Special Forces: At the beginning, An Ran pulled him to get his certificate.

Chapter 1346 One cent stumps the heroic man

"I've already applied for the patent for the hacker missile, which is part of the award the government gave me. The reward will arrive within three days and will be enough to cover their bonuses," Chen Jun said confidently, his eyes radiating confidence and composure. In this era of technological advancement and challenges, he understands the importance of mastering core technologies and patents. This not only protects his own research achievements but also holds the key to a strong voice in the field.

This time, Chen Jun wasn't as completely selfless as before. Like a wise man who had experienced the vicissitudes of life, he deeply understood the changing times. In today's world, dedication is crucial, but it alone is far from enough. If one wants to advance in scientific research and make greater contributions to the nation, one must possess tangible patents. Otherwise, even with a burning desire to serve the nation, one might not even be able to gain entry.

Therefore, Chen Jun decisively applied for a patent for the hacker missile. After all, as the chief scientific engineer, without sufficient influence, the advancement of many future research projects would be difficult. He knew that this was a fight for himself, but more importantly, it was a fight for more possibilities for the entire research team and the future of the country.

"Your patent reward, as a bonus?" Elder Xu, Elder Chen, and Elder Yu were stunned upon hearing this. They hadn't expected Chen Jun to actually use his patent reward to pay the team's bonus. However, they also understood that the patent fees for the hacker missile were indeed considerable, more than enough to cover the bonus. This incident further strengthened their admiration for the young chief engineer. Chen Jun possessed not only exceptional scientific talent, but also admirable responsibility and wisdom.

"By the way, I'd like data on the inventory of all the nation's high-kill weapons in stockpile. Do you have any relevant information?" Chen Jun suddenly changed the subject, his expression turning serious. He knew the importance of high-kill weapons to national defense and security, and he wanted a comprehensive understanding of the nation's existing high-kill weapons to inform subsequent scientific research plans and strategic deployments.

Elder Xu nodded and said, "Yes, but it's not stored in the computer. Considering the top-secret nature of these materials, they are all stored in their original form. If you want to view them, you can only ask someone to move the files from the safe."

Chen Jun fully understands this. In today's highly developed information age, while electronic storage is convenient and fast, it also carries numerous risks, such as cyberattacks and data leaks. As the foundation of national defense, the data related to weapons of mass destruction cannot afford to be lost. Using the original storage method, while potentially inconvenient for access, is undoubtedly a much safer approach.

"Arrange for someone to deliver the information. I need to understand the status of all our weapons of mass destruction so I can update our execution plan." Chen Jun said firmly, his eyes revealing unquestionable determination. He knew that only by fully understanding the current situation could he formulate a more scientific and rational development plan and enhance the country's defense capabilities.

"No problem!" Mr. Xu responded, and immediately arranged for someone to get the information.

Not long after, Elder Xu sent someone to bring the information to Chen Jun. The documents, presented in a mountain of documents, piled high. Chen Jun sat at his desk and began to diligently review them. Time ticked by, and after about an hour, Chen Jun had skimmed through the information. He didn't pore over every detail, primarily trying to grasp the missile inventory. After reading, he fell into a long silence, a strange sense of emptiness welling up within him.

"Goodness! As expected, the country's missile inventory is far too small," Chen Jun marveled inwardly. Compared to the United States, the gap was enormous. They possessed thousands of high-kill weapons, while Yan Nation possessed only a few hundred at most. Chen Jun understood the reason for this. In peacetime, large-scale missile stockpiles were impossible due to cost considerations. After all, manufacturing, maintaining, and storing missiles required enormous capital investment. The United States, on the other hand, was different. They had long been selling weapons internationally and were constantly in combat or prepared for war, so their demand for and reserve of missiles was naturally much greater.

"I must visit missile depots across the country to see the real situation. Seeing is believing," Chen Jun made up his mind. He knew that information gained from books was always superficial. Only by personally visiting them could he truly understand the actual status of the nation's weapons of mass destruction and provide a more accurate basis for subsequent decision-making.

After dropping off the materials, Chen Jun immediately sought out Elder Xu, Elder Chen, and Elder Yu, explaining his plan to inspect the nation's weapon storage areas. The three elders immediately agreed with Chen Jun. Together, the four of them boarded a plane, departing from the Dragon Vein Base and heading south.

The south is one of the country's key locations for storing missiles. Its unique geographical location, close to the sea, places it on the critical mission of constant defense against foreign invasion. With Chen Jun's current prominent position in the scientific research field, a simple notification to the southern military headquarters through the military would grant them unimpeded access to the missile stronghold.

This inspection trip lasted a week. During this time, Chen Jun and his four companions traveled extensively throughout the country, visiting various weapon storage areas. At each location, they meticulously inspected the missile storage conditions, maintenance records, and the operational status of related facilities. Chen Jun possessed the physique of a super soldier, making such a long journey a piece of cake. However, for the elderly scientists like Xu Lao and the other two, it was a tremendous test. All of them were in their eighties, their physical functions were significantly reduced, and they simply could not withstand such frequent travel.

By the fourth day of the investigation, the three men, including Xu Lao, were clearly feeling the strain. Fatigue was evident on their faces, and their movements became sluggish. In desperation, they decided to return three days early. Chen Jun, however, decided to stay behind alone and conduct a thorough investigation of the various regions.

"This is a huge problem. The stored weapons are so old they're completely outdated and no longer relevant to the times." Chen Jun's worries grew as he continued his inspection. Compared to the newly developed hacker missiles, these outdated weapons are nothing more than junky, useful only for show and to frighten people. Furthermore, his on-the-ground count revealed that the country's current weapons count is indeed no more than 500. This is a stark contrast to the United States's claim of possessing over 3000 large missiles, not to mention the number of smaller and medium-sized missiles.

"No, national policy has changed. The development of high-kill weapons must keep pace," Chen Jun silently resolved. He knew that in today's complex and volatile international landscape, if the country wanted to deter those with ill intentions, it had to demonstrate real hard power and could no longer rely solely on protests and marches to express its stance, as it had in the past.

After the inspection, Chen Jun returned to the Longmai base. He immediately convened a meeting with all the base's scientists. At the meeting, Chen Jun gave a serious instruction: "Everyone, I will not say anything more. Our national policy has changed. If we want to gain a firm foothold in the international arena and deter those with ill intentions towards us, we must demonstrate hard power. Therefore, all high-performance weapons must be upgraded, no matter what model."

He paused, his eyes scanning everyone present, and continued, "It's fair to say that we don't need too many small and medium-sized weapons of mass destruction. Our primary goal in the future is to create a strong deterrent. Therefore, we must produce enough large hacking missiles, and we must also increase their power. We need to be able to make a single hacking missile capable of destroying a large city. Even for small countries, such missiles can be a sufficient deterrent. Of course, forbidden weapons should never be used lightly, but weapons of mass destruction like missiles are our fundamental force for maintaining national security and creating deterrence."

"Chief Designer, just proceed according to your plan. We will just follow you resolutely." A senior scientist was the first to express his opinion, his eyes full of trust and support for Chen Jun.

"Yes, we promise not to fall behind and will fully support the upgrade." The other scientists echoed this sentiment, their faces lit with determination. They knew it would be an uphill battle, and completing the upgrade of the weapon would likely involve long hours of overtime, but they had no complaints. They felt empowered to work alongside such a capable and visionary chief engineer. Furthermore, the bonuses had already been paid, and everyone, including the younger researchers, received around one million yuan. They all felt that if they didn't give their all, if they didn't exhaust themselves, they would be failing the chief engineer.

Chen Jun nodded with satisfaction and said, "Then let's get started. Suspend the previous production process and focus on the research and development of hacker missiles. First, we must increase the power of the missiles. A large hacker missile must be capable of destroying an entire city. Second, we must also increase the quantity. We must complete the inventory target as soon as possible. This is our new challenge and a mission we must shoulder."

After that, Chen Jun dismissed the meeting without further ado. These researchers were already accustomed to Chen Jun's decisive style, and as soon as the meeting ended, they immediately returned to their workstations and quickly entered into a feverish working mode.

Thanks to everyone's combined efforts, the entire Dragon Vein base quickly entered a frenzied state of work. Researchers toiled day and night, advancing rapidly on all aspects of the project. However, a week later, problems inevitably arose.

"Chief Engineer, we're running out of money." Old Xu stood before Chen Jun with an embarrassed look on his face, saying helplessly, "The cost of a hacker missile is a hundred times higher than a regular missile, even higher than the Dongfeng 41 series. So, we really don't have enough money right now."

After hearing this, Chen Jun was stunned. He never expected that there would be problems with funds so quickly.

Mr. Xu continued, "Generally speaking, the cost of a small-sized missile is between 200 million and 300 million, the cost of a medium-sized missile is around 2 million to 3 million, and the manufacturing cost of large Dongfeng series missiles, such as the 41 series, is as high as 7 million. If you add in the R&D costs, maintenance costs, and launch costs, haha, a missile costs about 25 billion. And the manufacturing cost of a hacker missile alone is more than 10 billion. If you go through the whole process..." Mr. Xu didn't dare to continue talking at this point, because the number was too scary, and money was spent like water.

This is one reason why the country has deployed relatively few large-scale weapons. If these missiles are neither sold nor used, the cost of storage and maintenance alone would be several times higher than the manufacturing cost. This is the reality of scientific research, which requires a massive investment. The military had already allocated a large sum of money for this research project, but unexpectedly, Chen Jun's team spent it all in just one week.

"I have no money left?" Chen Jun asked in disbelief. He himself possessed a huge fortune and had never experienced the feeling of being penniless. Facing such a situation, he felt very helpless.

"Anyway, we have to find a way to get the money, otherwise we can't continue to work happily and all processes will have to be suspended." Old Xu said helplessly, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

"So far, we have only developed five hacker missiles, and all the money has been spent. This is too little. Let me go to the military headquarters and see if they can approve another sum." Chen Jun gritted his teeth and decided to go to the military headquarters in person to seek financial support.

"That couldn't be better. I wish you good luck." Old Xu forced a smile, but inwardly he was grinning bitterly, too embarrassed to point it out. In reality, this year's military spending had already exceeded the budget, and if they wanted more funding, they would have to wait until next year.

Sure enough, the next day, Chen Jun rushed to the military headquarters and asked Mr. Ye for money straight away. After hearing this, Mr. Ye was stunned.

"Spend it all? So quickly? No, Chen Jun... You guys didn't even spend money this fast during Qingming Festival!" Old Ye said with wide eyes, his face full of surprise. He really didn't expect Chen Jun's team to spend money so quickly.

Chen Jun smiled wryly, spreading his hands and explaining, "The Hacker series missiles are even more expensive than the Dongfeng series. A single Dongfeng series missile, including production, maintenance, launch preparation, and all other aspects, costs around 25 billion. And we're just getting started, and with all that money added up, we've only manufactured five missiles..."

"Fuck, Fifth Miss..." Ye Lao couldn't help but blurt out, completely stunned. He had never imagined that the Chen army had put up such a big show, spent a huge amount of money, and only managed to produce five missiles. Who knew how much more money would be needed to complete the plan?

"The maximum authority I can give you is 10 billion. I really can't give you more." Mr. Ye said helplessly. He also wanted to support Chen Jun's scientific research project, but the military budget was limited and he was really powerless.

"One billion... and we can't even produce one single piece. Can you give us a little more?" Chen Jun asked anxiously. He knew very well that this amount of money was far from enough to complete the subsequent scientific research plans.

"Do you want it? No, I'm a little sleepy, I need to take a nap first." Mr. Ye yawned deliberately, pretending to be going to sleep. He really couldn't come up with any more money, so he could only respond to Chen Jun in this way.

Looking at Mr. Ye's expression, Chen Jun was suddenly speechless.