94: From Technological Warfare to Space Empire

I woke up at 6 a.m. when I heard a knocking sound coming from the basement door.

Lin Yu was really sleepy, but he still struggled to sit up, rubbing his eyes.

Sergei and his party will come after the New Year.

Putting everything else aside, Lin Yu was determined to get the RD170 heavy-duty engine design drawings from him.

With this, we won't have to worry about the engines for future rocket launches.

When I got to the door, I opened it and a young man with a buzz cut, wearing a polyester shirt, knocked on the door. He was carrying a large suitcase in his left hand and some unidentified items wrapped in brown paper.

Upon seeing Lin Yu open the door, the young man straightened his legs and immediately raised his right hand in a salute.

"Greetings, Comrade Lin! My name is Zhang Guoqiang!"

"Xu Haoxiang has a mission today. Commander Hou asked me to be responsible for picking up and dropping off Comrade Lin and to follow Comrade Lin's instructions to raise funds."

He then lifted the large box in his left hand.

"30 RMB has been prepared."

"Commander Hou said that we should just ask for funds and supplies, and he would find a way. Comrade Lin's task is to produce facts that Sergei and his party can be absolutely certain of."

Zhang Guoqiang's attitude was serious. He and Lin Yu, ignoring their sleepy eyes, straightened up and nodded solemnly.

"Leave it to me."

Lin Yu glanced at the frost that had formed on Zhang Guoqiang's body due to the morning mist, as if he had been waiting outside for a while, and quickly led him into the basement to warm up.

"Let's rest here for a bit, then we'll head out."

Zhang Guoqiang nodded and handed the brown paper package to Lin Yu as he walked into the basement.

"Mr. Lin, you haven't had breakfast, have you? I brought some pork buns from the army mess hall. They might be a little cold though."

Lin Yu hadn't eaten much all afternoon and was extremely hungry.

He accepted the kraft paper and repeatedly said thank you for your hospitality.

But he was equally skilled with his mouth, finishing a large steamed bun in just a few bites.

After Lin Yu finished eating the steamed buns, he picked up the notebook he had written down, tore out a few pages with pictures of the equipment, handed them to Zhang Guoqiang, and asked Zhang Guoqiang for the equipment.

Zhang Guoqiang nodded and took the paper. He walked outside for about 10 minutes, then handed it over to someone else, I don't know. After that, he prepared to leave.

Once in the car, Zhang Guoqiang spoke as he drove.

"Comrade Lin, Chief Lin asked if we need to connect a fiber optic cable to your basement so that we can communicate with you promptly."

"The mobile phone is completely impossible to keep secret."

"The communication range of the walkie-talkie in the city is less than 3 kilometers."

"Commander Hou asked Comrade Lin for his understanding, because the fishing plan is still ongoing and a communications team cannot be assigned to accompany them for the time being."

Lin Yu shook his head and repeatedly said he dared not.

He only agreed to connect a fiber optic cable to his basement.

Communication methods were still too limited in that era; even landline telephones were difficult to popularize due to their high cost.

Lin Yu would be content if he could get a fiber optic cable installed for him.

As for assigning him a communications team... that's a bit much, and Lin Yu felt a little embarrassed to accept it.

In February, it's still quite dark in Beijing around 7 a.m.

But when Lin Yu arrived at the factory, it was already brightly lit.

The noise could be heard from a great distance.

"Hurry! Hurry! Before the factory manager arrives, let's clear all this waste from the warehouse and take it away."

"Yesterday I saw the new factory director, and when he looked at the steel slag, his expression was a little off, and he stared blankly for a long time."

"They must be angry because there's no ore stored in the warehouse."

Liu Jianguo's voice was very loud.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu's already somewhat drowsy mind was instantly jolted awake by anger.

Lin Yu told Zhang Guoqiang to turn on the high beams, and quickly rolled down the car window, shouting directly at him.

"Stop it, all of you!"

"Nobody's allowed to touch it, just leave the rubbish there!"

When the Santana turned on its high beams, they shone directly into the factory, causing many people to squint.

Lin Yu looked in the direction of the light and saw a large crowd of people arriving.

I estimate there are more than 500 people.

Upon seeing Lin Yu arrive, Liu Jianguo quickly grabbed a shovel, his honest smile returning to his face.

He secretly smeared a couple of specks of dirt from his gloves on his face.

He waved his hand and shouted:

"It's Factory Director Lin!"

If Lin Yu hadn't been watching him closely, Lin Yu probably wouldn't have noticed this series of actions and would have been fooled.

This idiot's flattery skills are truly masterful.

Lin Yu's voice couldn't carry that far; there was noise over there, so the workers didn't actually hear what Lin Yu said.

But when they saw Lin Yu arrive, many workers put down their work and gathered at the door, waiting for Lin Yu to come over.

As Lin Yu got closer, he could see that apart from a few obsequious factory leaders, the rest of the people had a hint of resentment on their faces.

But as Lin Yu got out of the car, they all shouted "Hello, Factory Director!"

It's obvious they've rehearsed.

Seeing these 500-plus people standing in the cold wind, Lin Yu didn't waste any words.

With only two days left until the New Year, he didn't call everyone over to show off his official power.

Lin Yu smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"I've called everyone here today for just one thing."

"I was planning to set the meeting at 9 o'clock to give everyone some time to arrive, but since everyone arrived at 7 o'clock, I won't delay until the meeting to talk about it."

"As the new factory manager, I'd like to start by paying everyone one month's salary, and wish you all a Happy New Year in advance!"

After Lin Yu finished speaking, his gaze swept over the astonished faces, and he solemnly patted the box that Zhang Guoqiang handed him.

"Now, shovel all the steel slag back to the warehouse, then come to the workshop and line up. Everyone gets some."

"Yes, Factory Manager!"

The factory director's shout was so loud that lights began to flicker on in the scattered bungalows in the distance.

Lin Yu finally heard a hint of sincerity in their words.

The workers disregarded the order that contradicted Liu Jianguo's command.

He hurriedly followed Lin Yu's instructions and filled the warehouse with steel slag.

Liu Jianguo took off his gloves, walked respectfully to Lin Yu's side, and honestly said that the workers' wages for cleaning had already been paid.

He wanted to say something more, but Lin Yu interrupted him. He turned and went to the workshop.

He then instructed the people who came with him to prepare tables, chairs, paper, and pens.

Before long, workers began to line up in long queues.

Lin Yu instructed the workers not to leave after receiving the money, and then began distributing the money.

The salaries of more than 500 people took nearly an hour and a half to distribute.

After the money was distributed, Lin Yu finally got down to business.

"As you all probably know, I am the new factory manager of Hongxing Factory."

"As the saying goes, a new year brings a new look. Although I came before the New Year, I still want to give the factory a fresh start."

The air in the workshop became somewhat heavy after these words were spoken.

The workers had no idea what kind of trouble the new young factory manager would cause.

Lin Yu continued.

"We'll pay everyone one month's wages as they're owed."

"Those who want to go home and have a proper Chinese New Year can leave now and come back after the holiday."

"But if you want to work hard with me and save the factory from its glory days, then come and stay with me."

After hearing these words, the workers looked at each other, bewildered.

The factory manager was too young, and they immediately felt that this young factory manager was inexperienced and might not be reliable.

After taking the money, no one left, nor did anyone approach Lin Yu. They only looked at the factory leaders for help.

Finally, it was the production section chief, Old Sun, who rubbed his grayish-black hands and stepped forward to ask:

"Factory manager, if you want to start production, we have no objection. The workers all want to revive the factory and make money."

"The New Year can be celebrated anytime, has the factory manager found a way to get the ore?"

Lin Yu shook his head and said bluntly:

"No, I want to extract the iron slag."

The crowd stirred immediately.