The chief's motorcade sped away, quickly disappearing from Ethan Chen's sight. It was clear that the chief was eager to get back and verify the documents he had just received—after all, this was fifth-generation fighter jet technology they were talking about. If the information was genuine, it could dramatically strengthen the country's military capabilities.
He wasn't just curious—he was racing back to consult the experts.
"This guy really knows how to make an entrance," Ethan's father muttered, watching the convoy of more than a dozen escort vehicles that had slipped in and out almost unnoticed.
"By the way, what did he mean by Yulin Road?" his father asked, eyeing Ethan with suspicion.
"It's nothing," Ethan replied casually.
Of course, it wasn't nothing. That was the street where Ethan had killed three wanted criminals not long ago. After being dropped into the Marvel universe and waking up in China, he had discovered just how tight and restrictive everything was. Even self-defense came with heavy bureaucratic consequences. Unlike the United States—where, in some cases, killing someone in self-defense might not even make the news—in China, it sparked complicated legal chaos.
But then again, so what if the chief had come all the way here? Didn't that prove he wasn't just some nobody anymore?
"So much for being impressive," Ethan said with a smirk. "If he came all this way to meet me personally, maybe I'm not doing too bad, huh?"
His father snorted. "Don't get ahead of yourself. The chief wasn't here just for you. Your uncle Zhang told me he was inspecting the local military base. This meeting was just a stop along the way."
"…Seriously?"
No wonder a simple blueprint for a gun hadn't caused a stir at the national level. Now it made sense. But still—what a coincidence that the chief had stumbled across Ethan just as he'd obtained cutting-edge jet fighter technology.
Maybe, Ethan thought, this visit was supposed to be about reeling him in. And he'd just gotten lucky enough to slip out with a favorable outcome.
"Whatever. At least things are moving in the right direction now," Ethan murmured, rubbing his temples. He was feeling the jet lag hard, and the stress of the last few days was piling up. His body was exhausted.
"In the right direction, my ass," his father grumbled. "You're planning to start your own tech company now? Why not just build on what the family's already got?"
"Dad, you focus on your manufacturing plant. Make it the biggest, most efficient production line in the world. Think Foxconn big," Ethan said, half-joking.
This world didn't have Foxconn yet. So why not beat them to it?
His father sighed. "If you had just followed through with that deal with Stark Industries, we could've had them invest directly in our company. Why do you have to start something new from scratch?"
They got in the car as the conversation continued. It was getting late, and Ethan looked like he could pass out any second. His father decided they needed to head home quickly.
"Enough already. Let's just go. I've got it under control," Ethan said, waving a tired hand.
"You and your big talk. 'I'll surpass Stark!' Yeah, sure—"
But before he could finish, Ethan was already snoring loudly in the passenger seat. His father could only shake his head and focus on driving.
Ethan had been pushing himself too hard.
Elsewhere, in a heavily secured research facility, the chief stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at a silver-haired senior engineer standing in front of him.
"From the materials to the design and layout—from engine details to stealth coatings—this documentation is incredibly thorough. It looks authentic," the engineer said.
"Where did this come from?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Only two fifth-generation jets are operational globally, both belonging to the US. China's J-20 project is still in early stages. This model doesn't match any of them."
The chief didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "How much engineering manpower does it take to develop a fifth-gen fighter jet?"
The engineer was taken aback but quickly realized this was a classified discussion and chose his words carefully.
"It's an enormous undertaking. Take the J-20, for instance—Rongfei Group has been researching it for years. Even now, the engine and stealth tech are incomplete. Developing something like this requires resources and time several times beyond what Rongfei's invested."
The cost—financial, technological, and manpower-wise—was astronomical.
"So then, is it possible for a single person to develop a fifth-gen jet on their own?" the chief asked, now more out of curiosity than protocol.
"Absolutely not," the engineer replied without hesitation. "A fighter jet—even a third-generation one—requires mastery of multiple fields: aerodynamics, propulsion, materials science, electronics… No one person could ever have the knowledge or the resources to do it all alone."
The chief nodded, not surprised, but still intrigued.
"Interesting," he said. "Then, Mr. Zhao, how would you compare this model to the American F-22?"
Mr. Zhao adjusted his glasses and studied the documents again. "It definitely draws inspiration from the F-22, but this design appears more advanced. If it were actually manufactured, its performance might even surpass the F-22."
"More advanced than the F-22?" The chief was visibly shaken. That was the most advanced fighter on Earth. To outdo it would be borderline science fiction.
"It seems this Ethan Chen kid is holding onto some serious secrets…" the chief muttered.
He didn't believe for a second that Ethan had created this design on his own. Given Ethan's recent return from the United States, the more likely scenario was espionage. But how would a civilian, much less someone from an average background, get access to something as classified as the F-22's schematics?
It didn't make any sense.
Still, the chief made his decision.
"People have their secrets," he said quietly. "It's not my job to pry as long as what he's doing benefits the country. That's all that matters."
Deep down, he had a feeling that Ethan Chen was going to deliver even more surprises in the future.