Chapter 54: Emergency Military Order, Xu Damao Courts Death

Page 1/3

Upon hearing the words, "Are you looking for death?" the hairs on Xu Damao’s back stood on end instantly; a chill surged from his tailbone to the crown of his head. Yet the sycophantic smile on his face grew even wider, his waist bending lower, his voice tinged with desperate madness: "Director Li! This worthless life of mine has long been cheap! Scrambling for scraps among the waste like maggots—what’s the difference between living and dying? If I can drag He Yuzhu down with me and pay with my life, it’s worth it!"

His murky eyes gleamed with the reckless light of a gambler as he stared fixedly at Li Huaide. "Just give me a straight answer! That kid—what dark secrets are you holding over him?"

Li Huaide’s eyelids twitched violently, his fingers gripping the pen turning white from the strain.

Xu Damao’s desperate posture struck at the deepest core of Li’s bitterness and resentment. Just as Li was about to speak—

Woo—woo—woo—!!!

A sharp, urgent whistle blared suddenly from the factory’s central tower loudspeakers!

It was the highest-level emergency assembly alarm! Three blasts in succession, signaling an extremely important factory-wide announcement!

The words on Li’s tongue caught in his throat; Xu Damao shivered, glancing outside with suspicion and unease.

The alarm continued.

Then, the factory communications officer’s unusually serious, tense voice came over the loudspeaker:

"Emergency notice! Emergency notice! All cadres and staff, please pay attention! All cadres and staff, please pay attention! Immediately cease your work and gather at the designated open areas outside each workshop and office building! Repeat, assemble immediately! Important orders to be announced! Assemble at once!"

"What’s going on?" Xu Damao looked bewildered.

Li Huaide furrowed his brow tightly. This highest level of emergency assembly was so rare it might not have happened even once in several years.

He abruptly stood and hurried to the window, pushing aside the dust-covered glass to look out.

On the main thoroughfares of the factory, workers poured out from workshops and offices, hurrying toward the designated assembly points, their faces marked with confusion and anxiety.

In the distance, several army-green jeeps pulled up to a clear area in front of Workshop One. A few men in military uniforms stood by the vehicles, speaking with Director Yang who had just arrived.

"Military representatives?" Li Huaide’s heart sank sharply. This was no trivial matter.

Xu Damao joined him at the window, watching the rapidly gathering crowd and the conspicuous military vehicles below. His wild thoughts were thoroughly disrupted by this sudden development, leaving only unease and confusion.

Just as He Yuzhu had locked away the finalized technical report in his drawer, the piercing alarm and broadcast sounded.

He paused momentarily, then stood up immediately, opening the door to leave. The other technical department staff also put down their pens and calipers, following him out of the office.

Arriving at the open area below, they saw Director Yang standing on a makeshift platform constructed from wooden crates, accompanied by several military representatives.

Page 2/3

The dense crowd quickly fell silent, all eyes fixed on the stage, the atmosphere heavy with tension.

Director Yang took an iron megaphone, his face grave, and his voice echoed through it across the assembly:

"Comrades! We have just received urgent orders from higher authorities! Due to border defense readiness, our factory must urgently produce and supply XX tons of a specific model of high-temperature lubricant within one week! This is a military command! No conditions apply! We must fulfill this on time, with quality, and in full quantity!"

An oppressed murmur rippled through the crowd.

One week?

This quantity was nearly a month’s normal output! And for a specific model? The current production lines and formulas could not meet such standards!

"Quiet!" Director Yang raised his voice, suppressing the unrest. "The task is arduous, but it must be completed! After urgent study by the factory party committee and approval from the higher authorities, this task is fully assigned to Deputy Section Chief of Procurement and technical innovation expert Comrade He Yuzhu to lead!"

"All workshops and departments must unconditionally support Comrade He Yuzhu! All resources must prioritize this task!"

"No individual or department may delay or obstruct for any reason! Violators will be disciplined under wartime regulations!"

"Comrade He Yuzhu!" Director Yang scanned the crowd and found He Yuzhu’s position. "Come up!"

All eyes turned sharply to He Yuzhu.

His face betrayed no emotion as he parted the crowd and stepped onto the platform, standing beside Director Yang and the military representatives.

Director Yang handed him the iron megaphone.

He Yuzhu took it, sweeping his gaze over the densely packed crowd. His voice was clear and steady through the megaphone, with not a hint of hesitation:

"I guarantee completion of the task."

No grandiose words, just five simple words.

A brief silence fell, then erupted into loud discussion.

Some veteran workers shook their heads murmuring, "One week? How is that possible…" Others, seeing He Yuzhu’s calm demeanor, felt a flicker of hope.

At that moment, a discordant voice rose from the back of the crowd, laced with skepticism:

"Deputy Section Chief He! That’s quite a bold claim! Guarantee the task? What can you guarantee? With that formula of yours, whose origin nobody even understands—not even the ‘old Russians’ have figured it out?"

"This is a military supply! For the battlefield! If something goes wrong, heads will roll! Can you bear that responsibility?!"

The voice was sharp and immediately drowned out the murmurs.

Everyone turned sharply to see Xu Damao, who had somehow slipped to the back of the crowd, stamping his feet and craning his neck, pointing at He Yuzhu on the stage and yelling loudly:

"Don’t be fooled by him! His formula is suspicious! Who knows if he stole it from some foreign magazine! If it’s unstable and something happens on the front line, whose fault will it be? We can’t let him gamble with the lives of our soldiers!"

Page 3/3

His outburst instantly stirred the already anxious and doubtful crowd into greater unrest.

Director Yang’s face turned an iron shade of dark, and the military representatives frowned deeply.

Seeing that he had captured everyone’s attention, Xu Damao grew even more smug, preparing to fan the flames further—

"Silence! Xu Damao!"

A cold shout exploded—not from the stage but from the side of the crowd!

Heads turned toward the voice to see Soviet expert Ivanov, who had somehow also arrived at the assembly, his face flushed with anger, his beard trembling.

He pushed past those in front of him and stormed up to Xu Damao, his massive frame blocking him. His steel-gray eyes blazed as he thundered:

"You! Foolish swine! You’re talking nonsense! He’s formula! Scientific! A great innovation! I, Ivanov, in the name of the Soviet Union’s expert cadre, guarantee it!"

"Its performance far surpasses existing standards! Fully meets and even exceeds military requirements! What do you know?! All you do is buzz around like a cockroach! Now, get lost!"

Xu Damao recoiled, startled by the sudden outburst and the formidable presence of the ‘old Russian,’ stepping back two paces, mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

Ivanov didn’t even glance at him again, abruptly turning to face the crowd, raising his burly arm, his voice booming:

"I support He! His technology! No problem at all! Anyone who doubts it doubts my professional judgment! Doubts Soviet science!"

The assembly fell into stunned silence.

Everyone was shocked by the Soviet expert’s sudden eruption and staunch backing.

Standing on the stage, He Yuzhu watched the scene below, his face still unreadable. He cast a glance at Xu Damao, whose face had gone pale as death, then turned to the military representatives and Director Yang and spoke calmly:

"Commander, Director, time is tight. I need to go immediately to the laboratory to adjust the formula parameters to suit large-scale production."

The military representatives exchanged looks. The senior colonel leading them gave He Yuzhu a long, meaningful look and nodded:

"Comrade He Yuzhu, go ahead. The entire factory’s resources are at your disposal."

He Yuzhu saluted crisply, jumped down from the platform, and strode toward the laboratory, the crowd parting to make way for him.

Ivanov glared fiercely at Xu Damao, then quickly followed.

Li Huaide stood at the window of the union’s second floor, watching the scene from afar, his face darkening. Suddenly, he slammed his fist against the window frame in frustration.