Great Power Reclamation

Chapter 2870 The Days of Light

The transfer procedures were completed faster than expected. As Ye Feng pushed Lao Zheng out of the Detroit hospital, sunlight was filtering through the sycamore leaves, creating a net-like pattern on the ground.

Old Zheng has lost a lot of weight, but he still insists on walking a few steps on his own, his blue overalls hanging loosely on his body.

"Mr. Ye, are you sure you don't need me to keep an eye on the production line?"

He clutched a leather notebook, its cover worn smooth. "It contains thirty-seven points that are prone to problems. I need to explain them to Powell and the others."

"Once you recover, you'll be in charge of the entire line."

Ye Feng took the notebook from his hand. Inside the cover was a yellowed photo taken when Lao Zheng first arrived at the lab. Behind him, on the shelf, was the first solid-state battery sample, which looked like an inconspicuous gray brick.

As the plane landed at Junkencheng Airport, Yini ran over holding up a drawing. The sky in the drawing was bluer than before, and below it was an elderly man wearing an oxygen mask, tightening screws on a battery. "The teacher said this is Grandpa Zheng."

She looked up and asked, "Dad, will Grandpa Zheng get better?"

Ye Feng picked up his daughter and looked out the porthole at the military reclamation city. Rows of poplar trees stood like soldiers in formation, planted by the soldiers of the military reclamation in the last century.

"Yes, because the wind here blows in a positive direction."

The hospital where Old Zheng was staying was naturally the Military Reclamation Hospital. Outside the ward window, several apple trees were in bloom.

Ye Feng opened the leather notebook. Inside, besides the technical specifications, there was also a prescription, the handwriting of Old Zheng's father—

Fifty years ago, this steelworker copied down a folk remedy for coughs from his medical record.

"Mr. Ye, take a look at this."

Old Zheng suddenly pointed to the last page of the notebook, where a strange device was drawn. "I was thinking that the electrode materials could be reused when recycling batteries, so I drew a simple refining furnace."

Looking at the crooked lines on the drawing, Ye Feng suddenly remembered what his father had said:
"A true craftsman's work will sprout new life."

He took out his phone and sent a message to Wang Nannan: "Have the R&D department make a model according to Lao Zheng's drawings, and say it's an educational tool for the children."

Old Zheng's tears suddenly fell and landed on the laptop.

"Mr. Ye, I haven't done anything great in my life, I just want my children to stop smelling the cigarette smoke that my father used to smell."

He wiped his face. "I heard that the primary school in Junken City is going to build a new energy laboratory? Can I go and be a guide for the children when I'm better?"

Ye Feng grasped his withered hand, which was covered in cracks and had traces of battery material under his fingernails.

"Not only do we have to be guides, but we also have to be judges for the children. Let's see if their designs for the future cars are cleaner than ours."

Footsteps echoed down the corridor as Yuanfang walked in carrying a thermos.

"The kitchen made pigeon soup, and added fritillaria cirrhosa according to the recipe given by Sister-in-law Zheng."

She opened the lid, and the fragrance filled the ward. "Grandpa said that the targeted drug is working better than expected, and we can try to reduce the dosage next month."

Old Zheng sipped his soup, his eyes lighting up. "Once I can get out of bed, I want to go back to Detroit to see the production line."

He suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, Mr. Ye, remember to take pictures of Powell and the others' welds for me to see. Don't forget the 'fish scale pattern' technique I taught him."

Ye Feng smiled and nodded, looking out the window. The apple tree petals were blown by the wind, like a flock of white butterflies.

He suddenly realized that the so-called inheritance is not about locking the blueprints in a safe, but about letting the light hidden in the cracks shine into the hearts of more people.

Xue Lian has also aged considerably. Apart from a few in politics, most of her generation have retired. However, because she owns a garment factory, she still frequently travels to Guangzhou.

Upon seeing Yuanfang and Ye Yini, Xuelian, who rarely felt sad, shed tears for the first time; she missed them so much.

Yuanfang hugged her mother, unsure of what to say. The mother and daughter had a strained relationship over the years, and it could never be described as good.

However, blood is thicker than water, and naturally, they were filled with emotion upon meeting.

Yuan Kewang stood to one side, holding Ye Yini. Ye Yini was clearly not very close to Xue Lian. When she saw Yu'e walking over from afar, she broke free from Yuan Kewang's arms and ran towards her.
"Grandma, Yini misses you so much..."

Yu'e smiled broadly, picked up her granddaughter, and doted on her immensely.

Ye Guigen, however, was displeased, tilting his head and looking at Ye Yini with hostility:
“This is my grandma!”

Ye Yini scoffed, "She's not just your grandma, you idiot!"

Ye Guigen said in a cute but fierce tone: "Don't think I won't hit you just because you're a girl! Fourth Uncle, you go!"

Ye Fei slapped him on the head: "You even want to hit your own sister? You're about to get a beating."

Ye Yini wrinkled her little nose and called out to Ye Fei, "Fourth Uncle, one more time!"

Ye Hong, Ye Bai, and Ye Yingying ran over and scolded Ye Guigen together: "Don't you dare bully your sister!"

Ye Guigen finally chickened out, lowered his head and dared not speak, looking pitifully at Han Ye, his cousin who was the most on his side.

Han Ye ignored his gaze and went forward to hug Ye Yini.

"What a pretty little girl! If anyone dares to bully you in the future, tell me and I'll beat them up!"

Ye Guigen: "..."

Yuanfang had known about her daughter's social skills for a long time, but she didn't expect them to be so powerful. On the first day she returned home, she was completely out of the picture.

Ye Feng, however, paid no attention to any of that and plunged headlong into the production of solid-state batteries.

Although the Detroit factory also produces it, strictly speaking, that's just assembly; the real core components must be completed in Military Reclamation City.

Wang Lina has now given birth to a son, and as an older mother, she has less time to work, which Ye Feng is aware of.

With Wang Nannan constantly by Ye Feng's side, the group was somewhat leaderless. So Ye Feng decided to bring Wang Nannan back to take charge of the overall situation.

Because of the general trend, and the future trend of the Warrior Group, new energy will definitely become a pillar industry, on par with chips.

While traditional gasoline-powered vehicles and engines are still gaining momentum, they will eventually become sunset industries.

After all, the development of the times is irreversible, especially in today's rapidly changing world, where a new era can be created in ten years.

Strictly speaking, Lao Zheng is not from Junken City. He is an external technician of the Warrior Group. Although he is just an ordinary technician, he has witnessed the growth of the Warrior Group.

However, his ability to be assigned to Detroit was undoubtedly due to his personal efforts. It's important to know that the selection process for soldiers is very rigorous.

He is now lying in the military reclamation hospital, where three Nobel laureates, including Ye Wancheng, are personally treating him. He is deeply moved and bursts into tears.

Actually, what he cared about wasn't the Nobel laureate, but rather that Ye Wancheng was the first Party Secretary of the Military Reclamation City, Ye Yuze's father, and Ye Feng's grandfather. In the hearts of the soldiers' group, Ye Yuze was a true god. Starting from his teens, he single-handedly built such a group. Who else could do that?
The key point isn't really about property, but about intellectual property. Today, Warrior cars and engines are dominant players worldwide.

And then there are chips. If there are still people trying to compete with and surpass cars and engines, then chips have long since left others far behind.

Everyone can see clearly that although some Western forces have been creating obstacles for the warrior group, no force dares to touch the chips.

Because everyone understands that once the export of military equipment stops, it will take at least ten years for those so-called developed countries to catch up, even if they start researching and developing their own.

The key is that Mr. Ni is not just a figurehead. How could his military reclamation electromechanical products have stagnated over the past ten years?

Just like this battle for new energy, it's less about the Warrior Group challenging traditional energy, and more about the Warrior Group challenging itself.

After all, the engine is still dominant, having almost monopolized all car manufacturers. This is why many media outlets don't understand why they did this.

In fact, Ye Feng's answer was already very clear: the development of the times is a constant series of challenges, and the first person to face each challenge is oneself!

Old Zheng's condition improved again at an incredible speed. In Old John's words:
"Child, we're giving you a magic pill. If you still don't get better, then all the myths of China are just lies!"

On the day the first batch of solid-state batteries were installed, the sky over Detroit was unusually clear. It was a deep blue, like a sea inverted over the sky.

Powell was wearing brand-new overalls, with a welding torch badge pinned to his chest by Lao Zheng. His hands trembled slightly as he tightened the last screw on the battery cover of the first vehicle.

"Engineer Zheng said this screw needs to be tightened three and a half turns."

He stepped back and watched the red car slowly drive off the production line; there was really only water vapor coming out of the exhaust pipe.

"He also said that when he comes back, he will drive this car to the Detroit River to see if the water can really become clear."

Ye Feng stood at the end of the production line, holding Lao Zheng's notebook in his hand. He knew that he had succeeded by reaching this point.

Ye Yuze stood beside his son, his hair already snow-white, but he looked even more energetic and handsome.

He patted his son on the shoulder, signaling him to relax, and Ye Feng smiled:
"Dad, don't worry, I can do it!"

The state legislator walked over with a group of reporters, his badge pinned straight on his chest, and he had changed into a new tie.

"The Warrior Group's technology has given Michigan a clean road."

He pointed to the newly built charging stations outside the factory area, saying, "Starting next month, all school buses in the state will be replaced with these battery-powered vehicles."

The reporters' flashbulbs went off everywhere. Ye Feng suddenly pointed to a small open space next to the production line:

“We’re going to plant sunflowers here. Engineer Zheng once said that anything that follows the light is bound to be good.”

Yuanfang's video call came in just then. On the screen, Yini was holding up a new painting. The Detroit River in the painting was crystal clear, and Lao Zheng and Powell were sitting on the riverbank fishing, with a battery-shaped bait on their fishing line.

"The teacher said this is called an 'energy fish,' because it only eats polluted water and not clean water." My daughter's voice was like a freshly peeled candy.

Ye Feng smiled and nodded, his eyes slightly moist. He suddenly noticed a dilapidated Ford pickup truck stopped on the road outside the factory. The driver rolled down the window and looked towards the production line. The black smoke from the exhaust pipe was particularly glaring in the sunlight.

"Go and bring that car in," Ye Feng said to Wang Nannan. "Have the mechanics replace its battery."

The driver was an old man with white hair, and his palms were covered in calluses when he held Ye Feng's hand.

“I worked at a GM plant for forty years, building cars that smoldered my whole life.” He looked at the worker changing the battery. “I heard this thing can make a car stop breathing?”

"Not only will you not be out of breath, you'll also run more steadily." Ye Feng opened the car door. "Would you like to give it a try?"

The old man got into the driver's seat, hesitated, and then stepped on the gas.

The car glided smoothly forward, and the water vapor from the exhaust pipe condensed into a small rainbow in the sunlight.

He suddenly covered his face, his shoulders trembling. "My son works at a steel plant and was diagnosed with pneumoconiosis last year."

He choked up as he said, "If only we had this technology ten years earlier..."

Ye Feng patted him on the back and looked at the electronic screen above the production line.

The scene being broadcast live from the military reclamation city was: Old Zheng, sitting in a wheelchair, was explaining the principles of batteries to elementary school children, his notebook open to the page with a sunflower drawing.

The children held up their homemade battery models, like a group of little warriors carrying stars.

On the vacant lot next to the production line, Powell was leading the workers in planting sunflowers.

In the black soil, golden flower seeds are buried, like sunlight scattered across the ground.

Ye Feng recalled his father's words: "Industry is not just about building a production line; it's about making that line flourish."

As the sun set, the Ford pickup truck with its battery replaced slowly drove out of the factory area.

The old man rolled down the car window, waved at Ye Feng, and the steam from the exhaust pipe drew an arc in the sunset.

Ye Feng suddenly noticed that the oil slicks that had been floating on the surface of the Detroit River for thirty years seemed to have decreased.

He took out his phone and sent Lao Zheng a photo of the production line with the caption: "The sunflowers have been planted, waiting for you to come back and water them."

I received a reply quickly, just two words: "Okay."

A smiley face followed, even brighter than before. Looking at that smiley face, Ye Feng suddenly realized that hope wasn't just lines on a blueprint.

Instead, it allows those bent backs to straighten up, those hidden coughs to stop, and the light buried deep in the heart to truly shine into our lives.

The factory lights came on again, warmer than last night. Ye Feng opened Lao Zheng's notebook; on the last blank page, someone had drawn a small sunflower, with words written inside the flower head:

"The road ahead is long, but every step counts."

He recalled what Yuanfang had said: "What makes life sweet is never honey, but the hope hidden in bitterness."

As night deepened, the roar of the production line seemed to be mixed with the sound of sunflowers sprouting.

Ye Feng knew that starting tomorrow, more light would emerge from these cracks, illuminating the paths that were waiting to be lit.

All they have to do is bend their backs a little lower and walk a little more firmly, so that the seeds hidden in their hearts can grow their own spring on this land.

He turned to look for his father, but Ye Yuze was nowhere to be seen. He dialed the number, and Ye Yuze's cheerful voice came through the receiver:

“Son, I can finally retire completely. The Warriors Group will be yours from now on. My future joy will be farming with your Uncle Yang.”

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