17: Chapter 17: The Master Craftsman Arrives, Even Gods Have to Step Aside

As soon as the supreme directive for the Kuafu Project reached the Pangu base, everyone was as pumped up as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo was particularly excited; having just been appointed as the on-site Commander-in-Chief, he was so thrilled that he hadn't closed his eyes all night.

He gathered a few of his most valued students, spread out a massive map of the Northwest in his office, and began gesturing excitedly, full of energy.

"Little Li, contact the Air Force immediately. We need the largest transport planes, at least ten of them! We're air-dropping the first batch of equipment and personnel."

"Old Zhang, coordinate with the Ministry of Railways and get me a special train! All heavy machinery must be transported by rail to the station closest to the desert!"

"And logistics! Notify the Logistics Department to prepare supplies for ten thousand people to last three months! Water, food, medicine, tents—nothing can be missing!"

Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo had spent his entire life working on such mega-projects and had plenty of experience; his orders were issued one by one, clear and concise, without a single word of nonsense.

He was now completely convinced by Jiang Ning. In his heart, Jiang Ning was an immortal, responsible for coming up with ideas and solving the most critical technical problems. And he was just the one running errands in the mortal world, responsible for turning the immortal's ideas into reality.

However, a few days later, when the advance team arrived at the Northwest project site, this enthusiasm was like being doused with a bucket of ice water, chilling him to the bone.

He discovered that he was not the only "Commander-in-Chief" sent by the state.

The project's frontline command post was set up in a small border town on the edge of the desert.

Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo and his core team had just stepped off the military transport plane, still covered in the dust of their journey, when he saw a line of people already standing on the tarmac.

Leading them was an old man in his sixties.

His silver hair was combed neatly, and he wore a plain Zhongshan suit, but his back was straight as a rod. There was an aura about him that clearly marked him as someone accustomed to giving orders for years. His skin was dark, tanned from years in the field, and his hands were covered in calluses and cracks.

Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo froze the moment he saw this man.

"Chief... Chief Engineer Wang?" He asked tentatively, barely daring to believe it.

The old man turned his head, saw him, and looked a bit surprised, then nodded, his voice booming: "Is that Jianguo? You've come too?"

Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo hurriedly walked over and called out respectfully: "Elder Wang, why are you here?"

The young engineers behind him also hurriedly bowed to greet him.

The man before them was no ordinary person; he was an ancestor-level figure in the entire field of Chinese Infrastructure Construction—Chief Engineer Wang Heshan.

If Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo was a meritorious chief engineer who had been in charge of the Three Gorges and the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, then Chief Engineer Wang Heshan was the veteran who had made the final decisions and overseen the construction of those projects back in the day.

He was the true pillar of support.

Although he had been retired for many years, no one could match his weight in the engineering world.

In front of him, Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo could only be considered "Little Wang."

"The country is undertaking such a massive project called 'Kuafu,' and since these old bones of mine can still move, I wanted to come and see who exactly has the guts to claim they want to conquer this Sea of Death," Chief Engineer Wang Heshan said slowly, looking at the yellow sand in the distance.

"Elder Wang, you've misunderstood. The Chief Designer this time isn't us..." Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo just wanted to explain and bring up Jiang Ning.

Chief Engineer Wang Heshan waved his hand, interrupting him.

"Jianguo, I've heard of you. I've also heard about that 'Pangu Project' you did in Donghai City." His tone was very flat, neither praising nor criticizing. "Using some new materials to purify the air a bit. It was decent, a little novelty."

When Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo heard this, his heart sank.

What did he mean by "purify the air a bit"? What did he mean by "a little novelty"?

That was an immortal's method! How did it sound like child's play in Elder Wang's mouth?

"However," Chief Engineer Wang Heshan shifted his tone, becoming stern. "Doing environmental protection is just patching things up. Engineering is about creating something from nothing! They are two different things! Just because you succeeded in the city doesn't mean you can just move that stuff into the desert!"

"I've read the preliminary proposal you submitted." He pulled a document from his pocket—it was the report written by Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo and his team. "It's absolutely absurd!"

He pointed at the report, criticizing it without mercy: "Water Diversion Array? Sand Stabilization Array? What is this? Are you telling fairy tales? Jianguo, you've been in engineering your whole life, how could you join them in working on these baseless things!"

"We in engineering must rely on science and respect nature! We must rely on data and experience, working one step at a time! Not on some 'array'!"

Chief Engineer Wang Heshan's voice grew louder and louder, and the people around were so scared they didn't dare to breathe.

Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo was scolded until his face turned red. He wanted to defend himself, but didn't know where to start.

He couldn't exactly say, "Our Chief Consultant is actually an immortal who can perform magic," could he?

If he said that, Chief Engineer Wang Heshan would treat him like a lunatic on the spot.

"The higher-ups attach great importance to this 'Kuafu Project'," Chief Engineer Wang Heshan said, putting away the document in a tone that allowed no room for argument. "Therefore, they sent me to be the Chief Engineer for this project. Jianguo, you have plenty of experience, so you'll be my deputy and handle logistics and scheduling."

When these words came out, Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo was completely dumbfounded.

He was the on-site Commander-in-Chief appointed by the higher-ups! How did he become a deputy in the blink of an eye?

A deputy named Li next to him couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "Elder Wang, the General Bureau's document states that Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo is the on-site Commander-in-Chief, and the project's Chief Designer and Chief Consultant is Comrade Jiang Ning."

"Jiang Ning?" Chief Engineer Wang Heshan frowned. "Is that the young girl mentioned in your report who proposed the 'arrays'?"

"Yes."

"Absurd!" Chief Engineer Wang Heshan slammed his hand onto the hood of the nearby jeep with a loud bang. "A twenty-year-old yellow-haired girl, what does she know about engineering? What does she know about the desert? Let her be the Chief Designer? This is making a joke of a national strategic project! It's making a joke of the lives of our ten thousand people!"

"I will talk to the General Bureau about this personally. Until the General Bureau gives me a clear answer, I have the final say on this project!" Chief Engineer Wang Heshan said firmly. "From now on, all unrealistic 'array' plans are void! Everything will follow our traditional geological exploration and engineering construction procedures!"

"We must use science to conquer this desert! Not some feudal superstition!"

He waved his hand and ordered his people: "Notify all exploration teams to set off immediately! Search inch by inch along the Altyn Tagh mountains for me! I don't believe we can't find the underground water veins!"

"Yes!" The people behind him replied in unison and immediately sprang into action.

Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo and his team were left standing there, looking at each other, all of them wearing awkward expressions, not knowing what to do.

Everyone had originally been pumped up to work with an immortal on a great cause.

As it turned out, just as the plane landed, they were given a blow to the head by another "true god."

And this "true god" didn't even believe in immortals.

Now, they were in big trouble.