Return to China

A week had passed in the blink of an eye since he left Stark Industries. Chen Mu had hoped to return home within a week, but he was feeling rather frustrated because Iron Man, Tony, still had not fought Obadiah during that time.

"True enough. Developing a complete Iron Man armor set takes time too. It only took a few minutes in the movie, but in reality, who knew how many days it had been?"

Although Chen Mu had seen a flash of light streak across the sky the previous night, which was very likely Tony testing his armor, there was still a long time to go after the initial test before the battle with Iron Monger.

And now, Chen Mu faced a new problem. News had arrived from home: the military had finally sent word, and his father told him to return as soon as possible.

That left Chen Mu conflicted. On one side was the cooperation opportunity he had been waiting for, and on the other was the Iron Armor he desperately wanted. He was truly torn.

"How should I choose?"

Chen Mu felt deeply frustrated and conflicted about it.

"Forget it, I should go back first. I can't keep the military waiting too long. Besides, Iron Man will still be there, and there will be plenty of chances later. The first-generation armor isn't all that advanced anyway. It would be better to make plans later."

Since he knew Tony was Iron Man, there was naturally no need for him to worry too much. There was plenty of time ahead, and plenty of chances to obtain his technology.

So, although he felt somewhat regretful, Chen Mu still bought a ticket home and boarded a flight back to China that very night.

"You're back? Hurry up and get ready. We're going to meet someone from the military."

When he returned home, his father came to pick him up, and that was the first thing he said, leaving Chen Mu rather helpless.

"I'm exhausted! It was more than ten hours on the plane, and I still have jet lag to deal with!"

With a helpless, weary expression, Chen Mu continued complaining, "And it's nighttime now!"

China and the United States were on opposite sides of the globe, with a huge time difference. It was night here when it was day over there. He had boarded the plane at night, and it was still night when he got off...

So it was already dark, yet he still had to go meet someone.

"Whoever it is must be an important figure, probably some big shot in the military."

His father got Chen Mu into the car and explained, "Just looking at the way he carried himself, he was no ordinary person. Your Uncle Chen stood beside him like a bodyguard, so he definitely isn't simple."

If an officer of school rank stood beside someone like a bodyguard, then that person had to be a big shot. Hearing that, Chen Mu was rather pleased. At the very least, it proved that the military took the firearms from before very seriously.

Then again, China's individual firearms were indeed quite good, but compared with the blueprints Chen Mu had provided, they still fell far short. What was more, there was some "black technology" in Chen Mu's blueprints, equipment that only the U.S. military possessed. It was hard not to be tempted by that.

The fact that a big shot had personally come to see him also showed that the military valued him highly.

"Take a nap in the car. It'll take another half hour to get there, so recover a little first."

Chen Mu had no luggage with him, so he got straight into the car. His father said the same thing to him.

"Later, you'd better watch what you say. If they ask you anything, it's best to answer honestly. To be frank, these aren't people we can afford to offend."

His father was actually somewhat regretful. He did not know why he had gotten carried away and agreed to help Chen Mu make a gun, then foolishly handed it over to the country. He had no idea how advanced the gun his son designed was. He even feared they had come to hold them accountable, so he was terrified that Chen Mu might offend them further.

The reason he had agreed to do it before was entirely because he thought his son had "made something of himself." He had gotten carried away too and agreed to it, only wanting to show off and publicize his son a little.

"By the way, Dad, I was just about to tell you about this. Since they came looking for me, I know what I'm doing. Later, don't say anything at all. I'll handle the arrangements." Chen Mu smiled, but what he said was completely contrary to his father's words.

"..."

"Don't worry, Dad. I'm not a child anymore. Listen to me. I'll take responsibility for my own affairs."

"I'm going to sleep first. Drive slowly, so I can sleep a little longer..."

With that, Chen Mu leaned back against the seat and quickly fell asleep. He was truly exhausted. It seemed he needed to move up his plan to improve his physical fitness.

"..."

Helplessly, his father shook his head with a bitter smile. He did not wake Chen Mu again and drove toward their meeting place. However, he was indeed no longer in such a hurry. He drove slowly, letting his son sleep a little longer.

A full hour later, his father finally drove to their destination. The person waiting for them was Chen Mu's Uncle Zhang, a burly, dependable-looking soldier. However, he was dressed in casual clothes now. After all, they were meeting in a restaurant, and a military uniform would not have been appropriate.

"You're finally here. What took you so long?"

Uncle Zhang looked rather frustrated. Upon seeing Chen Mu's father, he could not help complaining. Then he looked at Chen Mu and greeted him, "Mu, long time no see. I never expected you to be this impressive now!"

Clearly, Uncle Zhang knew the quality of the firearm blueprints Chen Mu had provided, so he did not look down on him in the slightest.

"Let's go, Uncle Zhang. Who wants to see me this time?"

Chen Mu smiled and asked curiously.

"I can't tell you yet, but I can only say that he's an important figure. If you like following military news, you might recognize him once you meet him."

Uncle Zhang smiled and led the two of them into the restaurant. After passing through several corridors, they arrived at a private room. Along the way, Chen Mu occasionally noticed that quite a few of the "guests" seemed far from ordinary. He could tell that these "guests" were probably the real bodyguards, which also revealed that the person in the private room had an extremely distinguished status.

"Are they here?"

Inside the private room sat a middle-aged man with an upright posture. He sat properly, calmly sipping tea. When he saw the group enter, he nodded. His expression barely changed, and his eyes remained fixed on Chen Mu.

"Gasp..."

The sound of a sharp intake of breath came from his father. Clearly, his father actually knew this man's identity!

"General Zhang Zhaozhong of the Southwest Military Region?!"

Chen Mu was shocked as well. Wasn't this Director Zhang from his previous life? How had he ended up in Marvel and become a general? Director Zhang was actually this impressive?