readbooksol Chapter 19: Another Chapter of the Capital
Chapter 19: Another Chapter of the Capital
The order was sent directly to the Hunter Blade Special Forces, and it was written in black and white: "Lieutenant Colonel Lin Zhe is requested to go to the General Armament Department in Beijing immediately to assist in resolving the technical problems of the Type 03 Individual Soldier System."
When Qin Feng handed the order to Lin Zhe, his expression was somewhat subtle: "The General Armament Department can't do without you now. Whenever we encounter a problem, the first person we think of is you."
Lin Zhe took it and glanced at it: "It will probably take about a week."
"Go ahead." Qin Feng patted his shoulder. "Perfect timing, you should go home and visit your family. Stay in Beijing for a few more days this time and spend time with them."
Lin Zhe nodded. Come to think of it, the last time he went back was when he was promoted to major. It was a brief meeting, and they didn't even have a proper meal together.
This time, unlike Commander Chen Jianfeng, he had to travel to Beijing by civilian airline. The Southwest Military Region sent a car to take him to the airport. Lin Zhe carried a simple military bag and wore a crisp military uniform—a lieutenant colonel's service uniform, with the two bars and two stars on his shoulder insignia gleaming in the sunlight.
Lin Zhe's appearance in the airport waiting hall attracted a lot of attention. A twenty-one-year-old lieutenant colonel is rare enough, but what's even more remarkable is his demeanor—his posture is as upright as a pine tree, his eyes are calm and sharp, and his steps are steady and powerful, as if each step has been measured with a ruler.
"That officer is so handsome! So young!"
"Lieutenant Colonel! My God, he looks like he's only in his early twenties!"
"That physique, that aura... could he be from the special forces?"
Hearing the whispers, Lin Zhe remained unfazed and walked straight to the security checkpoint. In his previous life, he frequently traveled for work, but always on private or military planes, rarely taking commercial flights. This was the first time he had ever done so in this life.
After boarding, he found his seat—a window seat in economy class. Although the General Armaments Department had booked him first class, he requested a change. Soldiers don't have many such formalities.
After sitting down, Lin Zhe didn't lounge like the other passengers. Instead, he maintained a soldier's posture: back straight, hands naturally placed on his knees, and eyes looking straight ahead. This was a habit he had developed over many years and couldn't change.
Passengers boarded one after another. There were two empty seats next to Lin Zhe, and two young girls hurriedly boarded just before the cabin door was closing.
"Excuse me, we have two seats inside!" a clear voice called out.
Lin Zhe stood up and stepped aside. The two girls were around twenty years old. One had her hair tied in a ponytail and was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, looking neat and tidy. The other had long hair and wore a floral dress, exuding a gentle and elegant air. Both girls' eyes lit up when they saw Lin Zhe.
"Thank you!" The girl with the ponytail went in first, followed by the girl in the floral dress. As she passed Lin Zhe, her arm accidentally brushed against his, and the girl blushed slightly—the touch was so firm, she could feel the contours of his muscles even through his military uniform.
After they sat down, they began to talk in hushed tones.
"Coco, did you see that officer just now..." the girl with the ponytail whispered.
"I saw him, he's so handsome!" The girl in the floral dress named Coco glanced at Lin Zhe furtively. "And he's so young, he's already a lieutenant colonel. How old do you think he is?"
"Twenty-five at most? No more than that."
"I think it's even younger, maybe twenty-two or twenty-three..."
Lin Zhe heard every word of their conversation. Having cultivated the Hunyuan Gong to this point, his five senses far surpassed those of ordinary people. Not to mention such a close distance, even if they were several rows apart, he could hear them clearly if he wanted to.
He remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he felt a little embarrassed. In his previous life, at thirty-five, he had devoted himself entirely to scientific research and had never been in a relationship; in this life, he had joined the army and spent his days training and fighting, and had even less contact with women. This feeling of being talked about by young girls was something he had never experienced before.
The two girls continued chatting even after the plane took off.
"Xueying, do you think I should ask for their contact information?" Coco asked softly.
"Zhao Keke, can't you be a little more reserved?" Zhang Xueying, the girl with the ponytail, glared at her. "He's a military officer, he might have rules against giving out his contact information so easily."
"I was just asking..." Zhao Keke pouted. "Look how straight he's sitting. He's obviously trained in the military. Men like that are reliable."
"Then why don't you go?" Zhang Xueying teased. "I saw you stealing glances at her so many times the whole way. Are you smitten?"
"You're one to talk! Weren't you watching too?"
The two teased each other, occasionally stealing glances in Lin Zhe's direction. Lin Zhe felt extremely uncomfortable, so he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, hoping the plane would arrive soon.
The three-hour flight was a bit long for Lin Zhe. Fortunately, the two girls were probably tired in the second half and quieted down.
The plane landed smoothly at Jinghua Airport. Lin Zhe waited until most of the passengers had disembarked before getting up to collect his luggage. The two girls were in front of him; as they descended the gangway, Zhao Keke glanced back at him, a hint of regret in her eyes.
Upon arriving at the arrivals gate, Lin Zhe immediately spotted two figures in military uniforms. Both were majors around thirty years old, holding signs that read: "Welcome Lieutenant Colonel Lin Zhe from the Southwest Military Region."
Lin Zhe walked over, and the two men, seeing the lieutenant colonel's rank on his shoulder, immediately stood at attention and saluted: "Lieutenant Colonel Lin! Wang Lei/Li Qiang from the General Armaments Department's Technical Division 1, are here to receive you!"
"Thank you for your hard work," Lin Zhe replied.
This scene was witnessed by Zhang Xueying and Zhao Keke, who were not far away. The two girls had just received their checked luggage and were discussing whether to strike up a conversation with Lin Zhe when they saw him walk away with two soldiers.
"I knew it, they had someone to pick them up at the airport," Zhao Keke sighed. "We didn't even have a chance to get their contact information."
Zhang Xueying gazed thoughtfully at Lin Zhe's tall, straight back: "Those two people picking him up are from the General Armaments Department. So, he's going there on business..."
"General Armaments Department? Xueying, do you think he might be in your dad's unit?" Zhao Keke suddenly asked.
Zhang Xueying's father, Zhang Dajiang, is the commander of the Jinghua Military Region. She grew up in the military compound and is very familiar with the military system. She shook her head: "I don't know. But such a young lieutenant colonel must be extraordinary."
The two dragged their luggage out, Zhao Keke still muttering, "Do you think he's married? Does he have a girlfriend? A high-quality guy like that must be very popular..."
"Alright, alright, stop being so infatuated." Zhang Xueying laughed and pushed her away. "Let's go home, you're exhausted."
At the General Armament Department's research institute, Lin Zhe received a warm welcome. The director of the First Technical Division personally greeted him at the entrance. The elderly expert, with his graying hair, smiled broadly upon seeing Lin Zhe: "Lin Zhe, we've been waiting for you!"
"Director Li." Lin Zhe saluted.
"Don't be so polite, come on in and let's talk." Director Li pulled Lin Zhe inside. "This time, with the Type 03 individual soldier system, all the other problems have been solved, but the core algorithm is stuck. We've been working on it for half a month with little progress, so we can only ask you to take charge."
The group entered the laboratory. A huge screen displayed complex code and data streams, and seven or eight researchers were gathered around the computer, all looking worried.
Upon seeing Lin Zhe enter, the researchers, whose average age was over forty, all stood up, their eyes filled with anticipation—they had all studied Lin Zhe's reports and were well aware of the young man's technical prowess.
"Mr. Lin, take a look." A researcher made way for him.
Lin Zhe sat down and quickly scanned the code. His fingers tapped on the keyboard, bringing up several key modules. After ten minutes, he spoke: "The problem lies here."
He pointed to a piece of code on the screen: "This data compression algorithm has a flaw; data loss will occur in high-speed mobile environments. We should use this instead..."
He typed rapidly on the keyboard, modifying the code. His fingers flew across the keys, leaving afterimages. The experts around him were dumbfounded—such speed, such familiarity with the code, was simply inhuman.
Twenty minutes later, Lin Zhe pressed the Enter key: "Okay, let's test it."
The researchers quickly took action. In the simulated environment, data transmission was smooth and without loss. After another ten minutes of testing, everything was normal.
"It's solved!" a young researcher shouted excitedly.
"So fast?" Director Li exclaimed incredulously. "We've been working on this for half a month with no progress, and you finished it in twenty minutes?"
"We've just found the problem." Lin Zhe stood up. "I mentioned an improvement plan for this algorithm in my previous report, you might not have noticed."
Director Li slapped his forehead: "I remember now! Your 'Battlefield Data Transmission Optimization Plan'! Oh dear, we studied it, but we never expected it to be applied here... Lin Zhe, how is your brain structured?"
With the problem solved, everyone at the research institute breathed a sigh of relief. Director Li offered to treat Lin Zhe to dinner, but Lin Zhe politely declined, saying, "Director Li, I want to take this opportunity to go home and see my parents. I haven't spent much time with them in over two years."
"Of course, of course." Director Li nodded understandingly. "Here's what you're looking for. You can use the car. Contact me anytime if you need anything while you're in Beijing."
Lin Zhe didn't ask for a car; he hailed a taxi himself. Sitting in the car, looking at the familiar street scenes outside the window, a long-lost warmth welled up in his heart.
It was already 7 p.m. when Lin Zhe arrived home. The villa was brightly lit, and he rang the doorbell.
Aunt Wang opened the door and, seeing Lin Zhe, exclaimed with delight, "Young Master! You're back!"
"Aunt Wang, it's me." Lin Zhe smiled.
Su Wan ran out of the living room, and upon seeing her son, her eyes instantly welled up with tears: "Xiao Zhe! Why did you suddenly come back? You didn't even call!"
"I came to Beijing on business and happened to have some free time." Lin Zhe put down his luggage and hugged his mother.
Lin Guodong and Lin Feng both had social engagements that evening, leaving only Su Wan at home. The mother and son sat in the living room, Su Wan holding her son's hand and looking him over carefully: "You've lost weight and gotten tanned. Is it very tough in the army?"
"It's alright, I'm used to it." Lin Zhe said casually, without mentioning the dangerous missions of the special forces.
Su Wan prepared a table full of dishes, all of which were Lin Zhe's favorites. During the meal, she kept asking questions, and Lin Zhe patiently answered, telling her about his life in the army and his comrades-in-arms, avoiding the bloody battles.
Just then, the door opened. Lin Guodong and Lin Feng returned together. When they saw Lin Zhe, they were both taken aback, then smiled.
"Dad, brother." Lin Zhe stood up.
"When did you get back?" Lin Guodong took off his coat and looked at his son carefully. "Hmm, you've matured."
Raymond Lam then punched his younger brother: "You little rascal, you didn't even tell me you were coming back!"
The family, rarely able to reunite, sat in the living room chatting until late. Lin Guodong inquired about the military situation, while Lin Feng was more interested in Lin Zhe's technical report—he worked in a ministry and had heard about a young genius in the General Armaments Department.
"Xiao Zhe, your individual soldier system has become the talk of the unit," Lin Feng said. "Is it true that it's ten years ahead of current equipment?"
"It's not as exaggerated as ten years, maybe five or six years," Lin Zhe said modestly.
"That's quite remarkable." Lin Guodong rarely showed an approving expression. "However, Xiao Zhe, the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind. You're too prominent right now; you need to learn to tone it down."
"Dad, I understand."
Night fell, and Lin Zhe returned to his room. Lying on his bed, he stared at the ceiling. In this life, he had family, comrades-in-arms, and a direction. Although the burden on his shoulders was heavy, his heart felt at peace.
He has to go to the final assembly department tomorrow to resolve the remaining technical issues. Then... he wants to visit his grandfather.
As he pondered, Lin Zhe gradually fell asleep. That night, he slept exceptionally soundly.