He had just married a policewoman when he was diagnosed with criminal genius.

My gaze swept over every component.

He already had a complete modification plan in mind—since the goal was to produce high-quality counterfeit banknotes that could lure out criminal groups, the equipment had to be of sufficient precision.

"Old Tang, first remove the ink tank and doctor blade system." Lu Chen pointed to the ink supply section below the machine. "If we want to change to double-sided printing, we need to install an ink assembly on both the top and bottom of the printing cylinder."

Tang Sancheng immediately got to work. Having worked in the printing industry for decades, he was extremely skilled at disassembling and assembling equipment.

Lu Chen stood to the side, occasionally offering a few pointers; the two worked together quite well.

The ability to print on both sides simultaneously in a gravure printing press mainly relies on special printing cylinders and a precise paper delivery system.

A gravure plate needs to be installed on the rollers to transfer the pattern to the paper through ink. Two sets of printing rollers are also required, one for the front and one for the back of the paper.

Lu Chen walked to the side and began to inspect the inkjet system that was to be installed.

He pointed to the inkjet tube and said to Tang Sancheng, "The printing roller can't be immersed in the ink trough, so we can only apply ink by spraying. But the problem with spraying is that the ink is prone to dripping, so we have to install an ink applicator."

"Ink-painting knife?" This was the first time Tang Sancheng had ever heard this term.

"right!"

Lu Chen explained, "After the inkjet nozzle sprays ink onto the surface of the roller, the ink applicator can quickly scrape the ink from the surface into the cells of the gravure. This not only avoids dripping caused by excessive ink, but also improves the filling effect on the gravure."

Tang Sancheng suddenly realized, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

For the next few hours, the only sounds in the warehouse were the clanging of metal and the roar of machines being tested.

"Xiao Lu, you said we can officially print counterfeit money now? Is it true or false?" Ding Jianguo shouted as he pushed open the door, his voice filled with barely suppressed urgency.

However, he froze on the spot as soon as he stepped into the workshop, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

"Engineer Lu, how much should we adjust it to?" Tang Sancheng followed Lu Chen, holding a wrench in his hand, his tone as respectful as a junior apprentice.

"Around 500." Lu Chen didn't look up, turning the adjustment knob while keeping his eyes fixed on the value on the pressure gauge. "This value ensures the transfer effect without putting too much strain on the paper."

"Mr. Lu, how do we install this drying device?" Old Chen peeked over from the other side, holding a roll of wire in his hand, waiting for Lu Chen to speak.

"Lu Gong..."

Inside the workshop, questions rose and fell.

Ding Jianguo stood at the door, his mouth slightly open, unable to close it for a long time.

Are these the same four unruly individuals from just two days ago?

When did these people become so good-tempered?

Even speaking to them personally wouldn't be this effective.

They now look exactly like Lu Chen's devoted fans.

Lu Chen is only in his early twenties, while the other four are already over sixty.

But now, these people, whose combined age is nearly two hundred, are acting like elementary school students, following Lu Chen around respectfully and asking him questions.

No matter how you look at it, this scene seems somewhat comical and unrealistic.

"Director Ding, you've arrived!" Lu Chen noticed Ding Jianguo at the door, but his hands continued moving.

Lu Chen just sent a message to Ding Jianguo asking him to bring over the master copy.

Because the equipment will be debugged soon.

"Have you brought the master plate? We've set up the equipment and we can do a test print right away. If everything goes well, we can start the official printing."

Ding Jianguo snapped out of his daze, quickly stepped forward, carefully took out the master copy from his briefcase, and handed it to Lu Chen: "I brought it, take a look."

Lu Chen took the master template, walked to the worktable, and carefully inspected it under the light. After confirming that there was no deformation or damage, he nodded in satisfaction.

"No problem, Lao Tang, get ready to print the test print."

"Alright!" Tang Sancheng replied, quickly walked to the gravure printing machine, and began to prepare for the plate-mounting process.

Ding Jianguo stood aside, looking at the busy yet orderly scene in the workshop, and was filled with emotion.

In just two short days, Lu Chen not only completed the production of the master version.

They even managed to subdue those troublemakers completely.

Even the equipment has been modified.

Just how much skill is this kid hiding?

However, Ding Jianguo's biggest concern right now is whether he can print banknotes that surpass the counterfeit banknotes on the market.

As the machines roared to life, the first printing operation officially began.

More than ten minutes later, the first batch of counterfeit banknotes was displayed in front of everyone as the machine spewed them out.

Ding Jianguo and his group immediately surrounded them.

Lu Chen took down the still-warm sample and walked under the light to examine it carefully.

His gaze swept from the edge of the pattern to the center.

From watermark checks to security lines, from color-changing inks to microtext.

While every detail wasn't Lu Chen's limit, it already surpassed the counterfeit money on the market.

"It's done!" he said softly, his tone calm but carrying a sense of unwavering confidence.

As soon as he finished speaking, the people behind him breathed a sigh of relief.

Tang Sancheng was the first to come forward, took the counterfeit bill with both hands, and examined it several times under the light.

His hands were trembling slightly, not from nervousness, but from excitement.

Having worked in this industry for decades, he had never seen such exquisite finished products.

The pattern is clear, the colors are rich, the lines are sharp, and even the watermark's layering transitions are so natural that they look like they grew out of a real banknote.

He also knew that this was probably because Lu Chen had let him off the hook.

Tang Sancheng had reason to believe that if Lu Chen really wanted to make counterfeit money, he could probably make banknotes that even the printing presses on the market couldn't distinguish from real ones.

Ding Jianguo took the sample banknote from Tang Sancheng and examined it carefully.

Lu Chen explained, "Although the counterfeit banknotes used by that criminal group in Jiangbei City have a certain degree of simulation, there are still obvious flaws in the three-dimensionality of the watermark, the embedding process of the security thread, and the effect of the color-changing ink."

Lu Chen paused for a moment before continuing, "And the batch of 'bait' banknotes we're making now has been deliberately made a step higher in terms of precision. They're better than the high-quality counterfeit banknotes circulating in the market, but not so good that they arouse suspicion."

After listening to Lu Chen's explanation, Ding Jianguo nodded in satisfaction.

Although he didn't understand how counterfeit money was made, he knew how to distinguish genuine money.

It's clear that the quality of this counterfeit banknote is much better than the counterfeit banknotes they have.

But not to the point that they can't tell it's counterfeit.

The perfect level of realism is enough to attract the interest of criminal groups without arousing their suspicion.

Lu Chen continued, "At the same time, I also made a hidden mark here."

Lu Chen pointed to the barely visible "Lu" mark on the banknote: "With this mark, after the case is closed, we can work with banks in Jiangbei City to retrieve these counterfeit banknotes."