Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

Li Yu nodded to the soldier beside him.

Two soldiers carried the launcher forward and aimed at the target area 500 meters away—a place filled with cement blocks of simulated fortifications, the wreckage of scrapped armored vehicles, and even a few wooden bunkers.

"Attention all units! Retreat to the safe zone!"

At the commander's order, the crowd retreated fifty meters. Li Yu personally pressed the launch button.

"call out--"

A sharp whistle pierced the sky as the "Fire Raven," trailing a pale red tail flame, precisely darted into the firing port of the wooden bunker.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

There was no deafening roar as expected, only a muffled "plop" sound.

Just when everyone thought they had failed, a sudden change occurred!

Suddenly, a ball of orange-red fire shot out from the firing port of the bunker. The fireball instantly expanded into a huge fire cloud, engulfing the entire bunker!

The fiery cloud rolled outwards, and wherever it passed, cement blocks shattered, the steel plates of armored vehicles were burned red and deformed, and even the wild grass on the ground was instantly turned into charcoal!

A wave of heat hit us; even from this distance, people could feel the scorching temperature.

The fiery cloud lasted for a full ten seconds before slowly dissipating. Looking at the target area again, the wooden bunker was completely destroyed, leaving only a charred ruin.

The wreckage of the armored vehicle was twisted and deformed, covered with traces of melting, and even the solid concrete fortifications were blasted with dense cracks!

The testing ground was deathly silent.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening cheer erupted!

"Good! Well done!"

"This power! It's incredible!"

"Even more powerful than a mortar! A single soldier can carry it; it's practically a miracle weapon for infantry!"

The veteran experts were so excited they stomped their feet, took off their glasses and wiped them again and again, eager to rush over and see the wreckage.

Chief of Staff Fan slapped his thigh and shouted, "Li Yu! You've done another great service! If this thing were issued to the border troops, let's see which bastard would dare to hide in the fortifications and ambush people!"

Li Yu put down the megaphone and a faint smile appeared on his face.

This "Fire Raven" man-portable thermobaric weapon has a simplified launch system and uses ammunition compatible with man-portable grenade launchers.

Moreover, it adopts a two-stage detonation technology. The first detonation disperses the fuel cloud, and the second detonation ignites it, increasing its power by 30% compared to traditional thermobaric bombs, making it more suitable for combat in complex terrains such as mountains, tunnels, and bunkers.

For the next period of time, Longxing continued its weapons production and expansion in an orderly manner.

Time flies, and it's now 64 years later.

Since the border was equipped with man-portable thermobaric weapons in the past year, small groups of foreign troops have basically dared not come in to plunder.

However, relations between China and the North deteriorated further that year. Both sides significantly increased their troop deployments along the border, and several of the North's probing attempts were repelled. On one occasion, the North sent two reconnaissance planes, which were easily shot down.

The subsequent probing became much more cautious.

Li Yu now holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the military. After the mass production of the Wrangler, Li Yu's appearances in the news and newspapers have also helped him accumulate more than three million emotional points.

During this period, the export of four-axis machine tools has attracted the attention of many countries, including countries D, F, and M, which have all submitted applications to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for exchanges.

In order to better open up overseas markets, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently approved this exchange meeting.

In the machining workshop of Longxing Factory, the air was filled with the smell of machine oil and steel.

The factory office director came running over: "Engineer Li, the foreign guests have arrived! Merchants from Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and over there—they're all here!"

Li Yu nodded, and as he turned around, he saw a group of foreigners in suits being led in.

Leading the group was Anderson, a representative of the US military-industrial complex. As soon as he entered, his eyes widened, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the four-axis machine tool, and he clicked his tongue in amazement.

Following behind him were mechanical experts from Country D, arms dealers from Country F, and several dark-skinned South Asian representatives.

Everyone pulled out their notebooks, eager to write down every single screw on the machine tool.

"Mr. Li," Anderson said, extending his hand first with a broad smile.

"We've long heard that Longxing Factory has produced high-precision machine tools, and seeing them today, it truly lives up to its reputation. We're willing to pay three times the market price to order ten! Twenty!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the representative from Country F pushed forward: "We'll offer four times the amount! And we hope to import the technology patents!"

The expert from Country D was more pragmatic, asking directly, "Mr. Li, what is the repeatability accuracy of this machine tool? Can it machine aero-engine blades?"

Li Yu shook hands with Anderson, but there was little smile on his face:

"Mr. Anderson, everyone, welcome to inspect this machine. This four-axis machine tool has a repeatability of 0.005 millimeters and can process most military and civilian precision parts. The price is fair and honest."

"What about the one covered by the cloth?"

Anderson's gaze suddenly fell on the dust cloth, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

"I think I just saw the indicator for five-axis linkage, didn't I?"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent. All eyes turned to the covered machine tool, and everyone's breathing became rapid.

Five-axis CNC machine tools are undoubtedly the jewels of industry in this era. They can process any complex curved surface, and nothing, from missile parts to aero engines, can function without them.

Later, the United States treated this technology as a core secret and imposed a strict blockade on China.

Li Yu glanced at the dust cloth and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "That's our factory's experimental prototype, and it's not for public display for the time being."

"Not for public display?" Anderson asked anxiously, taking a step forward to lift the cloth.

"Mr. Li, we can increase the price! Tenfold! As long as you're willing to sell your five-axis machine tool or transfer the technology, we can..."

Before his hand could even touch the dust cover, he was stopped by the guard next to him.

Anderson's face darkened: "Mr. Li, is this how you treat your guests?"

"Hospitality is based on mutual respect." Li Yu's voice turned cold.

He pointed to the four-axis machine tool, "What you are here to inspect today is our four-axis machine tool, which is sold to the public. The five-axis machine tool is a top-secret national technology and is neither sold nor transferred."

"Why?" the French representative frowned. "Business is about fairness. You have better products, why don't you bring them out to sell?"

"Because good steel should be used on the blade."

Li Yu walked to the machine tool and pressed the start button. With a low rumble, the machine tool's spindle began to rotate, the clamp steadily held a metal blank, the milling cutter fell, and iron filings flew everywhere.

In just ten minutes, a complex-shaped missile tail fin part was completed. He picked up the part, held it up to the light, and saw that it was sharp and smooth as a mirror.

"This four-axis machine tool is sufficient to meet your civilian needs, and can even handle some military production."

Li Yu's gaze swept over everyone present.

"As for the five-axis machine tool—it's for defending our country. If you genuinely want to buy a four-axis machine tool, you're welcome. But if you're thinking about the five-axis, then please leave."