Siheyuan: I will never tolerate gambling and drugs!

Inside the medical room of the steel rolling mill.

A strong, pungent smell of safflower oil, mixed with the sour stench of fermented sweat, rose and permeated the air under the relentless heat of the scorching radiators, invading every corner of the room.

The smell is so strong it makes people dizzy and lightheaded.

The cramped medical room has only one bed, which is far from enough.

So, Liu Haizhong, Shazhu, Xu Damao, and Jia Dongxu were carried in by everyone under Yi Zhonghai's arrangement and laid flat on the cement floor of the infirmary. Fortunately, the heating was working well, so there was no problem.

The four people had their eyes closed and their faces were ashen, as if they were about to breathe their last.

Li Huaide's face was ashen, and the veins in his temples throbbed as if they were about to burst.

His gaze first fell on Liu Haizhong, whose face had been beaten into a pig's head. His face was swollen like a steamed bun, his eyelids were completely closed, leaving only a dark purple slit, barely proving that there was a pair of eyes hidden underneath.

Then, his gaze swept across the other three men, who were groaning and moaning incessantly.

Li Huaide's lungs were about to burst with rage.

Just over ten minutes ago, he was in his brand-new factory director's office, smoking with Xu Lin.

The two were enthusiastically envisioning the wonderful future of the bathhouse after its completion.

At that time, we will invite leaders from the Ministry of Industry, district leaders, and even city leaders to come here for a back scrub, a bath, and a sauna.

In a warm, private space, you can relax your body while discussing work and building relationships.

Those are solid achievements!

It is the golden road leading to a higher position!

As a result, before the grand blueprint could be fully drawn up, the office door was kicked open, and an official rushed in, breathless, to report—there was an accident at the construction site, a fight had broken out!

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Li Huaide's head, causing him to plummet from the clouds into an icy abyss.

Strictly speaking, he was still the acting factory director; he hadn't even warmed his seat yet.

At this critical juncture, if a serious group fight breaks out in the factory and it gets reported to the Ministry of Industry, not only will his political achievements be ruined, but he could also lose all his official position!

Li Huaide's mind went blank for a moment. Without saying a word, he grabbed Xu Lin, who was also looking bewildered, and ran towards the construction site.

That's why we have this absurd scene before us.

Xu Lin squatted down and checked them one by one.

His movements were unhurried. First, he pried open the swollen eyelid in the bangs to take a look, then he pinched Sha Zhu's arm, and finally he lifted Xu Damao's clothes to glance at him.

Throughout the entire process, his face remained expressionless.

After the inspection, he stood up and gave an almost imperceptible nod to the anxious Li Huaide.

The look in his eyes meant: He won't die, it's just superficial injuries.

Li Huaide's heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally settled back into his stomach with a "thump".

As long as no one dies, there's not much of a problem, and there's still room for redemption.

He cleared his throat heavily, the dry cough sounding particularly abrupt in the quiet infirmary.

His gaze suddenly turned stern, sweeping over the few workers who had followed him and were now trembling with fear.

"Who can tell us?"

Li Huaide suppressed his anger, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"What exactly happened?!"

The workers around them lowered their heads even further, their eyes darting around, their toes unconsciously drawing circles on the ground.

In the infirmary, apart from the weak groans of the four people on the floor, there was only a deathly silence.

No one dared to bring it up.

Li Huaide's gaze finally settled on a silent figure in the corner.

Yi Zhonghai.

He remembered this person.

He is one of the few level-six fitters in the steel rolling mill, a skilled master craftsman who is usually quiet and has a consistently good reputation.

Therefore, it was arbitrarily concluded that such a person would not follow suit and act recklessly.

"Master Yi, tell me, what exactly happened?"

Li Huaide's voice wasn't loud; there was no roaring or shouting, yet it felt like a heavy stone pressing down on everyone's hearts. That undeniable pressure made the already stagnant air in the infirmary even more stifling.

Everyone unconsciously slowed their breathing.

All eyes, some filled with fear, some with curiosity, and some with anticipation, converged at this moment, focusing intently on the silent figure in the corner.

Yi Zhonghai.

Xu Damao and Jia Dongxu, lying on the ground, suddenly stopped groaning. Their eyelids were tightly closed, but their long eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, revealing the turmoil in their hearts.

Success or failure hinges on this moment.

Yi Zhonghai seemed to have been waiting for this moment that would attract worldwide attention.

He did not hesitate or panic at all.

His foot scraped against the rough cement floor, making a soft rubbing sound.

He took a step forward from the crowd.

His face showed neither the urgency of a complainant nor the panic of someone trying to distance themselves from the situation.

He portrayed with remarkable depth and poignancy a sense of being both mature and troubled, and with profound sorrow for the current situation.

He did not speak immediately.

He first let out a heavy sigh.

"well--"

That sigh was drawn out, filled with complex emotions. There was regret for the younger generation's lack of understanding, heartache for the work being delayed, and a sense of helplessness as a senior craftsman who had to step up and clean up the mess.

This one action, this one sound, instantly set the perfect tone for what he was about to say.

"Director Li, Deputy Director Xu..."

He first greeted the person respectfully, bowing slightly and adopting an extremely humble posture. Then, he spoke slowly, so slowly it would drive an impatient person crazy, uttering each word one by one.

"This matter... well, in the end, there isn't really that much of a conflict."

In a word.

Just one sentence.

Like an invisible hand, with a gentle nudge, this incident, which was about to escalate into a serious matter of "challenging leadership authority" and "malicious gang fight," was lightly brushed aside and reclassified as a "minor internal friction."

Li Huaide's face, which had been so taut it was hard, began to loosen its jawline at a visible pace.

He was very satisfied with this start.

This was exactly the answer he wanted to hear.

"Well... maybe Director Liu is in a hurry to get things done these past few days."

Yi Zhonghai still spoke very slowly, each word enunciated with exceptional clarity, as if he had carefully considered each word in his mind to ensure that it was used appropriately.

"The tone of my voice and the way I assigned tasks were perhaps... a bit too harsh."

Two "possibilities".

The words were understated, yet like two precise steel needles, they pierced firmly into the vital parts of the bangs.

The first cut of responsibility was made so subtly and imperceptibly.

It's not that the workers are disobedient; it's that your management methods as a leader are problematic.

Li Huaide's brows relaxed a little more.

"Everyone is indeed tired. They were just temporarily transferred from the workshop yesterday, and suddenly doing this kind of heavy work, it's normal for everyone to be a little irritable."

This sentence attributes the workers' resistance to the objective reality of "physical fatigue" rather than subjective resistance.

This reason is perfectly reasonable and leaves no room for criticism.

Xu Lin, who stood to the side, remained silent, but the playful look in his eyes grew stronger and stronger.

This old guy is interesting.

That's so interesting.

A few words can distort the truth.

He casually described a meticulously planned and targeted brawl as an unexplainable accident in which multiple parties shared responsibility.

"Xu Damao and Shazhu, as you know, live in the same courtyard and see each other all the time. They always bicker and are like fighting cocks."

Yi Zhonghai naturally steered the conversation toward the two key figures in the conflict.

"Today while we were working, we were arguing over digging up a tree root. One person complained that the other wasn't digging deep enough and that it was getting in his way with his pickaxe, while the other complained that the other was giving him bad advice and talking without thinking. Before long, we started arguing, and then we even got into a fight. It was just a simple squabble between colleagues and neighbors, nothing serious."

He paused at this point, letting out another sigh, his expression one of utter helplessness and disappointment towards his two immature juniors.

"Director Liu meant well; seeing that the two were about to start fighting, he quickly stepped in to break them up."

Hearing this, Sha Zhu and Xu Damao, who were on the ground, felt their hearts nearly jump out of their throats.

coming!

The most crucial sentence is coming!

"But...maybe he didn't do a good job of breaking up the fight, and his strength wasn't evenly distributed. That idiot Zhu was already holding back his anger, and he felt that Director Liu was taking sides, siding with Xu Damao while pretending to break up the fight."

"Director Li, you know Sha Zhu's temper. He's a stubborn, honest man who sticks to his principles. His mother died early, and his father ran off with a widow, leaving him and his sister to depend on each other. They've been bullied a lot since they were little, and they hate it when others take sides or act unreasonably."

"When anger gets the better of you, you act impulsively and become ruthless. That's how... conflict broke out."

After saying this, Yi Zhonghai shut his mouth, lowered his eyes, and said no more.

His demeanor was as if he were saying: "That's all I know. I've said everything I need to say. There's absolutely no bias in my words. It's just an objective statement from a kind and honest elder."

The entire infirmary was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Watertight.

This explanation is absolutely flawless!

He maintained the purest and most innocent perspective of an observer, without any personal feelings, yet clearly revealed the whole story.

Throughout the entire process, no one was blamed; instead, ambiguous words like "maybe" and "perhaps" were used repeatedly.

But these gentle words, when put together, became a soft knife coated with deadly poison, each stab aimed at Liu Haizhong, who lay on the ground unable to defend himself.

Poor management and brutal methods.

It exacerbates conflicts and undermines fairness in mediating disputes.

They emphasized Sha Zhu's pitiful background to garner sympathy.

He used the gentlest and fairest tone to firmly and seamlessly place one invisible label after another on the head of the "victim" who is still pretending to be unconscious.

He, Yi Zhonghai, is the most brilliant director in this farce.

Li Huaide's tightly furrowed brows completely relaxed.

He nodded in satisfaction.

This explanation is excellent and timely!

This saved the leader's face while giving him a perfect way out.

This was not a malicious incident that challenged management authority at all; it was simply an accidental conflict caused by a misunderstanding!

Xu Lin, who was standing next to him, was almost laughing out loud.

He was 100% certain that this was a cunning scheme orchestrated by the old fox Yi Zhonghai.

From provoking the conflict to involving Liu Haizhong, and finally the degree of his intervention, everything was within his calculations.

Now, he has personally stepped forward to bring this farce to a perfect end.

To kill someone, you must also destroy their spirit.

They beat someone until their head was swollen, and then poured all the dirty water on them, leaving them speechless with bitterness.

That silver tongue, that ability to muddy the waters and distort the truth—that's truly talent.

However, Xu Lin did not point it out.

Liu Haizhong has really gotten too cocky these past few days. He's been blinded by a little bit of vague power, and his tail is practically wagging in the air.

Even if Yi Zhonghai doesn't make a move today, he plans to find an opportunity in a couple of days to teach this arrogant fat man a lesson.

Now that someone else is doing it for him, he's happy to have some free time and can even watch the show from the sidelines.

"Okay, I understand."

Li Huaide waved his hand, his voice conveying an undeniable decisiveness.

He adopted a leader's demeanor and said a few polite words to everyone.

"Workers should unite and help each other."

"Conflicts can be resolved through communication; why resort to violence?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his gaze and sharply swept across the entire room before making his final decision.

"I don't think Comrade Liu Haizhong is suitable for site management at the moment. How about this, Master Yi Zhonghai will temporarily take over on-site management!"

This appointment, like a stone thrown into a stagnant pond, instantly stirred up a thousand waves.

Li Huaide continued his announcement without pausing.

"Comrade Liu Haizhong, you're not feeling well, so please take a day off to recover. Tomorrow, you'll be transferred back to your original workshop post and continue to contribute your talents!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu and Xu Damao, who were lying on the ground pretending to be dead, couldn't help but twitch their lips upwards, almost bursting out laughing on the spot.

They bit their lips hard to suppress their overwhelming joy.

Li Huaide's gaze fell on them again.

"As for comrades He Yuzhu, Xu Damao, and Jia Dongxu, they will also receive a day off!"

"Tomorrow, I'll go back to the construction site and cooperate well with Master Yi to finish the project as soon as possible!"

That sentence is simply heavenly music.

Instead of being punished, they were granted paid leave!

Li Huaide finally turned his gaze to Yi Zhonghai, his tone becoming extremely serious, every word carrying a warning.

"Master Yi, please bear with us in the following work. If a similar incident occurs again and verbal mediation fails, there's no need to report it again!"

He paused, then emphasized his words.

"Just have the security department come and take him away! I want to see who has such a temper!"

"Alright, everyone, disperse and go about your own business!"

At Li Huaide's command, a low but incredibly joyful cheer erupted from the previously oppressive infirmary.

The workers all wore expressions of satisfaction, as if they had finally gotten their revenge.

Jia Dongxu, Xu Damao, and He Yuzhu were so excited that they almost jumped up from the ground.

But when they thought about how the play wasn't over yet, they forced themselves to suppress their impulse.

The immense joy and feigned physical pain intertwined, causing their facial expressions to become extremely distorted, as if they were both crying and laughing.

After assaulting someone, he even got paid leave!

Where else in the world can you find such a good deal!

In the entire room, there was only one real loser.

Liu Haizhong, who was still intermittently twitching on the ground, hadn't fainted at all. He just pretended to be unconscious because he didn't know how to face his superiors. Now he was hearing Li Huaide's last few sentences of judgment.

Reassigned to the original position?

Yi Zhonghai temporarily takes over?

Every word was like a red-hot awl, piercing his brain.

The burgeoning ambition for officialdom was instantly punctured, transforming into a wave of desperate grief and indignation.

A tremendous sense of resentment and humiliation erupted from his chest.

"Well……"

He let out a beast-like roar, struggling with all his might to get up, to defend himself, to accuse others.

The excruciating pain throughout his body left him without the strength to even lift a finger. His head lolled to the side and went limp, with only tears streaming down his swollen eyes.

Soon, his three sons, Liu Guangqi, Liu Guangtian, and Liu Guangfu, were summoned by the factory to pick them up and take their father back.

When they saw their father's pig-like face, the three teenagers didn't feel sorry for him; instead, they felt disgusted and ashamed. That's how it is these days; nobody cares if you lose a fight.

Especially under the pointing and whispering gazes of his fellow workers, the eldest brother, Liu Guangqi, turned a deep purplish-red, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

He almost dared not look people around him in the eye.

Without much talk, the three brothers found a cart under the complicated gazes of the crowd. With the help of the steel mill workers, they hurriedly lifted Liu Haizhong's more than 200-pound body onto the cart.

That heavy, defenseless body was less like a person and more like a piece of pork just pulled from the slaughterhouse, except that this pork was constantly shedding tears.

……

The office of Xu Lin was filled with smoke.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of cheap cigarettes and the astringent aroma of strong tea; the two smells intertwined, making the space feel somewhat stagnant.

Li Huaide stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette into the enamel mug, the tea inside making a soft "sizzle" sound and sending up a wisp of white smoke. He leaned heavily back in his chair, as if most of his energy had been drained away.

"Brother, this whole commotion has left me feeling uneasy and unsettled."

His voice was weary, and his eyes were fixed on the peeling paint on the ceiling.

His concern was not about the workers' conflicts that had just subsided.

He didn't care about these internal strifes as long as no one died. What he was really anxious about was the reporting of his political achievements.

"It's almost the end of the year, and there are only about two months left."

He held up two fingers and waved them in front of Xu Lin, his voice filled with barely suppressed anxiety.

"If those guys just use shovels and axes to dig, how long will it take? If this delays the construction, I won't be able to give a report to my superiors before the new year."

Xu Lin had accumulated a long ash on his fingertips. With a flick of his wrist, the ash fell precisely into the ashtray.

He deeply empathized with this.

But his considerations were far more profound than Li Huaide's.

He wasn't worried about his political achievements.

The newly renovated assembly line workshop has reached its full production capacity. The output of just the past two days has exceeded the output of the entire past week.

This is still in the adjustment period.

Once the workers are fully skilled and in full-speed production mode, one day can be equivalent to a month's worth of work. This achievement is enough to secure his position with the leaders of the Ministry of Industry.

What he is really worried about is the future.

It was that war that was about to end.

Once the fighting on the Korean battlefield ceases, related military orders will plummet instantly. Furthermore, many factories can also produce materials for centralized heating systems. At that point, thousands of workers in the steel mill will be idle and unable to receive their wages—that would be a truly devastating problem.

We must take advantage of this golden window of opportunity—with full orders and ample funds—to get the large bathhouse and blast furnace renovation projects off the ground.

Then we need to find a new way for the workers to have enough to eat even in peacetime.

Therefore, this progress absolutely cannot be slow.

Xu Lin stubbed out his cigarette and tapped his knuckles lightly on the table twice.

"Director Li, you can rest assured about this matter."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a calm and reassuring quality.

"Leave it to me, I have an idea."

"good!"

Li Huaide sat up abruptly from his chair, his eyes instantly regaining their sparkle.

He had an almost blind trust in Xu Lin.

This young man seems to possess a magical ability to turn the impossible into the possible. If Xu Lin says he can solve it, then he definitely can.

"Then I'll wait for your good news!"

Li Huaide felt a huge weight lifted from his heart, and he felt completely relaxed. After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Xu Lin, he finally left, satisfied.

The office door was closed, shutting out the noise from the outside world.

Only Xu Lin remained.

He picked up the slightly cooled teacup on the table and took a sip.

The bitter tea slid down his throat, but his consciousness instantly sank into an endless dark space.

[System Shop]

Four cold, enormous virtual characters floated in the center of his sea of ​​consciousness.

I still have one purchase opportunity left from the previous system rewards.

In addition, a few days ago, on that night in the office, I successfully won over the innocent nurse Ding Qiunan, and the system rewarded me with two more purchase opportunities.

He now holds three precious purchasing rights.

This was the real reason he dared to make such a boast in front of Li Huaide.

With a thought from Xu Lin, a dazzling list of goods unfolded like a waterfall in the darkness before him, shimmering with a light that transcended time.

[Future Energy Technologies], [Artificial Intelligence Core Code], [Controlled Nuclear Fusion Reactor Blueprints]...

He skipped over these groundbreaking technologies that could drive the world crazy, and focused his attention precisely on an inconspicuous category.

Industrial-grade power tools

That's it!

In an era when even electric lights were not yet widespread, it was only natural to use shovels and axes for earthmoving.

But Xu Lin knew that improving efficiency didn't rely on sheer numbers, but on a revolution in tools.

Without hesitation, he used up one of his purchase opportunities.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have successfully redeemed: a complete set of technical blueprints for industrial-grade power tools (covering the manufacturing, assembly, and core motor technologies of 108 types of tools, including chainsaws, hammer drills, electric drills, and angle grinders)!]

The moment the system notification sound ended.

An indescribable torrent of data, carrying countless meticulously detailed blueprints, rushed into Xu Lin's mind.

The angle of each tooth of the chainsaw chain.

Impact stroke of the electric hammer piston.

The meshing structure of the internal gears of an electric drill.

The winding method of the angle grinder motor.

……

The massive amount of data and blueprints, without the slightest disorder, instead formed a perfect logical structure, instantly building a complete industrial system in his memory.

The tolerance dimensions of each part.

The chemical composition of each alloy material.

The routing of wiring on each circuit board.

Everything was as clear as if he had drawn it a thousand times by hand, deeply imprinted in the depths of his soul.

A confident smile curved at the corners of Xu Lin's mouth.

What about Hilti, Makita, Boshi, Dewei, Miwachi...

Aren't you in later generations called God's toolbox?

Now, everyone just wait and step aside.

Return God's toolbox

God doesn't know anything.

I'm going to make sure that all of you future giants are born at the wrong time.

Next, let this era experience in advance what it means to be crushed by a revolutionary tool from the future!

Let me show you what it truly means for a set of tools to be passed down through three generations—the tools remain even after the person is gone…