Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

A week later, at the Capital International Airport.

A Boeing 707 airliner had just come to a stop, and the boarding stairs were driven over to accurately connect with the cabin door. The door opened, and a group of passengers disembarked.

Among them were both Easterners and Westerners. A tall but somewhat thin Westerner emerged with the flow of people. He was wearing a navy blue suit with a red and black striped tie, looking radiant and full of energy. His hair was jet black, making it hard to believe he was already a man in his sixties.

He took a deep breath of the air and murmured, "The air in the East is truly wonderful."

As soon as he stepped off the stairs, someone nearby called out in English, "Dr. Steigerwald! Dr. Steigerwald! Welcome to the East!"

Steigerwald looked at the welcoming party below in surprise and asked in English, "Are you here to pick me up?"

"Yes," Qin Yang replied. "We are here to take you to Capital University to give a report to our students. Welcome to China. Let's go, we'll take you to the car."

Steigerwald was somewhat curious. "But I haven't gone through customs inspection yet. Is that alright?"

"You are the most honored guest we have invited, how could you go through the same channels as others? We have already arranged it for you," Qin Yang said. "You can directly use the VIP channel and undergo customs inspection separately."

"Is that so? Thank you very much," Dr. Steigerwald said gratefully.

"It's our pleasure. This way, please. Let me take your briefcase. I will also have someone retrieve your checked luggage."

Guan Qiao stood behind Qin Yang, accompanying Steigerwald. At this moment, his heart was pounding. Would this really work? Was it okay to deceive people like this?

With complex emotions, Guan Qiao looked at Steigerwald's back, his eyes filled with respect. He was also in the welding field and, of course, knew this great figure in the welding domain.

In 1948, Dr. Steigerwald, who was working in West Germany, wanted to study oscilloscopes with higher operating frequencies. As a result, he discovered that high-power-density electron beams could melt, ablate, and erode metal. He had a bold idea: electron beams could be used to cut and weld some metals!

In '51, he applied for a patent for electron beam equipment for drilling holes in various materials. In '52, he manufactured the first electron beam processing machine at Zeiss, thus beginning the era of electron beam welding.

Guan Qiao was one of the first in China to engage in welding and had studied many welding techniques, but he had never come into contact with electron beam welding.

The titanium alloy wing box of the Tomcat fighter jet used vacuum electron beam welding technology. The quality of the welded product was excellent. When a Tomcat crashed from an altitude of several thousand meters, the entire fuselage was smashed to pieces, but the titanium alloy wing box remained intact, with no cracks in the welds, demonstrating the strength of this welding method.

Unfortunately, this technology was very advanced and strictly prohibited for export by the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (CoCom). Now, they could only target this Dr. Steigerwald, using the excuse of a university lecture to lure this person to the East, all for the development of the motherland's military industry! Guan Qiao reassured himself.

"After I retired the year before last, I have been idle at home and have nothing to do. Occasionally, I give a few lectures at universities, which makes me feel that life is very fulfilling. I hope to pass on my welding knowledge to more people."

"You are the inventor of electron beam welding and have made significant contributions to the development of the world," Qin Yang said. "Even after retiring, you are still thinking about spreading knowledge. It's truly admirable!"

"It's my duty. Capital University is also a world-class university, so of course I wanted to come and see it. This is my first time in the East, and I feel pretty good."

"The luggage has been retrieved!" Lu Feng shouted loudly, carrying a suitcase.

Although they said they were going to Capital University to give a report, none of the people who came to welcome him were from Capital University. As the group's figures disappeared on the tarmac, George, a reporter from The Times who was the last to disembark, stared intently at the group walking through the independent customs channel. His intuition told him that there was something fishy going on, and he had to investigate!

"Dr. Steigerwald, the guesthouse at Capital University is too simple. We have arranged for you to stay at the Jianguo Hotel, which is newly built and just opened last month," Qin Yang said. "You can eat there, or we can go to Lao Mo for a meal."

"Lao Mo?"

"That's right. The most popular foreign-related restaurant in the capital is Lao Mo, which serves authentic Moscow cuisine."

"Okay, let's go to Lao Mo Restaurant to try it. My identity is special, and I have never been to Moscow, so I hope to taste authentic Moscow cuisine here."

"The chefs there are specially invited from the old 毛子 (a somewhat derogatory term for Russians), and the food they use is also airlifted from there, so it's absolutely authentic."

And so, the group first went to the Jianguo Hotel to arrange accommodation and then went to Lao Mo Restaurant together.

Lao Mo.

Qin Yang was already a regular at this restaurant. After arriving, he leisurely arranged the seats. Lu Feng, who was entering for the first time, had shining eyes and didn't know where to put his hands. Guan Qiao, on the other hand, sighed. Although he had been working in the capital, Lao Mo Restaurant was not a place he could casually visit. This time, he was benefiting from the German doctor.

Just as the group was seated, George walked in. He suppressed the excitement in his heart, maintained his composure, and sat at a table next to them. He placed his briefcase on the table, aiming it at the target.

What luck! His first stop in the East was, of course, to eat at Lao Mo Restaurant, but he didn't expect the group that disappeared at the airport to also appear here!

*Click*, *click*!

"Come, this is the most authentic Russian cream-baked fish."

The meal was very enjoyable. Dr. Steigerwald drank a little too much and got into the car outside in a daze. The car merged into the night traffic.

George, who came out together behind them, became anxious. What should he do now? There wouldn't be such a chance encounter next time! He had to continue the investigation. How could he catch up?

Just then, a red Datsun Sunny taxi drove over. George got in and said in broken Chinese, "Quick, follow that car."

"Why?" the driver asked warily.

"The people in front left something in the restaurant, and I picked it up. I want to return it to them."

The driver no longer hesitated, stepped on the gas and followed, introducing the street scenes to George along the way. George didn't have the mood to listen and simply echoed.

Finally, the car in front entered a large compound, and the taxi behind stopped.

"That car drove into the research institute. My car can't enter," the driver explained.

"Okay, I'll get out and leave the item at the gatehouse."

George got out of the car, stood at the gate, and looked at the sign in the direction of the gate. Fortunately, he recognized the words on it.

Capital Aerospace Engineering Manufacturing Research Institute? Good, this Dr. Steigerwald is indeed suspicious!

Of course, he didn't know that the car entered through the front door and exited through the back door, continuing to drive towards the Jianguo Hotel.