Production of the Type 80 Tank Ceases

Amidst the scramble of the crowd, the test quickly commenced.

Zhou Liejin and the others, holding binoculars, stared intently at the tank speeding along the bumpy road, and were stunned.

"How can you shoot accurately when you're driving that fast?"

No sooner had Zhou Liejin finished speaking than a loud "boom" was heard, and the 99A main battle tank fired its cannon directly at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour.

"This is insane!"

The experts were stunned for a moment and quickly picked up their binoculars to check the impact point of the distant artillery fire.

The result shocked them greatly; firing at such speed, they actually hit the target directly.

For a moment, everyone was so shocked that they were speechless.

"That's incredible!"

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than another cannon shot rang out, and the second shell also hit its target squarely.

"This is outrageous! The speed must have been at 60 kilometers per hour just now! How could this even happen?"

Zhou Liejin stared wide-eyed at the Type 80 tank not far away.

"It's definitely much better than the Type 80 tank! I'm even more excited to meet this little guy, Wu Zu!"

The next morning, the area outside the family compound in the eastern district of Ping'an County was packed with military vehicles.

Armed soldiers stood in neat rows all around, like statues, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Residents poured out of their homes, and upon seeing the suddenly appearing military vehicles and soldiers, they all kept their distance and whispered among themselves.

"What's going on? Why are so many soldiers here all of a sudden?"

"Could it be that military secrets have been leaked? Otherwise, why is the security so tight?"

"In my opinion, something serious must have happened. There might be some kind of explosive device or something, otherwise why would so many troops be needed to guard the area?"

Various speculations arose among the crowd.

At this moment, Wu Zu was immersed in a sweet dream.

Suddenly, a violent shaking abruptly pulled him out of his sleep.

"Brother! Run!"

Wu Qing shook him vigorously, her face filled with anxiety.

Wu Zu was dazed. He was startled at first, then rubbed his eyes.

"What? Run? Why run?"

Seeing Wu Zu's sleepy appearance, Wu Qing was so anxious she was practically jumping up and down:

"There are lots of police officers outside coming to arrest you!"

"public security?"

Wu Zu sat up abruptly from the bed, looking completely bewildered.

"Didn't I already tell the police about the tank? Why are they still arresting me?"

He rushed to the door, opened it, and was immediately stunned.

There were no police officers there, only soldiers in military uniforms, armed and ready for action.

Wu Zu was puzzled, but he quickly got dressed and left home.

As soon as he stepped outside, Wu Zu spotted Chief Liang Jingsong.

When Liang Jinsong saw Wu Zu, a friendly smile appeared on his face, and he gently patted Wu Zu's shoulder.

"Azu, don't be afraid, come with me."

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Wu Zu followed Liang Jingsong to a military vehicle.

Liang Jinsong reached out and knocked on the car window.

Zhou Liejin had been busy all night and was dozing off in his car when he heard the noise and quickly opened his eyes.

At this moment, Liang Jinsong pointed to Wu Zu beside him and said with a smile:

"Minister, Azu is here!"

Zhou Liejin immediately rubbed his eyes, pushed open the car door and got out, looking Wu Zu up and down.

"Haha, he really does look a bit like Old Zhou!"

Wu Zu, not yet fully awake, asked in confusion:

"You are...?"

Liang Jingsong, who was standing nearby, quickly introduced, "This is Chief Zhou of the Armaments Department of the Yanjing Military Region of our Dragon Kingdom."

Wu Zu quickly greeted him politely, "Hello, Chief Zhou!"

"Haha, don't call me Chief Zhou anymore. Your grandfather and I were comrades-in-arms in the past, so just call me Grandpa Zhou!"

"Oh, hello Grandpa Zhou!"

"Haha, great job, Azu, you're really amazing! The tank technology you developed is truly astonishing."

Wu Zu scratched his head somewhat shyly.

"Grandpa Zhou, I just... made a slight modification."

Zhou Liejin burst into laughter.

"Slight changes? Those changes are amazing!"

Then, Zhou Liejin called over several technicians.

They visited the old factory's laboratory last night and were utterly impressed by Wu Zu's skills.

When the technicians saw Wu Zu, they all looked surprised.

"It really is an 8-year-old child; they weren't lying to us!"

"I can't believe that such a young child can come up with so many advanced technologies!"

"Yes, that digital fire control system, automatic loading system, and thermal imaging display technology—we've never seen such an advanced tank before!"

Wu Zu smiled and said, "Actually, there are still quite a few areas that need improvement..."

Zhou Liejin immediately interrupted him: "No, no, no, it's already perfect!"

At this moment, Wu Shuanzhu walked towards Zhou Liejin with a fish basket in one hand and a fishing rod in the other, smiling as he spoke.

"How about that? Isn't my grandson amazing?"

When Zhou Liejin saw his old friend arrive, he quickly went up to him and gave him a warm hug.

"Of course! If it weren't for your grandson, we might not have seen each other for several more years!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Liejin spoke.

"By the way, I need to discuss something with you. I plan to transport that tank to Yanjing. The advanced technologies inside are crucial to the future of China, and we must study them in depth!"

Wu Shuanzhu nodded repeatedly after listening, and said with deep feeling.

"That's what I thought at first too. And those Type 80 tanks, stop producing them. It's a waste of money, and the gap between them and the Type 99A main battle tank is too big."

If Zhou Liejin hadn't witnessed the outstanding performance of the Type 99A main battle tank, he would definitely have objected on the spot.

But after witnessing the advanced technology of that tank last night, he and Wu Shuanzhu had completely the same idea.

Since we already have more advanced tanks, why continue to spend money producing the Type 80 tank?

After all, the national economy is not yet well-off, and every penny must be spent on key areas.

At this moment, Zhou Liejin glanced at Wu Zu beside him, and then said to Wu Shuanzhu:

"However... this time I'd like to bring Ah Zu back to Yanjing as well. After all, he's the one who built the tanks, and only he can explain many of the technologies clearly. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Shuanzhu hesitated slightly.

"Alright, I'll go too. This child has never left home before. If I go with him, his family will feel more at ease."

When Wu Zu heard that they were going to Yanjing, his eyes lit up.

"Does that mean I'll be able to see my parents?"

Wu Shuanzhu replied with a smile, "Of course!"

That very night, they loaded the tanks onto a train and set off for Yanjing.

Wu Zu sat on the train, his heart filled with excitement.

He knew in his heart that this tank would bring about many changes.

This time, he might be able to enter the military industry of China naturally.

Upon arriving at the Yanjing Military Equipment Department, Zhou Liejin immediately notified personnel from the Yanjing Army Department to come for a meeting.

The conference room was filled with leaders and experts from all levels of the military region, and the atmosphere was both serious and tense.

Zhou Liejin stood in front of the conference table and spoke with a solemn expression.

"Gentlemen, the reason I've gathered you all here today is to discuss one thing—to halt production of the Type 80 tank."

As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room erupted in chaos.

"What? Production halted? Wasn't the Type 80 tank already in service with the troops?"

"That's right! We've invested so much money and manpower, and now we're just going to stop? The losses would be enormous!"

"Our country has finally overcome a difficult period, but funds are still insufficient. How can we easily decide to stop production?"

Zhou Liejin smiled slightly and slowly took out the blueprints.

"Everyone, please take a look at this first."

He slowly unfolded the blueprints and explained in detail the 99A main battle tank's digital fire control system, automatic loading system, thermal imaging display technology, and so on.

The more they listened, the more surprised they became, and someone couldn't help but interrupt:

"This...this is impossible! These technologies simply cannot exist!"

Zhou Liejin smiled.

"Why not? Everyone, follow me."