Volume 1, Chapter 32: Perfection

The air in the workshop was as stagnant as a solid.

Liu Quan’s workstation was cast in the massive shadow of the CNC-7 machine tool. He was wiping the guide rails with an oily rag, his movements meticulous, as if he were caressing a work of art. He stood with his back to the newcomers, his broad shoulders slightly stooped from years of labor.

Li Weiguo strode in carrying a wrench, his footsteps heavy; every step sounded like a hammer blow against Pang Qingquan’s nerves.

"Should we hit him directly?" he asked in a low voice, like a bear preparing to lunge.

"No," Pang Qingquan blocked him. "If we ask directly, he won't say a word. If we alert the people above him, the trail will go cold."

Du Yuze did not join their debate. His focus was entirely on Liu Quan. *System, analyze the target's current physiological indicators. Heart rate 78, breathing steady, cortisol levels normal. He shows no signs of nervousness.*

A seasoned veteran, Du Yuze thought. An old dog who knew he could be exposed at any moment, yet remained composed.

"Director Pang," Du Yuze spoke up. "If you take him in now, you’ll only get one result: he will shoulder all the blame. He’ll insist that his technical skills were lacking or that he made a mistake while drinking. At most, it will be classified as a production accident."

"Then what do you suggest?" Pang Qingquan’s brows knit into a knot.

"Invite him for tea. Don't frame it as an interrogation; frame it as a technical exchange," Du Yuze said. "Find a pretext—say his processing plan showed innovation—and ask him to explain it in the conference room. Get him away from here."

Li Weiguo was confused: "Why research? Are we just letting the tiger go back to the mountain?"

"No," Du Yuze shook his head. "It’s to beat the grass to startle the snake. We don't want his confession; we want his actions. Put him on the fire for a moment, then release him. He will panic, and he will be desperate to contact his handler to confirm if he has been exposed."

Pang Qingquan chewed on Du Yuze’s words. A moment later, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Security department? This is Pang Qingquan. Yes, please send two men to the fourth section of the third workshop. Yes, plainclothes. We have a technical exchange and need to invite Master Liu Quan over."

He hung up and looked at Du Yuze. "You’d better be right."

Five minutes later, two men in ordinary work clothes but with ramrod-straight postures approached. They greeted Liu Quan politely, saying that Director Wang wanted to hear his experience regarding the cutting of special alloys.

Liu Quan’s hand, still wiping the guide rail, paused.

Just for that one moment.

He turned around, a rustic smile typical of a craftsman plastered on his face. "Director Wang? That’s a big leader. Sure, I’ll go right now."

He set down the rag and followed the two men, never once glancing at Du Yuze and the others.

As soon as they left, Li Weiguo rushed to the CNC-7 machine tool, opened the control cabinet, and his fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Damn it, the operation log has been wiped. The last 72 hours of records are gone. This old guy is really clean."

"The more he does this, the more it proves we found the right man," Pang Qingquan noted in his notebook. "Now, we wait."

They waited in Pang Qingquan's temporary office—a small, requisitioned conference room where the ashtray was already overflowing with cigarette butts.

An hour passed. Two hours passed.

Li Weiguo paced back and forth, the floor buzzing under his heavy tread.

"What kind of nonsense is this! We grab him, let him go, and then wait! If he doesn't move, are we just going to watch until dawn?"

"He will," Du Yuze said calmly. He closed his eyes, his mind visualizing Liu Quan’s personal information and movement trajectory map.

*System, based on Liu Quan’s spending habits, commute routes, and social network, predict his most likely emergency contact point. Exclude standard locations.*

*Data analysis in progress... Correlating tags such as 'gambling,' 'large sums of money,' and 'concealment.' Filtering out three high-probability locations. 1: The chess and card room in the west of the city. 2: A private fish pond in the suburbs. 3: 'Brother's Scrapyard' outside the west gate of the factory.*

*Further analysis: The registered owner of the scrapyard has a distant relative who is a gambling partner of Liu Quan. The scrapyard's ledger is abnormal; the volume of scrap metal recycling is far lower than its cash flow. Comprehensive assessment: 'Brother's Scrapyard' is the highest probability contact point. Probability: 87.4%.*

Du Yuze opened his eyes.

"The scrapyard outside the factory's west gate."

Pang Qingquan and Li Weiguo looked at him simultaneously.

"How do you know?" Pang Qingquan asked.

"I guessed," Du Yuze said succinctly. "A gambler needs a safe, stable, and inconspicuous channel to handle his 'extra income.' A scrapyard is the best cover."

Pang Qingquan’s phone rang. He answered and listened for a few seconds.

"He's been released. Liu Quan said he's getting old and his memory is bad; he might have entered the wrong parameter when programming. His attitude was good, and he insisted it was his own mistake."

"Where is he now?" Du Yuze asked.

"He went... home," the person on the other end said.

Li Weiguo punched the table. "Damn! All that work for nothing!"

"No," Du Yuze stood up. "The real show is just beginning. Director Pang, immediately send men to stake out that scrapyard at the west gate. Don't get too close; set up high-magnification cameras and signal monitoring equipment from a distance. He will go there."

Pang Qingquan stared at Du Yuze as if looking at a monster. After a few seconds, he grabbed his coat.

"I'm going personally. Li Weiguo, you come with me."

"What about me?" Du Yuze asked.

"You," Pang Qingquan paused, "your most important task with Master Li is to remake that damn part! The JY1 test node cannot be delayed any longer! Before dawn, I want to see a flawless locking link for the right landing gear!"

Under the cover of night, the high-precision machining workshop was brightly lit.

This was the heart of the entire factory, temperature and humidity controlled, with the unique scent of metal and coolant permeating the air. Li Weiguo took off his jacket, revealing sturdy arms. He stood before a German-imported five-axis machining center, his expression focused like a general about to enter battle.

"Kid, pull up all the data from the original design blueprints. Not a single decimal point can be wrong," he said to Du Yuze without looking back.

"It's ready," on the console screen in front of Du Yuze, the blue 3D blueprint was slowly rotating.

Li Weiguo inspected the blank part himself, rubbing it repeatedly to feel the texture of the metal. Then, he began calibrating the machine. His movements were no longer rough; they were rhythmic. Every turn of the knob, every parameter input, was as precise as a textbook.

"This is our 'mother machine'," Li Weiguo patted the casing of the tool, pride in his voice. "Liu Quan’s old domestic companion has a temper and a personality, but its precision can't compare to this. It’s fine for ground equipment, but when it comes to aviation parts, it’s still a bit green."

The machine started, and the spindle began to rotate at high speed. The cutting tool bit into the metal, emitting a melodious hum. Bright white coolant sprayed out, carrying away heat and metal shavings.

Du Yuze didn’t stay by his side. He walked to another computer in the corner of the workshop. This computer was connected to the factory’s internal network and had the highest administrative privileges.

He needed a more powerful computing platform.

*System, request to access the signal data stream from Pang Qingquan’s surveillance point at the scrapyard.*

*Connection established. Receiving real-time RF spectrum data.*

In Du Yuze’s mind, countless colorful data waterfalls cascaded down. Most were civilian mobile signals, Wi-Fi, and radio station interference.

*Start filtering program. Block all known commercial bands. Search for anomalous signals.*

The data stream became clear instantly. Only a few weak signals remained flickering.

Just then, an extremely concealed signal appeared. It was like a fish swimming in the deep sea, leaping rapidly between frequencies, staying on each for no more than 0.1 seconds.

*High-intensity encrypted frequency trigger signal detected! Capturing!*

Du Yuze’s heart skipped a beat. This was it.

*Signal source locked: Scrapyard, second-floor office. Signal strength: Low. Transmission power is strictly controlled.*

*Starting to crack packet header information... Protocol is non-standard, military-grade. Performing brute force cracking and feature code matching...*

The progress bar climbed slowly in Du Yuze’s consciousness.

"Yuze!" Li Weiguo called from afar, "Come look! The first stage of processing is complete!"

Du Yuze walked over quickly. Li Weiguo took a semi-finished part out of the machine, blew it dry with an air gun, and handed it to him.

The part glowed with a soft metallic luster under the light, the cutting surface as smooth as a mirror.

"How is it?" Li Weiguo looked like a child showing off a toy.

"Perfect," Du Yuze praised sincerely.

*Cracking progress 30%... Routing information parsed successfully.*

*The signal is relayed through three servers in the country disguised as weather stations, ultimately pointing to... a low-earth orbit communication satellite.*

Du Yuze’s movements froze.

*A satellite?*

*Tracking satellite downlink signal... Target locked. Signal receiving terminal is located abroad. Specific coordinates: 114 degrees East longitude, 22 degrees North latitude.*

A map of the world instantly flashed in Du Yuze’s mind. Those coordinates pointed to a busy international sea lane. It was a crossroads for global information and cargo, as well as a paradise for intelligence agencies and gray-market dealings.

This was no longer a scope that Tian Weijun could handle.

There was someone behind him.

"Ring-ring—"

The internal phone in the workshop rang. Li Weiguo went to answer it, listened for a moment, and shouted to Du Yuze: "It's Director Pang! He wants you!"

Du Yuze took the cold receiver.

"He's out," Pang Qingquan’s voice was strained. "We caught it on camera. He went into the office and stayed for ten minutes. When he came out, he threw a tea tin into the trash can at the door. Then he rode off on his bike."

"Our men checked the can; it was empty. Damn it, he’s playing us!"

"Don't move," Du Yuze said.

"What?"

"I said, tell your men to stay put. Do not touch that scrapyard, and do not follow Liu Quan," Du Yuze’s voice was cold. "He’s not playing us. He has already sent the message out."

Silence on the other end.

"How... how do you know?"

"What you intercepted was noise. The real signal cannot be caught with your equipment," Du Yuze said. "The bait has been cast. If you pull the line now, you’ll only scare the fish away."

Li Weiguo walked over and handed the final finished part to Du Yuze. It was slightly warm, and every edge, every curve, was as perfect as a work of art.

"Done," Li Weiguo said gruffly. "Assemble it overnight, and we can conduct ground tests first thing tomorrow morning."

Du Yuze held the part, feeling its weight.

It wasn't just a metal component. It was the hard work of tens of thousands of people; it was the wings of the nation.

And now, an unknown black hand was reaching out from across the distant sea toward these wings.

He spoke into the receiver: "Director Pang, things are more complicated than we imagined. This is not a simple case of industrial espionage."

"Install this part," Du Yuze handed the link back to Li Weiguo. "The JY1 must take off on time."