Chapter 25: The Staff Electrician

"Chief Engineer Zhao, such talent is likely beyond your or my authority to determine their future."

As Huang Han’s words faded, it finally dawned on Zhao Hengyan.

Indeed.

With the strength of a single person, he had advanced anti-missile equipment by five to ten years. A person of this caliber would not remain in a small temple like the Second Academy of Aerospace. For a Chief Engineer like him to think he could dictate the future of such a man was akin to a local land deity trying to command the Jade Emperor.

Furthermore! Even someone as powerful as Huang Han, a theater command leader, would not dare to make such a decision lightly.

After the meeting, Huang Han headed straight for his office. Dismissing his aides, he opened his drawer and took out a satellite phone. The phone had only two buttons: one to hang up and one to dial. The line connected to the dial button led to only one destination.

The call connected, and a low voice came through, carrying a trace of agitation.

"What is this? You couldn't even intercept a single malfunctioning aircraft? How are you serving as Chief of Staff?"

Huang Han stood at rigid attention immediately. "Yes! Sir! I accept full responsibility!"

"You certainly should, but not now. What is this about the HQ-9 that shot down that plane?"

The leader on the other end had already received the combat report. The entire process, from the F-35 entering the airspace to its downing, was documented in great detail. Yet, the leader still couldn't make sense of it. The report claimed the HQ-9 had shot down an F-35; was that even possible? A system without stealth-detection capabilities and limited range shooting down a stealth fighter? The leader had every reason to suspect Huang Han was padding the stats.

"Don't you dare try to pull any tricks on me."

"Report, sir! The combat report is entirely accurate. That specific HQ-9 unit has been modified, and the experts at the Second Academy of Aerospace have verified it. There is no error."

There was a moment of hesitation on the line. "What do you mean?"

"Our military now possesses medium-to-long-range anti-stealth missiles."

"Hiss—"

The line went silent. Three seconds later, the leader's voice returned, though he was no longer speaking to Huang Han.

"Prepare a plane immediately! I am going to the Qilin Theater of Operations!"

***

"You two, I’m home now. Are you still following me?"

At the entrance of the Victory Appliance Repair Shop, Wei Xiu looked gloomily at the two soldiers who had trailed him all the way from the theater command.

"Mr. Wei, the Chief ordered us to protect your safety at all times. We ask for your understanding!"

Wei Xiu shrugged helplessly, muttering under his breath. *What kind of danger could I possibly be in? The biggest danger is you two refusing to leave my side—it makes it hard to use the bathroom, and I’m prone to constipation.*

They called it protection, but it was essentially house arrest. He grumbled internally, but didn't dare say much out loud. He had been pondering this all the way home. Repairing that machine had been impulsive. Fixing it was one thing, but taking it out to show off and blast a fighter jet was another. Even though the plane had been shot down, the reaction from the theater command didn't seem like a good sign. So far, neither Huang Han nor Zhang Mingrui had shown their faces, only sending these two soldiers to tell him to stay put. He didn't know what was happening, and he didn't dare ask.

Lost in thought, Wei Xiu stepped inside. Two seconds later, he froze, eyes widening as he stared at the door lock.

"What the hell? Why is my door unlocked? I go away for a trip and come home to burglars?"

"Who are you calling a burglar?" A middle-aged man walked from the backyard into the front room.

"Old man?" Seeing who it was, Wei Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. "Aren't you in the city looking after my sister's kids?"

"I couldn't get through to your phone, and I was worried sick." Seeing that the boy was fine, Wei Jianguo finally set his heart at ease.

This shop originally belonged to Wei Jianguo. Later, when the elderly couple moved to the city, Wei Xiu took it over. The family had urged him more than once to sell the shop and find a proper job in the city, but Wei Xiu never listened, causing the couple constant worry. This time, after not reaching Wei Xiu for several days, Wei Jianguo had been frantic. When he arrived at the town and found the shop locked with no one around, he nearly had a stroke.

"Look at this mess you've made. I’m having your second uncle come back," Wei Jianguo said, pulling out his phone.

"Why is Second Uncle involved?"

"I couldn't find you, so I mobilized the whole family to look. Your second uncle went to report you missing to the police."

"I'm not a schoolboy; I don't just get lost," Wei Xiu said, somewhat impatiently.

"Right, a schoolboy wouldn't pull something like this. I couldn't reach you for three days—what kind of phone do you even have? The signal is that bad?"

Hearing the tone of the old man, Wei Xiu didn't dare talk back, lest he get a beating. He had always been the most troublesome of the younger generation in the Wei family. This sudden disappearance and the resulting police report meant the elders would have plenty to lecture him about later.

On the eve of dinner, his second uncle’s family returned to the small courtyard in a flurry of chatter. They gave Wei Xiu a thorough earful, and he could only nod in resignation.

"I’m not just talking about you!" Taking advantage of the gathered relatives, Wei Jianguo seized the opportunity. "Look at anyone else who finished college—do they run back to the countryside?"

Wei Xiu: "I have a junior college degree."

"Same thing! Everyone else heads to the city to find real work, but you? You hole up here running a repair shop. Did you waste your education?"

Wei Xiu shook his head sincerely. "I think repairing things is just fine."

"Bullshit. I've been a repairman my whole life; don't I know if it's good or bad?" Wei Jianguo’s blood pressure began to rise. He turned to Wei Xiu's second uncle. "Old Second, can you find Wei Xiu a proper job?"

Wei Jianguo had brought this up more than once, and his brother had always deflected. Today, with the pressure on, the second uncle couldn't avoid it.

"Brother, I’m just a minor section chief, not the county mayor. I can't just slot people in anywhere."

Wei Jianguo glared. "Didn't you arrange for Xiaojun to get in?"

"Xiaojun at least has a bachelor's degree, that's why he could become a teacher."

Hearing this, his cousin Wei Xianjun stepped forward. "How about Wei Xiu gets a certificate? Our school’s logistics department has an opening. It’s a contract position, but it’s close to an iron rice bowl."

Wei Jianguo’s brow finally smoothed out a little at this. Working as an electrician at a university, even without a formal government position, meant living in the city. When people asked, saying he worked at a university sounded much better than running a repair shop in a town.

"It’s always Xiaojun who comes through; can't rely on anyone else," Wei Jianguo decided firmly. "Wei Xiu, go get that certificate, and let your cousin get you in as an electrician."

"A university is great—good pay, easy work, and plenty of free time. Like your cousin, between his salary and subsidies, he makes over a hundred thousand a year. How much can you make fixing cars?" his aunt chimed in.

Wei Xianjun added, "And once you're at the university, there are channels for advancement. Our school offers correspondence courses to upgrade to a bachelor's degree; I can find a way to help you with that."

*Huh?* Wei Xiu was dumbfounded. They were talking as if he were already an electrician at the university.

The whole family was firing words at him like a machine gun. *And you wonder why I don't want to leave this town?*