I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

Seeing that the two were getting more and more carried away with their conversation, Zhou Weiguo broke out in a cold sweat and quickly changed the subject: "Old Qin, aren't you busy with the base construction in the Northwest? What brings you to the steel mill today?"

Old Qin sighed solemnly, "We were preparing to build a new base in the Northwest, but who would have thought that in the last half month, US reconnaissance planes would circle over our airspace twice in a row. I came back to Beijing this time, firstly to report the situation, and secondly to try to find a way to shoot down these 'flies'. But I've run around to every military industrial unit I can contact, and they all say they have no solution. I'm so worried that I can't sleep at night."

Zhou Weiguo frowned and said helplessly, "Reconnaissance planes fly very high and fast, so for now we can only rely on air defense missiles. I've heard that Shandong has some technology in this area. If all else fails, how about we get a couple back and study them?"

While offering suggestions, he secretly complained, "This damn system, why is it so unreliable at crucial moments? If it were more reliable, would our Xia Kingdom be lacking in equipment? Right now, all I'm good at is tinkering with guns and cannons; I don't even dare to think about anything else."

Just then—

"Ding-dong!"

The system notification sound suddenly rang out:

"The system detected that the host had taken action against Yang Weimin, the deaf old woman, Qin Huairu, Jia Dongxu, Jia Zhangshi, and Yi Zhonghai, and unexpectedly caused Yang Weimin to surpass the target 10 years ahead of schedule. This aligns with the positive energy system's criteria and triggers a critical hit reward."

Unlock the Red Alert unit Xia Defense Air Defense Rocket Vehicle (integrated with the original time-travel Red Flag-2B air defense missile system and CA30A heavy truck)

Awarded one Electrolux compressor refrigerator

Awarded one GE front-loading washing machine

Award: One 24-inch vacuum tube television

Energy Points 25

Then came another "ding-dong!"

"The host has successfully developed an SVD, which meets the criteria of the Positive Energy System, triggering a reward: "

One Dongfeng-30 tractor (equipped with various agricultural implement suspension components), along with all drawings and detailed data.

Energy Points 50

Zhou Weiguo's eyes widened, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat: "Holy crap? System, this is outrageous! You were just arguing with me, and now you're suddenly giving me freebies?"

The system's lazy voice rang in his mind: "Now I finally know why some people always like to cause trouble when they're on the phone. You know what, it feels great. Consider it a reward for you."

"What the hell???"

This answer made Zhou Weiguo feel like his brain was completely fried. He angrily cursed in his mind, "Damn system, if you're going to play with it yourself, can't you at least not say it out loud? Are you trying to disgust me to death?!"

No matter how much he complained, the system seemed to freeze and stopped responding.

Old Qin waved his hand in front of Zhou Weiguo's eyes: "Kid, what are you thinking about? Your soul's already flown away! By the way, Old Song told me you've come up with another new gun. I tested your sniper rifle yesterday, it's really impressive! I also heard you're going to build motorcycles and cars, so I came to see if it's true?"

Zhou Weiguo was still reeling from the system's reward and could only give a vague reply: "I plan to try the motorcycle, but as for the car, we'll have to think about it more carefully. One must take things one step at a time, don't you think?"

.................

Around noon, Li Huaide specially instructed Zhuzi to prepare a sumptuous feast for everyone.

After the meal, the car carrying Mr. Qin slowly drove away, and Zhou Weiguo watched it go until it disappeared into the distance.

Once the vehicle disappeared from sight, he suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Li Huaide beside him.

The next second, Zhou Weiguo moved swiftly, grabbing Li Huaide by the neck, his face contorted with rage.

He roared, "Damn it! You, surnamed Li, you have to explain yourself clearly today! What exactly did you say to Director Wang? If you don't give me a clear answer today, this isn't over!"

The sudden action stunned Li Huaide, his face filled with pain.

He hurriedly protested, "For the country, what are you saying? I haven't done anything to wrong you!"

Zhou Weiguo's face was terribly grim. He angrily demanded, "What the hell did you say to Director Wang? He grabbed me today and started making fun of me. I've completely lost face! Tell me now, what did you say about me and Natasha?"

Li Huaide waved his hands anxiously, his tone earnest: "Brother, I really reported the truth! Comrade Natasha traveled all the way from Da'e to Beijing, specifically to the steel mill to see you. How could I not report these things? I really didn't mention a single other word!"

"Hmm? He didn't say? Then why did Director Wang say that my relationship with Natasha is unusual?"

Zhou Weiguo's eyes were full of suspicion as he pressed on with his question.

Li Huaide was being choked so hard he could hardly breathe, his voice trembling with tears: "For the country! That girl ran all the way from Da'e to our Xia Kingdom, and even chased you all the way from Harbin to Beijing to find you! How can this be ordinary? That's all I've said, really! Let go, you're choking me to death!"

Zhou Weiguo, still somewhat doubtful, released his grip and asked again, "Are you sure you're not kidding me?"

Li Huaide rubbed his neck, which was red from being strangled, and immediately put on a fawning smile: "Brother, I wouldn't lie to you! You're the backbone of our steel rolling mill. Whether the mill can get promoted or not depends entirely on you! I know what I should and shouldn't say, and I would never betray you!"

Seeing that Li Huaide spoke with such sincerity, Zhou Weiguo finally gave up and turned to walk angrily toward the workshop.

Upon entering the workshop, Zhou Weiguo saw Natasha engrossed in drawing on the table, while Dashan and Erniu stood to the side, their faces filled with shock, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

He walked closer and took a closer look, and was astonished by what he saw.

Natasha draws incredibly fast, and what's even more amazing is that she mostly doesn't use a ruler, yet the lines she draws are still perfectly straight.

Dashan and Erniu stared at Natasha with disbelief, as if she were a goddess.

When Natasha saw Zhou Weiguo coming over, she put down her pen and said to Dashan and Erniu, "Dashan, Erniu, you two go back to work. I need to talk to your master about something."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately ran away.

Once the two had walked away, Natasha instantly reverted to her usual self, took Zhou Weiguo's hand, and walked straight into the small office, closing the door behind her.

As soon as the door closed, her demeanor changed abruptly, reverting to her alluring appearance. She said coquettishly, "Little master, I didn't get your permission when I prepared the material proportions for Director Wang. Don't be angry with me, okay?"

Zhou Weiguo seemed to have gradually gotten used to her unpredictable nature, shaking his head indifferently: "It's alright. As long as the technology is useful to Xia and can be manufactured, I won't hold back. You'd better be capable of handing over the Ivan the Great's technology to Xia, then I'll have to thank you properly!"

Natasha blinked her bright eyes and asked with a half-smile, "Little master, aren't you curious about what techniques I wrote on that stack of papers?"