Loyalty arranged for a worker from the Cape family who specialized in weapons testing to inspect the "detonators"—or perhaps "blasting sticks"—that the Hero had made using primitive methods. To be honest, he didn't have much faith in the things. If they could match the explosives of the pre–World War I era—or even the eighteenth century—that would already be pretty impressive.
After all, his own arms factory was just starting out. For now, it really didn't have many "wonders" to show off.
Still, Loyalty was confident he could make it big in this "unique industry" and achieve even greater success. For someone capable of making an Iron Fist by hand, that confidence clearly came from his "craftsmanship." But no amount of confidence could change the fact that everything was difficult right now.
Sigh. It's come to this. I might as well clock out first.
Thinking this, Loyalty returned to his office, shut the door, and lay down on his bed to log out. He removed his helmet and glanced at the clock on the wall. Sure enough, it was exactly twenty minutes before the end of his shift.
As usual, he lit a cigarette and waited for his subordinates to come report the day's results.
In the past, this routine had just been a formality.
Their department could be truly idle when there was nothing to do. But lately, both the frequency and quality of these reports had improved considerably. A few minutes later, Jie Weichi Ke, who was scheduled to give today's report, pushed open the door.
He pulled out a chair and sat across from the team leader. They'd been colleagues for years, so he didn't refuse the cigarette Loyalty offered. As they smoked, he opened his notebook and said:
"Things are the same as yesterday for me, Ziwei,