Chapter 85 1981 Goal: CNC Machine Tools!

The day after the appointment was announced.

Launch Base, General Command Room.

"What?!"

Zhang Zhengguo almost spat out the tea he had just sipped. "You want to build machine tools?"

"And high-precision CNC machine tools at that?!"

"Xiao Lin, do you have a fever?"

Wang Bin was also shocked. "Xiao Lin, why do you suddenly want to touch machine tools?"

"Do you know how difficult those things are?"

"It's precisely because it's difficult that we must do it."

Lin Xi stood before the blackboard, a piece of chalk in his hand, his eyes burning with fanaticism.

"We've earned so much foreign exchange. If we don't turn it into solid industrial capability, it's just a pile of waste paper."

Scribble, scribble, scribble.

Lin Xi drew a precision coordinate axis on the blackboard.

"We can build the current Red Star fans."

"But what if I want to build aircraft engines?"

"What if I want to build high-precision gyroscopes?"

"We can make high-precision parts, but that depends on the craftsmanship of Level 8 master technicians."

"It's impossible to achieve with mass production."

Lin Xi tapped the blackboard, his voice rising an octave:

"Look at the electric razors. Even with the combined production capacity of all of China, we only make 30,000 units a year."

"Doesn't it hurt to watch this money go unearned right before our eyes?"

Zhang Zhengguo fell silent.

He had spent his life working on missiles; of course he knew the pain of processing precision.

It was a thorn stuck in the throat—impossible to swallow, impossible to spit out.

"But..." Zhang Zhengguo sighed.

"High-precision CNC machine tools are top-tier items on the COCOM embargo list."

"Especially the technology from Switzerland and Germany. That's their lifeblood; there's no way they'd sell it to us."

"Furthermore, domestic basic materials and control algorithms can't keep up."

Wang Bin added in a helpless tone, "We can't even grind a decent ball screw. How are we supposed to build a machine tool?"

"If we can't buy them, we'll build them ourselves,"

Lin Xi said.

Everyone was stunned.

What nonsense was this Manager Lin talking now?

Elder Qian, who had been silent, said in a deep voice:

"Xiao Lin, stop being cryptic. Tell us your plan."

One hour later.

After listening to Lin Xi's plan, the crowd fell silent.

Elder Qian closed his eyes in thought, his fingers lightly tapping on his knee as if calculating a certain possibility.

Ten minutes later.

Elder Qian suddenly snapped his eyes open, the sharp light in them startlingly bright!

"This plan... has potential!"

"It seems whimsical, but it's actually a logical closed loop."

"But every step must be extremely cautious. Even the slightest error will lead to total failure."

Elder Qian stood up and made the final decision:

"Old Zhang, Old Wang, give Xiao Lin your full cooperation!"

"The budget..."

"Has no upper limit!"

"By the way, there's one more thing."

Lin Xi turned and said to Zhang Zhengguo,

"Red Star Technology is spreading its net too wide. Relying only on me and Sun Erga's group of rough fellows, trouble will brew sooner or later."

"Do you think you could send someone to support us and hold down the fort?"

Zhang Zhengguo paused and gave Lin Xi a deep look.

This kid was insightful.

Any other young man who suddenly gained power would be desperate to keep it all to himself, guarding his territory like an iron bucket.

Lin Xi, on the other hand, had just officially established Red Star Technology and was already coming to 'complain about hardships.'"

This was clearly handing the knife handle to the organization.

Allowing the higher-ups to 'add sand' to his independent kingdom.

Knowing when to advance and retreat, and understanding boundaries.

This was the mark of someone who could achieve great things.

"Tell me, what kind of person do you want?"

Zhang Zhengguo was in a great mood, and his tone relaxed considerably.

"A manager."

Lin Xi didn't hide his intentions.

"A versatile talent who can command authority, understands industrial processes, and knows the technology."

"My brothers are good at charging onto the battlefield, but not at managing the home front."

Zhang Zhengguo pondered for a moment.

He pulled out a yellowed file from the bottom of a drawer and pushed it toward Lin Xi.

"There is one person."

"If you dare to use him, he's yours."

Lin Xi opened the file.

The man in the photo was about 50 years old, with meticulously combed-back hair and eyes so sharp they seemed to pierce through the paper.

[He Zhenhua, graduated from the Technical University of Munich in 1955, majoring in precision machinery manufacturing.]

[Formerly Deputy Head of the Final Assembly Group for a key missile model...]

His resume was extremely illustrious, filled with classified codes.

But in the last few pages of the file, the tone changed abruptly.

[1968, left arm amputated due to a laboratory accident.]

[1969, sent to the countryside for reform due to force majeure.]

[1977, transferred back to the Northwest Base.]

[Current status: Suffers from severe chronic neuralgia, with stress reactions such as fainting and tremors while working; currently unemployed at home.]

"He is a top-tier talent who has truly studied abroad."

"He lost a hand back then trying to save data."

Zhang Zhengguo sighed with regret.

"It's a pity, his body is broken."

"Now, his hands shake as soon as he touches precision instruments, and he wants to vomit as soon as he enters a workshop."

"If you think it won't work, I'll swap him for a steady political cadre."

"No need to swap."

Lin Xi closed the file, tapped his finger on the photo, and smiled.

"What I want is exactly this kind of flawed jade."

"Only those who have had their hearts broken are the hardest when glued back together."

A wave of comments flooded the stream's chat:

[This is also a poor man; losing an arm in an accident and being sent to the countryside due to force majeure, what a pity.]

[During the Third Front Construction era, R&D conditions were truly too difficult.]

[A 'beautiful, strong, and tragic' script? This uncle was definitely a top student with both looks and talent when he was young!]

["Only those who have had their hearts broken are the hardest when glued back together." This line from the Streamer is amazing; I suggest it be listed as cultural heritage!]

...

The next afternoon, in the temporary meeting room of Red Star Technology.

He Zhenhua appeared on time.

He was wearing a grey zhongshan suit that was washed until it was pale but ironed with sharp creases.

The left sleeve was neatly pinned into his pocket.

His hair was combed smooth and shiny, without a single stray hair.

Facing a room full of "founding members" with their legs crossed and smoking dry tobacco.

He Zhenhua simply gave a slight nod.

He performed a standard nodding greeting, polite but cold.

"Let me introduce you: He Zhenhua, the company's new general manager."

Lin Xi gave a brief introduction and slapped the table.

"Alright, meeting's in session."

"Now that the business is expanding, we need to hurry on a few things."

"First, Spring Festival is coming; how should we distribute the holiday goods?"

"Second, the Fifth Workshop needs to be expanded, equipment updated, and the site renovated."

"Third, we need to establish management systems for the hundreds of people in the two newly merged factories."

"Fourth, the Red Star Laboratory is being established, and we need to find a location."

When he finished speaking, the people below looked at each other in bewilderment.

They understood every word, but they didn't seem to understand what it all meant!