiro, quickly grabbed the phone, speaking eagerly:

"(In Japanese) Okada-sama, are you lost in the mountains of China or have you been captured? Why has there been no information from you for over a week? Why did you go on an international trip? The H3 rocket project has been approved, and you must come back to work immediately!"

Masashi Okada, ah no, Xiao Okada cleared his throat and then spoke in authentic Chinese:

"I forgot to notify you, President Izumi, but I have applied for and obtained Chinese nationality. I now have a stable job in China. My letter of resignation has already been faxed over for your perusal—please excuse any inconvenience caused. Thank you very much!

Also, my name is now Xiao Okada, with my ancestral roots in Yunnan. You can call me Mr. Xiao or Mr. Okada, but I prefer the former."

The higher-ups at JAXA and Mitsubishi listened to Xiao Okada’s proud declarations, momentarily at a loss for how to react.

It took President Izumi Seijiro quite some time to realize that Okada, the fool, had actually defected!

While Masashi Okada’s departure from the country was entirely legal, to him, it was still defection!

"Idiot! Okada, do you know what you are doing? You are going to cause irreparable damage to JAXA; you must have stolen data and gone over to the Chinese, right?"

"President, there’s no need for harsh words. I am now Chinese, and let me tell you, I didn’t need to steal any secrets from your company; it was just a normal business job change. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now."

Hearing Okada even intending to hang up the phone, Izumi Seijiro became even more infuriated, shouting loudly:

"Okada, you have forgotten your own ethnicity, you have forgotten your past oaths, you are a traitor, you will be despised by all citizens! You will not be able to undergo reincarnation!"

Izumi Seijiro was nearly hysterical, but on the other end of the phone, Xiao Okada simply exhaled contemptuously. He was about to say something but simply let out a laugh instead, then said with ease:

"President, I have researched my family tree, and my great-grandmother married a man from Yunnan. In fact, I am of Chinese and Japanese descent. Takamagahara has no control over my soul; I am of the Naxi People, and I believe in the Three Pure Ones.

And once again, this is just an ordinary business personnel change that might cause some negative impact on your company, for which I am truly sorry. I will bow in apology, sweet red bean paste secret Massé!"

Xiao Okada bowed sincerely, then hung up the call. Turning to look at the circle of engineers who had yet to finish their Chinese nationality process, he gestured for them to be at ease:

"Please relax, everyone. As Vice President and Head of the Spacecraft Department of New Yuan Aerospace, I can assure you that the company will not let you down. Is Mitsubishi even worthy of ranting in front of us Chinese? The paperwork will be completed soon. You all should learn Chinese well and familiarize yourselves with your future duties, got it?"

"Yes sir!"

"Hmm?"

The group of bowing engineers quickly straightened up and squeezed out strangely accented affirmatives before leaving under Xiao Okada’s satisfied gaze.

Cai Yuanfa, the observing executive director, covered his face, feeling that Okada’s adaptation to being Chinese was even smoother than his own.