Chapter 43: Mrs. Zhang Steals the Technical Notes

The rolling mill's fleet, coated in dust and carrying five tons of precious Yunnan tung oil, drove back into the factory area late at night.

The oil drums were unloaded into a sealed warehouse. Without taking a moment to rest, He Yuzhu plunged straight into the technical department laboratory.

"The acid value meets the standard, but the viscosity and anti-wear properties are still not enough!" Engineer Chen pointed at the freshly printed test report, his brows knitted tightly together. "Relying solely on waste motor oil to regenerate base oil and adding tung oil still leaves the performance a notch below standard lubricating grease! Especially the oil film strength under high temperature and high pressure!"

Inside the laboratory, three bowls of oil samples sat on the table: pure regenerated base oil, regenerated oil mixed with tung oil, and standard lubricating grease.

He Yuzhu picked up a steel rod, dipped it into each of the three types of oil respectively, and smeared them onto a smooth iron plate.

"Look," he pointed at the iron plate. "The standard oil film is even and glossy, and it clings. The regenerated oil is thin and fails to cling. The mixed oil is slightly better, but the oil film has breaks and discontinuities."

"The key lies in the additives," Su Qing picked up a summary of foreign literature materials. "High-end foreign lubricating greases use organic molybdenum or molybdenum disulfide as extreme-pressure anti-wear agents, but domestically... we can't get them."

"We'll use a grassroots method!" He Yuzhu's gaze was firm. "Tung oil itself has film-forming properties! Can we figure out a way to make it 'set' more firmly under high temperature and high pressure?"

He Yuzhu grabbed a handful of ground fine graphite powder: "This! To increase lubricity!"

He then picked up a small bottle of the supernatant oil precipitated after rendering lard: "This! Animal fats have good low-temperature fluidity!"

Finally, He Yuzhu's gaze fell upon a pile of sifted fine gypsum powder residue left over from treating sulfur waste in the corner. "And this! Fine gypsum powder dust, with uniform particles, might just serve as a solid lubricant and filler to stabilize the grease structure!"

Engineer Chen's eyes lit up: "There's a chance! Let's try it!"

The laboratory was illuminated brightly once more.

Different proportions of regenerated base oil, tung oil, graphite powder, refined animal oil, and fine gypsum powder dust were mixed together under heat and stirring.

The air was permeated with the unique aroma of tung oil and the savory scent of lard.

"Proportion three! Look!" Su Qing pointed at a basin of grease that was currently being stirred.

It assumed a uniform dark brown paste, moderately viscous, and shone with a delicate gloss under the lights.

"To the test bench!" He Yuzhu decisively ordered.

The small bearing simulation testing machine roared into life.

Engineer Chen stared intently at the pointer: "Pressure is up to 100 kilograms! Conventional regenerated oil's film would have ruptured by now!"

The pointer climbed with difficulty: 110 kilograms... 120 kilograms... Finally, it stopped steadily at the 130-kilogram mark! The test bearing emitted a muffled frictional sound, but there was no screeching sound of dry friction!

"The oil film hasn't broken!" Engineer Chen's voice trembled with excitement. "130 kilograms! It's even stronger than the medium-grade lubricating grease from regular factories!"

"Stop the machine! Disassemble and inspect!" He Yuzhu ordered.

The bearing was carefully dismantled.

The surfaces of the raceway and balls were covered with a uniform, complete dark brown oil film, showing only slight traces of normal wear without any scuffing or flaking!

"It's a success!" Muffled cheers erupted in the laboratory! Engineer Chen forcefully patted He Yuzhu's shoulder, and Su Qing also wore an expression of relieved release.

A trace of a smile finally appeared on He Yuzhu's face, though his gaze remained calm: "Prepare for an eight-hour continuous high-pressure test! Simulate the harshest working conditions! The data must be solid!"

………

The light shining through the window of the technical department was particularly conspicuous in the deep of the night within the factory area.

A bloated figure, utilizing the shadows of the corner of the wall, silently crept up to the base of the window.

It was Mrs. Jia. Who knows how she managed to sneak in, but she was standing on tiptoes, trying her best to press her face against the glass, squinting her aged eyes to peer inside.

Vaguely, she could see He Yuzhu, Engineer Chen, and Su Qing clustered around the humming machine, with several basins and jars set out on the table.

"Bah! Little bastard, tinkering with valuable stuff again..." Mrs. Jia felt a mixture of bitterness and resentment in her heart.

Bangeng was still in the juvenile detention center; without the pillar of support in the family, life was getting harder with each passing day. If she could get her hands on He Yuzhu's secret formula... that crowd at the pigeon market would definitely pay a high price!

She saw Su Qing pick up a small notebook, jot something down in it, and then turn to walk toward the filing cabinet against the wall. An opportunity!

Mrs. Jia's heart pounded wildly.

She remembered this filing cabinet; the lock was of an old-fashioned type and not very secure.

Just as Su Qing put the notebook down and turned back, Mrs. Jia tremblingly fished out a sharpened thick iron wire from her bosom, held her breath, and reached out with a tremor toward the window latch...

………

At four o'clock in the morning, the continuous eight-hour high-pressure test finally concluded.

The test bearing was dismantled, and the oil film remained tenacious and intact! All performance indicators fully met the standards!

"Quick! Compile the core formula ratios and process essentials! Formulate a formal report! Submit it to the factory office and the ministry as soon as day breaks!" He Yuzhu's voice carried fatigue, but was filled with vigor.

"Right!" Engineer Chen immediately sat down at the desk, opened the drawer, and prepared to take out the Red Flag notebook that recorded the core data.

The drawer pulled open, and it was completely empty!

Engineer Chen's face instantly turned ashen: "The... the notebook?! I clearly locked it in the drawer!"

Su Qing also walked quickly to the filing cabinet, pulled open the cabinet door, and her own recording notebook was likewise missing without a trace!

"Someone has been in here!" He Yuzhu's gaze turned instantly icy, sweeping across the laboratory.

The window latch had been pried open to reveal a narrow gap!

"The formula... the formula has been stolen!" Engineer Chen's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed.

This wasn't just a massive economic loss; it was a severe security leak incident!

He Yuzhu took a stride to the window and pushed it open.

The chilly morning wind poured in. On the dirt beneath the windowsill, a few blurred footprints led into the distance, and at the edge of one footprint, a dark yellow residue resembling dried cornmeal paste adhered to it.

He Yuzhu squatted down, pinched up a bit of the debris with his fingers, brought it to the tip of his nose, and sniffed.

A faint, inferior smell of cornmeal porridge.

"Mrs. Jia." He Yuzhu stood up, his voice cold. "She was serving food in the cafeteria this morning, spilled cornmeal porridge all over the ground, and got a lot on her shoes."

"Why did she steal the formula?" Su Qing asked, anxious and furious.

"To sell it for money." He Yuzhu's gaze was bone-chilling. "That dark alley behind the pigeon market specializes in buying this kind of 'information'. Engineer Chen, go immediately to the security department to report the crime! Emphasize that the formula involves critical national defense-related technology! Su Qing, come with me!"

………

On the outskirts of Four Nine City, the pigeon market had long since dispersed, leaving behind only garbage and filth in the open space.

Down a narrow, dead-end alley cluttered with sundries, however, a dim beam of flashlight light shone through.

Mrs. Jia huddled in a corner of the wall, shoving several sheets of paper hastily torn from a notebook into the hands of a man wearing a duckbill cap pulled down very low over his brow.

"Here... take it! Give me the money quickly! Fifty yuan! Not a single cent less!" Mrs. Jia's voice was shrill with tension.

The man illuminated the data and formulas on the paper with his flashlight and chuckled lowly: "Not bad, old hag, you actually managed to get it... As for the money, you'll get every bit..." His other hand reached into his bosom, seemingly about to pull out cash.

Suddenly, a stern shout came from the mouth of the alley: "Don't move! Militia platoon!"

Several blinding flashlight beams shot in fiercely! Instantly enveloping Mrs. Jia and the man!

Several militiamen wearing red armbands and holding Type 56 semi-automatic rifles blocked the mouth of the alley! Leading them was clearly the head of the neighborhood militia platoon!

Mrs. Jia let out a wail and collapsed limply onto the ground. The duckbill-capped man reacted with extreme speed, fiercely stuffing the ball of paper in his hand into his mouth in an attempt to swallow it, while simultaneously groping toward his waist with his other hand!

"Thud!" A muffled sound of a gun butt striking flesh! The militia platoon leader moved even faster, smashing the butt of his rifle viciously onto the man's wrist!

"Crack!" The sound of breaking bones was clearly audible!

"Ah—!" The man shrieked, falling to the ground clutching his wrist, while the ball of paper in his mouth was fished out by a lunging militiaman!

The figures of He Yuzhu and Su Qing appeared behind the militia platoon leader.

He Yuzhu looked coldly at Mrs. Jia, who lay like a pile of mud on the ground, and the writhing, agonizing enemy agent.

The militia platoon leader handed the saliva- and blood-stained ball of paper to He Yuzhu: "Comrade Team Leader He, is this it?"

He Yuzhu unfolded the moistened, crumpled pages of paper; on them were the key data regarding the regenerated oil mixing ratios.

He nodded, turning his gaze to the twitching man on the ground, his voice like ice: "Investigate him. And find out who gave him the guts to touch the rolling mill's technical secrets."

The militia platoon leader planted a foot on the enemy agent's uninjured hand, grinding down hard, which earned yet another piercing shriek of agony.

"Rest assured, Team Leader He, once they enter the militia platoon's interrogation room, even a rock has to speak!" He looked up, his sharp gaze sweeping across a figure that hastily darted away in the shadows opposite the alley mouth. "Not a single one of them will escape!"