22: Chapter 22: A Rat in a Divine Project
Over at the main camp, it was chaos with everyone fearing for their jobs, but the small camp on Jiang Ning's side was strangely quiet.
The hundred-meter square pit had already been dug.
Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo led a dozen or so engineers who were grumbling inwardly, yet they still dutifully began working according to the blueprints provided by Jiang Ning.
In the eyes of these professionals, the blueprints were sheer nonsense.
There were no steel reinforcement ratios, no load-bearing calculations, just pages covered in incomprehensible gibberish marked with strange terms like "Spirit-Conducting Patterns" and "Energy-Gathering Core."
This wasn't building a foundation for a structure; it looked more like they were fabricating a massive circuit board.
"Chief Engineer Wang, will this thing… actually work?" A young engineer responsible for the layout looked at the twisted, winding lines on the blueprint, feeling as if his four years of university had been a waste. "It doesn't even have basic mechanical structure. Forget about water diversion; I'm afraid it'll collapse on its own."
Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo also had a headache; he had looked over the blueprints dozens of times but couldn't make heads or tails of them.
"Don't ask me; I don't know either." He sighed. "The Chief Consultant has given the order: we are to forget everything we've learned, treat ourselves as elementary school students, and just copy the drawings."
"But…"
"No 'buts'!" Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo put on a stern face. "Anyone who doesn't want to do this can go back to the main camp right now. Those who stay must follow orders!"
Everyone looked at each other, but no one moved.
Chief Engineer Wang Heshan had already signed a military-style pledge over there; wouldn't going back now just be asking for a scolding? It was better to stay here. Even if the work was bizarre, at least no one was rushing or yelling at them.
Dr. Li was also in the crowd. Instead of complaining, he appeared quite enthusiastic.
"Chief Engineer Wang, I think we should trust Chief Consultant Jiang," he said with a sincere expression. "The miracle in Donghai City proves that her technology is beyond our understanding. What we need to do now is cast aside our prejudices and learn properly."
These words were very pleasing to Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo's ears.
"Little Li is right! You all should learn from him!" Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo patted his shoulder approvingly. "Open your minds; don't always look at new things with old perspectives."
Dr. Li smiled modestly, but in his heart, he was cursing. Learn? Learn what? I'm just buttering you up so you can run faster down this dead-end road!
This foundation required a special kind of "concrete."
According to Jiang Ning, this stuff didn't use cement. It just used the yellow sand found everywhere in the desert, mixed with red ore powder dug from nearby mountains, and then stirred with water.
The most crucial part was that while mixing, one had to add a green liquid concocted by Jiang Ning herself, which smelled like fresh grass.
Jiang Ning called it "Spirit-Rhino Fluid," claiming it could make the sand and ore powder "come alive" and conduct energy once solidified.
This recipe made all the engineers feel like they were listening to a fairy tale. Sand, stone powder, and a bit of grass juice could serve as concrete? Who are they kidding!
But no one dared to challenge Jiang Ning to her face.
The mixing work was divided into several groups, and Dr. Li scrambled to take on the most critical "Energy Node" area.
Seeing how dedicated he was, Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo agreed without a second thought and even designated his area as a "model project" for others to emulate.
Dr. Li was overjoyed; the opportunity had arrived.
The point he was responsible for, according to the blueprints, was the energy hub of the entire Water Diversion Array. If something went wrong here, the entire project would collapse.
One afternoon, when no one was paying attention, it was his turn to collect the precious "Spirit-Rhino Fluid." He seized the chance when the warehouse manager wasn't looking to quickly swap about a third of the liquid in the bottle with some ordinary grass juice he had prepared beforehand that looked similar in color.
His movements were deft; the liquid in the bottle looked unchanged.
Returning to the mixing site, he feigned supervision, directing the workers to pour the sand, red ore powder, and water into the machine in strict proportions.
When it came time to add the "Spirit-Rhino Fluid," he even shooed everyone else away, personally pouring the tampered liquid into the mixer.
"Alright, keep mixing! Watch the time and speed; it must be uniform!" he shouted, not a trace of suspicion on his face.
Batch after batch of "defective concrete" was produced this way and poured into that critical energy node.
On the surface, this concrete looked no different from the rest, and it was just as hard after it solidified.
When Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo came to inspect it, he even took a hammer and tapped on it; the sound was crisp, and the strength seemed even better than regular concrete.
"Not bad! Little Li, well done!" Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo patted Dr. Li's shoulder with satisfaction. "Your model area is done very well! Everyone should learn from Dr. Li; work should be this rigorous!"
Dr. Li lowered his head, appearing humble and teachable, but at an angle no one could see, the corners of his mouth curled into a cold, sinister arc.
Rigorous? I have indeed been very rigorous in planting the most fatal bomb in this divine engineering project of yours.
He knew very well that this kind of corner-cutting couldn't be detected just by tapping around. The function of the "Spirit-Rhino Fluid" wasn't to increase hardness, but to create internal "energy channels." The portion he had swapped out would make these channels brittle and rotten.
It wouldn't show any problems normally, but once the array was activated and massive energy surged through, this node would burst on the spot, just like a diseased blood vessel!
At that point, the entire Water Diversion Array would be paralyzed.
And he, Dr. Li, would only need to stand on the sidelines, watching coldly as the play he had directed unfolded.
He had even prepared his excuse: "This proves that this so-called 'array' is fundamentally unstable and immature! It's pseudoscience! We cannot continue to gamble the nation's fate on such ethereal nonsense!"
By then, Jiang Ning and Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo would be the sinners responsible for this massive failure.
And he would be the only hero who remained clear-headed and exposed the truth.
Looking at the bizarre, budding foundation before him, his eyes were filled with anticipation.
Anticipating the moment of its activation, and even more so, the scene of its disintegration.