Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

The next day, Li Yu was summoned to the military region's conference room to give a presentation on man-portable air defense missiles to a group of weapons experts.

Li Yu stood in front of the blackboard, his chalk flying across the surface.

The guidance principle, power system, and materials and processes of man-portable air defense missiles were broken down into clear modules and presented to the leaders and experts in the room.

From the sensitivity calibration of the infrared seeker to the optimization of solid fuel combustion efficiency, and the ergonomic design of the portable transmitter, every detail is explained thoroughly.

Gasps of surprise could be heard from the audience.

An elderly expert with white hair excitedly took off his glasses, wiped them again and again, and asked excitedly:

"Engineer Li, how did you overcome the bottleneck in the anti-interference algorithm for your seeker? We've been researching it for years, and we're stuck at this step!"

Li Yu pointed to a series of formulas on the blackboard: "The key lies in multi-band composite guidance, using passive radar to assist infrared tracking, so that even if the enemy aircraft releases flares, it can still lock onto the target firmly."

The old expert muttered to himself, "I see! No wonder!"

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the conference room.

Chief of Staff Fan stood up excitedly and said loudly, "Great! With this technology, our air defense network can cover every inch of our territory!"

Suddenly, all the experts in the room stared at the excited Staff Officer Fan, who suddenly said awkwardly, "I got excited! I got excited!"

"I'll go out first, you guys carry on."

"That Staff Officer Fan is really something, so old and still so unreliable," said a white-haired female expert.

"that is"

......

Amidst the rising and falling responses, Li Yu's gaze swept across the night outside the window.

He knew that yesterday's test launch was only the first step. Next, he would have to face the challenges of raw material supply, worker training, quality control, and... those watchful eyes lurking in the shadows.

It was already late at night when the explanation ended.

As Li Yu walked out of the military building, a cool breeze blew in his face.

Li Huaide was already waiting at the door. Seeing him come out, he quickly handed him a steaming hot meat bun:

"Hurry up and grab something to eat. We just got a call from above. They're going to award Longxing a collective first-class merit, and you a special-class individual merit!"

Li Yu took a bite of the steamed bun, the warm meat filling melting in her mouth, but she felt little joy.

He looked at the round moon on the horizon and said in a deep voice, "The credit is secondary. We need to get on with the production line. Also, we need to raise the security level of the factory area to another level. We can't be too careful."

Li Huaide's smile faded slightly, and he nodded: "I understand. I've already spoken to the military. From now on, everyone entering and leaving the factory will have to go through three security checks."

Meanwhile, in the steel rolling mill's office, Zheng Qiushi was staring blankly at a transfer order.

The transfer order on the table, written in black and white, ordered him to be immediately transferred to the position of deputy director of Longxing Industrial Park to assist Li Huaide in handling production management.

This may seem like a promotion, but Zheng Qiushi knew better than anyone that it was a demotion in disguise—once he went to Longxing, he would be nothing more than an empty shell, having to be mindful of Li Yu's every whim.

He didn't know why such a transfer order suddenly appeared; he was prepared to stay at the steel rolling mill for another three years.

He gripped the transfer order tightly, his knuckles turning white, and a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes.

"Why? Why can Li Yu rise to prominence so easily, while I have to live under someone else's roof?"

He suddenly grabbed the phone on the table, dialed a number, and whispered:

"Dad, can I not go to Longxing? I only have a chance at the steel rolling mill."

"I just want to get as far away from that Li Yu as possible right now, is that alright?"

A stern reprimand came from the other end of the phone. Zheng Qiushi's face grew increasingly grim. Finally, he hung up the phone in despair and slumped into his chair like a deflated balloon.

In fact, this transfer order was arranged by his father, because he knew very well that Zheng Qiushi was wasting his time at the steel rolling mill, and he wanted Zheng Qiushi to get on the big ship of Longxing.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the carriage, after a whole day of bumpy travel, Jia Zhangshi finally saw the city gate tower of the capital.

The closer one gets to home, the more timid one becomes; this saying perfectly describes her situation at this moment.

She huddled in the corner of the carriage, wrapping herself up tightly, afraid of being recognized.

The bloodstains on his body had dried and formed hard scabs. The fear and ruthlessness he felt when killing Hunter Wu had now turned into a deep sense of dread.

She didn't know if the police would arrest her after she had killed someone.

I wonder what the people in the courtyard will think of her when they see her like this.

The carriage slowly drove into the city gate, and the streets gradually became lively.

Vendors carrying loads on shoulder poles, workers on bicycles, children with schoolbags on their backs—the familiar yet strange calls of Beijing dialect filled the air. Jia Zhangshi's heart pounded faster and faster; her hands, gripping the hem of her clothes, were drenched in cold sweat.

Just as the carriage passed the entrance of an alley, a familiar figure flashed by – it was Sha Zhu!

Sha Zhu was walking towards the courtyard house, humming a little tune, and seemed to be in a good mood.

Because he was transferred back to the kitchen, although it was odd jobs, it was much better than sweeping. Even with only one hand, Sha Zhu could still chop vegetables and occasionally cook a small meal.

Seeing a carriage approaching from behind, he quickly stepped aside to make way.

Just then, a dirty figure jumped off the carriage and grabbed Sha Zhu's foot.

Sha Zhu jumped up in fright.

"Holy crap! What the hell?"

"Bang bang bang!" Sha Zhu kicked the person who grabbed him several times.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! I am Jia Zhangshi!"

Upon hearing that it was Jia Zhangshi, Sha Zhu immediately stopped, and upon closer inspection, it really was Jia Zhangshi.

Now Jia Zhangshi has lost a lot of weight, so you really can't tell unless you look closely.

"What's wrong, Jia Zhangshi?"

"Didn't you go south? Why are you back?"

Jia Zhangshi and Sha Zhu returned to the courtyard house, and everyone in the courtyard was shocked by Jia Zhangshi's current appearance.

Yan Bugui looked at Jia Zhangshi with disdain and said, "Why did you come back? Your family has been taken over by the steel mill."

Only now did Jia Zhangshi suddenly realize that her family was gone.

"Silly Zhu! Now that you're married to Qin Huairu, you're expected to control me! Otherwise, I'll hang myself at your doorstep!" Jia Zhangshi raged.

Sha Zhu was completely stunned.

"Qin Huairu and I divorced a long time ago, so I don't need to care about you now."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi sat down on the ground, slapping her thigh and shouting, "This is outrageous! You idiot Zhu, you heartless bastard! You promised to take care of me, and now you say you won't? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

"I'm telling you, if you don't take care of me, I'll report you! You have to give me a room and ten dollars a month for my retirement."

Sha Zhu clenched his fist and walked up to Jia Zhangshi, then punched her hard in the face.

"I'll teach you to insult me, I'll teach you to extort my house!"

Sha Zhu said one thing and got punched.

Jia Zhangshi, who had been starving all day, was almost beaten to death by Sha Zhu.

Seeing this, Yan Bugui quickly sent his son, Yan Jiecheng, to call Director Wang.

After a short while, Director Wang came and, after understanding the situation, took Jia Zhangshi away, intending to send her back to her hometown.

At first, Jia Zhangshi was unwilling, but after being slapped twice by the staff member brought by Director Wang, she became obedient.

As Jia Zhangshi was taken away, the crowd dispersed.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away at the U.S. Far East Intelligence Center, an encrypted telegram was being urgently sent to Washington.

The telegram contained only a few lines: "Target codename 'Iron Dragon,' technology far exceeds expectations. The undercover agents have initiated 'Dragon Hunt' to seize the core blueprints."

An undercurrent is quietly brewing.