Chapter 100: The Head of the Eighteen Arhats

Northwest Command, red secure telephone line.

Zhang Zhengguo held the receiver, his palms sweating slightly.

On the other end of the line was Vice Minister Zhang of the First Ministry of Machine Building Industry, the chief administrator in charge of the country's machinery industry.

"Old Zhang, are you saying..."

"That by attaching a black box to an ordinary manual machine tool, it can do the work of an Eighth-Grade Worker?"

The voice coming from the receiver was full of skepticism.

"A precision of 0.01—this is no joke."

"I thought it was nonsense before, too."

Zhang Zhengguo glanced at Lin Xi standing in front of the desk and said through gritted teeth,

"But I saw it with my own eyes."

"I measured that part three times with a micrometer."

There was a full five seconds of silence on the other end.

"Fine."

"Since you're willing to vouch for him, Old Zhang, I'll give him a chance."

Vice Minister Zhang said in a deep voice,

"Don't mess around with small factories; go straight to Shenyang."

"Fengtian No. 1 Machine Tool Plant is our country's industrial eldest son and the head of the 'Eighteen Arhats' in the machine tool world."

"Whether it's a mule or a horse, take it to the biggest training ground to see what it's made of."

"I also want to see if this kid can really poke a hole in the sky."

...

Three days later, Shenyang.

The cold wind whipped snow against the jeep's windshield.

Lin Xi sat in the back seat, next to Director Zhou of the First Ministry of Machine Building Industry.

Who would have thought that Director Zhou, who had wanted to blacklist Lin Xi at the Hongfeng Factory a few months ago, would now be all smiles.

"Manager Lin, it's cold in Shenyang; please bear with it."

Director Zhou rubbed his hands together.

"The Ministry sent me to coordinate this time. If you need anything, just tell me directly; don't be a stranger."

"That m1 kit..."

"If it really works out, it'll be a huge deal!"

Director Zhou was a smart man.

After seeing the manual for that kit, he had completely switched sides.

He knew very well what this meant.

As the jeep turned a corner, a magnificent cluster of red-brick factory buildings suddenly came into view.

Giant chimneys spewed white smoke, and machines roared.

Above the main gate, the gilded characters for "Fengtian No. 1 Machine Tool Plant" shimmered in the winter sun.

Bullet comments in the livestream flew by.

[Holy crap! Is this the legendary Fengtian No. 1 Machine Tool Plant?!]

[See that workshop? That's where the first metal national emblem was cast!]

[If you don't recognize this place, you've definitely seen the third series of currency. The background of the lathe worker on that 2-yuan bill is right here! A true industrial temple!]

[This place created hundreds of 'firsts' in China's machine tool industry! Just looking at it makes my legs go weak...]

[This is a true pillar of a great power; that sense of oppression is absolute!]

The bullet comments were filled with pilgrimage-like awe.

Lin Xi looked at the gate, his expression somewhat complex.

This place likely represented the highest level of Chinese industry in this era.

It might also represent the most stubborn pride.

The group entered the administration building.

They were received by Deputy Factory Director Ma, who was in charge of technology, and Section Chief Li of the Technical Section.

The conference room was spacious and bright, and the heating was turned up high.

Oranges and cigarettes were laid out on the table, showing proper etiquette.

"We understand the Ministry's intention."

Deputy Factory Director Ma was in his fifties.

His hair was meticulously combed.

He picked up his teacup and blew on the floating leaves.

"Comrade Little Lin has some ideas; he wants to do a CNC conversion."

Beside him, Section Chief Li flipped through the technical manual Lin Xi had brought, his brow furrowing slightly.

"External type?"

Section Chief Li pushed up his glasses and said in a flat tone,

"We've worked on this kind of technology before."

"The stability is poor, the precision is hard to maintain, and... it's too crude."

He closed the manual and tossed it onto the table.

"Since you're here, let's give it a try."

Section Chief Li stood up.

"But let me give you a fair warning first."

"Our testing standards are benchmarked against international ISO; not even a hair's breadth of difference is allowed."

...

Inside the workshop.

An old C620 lathe was cleared for use.

Lin Xi didn't speak; he just nodded to Zhao Qiang.

Zhao Qiang carried the toolbox and skillfully installed the m1 kit in place.

Shortly after, the installation was complete.

"Please set the task," Lin Xi gestured.

Section Chief Li casually handed over a blueprint:

"Stepped shaft, tolerance 0.01mm."

Loading the material, inputting parameters, the motor started.

That unique, high-frequency, precise buzzing sound rang out again.

Deputy Factory Director Ma had been standing aside with his hands behind his back, exchanging pleasantries with Director Zhou.

Hearing this sound, his ears twitched, and he turned around.

When an expert makes a move, one knows immediately if they have the skill.

The tool post glided on the guide rails—fast, accurate, and ruthless.

There was none of the cautious probing of an old master; it was pure violent aesthetics under program control.

Two minutes later, the spindle braked.

Lin Xi picked up the part, but before he could hand it over, Director Zhou snatched it first.

He pulled out his own calipers from his pocket, clamped them on, and read the measurement.

"Hiss—"

Director Zhou gasped and handed the calipers to Deputy Factory Director Ma.

"Director Ma, look!"

Not a hair off.

Deputy Factory Director Ma's gaze shifted, and he finally tucked away his nonchalance.

He took the part and gently rubbed the machined surface with his fingertip; the finish was extremely smooth, truly a fine piece of work.

But he didn't show the same wide-eyed shock as Director Zhou.

"The precision indeed reached 0.01."

Deputy Factory Director Ma set the part down and nodded.

"For township enterprises or the repair and modification industry, it's a good thing."

Lin Xi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Director Ma?"

"Little Lin."

Deputy Factory Director Ma patted Lin Xi's shoulder with gravity.

He pointed to a closed, constant-temperature workshop in the distance.

"See that over there?"

"That's our joint project with Japan's Yamazaki Iron Works."

A hint of pride appeared on Deputy Factory Director Ma's face.

"We want to introduce true full-function CNC machine tools."

"It's world-class technology."

"That's the regular army; that's a motorcycle."

He then pointed to the m1 kit.

"This of yours..."

"Is like putting a motor on a bicycle."

"It runs fast, but in the end, it's not presentable."

"We, Fengtian No. 1 Machine Tool Plant, are the national team; we represent the face of the country."

"We need to close the gap with the international community in cutting-edge fields!"

Section Chief Li added from the side,

"This kind of 'patch' technology doesn't fit our roadmap."

Director Zhou became anxious.

"Director Ma, but this thing is cheap!"

"It can revitalize so many old machine tools in our country!"

"Director Zhou."

Deputy Factory Director Ma smiled and interrupted him.

"What we want to do now is high-tech and sophisticated, benchmarking against Europe and America."

"This kind of low-end production capacity will be gradually phased out in the future."

"Leave a copy of the materials; we'll file it away as a technical reserve."

Deputy Factory Director Ma looked at his watch.

"I also have to receive the Japanese Inspection Delegation, so I won't be able to accompany you further."

A polite dismissal.

It was subtle and decent, yet utterly arrogant.

They stood in the clouds and looked down on things in the mud.

Lin Xi smiled.

He didn't argue, not even offering a single word of rebuttal.

He just briskly waved his hand for Zhao Qiang to dismantle the equipment.

"Since Director Ma doesn't think much of it, we won't trouble you any longer."

Lin Xi said calmly.