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

The news spread like wildfire throughout the entire Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

In less than half an hour, the entrance to the third workshop was packed with people. Not only were there workers from this factory, but representatives from several neighboring companies also came to join the fun.

Factory Director Yang, Deputy Factory Director Li, and all the other factory leaders were present. Everyone's face was filled with tension, and Factory Director Yang's hands were unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes, revealing his extreme unease.

This is not just about a machine; it's about the reputation of the Red Star Factory and, more importantly, about Yang's official position.

Yi Zhonghai stood at the front of the crowd with his hands behind his back, accompanied by several of his fellow level-eight workers. He looked at the machine covered by a canvas and a disdainful sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Old Yi, do you think this kid can make it?" Master Liu asked in a low voice.

"Success?" Yi Zhonghai raised his voice deliberately, as if he'd heard a joke. "We old folks have spent our whole lives as fitters and we couldn't figure it out, and this greenhorn can do it in seven days? What a waste of our lives! I think he's lucky if he even gets it spinning!"

A murmur of laughter rippled through the surrounding crowd; clearly, most people were there to watch the spectacle unfold.

Just then, the workshop door was flung open.

Jiang Chen walked out. Although his uniform was covered in oil stains and he had stubble on his chin, his eyes were frighteningly bright, and he was as energetic as a tiger just released from its cage.

"Factory manager, is everyone here?" Jiang Chen asked casually.

Factory Director Yang strode forward, his voice trembling slightly: "You're all here... Xiao Jiang, is it... really fixed?"

Jiang Chen didn't answer, but turned around and ripped off the canvas covering the machine.

"Splash—"

With the canvas on the ground, the modified steel behemoth finally revealed its true form.

At that moment, a commotion broke out in the entire arena.

"This...this is that machine?"

"Why does it look different? It seems... smaller?"

"This sheen, it's like a mirror!"

Yi Zhonghai was also taken aback. An expert's skill is immediately apparent. Just looking at the machine's appearance and craftsmanship, the metallic texture, and the perfect fit of the components gave him a jolt. But how could this be? Could this level of precision be achieved by hand?

"It's just a pretty face," Yi Zhonghai forced himself to remain calm and sneered. "Machines are meant to be used, not just looked at. What good is something just because it looks good? It only counts when it's running!"

"Then I'll show it to you."

Jiang Chen walked straight to the main control panel and hovered his finger over the red start button.

The entire venue fell silent instantly, thousands of eyes fixed on his fingers. Everyone instinctively covered their ears, because they all knew that the noise of starting up such a heavy rolling mill was deafening, like thunder.

Jiang Chen's fingers fell.

"Click".

The button is pressed.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

The expected roar did not occur, and the ground did not shake.

"What's going on? There's no movement."

"Is it broken? It's not even starting up?"

"Haha, I told you it wouldn't work, this kid messed up!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd, and Yi Zhonghai breathed a sigh of relief, his mocking expression instantly intensifying: "Jiang Chen, is this what you called 'fixed'? It doesn't even have electricity yet!"

However, Jiang Chen simply crossed his arms and looked at them as if they were idiots, a mocking smile on his lips.

"Shut your mouths and listen carefully."

Everyone was stunned and instinctively held their breath.

In the absolute silence, they finally heard it.

"Buzz..."

An extremely faint, pleasant high-frequency buzzing sound emanated from deep within the machine. The sound was so faint that it was like the buzzing of a mosquito; if the entire room hadn't been deathly silent, it would have been completely inaudible.

At the same time, people were horrified to discover that the machine's huge rollers were spinning at an alarming speed, and because the speed was so fast and so steady, it created the illusion of stillness!

"This...how is this possible?!"

An old mechanic exclaimed, pulling a coin from his pocket and placing it shakily on the machine's casing.

The coin didn't budge!

What does this mean? It means that the meshing of all the internal components of the machine has reached a state of perfection, and the dynamic balance has reached the pinnacle of physics! There is no vibration, no friction noise, and all energy has been converted into kinetic energy!

"Load the steel billet!" Jiang Chen gave the order.

The operator, who had been stunned for a moment, finally reacted and hurriedly fed a red-hot steel billet into the feed inlet.

"Whoosh—"

Without the teeth-grinding squeezing sound of the past, the steel billet glided across silk like a piece of tofu.

In an instant, a steel plate of uniform thickness and with a smooth, mirror-like surface slid out from the discharge port.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone gaped, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

Previously, rolled steel plates were covered in pits and ripples, requiring secondary polishing. But this steel plate is so shiny it's like a mirror! And...

"Look at the dial!" someone screamed.

Factory Director Yang rushed over, staring intently at the pointer: "The rotation speed... the rotation speed is twice as fast as before! But the current... the current is only 70% of what it used to be?!"

Double the efficiency, halve the energy consumption!

What does this mean? This is an industrial miracle!

"Whoosh—"

After a brief silence, the entire workshop erupted in cheers that seemed to lift the roof off. The workers went wild, throwing their hats into the air, their faces flushed with excitement.

Factory Director Yang trembled with excitement, tears streaming down his face. He knew that at this moment, Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill was no longer the backward factory that could be easily manipulated; they had their own core technology!

Amidst the revelry, Yi Zhonghai's face was ashen, and he seemed to have lost his spine, collapsing to the ground.

He looked at the quietly running machine, listening to its pleasant buzzing, and felt that all his years of experience as a skilled craftsman had been wasted. Faced with such miraculous techniques, his little bit of experience was simply a joke.

Jiang Chen stood on the high operating platform, looking down at everything.

Disregarding his image, Director Yang rushed onto the stage and gripped Jiang Chen's hand tightly, so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Xiao Jiang! You're a hero! You're a great hero!" Factory Director Yang stammered, his voice choked with emotion. "This is the technology of our own Chinese workers! This is what we've earned! I'm going to report this good news to the ministry immediately! I'm going to recommend you for commendation!"