Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

The engine gave a slight shudder and started smoothly, with almost no harsh roar.

Petrov smoothly pressed the clutch, shifted gears, and started moving. The car slowly moved forward; the steering wheel felt light yet precise, with minimal play, going exactly where you pointed it—a handling feel completely unlike that of an economy car of this era. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He lightly pressed the accelerator, and the engine delivered power smoothly, the car accelerating steadily without any lag or hesitation.

He deliberately detoured around the bumpy road the minibus had traversed, driving it again. As the wheels rolled over the road's bumps and dips, the vehicle only experienced slight, resilient undulations. The suspension system filtered out most of the bumps cleanly, providing neither harsh vibrations nor excessively soft swaying; the chassis tuning was remarkably skillful. The three experts crammed into the back, who had been prepared for a bumpy ride, exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise—this level of vibration damping was superior to many official vehicles in the Soviet Union.

"The engine noise is well controlled, and the body rigidity is sufficient," Petrov muttered to himself in Russian, his hands moving non-stop, shifting gears, accelerating, decelerating, and turning, testing the vehicle's performance one by one. Throughout the process, the cabin was extremely well-sealed, isolating wind and tire noise from outside the windows, with only a very slight engine sound entering the cabin, which did not interfere with normal conversation at all.

Vasily, seemingly calmly gazing out the window from the passenger seat, was actually observing everything around him. He silently noted the engine's RPM feedback, the chassis's vibration damping rhythm, and even the materials of the center console and the layout of the instrument panel. More acutely than the average expert, he sensed that the car's manufacturing process far exceeded the intelligence report's description of it as a "low-end Chinese copy"—the sheet metal seams were even, the interior assembly was neat, and the chassis structure was solid. It was definitely not a simple copy of the Soviet prototype; it had undoubtedly undergone profound technical improvements.

To achieve this level of quality in a compact family car, the Red Star Plant's automotive industrial capabilities far exceeded the KGB's expectations. Vasily's fingertips gently caressed the leather inside the car door, his apprehension deepening.

After a short test drive of just over ten minutes, Petrov parked the car smoothly back in its original position. As he got out, his smile was barely concealed. "Excellent, truly excellent!" he exclaimed, nodding repeatedly to Wang Huanbo who approached him, his tone full of genuine admiration. "Chief Engineer Wang, this Red Star brand car has smooth power delivery, a solid chassis, and comfortable seating—it completely exceeded my expectations. To be honest, its overall quality is superior to many civilian vehicles in our Soviet Union. I find it hard to believe that this is a popular car designed for ordinary workers."

Translator Xiao Luo translated these words simultaneously, and Yao Jianghe, Yang Weimin, and others all showed relieved smiles. Yang Weimin smiled and said, "Comrade Petrov, you flatter me. This car was improved and optimized based on the imported production line under the leadership of our Chief Engineer Wang. It focuses on practicality and reliability, so that our workers can also use good cars."

Soviet experts had already gathered around, some bending down to examine the tires, others scrutinizing the engine compartment, and still others touching the body panels in amazement. Upon learning that workers could acquire permanent ownership of the car for only 500 rubles, they were even more astonished. In the Soviet Union, a civilian car with far inferior performance would cost an ordinary person over a decade's savings and require waiting in line for several years; here, it was a perk for ordinary workers.

The vast difference left even these well-informed technical experts with mixed feelings.

After a brief test drive, the formal on-site meeting commenced. Led by Yao Jianghe and Yang Weimin, and accompanied by Wang Huanbo and Li Huaide, the thirty-eight Soviet experts strolled along the main road of the factory area. Along the way, they saw rows of standardized factory buildings, orderly arranged heavy equipment, and production lines operating smoothly. The workers were skilled and worked at a fast pace, exuding the confidence of a large, well-organized industrial plant.

Along the way, passing through the final assembly workshop, precision machining workshop, and electronics laboratory, each location had a corresponding branch plant manager and technical backbone waiting to connect. Experts in the steel metallurgy field were directed to the Hongxing Steel Branch Plant to connect on blast furnace technical upgrades and special steel research and development; experts in the automotive engineering field went to the Hongxing Automobile Plant to connect on vehicle process and engine optimization; experts in the machinery, power, and chemical fields were also assigned one by one to meet with the technical teams of each branch plant to finalize the specific direction and schedule for subsequent technical assistance.

The entire docking process was efficient and smooth. The technical backbone of Hongxing Factory was professional, solid, and sincere, which greatly increased the goodwill of the Soviet experts. Many of them immediately took out their notebooks and exchanged technical details with their corresponding Chinese engineers, without any intention of holding back. The treatment and respect given by Hongxing Factory made these people who were truly dedicated to technology willing to share their knowledge wholeheartedly.

Vasily, amidst the crowd, used the guise of a tour to discreetly memorize the factory layout, the location of key workshops, and the security deployment. He noticed that the core areas of the factory, such as the electronics laboratory and the precision machine tool workshop, had significantly higher security levels, with strict registration for entry and exit; several enclosed factory buildings in the distance were surrounded by walls and sentry posts, restricting even approach, clearly indicating highly confidential areas. Combining this with Wang Huanbo's previous experience, he was almost certain that those places held the Red Star Factory's most core technical secrets.

Obtaining core data on three-axis machine tools, computers, and new power sources is by no means an easy task. Vasily lowered his eyes, concealing the coldness within them, and slowly walked forward with the crowd, nodding in admiration like the other experts, perfectly blending into the group.

After the tour, Yao Jianghe immediately announced the follow-up arrangements: the experts would first familiarize themselves with the factory environment, and then officially move into their respective workshops starting tomorrow; daily meals, transportation, and accommodation would be handled by designated personnel, and any needs could be raised at any time. "Comrades, you have come from afar, thank you for your hard work," Yao Jianghe said sincerely. "From now on, we will work side by side to jointly promote industrial development. Hongxing Factory is your second home."

Petrov, representing the expert team, solemnly pledged to go all out to cooperate with the Hongxing Factory in completing the technological upgrade. The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely in a harmonious atmosphere.

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Under the sunlight, the factory grounds hummed with the roar of machines and bustling with activity, presenting a vibrant and upward-moving construction scene. Unbeknownst to anyone, beneath this warm and friendly facade, a pair of cold, calculating eyes were quietly locking onto the core secrets deep within the factory; a silent contest of technology and intelligence had unknowingly begun.