Siheyuan: I, Shazhu, started out as an army and became a general.

The victory celebration banquet was held right there in the sand.

The so-called banquet was nothing more than slaughtering those pigs that had been raised at the base but whom they had been reluctant to kill, and giving each person two large, shiny pieces of fatty meat and plenty of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

The campfire illuminated the night sky over the Gobi Desert.

The young scientists got drunk; some cried, some laughed, and some even yelled Qinqiang opera at the top of their lungs at the lingering mushroom cloud.

He Yuzhu didn't join in the fun.

He sat on a sand dune a little distance from the crowd, holding a stainless steel flask in his hand, his eyes calm, like the night in the Gobi Desert.

"What? Is the great hero hiding here contemplating life?"

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Marshal Nie, wrapped in his military overcoat, plopped down on the ground, seemingly unbothered by the sand, and pulled out two steamed buns from his pocket, handing one over.

"I haven't been thinking about life." He Yuzhu took the steamed bun, took a bite, and found it so hard it could be used as a weapon. "I'm thinking, the trump card we have right now needs to have a leg."

Nie Shuai froze in his bite of the steamed bun, his eyes instantly sharpening like an eagle's: "You mean, the transport vehicle?"

"Yes." He Yuzhu took a sip of wine, the spicy liquid burning his throat. "Atomic bombs are great, but if we can only drop them from airplanes, we'll be sitting ducks for American anti-aircraft missiles as soon as we step out of our houses."

"That thing is just a firecracker, it's just for show. It won't hit anyone on the head, so they won't be afraid of you."

Truth lies only within the range of cannon fire.

However, the truth of the Dragon Kingdom is still far from being effective.

Marshal Nie remained silent for a long while, then took a big bite of his steamed bun: "Foreign countries are like an iron barrel in this regard, not even a needle can be inserted. The little bit of data left by the Big Brother is incomplete. Our foundation is too weak; just the liquid fuel engine alone has stifled several research institutes."

"What if it could be solved?"

He Yuzhu turned his head, the firelight reflecting on his face, creating a play of light and shadow, and his eyes held an ambition that could burn a hole in the sky.

Marshal Nie was taken aback: "How long will it take you?"

"Two years."

He Yuzhu held up two fingers, his tone as calm as if he were asking whether he wanted fried dough sticks or soy milk for breakfast tomorrow.

With a thud, the steamed bun in Nie Shuai's hand fell directly onto the sand.

"Are you drunk or have you gone mad?" Marshal Nie's eyes widened. "The Americans have been working on this thing for over a decade, and the Soviets for almost ten!"

"You're talking about two years? Do you know how many complex systems engineering projects that involve? The precise coordination of hundreds of thousands of parts!"

"Two years, that's a conservative estimate." He Yuzhu patted the sand off his backside and stood up.

At this moment, a golden system interface was slowly unfolding in his mind.

The words "[Dongfeng Express Complete Technical Drawings]" shimmered with a deep blue light in the inventory.

That wasn't just blueprints; it was a complete solution for drastically reducing the complexity of an industrial production process.

"Commander, I'm not just going to build short-range missiles, I'm going to build ones that can shoot at 10,000 kilometers, even 30,000 kilometers!" He Yuzhu pointed to the starry sky above. "One day, I want our voices to be the loudest in space!"

Marshal Nie looked at the man in front of him.

From the ruthless "Tiger He" on the Korean battlefield to the "Chief Engineer He" who was like a pillar of strength in Lop Nur.

It seems that the word "impossible" never applies to this person.

Marshal Nie took a deep breath, picked up the steamed bun from the ground, blew off the sand, and shoved it into his mouth with a vicious bite, chewing until his cheeks bulged out.

"Approved!"

"You want men? We'll give you men. You want money? We'll give you money! If you can't get it done in two years, I'll personally kill you!"

He Yuzhu grinned and gave a less-than-perfect military salute: "I guarantee I'll complete the mission! But, sir, I need something right now."

"explain."

"High-temperature resistant special alloy." He Yuzhu's smile faded, and his expression turned serious. "The engine nozzle needs to withstand a temperature and pressure of three thousand degrees. Our existing materials won't last three seconds before melting. I've thoroughly searched the national industrial directory, and there's only one company that can do this job."

Marshal Nie narrowed his eyes: "Which one?"

"Beijing, Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill!"

He Yuzhu couldn't help but curl up his lips, with a hint of playful cat-and-mouse humor.

That was where his dream began, and also where he kicked away a pile of rotten stones back then.

"The factory's foundation is still intact. It conducted a pilot project on special steel in the Soviet Union. Although the equipment is outdated, it's still the best of the worst," He Yuzhu said. "I'm going to personally lead a team back to oversee the production of this batch of materials."

"Alright, I'll give you the highest level special approval slip." Nie Shuai didn't think much of it, but just gave him a deep look. "That's your old employer, now it's a large state-owned factory. Don't act like a chief engineer when you go there, we're asking for a favor."

"Don't worry." He Yuzhu turned around and looked at the distant eastern night sky, his eyes devoid of warmth.

"I'm not going back to catch up with old friends."

"I'm going back to teach them what modern industry is."

……

Three days later, a military train roared towards the capital.

Inside the train carriage, Lin Wanqiu held a pile of data, her hair practically falling out from worry: "Yuzhu, I've looked at the technical specifications from Hongxing Steel Mill. Their furnace temperature control error can be fifty degrees! How could they possibly produce the No. 09 special steel we need? This is simply a fantasy!"

He Yuzhu leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and said calmly, "That was before."

"What do you mean?"

"It means, I'm back."

He Yuzhu opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and piercing.

Those beasts in the courtyard, I heard you haven't been having a very comfortable time lately.

Perfect timing! I need to find a whetstone to build this "gun" with a range of 10,000 kilometers.

Let's use you as a starting point!