“This is the launcher,” Deng Shiyang explained, “the support frame just isn’t drawn yet.” He added, “You should remember I mentioned that this launching system is composed of both the launcher and a movable support frame, right?”
“I remember,” Keith nodded.
“The support structure is simple,” Deng Shiyang continued. “It consists of two metal rods mounted on either side of the helicopter’s cabin door, each with two fixed brackets welded at the top and pulleys at the rear. When not in use, the rods retract into the cabin.” He paused and added, “We’ll need to make multiple launchers. When using them, we disarm the fuze safety, insert the two poles through the metal rings on the sides of the launcher, and place the whole thing upside down on the support frame, pushing it outside the cabin. After launching, we just retract the frame and load another box, improving reload speed.”
“Now I get it,” Keith said. “This sounds promising, but we’ll only know for sure once we test it.”
“Right,” Deng Shiyang acknowledged. “How do you plan to make this device?”
“The exact dimensions haven’t been finalized yet, but I’ll have Du Preez order the support frame from a metal workshop in Durban, and I’ll handle the launcher construction myself.”
“Does anyone on your side have woodworking skills?”
“Mark. I remember him bragging about making a shotgun stock before. If he wasn’t exaggerating, nailing planks together to form a box and adding a few metal sheets inside shouldn’t be a problem.”
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“Then it’s up to you.”
The next morning, Harris knocked on Deng Shiyang’s door early and handed him a fax.
Deng Shiyang took the fax, noting that the contents matched what Harris had mentioned, but the “00852” country code caught his attention. Without showing any reaction, he returned the fax to Harris, but internally he wondered, “What is Harobi doing in Hong Kong at this time?”
“Mr. Harobi instructed me to assist you in any way possible, so I’m here to see what you need,” Harris said.
“I only need the overhead live-fire training done for now. The rest will wait until Semler finalizes the training plan,” Deng Shiyang replied absently while holding the fax.
During breakfast in the mess hall, Deng Shiyang briefed Harris, who immediately agreed to build the overhead live-fire training facility and promised to complete it within two days. Semler also finished the stress training plan ahead of schedule and brought it to the mess hall.
According to his plan, the stress training would be conducted in three steps: first, target practice under the distraction of blank gunfire to acclimate the soldiers to the sound of gunshots. Next, the overhead live-fire training to overcome the fear of bullets.
The last phase was particularly intriguing. Dubbed ‘human pop-up targets’ by Semler, this training combined overhead fire and pop-up target shooting. The range would be set up with sandbags and windows as cover, and the trainees would take turns lying inside with targets. When given a signal, they had to lift the targets to act as shooting practice for the others.
After reviewing the training plan, Deng Shiyang agreed to emphasize the final phase. Harris, although skeptical about the safety of the training, did not voice any objections. After discussing, the three decided on the time allocation for each phase: two days for the first two phases and three days for the last.