Courtyard House: My Time Travel is a Bit Too Strong

If he can't handle equipment design, then he'll focus on people... The greater the strength, the faster the reaction, and the greater the chance of survival on the battlefield.

"Why is it not moving up ahead?" Shen Ge leaned forward.

"The highway is completely jammed; something's probably happened. Hold on tight, I'll go check it out." Lin Quan slammed on the brakes, pushed open the door, and got out of the car, his steps both steady and hurried. He was a soldier; if he saw something, he couldn't just walk around it.

As the year draws to a close, migrant workers rush back to their hometowns, and the traffic is as dense as a market.

When life gets easier, you can buy a new car for just tens of thousands of yuan; some wealthy families have several cars, and some can't even fit them all in their garages.

Eager to get home, thoughts wander, the accelerator is pressed too hard, the steering wheel is turned too sharply... A moment of distraction on the highway can lead to an accident.

"Comrade, I am on active duty." Lin Quan approached a traffic policeman and saluted.

"Hello!" the other person replied immediately.

"I'm strong, can you lend a hand?"

"The fire department is on their way here; we have to wait for them to bring hydraulic shears to break down the door."

"I'll give it a try." After saying that, Lin Quan took two steps forward, grabbed the deformed car door frame with one hand, felt a weight on his shoulders and back, and twisted his arm... With a crisp "crack", the entire door was torn off as if it were being ripped off paper.

The driver slumped in the driver's seat, panting heavily, while the two children in the back seat cried until their voices were hoarse. Lin Quan didn't stop, carrying the children out one by one, and with the traffic police's permission, he towed the several cars blocking the main road to the emergency lane.

More and more people gathered around. Some people had their mouths open and forgot to close them, while others took out their phones and had just opened the camera when their companions grabbed their arms.

"Please don't take pictures, thank you for your cooperation." Lin Quan wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled.

"Comrade, thank you so much! May I ask for your company number?" The traffic policeman wiped his face, his voice trembling slightly.

"It involves classified information, I apologize." Lin Quan raised his hand in salute again, turned around and walked towards his SUV, his figure quickly blending into the traffic.

Lin Quan got back into the driver's seat and started the car.

"I saved over a thousand yuan in toll fees." Shen Ge smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I haven't been back for over two years, and I can't even recognize all the towns anymore," Lin Quan said calmly, gazing at the fleeting signs outside the window.

"Buy something on the way back so you don't have to make the trip again," Shen Ge suggested.

The two bought cured meat, pastries, toothpaste, soap, and hand warmers for the elderly in town before driving into the village.

As soon as the tall, sturdy military off-road vehicle came to a stop, the villagers gathered around... Children peered through the windows, elderly people slowly strolled closer with their canes, and women stood at the gate of their courtyards, carrying vegetable baskets and looking around.

Lin Quan glanced at his grandparents' snow-white hair at their temples and felt a weight lift from his heart: after working for twenty years, he would apply for retirement.

He served in the army for eight and a half years. If he continues for another eleven and a half years, his grandparents will be approaching eighty-five, and his parents will be in their early sixties.

"We'll see how much we can accomplish in the remaining eleven and a half years."

The thought flashed through his mind. He looked up and met the smiling faces of his elders. He offered cigarettes, poured tea, answered questions, and responded. He was quick and efficient, and although he didn't say much, every word he uttered was meaningful.

"Shen Ge, you brought it up?" Lin Weijun asked, squinting as he held a cigarette between his fingers.

"I've been promoted one level." Shen Ge smiled easily.

"Where's Ah Quan? Why isn't he making a sound?"

"He reached the top long ago," Shen Ge answered for him. "The higher-ups wanted him to be promoted to officer, but he didn't agree."

"Is there really no chance now?" Lin Weijun was taken aback.

"First-class sergeant major, the highest rank among non-commissioned officers." Lin Quan took over the conversation, stubbing out his cigarette in the enamel mug. "There are no more steps to climb above that."

After staying at home for about ten days, Lin Quan drove away from Chongqing.

After spending more than ten quiet days with Shen Ge, I returned to the Knife Edge Training Camp.

He occasionally substitutes for the chief instructor to lead training, but spends most of his time in the lab and workshop... coding, adjusting parameters, disassembling and assembling equipment. When he has free time, he personally tries out the newly issued individual equipment, pondering as he puts it on: Will lowering the seat back by two centimeters put pressure on my lower back? Would adding a cushioning layer to the knee pad joint make it more impact-resistant? Can the distortion at the edge of the scope's field of view be recalibrated?

He was recognized as the top repairman in the entire battalion; there was no vehicle he couldn't repair, whether it was an airplane, a tank, a submarine, or an off-road vehicle.

He never attended a formal institution; he relied entirely on self-study, accumulating experience, and learning from experienced masters. He may not be able to build a complete weapon system, but he can certainly modify a part, adjust a component, or patch a section.

The person who designs the equipment and the person who carries it up mountains and across rivers every day are never the same person.

Whether a seat is too high or too low, too wide or too narrow, it may seem like a small matter, but in a war, it could mean a difference of half a second in firing a shot, an inch less cover, or an extra misjudgment.

Five years later, the research institute successfully developed a human enhancement drug using blue crystals.

After three months of consistent training following the injection, strength generally increased by around 1,000 kilograms.

Once the potion was introduced, the entry requirements for the Blade's Edge Training Camp were significantly lowered... People who used to need three years of arduous training to meet the standards could now do so in just six months.

The powerful military system that Lin Quan had worked on for countless sleepless nights seemed to have been relegated to a corner all of a sudden.

But in reality, it's not outdated.

First, the foundation is solidified with the enhanced military system, raising the load limit to 500 kilograms; then, the upper limit is increased to 1,500 kilograms by administering the medicine... This increases the load capacity by half compared to simply administering medicine, meaning that it can carry an additional set of protective components, two more ammunition modules, and withstand one more extreme maneuver.

Days passed by like this, without any shouts or bells. But one day, while organizing files, the clerk handed over a document with a red cover: "Sergeant Lin, your military service... has reached twenty years."

"Do you really want to go back?" Lin Tao asked.

"Mm," Lin Quan responded with a nod.

"Okay, approved." Lin Tao picked up his pen, signed, and stamped the document with his red seal.

More than a month ago, Lin Quan submitted his retirement application.

At almost the same time, Shen Ge also submitted the same materials.

The next morning, the two packed their bags and walked out of the military camp. They walked slowly and spoke little, but it felt as if a heavy burden of more than twenty years had been lifted from their shoulders.

"I put on this outfit when I was twenty-two, and now I'm taking it off at forty-three... It's all in the blink of an eye." Lin Quan smiled.

"That's right, I'm forty-three too," Shen Ge replied naturally.

"You look like you're just over thirty," Lin Quan said.

The sapphire crystal had preserved her appearance at twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with firm skin, bright eyes, and hardly any fine lines at the corners of her eyes.

After staying at his parents-in-law's house for a few days, Lin Quan drove Shen Ge back to her hometown.

"My military service is just two months shy of 21 years. My pension will be calculated as 85% of my pre-retirement salary, plus double the base amount, so I'll get 59,200 a month after taxes," Lin Quan said lightly as he drove.

"I have 20,200 here." Shen Ge put her bag on her lap and casually tidied the stray hairs on her forehead.

Ten years ago, Lin Quan's monthly salary was 16,000 yuan; in recent years, it has increased significantly, and the basic salary for officers and soldiers has more than doubled. Together, the two of them earn a little over 70,000 yuan, which is enough to live comfortably, with all their food, drink, accommodation, and transportation covered, and they still have money to spare.

The average monthly income per capita in China is over 12,000 yuan, with higher figures in places like Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Haizhou, around 25,000 to 26,000 yuan. But numbers are just numbers; when spread across different places, their meaning changes drastically... People in developed areas earn more and spend more; people in remote mountain villages earn less, but a bowl of rice, a basket of vegetables, and a pig are all grown and raised by themselves.