Chapter 11 Moving into the Cadre Building, Adjusting the Plan

"Clang!"

The middle-aged woman's hand trembled as she pushed her bicycle, causing the handlebars to tilt and smash heavily onto her foot. She inhaled sharply from the pain, yet forgot to even cry out.

The half-eaten sunflower seed fell straight out of Old Zhao's mouth, and his jaw nearly hit the ground.

The glasses of that technician slid down to the tip of his nose, his eyes bulging as his face screamed, "What the hell?"

What was going on?

Was this... a welcome?

A welcome for a poor soul headed to the Service Center?

Lin Xi stopped in his tracks, returned a salute that wasn't standard but was extremely composed, and said calmly:

"Sorry for the trouble."

"It's my duty." Xiao Wu lowered his hand and pulled a document from his briefcase, along with a heavy ring of brass keys.

The keyring was massive, holding over a dozen keys that chimed crisply as they knocked against each other.

Xiao Wu held the keys in both hands and presented them solemnly to Lin Xi.

"These are the complete handover documents for Workshop No. 5, along with the keys to the main control gates."

"Elder Qian asked me to relay to you: the authority to mobilize resources has already been issued to all departments."

"From today onwards, you are the boss there!"

"Now, let me take you to your new dormitory first!"

At this moment, even the wind and sand seemed to stand still.

All that idle gossip about being "trash," "exiled," or "ruined for life"—

At this moment, it felt like a series of loud slaps delivered ruthlessly to everyone's faces.

A burning sting!

That "place of exile" they looked down upon was actually an "independent kingdom" personally approved by Elder Qian?

Lin Xi took the heavy ring of keys and casually spun it around his finger.

"Clink-clank—"

The crisp sound of metal clashing sounded exceptionally piercing in the silent crowd.

He didn't even give the crowd a single glance, pulling open the rear door of the jeep and sitting inside.

"Vroom—"

The jeep roared, kicking up a cloud of dust as it sped away.

Leaving behind only a group of stunned onlookers bewildered in the cold wind.

It took a long while before Old Zhao found his voice, his throat sounding as if he had swallowed a handful of sand:

"Lin... Lin Xi?"

"The one who... the Intern who saved red star no. 2?"

The technician with glasses adjusted them, his gaze complex as he watched the receding taillights:

"It looks like the weather is about to change at our base."

Meanwhile, in the livestream room, the bullet screen finally reached a climax.

[Satisfying!!! This is so satisfying my scalp is tingling!]

[Did you get a screenshot? Did you see that woman's expression? I suggest rewatching it on loop! That's the legendary 'pupil earthquake'!]

[Elder Qian's assist was incredible! Now this is real status! A private car escort and top-level authority!]

[That ring of keys isn't just keys; it's an entry ticket to the path of becoming the richest man! Make money, make money!]

[Is this the treatment of a power-fantasy protagonist? Love it, love it!]

...

With Xiao Wu accompanying him, the process of getting the dormitory was all green lights, and the paperwork was handled incredibly fast.

After seeing off the car, Lin Xi stood before his new base of operations:

Cadre Building, Building 3, Unit 2, Room 103.

This was currently the best housing at the base.

The small red-brick building was hidden behind several tall poplar trees, quiet and dignified.

Room 103 was at the far east end, and there was even a small, semi-abandoned vegetable patch in front of the door.

Insert key, turn.

"Click." The sound of the lock cylinder popping open was crisp and pleasant.

He pushed the door open and entered.

A long-lost warmth rushed toward him, instantly dispelling the chill from Lin Xi's body.

The room wasn't large, about fifteen square meters, and the concrete floor had been mopped clean.

Against the wall was an iron-frame bed, covered with a yellowed but clean mattress.

Under the window was a dark brown three-drawer desk, which even had an old-fashioned desk lamp with a green shade.

The cast-iron radiator in the corner radiated warmth, maintaining the room temperature at over 10 degrees Celsius.

This was much more comfortable than the minus 20-something degrees outside!

"Whew..." Lin Xi let out a long breath, closed the door behind him, and drew the heavy cotton curtains.

The world went quiet.

In this era of collectivism where privacy was non-existent, this small space was his ultimate safe house.

He moved the heavy wooden crate he had scavenged onto the table and opened it.

Inside were over a dozen thick volumes like "Mechanical Principles" and "Introduction to Fluid Mechanics," some English books, and several yellowed notebooks.

These books were his cover.

A genius with outstanding talent who understood foreign languages and spent every day studying desperately.

It was perfectly reasonable for the occasional "genius idea" to pop out!

After finishing all this, Lin Xi sat in the chair, his consciousness instantly connecting to the livestream room.

[Is this the legendary cadre room? The Streamer's treatment is pretty good!]

[That radiator looks so nostalgic; my family used to have one like that when I was a kid. Toasted mantou slices on it were the best!]

[Stop reminiscing, Streamer, get to work! That million-dollar KPI is still hanging over your head!]

"Everyone, the previous electric fan plan has to be put on hold for a bit."

Lin Xi said in a low voice.

[What? Streamer, didn't you just brag to Elder Qian? What about the fan blades for Mach 0.8? I already found the blueprints for you!]

[Exactly, we agreed on earning thirty bucks a unit; you're just not doing it now?]

Lin Xi breathed warm air into his hands and glanced at the howling blizzard outside the window:

"Brothers, use your brains."

"It's late January 1980."

"This is the Northwest Gobi; it's minus twenty-eight degrees outside, cold enough to freeze water instantly."

"Electric fans will definitely be made, but not right now!"

"I think we can make this first!"

He grabbed a pencil and quickly sketched on the corner of a piece of stationery.

The shape was very similar to a fan, but the position of the blades had been replaced with a trumpet-shaped metal piece.

The livestream room went silent for three seconds, followed by a burst of wild laughter.

[Streamer, you're too much of a talent. You're using an aerospace workshop specially approved by Elder Qian to produce supermarket street-stall goods?]

[Elder Qian: I gave you authority for a dimensional strike, and you give me this?]

[But to be honest, I think this is feasible!]

[Long Five Screw - Retired Version: Feasible. Xiao Lin, I'll help you proofread the blueprints.]

[Physics Class Rep: I'll confirm the structure and calculate the angles.]

Lin Xi picked up his pen and recorded rapidly on the stationery.

Each technical suggestion from 2025 transformed into rows of detailed data and sketches.

In this enclosed little room, a "cloud R&D" session spanning 45 years was proceeding with high efficiency.

An hour later.

Lin Xi looked at the densely packed blueprint on the table and gave the paper a satisfied flick.

"Now this is called professional."

But he wasn't in a hurry to celebrate.

The blueprints were ready; the next step was turning them into a physical object.

And to build this thing, he needed people, equipment, and a venue.

Namely, that legendary "garbage collection station"—the Red Star Labor Service Agency.

Lin Xi closed his notebook and looked out at the pitch-black night, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

"I wonder if tomorrow will give me some 'surprises'."