I built an armada.

He stared blankly at the report, the ink still wet, and once again, hot tears welled up on his aged face, which bore witness to decades of blood, tears, and struggles in the materials industry of a great nation.

This time, however, behind the tears was a surge of boundless pride.

"Rare earth elements... isotopes... these strategic resources are our lifeline... we can no longer control them!"

He muttered to himself, each word carrying immense weight. Suddenly, he stood up straight from his chair, with a resolute determination, and strode to Su Dingping, who was about to take his leave and return to Longxin. His two thin but extremely powerful hands gripped Su Dingping's wrists like iron clamps!

An incredibly intense and fervent light shone from those old eyes!

"Dingping! No! Chief Su! Chief Engineer Su!! Stay!"

Xu Bingxian's voice was filled with an undeniable sincerity, and he was so excited that he was almost incoherent.

"Stay...stay in our Xijiang! My old face, my position as director..."

He pointed to his gray hair and the access card on his chest with his other finger, and patted his chest forcefully to assure them.

"I'll offer it to you immediately! Just nod your head!"
The entire West River Research Institute, the hard work of hundreds of people, and this key you brought! Only when it's in your hands, this extraordinary person, can the true path to heaven be opened! We...we will definitely be able to..."

His words were broken and he was so excited that they came out in a jumble, but his sincerity and his determination to keep the young "deity" in front of him at all costs were so intense that they seemed to burst out from every pore!

The entire office fell silent instantly! Everyone was stunned by Xu Bingxian's heartfelt act, which was almost like entrusting his life and the future of the entire research institute! Old He even moved his lips, as if he wanted to persuade him, but in the end he didn't say anything, his eyes filled with the same pleading.

At this moment, all the key members of the Xijiang Research Institute have only one wish.

Leave behind this "stabilizing force" that is enough to illuminate the entire field and rewrite the fate of national industry!
However, Su Dingping gently but firmly pulled his wrist away little by little from those excited, burning hands.

He looked at the old man before him, who had cried and laughed, and who was fanatical because of his absolute faith, and gave him a calm and sincere smile.

"Mr. Xu, you flatter me."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was steady, carrying a calm power that could penetrate the noise.

"The bottleneck in material purification has been broken, and the backbone of the 'Dragon Star' project has been laid."

His gaze drifted out the window to the heavily guarded testing grounds inside the Xijiang Institute.

"But on the Dragon Heart side, the 'heart' has only just started, and an even grander blueprint is still waiting."

That place is not only the starting point, but also a responsibility.

He spoke subtly, but Xu Bingxian understood the weight of his words.

The turmoil in Xu Bingxian's eyes gradually subsided, turning into deep regret and reluctance, but ultimately he no longer insisted on anything.

He understood that Su Dingping carried a far greater and heavier burden on his shoulders.

"I understand……"

He sighed deeply, filled with endless regret, as if the weight of his very soul was pressing down on him.

"Dragon's Heart is the spark that ignites... Go... Come back and visit these 'old guys' you pulled out of the mire often!"

He tried to force a smile to say goodbye, but the smile was full of heartbroken pleading.

Su Dingping didn't linger. In the afternoon, a special car came to pick him up.

As he carried his simple luggage toward the unassuming bulletproof car, every researcher in the institute who wasn't on an urgent mission put down their work and spontaneously poured out. No one spoke; everyone simply stood silently and neatly on either side of the entrance.

His eyes held a thousand words—gratitude, awe, reluctance to part, and even the reverence and piety of a believer bidding farewell to a deity on a distant expedition.

The car door closed, and the engine started.

Countless eyes silently followed the departing car until it completely disappeared at the end of the road outside the high walls of the research institute. A profound sense of loss, like the morning dew that could not be dispelled, permeated the hearts of everyone who saw it off.

On the road. Guo Xueyun was still driving herself.

The carriage was unusually quiet.

The scenery outside the window rushed past.

Guo Xueyun couldn't help but steal a glance at Su Dingping, who was sitting in the back seat with his eyes closed, through the rearview mirror. The orange-red light of the setting sun shone through the car window, outlining a dazzling golden edge around his young yet overly composed profile.

Within days, she rescued Qin Mingzhu from near-desperate circumstances; within a few days, she shattered the shackles that had bound Xijiang for decades with just a blueprint and a formula... This achievement has long exceeded her understanding of the limits of human capability.

The silence lasted for a very long time, until the car entered the wide dedicated highway leading to the Longxin base.

"Dingping..."

Guo Xueyun finally couldn't help but break the silence that made her heart flutter. Her voice was very soft, with a slight tremor that she herself was unaware of, and a deep-seated fear.

"You...sometimes really make me feel...like something that our world could have given birth to."

She bit her lip and avoided looking in the rearview mirror.

"It's too much like a myth... more like... like a 'missionary' sent down by the heavens to save Longxia because they couldn't stand it anymore..."

She hesitated, but the sharp thought that haunted her dreams yet dared not touch finally emerged.

"Wait...wait until you lift Long Xia to that highest position...you, the savior...shouldn't you...complete your mission and turn away..."

The word "leave" was as light as a sigh, yet it was like a thorny bramble, piercing the stagnant air!

Su Dingping, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly opened them!
In that instant, Guo Xueyun even caught a fleeting, almost imperceptible... absent-mindedness in the rearview mirror, as if her deepest secret had been touched with unparalleled precision by a needle!
But the next second, those deep, ocean-like eyes returned to their calm state.

He didn't answer the question that seemed to pinpoint the very core of his destiny. Instead, he turned his head and looked through the car window at the golden mountain ridges in the distance, ignited by the setting sun.

A warm, even soothing smile curved his lips, and his deep, mellow voice echoed in the quiet carriage, like a promise, or perhaps a sigh that transcends time.

"A mission...maybe there is."

But no matter what the mission is, or where the destination is...

He slowly turned his head, his gaze finally falling on Guo Xueyun's nervous and slightly tearful profile. For the first time, his smile carried a genuine and clear tenderness that belonged to a young person.

“I, Su Dingping, am right here.”

He paused, his voice not loud, but each word was clear and distinct.

"I will always be with you, Xueyun."

This seemingly irrelevant yet weighty promise, like a warm hand, gently brushed away the ice from Guo Xueyun's heart.

Her tense shoulders finally relaxed a little, and her slightly flushed cheeks looked even softer in the sunset.

However, just as this tender feeling was quietly flowing between the two of them, before it had fully settled—

Jingle Bell!Jingle Bell!
Inside the car, a highly secure satellite phone with the highest level of access suddenly emitted a piercing beep!

The piercing ringtone, like an icicle, instantly shattered the warmth that had just begun to settle in the carriage. Su Dingping frowned slightly, glanced at the heavy-looking phone with its flashing red warning light, and without the slightest hesitation, leaned forward and answered the call.

"Hey, it's me."

The voice coming from the other end of the phone was Qin Mingzhu's clear voice, which was tinged with a slight urgency and also revealed a hint of the stubbornness that was unique to young ladies.

"Dingping! It's me! Where are you? Just got off the highway? Great! Don't go back to Longxin Base! Dad... my dad... he insists on inviting you! Right now! Come to the house! The car is waiting at the intersection to the right of the highway exit, the one leading to Binjiang Road! The red one with the license plate starting with A! Right now!"
This is Dad's absolute order! Say you owe him a life-saving favor… it's beyond measure!

She spoke very quickly, seemingly with Qin Baichuan's deep, urging voice in the background.

Su Dingping's gaze swept across Guo Xueyun's questioning expression in the rearview mirror, and he sighed inwardly. Last time it was a rescue at sea, and this time they were practically "robbed" the moment they landed? This Boss Qin's persistence is truly...

“Mingzhu, Uncle Qin, you flatter us. Rescue is our duty. No matter who is in danger, we will do the same. We cannot let those who risk their lives for the tribe feel disheartened.”

Su Dingping tried to politely decline.

He has never been interested in these kinds of perfunctory thank-you visits, and would rather immediately throw himself into the critical assembly task that Longxin has been working on regarding the nuclear fusion vacuum chamber.

"no!"

Qin Mingzhu interrupted him directly on the other end of the phone, her tone suddenly rising, even carrying a hint of aggrieved sobs.

"Dad said he won't take his sleeping pills tonight if he can't get you to come!"

He has a heart condition! You...you really have the heart to let this old man...

A few low coughs from Qin Baichuan followed... and they seemed rather deliberate.

"..."

Faced with the father and daughter's "superb acting skills" of playing the good cop and the bad cop, Su Dingping remained silent.

He knew all too well the way these powerful and veteran leaders operated; if he really offended them, the trouble that followed could be far greater than the meal itself.

Moreover, the other party's attitude was impeccable; the debt of saving his life was indeed the most compelling reason.

"……All right.

Send me the address.

Su Dingping ultimately chose the most efficient way to handle the situation—avoiding unnecessary entanglement and resolving the future troubles with a meal.

"Roger that! The driver knows the way! See you there!"

Qin Mingzhu's voice immediately became incredibly cheerful; one could almost picture her radiant smile even through the phone.

hang up the phone.

Su Dingping spoke briefly to Guo Xueyun, who was driving ahead.

"After exiting the highway, take Binjiang Road on the right; there will be a car waiting for us."

Guo Xueyun frowned almost imperceptibly, a complex light flashing in her eyes.

She quickly glanced at the rearview mirror; Su Dingping's face showed no extra expression.

She only responded with a single word.

"Ah."

The steering wheel nimbly turned towards the right-hand ramp. The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, and the city lights were just coming on.

A black sedan with an inconspicuous local license plate flashed past at the highway exit, while a limousine with an eye-catching red "甲A" license plate was already waiting quietly under the shade of the plane trees at the entrance of Binjiang Road, like a loyal hunting dog waiting for its master.

The Qin Family Mansion is less a residence and more a vast private palace, hidden in the heart of the riverside scenic area, steeped in history. The dark gray exterior of the main building is veiled by evergreen pines and cypresses, exuding an understated luxury and a sense of profound historical renown.

The spacious reception room was not the lavish banquet with clinking glasses that Su Dingping had imagined. There was only Qin Baichuan, dressed casually in a Tang suit and leaning on a cane, waiting at the door, and Qin Mingzhu standing behind him, wearing a moon-white fitted long dress, her eyes filled with a smile and a hint of barely perceptible shyness. The atmosphere exuded a solemn, family-like sincerity.

"Young friend Su!"

Before Su Dingping could sit down, Qin Baichuan stood up and, with a strong yet sincere and weighty voice, bowed deeply to him. His back was ramrod straight, and this bow was the most solemn one among the older generation of martial arts practitioners.

"You saved Mingzhu, which means you saved half of my life, this old codger who's half-buried in the yellow earth! And you also preserved the 'respect' that my Qin family has accumulated over generations!"

His usually shrewd eyes, accustomed to grand occasions, were unusually solemn at this moment.

"This favor is heavier than Kunlun and deeper than the vast ocean! From this day forward, you, Su Dingping, are the 'blood ally' of the Qin family! No matter when or what happens, as long as you come in person or even just say a word!"

His strong, powerful fingers pointed directly at his heart.

"I, Qin Baichuan, and my entire Qin family of three thousand people, will give our all, exert all our strength, and remain steadfast to the death! If we break this vow, may Heaven and Earth condemn us!"

Every word was resounding, carrying an unquestionable and unwavering commitment.

This level of oath is no longer a simple act of repaying a debt of gratitude; it is an endorsement that almost stakes the fate of the entire family.

Even Qin Mingzhu, who was standing next to her, held her breath slightly, and the girlish charm on her face turned into a serious expression.

Su Dingping quickly got up and helped the old man up by the arm.

"Uncle Qin, you flatter me. It's just official business, my duty. If we're really talking about merit, it's the entire fleet working together as a team..."

"No no no!"

Qin Baichuan pressed down on his hand, his tone resolute.

"The name Su Dingping means more to me than anything else!"

He stared intently at Su Dingping's young yet unfathomable face and said slowly.

"Remember my words today."

On this land, some paths cannot be traversed by merely relying on explicit rules and regulations. My Qin family, whether in the open or in the shadows, still holds considerable weight!

This expresses my deepest gratitude and solemn commitment.

Qin Baichuan seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief, regaining the dignified demeanor befitting an elder. The subsequent banquet featured exquisite yet unpretentious dishes, and the atmosphere became relaxed and harmonious.

Qin Mingzhu also became lively again, making witty remarks throughout the meal and occasionally sharing her travel experiences, but her eyes were always bright and sparkling, never leaving Su Dingping's face.

She enthusiastically served Su Dingping the dishes and introduced him to each of the Suzhou-style snacks that the chefs from Jiangnan had painstakingly prepared.

Guo Xueyun, who was standing to the side, remained quietly seated throughout.

She behaved impeccably, responding to Qin Mingzhu's various topics with a smile as she savored the food, but the alertness characteristic of a senior security supervisor never faded from her eyes. (End of Chapter)