Chapter 139 Lifeline

" Ring-a-ling—!!"

A piercing telephone ring suddenly exploded in the quiet office.

It was the secure direct line to the ministry and various major bases.

Chen Dayou froze for a second, then ran over to pick up the phone.

" Hello? Modu Machine Tool Factory."

" Looking for Vice President Qu?"

Chen Dayou covered the receiver and looked at Qu Weimin.

" Old Qu, it's for you."

" He says it's Zhang Zhengguo from the Northwest Base."

Zhang Zhengguo?

Qu Weimin frowned.

Why is he calling at a time like this?

To watch a joke?

Or to rush the progress?

He took a deep breath, adjusted his mood, and walked over to answer the phone.

" This is Qu Weimin."

From the other end of the line came Zhang Zhengguo's distinctive, loud voice, carrying the flavor of the Northwest sand and wind.

But his tone was surprisingly relaxed, even carrying a hint of... smugness?

" Old Qu, I heard you're having the rainy season over there?"

" Pretty damp, right? It's bright and sunny here in the Northwest."

Qu Weimin almost couldn't help but hang up the phone.

Things are burning, who has time to chat with you about the weather?

" Old Zhang, get to the point."

Qu Weimin's tone was unfriendly.

" I'm already tearing my hair out here; the 'one rocket, three satellites' mission is stuck."

" If you're here to nag me to death, don't bother opening your mouth."

" Hey, look at that impatient temper of yours."

Zhang Zhengguo chuckled on the other end of the line.

" I just heard that you're stumped by a few bearings from Switzerland?"

" Can't grind the hook lock for that separation hook?"

Good news doesn't travel, but bad news travels a thousand miles.

Qu Weimin's heart sank, and he smiled bitterly:

" Even you guys know about it?"

" That's right, the Swiss have cut off the supply of bearings."

" Now I'm like a skilled housewife who can't cook without rice."

" What, do you have a way to get those bearings?"

If it were anyone else, Qu Weimin wouldn't believe it.

But the Northwest Base has wide connections; maybe they really do have a way to get bearings through special channels.

" Bearings? We don't have that stuff."

Zhang Zhengguo's answer instantly extinguished the hope that had just ignited in Qu Weimin.

But then, Zhang Zhengguo's next sentence struck Qu Weimin like a thunderbolt right on top of his head.

" Why would we need that stuff?"

" Lin Xi said those are all backward production capacities."

" Old Qu, if you don't mind, our Northwest Base will take on that separation hook task."

Qu Weimin's hand holding the receiver froze.

He suspected he had misheard, or that Zhang Zhengguo had drunk fake liquor.

" What did you say?"

Qu Weimin raised his voice,

" You're taking it?"

" Old Zhang, this isn't making big iron frames!"

" This is micron-level precision machining!"

" I know you guys came up with that m1 kit."

" But the precision isn't enough, only 0.01 millimeters."

" Besides, even if you have machine tools, do you have an Eighth-Grade Worker like Liu Yishou?"

" Do you have masters who are willing to risk their lives for even a single micron?"

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds.

Then came Zhang Zhengguo's sigh.

" Lin Xi said we are engaging in an industrial revolution, not a challenge to human physical limits."

" This job doesn't need an Eighth-Grade Worker."

" The Intern who just arrived here not long ago, after a few days of training, I think it is doing quite well."

" As long as it knows how to press the button, that's all."

Boom!

Qu Weimin felt a buzzing in his head.

Chen Dayou and a few technical backbones nearby also heard the sound leaking from the phone; they all widened their eyes, as if they had heard a fantasy.

Intern?

Knows how to press a button?

Machining micron-level aerospace parts?

This is simply the greatest irony for people like them who have spent their whole lives working in mechanics!

" Zhang Zhengguo!"

Qu Weimin was truly angry,

" What time do you think it is, and you're still making such international jokes!"

" This is 'one rocket, three satellites'! This is a political mission!"

" It's not for that Lin Xi of yours to use for practice!"

" Do you know that for this mission, some people have already worked until they vomited blood!"

" You're sitting there making sarcastic remarks, saying it's enough to just press a button?"

" You are invalidating the contributions of generations of our workers!"

Faced with Qu Weimin's rage, Zhang Zhengguo's voice remained steady, even carrying a heart-palpitating confidence.

" Old Qu, I'm not joking."

" I know you guys are working hard, and I also admire those veteran masters."

" But times have changed."

" Lin Xi came up with something that can machine the separation hook."

" This is called technology liberating productivity."

" We don't need veteran masters to vomit blood, we don't need to do human-based screening."

" I can't say too much on the phone; you'll know when you get here."

" Bring the blueprints and raw materials."

Zhang Zhengguo paused and threw out his final trump card.

" Give me 48 hours."

" I will give you all fully inspected, qualified products."

" If a single set is missing, I, Zhang Zhengguo, will let you unscrew my head and use it as a ball to kick!"

" Also, your bearing problem can also be solved."

Beep—beep—beep—

The phone hung up.

The busy signal echoed in the empty workshop.

Qu Weimin held the receiver, his whole body frozen in place like a sculpture.

48 hours?

30 sets?

The Modu Machine Tool Factory had mobilized the entire factory's strength, risking their lives for a month to grind out a few semi-finished products.

That place, the Northwest, actually dared to make such a military pledge?

" President..."

Chen Dayou swallowed, asking cautiously,

" Is Old Zhang... crazy?"

Qu Weimin slowly put down the phone.

His gaze went from initial anger, slowly becoming complex, and finally turning into a kind of determination.

If it were anyone else, he would have scolded them back immediately.

But... he knew Zhang Zhengguo; he was the type who wouldn't release the hawk until he saw the rabbit.

And that Lin Xi...

That young man who could sell fans for sky-high prices and turn the rare earth industry upside down, could he really create a miracle?

In a desperate situation, even if it's just a straw, you have to grab onto it tightly.

" Prepare the car! Go to the airport!"

Qu Weimin grabbed his briefcase, his voice as cold as iron:

" Bring all the raw material inventory, and call Old Wang from the Technical Department."

" We're flying to the Northwest!"

" I want to see with my own eyes, that Lin Xi who created the rare earth storm and the m1 kit."

" Whether he really has god-like methods, or if he's just a madman who only knows how to brag!"