Luo Xuan examined it for a while, then said disdainfully, "Crude workmanship, and there's no protection against copying it. It'll be easy to reverse-engineer the blueprint."
"Then I'll leave it to you. As long as you complete this task, we'll poach you from the Logistics Department and give you better benefits and higher clearance."
Luo Xuan smiled with satisfaction. After the unfair treatment he had received last time, he felt more than ever that he had no future in the Logistics Department. Why had Han Xiao been specially recruited while he had to toil away building seniority? He was ready to join the hardliners and transfer to the Research and Development Department.
As long as he caught the attention of the higher-ups, he would have a bright future. Sooner or later, he too would receive the same treatment as Han Xiao.
Reverse-engineering the Folding War Blade was a chance to show what he could do, and Luo Xuan took it seriously. His failure to reverse-engineer the Light Power Arm last time had rankled him, and he had never accepted it. He could not have asked for a better chance to "compete" with Han Xiao.
Ever since getting his own independent mechanical workshop, Han Xiao had moved out of the repair shop and returned to the single-dog life he had missed for so long. In name, he was still an employee of the repair shop, helping Lü Qian handle its daily orders.
Because of the earlier misunderstanding, not having to see each other made things much easier for Lü Qian.
"Hiss..."
He opened the smelting furnace, and high-temperature steam gushed out. Wearing heat-resistant work clothes, Han Xiao used iron tongs to pull out strips of red-hot steel billets.
Under the current conditions, Han Xiao had two ways to make blades. One was conventional smelting: heat the billets, hammer them repeatedly on an anvil, and gradually grind them into shape. The second was to heat the billets until red-hot in a high-temperature furnace, then stamp them directly into blades with a machine in a single step. Each method had its advantages. The former naturally produced finer workmanship, while the latter was more efficient and allowed mass production.
The Folding War Blade's selling points were its portability and concealability. Han Xiao was not trying to forge a famous blade, so he chose the more efficient method of direct stamping.
The steel billets were all from the Thirteenth Bureau's stockpile and were of excellent quality. Han Xiao sprayed them with chemicals to remove the oxides, then heated them again. He placed the red-hot billets on the stamping machine and started it up.
Amid booming impacts, the billets took shape, becoming sharp blades.
Next, Han Xiao carried out the crucial folding work. It was a delicate job involving chains and magnets, but he knew it like the back of his hand.
Before long, a fresh batch of ten Folding War Blades was complete.
Repeatedly manufacturing the same kind of machine also reduced the experience gained. Manufacturing experience did not disappear like assembly experience; instead, it fluctuated within a very low range. Using equipment to manufacture machinery reduced the experience accordingly. At higher levels, Mechanic-class players inevitably had to assemble their own production lines and machine tools to mass-produce components. Han Xiao had not reached that stage yet, and still had to grind or purchase some components himself.
Each Folding War Blade he made gave him 100-200 experience. The Folding War Blade blueprint had reached level 2, and the finished products' attributes had increased slightly.
Han Xiao took off his heat-resistant clothes, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and counted the batch of war blades. He had completed a few more orders.
He felt great.
Just then, his phone rang with its old-fashioned ringtone. Li Yalin was calling.
"Bad news. All the agents who ordered before are asking to cancel their orders."
Han Xiao was stunned. "What happened?"
"The Research and Development Department reverse-engineered the Folding War Blade blueprint. They've already submitted a report to the higher-ups, asking for the Research and Development Department's stamp to be put on it. They've also spread word that mass production will start soon, and the blades will be supplied to every department." Li Yalin sounded dejected.
The Research and Development Department valued achievements and wanted ownership of the blueprint's invention. The equipment would be supplied for free, so although the agents looked down on what the department had done, they naturally canceled their preorders with Han Xiao.
The batch of Folding War Blades he had just made was not going to sell.
Han Xiao's eyes flickered. He had not expected the Research and Development Department to actually dare steal business from one of their own. Given the Folding War Blade's particular nature-its simplicity-anti-copying measures would have been redundant. Han Xiao had anticipated that copies would appear, but had not expected them so soon. The profits he had made so far were still far short of his expectations.
Although the market for Folding War Blades would eventually become saturated, they could still have brought him considerable profits at this stage. But the Research and Development Department had barged in and cut off his source of income.
If he had chosen to hand over the blueprint, he might have gained faction contribution points, but he would also have lost a source of experience. The Research and Development Department forcibly taking the blueprint would obviously not count toward his contribution.
This was hindering his growth in more ways than one.
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, called Feng Jun, and asked in a low voice, "Do you know what happened?"
Feng Jun sighed. "The Research and Development Department really had the nerve. The higher-ups haven't approved their report yet, but they've already started producing Folding War Blades on an assembly line."
"Tell me the details."
Feng Jun had no choice but to explain. Han Xiao made a note of the two people involved: Krat and Luo Xuan.
"What did the Research and Development Department say?"
"They haven't made any statement."
Han Xiao's expression remained calm. True to form, the hardliners could not even be bothered to explain themselves to him, the blueprint's owner. The implication was that he should swallow the loss in silence. He just did not know how Old Man Gao's conservative faction would react.
The Research and Development Department had acted on its own this time. The higher-ups were clearly not in the dark. Their delay in approving the department's report was probably a way to test his attitude. If he chose to back down this time, would the Thirteenth Bureau's approach to him become increasingly hardline in the future?
"The hardliners want to squeeze me and put me in my place, while the conservatives favor friendly cooperation. The higher-ups can't all be on the Research and Development Department's side. As long as I make a big fuss without crossing the line, the higher-ups will compromise and compensate me to some extent. There's quite a bit of room to maneuver here."
Han Xiao's eyes suddenly lit up. Perhaps this was a chance to get his hands on advanced knowledge!
Stardragon regarded advanced knowledge as confidential and kept it under strict control. Han Xiao had been troubled over how to complete his advancement mission. Was this not the perfect opportunity to make something of the situation?
A simple plan gradually took shape in his mind.
"They took my things without worrying they'd burn their hands. If I don't screw them over so badly they're left in chaos, they'll really think I'm easy to bully."
Research and Development Department.
The director's secretary said, "Heh, we couldn't have done it without you this time. You really are the Logistics Department's ace."
Luo Xuan smiled faintly, concealing his pride.
"The director thinks highly of you. He's already obtained your résumé from the Logistics Department and entered it into the database. You can consider yourself transferred to our Research and Development Department."
"What about my benefits..."
"The director gave special instructions. You'll lead a working group of your own, and your clearance will go up another level. As long as you work hard, the higher-ups will notice you sooner or later."
Luo Xuan smiled with satisfaction, then asked, "I heard the higher-ups value Han Xiao. Will there be trouble?"
"Don't worry. I know a little inside information. Han Xiao can only swallow his anger."
The secretary recalled the research and development director's confident words:
"Han Xiao depends on the Thirteenth Bureau for protection. If he wants to stay alive, he won't dare cause trouble!"