I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

"Old Li, calm down! You're the deputy director of a factory with tens of thousands of employees, why are you so flustered?" Zhou Weiguo teased, still a little dazed.

Li Huaide's eyes widened, and without saying a word, he pulled Zhou Weiguo out of the room.

Zhou Weiguo was stunned as soon as he stepped out: the people in the courtyard were standing neatly against the wall, motionless, and there were many unfamiliar faces. The courtyard gate and the side gate were also tightly closed.

Li Huai pulled him to the study door, where two men who looked no ordinary people stood. His voice trembled slightly: "Comrade, it's him, Zhou Weiguo."

The two nodded and opened the door: "Please come in."

Zhou Weiguo was completely dumbfounded. When did his study become guarded?

He walked into the study, his mind filled with questions, and the door slammed shut behind him. He turned to look at the desk and froze, a sense of unreality washing over him.

He pinched his thigh hard, hissing as the pain jolted him back to his senses.

Looking at the person in front of him, Zhou Weiguo was so nervous that he couldn't speak. After a long pause, he just stood up straight and gave a military salute.

Seeing this, the man burst into laughter and turned to Old Qin beside him, saying, "Old Qin, you see? Our surprise attack scared this little guy half to death, didn't it?"

Old Qin shook his head with a smile: "Manager, you didn't just scare him, everyone in this courtyard is probably in trouble."

The head manager stood up, looked Zhou Weiguo up and down, and after a long while said, "What's wrong? Old Qin described you as a little monkey to me, and you're so scared after just one meeting with me? This won't do!"

Zhou Weiguo finally calmed down after hearing the head manager's joke.

He looked at the shopkeeper joking with him and felt a strange sense of warmth welling up inside him. But when he spoke, his voice still trembled slightly: "Well... Shopkeeper, it's just that even Sun Wukong has to tuck his tail between his legs when he sees the Buddha!"

"Hahaha! You little rascal, Old Qin was right, you showed your true colors in just a few minutes!"

Zhou Weiguo scratched his head but didn't reply.

"You little brat, do you even know why I'm here today?"

Zhou Weiguo looked blank and shook his head innocently.

Old Qin explained with a smile, "That's because the head manager is worried about breaking his promise to you."

These words confused Zhou Weiguo even more. He asked, puzzled, "Broken your promise? Why would you break your promise?"

Old Qin continued to guide the conversation: "Think back to what I told you last time?"

These words were like a key, instantly unlocking Zhou Weiguo's memories.

He recalled the promise that Old Qin had conveyed to the head manager: as long as he could build any one of the following—a nuclear submarine, an aircraft carrier, or a long-range ballistic nuclear missile—the head manager would personally attend his wedding.

"Looks like you've remembered. That's right, I don't want to go back on my word. You owe me something big now, have you thought it through? Are you prepared to repay me with a nuclear submarine, an aircraft carrier, or a long-range ballistic nuclear missile?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Weiguo subconsciously looked at Old Qin.

"Why are you looking at Old Qin? I heard him say that you're full of treasures, but you're reluctant to take them out. He also said he sensed you had some concerns, which is one of the reasons I came today. Come on, tell me, what are your concerns?"

Zhou Weiguo looked at Old Qin with an almost mournful gaze, wondering to himself: Why does Old Qin say such things!

At this moment, the old man asked gently, "For the sake of the country, may I call you that?"

"Of course, you can call me whatever you like."

The old man nodded and continued, "For the sake of the country, could you tell me your thoughts? Mr. Lin said that the missile fuel ratio you provided is something our country doesn't have, nor do Canada or the United States. I'm very curious, where did this technology come from? Of course, I understand that everyone has secrets, and if you really don't want to talk about it, I won't force you."

Zhou Weiguo was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond.

Seeing Zhou Weiguo stammering, Old Qin's face changed with anxiety. He pointed at Zhou's nose and said, "You brat, do you want me to beat you up? There are only three of us in this room. I guarantee no one else will know. Think carefully, can this secret help the country? If it can't, then pretend I didn't ask; if it can, even just telling the head steward is fine! Look, the American aircraft carrier fleet is patrolling our doorstep every day, carrying nuclear weapons! How many times have they threatened us with nuclear weapons in recent years? Let me tell you, brat, I don't know if you're scared, but I'm really scared. I'm afraid that one day the American nuclear weapons will be dropped on our people, and we soldiers will have no way to retaliate. Today, I'm begging you, I'm begging you, if you really have a way, please help the country."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Weiguo was somewhat dazed. He stared blankly at Old Qin, completely at a loss for what to do.

Seeing that Zhou Weiguo didn't react, Old Qin, for reasons unknown, suddenly said: "Why are you so stubborn, kid!"

As he spoke, Old Qin became increasingly agitated, pulling a gun from his waist and shoving it into Zhou Weiguo's hand: "I don't care anymore! I don't know why, but I have this feeling, this feeling that there's an extraordinary secret, a secret that can help the country! Either tell us now, or..." He paused, "or just shoot me. Making me guess all day long? I'm good at fighting, but asking me to use my brain? Are you trying to suffocate me?"

Zhou Weiguo gripped the gun, feeling a wave of dizziness.

Just then, another voice rang out: "Since Lao Qin has brought it up so much, count me in too. For the country, the secret, or our lives—choose one. Actually, we're aware of many of your unusual behaviors, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about. If we really had bad intentions towards you, we would have done it already. You might not believe me, so let me give you a simple example. Take North Korea, for instance. Do you really think so many of us would believe that an untrained college student like you could rescue Xiao Wu from a camp of ten thousand enemy soldiers? And that you could directly blow up that large military base? You have to understand that you wiped out tens of thousands of enemy troops that time, and you came back unscathed. We're not trying to force you, but let me put it this way: if this secret really can't help the country, just say so, and Lao Qin and I will never mention it again. This country belongs to us, and it also belongs to you. If—and I mean if—you really have the ability to help them, then help them!"

Hearing this, Zhou Weiguo sighed inwardly, realizing it was indeed true. His actions back then were truly inhumane, and he had been smugly pleased with himself for his brilliant disguise. Now it seemed that the higher-ups clearly knew a lot, but simply chose not to mention it.

Faced with the trust and expectations of the two elderly people, Zhou Weiguo would be lying if he said he wasn't moved. But the panic in his heart surged like a tide. He knew that if he told them everything, the consequences would be unimaginable. What if he were "dissected and studied"?

P.S.: Please urge me to update more and give me good reviews. Thank you!