Chapter 100: Taken in Three Days

"This is insane! Building a brand-new, custom-designed engine from scratch in three days?"

"Although Chief Engineer Li is a genius and designed the rocket launcher and Anti-aircraft weapon brilliantly, an engine is a completely different field!"

"I studied engine majors at Beilu Mechanical Institute for five years, and I wouldn't dare claim I could design a new model with 30% higher efficiency, yet he drew up the blueprints in a few strokes and even dares to guarantee a prototype within three days?"

Despite the mixed opinions, under the leadership of Li Mingyuan, the entire team quickly sprang into action.

The workshop lights stayed on all night, and the roar of machines never ceased.

The Casting Workshop was responsible for the cylinder block and cylinder head, the Precision Machining Workshop for the pistons and connecting rods, and the Assembly Workshop prepared various auxiliary systems...

The entire Rolling Mill was like a massive machine, with every part and every link operating precisely, racing toward the same goal.

"Check this valve for me again! The precision must be controlled within 0.01 millimeters!"

At 3:00 AM, inside the Second Machining Workshop of the Rolling Mill, Li Mingyuan was carefully observing a metal part the size of a fist.

He had been working for over twenty consecutive hours; his eyes were bloodshot, but his focus was surprisingly intense.

The roar of machines in the workshop merged into one; dozens of workers and technicians were distributed at different stations, some machining parts, some assembling, some testing parameters—the scene was busy yet orderly.

Li Mingyuan put down the valve and turned to the technician beside him: "This batch of valves is qualified; they can proceed to the next process."

He stood up and stretched, his back emitting a crisp 'Crack!'.

An old worker nearby handed over a cup of hot tea: "Chief Engineer Li, have some tea; don't wear yourself out."

Li Mingyuan took the teacup and nodded gratefully: "Lao Zhang, thank you."

He looked around, his eyes full of satisfaction: "Look at our progress. The cylinder block and cylinder head have been cast and undergone preliminary machining; the pistons, connecting rods, and crankshaft are being precision-machined; the fuel system components are 70% complete... At this rate, we can begin final assembly tomorrow night."

Lao Zhang gasped: "You are truly miraculous! In the past, who would dare say they could build such a complex engine in less than a month or two?"

Li Mingyuan chuckled: "The key lies in preparation and coordination. Actually, I had you all trial-produce many of the parts long ago, only I didn't tell you what they were for at the time."

Lao Zhang suddenly realized:

"No wonder for the past three months, you had us machining all sorts of strange parts; it turns out it was all in preparation for this day!"

"Preparedness ensures success; lack of it leads to failure." Li Mingyuan took a sip of tea, "In doing anything, planning ahead is very important."

At 4:00 AM, Factory Lou Changzhang walked into the workshop with dark circles under his eyes.

He hadn't closed his eyes for two days, following this emergency project the entire time.

"Chief Engineer Li, you should go get some rest; I'll keep an eye on things here," Factory Lou Changzhang said with concern.

Li Mingyuan shook his head: "It's no trouble; I must watch over it personally."

He picked up a checklist and pointed it out to Factory Lou Changzhang:

"The tolerance control for key parts is extremely strict; if there is a problem with even one link, the performance of the entire engine will be greatly compromised."

Factory Lou Changzhang frowned: "Rushing the work like this, will there be any problems?"

Li Mingyuan said confidently:

"Rest assured, I have personally checked every part; there will absolutely be no problems."

Factory Lou Changzhang looked at him with admiration: "Chief Engineer Li, where did you learn so many skills? This engine is designed like something from a god; those experts were all stunned."

"Learning has no limits," Li Mingyuan smiled, a flash of depth in his eyes, "There are no gods in this world, only more knowledge and more scientific methods."

The next day at noon, good news came from the Casting Workshop—the last batch of key parts had passed quality inspection and could enter the assembly stage.

In the Assembly Workshop, a group of technicians was carefully assembling the various parts according to Li Mingyuan's instructions.

"The clearance between the piston and the cylinder wall must be precisely controlled; pay attention to the angle when placing the valves..." Li Mingyuan demonstrated while explaining, "After the crankshaft is installed, use a dial indicator to check the runout value; it must be controlled within 0.02 millimeters..."

The workers listened intently, fearing they might miss a single detail.

This scene reminded Li Mingyuan of participating in technical training at a company in his previous life, only the roles were reversed—now he was the teacher, not the student.

"I really miss university classrooms," Li Mingyuan thought, "If only I could have brought the professional textbooks over, that would have been great."

At this moment, a technician ran over: "Chief Engineer Li, there's a problem with the debugging of the fuel injection system; the atomization effect of the fuel nozzle isn't ideal."

Li Mingyuan immediately put down his work and followed the technician to the test bench.

He picked up a magnifying glass, carefully observed the fuel atomization sprayed by the nozzle, and then unscrewed the nozzle to check the internal structure.

"The problem is here," Li Mingyuan pointed to a tiny part, "The micro-channels inside this nozzle have slight burrs, which are affecting the fuel flow."

He picked up a piece of fine sandpaper, carefully polished the burr that was almost invisible to the naked eye, then reassembled it and tested it again.

This time, the atomization effect of the fuel injection was greatly improved, and the sprayed fuel mist was uniform and fine.

"Perfect!" Li Mingyuan nodded with satisfaction.

By the third day at dawn, the main body of the engine was basically assembled, and it entered the final debugging stage.

Li Mingyuan did not rest, personally adjusting every parameter and checking every connection point.

As the sky began to brighten, Factory Lou Changzhang walked into the workshop carrying two bowls of steaming noodles: "Chief Engineer Li, eat something; you haven't had a proper meal in almost two days."

Only then did Li Mingyuan realize he was indeed hungry; he took the noodles and finished them in a few bites.

"Today is New Year's Eve; I should have let the comrades go home for the New Year," Factory Lou Changzhang said apologetically, "but now..."

"Once the mission is complete, everyone will get compensatory leave," Li Mingyuan wiped his mouth, "Also, give every comrade participating in this project a double bonus; consider it my New Year's gift."

Factory Lou Changzhang smiled with relief: "I will arrange it."

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the afternoon of New Year's Eve.

Li Mingyuan led the team to install the engine on the test bench to conduct the final tests and adjustments.

"Ignition system check passed!"

"Cooling system check passed!"

"Lubrication system check passed!"

"Fuel system check passed!"

The heads of each system reported one by one, and every time Li Mingyuan heard an item, he placed a checkmark on the checklist.

Finally, all systems had been completely checked.

Li Mingyuan took a deep breath and said to everyone, "Comrades, after three days and three nights of arduous struggle, we have completed a task that seemed impossible. This Engine embodies everyone's hard work and wisdom; no matter what the test results are, you are all heroes!"

Everyone was exhausted, but upon hearing these words, their spirits were lifted, and proud smiles appeared on their faces.

Li Mingyuan looked at his watch: "The Expert Group will arrive in two hours. Now, let us perform the final debugging checks to ensure tomorrow's test is foolproof!"