novelsite Chapter 28 First Sensation of Superpowers
Chapter 28 First Sensation of Superpowers
At 2 p.m., Wang Zhengyang woke up and inspected the construction site.
"Dr. Wang!"
Li Ruijun's voice came from the entrance of the marshalling yard. Wang Zhengyang opened his eyes and saw six figures walking towards him—Li Ruijun was in the lead, followed by five mechanics in dark blue work clothes. Each of them carried a toolbox, their steps were steady, and their movements revealed the coordination unique to those who had long been engaged in the precision machining industry.
"On time." Wang Zhengyang went up to them, his gaze sweeping over the temporary team. Their ages ranged from their early twenties to their forties, but they all had something in common in their eyes: focused, calm, and with the honesty unique to tech people.
"Eight o'clock means eight o'clock, that's the rule." Li Ruijun said, turning to introduce the five people behind him, "This is Lao Zhao, he's been working with CNC milling machines for fifteen years, and his precision control is top-notch. Xiao Wang specializes in welding, and he's best at stainless steel and aluminum alloys. Da Liu comes from an assembly and debugging background, and he has a sharp eye. And these two are Xiao Zhang and Xiao Zhou, both of them are backbone members of my factory, and they're all versatile."
Wang Zhengyang shook hands with each person. By observing the calluses on their hands, he could roughly determine what kind of work the person was good at and how many years they had been doing it.
"Welcome." Wang Zhengyang released the last person's hand. "The project is on a tight schedule, so let's not waste any more time. Boss Li, take your people to see the blueprints first."
The group headed towards the temporary office. Lin Luo'er was already waiting inside, a complete set of design drawings for the tracked chassis modification spread out in front of her. Seeing so many people come in, she was slightly nervous, but quickly composed herself and began her explanation.
"The original chassis of the Longyuan needs complete reinforcement." Lin Luo'er pointed to the areas marked on the blueprints. "Here, here, and here, these are the main load-bearing points. The design requirement is to withstand the impact of a fully loaded vehicle—approximately 800 tons—in complex terrain. At the same time, integrating the track system requires modifications to the suspension and transmission structure..."
She spoke very professionally, at a steady pace. Li Xiaowei stood beside her brother, her eyes wide open, clearly stunned by the massive and complex renovation plan.
Li Ruijun bent down to examine the blueprints closely, his brows gradually furrowing: "This strength requirement... exceeds the scope of ordinary railway vehicles. Dr. Wang, where exactly is this train going?"
The question was straightforward, but Wang Zhengyang was prepared: "Simulating rescue platform testing in extreme environments. It needs to be capable of traversing all terrains, so chassis modification is key."
The explanation sounded reasonable, but Li Ruijun stared at the blueprints for a long time and said in a low voice, "This level of modification is usually only used on military armored vehicles. Dr. Wang, your project... is quite high-level."
"A national-level testing project, its importance is naturally high." Wang Zhengyang said without changing his expression, "Can you do it?"
Li Ruijun exchanged glances with the mechanics behind him, then nodded: "It can be done, but it will take time. According to the blueprints, the reinforcement and welding of the main load-bearing points of the chassis alone will take at least eight days. The installation and debugging of the track system will take another twelve days. And..." He paused, "some special parts need to be custom-made, and my factory may not have enough equipment."
What equipment do you need?
"Large hydraulic presses, and heavy-duty CNC gantry milling machines," Li Ruijun pointed to the machining requirements of several key components on the drawings. "The tolerance requirements for these parts are too high; ordinary machine tools can't do them. We have to outsource them."
Wang Zhengyang quickly calculated in his mind. Time—five days for the renovation, within the planned timeframe. Equipment—several large machine shops in Berlin could handle this kind of work, but reliable connections were needed. Funding…that wasn't a concern for the time being.
"I'll handle the outsourcing," Wang Zhengyang decided. "You'll start basic welding and pre-treatment today. Boss Li, you'll be in charge of overall coordination. Lao Zhao and Xiao Wang will be responsible for the key welding points, and Da Liu will lead Xiao Zhang and Xiao Zhou to do the auxiliary work and assembly preparation."
"Understood." Li Ruijun nodded, then turned to his team and said, "Brothers, let's get to work. If we do this job well, our factory will have orders for the rest of the year."
The mobilization was simple and direct, yet highly effective. The five mechanics immediately got to work, checking tools and assigning tasks. This level of professionalism made Wang Zhengyang nod in approval—they had chosen the right people.
The bottom of the Longyuan was slowly lifted by jacks, revealing the chassis structure that was originally hidden under the skirt. Li Ruijun's team split into two groups: one group began welding reinforcement components under the front of the vehicle, while the other group prepared the installation base for the track system in the middle of the vehicle.
The blue-white arc of the welding torch flickered at the bottom of the carriage, and the smell of molten metal filled the air. Wang Zhengyang stood aside and observed. His 0.48% supernatural ability allowed him to clearly perceive the quality of each weld—whether the heat distribution was uniform, whether the penetration depth was sufficient, and whether the cooling rate was reasonable.
"Here," he suddenly said, pointing to a joint that Lao Zhao was welding. "The heat input is uneven; the left side is 15 percent hotter than the right. Adjust the welding torch angle, tilt it five degrees to the right."
Old Zhao paused for a moment, then subconsciously adjusted himself. A few seconds later, he looked up in surprise: "It really is... Dr. Wang, how did you figure it out?"
"Experience," Wang Zhengyang replied simply, then turned and walked towards another group.
In reality, he "felt" it. He sensed the heat distribution of the metal during the welding process through mechano-affinity, much like a doctor can sense a patient's temperature changes through touch. This ability is invaluable in precision machining—it allows for the detection of potential problems before they occur and the correction of defects before they form.
As evening fell, Wang Zhengyang returned to the bow of the Longyuan tanker to continue the armor installation. Chen Yishang's team had completed the welding of the fifth plate and was preparing to wrap up.
"Dr. Wang." Chen Yishang walked over, holding today's data logbook. "We measured all the seams of the five boards we installed today—the average flatness error is 0.13 millimeters, and the best one is only 0.08 millimeters. This precision... I've worked in machinery for twenty years, and I've never seen manual welding achieve this level of accuracy."
His tone held admiration, but also a hint of confusion. Wang Zhengyang knew what he was confused about—some results were better than expected.
"Good teamwork, excellent process control, and a bit of luck," Wang Zhengyang offered a reasonable explanation, then changed the subject, "Master Chen, when you were installing those metal sheets...did you have any particular feelings about them?"
This question startled Chen Yishang. His rough fingers unconsciously rubbed the steel ruler in his hand. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "It feels... I can't quite put my finger on it. Sometimes, when I touch the sheet metal, I can roughly tell where to weld longer and where to apply less pressure. It's like... the metal itself is telling me how to handle it."
The description was vague, but Wang Zhengyang understood. This was the rudimentary form of talent, an instinctive affinity between humans and metal. In his previous life, Chen Yishang awakened the ability to manipulate metal in a post-apocalyptic environment, earning him the nickname "Iron Hand." In this life, perhaps this talent could be guided and developed even earlier.
"This feeling is very important," Wang Zhengyang said earnestly. "Keep it, trust it. In the mechanical industry, sometimes a feel for things is more accurate than instruments."
Chen Yishang nodded as if he understood, but there was a hint of deep thought in his eyes.