285: Chapter 285: The Production Line Transformation Begins

The three o'clock afternoon sunlight slanted into the workshop, illuminating the unfolded blueprint on the edge of the main console. Blue light flowed slowly along the Spirit Pattern circuits, like the first breath just drawn.

Chen Qiaoshou took a breath, stepped forward, and stood directly in front of the main energy guide rail interface.

"Move the No. 3 new rail!" His voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear. "Place it on the A-zone support rack, don't touch the old diversion valve!"

Five clansmen moved immediately, carrying the half-person-high alloy guide rail through the crowd. The metal wheels pressed against the floor, emitting a dull rolling sound.

Chen Qiaoshou unclipped the welding torch from his waist, tapped his fingertips on the side three times, and a pale cyan flame lit up at the tip. He crouched down, aimed at the third rivet of the old connection port, and pressed his wrist down—

"Hiss!"

Sparks exploded, and a burnt smell mixed with residual Spiritual Qi rushed out. Several apprentices nearby instinctively stepped back half a pace.

"Steady!" Chen Qiaoshou didn't even lift his head. "Hold it firm on the left, loosen the retaining ring on the right, dismantle it slowly!"

The rivet melted, and the entire section of the old rail let out a soft "click," slowly detaching from the support frame.

Just then, a cold snort came from behind the shelves.

"Don't go causing any trouble."

It was Chen Tiezhu's voice.

He didn't know when he had walked out of the shadows, standing five meters away, empty-handed, his eyes fixed on the dismantled old rail, his brows knitted tightly together.

No one paid him any mind.

Chen Qiaoshou had already pushed the new guide rail to the docking position and was using a calibrator to measure the angle. Sweat beaded on his forehead as his fingers quickly adjusted the base bolts.

"Off by two degrees." He muttered to himself, "Adjust it a bit more to the east."

Chen Wuwang stepped forward at this moment, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flickering slightly, a layer of data streams flashing across the surface of his pupil.

"The high-pressure node is seventeen centimeters below." He pointed vaguely. "Go around it and use the dual-rail parallel connection method to save time."

Chen Qiaoshou looked up at him and nodded: "Understood."

The two didn't say anything more. Chen Wuwang crouched down directly, helping to thread the spare energy guide line through the side slot. His movements were deft, as if he were used to doing this kind of work.

"Clan Head, you... you understand this too?" A clansman couldn't help but ask.

"I don't," Chen Wuwang grinned, "but my System tells me that's how it should be done."

Several people nearby were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Only Chen Tiezhu didn't laugh. He walked a few more steps forward, bent down to pick up the old valve piece that had just been dismantled, looked it over repeatedly, and suddenly spoke: "The seal ring is aged, it's not a design issue."

"I know." Chen Qiaoshou didn't even lift his head. "It's an old part that's been used for three years; it should have been replaced long ago."

"Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

"It would have been useless even if I said it." Chen Qiaoshou finally lifted his head and looked him straight in the eye. "No one would listen."

The air froze for a moment.

Chen Tiezhu placed the valve piece on the ground and turned to leave. His boots hitting the floor made a sound slightly lighter than before.

The first section of the new guide rail was successfully docked.

Chen Qiaoshou let out a long breath, wiped away his sweat, and began to install the energy diversion Spirit Array base. This was one of the core modules of the entire modification, capable of reducing power supply fluctuations by more than forty percent.

"Use the No. 7 short-head screws." He directed, "Add insulating film to the gasket, don't let any Qi leak."

The clansmen cooperated nimbly. New equipment was moved in piece by piece, and old parts were continuously cleared away. The middle section of the pipeline had already begun to change; the metallic luster and the rune circuits intertwined, looking like some kind of newly born veins.

Chen Wuwang stood to the side, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye continuously scanning, occasionally reminding them in a low voice: "The pressure test port over there hasn't been sealed yet." "The detection ring support is crooked, readjust it."

He didn't look like a commander, but rather an old technician, moving back and forth among the minute details.

For the second time, Chen Tiezhu came again.

This time he didn't stop in the distance, but walked to the side of the diversion Spirit Array, crouched down, and carefully examined the carvings on the base.

"This pattern... it's not a traditional Spirit Gathering Array." He frowned.

"It's a feedback-type voltage stabilization Spirit Array." Chen Qiaoshou handed over a debugging board. "It can automatically adjust the output according to the load to prevent overloading."

"Fancy and flashy." Chen Tiezhu muttered, but he didn't leave.

He reached out and touched the edge of the array, his fingertips brushing over a newly carved rune line, paused for a moment, then retracted his hand.

For the third time, he appeared at the modification site of the transmission arm linkage slot.

Chen Qiaoshou was lying on the ground, inserting a set of micro-gear sets into the inside of the slot. The space was narrow, and half of his body was stuffed inside.

"It's stuck." He cursed under his breath, "Push it again from the left."

Two clansmen pushed together, and the gear set slid into place with a "click."

Chen Qiaoshou was just about to get up when it suddenly went dark overhead.

Chen Tiezhu was standing there, holding a calibrator in his hand.

"Here." He bent down and inserted the instrument into the slot. "It's off by 0.2 degrees. If you don't adjust it, it's bound to collapse within three days."

Chen Qiaoshou was stunned for a moment, took the instrument, adjusted it twice, and sure enough, discovered the deviation.

"Thanks." He said.

Chen Tiezhu didn't respond and turned to leave, but he stopped in front of the tool bench, silently picked up a spare chip that had fallen on the ground, and put it back into the box.

Everything was going smoothly.

Until the moment the power was connected to the initial installation frame of the smart detection ring.

"Buzz—"

A harsh electrical sound exploded, black smoke emerged from the interface, and the alarm light instantly turned red.

"Short circuit!" Someone shouted.

Chen Qiaoshou rushed up in one stride and slammed his palm onto the power-off button. The power supply to the entire area was cut, and the machines all stopped with a "click."

"I told you this piece of junk couldn't be trusted!" Chen Tiezhu strode over, pushed Chen Qiaoshou aside, and crouched down to inspect the circuit board. "Look! The pre-installed chip is oxidized! You dare to install this kind of trash?"

Chen Qiaoshou didn't refute him, quickly opened the spare box, swapped in a new chip, and then pulled up the data log on his wrist terminal, handing it to Chen Tiezhu.

"Fault record generated." He pointed at the screen. "The System detected abnormal voltage and cut off the main circuit in advance to avoid a chain reaction. The loss is limited to this module only."

Chen Tiezhu stared at the screen, his fingers sliding over the log a few times, his expression changing.

"Automatic identification?" He looked up.

"Yes." Chen Qiaoshou nodded. "It remembered this problem; next time a similar chip is connected, it will perform an oxidation check first."

"Heh." Chen Tiezhu sneered, but his tone wasn't as hard anymore.

At this time, Chen Wuwang walked over and stood between the two.

"You also blew up seven times when you changed the furnace core back in the day." He looked at Chen Tiezhu, his tone as flat as if he were talking about the weather. "What about now? Who doesn't say the 'Tiezhu Furnace' is as stable as a mountain?"

Chen Tiezhu looked up abruptly, glaring at him.

Chen Wuwang didn't dodge his gaze: "Fault tolerance is the prerequisite for progress. If you had stopped after blowing it up once back then, we would still be hammering armor plates right now."

The workshop was silent for a few seconds.

Chen Tiezhu gritted his teeth, the veins on his neck throbbing, and finally glared fiercely at Chen Qiaoshou: "Fine, keep working. But if something goes wrong—"

He paused, his voice lowering: "Don't expect anyone to walk out of this door alive."

After saying that, he turned and walked toward the tool area in the southeast corner, picked up a small stool, placed it on the floor, and sat down.

He didn't leave. He didn't speak either. He just sat there, his eyes fixed on the pipeline, as if guarding something.

Chen Qiaoshou didn't look much, lowering his head to continue debugging.

The new guide rail was connected, the diversion Spirit Array base was fixed, the transmission arm linkage slot modification was completed, and the smart detection ring frame was reinstalled—all three key modules were in place.

The setting sun slanted down bit by bit, shining on the intertwined new and old pipelines, the metal glowing with a warm luster.

Chen Wuwang stood by the main console, watching the data jumping on the terminal, his brows slightly locked, as if calculating the next step.

Chen Qiaoshou sat in front of the debugging terminal, his fingers sliding rapidly across the panel, checking the docking program for tomorrow. There was sweat on his face, the back of his clothes was soaked, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

Chen Tiezhu leaned against the toolbox, his eyes closed, as if he had fallen asleep.

But every time an unusual sound came from the pipeline, his eyelids would twitch slightly.

The machines did not stop. The people did not disperse. The first step of the transformation had been taken.