It Wasn't a Bad Thing Anyway

The high-speed rail ticket had been booked.

But in the end, Director Li never made it to Jinling.

He had barely left the Science and Industry Bureau building when a call came from a higher ministry, summoning him to Chang'an Street for an important emergency meeting.

As for the subject, it naturally concerned the Auspicious spaceplane, which had just launched successfully...

Inside a conference room on Chang'an Street.

By the time Director Li arrived, quite a few people were already there.

After greeting his department head, Director Li took his seat and quickly glanced around the room. Surprise flickered across his face.

What surprised him was not that the meeting was chaired by the top leader, but the seniority of the attendees and the sheer number of departments represented. His supervising ministry, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, was there, of course. So were the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Equipment Ministry... Even the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was seated at the table.

It was a lineup that took his breath away.

Director Li did not spend long studying the others. He reached for the document in front of him—a copy had been placed before every attendee, each about a finger thick—and opened it to the main text.

The moment he saw the heading on the first line, understanding dawned in his eyes.

Aerospace Strategic Bomber Project

So that was it...

No wonder the meeting had been called so suddenly.

The meeting soon began.

There was little preamble. Once the chair announced its opening, the discussion went straight to the point.

Naturally, Minister Qin of the Air Force Equipment Department was the first to speak.

The stern-faced older man rose and began in a steady, forceful voice.

"With the successful launch of the Auspicious,