What is a TM surprise? Did you really steal the B-2 bomber technology?

Chapter 48: What Do You Mean, Surprise? Did You Actually Steal the B-2 Bomber's Technology?

"That would be great. I've been looking forward to it," Lu Ze said with a smile, a hint of excitement hidden in his eyes.

The B-2 Spirit Bomber, just its name alone was the 'white moonlight' in many people's hearts.

To have the opportunity to replicate high-tech items of this caliber, he naturally wouldn't hesitate.

"Lucy, should we go in the morning or the afternoon?"

He wasn't in a rush and leisurely finished the noodles in his bowl.

He didn't even need to ask for a specific time. After all, both Lu Ze and Lucy were known in the slacker community, so they wouldn't do anything to 'ruin their reputation.'

They would definitely only go to the maintenance center during working hours, not after work, right?

"Let's go at ten. We can come back for lunch then."

Lucy thought for a moment and said seriously, "They say there's taro pie today, we can't miss it."

"I'm done," she said, putting down an extra-large bowl and elegantly wiping the oil from her lips.

Although Lucy ate very quickly, her table manners were those of a typical lady.

"Okay," Lu Ze nodded, starting to clear the bowls and chopsticks, while silently contemplating.

For Great Xia, is the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer technology better, or is the B-2 bomber technology better? Lu Ze mused.

If Great Xia had to choose, the answer to this question would undoubtedly be the latter.

After all, just looking at the development time, the Arleigh Burke-class, which entered service in the 1990s, was already at the edge of its era.

It was a remnant of the old era, with no place in the new world of the 21st century.

The Type 052D missile destroyers that Great Xia was building had advantages in almost every aspect except for fewer vertical launch cells, not to mention that after accumulating experience from building the Type 052D, they developed and launched the 'invincible' Type 055 10,000-ton destroyer just a few years later.

Who would have thought that a missile destroyer could have a displacement of over 10,000 tons? It even outrageously carried hypersonic anti-ship missiles like the Yingji-21, making it a proper carrier killer.

The traditional missile destroyers like the Arleigh Burke-class had long been directly phased out.

It could be said that the speed of Great Xia's development in destroyers over the next decade would likely exceed the world's imagination.

Possessing the technology of the Burke-class destroyers might only make Great Xia's R&D path smoother, but it wouldn't be much better.

But the B-2 bomber was different. As a stealth strategic bomber, even more than ten years later, it was still the only one in service worldwide. Even Great Xia's H-20, which had been in development for many years, had not yet disclosed any information about its first flight, let alone entered formal service.

In this regard, it wasn't just the demand for long-range stealth strategic bombers; a considerable portion of its functions were being replaced by large unmanned aerial vehicles, which were much easier to use, cheaper, and easier to mass-produce. Another part was due to Great Xia's high technical specifications for the H-20.

However, no matter how you looked at it, the technology of a successfully developed B-2 bomber was of great significance to Great Xia, and it could avoid many detours in the development of the H-20 project.

Moreover, the opportunity to access the B-2 bomber is much more difficult than that of the Burke-class destroyer.

Thinking this, Lu Ze made up his mind: It's decided then, the B-2 bomber!

There were only a handful of B-2s in the entire world, scattered across various air force bases, making access incredibly difficult.

LLNL National Laboratory had finally brought one B-2, but it was only here for five days of maintenance before returning.

Who knew when he would have another chance to encounter it? Therefore, Lu Ze couldn't let this opportunity slip away. He could visit the destroyer during the next Navy Open Day.

At 10:30 in the morning, the sun hung high in the sky, making it almost unbearable with its heat.

LLNL National Laboratory, at the entrance of the maintenance center's storage area.

"Lu Ze, let's go in quickly."

Lucy fanned her sunburnt red cheeks with her hand, "It's too hot."

Although the temperature in California in May wasn't high, the sun could definitely burn your skin off. It was deadly to go out without sunscreen.

"I should have brought a sun umbrella," Lu Ze said apologetically, handing her a few wet wipes.

If Lucy's fair skin were to get tanned, he would feel terrible.

Without further ado, the two walked in.

The entire storage area was still filled with a dazzling array of various weapons and equipment. Some of the latest arrivals were even new items Lu Ze hadn't seen before.

'AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.'

'A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft.'

'Stryker wheeled combat vehicle.'

*'.' *

Lu Ze didn't linger to admire these new toys, focusing all his attention on the behemoth in the distance.

An area of several hundred square meters around it had been cleared, leaving only this single piece of equipment to be parked steadily in the center.

It was that B-2 bomber.

Lu Ze chuckled, "No wonder some people say the Eagle Country got this UFO from aliens. It really looks like one."

Its appearance was unlike any aircraft currently on Earth.

With its unique triangular shape and extremely flat structure, at first glance, it didn't look like an aircraft at all, but rather like a fish or an unidentified flying object.

However, this also proved the saying that in military equipment, appearance equals combat power. How could a good-looking weapon be just for show?

The better the design, the more painful the hit!

"Lu Ze, we only have five minutes this time, and we can't enter the cockpit."

"The reason it's so urgent this time is..."

Lucy was about to explain the reason when Lu Ze waved his hand to interrupt her, "Five minutes is enough."

In his opinion, Lu Ze was already incredibly lucky to be allowed by Lucy to visit this B-2 bomber alone for five minutes.

Even someone at the professor level like Michael Hasen might not be able to casually enter this area, let alone bring someone along for a tour.

Lu Ze had also been curious about Lucy's identity, and he hadn't heard of any high-level personnel at LLNL National Laboratory named Hill.

But since she didn't want to reveal it herself, why ask too many questions?

Under Lucy's gaze, Lu Ze slowly walked up to the bomber and gently touched its dark exterior. A special sensation, cold and hard, spread through his palm.

He began to count down in his mind: '5... 4...'

Instantly, a message popped up on the screen in his eyes.

[Current Technology Item: B-2 Stealth Strategic Bomber.] [Value in Achievement Points: 50,000.] [Select whether to replicate.]

It was worth fifty thousand Achievement Points? This huge number exceeded his expectations.

He had originally estimated it to be only about one to two times the value of an F-22 fighter jet.

'It must be due to its rarity and value that this B-2 bomber is worth fifty thousand Achievement Points,' he quickly guessed.

It was obvious that the technological content of the B-2 bomber could not possibly exceed that of the F-22 fighter jet by more than five times.

Even considering the F-22 fighter jet's nearly two hundred sorties and a price tag of two hundred million US dollars, it paled in comparison to the B-2 bomber.

If understood in the context of the gacha games Lu Ze played in his previous life, the F-22 would only be an SR card, while the B-2 was classified as SSR by the system, hence the significant increase in Achievement Point rewards.

His thoughts flashed.

'Yes.' Lu Ze chose to replicate without any hesitation.

[Current Technology Item, B-2 Strategic Bomber has been successfully replicated!] [Reward: 50,000 Achievement Points, complete set of B-2 Strategic Bomber technical blueprints, physical unit (stored in inventory).] [System Space Inventory: B-2 Strategic Bomber, F-22 Fifth Generation Heavy Air Superiority Fighter x2, Boeing 777-300ER, ...]

The five minutes passed quietly.

"Lucy, let's go."

Lu Ze felt incredibly pleased. "I'll treat you to a big meal today, no more cafeteria food."

"Then let's go to that new French restaurant? I heard their foie gras is good," Lucy's eyes lit up.

Just as she had expected, bringing Lu Ze to see high-tech equipment meant a big meal.

"Okay!" Lu Ze nodded, he was going all out today!

A few hours later.

It was still midnight in Great Xia, and a room in the Great Xia Academy of Sciences was still brightly lit.

Two elderly men sat stiffly in their chairs, wearing military coats over their shoulders for warmth.

"Old Zheng, Director, you should go rest first. I'll stay on watch here with others,"

Liu Zhixue looked at them with concern. "If there's any abnormal situation, I'll notify you immediately."

He, a middle-aged man in his late forties, could still hold on for a while.

But Zhang Yuli and Zheng Lixing were both over sixty, and staying up late was more than just a strain on their bodies.

"It's fine, we'll go rest soon," Zheng Lixing waved slightly, taking sips of tea to stay alert.

"Old Zheng, let's go rest for a bit first,"

Zhang Yuli felt a bit dizzy and advised, "It's enough to have Young Liu watching here. You can wait for just a little while, can't you?"

After speaking, he directly pulled the stubborn old man Zheng Lixing to the adjacent lounge to rest properly.

Ever since Zheng Lixing learned that the Mysterious Organization was preparing a surprise gift, he had been unable to eat or sleep, constantly waiting for a new email to arrive.

If he continued like this for a few more days, he might get a fright before any surprise.

After dozing off for an hour, suddenly.

"Director, a new email has arrived." A voice seemed to reach their ears. The two immediately opened their eyes and walked into the signal-shielded room.

"Old Zhang, hurry up and verify it," Zheng Lixing was nervous, almost restless.

"Aren't I already doing it as fast as I can?"

Zhang Yuli sat in his chair, rapidly verifying a series of security commands.

In less than a minute, he logged into the email backend, and a new email instantly popped up.

[There was a small accident with this plan, but the surprise prepared for Great Xia this time might be even bigger!]

[The technology our organization couldn't get last time, we've brought it for you this time.]

Reading this message, the three men's faces changed drastically.

"The technology we couldn't get last time? The technology the Mysterious Organization mentioned last time was..." Liu Zhixue swallowed hard, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

"They didn't actually manage to get the B-2 bomber technology, did they?"

Zheng Lixing's heart pounded violently. "This is too outrageous."

No matter how he guessed what surprise the Mysterious Organization was preparing, he had never considered this possibility.

Was that something that could be easily obtained?

Even Eagle Country might not be able to successfully manufacture it themselves right now, let alone for you to steal the entire set of technology?

"Although I also think it's impossible, but..." Zhang Yuli didn't finish his sentence.

If it were anyone else, he absolutely wouldn't believe it, but Zhang Yuli truly believed this 'Mysterious Organization'!

He decisively typed a line of text in reply.

'Our Great Xia greatly anticipates this surprise and will still provide your side with the corresponding compensation.'

Everyone in the room stared intently at the screen, waiting for a response from the other side.

At this moment, it felt as if every passing second was unprecedentedly long.

After a while, the Mysterious Organization's reply arrived.

[Is this technology surprising enough? How much compensation do you think it's worth?]

[B-2 'Spirit' strategic bomber technology blueprints!]

[B-2 fighter manufacturing process and material analysis.]

[General Electric F118-GE-100 turbofan engine technical detailed blueprints.]

[B-2 stealth coating alternating high-frequency material (AHFM) synthesis formula and preparation methods.]

[.]

Instantly.

"It's really the B-2 bomber technology?"

Zheng Lixing stammered, dumbfounded. "They actually got this kind of technology?"

Good heavens, explain what TM surprise is? So this is the surprise!

Did the Mysterious Organization actually get their hands on the complete set of B-2 bomber technology?

(Combined chapters, next chapter should be around 6/7 PM.)