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

In the afternoon at Hongxing Courtyard, the sunlight was somewhat lazy.

Although it was still working hours, the entire residential compound was bustling with activity because of the jeep that sped off from the factory early this morning.

Uncle Yan Bugui, the third son of the man in the front yard, didn't go to school today. He said he had a backache and took the day off, but actually he moved a small stool to sit at the front gate to "ward off evil spirits."

His shrewd little eyes, peering through his glasses, were constantly watching the activity at the entrance of the alley.

"Old Yan, do you think something serious happened with all that commotion this morning?"

Aunt Zhang from across the street, while sewing shoe soles, came over to ask, "I heard from Old Wang next door that the factory security blocked the road behind the factory early this morning, and nobody's allowed in. Are they catching spies?"

"Go away, what do women know?"

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses and lowered his voice in a pretentious manner: "What do you mean by catching spies? I think someone's about to be in trouble."

"You mean... Su Zheng?" Aunt Zhang's eyes lit up.

"Hmph, who else could it be?"

Yan Bugui curled his lip: "Didn't you see how arrogant he was a few days ago? Talking about building machines, and now look what's happened! Closing the mountains and sending out vehicles—I bet he's really messed things up. Maybe… he got caught doing something illegal!"

"Otherwise, why would Su Zheng come back so early today?!"

Just then, Liu Haizhong, the second uncle of the Intermediate People's Court, walked out with his hands behind his back.

Since Xu Damao's downfall, Liu Haizhong felt that as the only "manager" in the compound, he had a responsibility to maintain the compound's "political integrity."

"Old Yan, keep an eye on things."

With a potbelly sticking out, Liu Haizhong said with a serious expression, "I just heard that the higher-ups might be sending people to investigate. If Su Zhengzhen really has done something wrong, we must stand firm and draw a clear line between ourselves and the higher-ups. We can't let him tarnish the reputation of our advanced compound."

Before he could finish speaking...

"Boom—Boom—"

A deep, wild engine roar suddenly came from the alley entrance.

The sound was like a group of steel beasts roaring, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Yan Bugui's teacup trembled, spilling water all over his crotch: "Here it comes! Here it comes! I told you something bad was going to happen!"

Two camouflage-painted military jeeps, like two angry bulls, roared up in a cloud of dust and drove straight to the entrance of the courtyard house.

"Creak—"

The sound of the sudden braking was extremely piercing, and the tires left two black marks on the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a black Hongqi sedan followed.

Although this car was driven steadily, its imposing presence was even more intimidating than the jeep in front of it.

The car door opened.

Four fully armed soldiers jumped out of the jeep, their guns blazing and their eyes cold. The leader was a burly officer with a menacing look on his face.

A middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit and gold-rimmed glasses stepped out of the Hongqi sedan, carrying a briefcase and looking anxious.

This spectacle completely terrified the neighbors who were watching the commotion at the entrance of the courtyard house.

Hongqi car!

That's a car only high-ranking leaders can ride in!

And those soldiers, they're clearly real guys who've seen blood!

Liu Haizhong was stunned at first when he saw this, but then he was overjoyed.

coming!

It's really coming!

With such a large entourage, including soldiers and people carrying red flags, they must be here to arrest someone!

What else could they be doing besides arresting Su Zheng, the "rebel"?

This is a great opportunity for him to show off in front of the big boss!

As long as he leads the way and proves meritorious by putting righteousness before family, he might be able to secure his position as "Grandpa," and might even be able to get a government post!

Thinking of this, Liu Haizhong's back pain and leg pain disappeared, and he felt like he had been injected with chicken blood.

He shoved Yan Bugui aside, who was blocking his way, and ran to the officer, his face plastered with a fawning yet righteous smile.

"Oh! Gentlemen! I'm Liu Haizhong, the second uncle in charge of this compound! I've been waiting for you!"

The operations staff officer frowned, looked at the greasy, fat man in front of him, and asked coldly:

"Are you waiting for us?"

"Yes! I figured it out a long time ago!"

Liu Haizhong slapped his thigh and said with great distress:

"That Su Zheng! He's in the backyard! I've known for a while that he's been up to no good. He's always making a racket in the house, I don't know what kind of vandalism he's up to! He's definitely doing something illegal and disorderly! That's counter-revolutionary behavior!"

"Sir, you're here to arrest him, right? I'll lead the way! I know where he hid the things! He can't escape!"

Liu Haizhong became more and more excited as he spoke, his voice so loud that he wanted the whole hospital to hear him.

The neighbors in the courtyard were all terrified, their faces turning ashen.

It's over, Su Zheng is really finished this time.

Even Uncle Erda said so, so it must be a done deal.

At the Jia family's window, Jia Zhangshi's old face beamed with joy: "Serves you right! You were so arrogant! You ate meat without sharing with us! Now you'll be eating bullets!"

However, the operations staff officer's expression turned somewhat strange after hearing Liu Haizhong's words. He glanced at the middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit beside him.

The middle-aged man looked completely bewildered, adjusting his glasses: "This... this old comrade, you're saying Su Zheng... a counter-revolutionary?"

"Yes! Absolutely true!"

Liu Haizhong thought the leader was collecting evidence, so he quickly escalated the situation:

"He's not only a counter-revolutionary, but also disrespectful to elders and a disruptive to neighborhood unity! This black sheep must be severely punished! Even five minutes of shooting wouldn't be too much!"

"lead the way!"

The operations staff officer suddenly shouted, interrupting Liu Haizhong's incessant chatter.

"Okay! This way, please!"

Liu Haizhong assumed the leader was angry and was going to arrest people, so he happily led the way, like a guide, leading the group to the backyard.

"Make way! Make way, everyone! We're on official business!"

Liu Haizhong, taking advantage of Su Zheng's power, drove away the onlookers and rushed all the way to Su Zheng's door.

At this moment, the door to Su Zheng's house was ajar.

To impress everyone, Liu Haizhong kicked open the door without a word, pointed inside, and shouted:

"Su Zheng! You counter-revolutionary! Your deeds have been exposed! The leaders are here to arrest you! Come out and surrender right now!"

Inside the room, Su Zhengzheng sat at the table, holding a pencil in his hand, concentrating on drawing.

Hearing the noise, he slowly raised his head, his gaze calm as still water, even with a hint of mockery.

"Liu Haizhong, what did you just say? That I'm a counter-revolutionary?"

Su Zheng's voice wasn't loud, but in that instant, it sent a chill down Liu Haizhong's spine.

"Still being stubborn even when death is imminent!"

Relying on his military connections, Liu Haizhong pointed at Su Zheng's nose and shouted, "Look closely! This is a big shot from the military region! You've been illegally manufacturing guns, the evidence is irrefutable! You're holding the evidence! Arrest him! Arrest him now!"

He turned to look at the operations staff officer, hoping for his commander's order to crush Su Zheng to the ground.

however.

next second.

The operations staff officer, his face contorted with murderous intent, strode into the room.

He didn't pull out a gun or take out handcuffs.

Instead, he walked to within three meters of Su Zheng, snapped his feet together, straightened his body, and raised his hand in a standard military salute!

His movements were vigorous and powerful, and his eyes were filled with fervent worship.

"Greetings, sir!"

The operations staff officer's voice boomed like a bell, making the dust on the roof flutter down in a flurry.

"Wang Dalei, staff officer of the Operations Department of the Yanjing Military Region, is here on the orders of the Commander to request Comrade Su Zheng to come to the Military Region Headquarters! The Commander said that the car is already waiting at the door, and we would like to ask for your opinion on the issue of equipping the 'Dark Night' rifle!"

"boom--"

That "Greetings, Commander!" was like a thunderbolt from the heavens, striking Liu Haizhong directly on the top of his head.

The sinister smile on his face froze instantly, and he stood there, frozen like a weathered sculpture.

The finger pointing at Su Zheng was still trembling slightly, but it couldn't be pulled back.

Commander?

Commander?

please?

The combination of these words far exceeds the CPU processing capabilities of the notch.

His mind was buzzing, completely blank.

Before he could react...

The middle-aged man in the Zhongshan suit also squeezed in, shoving aside his bangs that were blocking his way, his face beaming with a warm smile, even a hint of ingratiation:

"Oh my! Engineer Su! Chief Engineer Su! I'm so glad to finally meet you in person!"

The middle-aged man reached out and grasped Su Zheng's hands tightly, his affection even greater than when he saw his own father.

"I'm Zhang, the secretary to Minister Liu of the Ministry of Industry! The Minister heard that you've developed a world-leading sniper rifle, and he was so happy he didn't even eat. He specially sent me in his car to pick you up! The Ministry has prepared a celebration banquet for you at the Yanjing Hotel! The Minister said he wants to finalize the establishment of the '001 Special Military Industry Project Team' with you in person!"

"What?!"

The operations staff officer immediately objected, his eyes widening. "Secretary Zhang! You're being incredibly inconsiderate! This is a talent our military region discovered first! I arrived right after Company Commander Li made the call! There's a proper order to things, isn't there?"

"Staff Officer Wang, this isn't a matter of first come, first served!"

Secretary Zhang stood firm, adjusting her glasses and exuding an imposing aura. "Comrade Su Zheng is a key technical expert in our Ministry of Industry! He's a treasure of the Ministry of Metallurgy! He's under our jurisdiction! Your military region is the user, we're your home! How can we possibly try to snatch him away from us?"

"Stop talking nonsense! This gun is for fighting! Those are our men!"

Staff Officer Wang waved his hand, "Engineer Su, ignore these civilian officials and come with us! The commander said that as long as you go, you can allocate all the resources of the military region! You can even build artillery if you want!"

"Engineer Su! Don't listen to this roughneck! The minister said that as long as you stay in the ministry, you'll be promoted directly to deputy chief engineer! Enjoy the benefits of a bureau-level official! House, car, money—you name it, we'll give you!"

The two big shots who had been looking serious just moments before were now arguing heatedly around Su Zheng, their faces flushed, like middle-aged women fighting over cabbage at a market. They almost came to blows.

Su Zheng, like a pillar of strength in the eye of the storm, sat there calmly, even taking a sip of his tea.

"..."

Doorway.

Liu Haizhong had completely collapsed to the ground.

His calves cramped, and he felt a warm sensation in his crotch—this time he was truly terrified and wet himself.

What did he hear?

Deputy Chief Engineer? At the bureau-level? Military Region Commander? Minister of Industry?

Each of these titles, when applied to him, could crush a mere level seven blacksmith into a pulp!

What did he just do? He actually brought people to capture such a deity? And he even planned to shoot him for five minutes?

It’s over.

It's all over.

Liu Haizhong's vision went black; if he hadn't been holding onto the door frame, he probably would have fainted.

At this moment, the neighbors who had gathered in the courtyard were also stunned.

Yan Bugui didn't even realize that his glasses had fallen to the ground and been shattered.

Sha Zhu stared wide-eyed, his jaw nearly dislocated.

Looking at Su Zheng, who was being fought over by two major forces, Qin Huairu's eyes were filled with an extremely complex light—regret, jealousy, and longing intertwined, causing her heart to ache terribly.

Is this Su Zheng, the one they used to ostracize and ridicule?

This isn't human; it's clearly a dragon ascending to heaven!

"alright."

Su Zheng put down his teacup and finally spoke.

As soon as he opened his mouth, the two arguing people immediately shut up and looked at him obediently like primary school students.

"I appreciate both of your kind intentions."

Su Zheng stood up and straightened his collar: "However, I am still an employee of the steel rolling mill, and I still need to hand over my work."

"No need for a handover!"

Secretary Zhang immediately said, "Director Yang has already given the order; your work is top secret, and no one will be able to control you from now on! You will report directly to the department!"

"Okay then."

Su Zheng nodded and glanced at Staff Officer Wang: "Since the commander has invited us, let's go to the military region first. After all, guns are made for fighting, so we need to hear the soldiers' opinions."

"Alright! Mr. Su is very generous!"

Staff Officer Wang was overjoyed and glanced triumphantly at Secretary Zhang.

Although Secretary Zhang was disappointed, he knew he couldn't directly compete with the military region, so he could only smile apologetically and say, "Alright, alright, I'll do as you say. I'll wait for you at the ministry then, you absolutely must come!"

Su Zheng picked up the "Dark Night" sword and strode outside.

As he passed the doorway, he stopped and looked down at Liu Haizhong, who was slumped on the ground.

Liu Haizhong trembled all over and desperately buried his head in his crotch, not daring to look at Su Zheng at all.

"Second Uncle".

Su Zheng's voice was light and airy, yet it struck Liu Hai's heart like a hammer blow: "You just said you were going to shoot me for five minutes?"

"I...I..."

Liu Haizhong trembled all over, his teeth chattering. "Commander Su... I... I'm getting senile... I was blind and looked down on people... Please... please just ignore me!"

"Oh."

Su Zheng sneered, said no more, stepped over Liu Haizhong's body, and walked out the door.

This clown doesn't deserve to waste his breath.

"salute!"

Outside the door, four soldiers stood at attention and saluted in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Amidst the awe, shock, and envy of everyone in the hospital, Su Zheng got into the camouflage jeep.

"boom--"

Engines roared, and dust flew everywhere.

A convoy of Hongqi cars and jeeps drove out of the alleyway, leaving behind only an unapproachable silhouette.

There were also a few heavily armed soldiers remaining at the gate of the courtyard.

One of the captains waved his hand, and two soldiers strode forward carrying several documents:

"This is a confidentiality agreement; please do not reveal anything about what just happened!"

"Furthermore, never mention anything related to Comrade Su Zheng to anyone again. Anyone who violates this rule will be executed for treason!"

The soldiers acted swiftly, having the birds sign and affix their seals before leaving!

All that remained were a pile of birds, dumbfounded and speechless...