Start with a blacksmith shop.

Chapter 141 I feel relieved

After this series of tests, it was already 2 PM.

Moreover, these people didn't even eat lunch because they were busy with the small planes flying in the sky.

Only after all the tests were completed did everyone begin to feel hungry.

Later, under the leadership of Chief Cui, Li Zhenhua finally arrived at the base's canteen and ate the Air Force's meals.

Eight dishes and two soups—a self-service cafeteria where you take as much as you want—but he didn't experience that.

Because they arrived after lunchtime, Chief Cui had the cooks prepare a bowl of noodles for them separately.

Dumplings before boarding, noodles upon disembarking—that's how Li Zhenhua welcomed him, he thought.

After the meal, Chief Cui and Zhengwei led him to the conference room where they had been before.

At this point, the curiosity about the small plane had disappeared, and without other distractions, the conversation finally turned to his violations of laws and regulations.

"Xiao Li, let's talk about you. I acknowledge your talent."

But a mistake is a mistake. While your small aircraft is impressive and we acknowledge your achievements, we cannot deny the value of your work.

You have indeed violated air traffic control regulations. I just checked...

The punishment isn't severe; this constitutes unauthorized flight activity without permission from the local flight management authority.

Since it violated Article 74 of the Kyushu Civil Aviation Law, we will pay the maximum fine stipulated in that article.

As for the rest, we won't pursue it further; we'll coordinate with the relevant departments!

The man in the correct position explained the punishment decision to Li Zhenhua, a result he and Cui Tianzhi had reached together.

It's neither too serious nor too lenient—a fine of 100,000. As for pursuing any other responsibilities against him, they certainly won't do that.

Based solely on the technological sophistication of the small aircraft he independently developed, they wouldn't punish him too severely; he's a real gem!

This is a genius who can replace an entire design team and a manufacturing team. If such a talent were to design some high-tech aircraft in the future, and they were punished for it, then it would be a great loss.

He was a little uneasy. They'd made such a big fuss, and all they'd get was some money? It couldn't be that simple. What if the fine was very high?

Thinking this way, and still unsure, he asked the person in the correct position.

"Sir, sir, how much would I have to pay if I were to pay a fine?"

Is it in the tens of millions or the hundreds of millions? I can still afford to pay in the tens of millions now.

If it's in the hundreds of millions, I might have to scrape together some money. I wonder if it's possible to pay in installments?

The two leaders were amused by his question; they hadn't expected that mentioning a fine would actually scare him.

Chief Cui chuckled a few times before answering his question.

"Xiao Li, don't overthink it. The country isn't going to ruin your family. How can a fine be tens of millions?"

Okay, here's the definite answer: the fine is only 100,000 yuan, and that's the end of it.

Don't make that mistake again. If you ever want to send anything to space, please let us know first! Don't just mess around on your own.

At this moment, he was truly confused. They had made such a big fuss before, even deploying two Raptor fighter jets in pursuit...

Is it really that simple—just pay the fine, and that's it? Is that all?

It's like I'm deceiving myself; it started strong but ended weakly.

"Ring ring ring~"

Just as Cui Tianzhi was about to add a sentence, his phone rang.

When he picked it up, he saw that it was a call from one of his civil servants. Chief Cui was afraid of delaying things, so he walked to the side and answered it.

"Hey, this is Cui Tianzhi, what's up?"

"You mean, the chairman of Hongdu Machinery Plant and the chief designer of the Le-15 advanced jet trainer came to our place together?"

It's circling over our base? Is it about to land?

Okay, let them land. I'm right next to the main seat, we'll be there in a bit.

After saying that, he hung up the phone and, while walking back, asked the person in the correct position.

"Old buddy, people from Hongdu are here. The chairman and the chief designer of the advanced jet trainer came together."

"You said our advanced jet trainers are working perfectly fine, and the Q-5 has already been retired. What could these two possibly want with us?"

As they were talking, he happened to see the young man, Li Zhenhua, and immediately thought of his own introduction.

One of their company's main businesses is supplying engines to Hongdu Machinery Plant.

"Xiao Li, you heard everything I just said, right? Did you call those people from Hongdu?"

Li Zhenhua nodded weakly, inwardly complaining that if he had known the punishment would be just a small fine, he wouldn't have called Yan Hang!

"You really came for me? Impressive! You've got a lot of influence, haven't you?"

The chairman and chief engineer of the aircraft manufacturing plant, they're really something!

He was like a quail at that moment, hiding to the side, and then said weakly.

"You can't blame me for that. I was terrified at the time. Both sides' fighter jets were chasing me relentlessly. I wouldn't have felt at ease if I hadn't called for outside help."

Who would have thought that the punishment would be just a fine!

Hearing what the other person said, Zhengwei's expression turned serious, and he solemnly addressed him.

"Xiao Li, please don't think like that. From now on, it's better to follow the proper procedures."

I'm only fining you because of your talent; that's why the punishment is so light.

If it weren't for valuing talent, that airplane you made today alone could be enough to accuse you of illegally manufacturing weapons.

This one offense alone could land you in jail for five, seven, or six years. You can't afford to have that kind of侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, or a belief that you can get away with something) again!

Li Zhenhua nodded solemnly at the truth, and he understood why the punishment was so lenient this time.

At that moment, he stood up and bowed to Cui Tianzhi and the two men in the right seat to express his gratitude.

"Alright, Xiao Li, don't be so polite."

This matter isn't over yet. We'll definitely have to report about your plane.

As for how to handle it in the end, it depends on the arrangements made above.

But right now, we'll help out however much we can!

Cui Tianzhi looked at him bowing, accepted the bow, and then helped him straighten up.

And so, he knew he was probably alright. With the two commanders of the air force base vouching for him, he shouldn't have any major problems.

Then, just as they were talking, Cui Tianzhi's civil servants brought people from Hongdu Factory directly to the office.

Yan Hang took the lead and pushed open the door to enter the conference room. He glanced inside and immediately saw Li Zhenhua sitting at the table, looking very well-organized.

After seeing that he was alright, they turned their attention to the two air force base commanders.

Yan Hang also knew one of them, a man named Cui Tianzhi, who had served as a test pilot for a period of time and later as a military representative stationed at the factory.

"Haha, Cui Tianzhi, it's been so long!"

"It's been a long time, sir. What brings you here today?"

At over forty years old, Cui Tianzhi was in his prime and had already risen to the rank of general, which was quite remarkable.

However, there was one thing he particularly admired: the people who designed and manufactured airplanes. So when he saw Yan Hang, he was still very accurate in identifying him.

"Ha, being a general really makes a difference! I won't hide it from you, I'm here today to bail someone out."

But judging from the current situation, it seems they don't need me!

Yan Hang stated his purpose directly. In the military camp, beating around the bush would only tire him out in the end; it was better to be straightforward.

After hearing Yan Hang's words, Li Zhenhua just sat there smiling at him without saying anything.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group sat down again in the conference room.

Yan Hang, who had sat down, also started talking to him.

"Zhenhua, I never expected this. In just over a year, he quietly pulled off something big."

You've been keeping quiet until now, and then you've made a stunning statement!

But you should think things through before you do anything. Why didn't you tell me you wanted to test fly it?

What, you think we from Hongdu would steal anything from you? Now you're getting a free day trip to the military camp!

Yan Hang launched into a tirade against Li Zhenhua, just like an elder scolding a junior, without treating him as an outsider at all.

Faced with Yan Hang's lesson, a special feeling arose in his heart, and he felt even more respect for Yan Hang.

"Hehehe, I got it, Grandpa. I'll definitely let you know if I make anything else in the future!"

Thank you for taking the time to come and get people out of trouble!

Since he had already said that, Yang Hang couldn't say anything more, so he turned to Cui Tianzhi and the others and started talking.

"Commander Cui, how are our products doing in service with the troops lately?"

"I hope the Falcon advanced jet trainer didn't interfere with your work. Do you have any suggestions for its use?"

Yan Hang and Cui Tianzhi asked him about his experience using the product, and then they talked for a long time.

Cui Tianzhi then recounted the findings of the morning's tests regarding the small aircraft to Yan Hang.

After seeing the test results, Yan Hang looked at Li Zhenhua with disbelief.

After going through all this data, he spoke slowly.

No wonder, no wonder

I was wondering why your base has two top leaders here at the same time, and why they're protecting him.

There is data on what other crimes the inventor committed.

As long as it's not a serious crime like murder, arson, or rape, I believe you will definitely protect her.

Just looking at these figures, you can already tell how technologically advanced this small aircraft is.

Zhenhua, this time it's all thanks to the product you made yourself! Great job, very good!

Before Yan Hang actually received the test data, it was only when Li Zhenhua called him that he learned about it.

He had already guessed that the small plane's data should be good, but to his surprise, the data was even better.

With simple modifications, such a small aircraft can become combat-ready, and its 3.5-meter size makes it even easier to evade enemy radar.

And he had just noticed the radar data, which showed that the radar only identified it as being about 2.1 meters long and with a wingspan of 1.3 meters.

What does this mean? It means that small aircraft possess some stealth features.

If this plane weren't so small, Yan Hang would have thought that some country had independently developed a fifth-generation stealth fighter!

(End of this chapter)