Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

No one stopped Thomas; everyone was too preoccupied, busy putting out the fire.

Fierce flames blazed on the stern platform of the 105 ship. Fire hoses sprayed water, and even more courageous soldiers used clothes to beat at the flames, unafraid of being burned. The bravery of the Eastern soldiers was commendable, but…

Watching the flames, Thomas's face was incredibly grim. It was impossible! Their Crotale missiles had never exploded inside the launch tube before. What was going on?

"Thomas, Thomas, let's go!" Raphael's voice called out, "Let's get on the lifeboat!"

This was a warship, and fire was extremely dangerous. If the flames reached the stern gun and ignited the shells, the ship would likely sink.

Seeing the situation behind him, Thomas wanted to help put out the fire and check the launch device to determine why the explosion occurred inside the tube, preventing similar incidents in the future. But it was too dangerous; it wouldn't be worth it to lose his life.

So, after weighing his options, he stamped his foot and ran toward the lifeboat.

Fortunately, the target-launching vessel was nearby and rushed over at full speed after discovering the accident. The small lifeboat carried the guests from the 105 ship to the target-launching vessel.

Thomas stared intently at the burning 105 ship, watching the emergency rescue efforts. As he stepped onto the target-launching vessel and turned back, he saw several brave soldiers pushing the eight-unit missile launcher into the sea…

"I didn't expect this to happen," Qin Yang said to Leader Zhang, who had come over on the lifeboat. "Leader Zhang, don't worry, it's just an accident…"

"Hmph, President Qin, is this the anti-aircraft missile you recommended to us? It actually exploded on its own! It almost destroyed one of our warships. Do you know how much an 051 costs? Do you know how important the 105 ship is to us?"

Raphael watched Qin Yang and Leader Zhang's conversation. Although he didn't understand what they were saying, their cold expressions and stern words conveyed his anger. Would the Crotale still be purchased by the Easterners?

It was almost a done deal, but why did this accident suddenly happen?

The fire was finally extinguished, and the warship returned to port. In the cabin, Qin Yang looked at Raphael and Thomas with a grim face: "I gave Leader Zhang a bribe. He promised not to hold our Crotale missiles responsible, not to demand compensation from the French side, and not to publicize it. That's all I can do."

"Compensation for losses?"

"Yes, your sample missile had problems, causing heavy losses to our navy. It is said that five or six soldiers were killed and millions of dollars in property were lost. I've done my best. Alas, you…" Qin Yang shook his head repeatedly, looking disappointed.

"There's nothing wrong with our sample missile. It must be an operational problem," Thomas suddenly said, "I have confidence in our missiles."

"Operational problem? The operation was done according to your instructions. How could there be a problem? Thomas, if you dare to say that to the navy, I can't guarantee that the navy will give up pursuing responsibility. Moreover, if this matter blows up, the impact will be bad."

Thomas fell silent.

Because the missile problem caused damage to the warship and killed several people, the compensation would be a large sum of money. Moreover, if this matter spread, the impact would be terrible, and the good image built up by the Exocet missiles would be completely tarnished.

If he could extinguish the fire and inspect the burned-out launcher, he might find the cause, but he watched as the launcher was pushed into the sea, making recovery impossible.

Thomas was depressed, and Raphael was also depressed. They didn't know how they got ashore, how they disembarked, or how to explain it when they returned.

The night deepened, and some people were still busy in the military port.

"Uncover the tarpaulin and quickly unload the missile system!"

"Everyone, be careful!"

On the dock, Qin Yang had a smug look on his face: "In this day and age, the bold are stuffed to death, and the timid starve to death. There's nothing you can't think of, only things you can't do. Now, not only don't we have to worry about the French coming to ask us for orders, but we can also get a complete Crotale missile system."

Last time, he set a fire and got a set of tank engines. This time, he set a fire and got a set of Crotale missile systems. Next time… next time, he has to change other methods. Playing the same trick three times might lead to discovery.

"President Qin, only you would dare to think of this method," Leader Zhang said, "We were still afraid that the French would see through our tricks. In fact, if they had quoted a cheaper price, we wouldn't have had to do this. Alas, who told them to quote such a high price?"

Because the price was too high, we simply set a fire, letting the French think that the entire missile system was burned! After all, setting fire to one's own warship is not something ordinary people can do.

The navy has now commissioned more than a dozen 051s, which look exactly the same in the eyes of outsiders. So there is room for manipulation.

Yesterday, Qin Yang boarded the real 105 ship, which is the one in front of him. He also saw the missiles and other components at the time, so the French would not suspect that the burned one was not the real Crotale missile.

When Qin Yang took them back to drink and chat, and then came back, he boarded another 051, with the hull number painted as 105, and the missile system and radar were replaced with realistic models. When the explosion occurred, the models were burned, and the original samples were well preserved. Qin Yang easily pulled off the switcheroo.

As for the vibration during the explosion, the engine room crew just had to tinker with it.

"With this set of samples, we can hand it over to our domestic team to improve our Hongqi-7 missile," Qin Yang said, "These samples must be transferred overnight. Have you notified the people over there?"

"Of course." Just as Leader Zhang finished speaking, a series of footsteps came from a distance.

Under the moonlight, several experts walked over, the leader with graying hair, a slightly chubby face, and a look of urgency.

"Leader Zhang, I heard you got a set of Crotale samples?"

"Old Zhong?" Qin Yang recognized the person: the chief designer of the Hongqi-7 project!