I started with a ship full of max-level veterans, and I'm just a complete noob.

The smoke hadn't dissipated in the backstage lounge of the auditorium when the head of the personnel department burst in, slamming the door against the wall and making the teacup sway halfway.

Director Zheng sat on a leather armchair, half a Zhonghua cigarette between his fingers. Opposite him sat Director Wang of the Guangzhou Port Inspection Station, whose worn-out Zhongshan suit had white cuffs.

The head of the personnel department slammed Jiang Ming's file folder onto the coffee table, beads of sweat rolling down his temples.

"Director Zheng, this is a huge mess!"

"That Jiang Ming absolutely refused to go to the Beijing Advanced Institute of Mechanical Engineering. He had a secure job as an assistant researcher right in front of him, but he insisted on going to the grassroots level and working in a front-line electronic component factory."

"He even publicly declared that he wouldn't sign anything if he wasn't allowed into the workshop."

The head of the personnel department drank half a glass of cold water and wiped his hands until the edges were almost frayed.

"Director Zheng, this man is a ship-saving hero on the Ministry's radar. Hundreds of people in the auditorium are watching him. The old expert in the front row was so angry that he took off his glasses, and Xu Chongwen was even adding fuel to the fire."

"I'm stuck in this situation. Should I send the security department over to scare them?"

(°Д°) Director Zheng's hand holding the cigarette froze in mid-air, his brows furrowed.

He has been in charge of the allocation of returning talents for many years. He has seen people complain about low-level units and poor treatment. But this is the first time he has seen someone who would choose to go to the grassroots workshop instead of the highest scientific research institutions.

Director Zheng stubbed out his cigarette, his face darkening.

"Nonsense! Returned overseas students are the nation's precious treasures. Who are you trying to scare with the security department?"

"You go outside and wait. No one is allowed to touch a hair on his head without my permission."

The head of the personnel department shrank back, nodded repeatedly, and left, closing the door behind him.

After the door was closed tightly, Director Zheng looked at Director Wang.

"Old Wang, is this the Jiang Ming you mentioned in your urgent telegram?"

Director Wang didn't rush to answer. He opened his briefcase, took out a yellowed folder marked "Top Secret," and pushed it to the center of the coffee table with both hands.

"Chief, take a look at this first."

Director Zheng opened the folder, which contained Jiang Ming's resume, with a worn black-and-white photograph next to it.

The photo shows a young man in an old-fashioned military uniform, with strong brow bones, a straight nose, and eyes that reveal a ruthless edge that can see through steel.

Director Zheng compared the photo with Jiang Ming's resume photo, then put a sofa cushion behind his back and pointed at the photo with his finger.

"This kid, how come he looks so much like Old Lei back in the day?"

Director Wang nodded emphatically, his eyes reddening.

"A few days ago, when I was checking passports at the port, Jiang Ming stood in front of me, and the hairs on the back of my head stood up."

"These features, these contours, are almost identical to Lao Lei's when he was an undercover agent in Shanghai."

Director Zheng stood up and paced back and forth in the lounge, his leather shoes creaking on the wooden floor.

"Back when Lao Lei was running an underground radio station in Shanghai, he was surrounded and killed by the enemy while carrying explosives in order to destroy the codebook. He didn't even leave behind a complete body."

"I've never heard of him having any children. Have you investigated this kid's background?"

Director Wang flipped to the last page of the folder and sighed.

"It's chilling when you can't find it."

He pointed to the copy of the top-secret list, pressing his fingertip on the last line.

"Before the USS President Cleveland departed, the inside line frantically sent back a list of only twenty-four people. Jiang Ming's name was written on the spot with a fountain pen, and the ink marks were completely different from the previously printed names."

Director Zheng narrowed his eyes, his face filled with barely suppressed murderous intent.

Director Wang lowered his voice even further.

"It is no coincidence that a living person could be squeezed into the list of those returning to China under American surveillance, and even obtain a legal passport and ship ticket."

"I suspect that it was our old informant who stayed overseas back then who did everything he could to get this last seedling onto the ship."

The lounge fell silent, the bright sunlight streaming in through the window, yet the room felt stiflingly heavy.

If Jiang Ming is truly a descendant of martyr Lao Lei, if he is truly the spark that an unsung hero risked his life to bring back, then this kid's significance is immense.

Director Zheng sat down again and tapped his fingers on the table.

"Has the situation on board been verified?"

Director Wang immediately handed over another report.

"It's been confirmed; he's nothing short of a monster."

"The cruise ship encountered a severe storm in the Pacific Ocean. The main oil pump in the engine room collapsed, and thousands of people had to feed the fish at any time."

"It was Jiang Ming who stepped forward and came up with a physical compensation solution, which involved drawing high-pressure steam, cooling it with condenser pipes, and then adding high-pressure oil."

Director Wang opened the report and pointed to one section.

"Chief, if the pressure is even slightly off, the steam pipe will burst on the spot, and he will die."

"But he managed to pull everyone back from the brink of death, and even that arrogant foreign captain sent us an international telegram to express his gratitude."

(✧◡✧) Director Zheng's eyes lit up as he listened, and he slapped his thigh.

Director Wang swallowed hard, then suppressed another bombshell announcement.

"That's not all. According to secret reports from fellow passengers, Comrade Qian Xuesen held Jiang Ming in high regard."

"Not only did Professor Qian personally tutor him, but when he was ostracized, Professor Qian also carried his tattered suitcase for him in public."

Director Wang paused for a moment.

"The most crucial point is that Professor Qian himself admitted that he formally accepted Jiang Ming as his student."

The coffee table trembled as Director Zheng slammed his hand on it, and water from the cup splashed onto the table.

"good!"

"He has courage, brains, and the ruthlessness to risk his life, and he can also get Mr. Qian to take him on as a disciple."

Director Zheng's face was flushed, and his voice trembled.

"Regardless of whether he's Old Lei's son or not, this kid is a national treasure sent back by God!"

Director Wang cautioned, "Chief, what should we do if he insists on going to the electronics factory to tighten screws?"

"Should we change the allocation document back and force it into the Advanced Mechanical Engineering Institute?"

"Working conditions in an electronics factory are tough; what if something goes wrong..."

"No changes."

Director Zheng waved his hand to interrupt him, picked up the red and blue pencils on the table, and drew two thick red lines on Jiang Ming's file folder.

You can't raise a true dragon in a greenhouse.

"He has the ambition and wants to work his way up from the bottom in a factory, so let's grant his wish."

"The Institute of Advanced Mechanical Engineering has many senior experts, many rules, and a strong emphasis on seniority. If someone like him, who came from an unorthodox background, were to enter, he would be unable to fully utilize his abilities."

Director Zheng pushed the file bag back, his fingertips pressing against the cover.

"His personal file was immediately classified as confidential, and no one was allowed to access it without authorization."

"The assignment will be done as he said; I'll go to the Third Electronic Components Factory under the First Ministry of Machine Building in Beijing."

"Level 10 technical skill, awarded the title of Assistant Engineer."

Director Zheng raised his eyes, each word growing harsher than the last.

"Tell the director of the Third Electronics Factory that this kid wants to do experiments and needs to use equipment. As long as he doesn't violate any principles, give him the green light with all the factory's resources."

Director Wang immediately stood up and put his feet together.

"clear!"

With the important matter settled, Director Wang's tense shoulders relaxed a bit, but looking at the encrypted file, he still couldn't figure it out.

"Chief, I still don't understand."

"Why would this kid leave the research institute and insist on going into this run-down workshop that reeks of machine oil and solder? What's he after?"

"Go down there and become a local tycoon who repairs radios?"

Director Zheng sneered and pulled open the locked drawer at the bottom of his desk.

He took out a kraft paper envelope with the ministry's top-secret sealing wax mark, pulled out a slip of paper from it, and pushed it onto the coffee table.

Director Wang bent down and leaned closer, and after just one glance, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

It was a handwritten letter of recommendation addressed to a high-ranking official in a ministry. The penmanship was strong and vigorous, and a personal seal was affixed to the lower right corner.

Qian Xuesen's seal.

"You think this kid's just lost his mind?"

Director Zheng picked up his teacup, blew away the tea leaves floating on the surface, and turned his gaze northward.

Director Wang held the letter, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

"Before heading north overnight, Qian Xuesen actually submitted a letter of recommendation to the ministry?"

"This kid has two powerful protectors backing him!"

Director Zheng carefully locked the letter of recommendation back into the drawer.

"Even if Mr. Qian personally recommends someone, the ministries will still give him some face."

"We'll just watch from the shadows."

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking towards the front of the auditorium, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Old Wang, do you really think he went to that run-down workshop to tighten screws?"

Director Wang paused for a moment, then shook his head.

Director Zheng looked at the file folder on the table, his voice muffled by the smoke.

"Just wait and see."

"The person personally recommended by Mr. Qian, who has gone into the most basic electronics factory, might actually be able to make a huge splash for us."