64: Chapter 64: Half a lifetime of grudges vanished with the wind; a high-temperature tile determined the fate of the world!

The morning sun had just risen, and the sky was already bright. Wang Defu was hunched over in the underground Panshi Factory, checking the equipment list. His calloused fingers rustled across the pages. Just as all the equipment was set and the machines began to start up, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket.

An unfamiliar number.

Frowning, he answered, "Hello, who is this?"

The factory was a bit noisy, so Wang Defu walked outside.

"Is this Mr. Wang Defu?" The voice on the other end was somewhat cold. "I regret to inform you that your brother, Wang Deshun, suffered a sudden heart attack in prison last night. Despite resuscitation efforts, he passed away. Please come to the Municipal Public Security Bureau as soon as possible to complete the necessary procedures."

"..."

He froze on the spot, a buzzing sound filling his ears as if countless flies were swarming. The urging voice from the phone sounded muffled and indistinct, as if filtered through thick cotton.

Dead?

That good-for-nothing, deceitful brother who had turned the family upside down and ended up behind bars... was just gone like that?

Over the years, he had gritted his teeth countless times in the dead of night, imagining the scene of Wang Deshun's death. Yet, when truly faced with it, his heart clenched. A sour, astringent, clogged feeling, mixed with an indescribable emptiness—a turbulent mix of emotions surged within him.

"Hello? Mr. Wang, are you still there?"

"Yes... yes," Wang Defu's voice was terribly hoarse. "I'll be right there."

After hanging up, his legs gave way. He staggered, nearly falling. His face was as pale as paper, his eyes vacant as he stared outside, his whole being seeming to have had its soul sucked out.

"Uncle Wang?"

Lin Hao's voice came from behind. He had just come downstairs and saw Wang Defu's devastated state. He hurried over, reaching out to support the man's teetering body. "What's wrong? You look awful!"

Wang Defu slowly turned his head. The light hadn't yet returned to his eyes. His lips moved a few times before he managed to squeeze out the words: "That bastard Wang Deshun... is dead. I have to go to the police station to handle the paperwork."

His tone was very calm, without a ripple of emotion.

"I'll take you!" Without a second thought, Lin Hao grabbed his arm to support him. "Wait here, I'll get the car keys!"

He rushed to the office. Chen Fan was organizing the parameter sheets for the heavy truck Amplification. Lin Hao, panting, explained the situation. Chen Fan's hand, holding the pen, paused.

Having spent so much time with Wang Defu, he knew the man's nature well—outwardly stubborn, but soft-hearted inside. No matter how despicable Wang Deshun was, he was still a blood brother. With death, the lamp is extinguished; all enmity should dissipate like smoke.

"Go," Chen Fan looked up, his voice steady. "Drive carefully on the way. Call me if anything happens."

———

1:00 PM. The sun was blazing.

The outdoor area of the Fanxing Factory was scorching hot, the air carrying the smell of engine oil and dust. Thirty heavy-duty trucks were neatly lined up, varying in age, awaiting the command to awaken them.

Chen Fan wore a set of dark gray work clothes, sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He walked to the first truck, placed his hand on its cool body, and closed his eyes.

This was a directed, high-intensity Amplification, far more mentally taxing than random enhancements.

One, two, three... Sweat trickled down from his temples, dripping onto the scorching ground. The back of his work clothes was long soaked through, clinging tightly to his body, outlining the contours of his spine.

Lin Hao stood to the side, not daring to breathe heavily.

This wasn't his first time seeing Chen Fan perform this miraculous ability, but every time he witnessed it firsthand, his heart still raced uncontrollably. That seemingly effortless raising of a hand could completely transform an ordinary heavy truck. This near-divine method never failed to shock him anew.

As the last truck's body flashed with a faint golden light, Chen Fan slowly opened his eyes and let out a long, heavy breath.

Beads of sweat densely covered his forehead, trickling down along his jawline.

"Fan Zi!" Lin Hao quickly stepped forward, handing over a bottle of the prepared Mind-Clearing, Spirit-Stabilizing Water. "Drink some, quick. Catch your breath."

Chen Fan took the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and took a large gulp. The cool liquid slid down his throat, slightly suppressing the dizziness brought on by mental energy depletion.

He wiped his face and looked at Lin Hao. "You're back? All the procedures finished?"

"Yeah," Lin Hao nodded, his voice lowering a bit. "The procedures are done. I arranged for a vehicle to take Uncle Wang's brother's remains to the crematorium. Uncle Wang is still there keeping watch, probably won't be back until later. I was worried things here might be too busy, so I rushed back first."

He paused, then added, "When everything's finished over there, Uncle Wang will call me."

Chen Fan took a few more gulps to steady himself. "For the next shipment, follow our plan. Split the convoy into several routes—mix truth with deception, create illusions to confuse them."

"Understood!" Lin Hao responded.

Chen Fan looked at Xiao Zhi beside him. "Xiao Zhi, network all information for this batch of drivers. Monitor their physiological status, communication records, and any abnormal changes in their personal bank accounts in real-time. Report immediately at the slightest sign of trouble.

"[Command confirmed. Monitoring network deployed. Coverage: all target vehicles and personnel. Anomaly behavior threshold set.]" Xiao Zhi's electronic voice was steady and unfluctuating, but the monitoring work was already properly arranged.

With the driver count now higher, coming from various places, and each person's situation different, the routes were planned. Chen Fan feared problems might arise with the people themselves.

After arranging the convoy matters, the two returned to the office area. As soon as they entered, Lin Hao's phone began chiming incessantly. He took it out, and a smile immediately spread across his face.

"Fan Zi! Good news!" He excitedly turned the phone screen towards Chen Fan. "Hongda Metals, Xingfa Technology, Yonggu Alloy... all six of the first batch of companies that received the equipment have sent feedback! The equipment is operating normally. The first batch of Stardust-S1 material samples produced have all met every quality standard!"

On the screen were photos and test reports sent by the different companies.

"Good." He only said one word, but the relief and excitement in his tone were unmistakable to anyone.

The Spark Alliance—this fire was finally truly ignited.

These six companies were the strongest and most reliable first batch of core members within the alliance. Their smooth commencement of production meant the large-scale mass production of "stardust material" had officially begun. More importantly, it meant the industrial ecosystem network built by Fanxing Technology had started to truly output value and form synergy.

"They also said that, based on the current production capacity ramp-up speed, they can achieve full production within a week at most," Lin Hao continued his report, growing more excited as he spoke. "By then, just these six companies alone will have a monthly production capacity exceeding five hundred tons! The Long family's traditional material factories only ship about that much in a month!"

Five hundred tons might not sound like much. But in the field of high-end specialty materials, this was already a considerable figure. More importantly, this was just the beginning. As the second and third batches of equipment arrived, as more alliance members joined, this number would grow like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger.

"I'm going to Engineer Fu's place this afternoon. He sent a message last night saying the first High-Temperature, High-Speed Environmental Simulation Test will be conducted at the simulation test center at 9 AM today. He asked me to come take a look." Chen Fan patted Lin Hao's shoulder. "You handle Uncle Wang and the material loading. I'm heading out now."

With that, Chen Fan went to the office to change clothes. He also took along the Insulation Tile model sample he had made the night before.

---

National Materials Research Institute, Third Simulation Test Center.

It was Chen Fan's first time here. The place resembled a massive sci-fi laboratory. Under a dome over twenty meters high, various complex pipes, instruments, and observation windows crisscrossed. At the center was a huge silver-white cylindrical test chamber, its walls covered with sensors and observation ports.

Fu Dong stood before an observation window, wearing a white lab coat, his expression serious as he stared into the chamber. Several other researchers in white lab coats stood beside him.

When Chen Fan and Lin Hao were guided into the control room by staff, the test was already in its preparatory phase.

"Director Chen is here." Fu Dong turned and saw Chen Fan. A faint smile appeared on his tense face but quickly returned to seriousness. "Perfect, we're about to start the first High-Temperature Scouring Test."

Chen Fan nodded without further comment and stood by the observation window.

"Test parameters set: instantaneous surface temperature 270 degrees Celsius, airflow speed Mach 8, duration 60 seconds," a researcher reported.

270 degrees, Mach 8—this was already an extreme environment approaching that of a rocket re-entering the atmosphere. Ordinary metal materials would melt or even vaporize in seconds under these conditions.

"Begin!" Fu Dong ordered.

The control room instantly fell silent. Everyone held their breath.

Inside the test chamber, a searing white high-temperature plasma flow, like a roaring dragon, erupted violently, fiercely scouring the surface of the black Insulation Tile!

The tile began to glow with an eerie red light. White vapor sizzled from its fine, dense pores. The originally hard tile, like melted sugar, started dripping a translucent liquid downward.

"There's been progress, but it's still not good enough." Fu Dong was somewhat disappointed. The material hadn't made any major breakthrough progress so far.

Fu Dong looked at Chen Fan. "Is the tile you made with Stardust-S2 ready for testing?"

"Yes." I brought everything.

Saying this, Chen Fan quickly took the item out of his handbag and handed it to Fu Dong.

The tile wasn't large, about forty centimeters long and twenty wide. Its performance would directly determine whether Star of Fortune could secure the crucial order for this insulation material, and even whether Star of Fortune could truly break into the aerospace sector—the highest-end and most demanding application field.

Repeat the previous steps.

The high-temperature airflow churned and tore violently across the tile's surface!

Sixty seconds, usually fleeting. But at this moment, it stretched on like a century.

On the control console screen, real-time data jumped frantically: surface temperature, backplane temperature, heat flux density, material strain... Chen Fan stared intently at the tile, which remained motionless within the plasma flow, his palms slightly sweating.

Fu Dong stood with his arms crossed, brows tightly furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line.

Finally—

"Test complete! Plasma flow deactivated!" The researcher's voice broke the dead silence.

Inside the test chamber, the searing white light rapidly dimmed and vanished. As the high-temperature airflow dissipated, the black Insulation Tile was revealed.