N-M Chapter 15: The First Cry of Refined Forging, the White Lotus Shows Its Fear
Chapter 15: The First Cry of Refined Forging, the White Lotus Shows Its Fear
The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated from the steel rolling mill, but the lights were already on in the precision forging group on the east side of the forging workshop. Lin Chen stood at the entrance of the group, toolbox on his back, staring at the red sign above the door that read "Precision Tolerance ≤ 0.01 mm," his fingertips unconsciously stroking the system panel in his pocket. The "Precision Forging" skill, unlocked last night, was emitting a faint blue glow, and the panel clearly stated: "Skill Effect: Increases metal forging precision by 20%, automatically corrects forging angle deviations."
"Is this Comrade Lin Chen?" A steady voice came from inside the door. A middle-aged man in blue overalls and gold-rimmed glasses walked out. His work badge read "Team Leader Ma Weiguo, Level 6 Forging Worker." He looked Lin Chen up and down, his gaze landing on the half-finished alloy wrench sticking out of the toolbox—a creation Lin Chen had previously fused using the system. The texture on the wrench's surface was three times finer than the standard tools in the workshop. "Director Zhou specifically spoke to me, saying that you developed a temperature monitoring device and are a promising talent with technical expertise."
Ma Weiguo led Lin Chen into the workshop. Unlike the noisy environment of the ordinary forging group, only two small precision forging presses were humming softly, and several workers were repeatedly measuring parts with vernier calipers. "Our group is responsible for forgings for military and precision instruments. The most important thing is 'accuracy to the millimeter'," Ma Weiguo said, picking up a blueprint from the table. "Today, I'll give you an introductory task: process this batch of No. 45 steel bushings. The tolerance requirement is 0.03 millimeters. Complete ten by the morning to test the waters."
Lin Chen took the blueprints, and the system immediately popped up a scanning prompt: "Detected machining target: No. 45 steel bushing, diameter 15mm, length 30mm. Suggested forging scheme: adopt a three-stage heating method, first forging temperature 1050℃, second angle calibration 37.5°, third precision forging cooling down to 820℃." He looked up at the forging press assigned to him, an old-fashioned precision forging press made in the Soviet Union, the machine body covered with fine graduation lines, and the vernier calipers next to it were worn shiny, obviously the result of years of high-frequency use.
"Comrade Lin, don't rush into it." Old blacksmith Master Zhang from the next workstation leaned over and whispered a reminder, "The angle plate on this old Suzhou machine is off by 0.5 degrees. Team Leader Ma deliberately didn't say anything, just wanting to see the newbie embarrass himself. Last time, an apprentice didn't notice, and all the parts he processed were out of tolerance; he was immediately transferred back to the regular group." Lin Chen smiled gratefully, about to thank him, when Ma Weiguo walked over with a part, his tone flat: "Lin Chen, hurry up, I need to inspect the first piece at ten o'clock."
Lin Chen didn't say much, turning around to place the steel billet into the heating furnace. He didn't immediately start the forging press, but instead took out a piece of scrap steel from his toolbox, using the system to fuse the scale module of a vernier caliper and a small piece of chromium alloy: "Consuming 50 points, fusing to generate a 'Precision Angle Ruler'." A pale blue halo flashed, and an angle ruler with a miniature scale appeared in his hand, the smallest graduation marked on the ruler reaching 0.005°. He used the angle ruler to measure the angle dial of the forging press, and sure enough, it showed a deviation of 0.52°, exactly as Master Zhang had said.
When the furnace temperature reached 1050℃, Lin Chen put on the leather gloves Qin Huairu had given him and clamped the red-hot steel billet under the forging press. With his left hand, he adjusted the angle dial, secretly using the system to correct any deviations, while his right hand lightly pressed the pedal, and the forging press hammer fell with even force. Unlike the forceful strikes of ordinary blacksmiths, each of his hammer blows landed precisely on the stress point of the steel billet, the sparks flying in a regular arc. Master Zhang watched from the side, nodding in approval, forgetting to drink his tea.
At 9:30, Lin Chen walked up to Ma Weiguo with the first finished bushing. Ma Weiguo adjusted his glasses, picked up the vernier calipers, and carefully measured it. His brows gradually furrowed—the calipers showed a diameter of 15.002mm and a length of 30.001mm, with a tolerance of only 0.002mm, ten times higher than the required precision. "You…" Ma Weiguo measured from three different positions, but the results remained consistent. He looked up at Lin Chen's forging press and noticed a thin calibration line drawn next to the graduations on the angle dial. "You found the angle dial is off?"
"I noticed it while studying the equipment manual yesterday and just marked it down," Lin Chen said casually. Suddenly, a notification popped up on the system panel: "Approved by Ma Weiguo, points +50, unlocked the passive skill 'Precision Equipment Calibration'." Ma Weiguo smiled sincerely and patted Lin Chen on the shoulder: "Good lad, much better than I was back then! You don't need to make this batch of bushings anymore. Come with me to process this batch of titanium alloy valve cores. They're for aviation instruments, with a tolerance of 0.01 millimeters."
As the morning sunlight streamed through the workshop skylight, Lin Chen was already skillfully operating the precision forging press to process valve cores. The system's "precision forging" skill remained in effect, automatically optimizing the vibration amplitude of the forging press to a minimum. The titanium alloy billet gradually took shape under the hammer, its surface so smooth that it required almost no subsequent polishing. Ma Weiguo stood to the side, his notebook filled with notes. The technical questions he raised were answered clearly and logically by Lin Chen, who occasionally even pointed out two parameter errors in his notes.
Just as the lunch break bell rang, Lin Chen had finished machining his first titanium alloy valve core. Ma Weiguo, holding the test report, excitedly ran towards the workshop office: "I'm going to tell Director Zhou the good news! The precision of this valve core is even higher than the design institute's requirements! Lin, you've done a great job!" As Lin Chen was tidying up his tools, Master Zhang approached and handed him a steamed bun: "Lin, your skills are truly amazing. But I'm warning you, Team Leader Ma is the brother-in-law of Section Chief Li of the Technical Department. Yi Zhonghai and Section Chief Li don't get along, so you'd better be careful not to be targeted."
Lin Chen took the steamed bun and had just taken a bite when he saw Qin Huairu walking past the workshop entrance carrying a lunchbox, her eyes glancing intentionally or unintentionally toward the precision group. The system panel immediately popped up a notification: "Target Qin Huairu detected, status: alert + probing, carrying: lunchbox (containing braised pork made by Sha Zhu)." Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, recalling Qin Huairu's awkwardness when she gave him the gloves last night, and had some guesses in his mind.
Sure enough, not long after work started in the afternoon, Qin Huairu walked in carrying a fitter's part, her face bearing her signature gentle smile: "Master Lin, could you please take a look at this part for me? I've polished it several times, but the tolerance is still exceeded. Team Leader Ma said you're a technical expert, so you can definitely give me some pointers." She handed over the part, her fingers inadvertently brushing against Lin Chen's hand, her eyes carrying a hint of deliberate intimacy.
Lin Chen took the part; it was a brass gear. Measuring it with calipers, the tooth pitch deviation was 0.1 millimeters, clearly caused by uneven grinding pressure. The system scanned the part and a notification popped up: "Machining defect detected: manual grinding pressure deviation, suspected to be intentional. This part is a standard equipment component with a tolerance requirement of 0.05 millimeters. Qin Huai's current technical level can easily meet this standard." Lin Chen sneered inwardly. This seemingly innocent woman was indeed hiding her true abilities, deliberately bringing a substandard part to test him, perhaps even trying to extract precision forging technology.
"Sister Qin, there's nothing wrong with this part, it's just that you didn't control the force of your wrist well when you were sanding it." Lin Chen didn't point it out directly, but picked up the sandpaper next to him and demonstrated, "Look, when sanding the gear teeth, you have to follow the direction of the teeth and keep the force at about 3 kilograms. Measure it with calipers every three sandings." He deliberately slowed down his movements so that Qin Huairu could see the details clearly, while secretly recording her expression with the system. When she saw Lin Chen precisely controlling the direction of the sandpaper, her pupils visibly contracted, and her fingertips unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.
"Thank you, Master Lin. I'll try it when I get back." Qin Huairu took the part, her smile a little stiff. As she turned to leave, she suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh, right, Brother Shazhu made braised pork tonight. He said he wanted to thank you for helping him out last time, and asked me to invite you over for dinner." Lin Chen looked up at her and noticed her gaze drifting towards the titanium alloy valve core blueprint on the table. A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. "No, I have to work overtime tonight to optimize the forging press parameters. Thank you for your kindness, Sister Qin."
After Qin Huairu left, Master Zhang leaned over and said, "This Qin Huairu is Yi Zhonghai's personal apprentice. She acts like a tyrant in the fitter group because of her master's connections. I heard she hasn't taken any certification exams in the three years she's been in the group, saying she's 'not qualified enough.' I think she's just hiding her skills. Last time, an apprentice asked her for technical advice, and she deliberately taught him the wrong polishing method, causing the apprentice to be fined." Lin Chen nodded and recorded the demonstration with the system—the video clearly showed Qin Huairu's movements as she observed the blueprints, which was irrefutable proof that she coveted precision technology.
As Lin Chen left the precision machining group at dusk, he saw Sha Zhu squatting by the workshop entrance smoking, a lunchbox beside him. Seeing Lin Chen, Sha Zhu stood up, scratching his head. "Brother Lin, I know Qin Huairu's invitation to dinner was a pretense; he actually wanted to extract your technical skills. Take the braised pork in this lunchbox; I made extra as a thank you for reminding me last time." Lin Chen took the lunchbox, smelling the rich aroma of meat. A system notification popped up: "Gained Sha Zhu's favorability; side quest 'Repairing Sibling Relationship' progress increased to 70%."
The two walked side by side towards the courtyard house. Sha Zhu sighed, "I used to feel sorry for Qin Huairu, thinking how hard it was for a widow and her orphan, so I always brought her food and vegetables. Now I know she conspired with Uncle Yi to scheme against me, wanting me to take care of them in their old age. Last time my sister had a fever, I wanted to buy her some medicine, but Qin Huairu said her children were hungry and took all my food coupons, causing Yushui to have a fever for three days." Lin Chen patted him on the shoulder, "It's good that you know you were wrong. Don't let yourself be morally blackmailed anymore. Think more about yourself and Yushui."
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard an argument coming from the middle courtyard. Jia Zhangshi stood with her hands on her hips at Yan Bugui's door, holding an empty grain coupon book: "Yan Bugui, you old miser! You promised to return the three taels of grain coupons you borrowed yesterday, why are you denying it today? My son is waiting to buy cornbread!" Yan Bugui, wearing reading glasses, was rapidly typing on his abacus: "When did I borrow your grain coupons? Show me the IOU! You still haven't paid back the pickled vegetables you stole from my house last time. At market price, you still owe me five cents!"
As Lin Chen and Sha Zhu walked over, Yi Zhonghai was standing to the side, trying to smooth things over: "Old Jia, Old Yan, we're all neighbors, don't ruin our relationship. It's just three taels of grain coupons, I'll pay for Old Yan first." He was about to take out his money when Lin Chen suddenly spoke up: "Master Yi, this isn't just about three taels of grain coupons. Last time, when Aunt Jia stole Xu Damao's chickens, you also paid for it. This time you're paying for grain coupons again, are you going to pay for her medical expenses next time?"
Jia Zhangshi's face changed: "Lin Chen, mind your own business! When did I steal Xu Damao's chickens?" Lin Chen took out the audio recording made by the system—it was the one Jia Zhangshi had made to herself when she hid eggs in the tree hole at the root of the old locust tree, in which she accidentally let slip that she had stolen chickens. "Aunt Jia, if this recording is sent to the neighborhood committee, you'll be sentenced to labor reform at best, and at worst treated as stealing public property." Lin Chen paused, "But considering that Gengzi is still young, as long as you return the grain coupons you owe Master Yan and give him five cents for pickled vegetables, I'll pretend I didn't hear it."
Jia Zhangshi was terrified, not expecting Lin Chen to have a recording. She turned pale and hurriedly pulled out her grain coupons and money from her pocket, handing them to Yan Bugui before slinking home. Yan Bugui took the items and bowed to Lin Chen, saying, "Thank you, Comrade Lin, for upholding justice." Yi Zhonghai's face was grim. He had originally intended to use the opportunity of lending her grain coupons to win over Jia Zhangshi, but Lin Chen had ruined his plans and left him embarrassed. "Little Lin, don't be too ruthless. Leave her a way out."
"Master Yi, you're joking. I'm just following the rules." Lin Chen looked at him. "But you, as an eighth-level fitter, should be teaching your apprentices proper skills instead of letting her think about taking shortcuts all day long. Today, Sister Qin brought me a simple gear and couldn't even control the grinding force properly. This doesn't seem like the level of your personally taught apprentice." Yi Zhonghai's eyes flickered, and he didn't say anything more before turning around and going home.
Back in the side room, Lin Chen had just poured the braised pork into a bowl when he heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he saw He Yushui holding an arithmetic workbook. "Comrade Lin," she said, "I don't quite understand this word problem. Could you teach me? Also, my brother told me today that he won't be sending anything to the Jia family anymore, and he gave me his saved grain coupons. Thank you!"
Lin Chen took the workbook and patiently explained it to her. He Yushui learned quickly and understood it in no time. Looking at the braised pork in the bowl, she swallowed and said, "Comrade Lin, your braised pork smells so good. My brother always gave the best food to Qin Huairu and never left any for me." Lin Chen pushed the bowl over to her and said, "Let's eat together. Sha Zhu made extra, so there's some for you too." He Yushui's eyes lit up, and she picked up her chopsticks and ate in small bites, but her eyes were a little red—this was the first time she had eaten braised pork made by her brother, and she was sharing it with Lin Chen.
As the two were eating, a notification suddenly popped up on the system panel: "Abnormal activity detected at Yi Zhonghai's house, suspected of destroying evidence." Lin Chen frowned and walked to the window to look at Yi Zhonghai's house. He saw Yi Zhonghai squatting in the yard burning something, the firelight reflecting his anxious expression. After burning it, he even buried the ashes with soil. Lin Chen immediately scanned with the system and found residual paper fibers in the ashes, with the words "Fitter's Certification Exam Answers" written on them.
"It seems Yi Zhonghai is afraid Qin Huairu will be exposed during the exam, so he's destroying the prepared answers." Lin Chen understood. Just as he was about to continue observing, he saw Qin Huairu return from outside, holding an envelope, which she secretly slipped to Yi Zhonghai. Yi Zhonghai opened the envelope, his expression softening slightly. He patted Qin Huairu on the shoulder and said something. The system's recording function happened to capture the conversation: "This is a precision parts processing order that I got through someone. Take it and get close to Ma Weiguo, and also check out Lin Chen's skills."
He Yushui also witnessed this scene and whispered, "Qin Huairu is definitely up to no good. I heard the precision forging group is getting a big order, and if they do well, Team Leader Ma can be promoted to Level 7 forging worker. Yi Zhonghai is definitely trying to get Qin Huairu to steal the credit." Lin Chen smiled and said, "Whether you can steal it or not depends on your ability. By the way, Yushui, when you go to the factory tomorrow, please give this to Team Leader Ma for me." He took out a drawing from the drawer, which showed the optimized modification plan for the precision forging press, which was more advanced than the previous temperature monitoring device.
After He Yushui left, Lin Chen opened the system panel and was quite satisfied to see that the progress of the side quest "Repairing the Sibling Relationship" had reached 90%. He took out the titanium alloy valve core he had processed today and used the system to fuse a small piece of tungsten steel: "Consuming 100 points, fusing to generate a 'High-Precision Valve Core Sample'." A pale blue halo flashed, and the precision of the valve core surface was improved to another level, with fine anti-counterfeiting patterns engraved on it—this was his "trump card" for tomorrow's order.
The next morning, as soon as Lin Chen arrived at the precision machining group, he saw Ma Weiguo and Yi Zhonghai standing together, with Qin Huairu standing beside them holding an envelope, a smug smile on her face. "Team Leader Ma, this is a precision parts machining order that my master found for me. He said it's for the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory, and the tolerance requirement is 0.01 millimeters." Qin Huairu handed the envelope to Ma Weiguo. "My master said that I've been learning fitter work from him for three years, and I'm sure I can complete this order."
Ma Weiguo opened the envelope and frowned. "This order is indeed from the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory, but it requires direct forming after forging, without any machining by a fitter. Moreover, the part is made of high-strength alloy steel, which ordinary forgers simply cannot process." Yi Zhonghai quickly said, "Old Ma, although Qin Huairu is a fitter, she is quick to learn. I can help her guide the forging technique. Besides, completing this order will also benefit your promotion to level seven."
"Master Yi, that's not quite right." Lin Chen walked over and took out the valve core sample that had been fused yesterday. "This is the titanium alloy valve core I processed yesterday, with a precision of 0.005 millimeters, twice as high as the requirements of the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory. Moreover, I have optimized the modification plan for the forging press, so processing high-strength alloy steel is no problem at all. Sister Qin is a fitter, specializing in grinding and assembly, forging is not her forte. Don't mess up the order and affect the factory's reputation."
Ma Weiguo took the valve core sample and, after measuring it with professional instruments, his eyes lit up: "This precision! Xiao Lin, your sample is even better than the standard parts from the design institute! The order from the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory is yours!" Yi Zhonghai's face was grim; he hadn't expected Lin Chen to have prepared the sample and optimized the equipment plan so early. Qin Huairu panicked even more. She knew nothing about precision forging; her earlier words were all an act. Now that Lin Chen had exposed her, she could only stand awkwardly to the side.
Seeing Qin Huairu's embarrassment, Lin Chen continued, "If Sister Qin really wants to learn technology in the precision group, I can teach you. However, learning technology requires genuine effort; you can't rely on connections to snatch orders. Last time you asked me about gear grinding technology, you didn't actually learn it, did you? Otherwise, why would you bring me substandard parts and secretly observe my blueprints?"
These words immediately sparked discussion among the surrounding workers. Ma Weiguo also looked at Qin Huairu, his eyes filled with doubt: "Comrade Qin, is what Lin Chen said true? If you deliberately use substandard parts to try and manipulate the technology, that's a violation of workshop rules." Qin Huairu's face flushed red, tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to feign pitifulness but was rendered speechless by the video recording Lin Chen had shown her beforehand—the video clearly showed her observing the blueprints and deliberately polishing the substandard parts.
Seeing the situation turning sour, Yi Zhonghai quickly tried to smooth things over: "Old Ma, the kid is just being silly and doesn't know any better. We won't fight for this order; we'll go back and learn the technology." He pulled Qin Huairu to leave, but Lin Chen spoke up: "Master Yi, as an eighth-level fitter, you should know the importance of keeping technology confidential. Sister Qin has tried to steal precision technology multiple times, and not only did you not stop her, you even helped her find orders and steal credit. I think we should report this to the factory management."
Ma Weiguo nodded: "Xiao Lin is right. I'll report this to Director Zhou. Master Yi, keep a close eye on your apprentice from now on, and don't let him pull any more of these underhanded tricks." Yi Zhonghai glared at Lin Chen, then quickly pulled Qin Huairu away. Ma Weiguo patted Lin Chen on the shoulder: "Good lad, not only are your skills excellent, but you can also distinguish right from wrong. The order from the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory is yours. Once it's completed, I'll apply for a technological innovation award for you!"
During the lunch break, Sha Zhu found Lin Chen, holding a new lunchbox: "Brother Lin, thank you for helping me see Qin Huairu's true colors. This lunchbox contains my sweet and sour pork ribs; I brought some for you and Yu Shui. By the way, I confronted Grandpa Yi, saying I wouldn't send anything to the Jia family anymore, nor would I support them in their old age. He was so angry that he kicked me out."
Lin Chen took the lunchbox, and a notification popped up on the system panel: "Side quest 'Repairing the sibling relationship between Sha Zhu and He Yushui' completed! Reward: 300 points, unlocking the 'Interpersonal Mediation' skill. Main quest 'Revealing the truth about Qin Huairu's hidden talents' progress increased to 30%." He patted Sha Zhu on the shoulder: "Well done! From now on, you can earn your living with your skills, you won't have to rely on anyone. By the way, let's have ribs together tonight, and invite Yushui too."
Sha Zhu nodded happily and turned to go to the cafeteria to get his food. Lin Chen watched his retreating figure, knowing in his heart that this was just the beginning. Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu would never let this go easily; the orders from the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory would be the new battlefield. He took out the system panel, looking at the precision forging press modification plan on it, his eyes resolute—as long as he had the technology and the system in hand, no matter what tricks these people played, he could resolve them one by one.
The setting sun streamed through the workshop skylight, illuminating the valve core sample in Lin Chen's hands and reflecting a dazzling light. In the distance, the end-of-get off work bell rang in the fitter's workshop, and Qin Huairu hurried past, her face filled with resentment and bitterness. A cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Chen's lips as he placed the sample into his toolbox—this contest of precision forging had only just begun. In this era where technology speaks volumes, only strength is the true foundation.