Courtyard House: A Major Power's Heavy Industry, Hand-Crafted Nuclear Fusion

Three o'clock in the morning.

In Beijing, this is the coldest time of winter. The chill seeps into your bones.

The city was still asleep, but in some hidden corners, a different kind of bustling scene unfolded.

The morning market outside Deshengmen was commonly known as the "Pigeon Market".

This is a gray area during an era of scarcity, and also a melting pot of all sorts of people.

Su Zheng changed into an old dark gray cotton-padded jacket, wore a dog-skin hat that covered most of his face, and a thick scarf around his neck, revealing only a pair of piercing eyes.

Instead of taking the main road, he used the system to scan the planned route, avoiding the patrols and quietly sneaking into Pigeon City.

At this time, the fog was very thick.

The stalls were hidden in the darkness, and most of the stall owners were silent or spoke in hushed tones, as if they were talking in ghostly language. Buyers and sellers communicated entirely through gestures and eye contact, and even negotiated prices by pinching their fingers together in their sleeves.

Su Zheng came here for two purposes.

First, we need to obtain the special materials required for making high-strength security windows. Although the system laboratory can process them, the raw materials cannot be conjured out of thin air, especially high-strength tungsten steel or alloy scraps, which these days can only be obtained by trying one's luck on the black market.

Secondly, there's the "harder method" mentioned by those two idiots, Jia Dongxu. Since they want to find someone to get rid of him, Su Zheng needs to strike first and plant a time bomb in this gray area.

After walking past several stalls selling grain and ration coupons, Su Zheng did not stop.

He went straight to the deepest part of the market—the grocery section.

They sell all sorts of things here: old parts, broken radios, antiques of dubious authenticity, and some industrial waste that's clearly of dubious origin.

Su Zheng stopped in front of a stall in a corner.

The stall owner was a one-eyed man, and in front of him was a pile of rusty metal lumps.

But under Su Zheng's [Eye of Truth] scan, several dazzling lights emanated from this pile of scrap metal.

[Item: Scrapped tank track pin]

【Material: High manganese steel/tungsten alloy】

Hardness: HRC60 or higher

[Applications: Excellent material for security window frames, with extremely high shear resistance.]

Su Zheng squatted down and picked up the dark iron rod.

"How much?" Su Zheng asked in a low voice.

The one-eyed man glanced at him, noticing he was a stranger, and demanded an exorbitant price: "This is good stuff, it's... gun barrel steel left over from the war! Five dollars for this one!"

Gun barrel steel? Five pieces?

Who are they taking advantage of?

Su Zheng sneered, weighed the iron rod in his hand, and casually picked up a brick from the side.

"Bang!"

He casually tapped the brick with the iron rod.

The blue brick shattered instantly, and not even a white mark was left on the iron rod.

"Boss, don't lie to an expert," Su Zheng said in a low voice. "These are track pins. They're hard, but also brittle. They'll break if not processed properly. And yours are defective; there are hidden cracks inside. Five yuan? Keep them as a family heirloom. Fifty cents a piece, I'll take as many as I can."

The one-eyed man's expression changed.

You're an expert!

Can you tell the material and even spot the cracks at a glance?

These days, people who understand this are either senior technicians in factories or people who used to work in ordnance depots.

"Ahem, brother, you have a good eye." The one-eyed man switched to a smiling face. "Five cents is too low; these things are hard to get. One dollar! I can't go any lower!"

"make a deal."

Without wasting any words, Su Zheng threw down a big black ten, saying, "I'm taking this pile."

Just as Su was sorting through these "scrap metals".

Suddenly, a withered hand reached out from the side and pressed down on one of the oddly shaped metal pieces.

"Young friend, wait a moment."

An aged yet powerful voice rang out.

Su Zheng turned his head and saw an elderly man in a black Zhongshan suit, dressed simply but with an extraordinary air, standing beside him. The old man had white hair and beard, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp.

Behind him, two burly men with wary eyes were vaguely visible – they were clearly trained fighters or security personnel.

"I've also taken a liking to this piece of jade," the old man said with a smile. "Young friend, would you be willing to part with it? I'll offer double the price."

Su Zheng glanced at the metal piece.

[Item: Unknown alloy fragment (suspected aircraft engine blade debris)]

[Ingredients: Nickel-based high-temperature alloy]

[Value: Extremely High]

Turns out, he knows his stuff.

Su Zheng shook his head: "I'm sorry, sir. Everything is about first come, first served. I've already paid for this, so it's mine."

The old man was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting the young man to refuse so decisively.

"Three times," the old man added.

"Not for sale." Su Zheng's tone was firm.

Just then, several thugs with a rough and unsavory appearance suddenly appeared from the side.

The leader, a bald man with a menacing face, walked over, twirling a switchblade in his hand.

"Hey! What are you doing? Don't you know the rules?"

The bald man pointed at Su Zheng and the old man, "Did you pay protection money while you were making this deal? This area is under the protection of 'Third Master'! Everyone gets a share. Leave that pile of iron in your hand, and all the money on you!"

They're treating Su Zheng and the old man like easy prey.

The two burly men behind the old man were about to move, but the old man slightly raised his hand to stop them, as if he wanted to see how Su Zheng would deal with it.

Su Zheng stood up, looking at the wobbly switchblade. There was no fear in his eyes, but rather a hint of mockery.

He did not make a move.

Instead, he pulled a red armband from his pocket and waved it in his hand.

Although the light was dim, the few yellow characters on it were particularly eye-catching—[Security Department of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill] (this was printed out by him using the system just now, specifically to bluff his way out of trouble).

"Hey guys, trying to collect protection money?"

Su Zheng's voice was icy. "The Hongxing Factory's security department is currently carrying out a 'clean-up' operation in this area. We need to arrest a few typical cases to boost our performance targets. Do you want to come with us, or get out of here now?"

Security Department of Hongxing Factory!

These words carried immense power in Beijing during that era!

That's an armed unit! They're even more arrogant than a local police station!

Upon hearing this, the bald man's face turned deathly pale.

"Misunderstanding...Misunderstanding! It's Master Lei! We're so sorry! We'll get lost right now!"

The thugs were so frightened that they ran away in a panic and disappeared into the fog in the blink of an eye.

The old man's eyes showed even greater admiration as he watched this scene.

He's got guts, he's got the skills, and he can spot materials at a glance... This young man is something else.

"What a clever trick of borrowing someone else's power!" the old man chuckled. "Young friend, are you from the Red Star Factory?"

"I suppose so." Su Zheng put away his armband and stuffed the pile of materials into a sack. "Sir, if you really want that piece of fabric, it's not impossible to discuss it. But looking at your pocket watch..."

Su Zheng pointed to a gold pocket watch hanging on the old man's chest. "It seems to be running slow? It's a minute and a half slow every hour. Is it because the balance spring of the escapement wheel is magnetized?"

The old man was startled and instinctively picked up his pocket watch.

This watch has definitely been running inaccurate lately; I've taken it to several watch repairmen, but none of them could fix it. How could this young man tell just by looking through his clothes?

"You... know how to repair watches?"

"I know a little bit." Su Zheng shouldered the sack. "If we meet again by chance, I can help you fix it. Consider this piece of material a small gift."

Su Zheng tossed the nickel-based alloy to the old man, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.

He didn't have much use for the material for the time being, so he might as well do it as a favor. Because the Eye of Truth told him that the old man's identity was marked as—【??? (Extremely High Authority)】.

That's a really thick leg!

The old man held the metal piece, watching Su Zheng's departing figure for a long time. Then, he took out a business card from his pocket with no title, only a phone number, and handed it to the security guard behind him.

"Go, investigate this young man. If he has a clean record, send this to him. Tell him he can contact Lei if he needs anything."

……

When Su Zheng returned to the courtyard house carrying a sack of materials, it was still dark.

He had just reached the corner of the central courtyard when the Eye of Truth suddenly issued an automatic warning.

The line of sight penetrates the wall.

Behind the broken window of the Jia family's house, a pair of sinister eyes were staring intently at Su Zheng's room.

It's Jia Dongxu.

He was holding a piece of paper and drawing something on it, seemingly recording the time and route of Su Zheng's return.

"Have you scouted the location?"

Su Zheng's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Very well. Since you're so eager to die, I'll add some 'extra ingredients' to this security window."

He pushed open the door and poured the sack of high-manganese steel onto the floor with a dull thud.

That night, the light in Su Zheng's room stayed on for a long time.