Bright Sword: I built Italian cannons for Li Yunlong

"Factory Manager!"

"Director Zhou!"

"Quick! Call the factory doctor over!"

A gasp of surprise suddenly rang out, instantly replacing the cheers from before.

Zhao Dajiang rushed forward and stretched out his arms before Zhou Zhen's body went limp.

He caught the person, but when Zhou Zhen's weight came down on him, he swayed and almost lost his balance.

"Factory Manager! Factory Manager!" He looked down at the pale face in his arms, and his voice suddenly changed.

Zhao Dajiang's eyes instantly reddened.

He supported Zhou Zhen's back with one hand and held his shoulder with the other, struggling to carry him on his back.

He stopped anyone who tried to help.

"Get out of the way, all of you get out of the way!" He suddenly raised his head and shouted at the people who were surrounding him, his voice so hoarse that it almost cracked.

He gritted his teeth, pulled Zhou Zhen closer to his back, hunched over, and staggered out.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

He ran and shouted all the way, his voice echoing through the valley.

On his way to the clinic, he tripped over a pebble, stumbled, and nearly fell.

But his hands were tightly protecting the person on his back. Fortunately, Liu Qiusheng was quick-witted and caught him, which helped him regain his balance.

He was panting heavily, large beads of sweat streaming down his forehead, muttering repeatedly, "Factory manager, factory manager, don't scare me, you can't be hurt."

"It's all my fault. I didn't take good care of you. I shouldn't have agreed to let you work day and night like this..."

He looked just like an old father whose child had suddenly fainted.

In the makeshift clinic at the arsenal, the factory doctor carefully examined the patient, removed his stethoscope, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not a big problem," he said slowly, looking at the people gathered around the bed.

"The factory manager is just overworked."

After a slight pause, he continued, "This is a sudden fainting spell caused by prolonged high levels of stress and malnutrition."

There's nothing seriously wrong with your health. Just get plenty of rest, supplement your nutrition, and recuperate for a while, and you'll be fine.

Zhao Dajiang, who was standing at the front, finally felt relieved after hearing these words.

As the tension in his heart eased, he felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and he slowly squatted down, holding onto the edge of the bed.

He lowered his head, panting heavily, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a sentence from his hoarse voice.

"That scared me to death..."

He turned to look at the people behind him. Zhang Tieniu, Han Shan, Li Tantou and the others all had expressions of relief on their faces, as if they had survived a disaster.

When the news spread, all the workers in the arsenal became worried.

During Zhou Zhen's coma, someone always kept watch outside the small cave dwelling of the clinic.

The workers came and went in twos and threes.

No one spoke, no one made a fuss.

They arrived and sat on the stone steps at the entrance for a while.

Or you could just stand there, lean forward, carefully tiptoe, crane your neck, and peek through the half-open wooden door.

After looking around, he didn't say anything, just stood there quietly for a while, and then quietly left.

Old Chen arrived carrying a bowl of freshly cooked millet porridge.

He wrapped the bowl tightly in a towel, kept it warm in his arms, and jogged over.

When he reached the door, he stood on tiptoe and peered inside, seeing Zhou Zhen lying on the bed, still unconscious.

Zhao Dajiang was dozing off to the side. He had been guarding Zhou Zhen for the entire day and night while Zhou Zhen was unconscious. When he got too tired, he would just lie there and take a short nap.

Old Chen opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, it only turned into a sigh.

Upon hearing the noise, Zhao Dajiang, who was inside the room, instantly jolted awake and sat bolt upright.

His first glance fell on Zhou Zhen, who was lying on the bed, and he saw that Zhou Zhen was still unconscious.

Only then did he turn his gaze elsewhere with a look of disappointment. When he saw Old Chen come in, he simply nodded slightly to him as a greeting.

Old Chen handed the bowl to Zhao Dajiang and whispered, "Don't open this towel. Keep it warm for a while so it cools down more slowly. This porridge won't taste good if it gets cold. If the factory manager wakes up, make sure he drinks it right away."

After saying that, he glanced at the hospital bed again before limping away.

As night fell, someone quietly brought an oil lamp and placed it on the windowsill.

The lights were dim, but they stayed on.

Zhou Zhen finally woke up at noon the next day.

Upon waking, his first reaction was to struggle to get up, but Zhao Dajiang, who was guarding the bedside, gently yet firmly pressed him back down with his large, fan-like hands.

"My dear Director Zhou." Zhao Dajiang's voice rang out from above, carrying a hint of reproach and a touch of heartache, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"This time you have to listen to me, Lao Zhao. The doctor said that if you keep pushing yourself, your body will break down."

From now on, you must rest well; don't worry about anything else for the time being.

Zhou Zhen was getting anxious and was about to say something when footsteps came from the doorway.

Zhang Tieniu, Han Shan, Li Tantou, and other key members walked in, filling the small clinic to capacity.

Zhang Tieniu walked to the bedside, rubbed his calloused hands, and chuckled twice.

"Factory Director, this is not just Lao Zhao's decision, but a collective decision of all our colleagues. Even though you are the factory director, you cannot disregard the opinions of all your colleagues."

Han Shan nodded and sat down beside him.

"Factory manager, just relax and take care of yourself."

Zhang Tieniu patted his chest and assured, "The furnace works perfectly. The activated carbon produced yesterday all met the standards. We guarantee we'll do the rest of the work beautifully."

If we make you work even harder, we old buddies will lose all face.

"Yes, Director Zhou," Han Shan also chimed in, "you've already streamlined the process and made breakthroughs in the key technologies."

"Large-scale production and coordination are handled by Lao Zhao and us."

Li Tantou stood at the back of the crowd, nodding vigorously.

Meanwhile, news of Zhou Zhensu's awakening had already spread throughout the factory, and many people had gathered outside the cave dwelling.

But no one went in; they just stood at the doorway, peering quietly through the door.

At that moment, Zhou Zhen was seen leaning against the headboard, talking to Zhao Dajiang and others.

Although her face was still a little pale, she had woken up and could speak.

The people at the door looked at each other, and finally smiled.

Someone said softly, "It's good that you're awake."

The person next to him nodded without saying a word, but glanced inside again before quietly turning and leaving.

One by one, they came quietly, looked quietly, and left quietly, without anyone coming in to disturb them.

Looking at these sincere yet stubborn faces, Zhou Zhen knew that his sudden illness had really frightened everyone.

He felt the deep care and love from his comrades. A warm feeling welled up in his heart, and his eyes became a little hot.

He blinked, trying hard not to let the tears fall.