Chapter 298: Chapter 235: Cutting Flesh with a Soft Knife
Celestial Craft Group, No. 3 Research Institute, Deputy Chief Engineer’s Office.
It was not far from the special-grade workshop, but the soundproofing was surprisingly effective.
When the heavy mahogany door closed, it seemed to shut out most of the suffocating pressure from outside.
The room was thick with smoke.
The only two remaining deputy chief engineers, Dr. Qian, who was in charge of structural design, and Engineer Ma, who was responsible for the energy system, sat facing each other.
The ashtrays in front of them were already overflowing with cigarette butts.
The image of Zhang Wei being dragged away by the inspection team like a dead dog was seared into their minds.
It was a real arrest.
There was no concern for decorum, no administrative procedures. He was charged directly with "sabotaging military facilities during wartime."
If that charge stuck, Zhang Wei’s life wouldn’t just be over; he’d be spending the rest of it at hard labor in a prison quarry.
"That kid’s a madman."
Dr. Qian exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his fingers trembling slightly. "He really dares to make a move, and he doesn’t play by the rules at all."
Engineer Ma’s face was ashen. He lifted his teacup for a sip, only to find the tea had long gone cold.
He slammed the cup back down.
"Old Wu faked an illness to get out of it, and Zhang Wei is locked up. Now it’s just the two of us."
Engineer Ma said through gritted teeth, "Are we really going to just listen to that kid? Hand over years of our hard work on a silver platter? And serve him like a damn lackey?"
This wasn’t just a matter of pride.
The "Shadow" project was SSS Level, with a budget in the hundreds of millions.
As long as they controlled the project, even the scraps that slipped through their fingers were enough to let them live like kings.
If Han Feng took complete control, they’d be reduced to mere grunts, unable to even get a taste of the leftovers.
Dr. Qian pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a glint in his eyes.
"A direct confrontation is definitely out of the question."
"That kid’s personal power is absurd, and he has Chen Beixuan’s Imperial Sword. Go head-to-head with him, and you’ll end up just like Zhang Wei."
Engineer Ma anxiously ran a hand through his thinning hair.
"Then what do we do? Are we supposed to just resign?
Quitting now would be like begging them to slap us in the face."
"Who said anything about resigning?"
Dr. Qian suddenly smiled, a sinister edge to it.
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice.
"Old Ma, you’re getting muddled."
"This Han Feng is impressive, I’ll give you that. He can fight, he knows the tech, and he can spot flaws in the designs at a glance."
"But is that all it takes to build an aircraft? Just blueprints and technical knowledge?"
Engineer Ma paused. "What do you mean?"
Dr. Qian gestured toward the bustling East Sea City outside the window.
"Where do the materials come from? Who approves the equipment requisitions? Which company’s waiting list do you need to get on for the special Rune coatings?"
"Are those things you can just draw up on a blueprint?"
"That requires connections, relationships, the kind of clout you only build up after decades in this circle!"
Engineer Ma’s eyes gradually lit up.
Dr. Qian sneered and continued, "Han Feng wants to promote his new people, doesn’t he? He treasures those country bumpkins from the Outer City, right?"
"Fine. We’ll cooperate with him."
"From this day forward, we’ll only handle technical execution. All external communications, procurement, and coordination work—we’ll hand it all over."
"Let his precious little treasures run the errands."
"I’d love to see if a bunch of greenhorns who don’t even know which way the Inner City gates open can get anything out of those suppliers who’d eat you alive and spit out the bones."
Engineer Ma slapped his thigh, a sly, knowing grin spreading across his face.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
"It’s like killing them with a soft knife. No blood."
"We won’t cause trouble. In fact, we’ll offer our full support, giving the ’important positions’ to the young people for their training."
"When the project grinds to a halt due to a lack of materials, no one can blame us."
The two men exchanged a look, and the gloomy expressions on their faces were replaced by the smiles of old foxes.
Han Feng was a powerful dragon.
But even a powerful dragon had to coil up and behave in their muddy waters.
...
「Half an hour later, in the special-grade workshop.」
The atmosphere was still tense, but at least operations had resumed.
Han Feng was climbing all over the massive X-01 frame, a portable scanner in hand, recalibrating the coordinates of the core Runes.
Dr. Qian and Engineer Ma walked over, their faces wreathed in smiles.
Their attitudes were so humble they might as well have been greeting their own fathers.
"Advisor Han, you’ve worked hard. Please, let us handle this kind of manual labor," Dr. Qian said fawningly.
Han Feng didn’t even turn his head. "What is it?"
"Well, according to your new plan, we need to procure a special batch of ’Star Pattern Tungsten Steel’ and ’Liquid Spiritual Energy Coolant.’"
Dr. Qian produced a list, on which dozens of items were densely packed.
"Also, we need to apply to the Celestial Craft Institute headquarters for permission to use the high-energy particle collider in Lab No. 3."
"These are all urgent matters that can’t be delayed."
Han Feng stopped what he was doing and glanced at the list.
"Who was in charge of this before?"
"Zhang Wei used to be in charge of it."
Dr. Qian sighed. "Now that he’s gone, we two old-timers have to oversee the modifications on-site. We’re stretched far too thin."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted to a group of young people organizing blueprints nearby.
They were the interns Han Feng had just transferred in from the Outer City, along with a few honest folks who had been pushed out of the "Night Falcon" project team.
"Advisor Han, since you want to train new talent, why not give this important task to them?"
Engineer Ma chimed in from the side.
"Yes, this is a great opportunity to train them to handle things on their own.
We’ll sign off on all the procurement orders and approval forms. All they have to do is take them and make the rounds."
Han Feng looked at the two old foxes.
Their faces were etched with "sincerity" and "cooperation."
"Alright."
Han Feng took the list and casually beckoned over a young man.
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