1950s: After transmigrating into a capitalist, I relied on military industry to achieve a comeback.

When Section Chief Liu from the security department led his men in, they were met with a scene of carnage.

In the dimly lit storage room, the coal stove leaned to one side, the unburnt honeycomb briquettes hissing and emitting smoke. The air was filled with a mixture of the smells of blood, gunpowder, and a strange aroma of beef jerky.

Chen Mo knelt on one knee on the back of the assassin with a dislocated neck, one hand still firmly gripping the assassin's throat, the other holding a captured pistol, pointing it directly at the armed men pouring in through the door. Only when he saw the red star on the newcomer's epaulets did his emotionless eyes blink, he lowered the gun, and shoved the man to the ground.

"One of them fainted over there. This one has a spinal injury; he can't run."

After Chen Mo finished his report, he swayed and sat down heavily on the ground, panting.

"Quick! Stretcher! Medic!" Section Chief Liu shouted until his voice cracked.

Several medical workers carrying medicine kits hurriedly squeezed in.

In the corner, Gao Jianguo leaned against the wall. His prized military overcoat was soaked in blood, half of it turning a dark red. His face was deathly pale, his lips trembling. When he saw the medic take out scissors to cut his clothes, he even stretched out his uninjured right hand to stop him.

"No...don't cut it...this coat is a new one from last year..."

"What time is it and you're still worried about your coat!" Lin Jiaoyue shouted, her eyes red.

Her shout, tinged with tears, surprisingly worked. Gao Jianguo paused for a moment, then forced a smile that looked even worse than a grimace, probably trying to comfort the girl. But the smile aggravated his wound, causing him to wince in pain, his expression comical, like a split tomato.

"Mr. Lin, no...don't cry, it doesn't hurt, it really doesn't hurt, it's just a little cold..."

Song Siming was pulled from the coal pile, a piece of his glasses broken and dangling from his ear. He clutched his stomach, each breath sounding like a bellows, clearly indicating broken ribs. But before he was lifted onto the stretcher, he gripped Chen Mo's sleeve tightly, pointing to a few sheets of draft paper scattered on the ground.

"Put...put it away...that's the fuse...fuse parameters..."

After saying this, the scholar's head lolled to the side, and he fainted from the pain.

Lin Jiaoyue stood there, still clutching the blood-stained scalpel. Section Chief Liu tried to take the scalpel away, but after being swept over by her icy gaze, he subconsciously withdrew his hand.

"Engineer Lin?" Section Chief Liu called out cautiously.

Lin Jiaoyue finally came to her senses, looked down at the knife in her hand, and then at the blood all over her hands. It was the assassin's blood, and also the blood Gao Jianguo had splattered on her face.

Thick, warm, with a rusty smell.

"I'm fine."

Lin Jiaoyue threw the knife into Section Chief Liu's tray, her voice unusually calm, only her fingers hidden in her sleeve were trembling violently. "Save people first. The one I stabbed in the lower back, the cut avoided the kidney, he won't die. I know what I'm doing."

Section Chief Liu felt a chill run down his spine. Avoid the kidneys? If you stab someone in that spot, they'd be lucky to escape with their lives. This girl is really ruthless.

……

The military hospital was brightly lit.

Professor Sun Zhenbang, wearing a coat and with his hair a mess, was pacing wildly down the corridor.

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"

Professor Sun pointed at the head of security and yelled, "Is this your security in the heart of the college? My students were having extra lessons in their dorms and were almost snooped on! If anything had happened to those kids, I'd skin you alive!"

The section chief looked ashamed, lowered his head, and endured the scolding without daring to utter a sound.

The operating room door was pushed open with a "bang".

"How is it?" Professor Sun and Lin Jiaoyue rushed forward almost simultaneously.

"Don't worry, they're tough guys." The medic wiped his sweat. "That big guy's bullet is lodged below his collarbone. It didn't hit any major arteries or nerves, but he lost a lot of blood and his bones are fractured. He'll need to recover for a while. The other guy with glasses has two broken ribs and a mild concussion, but his internal organs are fine. The quiet one has only superficial wounds."

Lin Jiaoyue leaned against the wall, let out a long breath, her legs went weak, and she slid down the wall.

The string that had been taut in my mind snapped.

Ten minutes later, in the ward.

Gao Jianguo has woken up, but the anesthesia hasn't worn off yet. He's slurring his words and is asking for water.

Lin Jiaoyue held up an enamel mug, inserted a straw, and brought it to his lips. Gao Jianguo took a sip, his eyes sparkling as he stared at Lin Jiaoyue, then suddenly grinned: "Engineer Lin, do you think this counts as... does it count as an injury sustained on duty?"

"Fine." Lin Jiaoyue tucked the blanket around him, her voice thick with a nasal tone. "I'll report you for a first-class merit."

"Hey, I can't even dream of that first-class merit award, but could... could you get me some of that meat?" Gao Jianguo looked at her expectantly. "That beef jerky from earlier, I just took a bite and then we started fighting, I don't even know if it got trampled on..."

Lin Jiaoyue was so angry she almost laughed, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Even at this hour, you still want to eat.

"Enough is enough." Lin Jiaoyue sniffed. "When you get better, I'll make you braised pork and stir-fried mutton with scallions, and I'll give you all of my rations."

Song Siming woke up groaning, and upon hearing this, he immediately raised his hand weakly: "I...I want some too...I want to eat dumplings..."

Chen Mo leaned against the window, silent, wiping his dagger which was not dusty. Hearing this, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he silently glanced at Lin Jiaoyue.

That one look made the meaning clear: I want it too, don't leave me out.

Looking at these three men, whose combined age was nearly a hundred, Lin Jiaoyue's previous sense of estrangement suddenly shattered.

Possessing a treasure is a crime.

Her body contains a shocking "space," which is her trump card for survival in the chaotic world, but also a bomb that could explode at any time.

In this particular era, once this secret is exposed, only destruction awaits her.

Therefore, she instinctively created her own prison, pushing everyone except her parents away from her "safe distance." She dared not give her heart, dared not let anyone get close, because getting close meant the risk of exposure.

But just now, these three idiots stood in front of her with their own flesh and blood.

They didn't know she had a space, they didn't know she had a way out, they only knew that if Lin Gong didn't take that shot, he would die.

Without weighing the pros and cons, it's just instinct.

In this era of scarcity and biting cold, this instinct is called "comradeship".

"I'll make it all for you." Lin Jiaoyue buried her face in her hands and said in a muffled voice, "As long as you're all okay, you can have whatever you want to eat."

At this moment, Sun Zhenbang pushed open the door and entered, his face grave. He glanced at the three people on the hospital bed, his gaze softening for a moment before turning to Lin Jiaoyue.

"Lin Jiaoyue, come out here for a moment."

At the end of the corridor, cold wind blew in through the window cracks.

Sun Zhenbang lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then lowered his voice to say, "We've got the information."

Lin Jiaoyue crossed her arms, her eyes turning cold: "Who sent them?"

"Who else could it be but those people over there?" Sun Zhenbang pointed southeast. "The one you stabbed is a veteran; he's been lurking here since the War of Resistance. Their target this time is very clear—your 'throttle orifice' blueprint and that synthetic oil formula."

Lin Jiaoyue frowned: "The news leaked so quickly?"

"It wasn't just about leaking information." Sun Zhenbang stubbed out his cigarette on the windowsill, his tone chilling. "The one who was arrested confessed that their original mission was to sabotage the anti-aircraft gun repair progress. If they couldn't sabotage it, they would 'eliminate the variables.'"

Eliminate variables.

These four words pierced Lin Jiaoyue's ears like shards of ice.

"They've labeled you a 'high-value technology target.'" Sun Zhenbang looked at the girl, who was not yet seventeen, with mixed feelings. "Jiaojiao, from today onwards, you are no longer an ordinary student. Your name, even if it's just a code name, is already on their blacklist."

Lin Jiaoyue didn't say anything.

She turned to look out the window; the heavy snow was still falling, covering the entire capital city in a vast expanse of white.

Afraid?

Somewhat. After all, the biggest danger she faced in her past life was dying suddenly from staying up all night.

But what bothered her even more was the bloody hole in Gao Jianguo's shoulder.

In the past, when faced with such uncontrollable high risks, the optimal solution according to algorithmic logic would be to stop losses, retreat, or hide.

But now, that "optimal solution" has been rejected by three fools with their lives.

Since we can't avoid it, let's make the other party pay the price.

"Professor Sun."

Lin Jiaoyue turned around, and the softness and naivety in her almond-shaped eyes completely disappeared, replaced by a chilling calmness and sharpness.

"That throttling orifice drawing can be revised again."

Sun Zhenbang was taken aback: "It can still be modified? The current precision is already approaching the limit of the C620 lathe."

"Machining has its limits, but materials science does not." Lin Jiaoyue's voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like metal in the empty corridor. "Since they want my technology so much, I'll prepare a big gift for them."

She took a White Rabbit milk candy from her pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth, the sweetness melting on her tongue.

"I need to request access to the electric arc furnace in Laboratory Two." Lin Jiaoyue chewed on a sugar cube as if she were chewing on an enemy's bone. "Synthetic oil is just an emergency measure. To completely resolve the anti-aircraft gun jamming issue, and even increase the rate of fire by another thirty percent, I have a better plan."

Sun Zhenbang's eyes widened suddenly, and his breathing became rapid: "You mean...?"

"I want to forge a new type of steel."

Lin Jiaoyue patted the icing off her hands and looked towards the ward. "Since they want to play, let's play big. Let's see if their lives are tougher, or mine are tougher."

"Also," Lin Jiaoyue paused, "could you approve some better nutrition subsidies for Gao Jianguo and the others? Having my cooking skills is useless without the right ingredients. After all—"

She tilted her head slightly, revealing a well-behaved smile that Sun Zhenbang found somewhat "creepy":

"Only when you're well-fed do you have the energy to create even more deadly things, don't you think?"