94: From Technological Warfare to Space Empire

Lin Yu was getting a little irritated because he had so many things to do.

It has only been a little over a month since he made up his mind to start his own commercial space program.

Artificial intelligence has been developed, a positioning algorithm has been developed, rocket engine manuscripts have been obtained, and strategic deception has been used to plant hooks in Japan and Russia.

He's even acquired a steel plant that produces the rocket body material; all that's left is to find a time to rename it and establish it as his private company.

But unfortunately, he ran into someone who couldn't stand to see him doing well.

If it weren't for the factory incident, he would probably be dominating academic conferences right now.

As Lin Yu was thinking, the phone rang.

Lin Yu answered the phone, and Zhao Mingli's voice was very low.

"We found out that Shougang's No. 3 steelmaking plant scrapped a batch of gray cast iron slag last month, totaling 17 tons."

"The records of waste disposal show that all of them were taken away by a company called Xiangrong Material Recycling Company."

Upon hearing the name, Lin Yu murmured and repeated it.

"Xiangrong Material Recycling?"

Who is the legal representative?

Zhao Mingli paused for a moment before replying.

Wu Xiangrong

"I don't know what grudge this person has against you, but he also owns an oil refinery and two small steel mills."

"Their oil refinery has a pretty good reputation."

"Although the factory is not big, the gasoline quality is good, and it has been sold to many places."

"Would you like me to act as a go-between for Director Lin, so you two can meet and get to know each other?"

Lin Yu was somewhat stunned upon hearing this answer.

What grudge could someone whose main business is oil refining possibly have against him?

Are you really willing to risk coming after him just because of those two small steel mills under his control?

Lin Yu chuckled in exasperation. This was far too greedy! If he were an ordinary person, he would be finished.

He briefly thanked Zhao Mingli, then said it wasn't necessary and hung up the phone.

The phone call lasted quite a while.

Section Chief Zhou from the Environmental Protection Bureau couldn't contain himself any longer.

Sun Qingnian was instructed to push the door open and enter, his face filled with barely suppressed anger.

"Factory manager, Section Chief Zhou said they received instructions to inspect the workshop today, but he didn't provide any written regulations, he just made up some vague statement!"

Lin Yu waved his hand.

"Let them in."

"Open the doors to the extraction workshop and the rare earth production line."

"Let him see the reagent section too."

Sun Qingnian was stunned.

"Factory manager, what if they nitpick and try to shut us down after we come in?"

Lin Yu didn't answer, but waved his hand, telling Sun Qingnian to just do as he was told.

Shougang has records of this information.

As long as there are no problems with state-owned enterprises, that junior section chief who rushed up to make a name for himself can investigate however he wants.

There are records of Wu Xiangrong recycling materials that are being used to argue about the matter.

Zhou Jiannan couldn't get the procedures and regulations for the seizure done.

His next step is to investigate this Xiangrong Material Recycling Company.

After pondering his strategy in the office for a while, Lin Yu finally stepped out of his room.

Outside the door, Zhou Jiannan was putting away his notebook, preparing to walk towards the workshop.

"Section Chief Zhou!"

Lin Yu called out to him.

Zhou Jiannan turned around and saw that Lin Yu's expression was calm, without any guilt or anger, and even with a polite smile.

"When you go back and write your report today, there are a few things I need to clarify with you."

"Just in case you're unaware, the chemical reagents used in our factory were sent to the Chemical Research Institute in Beijing this morning for testing."

Zhang Guoqiang told him about this on his way here this morning.

"This matter can be investigated, so Section Chief Zhou must not make a mistake."

"Secondly, our factory has never received any of the steel slag found in the residential area."

"Shougang has entry and exit records, proving that this batch of steel slag was taken away by another company a month ago."

"I think it's called something like Xiangrong Material Recycling Company. Does Section Chief Zhou remember it?"

Zhou Jiannan's heart skipped a beat as he walked forward.

I never expected Jinji to arrive so quickly. As a result, Lin Yu found Wu Xiangrong with just one phone call.

This is impossible. How did they do that?

Could there be a mole within their ranks?

And what nonsense is this kid spouting?

Steel slag is just steel slag, isn't it?

What do you mean by saying that he never bought this batch of steel slag, yet he found Shougang's disposal records based on that pile of garbage?

Zhou Jiannan was extremely flustered, but he managed to keep a straight face and nodded to indicate that he understood.

He is 32 years old this year. He was able to hold his position as section chief in the Huangshan District Environmental Protection Bureau not because of his skills, but because of his personal connections.

Wu Xiangrong's inner circle asked someone to pass on a message, telling him to come and take a look while he was passing by, so he came.

He was told to investigate more strictly, as it would bring him benefits, and he was prepared to do so. With the money, he wanted to make some money and advance his career further.

But before he could even see any benefits, this young man had put him in a very difficult position with just a few words.

Zhou Jiannan felt a little anxious.

He had never experienced the days when factories were shut down and people were bullied, and he was directly exposed as the mastermind behind it all.

He has no idea whether Lin Yu actually found the information from Shougang's records or whether he discovered their connection.

If it's the former, then it's fine; you can just withdraw and leave.

If it's the latter, he'll be in big trouble.

For Lin Yu to become a factory director at his age is already an exceptional achievement.

The connections he has are definitely more useful than his.

This time, he was truly blinded by greed, his lust fueled by Wu Xiangrong's repeated favors.

Lin Yu's voice wasn't loud, but Zhou Jiannan tried his best to keep his expression from changing, but even so, he couldn't stop the cold sweat from breaking out on his forehead.

"Okay, I understand."

Zhou Jiannan put his hands in his pockets and gripped his pen tightly to calm himself down.

"We will verify the information provided by Director Lin."

Lin Yu didn't make things difficult for him anymore and turned to make way for him.

Zhou Jiannan entered the extraction workshop with two subordinates. The machines were still running, and the workers were doing their jobs. No one gave him a second glance.

He could only pretend to walk around the magnetic separator a couple of times, copying down a few parameters that he himself couldn't understand at all.

The reagent area had never been open to outsiders before, and Zhou Jiannan was the first person to be able to get here.

But when he reached the reagent area, Zhou Jiannan's steps faltered noticeably, and he seemed unable to continue.

He saw two young men in plain clothes standing there, their posture upright, their bearing heroic, their eyes like lightning, motionless.

Zhou Jiannan wasn't ignorant of quality.

He recognized this posture and knew what kind of person possessed this captivating, almost electrifying gaze.

He could no longer suppress his panic, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

His throat became dry, he swallowed hard a couple of times, hastily drew a checkmark in his notebook, turned around and walked out without stopping.

Lin Yu leaned against the doorway, quite satisfied with Zhou Jiannan's expression.

He wanted to use Zhou Jiannan's mouth to go back and tell the people behind them this news.

At least during academic exchanges, he should make these people wary and not bother him.

He's too busy right now to have time to compete with them in business.

"Section Chief Zhou, are you done reading that?"

Lin Yu spoke as if he were having a casual chat.

"Not long? We have braised pork for lunch at our factory."

Zhou Jiannan knew that normally they should have exchanged pleasantries properly for a while.

But he couldn't suppress the lingering fear in his heart at all.

After Lin Yu spoke, he even moved his feet faster as he went out the door.

You should have told me sooner that you had troops standing guard for you!

Is this something I can get involved in?

"No need. I've already learned about Director Lin's basic situation and need to go back and write a report. There's nothing wrong with your factory, so I won't bother you any longer."

Seeing that Zhou Jiannan was sensible, Lin Yu nodded.

"Then please take care."

When Zhou Jiannan reached the factory gate, he realized that his back was already soaked with sweat, and the chilly spring breeze made him feel cold all over.

He only felt a little safer and dared to curse after he got into the old jeep, started the car, and drove for two miles.

"Go back and return all those gifts to Wu Xiangrong!"

"They figured out everything as soon as the deal was done. They dared to mess with us without even knowing our background! Damn!"