Chapter Thirty-Two: Brought to Heel
Naming a material is typically based on its creator or their team.
"Yes, Jingzhu, hurry up and name these two great treasures!" the two elders urged with smiles. Not having held a grand celebration with red flowers was already a slight injustice to her contributions.
"Then let’s go with 'Heat-Resistant NR-1' and 'Shell Casing KG-1'!" When it came to naming things, Jiang Jingzhu’s style was straightforward and concise—clear at a glance.
"Heat-Resistant No. 1? Casing Steel No. 1?" The three of them exchanged glances for a moment before bursting into laughter. It was truly the epitome of simplicity!
"Is it not good? Perhaps you two should do it instead!"
This was her first time working with materials, and she wasn't familiar with the naming conventions. She figured it might be better to leave it to the professionals. She had no obsession with being named the founder; after all, the feasibility of these materials had been verified, and there were plenty more materials to develop in the future!
Fine designs require fine materials; the union of strength creates the nation's great instruments!
"No, it’s good, it’s very good!" Old Du, though advanced in age, still possessed a refined and elegant countenance, his face glowing with a smile. It was just a name, after all—what could be wrong with it?
When it comes time for upgrades, they can just use numbers two, three, and four; it’s so clear! This child really is goal-oriented and efficient!
Old Meng laughed even more heartily. He decided he would have to keep a close eye on things in the future—if Jingzhu ever had children, he couldn't let her name them!
"Comrade Jingzhu, the experimental task is complete, please give your instructions!" With the smile still lingering in his eyes, Lin Yao stood straight and saluted once more.
If he had felt a shred of hesitation before accepting the assignment—even with the endorsements of Old Meng and Old Du and their assistance throughout the project—he was now utterly convinced. He was deeply impressed by this young woman and her dazzling, top-tier talent.
All he asked for was the chance to work with a fiery passion, to earn Comrade Jingzhu’s trust, and to be allowed to remain on her team!
"Comrade Lin Yao, please arrange for the formal mass production of the materials immediately. Teacher Meng, please follow up on the parts processing!" As the mass production of the materials moved forward, their other projects could also proceed accordingly!
The torpedo project had taken another solid and steady step forward.
***
At a secluded Third-Line factory hidden in the mountains, Lin Yao checked his watch, holding his breath and focusing intently. He was timing the process, his eyes fixed on the towering smelting furnace where a faint red glow flickered.
Inside, what was about to be revealed was their KG-1. Honestly, he felt that the name KG-1 was a bit of an injustice to such a high-performance material.
Most materials were given names that showcased personality or heritage, but this one, simply because it was a shell material and the first successful sample, ended up with the name KG-1. It was truly as straightforward as it could get!
Waiting with Lin Yao was Factory Director Zhang Jingchang, who was personally leading the processing task, along with several absolutely reliable veteran steelworkers.
"Don't worry, Engineer Lin. Our smelting furnace was set up under your personal guidance, and this melt is being supervised by you as well. We are personally controlling every detail of the feeding and additives; there won't be any problems!" Seeing Lin Yao’s focus and anticipation, the veteran foreman couldn't help but offer reassurance.
"Foreman Qu, of course I trust you, but this task cannot afford a single mistake!" This was his stepping stone—it would determine whether he would remain obscure for the rest of his life or soar to the heavens.
Until the material was completely produced and finalized, he couldn't relax!
Even the most perfect procedures require stable results to make a final judgment.
When the final hot-rolling and cold-rolling processes were completed, the finished product was presented before them. The flat, smooth, silver-gray sheet made everyone fix their eyes upon it. The veteran workers, including Foreman Qu, couldn't help but reach out to touch it.
"Is this the steel we refined?"
"Look at this density, look at the flatness. The steel we’ve created this time is definitely exceptionally solid and qualified!"
"And this weight? It’s much lighter than the steel we usually produce!"
As seasoned experts in steelmaking, the veteran factory workers were sharp and experienced; they immediately noticed the difference. High quality and light weight—this was undeniably a high-grade material.
It was absolutely perfect for manufacturing military hardware! Everyone present held that same suspicion.
"Old Lin, we put a lot into the task you brought this time!" With the material successfully produced and of such superior quality, the atmosphere was joyful. Zhang Jingchang couldn't help but bump Lin Yao’s shoulder. He’d given him enough face, hadn't he? He’d cooperated with every request to improve the production line and strictly executed every operational instruction.
"How about giving us some of this material?" Their steel-rolling line had been established for the factory’s own military production needs. Such excellent material gave him hope for innovation!
***
"Not this batch. It’s a classified project, you understand. Once it goes through the approval process from above, you’ll definitely get to use it!" Lin Yao shook his head firmly. It wasn't that he was stingy, but the stakes were too high.
"I understand. Everyone here is a reliable veteran comrade. Will the next material be just as excellent?" Everyone is naturally curious; to see two great materials and not get a drop of either was enough to make anyone envious!
"Definitely!" And don't look at who’s behind it—anything produced by Comrade Jingzhu is no ordinary object!
"Old Lin, has your production capacity suddenly exploded?" Was this a case of "not making a sound until you make a splash"? To secretly conquer two types of excellent materials in a row—even without looking at the test data, it was obvious to the naked eye that they were extraordinary. This was incredible!
"You’re overthinking it. The developer is someone else; I’m only responsible for execution!" He was responsible for production, while the protection and transportation tasks were handled by the soldiers who had accompanied him.
As for which team it was—that was a matter of secrecy discipline!
"I'll pay more attention to our own materials in the future!" He wouldn't let him work for nothing!
"It’s all for the sake of national construction. It’s a deal, then!" Completing the task was his duty, but if there was a reward, that was certainly a pleasant bonus!
Inside the 501 processing workshop, after a series of cutting, drilling, planing, and grinding, a precision part—modeled after the blueprints and crafted to the specified dimensions—gradually took shape under the hands of Old Feng, whose movements were as fluid as flowing water.
Jiang Jingzhu’s eyes were like a ruler. The parts the old man processed were mapped through her vision and projected onto the overall construction diagram in her mind—every seam was tight, fitting perfectly!
It wasn't the first time she had watched Old Feng and the other veterans work, but Jiang Jingzhu still marveled from the bottom of her heart. Their craftsmanship was silent, a seamless and sophisticated perfection that carried no trace of artifice.
There was a simple machine tool in the workshop that could be used for the initial processing of parts, but for the delicate sections, Old Feng and the other master craftsmen had to manually refine them to the most precise measurements. Even in later generations, this method of hand-crafting sheet metal parts remained a common practice internationally.
At the very least, in the era she came from, there was still no machine that could completely replace these essential precision hand-crafting tasks.