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

The next morning, the sun was gloomy and the wind was biting.

The auditorium of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, this magnificent Soviet-style building, now resembles a lurking beast, exuding a repressive aura.

The red brick walls looked particularly cold in the bleak winter, and the space under the towering dome, which could hold three thousand people, was packed to capacity.

On ordinary days, this place is where movies are shown and award ceremonies are held, filled with the laughter of workers and the smell of sunflower seed shells.

But today, a suffocating sense of desolation permeates the air.

Above the platform hung a huge red banner with the words "Strengthen internal struggles and eliminate internal parasites" written in Song typeface.

The red background and white lettering, as glaring as blood, made people feel uneasy.

The audience was a sea of ​​black.

The workers, dressed in thick blue-gray cotton overalls, huddled together, but no one dared to whisper or joke as usual.

Everyone hunched their shoulders, tucked their hands in their pockets, and looked away, afraid to make eye contact with the people next to them, and even more afraid of being noticed by the people on stage.

Everyone knows what the phrase "cleaning up the termites" means in this tense era.

That was a storm.

In the very center of the stage, there was a dark green velvet tablecloth.

Factory Director Yang and Deputy Factory Director Li sat side by side.

Factory Director Yang's expression was somewhat solemn, his brows furrowed, and the cigarette in his hand was half-burned, but he forgot to smoke it.

Last night, he received an urgent report from Deputy Factory Director Li, saying that there was an alarming "enemy spy lead." Although he had his doubts, he had no choice but to cooperate in convening the meeting for the sake of the overall situation.

However, Deputy Factory Director Li, standing next to him, was in a completely different state.

He held an enamel mug with the words "Serve the People" printed on it, occasionally blowing away a sip of foam, a barely perceptible sneer playing on his lips.

His gaze swept across the audience like a hunter surveying his hunting grounds.

If this play goes well today, Su Zheng is finished.

Factory Director Yang also has to take the blame for "misjudging people".

When the time comes, who else but him will be the top leader of the steel rolling mill?

Sitting to the side was Section Chief Wang from the Security Section. He was sitting upright with his hands on the holster at his waist, and his expression was frighteningly serious.

Beside Section Chief Wang was another eye-catching "big shot"—a middle-aged military officer in uniform with a stern expression.

He was a military representative sent by his superiors, specifically responsible for supervising the factory's confidentiality work and investigating enemy agents.

In the corner, Su was sitting at the very edge of the first row.

Unlike the tense and stiff people around him, his posture was exceptionally casual, even a bit lazy.

He leaned back in his chair, his long legs crossed, and his arms clasped in front of his chest.

He wasn't holding a notebook or a pen, and there wasn't a trace of panic on his face.

Su Zheng was like a ticketed audience member patiently waiting for the curtain to rise.

The conference began.

The process is tedious.

Deputy Factory Director Li read the draft sent down from above for a long time, his voice rising and falling in a very official tone.

"Comrades! We must never let our guard down in the struggle within the factory! Class enemies still lurk among us, right here in the ranks of our proud workers!"

"They disguised themselves as activists and technical experts, but behind the scenes they were doing shady things! They sabotaged production, stole intelligence, and attempted to overthrow our hard-won victory!"

Deputy Factory Director Li's voice echoed in the auditorium, carrying a jarring resonance.

He cleared his throat and put down the manuscript at the end.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became extremely tense.

As everyone knows, here comes the main topic.

"The purpose of today's factory-wide meeting, besides announcing the policies from above, is also to address the most important point!"

Deputy Factory Director Li suddenly raised his voice, his eyes sharpening, "That was yesterday, when we received a formal complaint from the public!"

"Some bad elements have infiltrated our factory's ranks! They're even... suspected of treason!"

"boom!"

The moment the words "colluding with the enemy" were uttered, the audience erupted in uproar.

The once lifeless crowd suddenly became boiling water.

"Treason? My God, that's a capital offense!"

"Who is it? How dare they?"

"It couldn't be that guy, could it...?"

Countless horrified and suspicious glances swept through the crowd.

Deputy Factory Director Li was very satisfied with the result.

He raised his hand and gestured for silence: "Quiet! Keep quiet!"

"If you don't want anyone to know, then don't do it! Now, please come to the stage, whistleblower, and expose the crimes in public! Let's see who is eating the people's food while smashing the people's pot!"

The voice just fell.

The backstage curtain was suddenly ripped open.

Liu Haizhong jumped out from backstage like a springy ball.

He was clearly dressed up carefully today.

He deliberately wore a faded new Zhongshan suit, with the top button fastened tightly, and two pens pinned to his chest—what he considered the standard attire for a "cadre".

Her hair was combed so slicked back that it was shiny and oily; I had no idea how much hair oil she had used.

But his chubby face turned a deep liver color due to excessive excitement and nervousness.

Those not-so-large eyes gleamed with an almost insane, desperate light.

Behind him followed Xu Damao, who looked rather timid.

Xu Damao clutched a dirty, crumpled blueprint tightly in his hand, as if he were holding a ticket to a life of wealth and glory.

The two walked one after the other to the microphone in the center of the stage.

Liu Haizhong first slapped the microphone twice.

"Hey! Hey!"

The ear-piercing roar of electricity instantly pierced through the entire venue, causing the leaders and workers in the front row to cover their ears in pain.

Liu Haizhong, however, was completely unaware.

He took a deep breath, straightened his non-existent chest, and roared in a trembling yet extremely loud voice:

"I'm Liu Haizhong, a level seven forging worker in Workshop Two! I'm also one of the factory's veteran workers, the second oldest in the compound!"

"The person I'm going to expose today usually puts on a respectable facade. Everyone thinks he's a technical expert, the factory's prized possession! But let me tell you, he's a wolf in sheep's clothing!"

Liu Haizhong suddenly raised his hand, his short, stubby fingers pointing straight at the corner of the audience as if he wanted to pierce the air.

"That person is—Su Zheng!"

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

At that moment, all three thousand pairs of eyes in the audience focused on Su Zheng.

Surprise, astonishment, disbelief... a mix of emotions swirled in their eyes.

However, Su Zheng, who was at the center of the storm, didn't even lift an eyelid.

He maintained that languid posture, with even a faint smile on his lips.

It was as if the person pointing at him with bangs wasn't him, but rather the air, or a clown performing acrobatics.

This disregard completely enraged Liu Haizhong.

"Su Zheng! Stop pretending to be dead!"

Spittle flew from his bangs, and his face trembled. "You think nobody knows what you've been up to? You think you can hide in that so-called lab, close the door, and we won't know what you're up to?"

"I have evidence! The evidence is irrefutable!"

He snatched the blueprint from Xu Damao's hand, held it high above his head, like a "messenger of justice" holding a torch.

"Look everyone! This is the evidence!"

"We found this in the trash that Su Zheng threw away! Look at what's drawn on this! It's not parts, it's not a machine, it's just scribbles! And these foreign characters!"

Liu Haizhong unfolded the blueprints and showed them to the audience.

Although it was too far away to see clearly, one could vaguely make out the dense lines and complex symbols on it.

"These aren't technical blueprints! These are codes! Codebooks for communicating with enemy agents!"

Liu Haizhong roared hoarsely, his voice shrill from the cracking sound, "What's a fitter doing instead of working properly? What's he doing drawing these incomprehensible things? Something's definitely fishy! I suspect he's a spy lurking in our factory! He's betraying our intelligence to the enemy!"

The audience was completely silent.

The workers looked at each other, their hearts pounding with anxiety.

Although most people think Liu Haizhong is talking nonsense, after all, everyone has seen Su Zheng's skills.

But that drawing... does look really strange.

Moreover, during this special period, once someone is labeled a "spy," it's like mud falling into your crotch—even if it's not excrement, it's still excrement.

Who would dare to speak up for a "spy"?

Seeing that the situation had been brought under control, Xu Damao quickly moved closer to the microphone and added insult to injury in a sinister tone:

"That's right! I can testify too! I'm Xu Damao, the projectionist at our factory. I live in the same courtyard as Su Zheng. That guy's always acting strangely; his house is always locked up, the curtains are drawn tight, and sometimes there are strange lights and sounds in the middle of the night! He's definitely up to something sabotage, or maybe he's sending telegrams!"

The two of them, speaking in unison and with spittle flying, turned a scene of framing someone out of jealousy into a trial of truth.

Deputy Factory Director Li, sitting in the back, watched this scene with immense joy.

Although this evidence is somewhat far-fetched, even absurd, so what?

Political struggles never require perfect evidence.

All we need to do is muddy the waters, ruin Su Zheng's reputation, and make him a suspect.

If suspicion arises, his position as "military region advisor" must be suspended pending investigation.

Once he's suspended from his post, Li Huaide has plenty of ways to ruin him.

"Comrade Su Zheng."

Deputy Factory Director Li spoke in a pretentious, authoritative, and cold tone, "Do you have anything to explain regarding the accusations made by Comrade Liu Haizhong and Comrade Xu Damao?"

"This is a serious accusation. If you can't prove where these things came from, the security department might have to call you in for questioning."

Everyone was looking at Su Zheng.

We await his response.

Is it an angry rebuttal? Or panic?

Su Zheng finally made a move.

He slowly stood up, gracefully straightened his collar, and patted off non-existent dust from his cuffs.

Then, he turned around and faced all three thousand employees.

His face showed no fear, no anger, only a faint, pitying look, as if he were looking at a fool.

That look in his eyes was haughty, like a dragon in the clouds looking down on ants in a quagmire.

"explain?"

Su Zheng smiled. His voice wasn't loud, but thanks to the acoustics of the auditorium, it had a strange penetrating power and clearly reached everyone's ears.

"What explanation is needed for the barking of two mad dogs?"

"you!"

Liu Haizhong was so angry he almost fainted. "You're about to die and you're still being stubborn! I think you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!"

Su Zheng ignored him and slowly turned around, his gaze passing over Deputy Factory Director Li and landing directly on the military representative who had been silent all along.

"Commander."

Su Zheng's voice was calm yet firm, "Does that blueprint look familiar to you?"

The military representative, who had been sitting like a statue, slowly stood up.

His movements were slow, but each movement carried a chilling pressure.

He pushed back his chair, strode to the center of the stage, and stared intently at the piece of paper in Liu Haizhong's hand.

"Give it to me." The military representative held out his hand, his voice low.

Liu Haizhong was taken aback. He had originally thought the military representative was there to arrest Su Zheng, so why did this tone sound so strange?

"Sir, this is the evidence! Look, these are all codes..." Liu Haizhong wanted to take credit, so he eagerly handed over the blueprints, his face full of ingratiating smiles.

The military representative snatched the blueprints away.

I only glanced at it.

"brush!"

The military representative's face instantly turned ashen, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound.

The military representative slammed his hand hard on the table in front of him, so hard that the teacups on the table jumped up and shattered on the ground.

"You bastard!!!"

This roar, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploded in the auditorium, making everyone's eardrums buzz.

Liu Haizhong was so frightened that he trembled, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground.

"Chief...Chief?"

"Who gave you permission to take this out?!"

The military representative's voice carried an undisguised murderous intent, the kind only someone who had truly been on the battlefield and seen blood could possess.

He pointed to the crumpled blueprint, his fingers trembling: "This is a draft of a top-secret national project! Even if it's a rejected draft, it's still classified as a first-level confidential document! It must be destroyed on the spot in the secure room!"

"You...you actually dared to bring it out of the classified area?! And you even dared to display it in public?!"

"Do you know what this is? This is a radar signal processing circuit diagram! Every code and every parameter on it is a core secret that our army has not yet deployed! It is a plan designed by Comrade Su Zheng with painstaking effort for national defense!"

"You're saying it's a spy code?"

The military representative suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao like a sharp sword, then sweeping over Deputy Factory Director Li behind them.

"I think you are the ones who leaked state secrets! You are the enemy spies who were lying in wait!"

boom!

These words were like a bombshell, exploding directly in Deputy Factory Director Li's mind.

Top secret project?

Top-secret?

Radar circuitry?

The teacup in Deputy Factory Director Li's hand fell to the ground with a "clang" and rolled a long way.

His face was ashen, he was drenched in sweat, and he slumped in the chair as if his spine had been removed.

It’s over.

We've hit a brick wall.

And it was a red-hot iron plate.

The fire has burned him!

The workers below the stage were also stunned.

A dramatic reversal. A shocking reversal.

Just moments ago, Liu Haizhong was a "hero who exposed wrongdoings," but in an instant, he became a "criminal who leaked secrets."

It turns out that those "scribbles" drawn by the Soviet engineer were actually top-secret radar technology of the country!

"Engineer Su... Engineer Su is amazing!"

"This is truly a peerless hero!"

"Those two bastards, Liu Haizhong and his ilk, actually used state secrets to frame people! They're utterly despicable!"

Public opinion shifted instantly.

Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao were completely dumbfounded.

"No...no..."

Liu Haizhong stammered, trembling all over, "This...this was picked up from the garbage dump...I didn't know...I thought it was a spy..."

"Don't know? Does not knowing mean you can pick up and disseminate classified documents at will? Does not knowing mean you can slander military experts?"

The military representative was furious and waved his hand dismissively.

"Someone come here!"

"exist!"

Several security officers who had been lying in wait backstage rushed out like wolves.

"Arrest these two scoundrels who stole state secrets and slandered researchers! Interrogate them thoroughly!"

"yes!"

Several officers rushed forward, twisted Liu Haizhong's arms behind his back, and pinned him to the ground.

"Injustice! Commander, you've been wronged!"

Liu Haizhong was so frightened that he soiled himself, his crotch instantly becoming soaked, and a foul stench filled the air.

He struggled and howled like a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered.

"I really don't know! It was Deputy Factory Director Li... it was Deputy Factory Director Li who made me do it!"

At the critical moment of life and death, Liu Haizhong unhesitatingly revealed the mastermind behind it all.

"He told me this in his office yesterday! He said that if I take down Su Zheng, he'll make me the deputy director of the workshop! He even gave me two bottles of wine!"

"Xu Damao was also present! He can testify! It was all instigated by Li Huaide!"

All eyes immediately turned to Deputy Factory Director Li.

That kind of gaze is more piercing than a knife.

Deputy Factory Director Li suddenly stood up, his voice shrill: "Liu Haizhong, you're spouting nonsense! When did I ever tell you to do this?! You're a mad dog biting people indiscriminately!"

But his explanations sounded weak and unconvincing. His trembling legs and the cold sweat on his forehead betrayed him.

Su Zheng stood below the stage, watching this dog-eat-dog farce, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He knew this would happen.

This is human nature.

When interests align, they are allies; when disaster strikes, they are enemies.

But it's not over yet.

Su Zheng slowly walked onto the podium.

With each step he took, the murmurs from the audience subsided a little.

When he stood in front of the microphone, the entire room was completely silent.

Su Zheng took the microphone, his gaze sweeping over the ashen-faced Deputy Factory Director Li. His voice was calm, yet thunderous:

"Deputy Factory Director Li, whether Liu Haizhong is making false accusations or not, the security department can find out with a simple investigation."

"However, what many people may not know is what our soldiers were doing last night while some people were busy rummaging through trash cans and framing me."

Su Zheng pointed to the doorway.

"Section Chief Wang, bring him in!"

"yes!"

The door burst open.

Section Chief Wang personally escorted several people, who were bound hand and foot, into the room.

Leading the way was Engineer Liu, the "good guy" from the technical department.

At this moment, he looked haggard and his eyes were dull.

Following behind were a man in a Zhongshan suit with a broken wrist, and a "viper" with a shattered knee and being dragged along.

They were all dejected, their bodies still bearing the marks of last night's fierce battle.

The entire audience was shocked.

"That's... Engineer Liu?"

"There are people outside too? Are those gunshot wounds?"

Su Zheng's voice resonated throughout the venue, each word striking the hearts of the audience like a heavy hammer:

"This is what a real spy is like."

"We just dismantled the real enemy spy organization 'Blackwater' and captured the agent who had been lying in wait for many years! We protected the country's property and secrets!"

"True warriors bleed and fight desperately, battling the enemy in the darkness; and you—"

Su Zheng suddenly pointed his finger at Deputy Factory Director Li and Liu Haizhong.

"You parasites, stabbing each other in the back and engaging in infighting, are willing to betray your comrades and even leak state secrets for your pitiful lust for power!"

"Who is loyal? Who is treacherous? I think everyone knows the answer in their hearts!"

boom!

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

The workers' anger was completely ignited.

This stark contrast, this bloody truth, infuriates every person with a conscience.

"Down with the traitor!"

"Down with the parasites!"

"Salute to Jiangsu engineers!"

The slogans rose and fell, echoing through the sky, almost lifting the dome of the auditorium.

Deputy Factory Director Li slumped in his chair, his face ashen.

Looking at the angry crowd below the stage, and at the young man standing on the stage like a god of war, he knew that he was completely finished.

"take away!"

The military representative gave the order.

With a wave of his hand, Section Chief Wang sent several soldiers rushing forward, disarming Deputy Factory Director Li, and subduing him on the spot.

Liu Haizhong, Xu Damao, and Deputy Factory Director Li—this string of "grasshoppers"—were all taken away.

They will face severe legal punishment.

Su Zheng stood on the stage, watching this scene with a calm expression.

He turned around, nodded slightly to the military representative and Director Yang, then straightened his collar and strode down from the platform.

Sunlight streamed through the high window, bathing him in a golden glow.

Behind him, thunderous applause erupted.