A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 913 Then let's try something they can understand!

The wind on the rooftop of the base was stronger than on the sea, howling past with biting dampness, making the faint pale light in the distance flicker uncertainly.

The massive searchlight beam swept across again, instantly illuminating the logs that seemed to stretch across the void. The surface of the wood gleamed with a cold, hard sheen due to the dampness, beneath which lay dozens of meters of empty darkness. Only the tattered fishing net on the first floor swayed pitifully in the wind, like a hollow promise.

Zhao Gang roughly slammed Junichiro onto the starting point of the log bridge.

Junichiro's legs went weak. Looking down into the abyss-like darkness and hearing the ghostly wailing of the wind, the last trace of color drained from his face.

He struggled violently to his feet, shouting in broken, trembling Chinese, “You…you can’t do this! I protest! What about your traditions?! Haven’t you always preached the humane treatment of prisoners?! This is against the rules!”

Old Wang had already slowly strolled forward.

He glanced at the seemingly deranged Junichiro, his face expressionless, devoid of anger or mockery. Yet, it was precisely this indifferent gaze, as if looking at an ant, that sent chills down one's spine.

The moment the searchlight moved away, darkness enveloped him again. Old Wang suddenly threw his coat, which still contained the glasses, at Junichiro, and it landed with a "thud" in his arms.

"Put them on, put them on." Old Wang's voice was eerily calm, a stark contrast to the ferocity with which he had kicked down the door just moments before. "It's windy, don't catch a cold. Put on your glasses, you'll see better..."

Junichiro was stunned by this sudden "concern" and, clutching the still-warm coat and glasses, forgot to shout for a moment.

Old Wang didn't give him time to think. He took a step closer, almost touching his face, and spoke in a very low voice, yet it struck the other man's head like a hammer:

Where's the cassette tape?

Upon hearing those three words, Junichiro's pupils constricted sharply, and his entire body froze as if struck by lightning.

The feigned panic was instantly exposed, revealing only genuine panic.

His lips moved as if he wanted to explain, but in the end he just gritted his teeth, his eyes darting around, not daring to look Old Wang in the eye, and his hand unconsciously moved behind him.

Zhao Gang, with his sharp eyes, immediately noticed that Junichiro's gluteal muscles suddenly contracted as if in a cramp, and the hand behind his back rubbed against the back of his waistband.

"I don't know what you're talking about! What tape? Are you trying to extort a bribe from me?"

Old Wang shrugged at Zhao Gang and winked, "See, I told you so..."

Zhao Gang understood, stepped forward again, grabbed Junichiro's arm, and pushed him toward the smooth log.

Old Wang took a step back, pulled out the half-pencil and crumpled notebook he had casually taken from the dormitory, and quickly glanced at the scribbles on them under the light of the stairwell, then carefully put them away.

He then raised his head, his gaze passing over the struggling Junichiro and landing on the badge warrior downstairs who was still in shock.

He pointed to himself with his thumb downstairs, his face regaining its nonchalant expression, and silently mouthed, "Impressive, right?"

The soldier downstairs nodded vigorously, threw down the pile of straw on his shoulder, and gave a thumbs-up again.

……

logs...

sea ​​breeze……

And the sandy area on the rooftop.

The wind picked up again, making the logs creak and groan as if they were about to break.

Old Wang raised his hand and pointed to the high-hanging log.

"Walk."

Junichiro shrank back, as if his bones had been removed, and staggered backward, his shoes scraping messy marks on the sand.

Zhao Gang crossed his arms and stood like an iron tower behind Junichiro, completely cutting off his escape route.

Old Wang didn't move, but his eyes darkened, and his imposing aura seemed to freeze the surrounding air.

He uttered two more words, shorter and harsher:

"Go up."

Junichiro's Adam's apple bobbed violently as he tried to swallow the non-existent fear. He looked up at the log, which, in the pale moonlight, resembled a suspended spine.

The sea breeze suddenly picked up, making his clothes cling to his body and outlining his trembling silhouette.

He doesn't move.

Old Wang took a step forward, his shoes crunching over the gravel on the roof with a clear, sharp sound. That step seemed to have struck a nerve with Junichiro.

Junichiro froze on the spot, cold sweat instantly pouring down his forehead, trickling down his temples, and hanging on his chin, almost dripping.

His eyes darted rapidly from side to side, as if searching for an escape route that didn't even exist, and in the end, he could only look down in despair at the dizzying height below.

Old Wang's eyes were half-closed, but his gaze was surprisingly sharp, as if he could see through clothes and see every muscle in Junichiro's body trembling with fear.

Old Wang knew perfectly well that this wasn't a test of balance; it was weighing the threshold of fear. The log bridge was the execution platform, the height was the weight, and Junichiro's psychological defenses were what he was weighing.

The fewer words you speak, the more accurate your scale will be.

……

Junichiro's cheek muscles twitched uncontrollably.

He remembered Brigadier General Anderson's promise, the heavy bet his family had placed, and the "Ear of the Sea God" system on which he had pinned his hopes...

All the shrewd calculations and ambitious blueprints were shattered at this moment by the log beneath their feet and the unfathomable darkness. Only one thought remained, screaming wildly: Get through it! If they could get through it, prove their "innocence," perhaps there would still be a glimmer of hope!

However, the shadow of the log swaying slightly in the sea breeze, like the forked tongue of a venomous snake, licked away his last bit of courage.

"I'll give it to you! I'll give it to you! It's just a cassette tape, right? When I get back, I'll send you a ton of cassette tapes! Do you want Sayuri's tapes? Yuko Hara's are fine too!"

"Heh..." Old Wang stopped talking and just took a step closer.

Zhao Gang also gave a cold snort in agreement.

However, behind Junichiro, the two exchanged a knowing glance: That's about enough, this old guy probably can't hold on much longer!

But at that moment, Junichiro suddenly stepped back, gritted his teeth, turned around and took a step onto the log!

With a "thud," the log wobbled as he stepped on it. He quickly spread his arms to steady himself, his legs shaking like a leaf, and he almost fell.

Then he actually turned around and shouted at Old Wang, his voice trembling but still carrying a hint of toughness: "I'll walk over... Please don't make things difficult for me! It's just a cassette tape! When I return to China, I'll give you a production line!"

The piercing scream carried far through the night sky, startling a chorus of barking dogs.

As Junichiro spoke, he moved toward the middle of the log. With each step, the log creaked, scaring him so much that his face turned pale, but he still stubbornly kept talking.

Zhao Gang was stunned to see that his legs were shaking so badly he could barely stand, yet he was still stubbornly arguing. He turned to look at Lao Wang with a puzzled expression and mouthed, "Did we make a mistake?"

Old Wang didn't answer Zhao Gang immediately; his eyes remained fixed on Junichiro.

Junichiro's performance was indeed realistic; the fear didn't seem faked. But the resolute decision he made at the last moment, and his unwavering determination to "negotiate" even after stepping on it, only made Old Wang more convinced—

This tape is absolutely crucial! So crucial that this cowardly guy would rather risk his life than hand it over on the spot!

"Hey, Junichiro, what's two or three?"

"Two or three? Two or three equals six..."

"Oh...where's San San?"

"Three...three...you name it, that's what it is!"

"Tch... He answers so fluently, do you think he's really scared or just pretending?" Old Wang turned around and nudged Zhao Gang, gesturing towards the pebbles on the ground.

"How many stones can you skip?"