Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

Lin Yang took a thick stack of documents from Shen Yan and slammed them onto the coffee table next to him with a "thud".

"Look at those joint venture agreements you signed! You gave up tax revenue, you gave up land, and in return, all you got were dilapidated assembly lines that had been obsolete for over a decade! They used a few secondhand machines with fresh paint, and you were all blown away, practically offering them the nation's treasury!"

Lin Yang's angry shouts echoed in the waiting room, shocking several managers who turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat.

"You thought I took you to the US for tourism? To drink red wine and eat steak?!"

Lin Yang pointed at the huge passenger plane outside the door, his eyes burning with a tragic yet fervent fighting spirit.

"I'm taking you to see how a true world superpower uses industrial machinery to crush the globe! I'm showing you whether the gap between us and them is measured in years or generations!"

Lin Yang turned around, his gaze fixed on everyone.

"From the moment you board this plane, everyone must abide by three ironclad rules!"

"First, no one is allowed to use public funds to purchase any private consumer goods abroad! Anyone who dares to bring back a color TV or a watch will be stripped of their job and handed over to the authorities!"

"Secondly, we are not allowed to show any servile or ignorant attitude in front of foreigners! If we encounter any technology we don't understand, we can ask questions and take notes, but we must never show any signs of inferiority. We are going there to learn from them, not on a pilgrimage!"

"Third, every evening, everyone must submit an investigation report of no less than 5,000 words. Based on the current industrial situation in your respective provinces, propose corresponding reform plans. Those who cannot write one will stay in the hotel the next day and are not allowed to go anywhere!"

These three ironclad rules sent a chill down the spines of all the officials. This was no overseas inspection tour; it was clearly a high-pressure, grueling training camp!

Pei Yihong, who had been silent all along, suddenly had a gleam in his eyes. He slapped his thigh and shouted, "Don't worry, Chairman! Even if I go blind from exhaustion, I, Pei Yihong, will etch the American mechanical blueprints into my brain and bring them back!"

Lin Yang glanced at Pei Yihong and nodded slightly.

"Boarding!"

A long transoceanic flight of more than ten hours.

As the Boeing airliner broke through the thick clouds and began its descent to N City International Airport on the other side of the ocean, most of the officials in the cabin were already exhausted from the long flight.

However, as they descended the plane's steps, boarded the bus, and entered the highway in N City, all their fatigue was instantly shattered by an unprecedented, earth-shattering visual impact.

The bus traveled on a wide, eight-lane highway.

Outside the window, skyscrapers rise like a steel forest. Their towering facades and massive glass curtain walls reflect the dazzling light of the setting sun.

A stream of sleek, brightly colored cars sped along the highway like a river of fish, forming an endless river of steel.

Giant GG signs on the roadside flash colorful neon lights, playing GG logos for various luxury goods and home appliances.

The carriage was deathly silent.

Several powerful local officials, who wield considerable influence in the country, now resembled country farmers visiting the city for the first time, pressed tightly against the car window, their eyes wide open, mouths slightly agape, and Adam's apples bobbing laboriously.

They originally thought that the multi-story factories and department stores under construction in the country were already the pinnacle of modernization.

But the scene before them shattered their pitiful pride.

This is not even a one-dimensional world!

"How many tons of steel would it take to build such a tall building..." a manager from Central Province muttered to himself, his voice trembling.

"Why are their roads full of private cars? How much gasoline does that consume? Is their energy supply uncontrolled?" Another official wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling that his planned economy thinking had completely failed here.

Pei Yihong remained silent. From the moment he got into the car, he had been holding a notebook, his eyes fixed on the highway guardrails, the welding points of the streetlights, and even the chassis and suspension structures of the cars outside the window. He was frantically sketching on the paper with his pencil, the tip of which had already broken twice from the force of his strokes.

Lin Yang sat in the front row of the bus.

Instead of looking out the window, he quietly observed the expressions of the officials in the rearview mirror.

He saw their shock, their fear, and the uncontrollable spread of their deep-seated inferiority complex.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

Unless their blind arrogance is shattered, they will never know the cruelty of this world.

The bus did not stop in the bustling city center, but drove directly to a large supermarket in the suburbs.

This was the first stop that Lin Yang had specially arranged.

"Get out of the car. Go inside and take a look," Lin Yang ordered calmly.

Full of suspicion, the group followed Lin Yang into the supermarket, which was the size of several football fields.

The automatically sensing glass doors slide open to both sides.

A cool breeze mixed with the aroma of various foods wafted over.

When these high-ranking officials saw the interior of the supermarket, their minds were once again bombarded like a nuclear bomb.

Rows of shelves, each three meters high, stretch as far as the eye can see.

The shelves were piled high with thousands of products, from beautifully packaged snacks and beverages of all flavors to a dazzling array of home appliances, clothing, and shoes.

What suffocated them the most was the fresh food section.

The long refrigerated display case was filled with neatly cut beef, pork chops, salmon, and various seafood that the customers couldn't even name. There was no queue, and no one was limited in their purchases. Housewives pushing shopping carts casually grabbed large pieces of expensive meat chops and tossed them into their carts like cabbages.

A deputy general manager from a poor northern province walked up to a shelf piled high with milk and picked up a two-liter bucket of fresh milk with trembling hands.

His eyes instantly reddened.

In China, a bucket of pure fresh milk like this would be a high-end nutritional product reserved for special supplies, something ordinary people can't even dream of. But here, it's piled up like water, and the price is so cheap that even an ordinary car mechanic can easily buy dozens of buckets.

"How is this possible... How could they possibly have such abundant reserves? This doesn't conform to the laws of production..." The deputy general manager's voice choked with emotion, and at this moment, a deep crack appeared in his absolute confidence in his own economic system.

Pei Yihong stood in the home appliance section, staring intently at a large 21-inch color TV.