Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

"Chinese technology?"

Ivanov laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke of the century. He exaggeratedly clutched his stomach, laughing so hard that tears were almost streaming down his face. Pointing at the pile of paralyzed scrap metal, he said, "You? Or this pile of junk? Young man, you need something to brag about, and you have nothing."

"Jiang Chen! Shut up!"

Before the foreigners could say anything more, Yi Zhonghai was the first to jump out, his wrinkled old face turning a deep purplish-red. He pointed at Jiang Chen's nose, his finger trembling: "Do you know what you're saying? This machine is state property, worth hundreds of thousands! Do you think someone from the security department can touch it? Can you afford to pay for it if you damage it? Are you trying to drag the whole factory down with you?"

In Yi Zhonghai's view, Jiang Chen was simply insane. Even he, a skilled fitter, couldn't see the problem; how could Jiang Chen, a mere youth, dare to make such a boast? This was not only a slap in the face to the foreigners, but also a slap in the face to Yi Zhonghai himself.

Factory Director Yang also recovered from his shock, his face filled with hesitation and struggle. Although he admired Jiang Chen's boldness, this was, after all, a precision machine, not catching spies, much less child's play.

"Xiao Jiang..." Factory Director Yang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice strained, "Your intentions are good, but this isn't farming or cooking. This is precision machinery... If the wiring inside is even slightly wrong, this machine will be completely scrapped."

The surrounding workers whispered among themselves. Although they hoped Jiang Chen would win, reason told them that it was an impossible task.

Faced with overwhelming doubts, Jiang Chen neither defended himself nor showed anger. He simply calmly took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and then looked coldly at Director Yang through the pale blue smoke.

"Factory manager, we'll only know if this is nonsense after we try it."

Jiang Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it had a penetrating power. "The situation is very clear now. Either we kneel down and beg these Russians, losing face on the international stage and wasting a lot of money; or we try it as a last resort."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across Yi Zhonghai's jealous face like a blade, finally settling on Ivanov, and raised a finger.

"Seven days."

"Give me seven days. During these seven days, seal off Workshop 3. No one is allowed to enter except me, including you, Factory Director Yang."

At this point, Jiang Chen abruptly threw his cigarette butt on the ground, crushed it with his shoe, and a chilling ruthlessness flashed in his eyes: "If this machine doesn't start up in seven days, or if its performance doesn't meet factory standards, I, Jiang Chen, will twist my head off and let you kick it around like a ball! I'll tear off this police uniform myself!"

The entire room fell silent.

Even Ivanov was stunned by this fierce determination, his smile freezing on his face. This wasn't just a gamble; it was a pledge, a life-or-death struggle!

Factory Director Yang stared intently at Jiang Chen, trying to find a trace of panic on the young man's face, but all he saw was unfathomable confidence.

Just then, the phone in the workshop office rang. Factory Director Yang answered the phone, and a few seconds later, his expression became extremely solemn, even resolute.

"Yes...yes! Senior leader, I understand!"

After hanging up the phone, Factory Director Yang took a deep breath, as if he had made a momentous decision. He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Jiang Chen: "The top leader overheard that on the phone. His instruction was just one sentence: Let him try! Give it a shot! If anything goes wrong, the ministry will take responsibility!"

With the big leader's approval, no one dared to raise any objections.

"Fine! I'll give you seven days!" Ivanov straightened his collar, resuming his arrogant demeanor. "Seven days later, I'll bring reporters to watch you embarrass yourselves in front of the whole world."

After saying that, he left with his translator and assistant.

Yi Zhonghai glared at Jiang Chen hatefully and sneered, "You don't know your place! Let's see how you get out of this!"

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Jiang Chen was soon left alone in the huge workshop.

The heavy iron gate slowly closed, cutting off the last ray of natural light. The dim yellow lights in the workshop shone on the massive rolling mill, casting a menacing shadow.

The coldness on Jiang Chen's face melted away instantly, replaced by a playful smile.

"Ignorant of your own limitations?" He chuckled lightly, tapping his finger lightly in the air.

"System, open the store."

A pale blue screen unfolded before his eyes, and a dazzling list of goods scrolled rapidly across his retina. Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Chen's gaze locked onto the two items he had already set his sights on.

[Beginner Mechanical Mastery Skill Book]: Price: 500 Trading Points.

【Universal Repair Toolkit (Future Edition)】: Price: 1000 Trading Points.

These 1500 points represented all the wealth he had accumulated from laundering that batch of gold and capturing several undercover agents. But now, he spent it without a second thought.

"Buy."

[Ding! 1500 transaction points deducted, item has been distributed.]

An ancient book emitting a faint glow and a silver-white briefcase appeared out of thin air in his hands. With a thought, Jiang Chen's skill book instantly transformed into countless golden specks of light, surging into his brow like a storm.

boom!

His brain felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, followed by a sharp, throbbing pain. Countless complex pieces of knowledge—the principles of gear meshing, hydraulic transmission formulas, circuit logic diagrams, metallurgy—flooded into his mind like a burst dam.

Those parts, which he had previously seen as nothing more than cold, lifeless metal, now seemed to come alive. He could clearly sense their function, the forces they were under, and even hear the vibrations of the metal molecules inside them.

In just a few seconds, he went from a complete novice in mechanics to a top engineer who could stand out from the crowd in this era.

Jiang Chen slowly opened his eyes, a faint blue light, like a data stream, flashing in them.

He bent down and opened the silver-white toolbox. Inside, there were no ordinary hammers or wrenches, only a set of futuristic-looking, precision instruments that shimmered with a silver sheen.

He casually picked up an original wrench engraved with Russian characters, weighed it in his hand, and found its heavy weight to be somewhat clumsy and ridiculous at that moment.

"build?"

Jiang Chen looked at the behemoth in front of him, a wild smile curving his lips. He casually tossed the Russian wrench into the scrap heap, making a crisp clanging sound.

"No, I want a radical modification."