Volume 1, Chapter 31: Advice

Dead silence.

Factory Director Zhang’s face was no longer pale; it had turned an ashen iron-grey. He did not look at the part, nor did he look at Du Yuze. He turned around and walked, step by heavy step, toward the technical lead who had been making excuses just moments ago.

The man instinctively took a step back.

"You just said... dozens of people signed off on this?" Director Zhang’s voice sounded like a broken bellows.

"Ye... yes, Director Zhang. The protocol..."

"Protocol!" Director Zhang suddenly roared, his voice echoing through the massive hangar, making eardrums ache. "Protocol is nothing but waste paper! Right now, inside the belly of the JY-1, there is a pile of filth! You tell me, which part of the process produced this filth?"

Sweat poured down the technical lead’s face, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"Seal the site!" Director Zhang turned to those around him. "From this moment on, no one enters or leaves this hangar! All related work sections, workshops, and warehouses are to be sealed immediately! No one is permitted to leave their post!"

His orders were crisp and decisive, carrying an undeniable air of lethal authority.

"Old Li," he turned to Li Weiguo, "remove this thing for me, exactly as it is. Be careful—don't leave any new marks."

Li Weiguo nodded, set down his heavy wrench, and pulled a more precise set of tools from his kit.

Director Zhang took one last look at the bushing before turning and striding away. "Professor Shen, Yuze, follow me for a meeting!"

Smoke swirled in Director Zhang’s office.

Besides the Director, Shen Qingyun, and Du Yuze, two others were present. One was a middle-aged man in blue work coveralls with a stern expression: Pang Qingquan, the factory’s Disciplinary Committee Secretary and Security Chief. The other was Wang Zhen, the man from the flight test site, who sat on the sofa in a tailored suit, his demeanor calm and composed.

The atmosphere was stifling.

"That is the situation." Director Zhang slammed a glass of water onto the table, indifferent to the water that splashed out. "This is not an accident; it is murder. Murder targeting a key national project."

He looked at Pang Qingquan. "Old Pang, you lead this. Every department in the factory will cooperate with you unconditionally. I want you to dig out the ghost hiding in this factory!"

Pang Qingquan nodded, saying nothing as he pulled a small notebook from his pocket.

"I suggest," Du Yuze spoke up, "forming a specialized internal investigation team. It needs to combine technical expertise, experience, and execution."

"Go on," Director Zhang signaled.

"I will be responsible for technical analysis to identify the source of the part and the methods used to forge it. Master Li Weiguo knows every corner of this factory and everyone in it; he will handle the on-site investigation. Chief Pang will handle discipline and interrogations."

Director Zhang looked at Pang Qingquan, who in turn looked at Du Yuze.

"Agreed." Pang Qingquan uttered the single word, signaling his approval. In his view, Du Yuze’s proposal was professional: no redundant staff, and clear divisions of labor.

"Good, it’s settled!" Director Zhang slapped the table. "I am granting you authorization—factory-director level authorization! You may examine any document, question anyone, and enter any area. Anyone who dares to obstruct you will be dismissed on the spot!"

Wang Zhen, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. He did not look at the Director, but rather at Du Yuze.

"Comrade Du, I have a question. How did you suspect that part the moment you saw it?"

Everyone in the office froze.

The question was too sharp. Everyone present knew that the part looked perfect to the naked eye. No cracks, no deformation—it was even installed with a flawless fit.

Du Yuze’s heart skipped a beat. He could not say he had a system, and he certainly could not say he had been reborn.

"Intuition," Du Yuze chose the most vague and unassailable answer. "I have designed landing gear many times, and I am sensitive to the stress distribution of critical load-bearing points. That spot just felt wrong. Like an experienced veteran police officer seeing a pickpocket in a crowd—you can’t explain why, but you just know."

The metaphor was strange, but effective.

Wang Zhen did not press further; he simply nodded slightly. "Excellent intuition. Director Zhang, I agree with Comrade Yuze’s plan. This investigation team must produce results as quickly as possible. The pressure from above will be far greater than we imagine."

His words made Director Zhang’s expression darken further.

The meeting ended quickly. Pang Qingquan called over Du Yuze and Li Weiguo, who had just been summoned.

The three stood at the end of the office building’s corridor.

"Gentlemen, we are a team now," Pang Qingquan said in a professional tone. "My method is to check personnel, files, and social networks. Do you have any ideas?"

Li Weiguo kept his head down, smoking his cigarette. "This job won't be easy. There are thousands of people in the factory. From the warehouse keepers to the heat-treatment staff and the assembly fitters, at least forty or fifty people have touched this part. Checking them one by one is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"No," Du Yuze shook his head. "We can narrow the scope."

"How so?" Pang Qingquan was intrigued.

"Give me the part," Du Yuze said. "I need to examine it alone."

Pang Qingquan glanced at him and handed over the bushing—the one with the white scratch—from an evidence bag.

Du Yuze took the heavy metal piece and walked into an empty small conference room.

"Old Pang, is this kid reliable?" Li Weiguo asked, watching Du Yuze’s retreating back.

"Director Zhang and Director Wang both trust him," Pang Qingquan replied. "Let’s trust him for once."

Inside the conference room, Du Yuze locked the door. He placed the cold bushing on the table.

[System, scan all manufacturing traces on the part and cross-reference them with the JY-1 standard parts database.]

[Command received. Micro-morphology scanning in progress... Tool mark analysis... Residual stress detection...]

A stream of data flashed through Du Yuze’s mind. He seemed to see a machine tool in operation—a wrong tool cutting the metal at the wrong speed and feed rate.

[Comparison complete. 37 process anomalies found.]

[Comprehensive analysis: This part was not finished using a high-precision diamond grinding head. Its surface marks are consistent with carbide tool characteristics. Tool path simulation points to: Workshop 3, Work Section 4, CNC-7 machine tool.]

[Further data correlation: Retrieved recent operation logs for CNC-7. Found an unauthorized overtime record that perfectly coincides with the machining time of this part. Operator: Liu Quan.]

Du Yuze’s pupils contracted.

Liu Quan.

[System, retrieve Liu Quan’s personnel file and related information.]

[Liu Quan, 47, senior technician. Recent large, unexplained cash flow, linked to multiple online gambling platforms. Social network shows indirect contact with former subordinates of 'Tian Weijun'.]

Tian Weijun. The name was like a poisoned thorn in Du Yuze’s memory. In his past life, it was this rival who used every despicable method to steal their technology, ultimately leading to the failure of the entire project.

So that was it.

Du Yuze opened the door and walked out. Pang Qingquan and Li Weiguo were still waiting.

"How was it?"

"I don't need to look at the blueprints to judge," Du Yuze held up the part. "The machine used to make this is not the mother machine we use for high-precision aviation parts. Its precision is insufficient."

Li Weiguo took the part, held it up to the light, and squinted for a long time. "Right. The work is rough. There’s a burr where the tool retracted. You wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking. A master, but a master of the back-alley variety."

"Can you pinpoint which machine it was?" Pang Qingquan asked the critical question.

"Workshop 3, the area dedicated to ground support equipment," Du Yuze said firmly. "The machines there don't meet aviation-grade requirements, but they are enough to make something that looks convincing."

Li Weiguo slapped his thigh. "CNC-7 in Workshop 3! I knew those tool marks looked familiar! That’s an old domestic model, a temperamental machine. Only one person in the whole workshop knows how to handle it!"

"Who?" Pang Qingquan’s pen was already hovering over his notebook.

"Liu Quan," Li Weiguo and Du Yuze said the name at the same time.

The two looked at each other.

Pang Qingquan closed his notebook. "Let’s go. We’re going to meet this Liu Quan."

As the three were about to leave, Wang Zhen walked over from the other end of the corridor. He did not look at Pang Qingquan or Li Weiguo, walking straight up to Du Yuze.

"Comrade Yuze."

"Director Wang."

"Your 'intuition' is very sharp," Wang Zhen’s tone was unreadable. "I am curious—where will your next 'intuition' point?"

Du Yuze felt a sense of pressure looming over him. Wang Zhen’s interest was like a scalpel, attempting to dissect his brain.

"My next intuition is," Du Yuze said, enunciating every word, "that this Liu Quan is merely a pawn pushed forward. A dog that has had its teeth pulled."

Wang Zhen said nothing more, merely giving him a long, deep look before turning and leaving.

Pang Qingquan watched Wang Zhen’s back, then looked at Du Yuze, and whispered, "Kid, you’ve got guts."

Li Weiguo picked up his heaviest wrench and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

"To hell with directors and chiefs," he grumbled. "Let’s go take down that dog’s kennel first."