277: Chapter 277 Tech Workshop Recruitment Plan

The air in the Furnace Area was still stifling, but the suffocating silence that had been pressing down on everyone had dissipated.

Data streams were still scrolling on the main console, the blue light reflecting on the three men's faces like a layer of thin frost.

Chen Wuwang didn't move; his fingers hovered over the panel, tapping gently—once, then again—with a rhythm as steady as some kind of countdown.

"I'll write the process," he suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, yet it drew the full attention of the other two. "You review it, and Xiao Dao will run the trial."

Chen Tiezhu raised his eyes, his brow still furrowed: "You've already said that."

"That's why I'm not repeating it." Chen Wuwang turned to look at him, his gaze heavy. "I'm making sure you understand the stakes—we don't offload responsibility onto others, nor do we push it to tomorrow. Whoever causes the problem bears the consequences. I don't do that kind of fooling around."

Chen Xiaodao grinned: "Brother, when have you ever done anything to fool people? Our Chen Family climbed up from the ruins by relying on real, solid work."

"But things are different now," Chen Tiezhu said in a low voice, his hand pressing against the edge of the console, his knuckles turning slightly white.

"Before, we were short on hands; now, we're short on… the right people. Those Loose Cultivators outside, which one of them isn't coming for the benefits?

Artifact Refining isn't just about pressing buttons. If a single rune is carved half a point off, the whole line will explode.

You want to recruit new people, I won't stop you, but I have to ask—do they understand what 'Craftsman Soul' means?"

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head to look at the calluses on his palms, those gullies ground out by hammers, deep enough to trap light.

Chen Wuwang didn't answer immediately.

He walked to the extinguished furnace on the right, reached out to touch the furnace wall—it was scorching hot.

He retracted his hand and wiped it on his work pants.

"Uncle, do you remember the day the earth dragon went into operation?" he asked, turning back.

Chen Tiezhu was startled: "Of course I remember. That day, you said the same thing—that we had to build an assembly line, that we had to modularize, that we had to treat Artifact Refining as an engineering project.

I said you were crazy, but what happened? We built the first mech capable of drilling through a Spiritual Vein."

"Exactly."

Chen Wuwang nodded: "Back then, no one believed we could succeed. But we did, because we didn't just sit around waiting to die using the old methods.

We brought in three Formation Masters who didn't understand forging patterns, two apprentices who only knew how to draw talismans, and a medicine boy who had never even seen a furnace.

But they understood logic, knew how to calculate energy loss, and knew how to maximize Spiritual Qi conduction efficiency."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two: "I'm not looking for people who can swing a hammer.

I'm looking for people who can read data streams, understand alarm signals, and spot vulnerabilities before the System collapses. These kinds of people won't emerge from our existing team. They have to come from outside."

Chen Xiaodao's eyes lit up: "You mean… breaking down the barriers of status?"

"There were never any barriers to begin with."

Chen Wuwang sneered: "The day the Zerg invaded, did it matter what your background was? One strike, and even bones were brittle. We're alive now not because our ancestors had glory, but because we dared to change the rules."

"But what about the resources?" Chen Tiezhu still hadn't relented.

"The front lines are waiting for gear upgrades, the Medicinal Field also needs new armor, and the Materials warehouse has hit rock bottom.

You're recruiting at a time like this; food, housing, and training all cost money. What if they still can't produce anything after half a year of training…"

"That's why I'm not recruiting people to 'train for half a year'," Chen Wuwang interrupted him.

"I'm recruiting people who can 'get to work immediately.'

The standard is simple—understand basic rune logic, know how to operate the spiritual energy terminal, and have a sense of collaboration. As for the rest, I'll teach them using the System."

"System?" Chen Xiaodao was stunned.

"The training System," Chen Wuwang corrected. "I'm already writing it. Modular courses, from power matching to resonance calibration, all broken down into steps.

When new people arrive, they'll first have their talent tested, then be assigned to positions.

Those who can independently run a process within three days stay.

Those who can't are given travel money and told to leave. No dragging things out."

Chen Tiezhu fell silent.

He stared at the energy curve graph on the screen, the trembling auxiliary resonance wave still jumping.

"Do you really think anyone can get up to speed that fast?" he finally asked.

"Yes," Chen Wuwang said with certainty. "The Eastern Wasteland is so vast, it's impossible that we're the only ones who understand.

Some people might have never touched a mech, but they have System-level thinking in their brains naturally.

Just like how Xiao Dao could hold a wooden sword to block demonic wind at five years old; that wasn't something practiced, it was innate."

Chen Xiaodao laughed upon hearing this: "Are you trying to be a 'Genius Catcher'?"

"Something like that." Chen Wuwang also tugged at the corner of his mouth. "But I'm not catching geniuses; I'm looking for the 'right people.' Even if they don't know anything right now, as long as their thinking is on the right track and they are willing to learn and strive, I dare to gamble."

Chen Tiezhu let out a long sigh and raised his hand to rub his brow.

He knew that no matter what he said, he couldn't stop him now.

The Family head was never the type to just listen to advice.

He was the type who—when he saw a wall, he wanted to tear it down.

"Then how do you plan to find them?" he asked, his voice lower. "Post notices? Hold a big meeting? Or have each clan recommend them?"

"None of that," Chen Wuwang shook his head. "I plan to set up a 'Challenge Board' at the entrance of the Technology Workshop.

Every day, I'll post a difficult problem from actual production, like 'How to switch out a Tier 3 energy storage tank without interrupting power supply.'

Whoever can provide a feasible solution within two hours can enter the initial selection."

"Testing people with real problems?" Chen Xiaodao's eyes widened. "Aren't you afraid of leaking technology?"

"Afraid of what?" Chen Wuwang scoffed. "The truly core things, they wouldn't even understand the question.

Those who can answer it show their thinking is on the right track; those who can't, even if they see it, it's all for nothing.

This is called a sieve, not a leak."

Chen Tiezhu listened and slowly nodded. He still wasn't completely reassured, but at least—this method wasn't reckless.

"What about the treatment?" he asked. "You can't let people work for free, right?"

"Triple the basic work points to start, room and board included, and those who pass the assessment will be directly incorporated into the official team and enjoy Family benefits."

Chen Wuwang said it bluntly: "In addition, the first person to solve the 'auxiliary resonance power theft' issue will be rewarded with an Anti-Blood Type-I prototype armor."

"Hiss—" Chen Xiaodao gasped. "You really dare to name your price."

"It's worth it," Chen Wuwang said calmly. "One piece of armor in exchange for someone who can plug a loophole is a profit no matter how you look at it. Besides…"

He looked at Chen Tiezhu. "I want people outside to know that the Chen Family doesn't rely on Bloodline to eat. We rely on our brains, our hands, and the guts to dare to think and do."

Chen Tiezhu stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed, a somewhat bitter laugh:

"You kid… you're becoming less and less like a Cultivator."

"I never was one to begin with," Chen Wuwang shrugged. "I'm a programmer. If the code is wrong, it has to be fixed. If the System can't run, it has to be upgraded. If people aren't up to the task, the mindset has to be changed. It's that simple."

The air was silent for a moment.

Then Chen Xiaodao slammed the console: "Let's do it!"

"I'm not against it either," Chen Tiezhu straightened up, moving his hand from the edge of the console. "I just… was afraid of losing things."

"You won't," Chen Wuwang looked directly at him. "I promise you, the soul of the craftsman won't be lost. I just want to let it go further. Let more people hear its voice."

Chen Tiezhu didn't speak again. He looked down at the calibration hammer in his hand, then gently placed it on the console.

"Fine," he spat out one word. "I'll accompany you to make this change."

Chen Xiaodao rubbed his hands excitedly: "Then when do we start? Do we hang the board tomorrow?"

"The day after tomorrow," Chen Wuwang said. "I'll set the challenge questions tonight, and issue a full-Family decree tomorrow morning. Also, a space needs to be cleared outside the main gate of the Technology Workshop, and a high platform should be built to facilitate observation and recording."

"We also need to find someone to invigilate," Chen Xiaodao said.

"You do it," Chen Wuwang pointed at him. "By the way, see if there are any talents that catch your eye. The sword Dao must be passed on, and technology must be passed on as well."

"Done!" Chen Xiaodao puffed out his chest. "I'll go draft an invigilation code right now!"

He was about to leave when he was called back by Chen Wuwang.

"Don't make it too complicated," the Family head said. "The simpler, the better. We aren't selecting immortal seedlings; we're looking for people to do the work."

"Understood!" Chen Xiaodao waved his hand. "Just three rules: No bringing reference Materials, no discussing in groups, and no grabbing the question board by force. Violators are immediately out!"

He turned and strode away, his cloak fluttering, his back as sharp as a drawn sword.

Only the two of them remained in the Furnace Area.

Chen Wuwang stood before the main console, his fingers tapping the panel again, the speed a few beats faster than before.

On the screen, a new program framework was being generated, with the title—[Technology Workshop Newcomer Selection System v1.0].

Chen Tiezhu looked at him and suddenly asked: "Do you really think… it will work?"

Chen Wuwang didn't look back, his voice very soft, yet very steady: "I don't know. But I know that if we do nothing, it definitely won't work."

He paused for a second and added: "So, we must try."

Chen Tiezhu didn't ask again.

He walked to the empty furnace on the left and patted the furnace body. The metal hummed, as if in response.

In the distance, the first rays of morning light quietly climbed onto the alloy dome of the Technology Workshop, shining on the screen of the main console, reflecting three silhouettes—

One standing, one leaning on the console, and one just leaving.

Their shadows were stretched very long, overlapping together, like a sword about to be unsheathed.