Returning to 1949, I decided to hand it over to the state.

After eating and sleeping well, Jiang Fan held the folding entrenching tool in his hand, sat in his gaming chair, and looked at the watch on his wrist.

The countdown is coming to an end.

"3..."

"2..."

"1!"

As the last second ticked down to zero, the dial burst into blue light.

Immediately afterwards, the watch face was placed back on Jiang Fan's left wrist, and that firm feeling of it being embedded in his flesh returned.

Jiang Fan was pulled into that pure white space once again.

However, when he stood firm and looked around, he found that the space this time was completely different from the first time he came in.

He discovered that the solitary light gate that led to 1949 was gone.

Instead, several new lines of text floated above the pure white dome:

[Current timeline: June 11, 1949]

Available folding space: 1m³

Below the text stood three portals of light, each with a location marker floating above it:

[Anshan Iron and Steel Plant Area] [Yan'an Front] [Capital of the Soviet Union]

Jiang Fan's pupils contracted.

"This is... an upgrade? Not only can it travel through time, but it can also choose its own landing location?"

Looking at those three coordinates, which were of great strategic significance in the era, his heart began to race.

If I could freely travel between Anshan Iron and Steel's heavy industrial base, the command center in Yan'an, and even reach the heart of the Soviet Union...

The strategic value of that watch would be immeasurable.

But soon, his attention was drawn to the time anchor above.

June 11th.

"The ratio of this time flow rate is too weird."

I spent 24 hours comfortably in the modern world, while in 1949, a full eight days had truly passed.

During those eight days, Director He and Zhou Chunsheng must have been frantically searching for people all over the world, right?

Moreover, today is June 11th.

In the altered timeline, isn't this the very moment when the 1205 drilling team sent by Chief Li drilled the first industrial oil well in Zhaozhou?

Once the crude oil is extracted from the well, the pressure on Ansteel's chemical refining operations will be instantly maximized.

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Jiang Fan's gaze locked onto the leftmost gate that read "Anshan Iron and Steel Plant Area".

Although the locations of Yan'an and the Soviet Union were extremely tempting, he was well aware of his primary task at hand.

"Let's go back to Anshan Iron and Steel first," Jiang Fan quickly decided.

He then prepared to walk forward, but after taking only half a step, he suddenly stopped.

Wait... there's no more return countdown?

How can I come back?

There's also this [Available space: 1m³].

Could it be that this watch's space can not only carry things, but also store items like the personal storage space in online novels?

Moreover, since the exact value of "1m³" is specifically marked, does it mean that as long as one continues to promote the progress of technology or industry in this era and triggers certain hidden conditions, this space will continue to grow and expand?

One cubic meter can hold a few entrenching tools and a few blueprints. What about ten cubic meters or a hundred cubic meters?

Is it possible to directly assemble a high-precision CNC machine tool from Hyundai in the future?

"hiss--"

Thinking of this possibility, Jiang Fan couldn't help but rub his hands together excitedly.

If that's the case, then this thing will become a true god-level cheat in the later stages!

Although the triggering mechanism for space upgrades and regression cannot be verified immediately, the watch is on my wrist, and there will be plenty of time to explore it gradually in the future.

Having figured all this out, Jiang Fan no longer hesitated.

He composed himself, picked up his entrenching tool, and stepped toward the light gate leading to the Anshan Iron and Steel Plant.

……

"call--!"

The light faded, and Jiang Fan took a step forward.

Ah, this fresh air!

Ah, the fragrance of this earth!

"Cough cough cough... No, this smells like coal ash!"

Jiang Fan had just taken a deep breath when he was choked and coughed repeatedly.

What I heard wasn't birdsong and fragrant flowers, but the sounds of machines colliding.

He opened his eyes and realized that he had just opened the door to a storage room in a workshop.

Several workers who had some free time looked over and their eyes immediately fixed on Jiang Fan.

The air suddenly became quiet.

The workers were completely bewildered: How did someone manage to crawl out of this storage room?

Jiang Fan also felt his scalp tingle from being stared at.

But he had excellent composure; his face showed no sign of panic. Instead, he naturally tucked the entrenching tool under his arm and raised his right hand, waving it憨厚ly at the workers.

"Um... are you all busy?"

After saying that, without waiting for the workers to react, Jiang Fan slipped away.

"Hey? Wait, who's this guy? Which workshop is he from?"

"..."

Once he had left the workers' chatter behind, Jiang Fan breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, no one recognized him.

Stepping out of the workshop and looking at the towering blast furnace and the billowing smoke in the sky, Jiang Fan suddenly felt a surge of excitement.

The feeling of returning to familiar places is really subtle, but I can't quite put my finger on why.

But where is this?

So, Jiang Fan stopped an old man pushing a wheelbarrow by the roadside and asked him for directions to Xiaobailou.

The experienced worker kindly pointed to an internal railway line that ran through the factory area in the distance.

Jiang Fan thanked him and walked along the railway line for a while.

Luckily, a steam train carrying ore slowly drove by inside the factory.

Having learned from his previous experience, he grabbed the railing at the back of the carriage and jumped up.

Before long, the familiar three-story Japanese-style villa came into view.

Jiang Fan jumped off the train and strode towards the Little White Building.

"Judging from the timeline, the Northeast Bureau should have sent the telegram about the oil field today. I wonder if Commander Li has arrived yet; we need to go check on the situation immediately!"

He walked into the hall as if he knew the way well, and went up the wooden stairs to the second floor.

Just as we reached the halfway point, a roar suddenly erupted from the largest conference room on the second floor.

Judging from the voice, it was He Xiying, the factory director of Ansteel.

Moreover, he seemed to be angrily berating someone.

"Zhou Chunsheng, didn't you always pat your chest and brag to me that you had a photographic memory?!"

"Before Engineer Jiang left, did he draw the blueprints clearly on the blackboard? Did you assure me that you had memorized everything and could remove the gas cylinder even with your eyes closed?"

Jiang Fan paused, softened his movements, and quietly approached the half-closed conference room door.

Peering through the crack in the door, I could see that the conference room was filled with smoke.

Several cadres dressed in military uniforms and Zhongshan suits sat on either side of the long table, their faces solemn and their brows furrowed.

Zhou Chunsheng, at this moment, was like a primary school student who had done something wrong, nervously rubbing his thighs with his hands, standing at the front of the conference table with his head down, being scolded.

Factory Director He Xiying clutched a telegram in her hand, so excited that she slammed her hand on the table:

"Now it's all good. An urgent telegram from the Northeast Bureau has been slammed onto my desk. The geological exploration team that Chief Li sent to Zhaozhou has really struck oil. Chief Li said in the telegram that I should get the stuff out and try it out as soon as possible."

"You're only telling me now because you don't understand?"

"Zhou Chunsheng, Zhou Chunsheng, are you trying to kill me? Are you jeopardizing national affairs?!"

Faced with Director He's harsh reprimand, Zhou Chunsheng broke out in a cold sweat and tearfully defended himself, saying:

"Factory manager, even if you scold me, I have to say it. The gas cylinder body was welded by Engineer Jiang and me with our team that very day. It's absolutely sturdy; it won't deform even if you hit it with a sledgehammer. But the problem is... that ethane stripper that Engineer Jiang mentioned!"

"I, Zhou Chunsheng, work in mechanical engineering. That ethane stripper is a chemical equipment!"

"Those boiling points, fractionation, light hydrocarbon purification... all those chemical formulas that Engineer Jiang drew are like gibberish to me. Where am I supposed to conjure up a chemical tower for him?!"

He Xiying was speechless for a moment after being rebuked, but she was still extremely anxious:

"Well... we can't just sit here and do nothing. We've found the oil field, but we can't even get the gas tanks and related equipment. What's going on? Engineer Jiang went back to his hometown to visit relatives and has disappeared without a trace. We don't know when he'll be back."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fan, standing outside the door, felt a chill run down his spine.

Sure enough, it was Zhou Chunsheng's fault.

However, it is indeed asking a mechanical engineer to work on chemical equipment.

This was the tragedy of the domestic industrial system at that time being extremely unbalanced and lacking comprehensive chemical engineering talent.

It seems I came back at just the right time.

After figuring it out, Jiang Fan straightened his collar outside and casually weighed the shovel tucked under his arm.

Then, he pushed open the conference room door.

The wooden door creaked.

Everyone in the room immediately turned their gaze toward the doorway.

Zhou Chunsheng stared dejectedly at his toes, and subconsciously looked up as well.

In that single glance, Zhou Chunsheng's expression shifted from shock to astonishment, and finally to ecstatic joy. His voice cracked with excitement as he shouted:

"Engineer Jiang, my good savior! You're finally back!!!"

Zhou Chunsheng's shout stunned Factory Director He Xiying and the senior cadres present.

Jiang Fan, facing the shocked gazes of the crowd, calmly walked into the conference room, holding the shovel in his hand.

"Director He, Engineer Zhou, I'm back."