As night fell, the Nikolaev shipyard was shrouded in a thick layer of fog.

The visitors had already left, and the workers had already returned to their homes to welcome the arrival of Orthodox Christmas with their families, which was a difficult but rather difficult time than to spend time in the factory.

In the huge Black Sea shipyard, only the old director Makarov remained in the office and did not leave.

The old man stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back and looked at the slipway zero at night not far away, with mixed feelings in his heart - behind him, the pure mechanical watches produced by the former Soviet Union Military Watch Factory were still faithfully making crisp ticking sounds.

"Unknowingly, is it so late?"

Makarov looked at the snowflakes falling from the sky as he watched the snow fall from the sky, his mind constantly reverberating about the conversations that had taken place in this office that afternoon, and the special "dismantling" contract that he had already seen countless times.

"I didn't expect magic to really exist in this world...... And it was at such a time, in such a form, in front of me...... Aside from being a little unreasonable and taking advantage of the fire, there isn't much room for choice......"

Whether it was the hope of fulfilling the Ulyanovsk, or the high deposit and valuable food aid paid by the other side, it was the most urgent and desired thing for the Nikolaev shipyard and Makarov at this time - as the head of the Nikolaev shipyard, which was known for its punctuality, Makarov was naturally aware of the inconsistencies in the afternoon negotiations.

When he opened the appendix to the contract and saw the last clause "The Mandate of Heaven is responsible for the secrecy during the dismantling", and then contacted the magical magic displayed by the wizards, Makarov was 90% sure that he must have "forgotten" something.

"Is there some kind of magic that erases memories?"

In fact, the other party does not seem to have any intention to explain and cover up on this point.

"It seems that this afternoon's meeting was not entirely smooth sailing, although judging from the monitoring of the gate and the description of the guards, they only stayed in the office for less than half an hour, but in fact it must have been much longer than half an hour......! I don't know if I'm making a deal with the devil......"

Makarov frowned, tried to think about it for a while, and finally shook his head helplessly—he didn't search for any information in his memory other than the incredibly smooth course of conversation, as if time had suddenly been pressed to fast-forward.

However, in this situation, he will be extra cautious if he is replaced......

After all, today's organization is no longer as pure as it was back then, especially after Gorbachev dissolved the CPSU, the form has become even worse, too many comrades have been arrested and betrayed, and the red faith has long gone underground.

As for the other side's behavior of taking advantage of the fire, Makarov's heart is actually more emotional than indignant, that once huge alliance has fallen, and all sober-minded forces will find a way to get a piece of the pie - rather than cheapen the traitors and capitalists who exude the stench of capitalism, it is better to choose a part of the comrades who have inherited the same beliefs.

Taking a deep look at the foggy slipway outside the window, the old man returned to his desk and sat down, thinking carefully.

"According to the progress of the previous project, the atomic vapor generator has also begun to be assembled in the workshop, the main modular components of the entire nuclear reactor propulsion unit have also been welded to the piping system of the first circuit pump, and the main steel consumption does not need to be purchased additionally, the counter-espionage part is the responsibility of the wizards, the only problem is the time ...... the slipway is closed."

"Even if it's a 24/7 operation, it will take at least half a year......"

The pen in Makarov's hand kept writing the various components of the aircraft carrier on the white paper, crossing out or circling some names from time to time, constantly calculating the possibility of shortening the construction period, and his face was full of solemnity and worry.

"Half a year is almost the time for the completion of the normal dismantling, no matter how those wizards use magic to cover up, the slipway needs to be completely vacated before that point in time, and the sooner the better......"

The old man suddenly raised his head and glanced at the metal clock on the table, and remembered the vivid metal owl in his mind.

"Unless, magic, can be involved in the whole assembly work......"

Makarov looked at the densely written manuscript paper in his hand, exhaled lightly, his frowning brow gradually relaxed, shook his head with a wry smile, and slowly put down the pen in his hand.

Since it involves magic and the involvement of wizards, he is not here alone.

According to the Miss Teresa Apokalis, by tomorrow morning at the latest, a group of specially selected and invited special talents from the wizarding world will arrive at the Nikolaev shipyard to contact him for follow-up work.

For the rest of the time, it's better to eat and drink enough and get some rest...... Predictably, the next Christmas he may have to spend the next Christmas in communication with those dangerous and strange wizards.

Thinking of this, Makarov stood up and moved his arms and shoulders, walked over to the glass coffee table in the corner of his office, and looked with some curiosity at the plate covered by the lid of the plate—the standard of meals promised to the workers of the Nikolaev shipyard in the wizards' supplementary agreement.

In fact, this is also a condition for the final breakdown of Makarov's psychological defenses.

Since the beginning of this autumn, the entire Soviet Union has been faced with a severe food dilemma: large-scale crop failures, the inability to expand imports, and the refusal of private farms to hand over grain to the state, the whole Union has long been on the verge of famine.

And the news of the collapse of the Soviet Union ripped off the last fig leaf, and the reserves of bread on the markets of the republics, which had fallen into a completely free trade and liberalized price system, were sold out almost overnight.

Bakeries are either closed and locked, or the shelves are frighteningly empty...... Naturally, most of the employees of the Nikolaev shipyard, who had already stopped paying their salaries for a month or two, also returned to their homes, either to find another way out, or to go back to the countryside to buy and find farmers who were still selling grain and grain.

Makarov didn't expect much from the "richness" promised by the wizarding world.

"I hope it's not all black bread with sawdust...... The free supply of big leba, mashed potatoes, and simple bacon is enough to keep the guys in the factory, and of course, vodka is even better......"

"Uh-this-this?!"