Old Wu's whole body went limp, and only the people supporting him kept him from falling.
As he stared at the savage hole on the screen, cloudy tears instantly welled up in his aged eyes.
He shoved aside the people beside him, staggered over to Sun Zhi, grabbed the young man's shoulders, and shook him hard.
"Attaboy! Attaboy! You're a fucking genius!"
Sun Zhi was shaken dizzy, his glasses knocked askew. He grinned, then laughed, and as he laughed, tears began streaming down his face.
"Chief Engineer Wu... I... we did it..."
"We did it! We did it!" Old Wu laughed aloud, slapping Sun Zhi on the back.
Ma Dongsheng did not join the celebration.
He simply stood outside the crowd, watching it all in silence, his eyes reddening as he smiled.
He turned and left the observation room, returned to his office, closed the door, picked up the red secure telephone, and dialed a number.
"This is Ma Dongsheng."
"Go ahead." A steady voice came from the other end.
"The task you gave us is done." Ma Dongsheng's voice was calm, but his clenched fist trembled slightly.
The other end fell silent for a full five seconds.
"...The detailed figures."
"The 14.5mm cubic nitrogen bullet penetrated an armored steel target fifteen centimeters thick. The lethal diameter at the explosion's core was 500mm."
"Based on the previous shell data, the overall power has likewise increased more than fourfold."
The breathing over the phone grew noticeably heavier.
"What about the production lines?"
"All production lines were adjusted well in advance. The first batch of bullets can come off the lines within twenty-four hours."
"Very good!" The voice on the phone continued:
"I need the bullets you produce delivered here every hour. Time is tight, and we still need shells too."
"Understood."