novelraw Chapter 63 Even rats in the gutter have plenty of tricks up their sleeves.
Chapter 63 Even rats in the gutter have plenty of tricks up their sleeves.
The next morning, Lin Yu was still asleep when people started coming into the dormitory.
February in 1994 was not a leap month; today is March 1st, and school has already started.
Lin Yu was fast asleep, and his roommates tiptoed around without disturbing him.
Those who lived far away were unaware of the incredible feats Lin Yu had accomplished during the holiday.
The people who lived nearby all looked at Lin Yu lying on the bed with complicated expressions.
Academic fraud…
These four words are both familiar and distant to the students.
They never imagined that such words would be said to ordinary college students like them.
Not only did they find out on their way here, but they also heard a lot of gossip about it along the way.
Countless people throughout the school have heard of it:
Lin Yu secretly purchased titanium dioxide and vanadium pentoxide to replace the steel slag, covering up a huge lie by claiming that rare metals could be extracted from the steel slag.
They also forced all employees not to tell the truth, threatening them with the destruction of their families if they did.
This was done to deceive his superiors and satisfy his ambition to climb the ranks.
This rumor is idiotic and absurd.
But it aligns with the general perception of people in this era.
However, it's just another case of expanding production capacity to deceive the higher-ups; it's nothing new, they've seen it far too many times.
Now that another one has been uncovered, it's truly gratifying.
Lin Yu was still fast asleep, making up for the lack of sleep he had been getting in the past few days, which was only 4 or 5 hours a day.
At the other end of the school, the school leaders were discussing graduating Lin Yu early.
"Let Lin Yu graduate early."
"Regarding Lin Yu..."
"Using the school's name to vouch for him, allowing him to graduate early and legally, is a way for the school to certify that he didn't commit academic fraud, and it's also a way to salvage his reputation, right?"
Vice Principal Zhang rubbed his temples and said with his head down.
"Who exactly is spreading these rumors?"
"How can someone have such power? The ability to put rumors in the newspaper?"
"He also mobilized several professors from other colleges. If Lin Yu weren't from our school and we didn't know the inside story, I would have believed that he was also a fat pig that could be as big as an elephant."
Spring sunlight streamed through the windows, which were somewhat dirty from the melting snow, making the atmosphere in the office less clean.
Several unrelated professors were somewhat confused.
"Lin Yu? That genius from the aerospace institute?"
"No way? The newspaper is talking about him?!"
"Wasn't he supposed to be working on improved lattice wings and atomic clocks? When did he start refining steel slag?"
The crowd was in an uproar, somewhat bewildered.
I never imagined Lin Yu would get involved in something like this.
……
It's also a steel mill in the suburbs of Beijing.
Wu Xiangrong put down his mobile phone, a smug, lewd smile spreading across his greasy face.
He pushed open the company door and shouted outside.
"Xiao Chen, invite Boss Wang and Boss Li over. Tell them you have something important to discuss."
About half an hour later, five middle-aged men in leather jackets or suits eagerly squeezed into Wu Xiangrong's smoke-filled office.
These are the owners of small private steel mills and oil refineries around Beijing.
These days, steelmaking and oil refining are the cornerstones of the nation.
Those who can secure subscription rights all have connections.
But connections are connections, and skills are skills.
Small factories make money day by day, but they can never earn as much as state-owned enterprises.
As soon as Lin Yu appeared, they immediately set their sights on the technology that turned waste into treasure.
They believed that Lin Yu was skilled.
But he deliberately made everyone disbelieve that Lin Yu had the skills.
"Brother Angkor, why did you call us over in such a hurry? Do you have a plan?"
Boss Wang, with two walnuts in his hand, plopped down on the sofa and began to speak.
Wu Xiangrong took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from the drawer, distributed them to everyone, and lit one for himself.
He took a deep breath and then said:
"I spoke with Ms. Yang on the phone."
"We can't let that kid Lin Yu keep causing trouble like this."
Boss Li snorted coldly and retorted.
"Nonsense, who doesn't know we can't let him cause trouble?"
"We hired someone to write an article accusing him of academic fraud, and what happened?"
"Who doesn't know that they really have the technology? They even managed to bring in Soviet experts to exchange techniques. I think our articles are just fooling ordinary people."
"The factory will keep operating, steel slag will continue to be collected, and money will continue to be made!"
Hearing that money could still be made, everyone's eyes gleamed with greed.
Exchanging steel slag for cash—what an incredibly profitable business!
Wu Xiangrong narrowed his eyes and spoke in a sinister tone:
"That's because we didn't use the right methods."
"What's the use of just cursing him in the newspaper? We need to make him suffer so much that he can't continue."
"How does it hurt?" Boss Wang leaned forward.
Wu Xiangrong flicked his cigarette ash and lowered his voice.
"I found out that the drivers of the truck fleet collecting steel slag at Hongxing No. 2 Factory are all temporary hires. What are these people after? Isn't it just money?"
"We'll pay double the price so they'll accidentally dump the steel slag they collected in the wrong place."
"The river, the residential area."
"It's fine once or twice, but if it happens repeatedly, will the environmental protection bureau ignore it? Will the nearby residents not complain?"
"Then we'll have an explanation for the false articles we posted earlier..."
The room fell silent for a moment, then a few low laughs were heard.
Boss Li smacked his lips.
"Wow, that's a pretty underhanded method."
"Make sure the driver's side is handled cleanly, so they can't trace it back to us."
"Even if this kid has connections, it won't work."
Wu Xiangrong waved her hand, saying that this was nothing.
He's not good at technical skills, but he's a master at underhanded tactics.
He reached into the drawer and pulled out a small brown glass bottle, shook it a few times, and showed it to everyone.
"Doesn't Lin Yu's steel slag refining technology require pre-washing with chemical reagents first?"
"Look what this is?"
Wu Xiangrong smiled sinisterly, and seeing that everyone was confused, he simply explained.
Carbon tetrachloride.
"This stuff is cheap, and it looks similar to the cleaning agent Lin Yu uses."
"Find an opportunity to sneak them into the reagents stored in their factory. You don't need many, just one or two barrels will do."
"When this thing is heated, it decomposes into chlorine and phosgene..."
He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood.
Phosgene is a toxic gas. If something goes wrong, not only will production stop, but the entire factory will have to be shut down.
Suddenly, some of the more timid ones began to hesitate.
"This...this might cause someone to die?"
Wu Xiangrong gave him a disdainful look.
Who among them hasn't taken a few lives? Are they starting to get scared now?
There weren't many rules back then; the bold got rich while the timid starved.
Once they've cleaned up their act and gotten back on their feet, they're still national entrepreneurs.
"Don't worry, I've had the dosage calculated."
Wu Xiangrong put the bottle away.
"At most, it will cause a few workers to feel dizzy and vomit, and they'll need to be sent to the hospital for a stomach lavage."
"But once this incident happens, and the label of 'safety production' is attached to him, can Lin Yu still remain the factory manager?"
"If the media then sensationalizes this and claims his new technology has serious security risks, who will still trust him?"