Chapter 569: Requesting the Chief Engineer's Assistance

It was said to be the last duty with the train before the New Year, but in fact Lu Cheng applied for it deliberately, since the New Year was still almost two months away.

After this duty, he would devote all his thoughts to the internal combustion engine project, and Director Tang also approved the request.

A night departure has the advantage that it starts chaotic, but once the train is moving, many people fall asleep and the carriage gradually quiets down.

Without needing so many police, Lu Cheng arranged for everyone to take turns on duty, allowing the others to rest.

He gathered the big group in the Dining Car, but Niu Da Kui was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Da Kui?"

Chang Jinbu said, "He's squatting at the entrance of Carriage No. 7; I tried to pull him earlier, but couldn't get him to move."

Lu Cheng looked puzzled and asked, "What's wrong with him? What mood is he in now?"

Chang Jinbu shook his head and said, "No, Sergeant Lu, it's because of Lei Yeye…"

Lu Cheng's intention to blame vanished instantly, replaced by worry.

Everyone knew Captain Lei's illness, including the three children he had raised.

Their feelings for Captain Lei were like those of family, and upon learning of his serious illness, each became deeply downcast.

Approaching Carriage No. 7, Lu Cheng saw Niu Da Kui squatting there, looking out through the window at the pitch‑black outside, seeing nothing.

Lu Cheng walked over, plopped down beside him, and lit a cigarette.

"Had I known, I wouldn't have let you come; you should have been at the hospital with Captain Lei."

Niu Da Kui shook his head: "Lei Yeye won't let me stay; he'd scold me, and I don't want to make him unhappy."

Seeing Da Kui's sorrowful face, Lu Cheng felt like offering some guidance.

"Da Kui, everyone has a day they die; you will die, I will die, so…"

Lu Cheng hadn't finished speaking when Niu Da Kui, with a sobbing voice, cut him off.

"Sergeant, can you save Lei Yeye? Everyone says you're capable, you must have a way, right? If you can revive Lei Yeye, I can give you my life in exchange for his…"

Lu Cheng suddenly didn't know how to comfort him and took a hard drag of his cigarette.

For someone like Da Kui, whose intellectual development has issues, any comfort seems superfluous.

But precisely because Da Kui's intellect is impaired, his feelings are that pure.

"Da Kui, the sergeant isn't omnipotent; some things are beyond his power."

Lu Cheng said this only to teach Niu Da Kui to face reality and to give him some mental preparation; otherwise, on the day Lei Zhan Ge truly departs, who knows how Da Kui would react.

"You really can't save Lei Yeye?"

Niu Da Kui still looked very disappointed; when he lifted his head again, his face was already covered with tears.

Seeing Da Kui place all his hope in him, Lu Cheng felt a bit guilty.

"Da Kui, you must work properly, understand? If Captain Lei saw you like this, he'd definitely be unhappy."

Niu Da Kui remained stubborn: "If I work well, will Lei Yeye's illness be cured?"

Lu Cheng was somewhat helpless, but could only reply patiently: "Yes, as long as you work well, Lei Yeye will be happy, and the illness will naturally improve."

As if finally hearing Lu Cheng's affirmation, Niu Da Kui suddenly stood up, wiping away his tears while speaking.

"You mustn't lie to me; I'll go work right now, so Lei Yeye can recover sooner."

Watching Da Kui suddenly regain confidence, Lu Cheng sighed, sat there, and finished his cigarette alone.

Perhaps the price of rebirth is to relive once more the partings of loved ones.

…

When he arrived at Shencheng Station, Lu Cheng took a moment to see Tan Kaiping, the chief engineer of the Vehicle Factory.

Since the historical issue was resolved with Lu Cheng's help last time, things have returned to normal life now.

So when he heard someone wanted to see him, Tan Kaiping was initially busy with his work and waved the person away to wait.

When a worker said it was Lu Cheng, Tan Kaiping immediately set down his work and rushed out excitedly to greet him.

The newly arrived workers at the factory, seeing the chief engineer being courteous to a young man, were utterly astonished.

"What's the deal? Let our Chief Engineer Tan come out to greet personally."

"He looks so young, not like a big leader; even at the top he's only a Section Rank."

An old worker who recognized Lu Cheng said, "Don't talk nonsense; that's Sergeant Lu, Chief Engineer Tan's benefactor, and the snow removal machine we're now producing was also directed by Sergeant Lu."

The two new workers grew even more curious, grabbing the old worker and urging him to explain.

Here, Lu Cheng was led straight into the office, where Tan Kaiping poured a glass of water from a thermos.

"Thank you, Chief Engineer Tan."

"Sergeant Lu, why didn't you give a heads‑up before coming? I could have sent a car to pick you up."

Tan Kaiping had clearly put on weight; during the labor reformation at the Farm he had been as thin as a reed.

"The station isn't far from here, so I thought I'd drop by to see you."

At Tan Kaiping's suggestion, Lu Cheng sat down on a chair.

"Sergeant Lu never goes to Sanbao Hall without a reason; you must have a mission, so we needn't be formal, but feel free to speak."

Lu Cheng truly wasn't just passing by this time; he had indeed taken the last pre‑New‑Year duty specifically to meet Tan Kaiping.

"Alright, Chief Engineer Tan, I'm still waiting to catch a train, so to keep it brief: the Research Institute is currently developing a New Type Internal Combustion Engine…"

Before Lu Cheng could finish, Chief Engineer Tan replied, "I know about that, and I also know that under your coordination, a set of computer equipment is being brought in for data calculations."

Lu Cheng laughed, "It was only decided a few days ago, and it's already spreading— the key point even traveled from Capital City to your Shencheng."

Chief Engineer Tan also laughed, "Sergeant Lu has always been a figure of interest; anything about you draws special attention."

Lu Cheng gave a wry smile, "Why does this feel like a bad thing? Being overly scrutinized puts pressure on me; if I make a small mistake someday, it could be blown out of proportion."

Tan Kaiping also laughed, "There's no helping it; the things you work on keep getting bigger— just like this New Type Internal Combustion Engine development. Once it's successfully deployed, it will be a major Reform for the Railway."

Lu Cheng sighed, "Whether it can be successfully deployed is another matter, so I'm here to ask Chief Engineer Tan for help: to save time, we should start manufacturing while still developing."

Lu Cheng no longer worries about the R&D problem now; with the help of a large computer, he can completely shorten the R&D time to a few months, and all the manufactured parts are drawn on the blueprints.

But it can only exist on the blueprints for now; turning them into actual production later will also take some time.

That's why Lu Cheng thought of doing R&D while simultaneously putting the previously completed blueprints into production.

Only this way can time be saved to the greatest extent, but the experienced Tan Kaiping is not optimistic about Lu Cheng's idea.