Pearl Harbor Naval Base, the lights in the war department conference room were on all night.
The lead-gray morning light slanted in through the blinds and fell on the test reports on the table. The unqualified items circled in red pen were so densely packed that it was shocking.
Jensen General punched the solid wood tabletop, causing the coffee cup to clang.
"Say! Final census results!"
The technical staff member looked at the report in his hand, struggled for a long time, and finally said, "General, of the 28 Arleigh Burke-class Destroyers currently in service, the low-temperature impact toughness of the steel used for the hulls of 22 ships does not meet the standard, which is the same failure mode as the sunk Japan freighter!"
"It's not just Destroyer!" Another engineer in charge of nuclear submarine inspection answered, "We checked along the purchasing records and found that Ticonderoga-class Cruiser and Virginia-class attack submarine all use the same series of military-standard steel as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries!"
"From 1985 to now, thirty years ago, it's all this batch of goods!"
The conference room fell silent for an instant.
Everyone knows what this means.
The Thousand Cockroaches in a House effect, when you find one cockroach in the house, it means that a whole nest has already bred in the dark corner.
If it's a lie in one place, it's a lie everywhere.
The veins on General Jensen's forehead popped out. He grabbed the report and threw it on the table. He roared, "Check it! Check it to death! I want to see who dared to cover up this fraud that spanned thirty years!"
A few days later, Pearl Harbor Naval Base Gendarmerie interrogation room.
The pale interrogation light shone on the face of 67-year-old I Lion El'Jonson Mary Thomas. When facing the interrogation, this aunt did not show much fear. She was even a little... confident. She felt that the military had arrested the wrong person and had no fear of confessing.
She is the former metallurgical supervisor of Tacoma Foundry and the "mastermind" arrested by the Navy task force overnight.
The military police officer in charge of the interrogation slapped a stack of tampered test cards in front of her and asked sternly, "Ms. Thomas, from 1985 to 2014, you falsified all the positive results of 240 steel strength tests. Is this true?"
"Yes." Thomas raised his eyelids and his tone was as calm as saying that the weather is nice today.
"Why do you want to change the data?!"
"Because the -100 degree Fahrenheit low-temperature impact test required by the Navy is simply stupid." Aunt Thomas sneered and leaned back in her chair, "When will Pacific Ocean seawater be able to freeze to this temperature? Why should I be so strict when there is no need for a test?"
The interrogating military policeman was stunned and did not recover for a long time.
They thought they would hear excuses for corruption and profit transfer, but they didn't expect that the old lady's reason was that she thought Party A's standards were "stupid."
The military policeman slammed the table. "Do you know what you changed? For the impact toughness of each batch of steel, you casually changed the test results from 20 foot pounds to 100 foot pounds! Just to let the unqualified steel pass the inspection!"
"So what?" Thomas rolled his eyes, "Which submarine has sunk after so many years? The Navy's own tests did not say there was a problem with the hull structure. Why are you so excited here?"
Outside the interrogation room, General Jensen was seen behind the one-way glass, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
The legal officer behind him reported in a low voice, "General, the foundry was acquired by Bradken Company in 2008. The company management killed it and only discovered the fraud in 2014. They had no knowledge before and then put all the blame on Thomas."
"What about the navy's procurement and acceptance department? After thirty years of fraud, are they blind?" Admiral Jensen asked through gritted teeth.
The legal officer smiled bitterly and said nothing.
Everyone knows it.
It is impossible for a 67-year-old lady to hide everything from the world for thirty years.
From the foundry to the procurement department, from the acceptance officer to the Congress Armed Services Committee, everyone in the entire industry chain is turning a blind eye.
Now that the ship has sunk and thunder has exploded, someone has to take the blame.
This retired old lady is the best scapegoat.
The interrogation continues.
Thomas' lawyer opened the door and came in, handed over a statement, and read righteously to the camera, "My client just took a shortcut and never intended to harm the integrity of the naval ship."
"She did not have any greedy motives and did not profit from it. She just had different opinions on the Navy's testing standards. She regretted that she failed to adhere to her own moral principles, but she was also pleased that the government's testing proved that no submarines were damaged as a result of her actions."
The engineer behind the one-way glass cursed on the spot, "Glad? Does she know that just because of the few numbers she changed, the Navy has to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more every year on additional safety reinforcements for these broken steels?!"
Jensen General turned around and left, unable to stand this ridiculous farce anymore.
He finally understood.
It's not just one piece of fraud, it's the entire United States shipbuilding and military industry system that is fundamentally rotten.
The atmosphere in the conference room was even more depressing than before.
"General, the plan to replace steel for the entire fleet has come out." The logistics minister put the report on the table and sighed tiredly, "Huh, replacing the entire fleet with qualified steel will cost 120 billion U. S. dollars and the construction period will be at least fifteen years."
"It is impossible for Congress to approve this budget. Moreover... our local steel mills can no longer produce steel that meets military standards."
There was dead silence in the conference room.
Their United States navy, which dominates the world, has dozens of main battleships floating on the sea. They are all tin cans that can be broken into two pieces at any time, but they don't even have the ability to replace steel.
Just when everyone was in dire straits, the inspector in the corner suddenly stood up, his voice trembling in disbelief:
"General! There are two ships! The test results are qualified in some areas! Even the performance far exceeds the military standard requirements!"
"What?! How is that possible?"
Found gold among a bunch of rat shit?
Everyone immediately gathered around.
On the projection screen, there are USS Truxtun and USNS Supply that have just been repaired from Yellowstone Shipyard.
The inspector pointed to the report and introduced, "We have conducted seventeen rounds of low-temperature impact tests. In an environment of minus 73.3 degrees Celsius, the impact energy of this batch of steel is stable at 150 foot pounds, and the yield strength is 850MPa, which is more than double Mitsubishi's nominal military standard value!"
"The anti-fatigue and anti-fracture properties surpass all steels used in current warships in all aspects!"
Jensen General stared at the report with mixed feelings in his heart.
This is the only life-saving straw in a desperate situation!
"Whose steel was used? Trace the source immediately!"
"It's been found out!" The adjutant rushed in quickly, his expression extremely weird, "It was repaired by Yellowstone DYB Shipyard. The origin of this batch of steel... is University of Tokyo Ansteel."
The conference room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone looked at each other with absurdity and disbelief on their faces.
The United States military specification steel that they have been bragging about and pursuing for decades is a fake with falsified data.
University of Tokyo steel, which they have written into the blacklist of Congress and is prohibited from purchasing, is the only real thing that can save their lives.
"Absurd! It's simply ridiculous!" General Jensen punched the table, he was angry and laughing, and his face turned the color of pig liver.
At this moment, the military and industry supervisor assigned by the Congress suddenly stood up, held his neck and shouted:
"No! This batch of steel must not be used! University of Tokyo's steel companies are all on the procurement ban blacklist established by Congress five years ago! Using it is a serious violation!"
"Violation?" The chief engineer in charge of the inspection exploded on the spot, throwing the report in his face, "Can violation prevent the warship from breaking in half in the sea? All compliant steel is tattered and broken at the touch of a touch. Tell me, is the life of the sailor more important, or your shabby list?!"
"I don't care! The list is set by Congress! It's not okay to use things from the blacklist!" the supervisor yelled, holding his neck and not giving in.
There is no way, the public relations fee Mitsubishi Heavy Industries gives them every year has turned into their private yacht.
If University of Tokyo steel is really included in United States military's purchasing list, his financial backers can directly cut off all his financial resources.
The conference room instantly became a noisy mess.
The pragmatists of the Navy wanted to save the ship and life, while the congressional supervisors insisted on compliance. They argued for three hours, and the final decision made everyone dumbfounded.
DYB Shipyard illegally used prohibited steel, and the final balance of the project of US$680 million will be deducted in full and will not be paid.
The two repaired ships remain in active service for the time being.
Mitsubishi was kicked off the purchase list.
After the meeting, General Jensen hid in his office and leaned on the back of his chair, his face full of exhaustion.
He is retiring in a year, and his voice in the Navy is no longer what it used to be. Unless he gets special approval from the Secretary of Defense, he will never be able to work until the age of 81 like Admiral Hyman Rickover, the "father of nuclear submarines" in the Navy.
The US$100 million public relations fee has not yet been paid, and he does not want to think that his words will fly away, let alone be blamed for the collapse of the Navy before he retires.
Yellowstone Shipyard, top floor office.
Fu Haoran hung up the phone and crushed the water glass in his hand with his fingers.
Tea mixed with glass slag dripped onto the expensive solid wood floor, but he laughed as if he didn't feel it.
"Haha, the counterfeiter can also award the Charles W. Briggs Memorial Technology and Operations Medal in recognition of her outstanding contributions to metallurgy? I think it is to commend her for being a scapegoat."
Fu Haoran got angry all of a sudden.
"I am on Warhammer World anti-old noble, anti-Genestealer, and anti-Horus Heresy. I walk on thin ice all day long, taking care of myself step by step."
"When I get to 2K World, I just want to gather my wool in peace and save money for Hive City infrastructure and military equipment."
"But a bunch of bugs actually dared to ride on my head? A bunch of unqualified products, it's no big deal, and I, the only qualified one, didn't even give me the final payment!"
"Do you really think that I, the Hive City Governor, and Reincarnator are inseparable?"
The price he got for this batch of steel from China was 4,200 yuan per ton. Even with freight and tariffs, the cost was only one-third of Mitsubishi's price.
The total cost of repairing the two ships was only US$120 million. Even if the balance was deducted, he did not lose money.
But Fu Haoran couldn't swallow this breath.
That's a balance of nearly 700 million!
This group of people set the rules and the fraud was done by this group of people. In the end, his money will be deducted and his shipyard will be closed?
There is no such truth in the world.
"JARVIS." Fu Haoran raised his eyes, his tone was terrifyingly calm.
"Yes, sir."
"Anonymously send the complete evidence of United States military's entire fleet's steel fraud to all mainstream media around the world."
"In addition, send the complete evidence chain of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries's re-export of University of Tokyo steel and thirty-year data falsification to the Japan Maritime Safety Administration, European Union Shipbuilding Association, and the domestic military industry system."
Fu Haoran stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the busy dock below, with murderous intent surging in his eyes.
"They want to play dirty? OK."
"I want to see who dies first after this fig leaf is torn off."
Banyan City, National Security Bureau special working group office.
Lin Peiyuan The old professor took two test reports and sat on the chair. Overnight, a few strands of white hair appeared on his temples.
One is the actual measured data of United States military Mitsubishi Steel, which cannot even reach 60% of the nominal value.
One part is made of domestic steel used in Fu Haoran, and its performance far exceeds the military standard of United States military.
His fingers were shaking violently, and he kept repeating the words that were engraved in his bones.
"If these data are all false... then are our decades of catching up also false?"
It was almost dawn outside the window, and the old man sat in the empty office with his head in his hands, sleepless all night.