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

Under the spotlight, dust particles danced in the beam of light.

Su Zheng stood in front of the vise, and all the noise around him seemed to disappear at that moment.

In his world, all that remained was the cold, hard piece of steel before him and the somewhat worn file in his hand.

"Eye of Truth, activated."

Su was silently reciting it in his heart.

hum-

The familiar blue lines filled his field of vision once again.

The irregular piece of W18Cr4V high-speed steel scrap instantly became transparent in his eyes. The internal crystal structure, stress distribution, and even the tiny cracks invisible to the naked eye were clearly presented in his mind.

At the same time, a perfect, golden-glowing three-dimensional model of a "regular dodecahedron" was superimposed on the waste.

The system provides the optimal solution for determining where to cut, where to preserve, where to refine, and even the angle and force of each incision.

Su Zheng made a move.

Unlike a typical fitter, he didn't first use a scribing needle and height gauge to draw lines.

Instead, he picked up a handsaw.

"What is he doing? He's just sawing without marking any lines?"

The elderly workers watching gasped in surprise.

In fitter work, marking is the most fundamental step; it's the standard. To saw without marking is like the blind men and the elephant—even a slight deviation can ruin the entire workpiece!

"Hmph, just trying to attract attention." Yi Zhonghai sneered. "He doesn't even pay attention to the basics, yet he wants to pass the Level 8 exam?"

However, the next second, everyone's doubts were stuck in their throats.

Sizzle—sizzle—sizzle—

The saw blade in Su Zheng's hand seemed to come alive, moving swiftly across the hard high-speed steel.

His movements were large and expansive, full of power, yet the frequency and range of each sawing motion were remarkably consistent.

The ear-piercing sawing sound actually became somewhat...pleasant to the ear under his hands?

Within minutes, the excess scraps fell off one after another.

A rough prototype of a regular dodecahedron actually appeared before everyone's eyes!

There's absolutely no need to draw lines; his eyes are the most precise ruler!

"This...how is this possible?"

Chief Engineer Wang nearly dropped his glasses. He leaned closer to examine it; the cut was smooth and even, the angle… his estimation was extremely precise!

"This feel...it's amazing!" A senior fitter next to him couldn't help but exclaim.

After the rough machining is completed, the next step is the fine machining.

And also the most difficult part—filing.

High-speed steel is extremely hard, and ordinary files slip on it, making it difficult to maintain a steady grip. To file a mirror-like surface on it while ensuring the angle is absolutely perfect requires extreme physical strength and skill.

Su Zheng switched to a fine-toothed assorted file.

His posture changed.

It was no longer the expansive, sweeping movements of before, but had become extremely refined. His body leaned slightly forward, his feet gripping the ground, and the power flowed from his waist to his arms, then condensed at his fingertips.

Sizzle... sizzle...

The sound became delicate and lingering.

Su Zheng closed his eyes at that moment.

Yes, he closed his eyes!

Blind filing!

"What's he doing? Sleeping?" Liu Haizhong shouted sarcastically. "Chief Engineer Wang, look at his attitude! He's taking an exam, why is he closing his eyes?"

"Shut up!" Chief Engineer Wang whirled around, glaring fiercely at Liu Haizhong. "Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand! This is 'sound localization'! This is a technique only top-tier fitters can master! He's judging the cutting amount and surface roughness by the sound of a file rubbing together!"

Liu Haizhong shrank back after being yelled at and dared not utter a sound, but his eyes still showed his resentment.

Su Zheng was completely immersed in his own rhythm.

The Eye of Truth not only provided visual assistance, but also greatly enhanced his sense of touch and hearing through neural connections.

Every vibration from the file as it sliced ​​across the steel surface was clearly transmitted back to his brain.

He knew exactly where the difference was in micrometers.

The feeling was as if he were stroking the texture of steel with his hands, having a spiritual dialogue with the metal.

This is the essence of "craft aesthetics".

It's not tedious labor, but sculpting a work of art.

Time passed second by second.

The workshop grew quieter and quieter; you could hear even your own breathing.

Everyone held their breath, watching the young man sweating under the spotlight.

Under Su Zheng's hands, that originally rough lump of iron gradually shed its ugly exterior and began to exude a charming metallic luster.

It has twelve sides, each as smooth as a mirror, so smooth that it can even reflect a person's image.

One hour.

Two hours.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Su Zheng's forehead, but his hand holding the file remained as steady as a rock, not moving an inch.

As Yi Zhonghai watched the dodecahedron gradually take shape, his unease grew stronger.

Although he didn't want to admit it, his eyesight as an eighth-grade worker told him that the thing in Su Zheng's hand was extremely precise!

Even better than he could do it himself!

"No, we can't let him succeed!"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes darted around, and he suddenly coughed loudly, pretending to be nonchalant as he said, "Ahem, isn't it about time? Su Zheng, I think you should stop dawdling. If you can't do it, just say so. Don't keep playing tricks and delaying everyone's time. Everyone's waiting to get off work and have dinner."

This sudden cough and voice were a fatal interruption during the extremely quiet and focused refinement phase.

A slight tremor of the hand, a scratch, and all the previous efforts are wasted!

The surrounding workers glared angrily at Yi Zhonghai. This was utterly despicable!

Chief Engineer Wang was so angry he wanted to curse.

However, Su Zheng's hands did not tremble at all.

He seemed completely oblivious to Yi Zhonghai's noise, his file continuing to glide smoothly over the last flat surface.

Nourishes—

The last soft sound.

Su Zheng stopped what he was doing.

He slowly opened his eyes and blew away the barely visible layer of metal powder on the surface of the workpiece.

The dodecahedron lay quietly in his palm, refracting a dazzling light under the lamp, like an industrial diamond.

"Is it finished?" Chief Engineer Wang couldn't wait to step forward and inspect it.

"etc."

Su Zheng reached out and stopped him.

He picked up a matching base (also made just now) and gently shook his head.

"There's just one last step left."

"What?" Chief Engineer Wang asked, puzzled.

Su Zheng's lips curled slightly, and a fervent glint flashed in his eyes:

"One more thing... seal in the 'last bit of air'."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of abrasive paper finer than a hair and made the final, and most crucial, fine-tuning adjustment at the edges of the workpiece.

The movement was as gentle as stroking a lover's face.

At that moment, everyone held their breath.

Although they didn't understand what "sealing the air" meant, they instinctively sensed that something that would overturn their understanding was about to happen.