Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 58: Scrap Steel Conceals Greed, Warning Finally Reveals the Official's Mystery

The cold wind of December, carrying bits of snow, made the metal signboard of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill buzz. Lin Chen had just finished upgrading his "Advanced Mechanical Manufacturing Skills" and was leading his apprentices to debug a new batch of improved stamping equipment when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure sneaking around near a scrap heap in the corner of the workshop—it was Liu Haizhong, the former team leader of the forging workshop.

Liu Haizhong was no longer the imposing official he once was. His work clothes were stained with oil, and the collar was worn shiny. He squatted in front of the scrap heap, using the roar of the machines as cover, and stuffed several palm-sized pieces of alloy scrap steel into his clothes. These were no ordinary scrap iron; they were scraps from imported alloy molds that had just been replaced in the workshop. They were three times harder than ordinary steel, and a pound of them could be exchanged for half a pound of liquor on the black market, more valuable than a day's wages for an ordinary worker.

Lin Chen frowned. Ever since Liu Haizhong was demoted for failing to bribe his way out of scrap metal, he had been depressed, spending his days at work either smoking in a corner or drowning his sorrows in alcohol. A few days ago, Lin Chen had heard that he had been scolded all night by Liu's wife for not having enough money to buy his youngest son, Liu Guangfu, a new cotton-padded coat for the New Year. It seemed he was desperate and had resorted to stealing scrap metal for money again.

"Master Liu, it's so cold, why are you squatting here collecting scrap metal?" Lin Chen deliberately raised his voice as he walked over. Liu Haizhong shuddered in fright, almost dropping the scrap metal in his arms. He hurriedly covered it with his work clothes, forcing an embarrassed smile: "Director Lin, I... I'm collecting some scrap iron to take home and fix the furnace. It's cold, and my child can't sleep because of the cold."

Lin Chen glanced at his bulging chest but didn't point it out. Instead, he said seriously, "Master Liu, the workshop has regulations that all waste materials must be registered and recycled. Even scraps cannot be taken away without permission. Especially this kind of alloy material, which is a controlled resource. Stealing it will result in punishment. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, just tell the workshop, and we can apply for hardship assistance. It's not worth taking this risk."

Liu Haizhong's face flushed instantly, a mixture of shame and anger. He used to be Lin Chen's team leader, and now he was being lectured by his former subordinate. His temper flared: "Lin Chen, stop pretending to be a good guy! What business is it of yours if I take some scrap metal? You're the director now, so you look down on us old workers? Let me tell you, I, Liu Haizhong, won't fall for that!"

Lin Chen sighed, knowing that reasoning with him was useless. Liu Haizhong was a proud and vain man, and after being demoted, he became even more sensitive and suspicious, convinced that everyone was laughing at him. "Master Liu, I'm just trying to give you a friendly reminder," Lin Chen said, turning back to the operating area. He knew Liu Haizhong wouldn't listen to reason, so he had to find another way.

Before leaving get off work in the afternoon, Lin Chen wrote an anonymous letter detailing Liu Haizhong's theft of alloy scrap steel, including the location of the hiding place, the quantity stolen, and the possible black market trading point—he had seen Liu Haizhong loitering around that area when he sold tools before. After finishing the letter, he folded it into a small square and slipped it under the door of workshop director Zhou's office when no one was looking.

Having finished all this, Lin Chen had just stepped out of the workshop when he saw Yi Xiaofeng standing under the old locust tree at the factory gate, accompanied by two shady-looking men. Yi Xiaofeng's eyes flashed with malice when he saw Lin Chen, and he deliberately bumped into him: "Can't you watch where you're going?" Lin Chen steadied himself and sneered: "Yi Xiaofeng, I haven't settled the score with you for falsely accusing me, and you dare to come looking for trouble?"

"Settle accounts?" Yi Xiaofeng sneered and waved his hand. The two men beside him immediately surrounded him. "Lin Chen, you caused my father to go to jail and ruined my reputation. Today I'll show you what's what!" Lin Chen was not flustered at all. He had already used the system to combine "steel pipe + spring + anti-slip sleeve" to make two "telescopic riot batons", which he hid in his cuffs and trouser legs.

"Want to make a move?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "This is the factory gate, full of workers and security guards. If you dare to make a move, I'll call someone right now to accuse you of disturbing the peace and send you and your father to the police station!" Yi Xiaofeng's expression changed. He had just been summoned by the police station for making a false accusation. If something else happened, he would definitely be in big trouble.

"You just wait!" Yi Xiaofeng glared at Lin Chen fiercely, then slunk away with the two men. Lin Chen watched their retreating figures, frowning—Yi Xiaofeng definitely wouldn't let this go easily, and might even join forces with others to deal with him. He took out the simple communication device integrated with the system and called the officers at the police station, explaining Yi Xiaofeng's situation and asking them to keep a close eye on him.

Back in the courtyard house, Lin Chen had just entered the middle courtyard when he heard arguing coming from Liu Haizhong's house. "You! Stealing scrap metal from the workshop again! Do you want to be arrested and sent to a labor camp?!" Aunt Liu's voice was shrill and piercing. "No matter how poor you are, you can't do such illegal things! In broad daylight, aren't you afraid the neighbors will see and laugh at you?"

"What a joke? What do I have to be laughed at now!" Liu Haizhong's voice reeked of alcohol. "I've been demoted, and my salary has been reduced by one level. I don't even have enough money to buy Guangfu a new cotton-padded coat! If I don't steal some scrap steel to buy alcohol, am I supposed to let my whole family starve?" Then came a "slap" sound, which must have been Aunt Liu slapping Liu Haizhong.

Lin Chen stood at the door, hesitated for a moment, but still didn't go in. Liu Haizhong's family conflicts weren't new; since his demotion, he had frequently beaten and verbally abused his wife and children, and his sons had become increasingly distant from him. If this theft of scrap steel were exposed, the family might really fall apart. But Lin Chen also knew that Liu Haizhong was the kind of person who would never learn his lesson unless he was taught a lesson.

The next morning, as soon as Lin Chen arrived at the workshop, he saw Director Zhou walk in with several security personnel. "Everyone stop work and cooperate with the inspection!" Director Zhou's voice was stern. "Yesterday, someone reported that someone was hoarding alloy scrap steel in the workshop. Today, we are going to conduct a thorough investigation!"

The workers were all whispering amongst themselves, and Liu Haizhong's face instantly turned deathly pale; his hands began to tremble. The security personnel split into several groups, inspecting the workers' toolboxes, changing rooms, and scrap heaps. When they reached Liu Haizhong's toolbox, he quickly stepped in front of it, saying, "I...my toolbox isn't anything special; it's just some commonly used tools."

"Get out of the way!" said Section Chief Zhang of the Security Department coldly. Liu Haizhong had no choice but to reluctantly move aside. Section Chief Zhang opened his toolbox, inside which, besides wrenches, hammers, and other tools, there was a cloth bag hidden at the bottom. Opening the cloth bag, inside were several pieces of alloy scrap steel gleaming with a metallic luster, exactly as described in Lin Chen's letter.

"Liu Haizhong, what's this?" Section Chief Zhang held up the cloth bag and asked sternly. Liu Haizhong's legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground, muttering to himself, "I...I didn't mean to...My family is struggling financially, I just wanted to exchange it for some money..." Director Zhou frowned and sighed, "Old Liu, I really didn't expect you to make such a mistake! You haven't learned your lesson from embezzling scrap iron last time, and this time you actually dared to steal controlled alloy materials!"

The workers in the workshop all gathered around, pointing and whispering. "I never thought Master Liu was this kind of person. He always pretended to be so upright." "This alloy material is very expensive. A pound of it can be exchanged for a lot of things on the black market!" "He didn't learn his lesson from his demotion last time. He'll definitely be fired this time!" Hearing these comments, Liu Haizhong wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, and he buried his head low.

Director Zhou led Liu Haizhong to his office, and Lin Chen followed. "Old Liu, tell me, how much did you steal? How many times did you steal it? And who did you sell it to?" Director Zhou sat down, his tone heavy. Liu Haizhong wiped away his tears: "Director Zhou, I only stole this once, a little over five jin (2.5 kg) in total. I haven't even had a chance to sell it yet! My family is really struggling. My youngest son, Guangfu, doesn't even have a thick cotton-padded coat for winter. I had no other choice..."

"You can apply for subsidies if you have difficulties. Talk to the workshop or the union, and we will help you." Director Zhou interrupted him. "But you can't use such illegal methods! The workshop's rules and regulations are there, and anyone who violates them will be punished! You used to be a team leader, so you should know this better than anyone else!" Lin Chen, standing to the side, added, "Director Zhou, I saw Master Liu hiding scrap steel yesterday, and I already reminded him, but he wouldn't listen."

Liu Haizhong raised his head, glaring fiercely at Lin Chen: "You're the one who reported me! Lin Chen, I have no grudge against you, why are you so ruthless!" Lin Chen sneered: "I only anonymously reminded Director Zhou to investigate the waste materials, I didn't name names. You did something wrong, so you can't blame anyone else for being caught. Besides, I warned you, but you didn't listen and insisted on taking the risk."

Director Zhou slammed his hand on the table: "Old Liu, don't wrong an innocent person! Xiao Lin was just trying to remind you, and you're blaming him instead? This matter is serious, and I can't protect you. The factory's decision is: you'll be demoted from a level six forging worker to a level five worker, have six months' salary deducted, and your year-end bonus canceled. If you repeat this offense, you'll be dismissed from your job!"

The punishment was lighter than Liu Haizhong had expected. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Director Zhou! Thank you, Director Zhou! I will never dare to do it again! I will definitely work hard to make up for my mistake!" Director Zhou waved his hand, "Alright, go down and reflect on your actions." Liu Haizhong lowered his head and slunk away.

After Liu Haizhong left, Director Zhou looked at Lin Chen: "Lin, thank you this time. If it weren't for your reminder, our workshop would have been held very responsible for the theft and sale of these alloy scrap steels." Lin Chen smiled: "Director Zhou, it's what I should do. I'm doing this for the good of the workshop. If scrap is frequently stolen, it will not only affect production but also encourage bad practices."

Director Zhou nodded. "You're right. To prevent this from happening again, I've decided to put you in charge of the workshop's waste management. Develop a system for registering, recycling, and disposing of waste, ensuring that every pound of waste is traceable." Lin Chen was secretly delighted. This was a great opportunity; it would solidify his position in the workshop and allow him to leverage the system to integrate waste and create more value. "Thank you for your trust, Director Zhou. I will definitely do my best!"

Lin Chen immediately immersed himself in developing a waste management process. He used a system that integrated "old ledgers + carbon paper + counters" to create a "waste registration and management system" that recorded in detail the source, weight, processing method, and person in charge of each batch of waste. He also installed simple monitoring equipment (made from monitoring components integrated into the system) next to the waste pile to ensure 24-hour monitoring.

In the afternoon, Lin Chen was posting the waste management process chart in the workshop when Qin Huairu came over, holding a drawing in her hand: "Director Lin, this is the drawing I just drew for a fitter's part. Could you take a look and see if there are any problems? I'm going to participate in the workshop's skills competition next month, and I want to get a good result so I can be promoted to a fourth-level worker."

Lin Chen took the blueprints and examined them carefully. The blueprints were drawn very neatly, with accurate dimensions and clear process requirements, showing significant improvement over previous work. "Senior Sister Qin, you've drawn them very well," Lin Chen said with a smile. "However, there's a small problem here. The tolerance requirements for this part could be more precise, and the chamfer could be changed to a rounded chamfer for a longer lifespan."

Qin Huairu's eyes lit up: "Really? How come I didn't think of that! Director Lin, thank you so much, you're amazing!" Lin Chen handed her the blueprints: "It's nothing, just practice more. Don't be nervous during the skills competition, just perform normally. With your current level, getting into the top three shouldn't be a problem." Qin Huairu nodded, her face full of confidence: "I will work hard! From now on, I want to earn a living with my own skills and never do anything crooked again."

Seeing Qin Huairu's transformation, Lin Chen felt very gratified. Since Qin Huairu passed the Level 3 worker exam and became a full-fledged worker, she has changed completely. She no longer acts pitiful or uses moral blackmail as before, but instead focuses all her energy on technical skills. She comes to the workshop early every day to practice, and takes the initiative to ask questions when she encounters problems she doesn't understand. Her colleagues in the workshop have also given her increasingly high praise.

When Lin Chen got home from get off work that evening, he had just entered the courtyard when he saw Liu Haizhong squatting at the gate, holding a bottle of cheap liquor and drinking alone. His clothes were covered in dust, his hair was disheveled, and he looked much older. Seeing Lin Chen, he didn't verbally abuse him as he usually did, but instead waved him over: "Little Lin, come sit down for a while."

Lin Chen hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat on the stone steps next to him. "Xiao Lin, I'm sorry." Liu Haizhong took a sip of wine, his voice hoarse. "I shouldn't have scolded you yesterday, and I shouldn't have falsely accused you of reporting me. Actually, I know you meant well in reminding me, but I was too stubborn and too concerned about saving face, which led me to this point."

Lin Chen sighed, "Master Liu, let's not dwell on the past. Focus on your work and life from now on; that's more important than anything else. Withholding six months' salary is indeed difficult. If you need any help at home, just let me know, and I'll definitely help if I can." Liu Haizhong looked up, his eyes filled with gratitude, "Thank you, Lin. I wasn't good to you before, and you were still willing to help me. I... I'm truly a terrible person."

"We're all neighbors, helping each other is only right," Lin Chen said. "You haven't bought Guangfu a cotton-padded coat yet, have you? My child has one from last year, it hasn't been worn much, it's still very new, but it's a bit big. It'll fit Guangfu perfectly. I'll bring it over for you tomorrow." Liu Haizhong's tears immediately streamed down his face: "Lin, you're such a good person! I'll never go against you again. If you need anything, just let me know!"

Just then, a quarrel broke out in the middle court. "Hand it over! Did you secretly take the family's food coupons to buy alcohol?" Aunt Liu's voice rang out. "The children are going to school tomorrow, and we don't even have any cornmeal left. And you're still drinking alcohol! I'll fight you to the death!" Then came the sound of children crying and things being smashed.

Liu Haizhong's face changed, and he quickly stood up: "Oh no, my wife is arguing with the kids again!" He ran home as fast as he could, and Lin Chen followed. When they entered the house, they saw Aunt Liu sitting on the floor crying. The table was overturned, and dishes were broken all over the floor. Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu were standing in the corner, trembling with fear.

"You finally decided to come back!" Grandma Liu cried even harder when she saw Liu Haizhong. "You took all the food coupons to buy alcohol! What will the children eat tomorrow? Guangtian needs to bring dry rations to school, and Guangfu needs his medicine. What are they going to do?!" Liu Haizhong was stunned. "I didn't take the food coupons! I haven't received my salary for days. Where did I get the money to buy alcohol? I borrowed it from the neighbors!"

"If it wasn't you, then who was it?" Aunt Liu wiped away her tears. "The grain coupons at home were in the cupboard. I went to get them today and found that five jin were missing! Who else but you would have taken them?" Liu Haizhong was sweating profusely. "It really wasn't me! If I took the grain coupons, may I be struck by lightning!" Lin Chen stood at the door and used the system's "item identification" function to scan the area. He found several fragments of grain coupons and rat footprints in the rat hole in the corner of the wall.

"Aunt Liu, stop arguing." Lin Chen stepped forward and pointed to the rat hole in the corner. "The grain coupons must have been dragged away by the rats. Look, there are fragments of grain coupons over there." Aunt Liu and Liu Haizhong looked in the direction he pointed and indeed saw several yellow fragments in the rat hole, the same color as the grain coupons. Aunt Liu paused for a moment, then stopped crying: "So that's how it is... I misunderstood you, Old Liu."

Liu Haizhong breathed a sigh of relief and squatted down to clean up the broken dishes. "It's alright, I know you were worried. The food coupons are gone, but that's it. Tomorrow I'll apply for hardship allowance from the union; I should be able to get a few jin of food coupons." Lin Chen took out five jin of food coupons from his pocket and handed them over. "Master Liu, these are my food coupons. You can use them to buy food for the children. You can return them to me when the hardship allowance comes through."

Liu Haizhong quickly declined, "No, Xiao Lin, I can't take your food coupons! You already promised to give Guangfu a cotton-padded coat yesterday, and now you're giving me food coupons too, I... I can't accept that!" Lin Chen stuffed the food coupons into his hand, "Take them, the children are the most important. We're all neighbors, don't be shy. Work hard in the future, and you can pay me back when you get your wages."

Liu Haizhong was moved to tears, clutching the grain coupons tightly: "Xiao Lin, I'll remember this kindness! If you ever need anything in the future, I'll help you through thick and thin!" Aunt Liu also quickly thanked him: "Thank you, Xiao Lin! You're such a good person! Our husband Lao Liu wasn't good to you before, and you still helped us like this. We don't know how to repay you."

Lin Chen smiled and said, "No need to repay me, helping each other is only right. Hurry up and tidy up to make dinner for the children." After saying that, he turned and left Liu Haizhong's house. He knew that through this incident, Liu Haizhong had truly repented and would not oppose him again. Another problem in the courtyard house was finally resolved.

Back home, Lin Chen opened the system panel, which displayed: "Side quest 'Exposing Liu Haizhong's act of stealing alloy scrap steel and bringing him to justice', reward 6000 points, current points: 119500. Side quest 'Helping Liu Haizhong resolve his family difficulties and making him genuinely repent', reward 3000 points, current points: 122500. New feature unlocked: Network Expansion."

Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction. The networking feature would allow him to acquire more connections, which would be very helpful for his future development. His current targets were Yi Zhonghai and Xu Damao, who was about to be released from prison. Yi Xiaofeng was still plotting revenge, and Xu Damao would definitely cause trouble after his release; he had to prepare in advance.

Just then, a new main quest popped up on the system panel: "Frustrate Yi Xiaofeng's revenge plan in conjunction with Xu Damao (who is about to be released from prison), completely eliminate the hidden dangers in the courtyard, reward 20000 points, and unlock the 'Business Blueprint' function." Lin Chen's eyes sharpened; it seemed a new storm was about to break.

He took out the system-integrated night vision camera and checked the surveillance equipment installed in various corners of the courtyard to ensure that it could monitor the activity in the courtyard in real time. Then, he used the system-integrated "old steel + spring + gear" to make several "simple alarms", which he installed on his doors, windows and at the entrance of the courtyard. As long as someone approached, an alarm would be sounded.

After finishing all this, Lin Chen walked to the window and looked out at the courtyard house. The snow had started falling again, the swirling snowflakes covering the rooftops and ground, leaving the entire courtyard silent. But Lin Chen knew this silence was only temporary. Yi Xiaofeng and Xu Damao, who was about to be released from prison, were like two time bombs, ready to explode at any moment. He took a deep breath, his eyes resolute—no matter what difficulties he encountered, he was confident he could overcome them, completely eliminate the hidden dangers in the courtyard, and pave the way for his future.