In the 90s, you could acquire max-level skills every 14 days.

Zhang Yong looked at Xiao Shen's flushed face.

"Comrade Xiao Shen."

The workers passing by all perked up their ears.

"You say I've forgotten my roots? I don't agree with that."

"My dad drove a truck in this factory for more than ten years, hauling cotton yarn on long-distance trips. He earned a salary, which was hard-earned money."

"You asked me to write articles for the publicity department? What does that have to do with my dad?"

Xiao Shen opened his mouth, about to retort.

Zhang Yong didn't give him a chance to respond.

"I signed an exclusive contribution agreement with *October* magazine. Writing articles for other organizations constitutes a breach of contract. If your publicity department sues me because of this, will you pay me compensation?"

Xiao Shen's mouth closed again.

"Next, if you're going to write about female textile workers, you have to go down to the workshop and work alongside them for a few days, talk to them, and listen to what they have to say. Can you write that sitting in an office?"

"You're always trying to get someone to ghostwrite for you. Are you expecting me to write every single one of your articles from now on? You might as well just give me your salary."

Zhang Yong pushed his bicycle, took two steps, and then stopped.

"Also, next time before taking a photo, ask the person if they agree."

Xiao Shen's face flushed red and then turned pale. He stood there for two seconds, clutching the camera strap, before turning and leaving.

After walking seven or eight steps, he turned back and glared at her.

The scattered whispers behind me were still audible.

"That's quite a sharp tongue..."

"Xiao Shen is the same, always looking for trouble. They already signed a contract..."

The sound faded into the distance.

Zhang Yong stepped into the shed, where sunlight streamed in through the open tin wall, illuminating the rows of parts.

He looked up at the azure sky peeking through the gaps in the metal sheet, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The people on the street just now called him a great writer, asking for autographs, taking photos, and chasing after him to talk to him.

It looks incredibly glamorous.

But he knew very well that he was not as good as Xiao Shen, who at least had studied news writing.

And what about him? He didn't even pass the college entrance exam; without the system, he's nothing.

What if... what if the system disappears one day?

Zhang Yong shook his head, suppressing the thought.

Sigh, thinking about these things is useless.

Make good use of the system while it's still running, and we'll deal with the future later.

Old Zhao squatted next to the dismantling table, with the parts of the 130 diesel engine laid out in front of him.

Zhang Yong disassembled it yesterday. After soaking it in kerosene overnight, the grease on the parts softened, and the original color of the iron parts was revealed.

"Have you had enough of the commotion outside?" Old Zhao asked.

"That's all for now."

"Installation".

Just two words.

Zhang Yong nodded, putting what had just happened out of his mind, washed his hands, and picked up the first part from the canvas.

When he disassembled it yesterday, he remembered the location of every part and the direction of every bolt clearly. The mechanical senses he gained from driving an Lv.6 allowed the structural blueprints of all the parts to appear clearly in his mind.

Return the crankshaft to its original position. Align the main bearing with the base, press the top cover in place, and tighten the ten bolts in a diagonal sequence.

With even wrist force, he could feel the subtle feedback of the bolt's settling torque with each turn of the wrench.

Reassemble the connecting rod. The piston rings consist of three rings: two compression rings and one oil ring, with their openings offset by 120 degrees.

The speed is even faster than yesterday.

Pick up the parts, align them, install them, and tighten them—the movements are seamless.

……

When the valve was halfway installed, there was a knock on the iron door of the shed.

Two people entered.

Someone I just met—Xiao Shen.

The other man was in his early thirties, wearing a polyester short-sleeved shirt, with an English-covered book tucked under his left arm and his right hand in his pocket.

He is Engineer Wang from the factory's technical department.

He graduated from Beijing Institute of Technology and just returned from further studies in Japan last year. He holds the title of engineer in the technical department.

He was the only person in the entire factory who had ever seen a Japanese CNC machine tool.

Xiao Shen followed behind, whispering in Wang Zhiyuan's ear while pointing at Zhang Yong in the shed.

Xiao Wang stopped at the entrance of the shed, his gaze passing over Old Zhao and landing on the engine in front of Zhang Yong.

His brows furrowed.

What are you two doing?

Old Zhao didn't even turn his head. "He's installing a computer, can't you tell?"

Xiao Wang walked into the shed and circled half of the dismantling table.

"Is it appropriate to install the machine here, Old Zhao?"

"If dust, iron filings, or sludge get into the tank, it won't be usable after installation."

Xiao Wang pushed up his glasses and glanced at Zhang Yong.

"Young man, why are you still using a regular box wrench? The standard torque for cylinder head bolts is 90 to 100 Newton-meters. How are you controlling it? By feel?"

Zhang Yong's hands didn't stop.

"Yes, it's all about feel."

Xiao Wang curled his lip.

"How does it feel?"

He turned to Old Zhao, his tone carrying a hint of condescending politeness.

"Master Zhao, I'm not talking about you. But for this kind of old-fashioned 130 diesel engine, the bolts on the crankshaft main bearing cap must be tightened precisely with a torque wrench. If it's even a tiny bit off, the bearing will shift during operation. Even if it's installed correctly, it won't last more than half an hour."

He then looked at Zhang Yong.

"How old are you? Are you an adult? Have you read the 'Internal Combustion Engine Assembly Process Specification'? Can you read a force analysis diagram?"

Xiao Shen chimed in from behind, his voice not loud, but every word he uttered was sarcastic and unpleasant.

"He's a great writer, Mr. Wang. He's skilled with his pen, but as for his wrench—well, that's another story."

There was a two-second silence in the shed.

The old yellow dog raised its head slightly, then lay back down.

Old Zhao took the unlit cigarette out of his mouth and tucked it behind his ear. He turned and glanced at Xiao Wang.

"Young Wang, you're right."

Xiao Wang's smile immediately spread across his face.

Old Zhao continued.

"Then come and fix it, stop talking nonsense."

Xiao Wang suppressed his laughter again.

"The reduction gearbox on the loom in the factory had been broken for three months. I reported it to your technical department, and they said they needed to import parts. In the end, I spun the gear myself on a lathe and installed it, and it worked fine."

"I can't understand your foreign language book, but these hands of mine have never broken a single machine."

While the two were chatting, Zhang Yong never looked up.

He pressed the last set of valve springs into place and locked the locking plate with snap ring pliers.

Cylinder head returned to its original position.

Ten bolts, in diagonal order, tighten them one by one.

No torque wrench is needed; the mechanical senses of Lv.6 driving make his hands extremely sensitive.

The oil pipes were reconnected one by one, with the inlet pipe on the left and the return pipe on the right, in the same order as yesterday.

The last part – the valve cover.

Zhang Yong paused for a moment as he tightened the four bolts.

Because he sensed something he had never felt before.

He could feel how tight each bolt was, how well each sealing surface fit, and the flow resistance inside each oil pipe.

This information is no longer scattered fragments, but a complete system.

He can sense the complete state of the entire engine.

The panel flashed suddenly at the edge of my field of vision.

【Ding! 】

[Auto Repair Lv.0 - Entry Level: 100%]

[Unlocked successfully!]

[Automotive Repair Lv.1: Basic Theory and Structural Analysis - Mastered.]

[AFK slot is now bound! 30x AFK speed enabled!]

Zhang Yong's heart skipped a beat.

He didn't say anything, but simply withdrew his hand from the valve cover.

Then he stood up, walked to the front of the engine, bent down and grabbed the hand crank.

Xiao Wang sneered from behind.

"Oh, that looks pretty good, but it's useless!"