Chapter 85: Earth-Shattering!

However, when Ye Huang clearly saw the figure of Chu Qingkuang sitting at the table, he was greatly surprised. The middle-aged man with glasses, who appeared rather refined, was indeed quite unexpected.

In Ye Huang's mind, Chu Qingkuang should at least be a robust man with a commanding presence, but it seemed his expectations were completely off.

Apart from the height, which was somewhat similar to what he had imagined, everything else about the Southwest Military District's Chief of Staff was vastly different.

If it weren't for Chu Tiange's prior warning, Ye Huang would have found it hard to associate this refined middle-aged man with the commanding general.

"You two wait a moment. I'll finish this map before we discuss other matters," Chu Qingkuang said without looking up, continuing to work on his battle map while addressing Chu Tiange and Ye Huang.

"No rush! Uncle, you go ahead with your work," Ye Huang replied, not wanting to disturb him as he saw how focused he was.

The two of them stood by the door for about ten minutes. With a sigh of frustration, Chu Qingkuang threw down his pencil, shook his head, and said with a bitter smile, "The recent military exercises have been driving me crazy. I still can't get past this line of defense. I kept you waiting, please sit down."

Chu Qingkuang looked up at Ye Huang, gestured for his son and Ye Huang to sit down, and then sat on the sofa himself.

At first, Ye Huang thought he might be a scholarly general because of his refined appearance, but when he saw the sharp, eagle-like eyes, he knew his judgment was wrong again.

Chu Qingkuang was like a "wolf in sheep's clothing." He gave an outwardly peaceful impression, but once engaged, he would reveal his bloodthirsty side.

"Surprised? Did you expect me to be a robust, imposing man?" Seeing the surprise in Ye Huang's eyes, Chu Qingkuang, who had been stern and unsmiling, asked with a smile.

"Hehe, indeed. Uncle, you really gave me a shock. Your refined demeanor hides a lion's heart, something I've rarely seen in my life!"

"Haha... You're being too polite. Just say I'm a wolf in sheep's clothing!"

"You're not the same? Blood Demon, if it weren't for the danger Tianke was in and my intelligence department's investigation, who would have thought a seemingly harmless young man would be the king of assassins in the world? Right?"

"Uncle Chu, you flatter me. My skills are trivial compared to your concern for the country and the people."

"Young man, you're being modest! Come on, what did you have Tianke bring me from the front lines? Don't think you can get away with just being the Blood Demon. If you don't bring something substantial, I won't even feed you dinner."

Chu Qingkuang said this half-jokingly, but with a smile. After his son called him back from the military district and mentioned that the Blood Demon had something to give him, Chu Qingkuang knew it must be something significant.

"I won't disappoint you, Uncle!" Ye Huang smiled, also infected by Chu Qingkuang's humor.

Chu Tiange, who already knew what his brother was bringing, remained silent with a smile, eager to surprise his father. His heart was pounding, wondering just how much his brother had brought.

"Oh... So confident? Fine, show me. I want to see what makes you so sure!"

Seeing Ye Huang's smile, Chu Qingkuang was also surprised. The connection between the assassin world and the military was not strong, and the things they obtained were rarely of interest to the military. What could Ye Huang have brought this time?

For a moment, Chu Qingkuang couldn't guess.

"A device that can change the future of naval warfare!" Ye Huang's words were earth-shattering!

"What! You... say that again?" Ye Huang's words stunned the usually calm general.

Change the future of naval warfare? What could it be?

"Father, what Brother brought is something that can truly transform our navy from a green-water force to a blue-water force. It's a carrier catapult!"

Seeing his father's wide-eyed, uncertain look, Chu Tiange couldn't wait any longer and blurted it out.

"Carrier catapult! Little Ye... Is what Tianke said true... true?" Chu Qingkuang felt more nervous than he had in his nearly fifty years of life.

He had faced many storms and even life and death, but nothing had made him as excited as this.

"Hehe, Uncle, do you think I would joke about something like this?" Ye Huang replied with a smile.

"Good, good, good! Little Ye... no, Nephew Ye! You've done a great service to our country! With this steam catapult, in a few years, our navy can truly dominate the Western Pacific. This time, we'll make the American monkey stare in disbelief!"

After Ye Huang confirmed the news, Chu Qingkuang's whole body trembled, and he said "good" three times, his excitement impossible to hide.

Seeing Chu Qingkuang's joy over a steam catapult, Ye Huang understood how much the country's military leaders hoped for the navy's development.

The country's army had always been known as the king of land warfare, invincible on the battlefield, defeating countless well-equipped and well-armed forces.

However, the navy had always lagged behind, even with advanced warships, lacking strategic carriers and air support from carrier-based aircraft, which prevented it from breaking through the U.S. and Japan's blockade.

Ye Huang was not surprised by Chu Qingkuang's excitement, but he knew his next words would shock him even more.

"Uncle Chu, you might have misunderstood. I didn't say it was a steam catapult!"

"Not a steam catapult? Then what is it? Nephew Ye, I'm in my fifties, don't make me hope in vain."

At this moment, Chu Qingkuang had lost his usual calm, his eyes filled with anxiety. Hearing that it wasn't a steam catapult, his heart sank.

The navy was almost on par with the world's advanced levels in every other aspect, but the catapult was the one area where they struggled. The sudden loss of this breakthrough was hard for Chu Qingkuang to bear.

"Hehe, Uncle, I said it's an electromagnetic catapult, not a steam catapult!"

"Electromagnetic..." Ye Huang's words were like a bolt of lightning, leaving Chu Qingkuang stunned, as if turned to stone.