71: Chapter 71 Design Drawings

As the designer spoke these words, the way everyone at Jinkai Factory looked at Hu Gualing changed.

They had originally thought Hu Gualing was just a rough person, but they hadn't expected him to be able to understand something as profound as a Nadi design blueprint.

He was hiding his true abilities quite well!

"Gualing, not bad! Why didn't you show off such a skill earlier? I absolutely have to give you a designer position; I can't let a talent like you go to waste!" General Manager Wu Jinkai said, sounding surprised but also pretending to scold him.

Hu Gualing, however, was completely confused. "Design and all that... I really don't know how to do it! I've never even studied it..."

"Brother Hu, if you've never studied it, then how did you understand the blueprint?" The designer frowned and stared at Hu Gualing, as if trying to see right through him.

"I really haven't! I just saw the design blueprint, and suddenly, I inexplicably had an idea, so I just said it out loud... Maybe I was just lucky and guessed right." Hu Gualing explained.

In reality, he didn't understand it either; how could he grasp it at a single glance when he had never been exposed to such things before?

Director Liu furrowed his brows and thought for a moment.

Before contacting Hu Gualing, in order to have a basic understanding of him, he had pulled up Hu Gualing's public resume to look at.

In that resume, the progression of identities—Student Athlete, failing the entrance exam, conscripted soldier, night shift security guard—was all logical and interconnected, and it truly had nothing to do with the design industry.

Moreover, from Hu Gualing's reaction, it was clear that he was just as confused himself...

Then there was only one explanation left.

"If you really haven't studied it, then I can only say, Gualing, you don't just have talent; you are a Genius who can learn without a teacher." Director Liu stated his judgment, his expression devoid of any exaggeration, simply stating a fact.

A Genius... Looking at Hu Gualing's simple-minded, physically well-developed appearance, could he really be associated with the word Genius?

Everyone was reluctant to believe it.

But this was Nadi Director Liu speaking personally; could his judgment possibly be wrong?

In that case, was Hu Gualing really an undiscovered Genius?

Hiss!

Everyone was taken aback, only to realize the sound had come from Hu Gualing himself...

After Hu Gualing drew a sharp breath, doubt arose in his heart: could he really be a Genius?

But he quickly dismissed this answer.

You have to know, when he was in school, even looking at the geometric shapes on math tests gave him a headache.

If he were a Genius, then pigs could fly!

However... this design blueprint, with its dense lines and complexity, far exceeded any geometry problem; how had he understood it?

Hu Gualing rubbed his cheek with his hand, 'Could it be because of Fantasy Jianghu?'

That was it. When he was eating breakfast, he had realized that there was a very strong connection between his Fantasy Jianghu game character and his real body.

When he was injured in reality, a wound would also appear on his character's back in the game.

The skills the game character learned could also be used in reality.

So, since he was already a Rank 4 Blacksmith in the game, wouldn't it be normal for a blacksmith to be able to read blueprints?

Thinking of this, a flash of inspiration struck Hu Gualing's mind: 'Since I can use my in-game job skills to understand real-world blueprints, does that mean this design blueprint could also be applied within the game?'

'In Fantasy Jianghu, I could forge a pair of Nadi sneakers following this design?'

Given the realism of Fantasy Jianghu, it seemed there was a high chance of success!

Hu Gualing felt excited.

Just imagine, when everyone else was wearing straw sandals or cloth shoes, he pulled out a pair of Nadi sneakers incorporating modern, advanced design concepts—how would others react?

And whether they looked good or cool was secondary; the boost to athletic ability just from wearing them... that should convert into a corresponding stat increase, right? He just didn't know how much it would increase.

Hu Gualing really wanted to give it a try.

But right now, he only knew how to forge iron; he was completely clueless about shoemaking and processing other Materials. He couldn't just force iron ore into the shape of a shoe; that definitely wouldn't work...

Perhaps he should ask Director Liu if he could go to the Nadi production line to observe how they were made?

Forget it... As soon as this thought appeared, Hu Gualing dismissed it. Because Nadi must surely use modern industrial processes, and even if he went to watch, he wouldn't understand it.

Furthermore, even if he learned it, it would be useless, because he didn't recognize eighty percent of the Materials marked on the blueprint; they were clearly modern chemical products that couldn't be found in Fantasy Jianghu.

However, he could memorize this blueprint. Perhaps later, as his [Forging] skill Rank increased, he might slowly find Materials that could serve as substitutes.

With this in mind, Hu Gualing asked casually: "Brother Liu, I think this design blueprint is quite interesting. Could I take a photo of it?"

Director Liu hadn't reacted yet, but the designer frowned tightly.

In reality, design blueprints weren't exactly highly confidential items.

Because as soon as Nadi launched a new model, competitors would inevitably imitate the style, slap their own logos on it, and sell it.

This phenomenon was already commonplace in the entire apparel industry.

However, the process of imitation, combined with patent protection periods, usually meant it took several months.

During this period, Nadi's new products would have already sold well. After the first few months when the new items were hottest on the market, even if imitations filled the market later on, it wouldn't have much of an impact on Nadi.

But now... this classic style hadn't even been put into production yet, and Hu Gualing was already asking for the design blueprint.

This behavior was truly a bit taboo.

Meanwhile, General Manager Wu Gualing, as the head of the factory, naturally understood this point.

So, when he heard Hu Gualing ask that, his old face twitched, fearing that Director Liu might misunderstand and think that he had told Hu Gualing to do so...

Fortunately, Director Liu didn't have much of a reaction.

In a brief moment of stunned silence, the thought that Hu Gualing might be trying to steal the blueprint for counterfeit manufacturing crossed his mind. However, when he saw Hu Gualing's open and clear gaze, he instantly felt ashamed of his own thoughts.

'Given Hu Gualing's character and conduct, how could he possibly do such a thing? It was truly wrong of me to suspect him with such thoughts...'

After a moment of reflection, Director Liu held the tablet out with both hands toward Hu Gualing, a smile appearing on his face: "Since you are interested in this design blueprint, go ahead and take a photo if you want."

Hu Gualing happily took out his phone and opened the camera, aiming it at the tablet, when he heard Director Liu say: "Can you get a clear picture? Would you like me to give you a copy of the original file as a keepsake?"

Hu Gualing didn't notice the shocked reactions of everyone else after Director Liu said this; he was just thinking to himself, 'Brother Liu is actually a pretty good guy,' and said out loud: "Brother Liu, don't go to the trouble. My Dami Phone takes very clear photos."