Chapter 8: Sitting on a Golden Rice Bowl, Begging for Food

Li Jianguo's hand stiffened.

"The General Command Headquarters wants you to go over immediately!"

"The car is already waiting at the door!"

Security Department? Late at night?

Combining these two phrases often meant big trouble in this era.

Li Jianguo's expression changed, and he sobered up significantly.

He put down the enamel mug, grabbed the overcoat hanging on the wall, and thrust it into Lin Xi's arms.

"Put it on, it's cold outside."

Li Jianguo lowered his voice, his tone urgent and stern:

"When we get there, answer whatever they ask, but keep your mouth shut about how that probe was installed. Act on my signal! Do you hear me?"

Before Lin Xi could answer, the door was pushed open.

A jeep was parked outside.

Several security officers wearing military overcoats with pistol holsters at their waists were looking at the master and apprentice in the room.

Lin Xi's heart sank.

It's over.

Could it be that the unauthorized modification of the equipment was exposed? Or... his identity from the future was being questioned?

...

The General Command Room was brightly lit.

Behind the desk, an elderly man in a zhongshan suit with graying temples was wearing reading glasses, leafing through a file marked "Secret."

Name: Lin Xi

Gender: Male

Age: 19.

Education: Seventh Ministry of Machine Building Industry First Technical School, Mold Design and Manufacturing major.

Work Experience: 11th month of Intern.

Family Background: Child of a martyr of the Third Front Construction.

The file was thin, containing a detailed record of all Lin Xi's movements over the past few days.

"Elder Qian," the Section Chief of the Security Department standing by the desk lowered his voice, his tone serious,

"Although this Lin Xi passed the political screening."

"But his demonstrated technical ability is somewhat abnormal compared to his background."

"Furthermore, according to the reports, he occasionally spaces out in the Interpretation Room, workshop, and other places. We suspect he is involved in some kind of conspiracy."

"For the safety of the base, I suggest isolating him for investigation..."

The elderly man, called Elder Qian, didn't stop his movements; he just gave a slight wave of his hand.

His gaze lingered on the last line of the file's conclusion: Clear background, red to the core.

He closed the file and tapped his index finger rhythmically on the desk, making a "thump-thump" sound.

[Abnormal? It's just that his technical ability is a bit outstanding; he's just an ordinary genius.]

[As for spacing out, that's because when a genius encounters something interesting, they easily get lost in thought.]

For Elder Qian, who could say famous quotes like "No matter how stupid a person is, can they really not learn calculus?"

Geniuses were perfectly normal.

It's just that ordinary people find them abnormal.

"An investigation isn't necessary," the old man's voice was gentle.

"If he were an enemy, he would have only needed to do nothing before the launch, and red star no. 2 would have already exploded."

Just then, a loud report came from outside the door: "Engineer Li has arrived with Intern Lin Xi!"

"Come in."

"Section Chief Zhou, you go ahead and attend to your business."

Elder Qian stood up, picked up the thermos on the desk, and personally poured boiling water into two enamel tea mugs printed with red characters.

White mist rose, and the aroma of tea wafted.

Lin Xi followed Li Jianguo into the office, passing Section Chief Zhou.

Although he had rehearsed it countless times in his mind, when Lin Xi finally saw the old man clearly, his breath hitched.

That was the founder of China's aerospace industry, a living legend.

At the same time, the bullet comments in the livestream in Lin Xi's mind erupted like a bursting dam, yet they were shockingly uniform.

[All rise!]

[All rise!]

[Salute to Elder Qian! This is a true god!]

[I'm tearing up. Is this the old man they would have traded five divisions for?]

[Streamer! Take a few more looks for me! This is our national treasure!]

Lin Xi took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.

"Sit down, don't be formal." Elder Qian pointed to the wooden chair opposite him, sizing up Lin Xi.

"Young man, you played a pivotal role in the success of this launch."

"Tell me, how did you discover those problems?"

Lin Xi stood straight, neither humble nor arrogant:

"I only know a bit of the basics; I just tinkered around at school."

"Basics?" Elder Qian laughed, picking up the tea mug and blowing on the steam.

"To be able to hear the 'Ghost Whistle' from the noise floor of an analog signal and calculate the thermal cutting deformation of Fluororubber."

"If that's just the basics, then we old fogies should retire."

To the side, Li Jianguo grinned foolishly, happier than if he were being praised himself.

Elder Qian put down the tea mug, his expression turning solemn:

"The organization has studied the matter."

"A talent like you is wasted in the Maintenance Group."

"We have decided to transfer you to the General Design Office to work under Old Zhang and directly participate in the aerodynamic layout calculations for red star 3."

"Although you'll still be an Intern in name, you'll receive the treatment of a formal technical cadre. Food stamps, allowances—full rations."

"Sss—" Li Jianguo gasped.

General Design Office!

Where was that? That was the core brain of the entire base, the sanctuary that every aerospace worker dreamed of!

Once inside, you'd be at the core of the true "national team."

A meteoric rise!

Li Jianguo was so excited his legs were shaking, yet he still tried to act reserved and interjected, "Chief, this kid's skills aren't quite there yet, and he's impulsive. Going to the General Design Office... isn't it a bit early?"

"Skills can be practiced, but this kind of cross-generational vision cannot be trained," Elder Qian replied.

Li Jianguo stopped talking and just frantically kicked the side of Lin Xi's shoe under the table, his eyes blinking so fast they almost cramped.

The meaning was: You silly boy, hurry up and agree! Smoke is practically rising from your ancestral graves with such good luck!

The livestream was also filled with amazement:

[Holy crap! Starting off right in the core of the national team? This treatment is incredible!]

[Streamer, hurry and agree! Doing research with Elder Qian—this life is worth it!]

[In the future, writing 'personally appointed by Elder Qian' on your resume—who knows how much weight that carries?]

However, Lin Xi did not answer immediately.

A brief silence fell over the room.

Lin Xi's gaze shifted slightly downward, landing on Elder Qian's shoes.

They were a pair of ordinary black cloth shoes, the uppers worn fuzzy and the soles even slightly deformed.

Looking again at the guard in the corner, he was trying to pull back his foot whose shoe sole had come unglued.

These past few days, he had seen too much.

Radar experts eating cold steamed buns with pickles;

Unable to afford good equipment, the calculation group used abacuses for their daily calculations;

He heard that due to a lack of funding, several pre-research model projects had been cut until only the blueprints remained.

Aerospace in this era was squeezed out of flesh and blood.

Lin Xi was silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking:

"Elder Qian, the General Design Office is the sanctuary for aerospace workers. I've dreamed of going there."

Elder Qian smiled and nodded.

"But," Lin Xi's tone shifted, his voice clear,

"I'm not going."

Li Jianguo's smile froze on his face, and Elder Qian's hand holding the tea paused.

"Why?" Elder Qian's voice betrayed no emotion.

"When I came in just now, I saw that our Wind Tunnel Laboratory was sealed."

"I heard that the wind tunnel experiments for red star 3 have been stopped three times because of a lack of funding."

Lin Xi's voice was calm yet sharp.

"Those are temporary difficulties," Elder Qian frowned slightly.

"Is it really temporary?" Lin Xi no longer avoided it and looked directly into the legendary old man's eyes,

"Next year, and the year after, the country's economic focus will shift toward light industry and people's livelihoods. Funding for the military and aerospace will only get tighter."

"This is the general trend."

"If I go to the General Design Office, I can only save you the cost of a few blueprints."

Lin Xi took a step forward, his voice not loud, but every word carried immense weight:

"But if you give me a chance, I can earn back a wind tunnel for you!"