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

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but the once overgrown wasteland in the northwest corner of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill had been transformed.

Just a few days ago, this was an abandoned warehouse area that no one bothered with, and even stray dogs wouldn't bother to visit it.

But ever since that high-ranking official from the ministry came to inspect, this place has become the most mysterious and busiest construction site in the entire factory.

The engineering corps moved in directly and erected two-meter-high barbed wire fences overnight, completely surrounding the largest old warehouse and the surrounding open space.

The original rusty iron gate was replaced with a heavy explosion-proof steel gate, and a semi-circular sandbag fortification was built at the entrance.

Today is the day this place is officially "marked".

There were no firecrackers, no gongs or drums, and not even other factory leaders were notified to come for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

This low-key, almost desolate atmosphere only amplified the suffocating chill of the place.

Four soldiers in dark green uniforms, carrying Type 56 semi-automatic rifles, stood like nails at the gate.

They weren't from the factory's security department, but rather a guard squad directly transferred from a ministry. Their eyes were cold and they watched everyone who tried to approach them with vigilance.

Su Zheng stood at the gate, watching two soldiers carefully hang a wooden plaque covered with red cloth on the lintel.

He was followed by Zhao Ming, as well as two newly selected young technicians.

Section Chief Wang from the Security Department was also there, but he could only stand half a step to Su Zheng's side, his expression as serious as if he were on a combat mission.

"Is it properly aligned?" Su Zheng asked casually.

"Reporting, sir! Straight!" The squad leader snapped to attention and saluted.

Su Zheng nodded, stepped forward, and ripped off the red cloth.

In the morning light, the large, bright red characters stood out starkly:

"Special Laboratory No. 001"

Below this line of large text, there is another line of slightly smaller black text, which is even more chilling:

"Military restricted area. Unauthorized trespassers will be held responsible for any consequences."

The moment that sign was hung up, it was like a nail, driven firmly into the territory of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, and also into the hearts of all the workers who were watching.

"Goodness gracious... what are they doing? Why are they using guns?"

"I heard it's Su Zheng's independent laboratory! It was specially approved by the ministry!"

"Really? A lab requires guns? Our factory wasn't this strict when we were making artillery shells!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Can't you see those are regular troops? They're really willing to fire!"

Outside the cordon, the workers only dared to point and whisper from afar; no one dared to cross the yellow paint line drawn on the ground.

The oppressive force emanating from the state apparatus transformed all curiosity into awe.

Su Zheng turned around and glanced at Zhao Ming and the two technicians.

"Did you see the words clearly?"

"We saw it clearly!" the three answered in unison, their voices filled with excitement and nervousness.

"From today onwards, this is our territory."

Su Zheng's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"I have a few rules to establish first. This is not only for you, but also for..."

He glanced up at the figures peering out in the distance. "It's for certain people to hear."

"First, once you enter this door, you must keep your mouth shut. You are not allowed to take any blueprints, equipment, or parts you see in the lab, or any data or codes you hear, not even the model number of a screw, out of the lab. Once you leave this door, you can only talk about romance, not technology."

"Secondly, all waste paper and scrap materials must be collected and destroyed in a unified manner. Not even a scrap of paper used to wipe your butt is allowed to be taken home. Zhao Ming, you are in charge of this. You will count the paper every day. If even one piece of paper is missing, I will hold you accountable."

"Third, and most importantly."

Su Zheng's gaze sharpened, scraping across everyone's faces like a knife.

"Anyone who dares to betray their country and leak state secrets for petty gains... then don't blame me for being ruthless. It won't be as simple as being dismissed; it will be a military court-martial, and they'll be shot."

Zhao Ming and the others were startled, feeling a chill run down their spines, and quickly straightened their backs:

"Yes, Engineer Su! We understand! We will not leak this information!"

Just as Su was giving his instructions, a discordant commotion suddenly arose from the group of workers not far away.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? I'm Xu Damao from the publicity department! Can't I even interview Su Zheng? This is a glorious achievement for the factory, and I have to write the broadcast script!"

Xu Damao, carrying a camera bag and holding a small notebook, was seen trying to squeeze into the cordon.

He wore his signature ingratiating smile, but his eyes gleamed with a thieving light.

Behind Xu Damao followed Liu Haizhong, who also looked curious and had his hands behind his back.

With his bangs flaring up like a domineering old man, he pointed and gestured at the soldiers blocking his way:

"I'm Liu Haizhong from Workshop Two! I'm a veteran in the factory! I'm here to check on the factory's key projects! What? You think you can stop me? Su Zheng and I... we live in the same compound!"

The two of them had long been extremely envious of Su Zheng's "independent kingdom".

Since Su Zheng started "hand-crafting the spindle," his status in the factory has skyrocketed.

Xu Damao and Liu Hai felt incredibly sour inside, as if they had drunk aged vinegar.

Especially after hearing that there was a "big secret" involving "special approval from ministries," the two were even more eager to try it.

Xu Damao was thinking, "If I could take a couple of photos, or get some inside information, whether it's to curry favor with Deputy Factory Director Li or to control Su Zheng later, it would be excellent leverage!"

Liu Haizhong was thinking, "I'm the second oldest uncle, what important matter in the factory can bypass me? I have to go in and see, to show my status as the second oldest uncle!"

The two hit it off immediately and decided to sneak in while everyone was watching the excitement after the sign was first put up.

"stop!"

The sentry at the gate shouted, his voice booming like thunder.

"Military restricted area, no unauthorized personnel allowed!"

"Hey, comrade, don't be so fierce."

Xu Damao grinned and approached, pulling out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket. "Come on, have a smoke. I'm from the propaganda department, one of us, one of us..."

"Splash!"

His answer was a crisp metallic clang.

That was the sound of a rifle bolt being pulled back.

The sentry remained expressionless, then suddenly pressed his rifle down, the gleaming bayonet flashing a chilling light in the sunlight, pointing directly at Xu Damao's chest.

"Step back! One more step forward and you'll be charged with trespassing! Kill on sight!"

A chilling killing intent instantly enveloped Xu Damao.

He stared at the bayonet that was only half a meter away from him, and at the sentry's emotionless eyes. The witty remark that was on the tip of his tongue was instantly swallowed back.

"Oh my god!"

Xu Damao was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground.

He dropped his cigarette, his camera bag tilted, and he was shaking like a leaf.

He didn't expect these soldiers to be serious!

This isn't the kind of intimidating show from the factory security department; they really will fire a gun!

Liu Haizhong was also startled by the sound of the bolt being pulled, and his face turned pale.

Although he usually acted like a tyrant in the courtyard, he had never seen anything like this before.

He quickly pulled his hands back, retreating several steps, almost stepping on Xu Damao's foot.

"No...no, no! It's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! We just came to take a look...we're leaving now! We're leaving now!"

Liu Haizhong wiped his sweat and smiled obsequiously, his cowardly appearance showing no trace of the Second Uncle's former prestige.

Su Zheng stood inside the door, coldly watching this scene.

He neither went out to help nor said anything.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

In this special era, some people cannot understand human speech; they can only understand the sound of gun bolts.

Some prestige doesn't need to be established by oneself; it's given by the state apparatus.

"Engineer Su, should we...?"

Section Chief Wang stepped forward and asked in a low voice, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. If Su Zheng nodded, he could arrest these two fools right now.

"Need not."

Su Zheng waved his hand, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Just a few flies, we can shoo them away. Perfect, let them tell the whole factory that not just anyone can walk through this door."

Section Chief Wang understood immediately, strode forward, pointed at Xu Damao's nose, and cursed:

"Xu Damao! Do you want to quit? Hanging around the entrance to a military restricted area with that crappy camera, believe me, I'll arrest you right now as a spy! Then you won't just be out of the propaganda department, you'll be eating sand in the Northwest!"

"No! Section Chief Wang! Don't arrest me! I'll leave right now! I'll leave right now!"

Upon hearing the words "enemy agent," Xu Damao was terrified.

If this hat is put on too tightly, it could cost you your head!

He scrambled to his feet, grabbed Liu Haizhong, and ran away without even looking back. His disheveled appearance drew laughter from the surrounding workers.

"Look at that coward! He's always so cocky at the factory, but he cowers the moment he sees a real gun!"

"Serves them right! This is what they call 'the wicked will be punished by the wicked!'"

"It seems this Lab 001 is a real tiger; we can't mess with it!"

After this commotion, everyone understood:

Su Zheng's territory is not some gilded decoration, but a truly untouchable forbidden zone.

"Alright, close the door."

Su Zheng didn't even glance at those people again, waved his hand, turned around and walked into the half-closed iron gate.

"Clang—"

As the heavy blast door slowly closed, the noise outside was once again completely shut out.

The world seemed to have been split in two:

Outside the door lies the mundane world, filled with scheming and petty squabbles; inside, a pure, cold, and hard world of steel.

The laboratory has a large interior space. Although it has just been renovated and appears somewhat empty, the most essential pieces of equipment are already in place.

The M1320 grinding machine, which Su Zheng had just personally modified, was now lying quietly in the center of the workshop, like a lurking steel behemoth.

Besides it, there were several special milling machines and drilling machines transferred from ministries. Although they looked a bit old, they were top-of-the-line products that China could offer at that time.

The air was filled with a faint smell of machine oil and fresh paint, the kind of smell that industrialists love.

Su Zheng walked to the depths of the workshop, where there was a huge drawing table.

"Come here, everyone."

Su Zheng waved.

Zhao Ming and two technicians quickly gathered around.

"The previous machine tool repairs were just to prove that we had the necessary skills."

As Su Zheng spoke, he pulled out a roll of blueprints wrapped tightly in oil paper from his pocket.

He untied the thin rope and slowly spread the drawings on the table.

"Now that we have the tools, it's time to take on the real work."

Zhao Ming leaned closer to take a look and was immediately stunned.

The drawings did not depict any complex machine tool structure or any sophisticated gearbox.

It was a long, tubular object.

It is slender and straight, with a complex internal spiral rifling structure and densely marked tolerance data.

"Master, what... what is this?"

Zhao Ming scratched his head. "Why does it look like a pipe? Is it a hydraulic hose?"

"That's right, it's a pipe."

Su Zheng's fingers gently traced the lines on the drawing, his fingertips seemingly able to feel the coldness and heat of the metal.

His eyes gleamed with an unprecedented fervor.

"However, this is not a pipe for carrying water, nor is it for carrying oil."

He raised his head, looked at the crowd, and spoke in a deep, powerful voice:

"This is for...ventilation."

"This is the barrel of a high-precision sniper rifle. It is a 'hard commodity' that our country currently lacks the most, is the most difficult to manufacture, and is also the most tightly controlled by foreign countries."

Upon hearing the word "gun barrel," the two technicians' expressions changed instantly.

They finally understood why there were guards standing at the entrance and why this place was called a "military restricted area".

This is genuine military equipment! It's a vital national asset!

"Are you scared?" Su Zheng asked.

"No... I'm not afraid!"

Zhao Ming straightened his chest, his voice still trembling slightly, but his eyes were exceptionally firm, "Following Master, I dare to do anything!"

"it is good."

Su Zheng nodded in satisfaction and looked out the window at the vast wasteland.

Although the area is still barren, in his eyes, modern arsenals have already sprung up there, with automated production lines roaring day and night, producing weapons and equipment that could make the world tremble.

"Zhao Ming, get ready to work. Go and fetch that batch of special alloy steel."

Su Zheng picked up a pencil and heavily circled a data point on the drawing.

"Next, we'll use this modified grinding machine to painstakingly create for the country... the most accurate gun barrel!"