Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

When the acceptance form was pushed in front of Zhou Zhiyuan, Huang, the deputy manager of the food company, casually removed the pen cap for him.

"Mr. Zhou, all that's left is your signature."

Three documents were placed on the table, detailing the equipment installation, trial operation, and operational status, all stamped with bright red seals.

Zhou Zhiyuan turned to the last page.

It runs continuously for six hours.

Zero instances of downtime.

He put the pen aside.

"Let's look at the machine first."

The smile on Deputy Manager Huang's face faltered.

"We just tested it this morning, and the temperature dropped very quickly. The county is waiting for our results, and there's really not much to see on site..."

"The inspection is conducted on-site."

The accompanying staff member, Officer Xu, picked up the documents and tried to smooth things over.

"If the machine can be turned on and the temperature can be lowered, then there's no major problem. Minor issues can be left in the rectification comments; they won't delay the signing process."

Zhou Zhiyuan got up and walked out.

"Whether it's a minor issue or not, let's see after we've looked at it."

The cold storage was in the backyard of the food company. The newly painted white walls still smelled of lime, but several temporary electrical wires lay across the entrance. The connectors were wrapped in black electrical tape, and the insulation of the wires was worn gray from being stepped on by the soles of passing shoes.

Old electrician Master Du stood guard by the distribution box. When he saw someone come in, he first pulled off the towel draped over his shoulder to wipe his hands.

Zhou Zhiyuan squatted down and touched the wire connector.

The thread has been softened by the heat.

"Was it this hot last night too?"

Before Master Du could speak, Deputy Manager Huang interjected, "The machine has high power, so the heat generation is normal. We'll replace the wire with a thicker one once it's in regular use."

Master Du frowned and pulled his hat down over his head.

"I said yesterday that this line can't hold up for the night shift."

"Old Du," Deputy Manager Huang turned around, "Today is the inspection day, don't exaggerate something that's not even true as if a major accident has occurred."

Zhou Zhiyuan stood up, did not argue with them, and walked straight to the equipment.

The compressor was running, making a muffled sound. Each time the machine vibrated, the base tapped lightly on the concrete platform.

He crouched down and touched the nut with a wrench.

One of the fixing bolts has come loose.

Deputy Manager Huang quickly called for help: "What did the installation team do? Find someone to tighten it."

"And then what?" Zhou Zhiyuan asked.

"Try again."

"Aren't you going to replace the temporary line?"

Deputy Manager Huang rubbed his hands together.

"We'll inspect it today. If we really change everything according to the new standards, we won't be able to meet the deadline set by the county."

Officer Xu also walked over to Zhou Zhiyuan's side.

"What the higher-ups want is results. If you sign off on the phase completion and include the wiring and base in the rectification comments, everyone will have a clear explanation."

Zhou Zhiyuan looked up at the operation records on the wall.

The data only shows two days' worth of data; the night shift column is empty.

"Wasn't it turned on last night?"

Deputy Manager Huang answered quickly.

"It's open. The night shift worker forgot to fill it out."

Where are they?

An elderly worker in his fifties stood by the door, his work clothes faded from washing, and he clutched a small, tattered notebook in his hand.

Deputy Manager Huang waved to him.

"Old Sun, was the machine working fine last night?"

Old Sun took two steps closer and moved his lips a few times.

"It did start, but... it stopped in the middle."

Deputy Manager Huang's face immediately fell.

"Does that count as you pressing the wrong switch because you weren't familiar with the operation?"

"Not just once."

Old Sun opened his notebook, which contained two recorded times.

1:10 a.m.

3:42 AM.

The machine stopped after it made a muffled sound the first time.

The second time, the wires overheated, and there was a burning smell in the warehouse.

Zhou Zhiyuan took the notebook and looked at the official records on the table again.

It still says on the screen that the number of downtimes is zero.

Who filled out the acceptance materials?

Deputy Manager Huang reached out to take Lao Sun's notebook.

"The night shift worker made a mistake, and then restarted it, so there's no need to consider it an equipment malfunction."

Zhou Zhiyuan avoided his hand.

"Whether it's an operational issue, we'll determine after we investigate. Make a note of what happened."

"Engineer Zhou, you can't let one worker's words bring the whole project to a standstill."

"I'm listening to time and phenomena."

Suddenly, a piercing scraping sound came from the other end of the machine.

The base slammed hard onto the concrete platform, and the indicator lights on the control cabinet flashed continuously. A wisp of white smoke rose from the black electrical tape near the connector, and the smell of burning quickly dissipated.

Master Du rushed over and pulled the main switch.

Zhou Zhiyuan simultaneously pressed the emergency stop button next to the equipment.

After the compressor stopped, the base was still vibrating, and the loose nut rolled half a turn and fell onto the concrete floor.

Everyone in the warehouse was staring at that nut.

The color drained from Deputy Manager Huang's face, and he turned around and lashed out at Master Du.

"You knew there was a problem with the wiring, why didn't you replace it sooner?"

Master Du pulled off the softened thread and threw it directly at his feet.

"I reported it last night. You said to wait until the inspection is completed today before making any changes."

Officer Xu stood to the side, his forehead covered in sweat, with documents between his fingers.

"Replace the cable first, tighten the screws. Try it again this afternoon, there'll be time to sign off."

Zhou Zhiyuan returned to his office with the acceptance form.

Deputy Manager Huang followed closely behind.

"Mr. Zhou, the machine had a minor malfunction, but that doesn't mean the entire project is unqualified. You can sign off on this phase first, and I'll personally oversee the rectification."

Zhou Zhiyuan picked up the fountain pen whose cap had already been removed.

Deputy Manager Huang's shoulders were noticeably relaxed.

The next moment, the pen cap was put back on.

"This form cannot be signed today."

"The county is waiting for the results!"

"Then report that the machine stopped twice, the temporary line overheated, and the base bolts came loose."

Deputy Manager Huang slammed his hand on the table.

"So many people at the food company are waiting to start work. If you delay for even a day, who will be responsible for the losses?"

Zhou Zhiyuan pulled out a blank sheet of paper from the folder and wrote as he spoke:

"The installation team reworked the base today, and the food company and electrician redid the power supply lines. The two shutdowns during the night shift have been added to the official logs, and the equipment has been running continuously for three days. If the same problem occurs again within three days, we will continue to make changes."

Officer Xu came over to take a look.

"Three days in a row is too long."

"The documentation states that it is operating stably."

"What about the deadline?"

"Starting from today."

Deputy Manager Huang stared at the few lines of text on the paper.

"Who will be in charge for these three days?"

"Mechanical installation, signed by the installation team leader. Wiring and power supply, signed by your company. Shift operation status, signed by the personnel on duty."

Zhou Zhiyuan pushed the paper in front of him.

"Whoever is in charge should leave their name."

Old Sun was still standing at the door.

He pulled out a folded self-criticism from behind the notebook, unfolded it, glanced at it, and then slowly folded it back up.

Deputy Manager Huang glanced at the paper, and his face grew even uglier.

"Is there absolutely no problem with his operation?"

Zhou Zhiyuan returned the night shift notebook to Lao Sun.

"If you make a mistake, you should correct it and record it. But the equipment stopped twice, so we can't just make one worker write a self-criticism while the others erase the records."

Old Sun held the notebook and asked questions cautiously.

"So, should I write down the facts about those two times last night?"

"Write the facts. What time it stopped, what sound it made before it stopped, how it was handled after the power was cut off—don't omit anything."

"What if you can't write it well?"

"Write things down clearly first; no one will check how well you write them."

Old Sun nodded and stuffed the self-criticism into the innermost part of his work clothes.

The sounds of wires being removed could already be heard in the yard. Master Du, along with two young electricians, were tearing down the temporary wiring section by section, while the installation team carried their tools into the cold storage.

Deputy Manager Huang stood there for a long time before finally picking up his pen and signing the rectification order.

Are you staying tonight?

Zhou Zhiyuan closed the acceptance materials.

"Let's see the first round of testing."

"Aren't you going back to the county to report?"

"The machine isn't even running yet, what are we going to use to pay?"

He picked up his notebook and walked out, but turned back at the door.

"Don't change the original acceptance form."

Deputy Manager Huang's face darkened again.

"What's the point of keeping it?"

"Wait three days, then put it together with the actual records."

The work lights in the warehouse were turned on again.

The acceptance form, which read "Stable Operation," still had the last name left blank.