469: Chapter 464 The Biggest Knot

The scenery along the road gradually changed from overgrown weeds to neat factory buildings.

The smell of rust and dust in the air was replaced by another, more vibrant, metallic scent with a hint of heat.

Forty minutes later, a slightly old but clearly written sign appeared in his field of vision.

Jufeng Steel.

The factory gate was wide open, and heavy trucks loaded with steel were entering and leaving in an orderly fashion.

Unlike the dead silence of the Third Steel Plant, this place was full of vitality.

The roar of machinery, the horns of trucks, and the chants of workers intertwined into a symphony of the industrial age.

Shen Yan slowly stopped the car in front of the office building.

He had just unbuckled his seatbelt when he saw a burly middle-aged man in blue overalls running quickly out of the office building.

The man's face bore the marks of wind and frost, and his palms were large and covered in calluses, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

Shen Yan pushed open the car door and got out, and the other man had already reached him.

"You must be President Shen, right?" The man panted, a warm smile on his face. "I'm Zhang Jufeng."

Shen Yan was somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected the boss of this steel plant to personally run out to greet him.

He simply nodded calmly.

"President Zhang."

"No, no, no, just call me Old Zhang." Zhang Jufeng waved his hand and stepped aside to lead the way. "It's hot outside, President Shen, let's go inside to talk."

Shen Yan followed him into the office building.

A faint smell of machine oil could be smelled even in the hallway.

Zhang Jufeng's office was on the second floor, and the furnishings were simple to an extreme.

An old solid wood desk, several metal filing cabinets, and several complex steel structure design drawings hanging on the wall.

The only decoration was a somewhat rough eagle ornament cast from molten steel on the desk.

"The place is humble, President Shen, please don't mind." Zhang Jufeng poured a glass of water for Shen Yan. "President Chen said on the phone that you have... technical data that can surpass 'Tianqiong' No. 9?"

When he said this, there was an unmistakable urgency in his voice.

This urgency was not like the excitement of a businessman seeing a business opportunity.

It was more like... a search for verification.

Shen Yan didn't answer, nor did he drink the water.

He directly took out his phone, unlocked it, and pulled up the photo album.

He flipped to the first page of those incredibly clear document photos and handed the phone over.

"See for yourself."

His actions were crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Zhang Jufeng's breathing stopped for half a second.

He reached out those rough hands and carefully took the phone, as if it were not a phone but a rare treasure.

His gaze was fixed firmly on the screen.

"'Tianqiong' series special structural steel—Core Formula V9.0 version..."

He read the title word by word, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

His fingers slid across the screen.

Dense ratios of chemical elements.

Complex and precise smelting process flowcharts.

Temperature, pressure, and time control parameters for every stage.

...

The office fell into absolute silence.

Only Zhang Jufeng's increasingly heavy breathing could be heard.

Shen Yan leaned back on the sofa, watching him quietly without urging him.

He gave the other man enough time to digest it.

As he watched, Shen Yan's brow furrowed slightly.

Zhang Jufeng's eyes had turned red.

This man, who looked like an iron tower, actually had tears shimmering in his eyes.

Then.

A hot tear slid down his weathered face and splashed onto the back of his callused hand.

Then came a second drop, and a third.

He seemed completely unable to control himself, tears rolling down like a broken string of pearls.

He didn't make a sound, just gritted his teeth hard, his shoulders trembling violently.

Shen Yan was a bit stunned by this sudden situation.

He didn't understand.

It was just technical data; even if it was worth a fortune, it shouldn't make a grown man cry like this.

But he didn't have time to delve into other people's stories.

He stood up, his tone remaining flat.

"President Zhang, my time is very valuable."

"If you can't do it here, or if you aren't in a state suitable for business, I'll take my leave."

As he spoke, he reached out his hand, preparing to take back his phone.

His fingers were about to touch the edge of the phone.

Zhang Jufeng suddenly gripped it tight.

Like a drowning person grabbing onto the last piece of driftwood, he held the phone tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He looked up, his bloodshot eyes staring at Shen Yan, without answering the question of whether he could do it.

In an extremely hoarse voice, he asked.

"President Shen... can I ask, is this data... the final optimized version from Yuanshan Heavy Industry that didn't have time to be made public?"

His eyes were full of hope, longing, and a hint of fear.

It was as if Shen Yan's answer would determine the survival of his entire world.

Shen Yan looked at him, neither admitting nor denying it.

Silence is sometimes the best answer.

Zhang Jufeng read the answer from his silence.

The expression on his face instantly became incredibly complex.

There was relief, sorrow, anger, and even a hint of... pride.

"I knew it... I knew it..."

He loosened his clenched teeth, as if speaking to Shen Yan, yet also as if speaking to himself.

"I knew Master did it!"

"Those bastards all said he was crazy, said he was dreaming, that V8.0 was already the limit!"

"But I knew he could do it!"

He seemed to have shed a thousand-pound burden, and his whole body slumped into the chair.

The office fell into silence once again.

After a long time, Zhang Jufeng seemed to recover from the massive emotional upheaval.

He wiped his face hard with the back of his hand.

He looked at Shen Yan again, and his gaze had changed.

It was no longer just the look of a businessman viewing a partner, but carried an indescribable respect and gratitude.

"President Shen, I've made a fool of myself."

His voice was still hoarse, but he had regained his composure.

"I can produce this steel."

"No, I should say that in the entire country, no one can do it better than me now."

"Because... the person who created this formula was my master, Li Chongshan."

Shen Yan's eyebrow twitched imperceptibly.

Li Chongshan.

The former Chief Engineer of Yuanshan Heavy Industry and the father of the 'Tianqiong' series of steel.

A name hailed as a legend within the industry.

Three years ago, he passed away due to an unexpected smelting accident.

"Three years ago, an accident occurred during Master's final experiment while pushing for V9.0."

Zhang Jufeng's gaze drifted out the window as he fell into memory.

"Everyone said he failed, and Yuanshan Heavy Industry also blocked all news, announcing to the public that the V9.0 project was shelved."

"I didn't believe it."

"I was trained by him; I knew his abilities. He was only one final step away from success."

"I believed he must have produced the final data; it was just... he didn't have time to bring it out."

"And with Yuanshan Heavy Industry going bankrupt recently and all technical data being sealed, I had even less of a chance to verify my thoughts."

"This matter became the biggest knot in my heart over these past three years."

At this point, he refocused his gaze on the phone screen in Shen Yan's hand.

That look was like seeing an old friend after a long separation.

"Until today, until I saw this."

"President Shen, thank you."

He stood up and bowed deeply to Shen Yan.