Defend Namsan Park

Chapter 104 I was NTR'd

Shang Lu was still slumped there, lying limply on the cold work surface as if all his bones had been removed, staring at the overhead lights in the workshop. He was truly not cut out for this. Operating the giant machine "Chaofeng" felt like doing 200 bench presses. Shang Lu was a weak scholar, with no strength to even kill a chicken. The heaviest physical labor he had ever done was continuously copying 122 pages of experimental records by hand. How could he possibly endure the giant machine's training? So he lay on the work platform like a dead dog, panting heavily, until Li Wenxuan's face suddenly invaded his field of vision.

The other person's messy head blocked the light like a total solar eclipse. Shang Lu squinted. Li Wenxuan covered the phone with his hand, bent down and whispered, "Something terrible has happened."

"Why are you panicking?"

“Factory 312 and Factory 313 have betrayed the revolution,” Li Wenxuan said. “We just received news that all the documents we sent have been rejected and are now stuck in transit, caught in a dilemma.”

Shang Lu recalled that just ten minutes earlier, Li Wenxuan had been confidently assuring him that the Party secretaries of the two factories and Wang Xiangbing were sworn brothers, and that the 312 and 313 factories and the operations office were an unbreakable alliance. Li Wenxuan vividly described the scene from that year: During the chaotic retreat, the Party secretary of the 312 factory had a car accident due to a tire blowout. He was about to miss the last coal train to Chengdu and was in despair, crying out to heaven and earth in vain. Just then, his uncle appeared out of nowhere, happened to be passing by, and had a flash of inspiration. He shouted, rushed over, reached out and grabbed him with unparalleled courage, carrying him under his left arm and running wildly to successfully get the two of them to the station on time.

Why are there two people? Because he also had the Party Secretary of Factory 313 tucked under his right armpit.

It can be said that without Wang Xiangbing, there would be no Factory 312, and no Factory 313. The kindness of his uncle to them is so great that it can never be repaid, even with his life. — Li Wenxuan concluded.

"With such a deep friendship, how could they betray us?" Shang Lu lay there, asking in a deathly tone, "Is there any way to make amends?"

“We are doing our best to remedy the situation,” Li Wenxuan said.

Five minutes later, the news reached Wang Xiangbing's ears. His uncle, on his deathbed, sat up in shock, pushed aside the doctor and nurse, and angrily slammed his phone onto the bed, denouncing the two scoundrels as shameless:
"Damn it! At such a crucial moment, they actually betrayed me? How dare they! How dare they!"

So Wang Xiangbing dialed the phone one by one to confront them.

The first person to receive Wang Xiangbing's call was the director and party secretary of Factory 312. Faced with the client's furious outburst, Factory 312 said, "I can't do anything about it. You're just a step too late. Workshop 110, in the name of Base 151, sent a letter demanding that all supporting downstream units fully guarantee the maintenance and upgrade plan for the giant machine 'Da Yi'. The factory's pipelines are already in their shape. Even though we two brothers have a good relationship, Workshop 110 is the real business. Who can bear the responsibility for delaying 'Da Yi's' great cause of saving the world?"

Wang Xiangbing suppressed his anger and called Factory 313 again.

The director and party secretary of Factory 313 were equally innocent, saying that they had received a strict order from their superiors to reserve three to six months to cooperate with the work of Workshop 110. Anyone who did not cooperate would be dismissed. "Rank can crush you," they said. "Why don't you, Director Wang, put forward a report to the Central Military Commission?"
Wang Xiangbing spat fiercely. He knew, of course, that this was a trick played by 1047. On the surface, it was for the sake of saving the world, but in reality, it was to settle a personal score and avenge the one he had been given the fork.

It was obvious to everyone that the Balat Brahma Temple in Longdistan was nearing completion, and in two or three weeks, or at most a month or so, the colossal spear would be fired. At this critical juncture, "Da Yi" couldn't possibly undertake any large-scale upgrades. Tang Di merely drafted a nominal letter, seizing control of the production capacity of all downstream supporting units at Support Base 151—this was his counterattack tactic. Even if Shang Lu obtained the raw material permits through the personal connections of the mech pilots, cutting off the processing环节 (processing link/stage) would completely halt the progress of Workshop 112's project.

Tang Di required downstream units to reserve at least three months. During this period, all pipelines in the factory workshops were replaced with "Da Yi" equipment. It would be impossible to steal the time slot. After three months, Hou Mao's mission ended and he was transferred back to the rear for rest. The powerful backer of the Operations Office would no longer exist. At that time, "Chao Feng" would be completely out of the game.

The pokeweed solved the problem of the operating office being held back, but it didn't expect that someone would accurately seize its testicles.

Undeterred, Wang Xiangbing called every company he knew. He was unwilling to accept it—he was unwilling to accept that his dream of a super cool steam-powered punk machine was destined to be half-paralyzed? Was it destined to forever remain a half-finished product hanging in the workshop? But Tang Di was always ruthless, leaving no room for negotiation. Every person who answered the phone refused without hesitation after hearing his purpose. Finally, in despair, Wang Xiangbing clutched his crotch and knelt on the hospital bed.

When Zhang Chong came in to deliver the meal, he saw his uncle looking dejected, so he quietly asked Bai Shu, "What's wrong with him? He looks like a wilted eggplant."

Bai Shu said, "I was NTR'd."
·
·
Ultimately, hope still rests on pokeweed.

When Shang Lu came to visit him in the hospital ward, the uncle's eyes were red, and he was crying with snot and tears streaming down his face. He held the other man's hand tightly and said that he didn't have much hope in his life, but he just wanted to create "Chaofeng" to fulfill a childhood dream.

"I'm 42 years old! 42 years old! And I still watch two episodes of Kamen Rider every week!"

Okay, okay, I know, I know. Everyone in the base knows that your Uncle Wang is a huge tokusatsu fan.

Shanglu Xinshuo.

But this matter is indeed a bit tricky. The Office of Works is pinning its hopes on him by relying on Wei Mao's power—Shang Lu should try to influence him again, and maybe there will be a turning point.

But Wei Mao has lost contact.

Starting today, Shang Lu has been unable to contact Wei Mao. He called the latter three times, but no one answered. He went to the dormitory twice, but the door was locked.

"What? Can't get in touch? Is 1047 really that audacious?" Wang Xiangbing was extremely shocked. "He dares to kidnap the mech pilot?"

“How could he possibly kidnap a mech pilot?” Shang Lu rolled his eyes. “He probably has some temporary classified mission. It’s normal that we can’t contact him for a day or two.”

Unfortunately, Shang Lu's words came true, and he did not see Wei Mao for the next three days.

"They've definitely been kidnapped! They've definitely been kidnapped by that bastard from 1047! I'm going to the Security Department! I'm going to report this to the Central Military Commission!"

Wang Xiangbing was blinded by anger.

It's obvious that Tang Di, as the deputy chief engineer of the 151 support base, couldn't possibly have kidnapped the mech pilot, but Wei Mao's disappearance is indeed inextricably linked to him. A meticulous and thorough person like Tang Di, in order to comprehensively crack down on the arrogance of Workshop 112 and the Operations Office, would certainly not overlook Shang Lu's biggest backer—since Wei Mao's simulation test score dropped to 20%, Tang Di, along with Chengdu, initiated a project to assess the "Da Yi" pilot's abilities. This project, officially called the "Mech Pilot Stability Ability Test and Assessment Secondary Form," included various tests, assessments, and detailed training for the pilots. Tang Di had this authority because, as the deputy chief engineer of the 151 base and concurrently the training leader for the "Da Yi" mech, he was fully responsible for Wei Mao's performance. If the pilot's ability declined to a precarious level, he had the right to contact Chengdu Science City and request that Wei Mao be recalled to the rear for a second assessment.

The reasons are entirely valid: the conditions at the 151 Support Base are limited, making it impossible to conduct a comprehensive evaluation like that of the Chengdu Science City. When Shang Lu couldn't contact Wei Mao, Wei Mao was in Chengdu being questioned by his superiors.

If the higher authorities determine that Wei Mao is no longer capable of driving "Da Yi," then it is possible to use a backup driver to replace Wei Mao.

Tang Di's methods have always been so skillful, and they are beyond reproach both in public and private matters.

The office was at its wits' end and had no other options.