From New Yuan Tractor Factory to New Yuan Aeronautics Power, the aspect that sets everyone’s admiration ablaze with envy is not only the technology and processing capabilities but also the peculiar nature of its Research and Development department.

The R&D department is almost a staple in any tech-oriented enterprise, and of course, there were times when it was known as the Technical Division.

However, New Yuan’s R&D department is different, insisting that anyone with a technical skill, whether they work hands-on or in theoretical design, must take up an assignment within the department.

Despite his youth, Jiang Tianhao had already been an old employee for three years.

Indeed, he had joined as an apprentice during the tractor factory era, primarily working as a fitter.

It was a busy job, especially since the tractor factory produced fewer components, and to save money, some of the processes were handed off to the fitters.

Later on, as the tractor factory transitioned to rocket production, a regular technical worker like him wasn’t laid off; instead, he continued working, albeit only on peripheral tasks.

His former mentor, who now could only be considered mid-level at best, repeatedly cautioned him to enhance his skills, or he wouldn’t be able to stay.

But Jiang Tianhao himself wasn’t notably bright; otherwise, he wouldn’t have come looking for work at the small-town tractor factory at such a young age. Although he wasn’t lazy and was willing to learn, some people are just naturally slower learners, not that there was no effect, but progress was genuinely slow.

At the end of August, when the factory underwent its second upgrade, the R&D department rallied the whole factory’s workforce to engage in training sessions.

With the addition of newbies, there would be one master for every three or four people, but the masters themselves also had to learn, self-studying more advanced technologies and aerospace production standards and norms.

Logically, their pace of learning shouldn’t have been too swift — their speed of embracing new concepts should’ve been slow, given it was adulthood.

However, under the R&D department’s structured learning plans, Jiang Tianhao felt as though his mind had sharpened, and his pace of learning started to quicken.

It wasn’t just him, almost everyone found technical manuals they previously couldn’t grasp slowly becoming digestible; their welding hands steadier, and once they touched the surface of workpieces, they started to understand the "touch" of master fitters.

With Mr. Lin’s financial prowess driving the initiative, these workers turned into System Research Institute Apprentices and junior engineers. The increase in investment or the launch of projects allowed for training to enhance skills.

This rate of improvement wasn’t fast, but it was suresteady, as long as one learned, there was something to gain, almost like having a cheat code for learning.

Of course, the rate of advancement from low to high levels would slow down with time, but the factory’s backbone was comprised of mid and lower-level engineers and technicians; there wasn’t a large demand for higher-level ones.

During the fifteen days of training, Jiang Tianhao felt a sense of pleasure from acquiring new knowledge that he had never felt before; he was wholly devoid of his previous sluggishness.

Even when training ended and he was back on the job, he could feel his craftsmanship improving gradually. His former mentor had already stated that in another year, he would be strong enough to attempt the Grade Four Fitter qualification, which excited him even more.

Keep in mind, typically, those who secured a Grade Four Fitter qualification had over a decade of experience. Does this not mean he could also be considered a prodigy?

Now, the R&D department held technical meetings weekly, explaining everything from fundamental processing to advanced design logic and sharing new methods. The effect was substantial.

The general skill level of the technicians in the factory rose, enabling Guo Shen to fully implement high-standard norms, which in turn further boosted production efficiency and reduced costs.

Outsiders were oblivious to this, and only the factory’s own staff could distinctly perceive the miraculous changes within themselves, but mentioning it to others didn’t evoke much reaction.

After all, they were basically new to aerospace; perhaps it was just a burst of vitality from switching tracks?

...

"K120V, the engine developed from the K120 and designed for reuse, will find its first application in the New Yuan 1B type launch vehicle, which has both its first and second stages having a diameter of 3.5 meters. Its primary role will be for the experimentation of rocket recovery.

Core Stage One will retain about 10% of its fuel and will use movable grid fins and the swiveling of the rocket nozzle to adjust its attitude, enabling it to vertically land in a predetermined area for recovery. The four robust landing legs are made from high-strength, flexible materials..."

Accompanying this text is the newly uploaded animation simulation video of the New Yuan 1B reusable rocket, by the official Weibo account of New Yuan Aeronautics.

That’s right, Mr. Lin is here to deliver a PPT presentation again!

The netizens have already become immune to Lin Ju’s flashy presentations; the majority of the comments are jokes, with very few people really believing in it:

"Falling from the stratosphere, wouldn’t that high velocity mean the fuel wouldn’t hold up?"

"Plummeting from a height of hundreds of kilometers, then precisely landing in an area the size of a basketball court? Has Mr. Lin been influenced by Ma’s tall tales during his studies in America?"

"We’ve got a Chinese version of Falcon’s fireworks to watch!"

"Is the expected recovery time before June 2015? May I ask how many are you planning to blow up before that?"

"Can you put a camera behind the nozzle? I’d like to see firsthand footage of the explosion."

"Nowadays, companies in China are getting more and more exaggerated. What is the capability of Sky Fork? It has the backing of the American Aerospace Bureau; can a private enterprise do it? They should know their limits."

"..."

As usual, Lin Ju would respond to some of the interesting comments, but for the last type of trolls, he would directly delete their comments and even blacklist the verified public figures on social media, not allowing them to comment.

However, presently he’s on a plane, together with the newly promoted deputy manager of the production department, Hu Bo.

The destination they are heading to is no ordinary place—it’s a semi-public military airport in the north.

After getting off the plane, a military vehicle takes them to their destination, a military airport or rather a base that seems quite old and abandoned at first glance but is actually still in operation at a minimal level.

The airfield is filled with airplanes, including the J6, J7, J-Training-7, Y7, early models of Y8, H-5 bombers and 4 Tu-154 airplanes.

Clearly, this place is designated for storing decommissioned old planes. Though by regulations these old planes are theoretically mothballed and could be put back into service with some refurbishment, the reality is if it ever came to a point where all these old machines were needed for battle, it’s likely humanity wouldn’t be left with a billion people.

Therefore, even though this base still belongs to the military, it’s practically operated like a company, handling maintenance and allowing for self-reliance in making some extra money.

However, their usual ways of earning extra money might just be fixing motorcycles for passing herdsmen or selling homemade agricultural machinery in the autonomous regions, which is barely profitable.

But this time, Lin Ju has brought with him a cooperation deal worth tens of millions, involving the four mothballed but still serviceable Tu-154 airplanes parked on the tarmac.

In the last century, China bought a batch of inexpensive Tu-154 planes from Russia for civilian use, and at that time, the civilian aviation was also operated by the Air Force.

Russian-made planes, without a doubt, are rugged and durable. The Air Force pilots, flying part-time, would take these planes to perform all kinds of stunts like steep angles, rapid climbs, and landing in adverse weather conditions as part of their routine.

Nowadays, there’s a buzz about how incredible Russian aviation is, claiming flights can arrive ahead of time even if delayed and land during blizzards, but those were leftovers from military pilots’ antics back then. Current civilian flights, many of which wouldn’t be allowed to take off in some weather conditions, still go as scheduled—fast and furious, with the passengers feeling like they’re on a roller coaster.

Later, when the Air Force relaxed its control over civilian aviation and formal commercial operations began, they didn’t dare to perform those extreme maneuvers anymore.

The Air Force considered selling the Tu-154s, but they were too fuel-inefficient for civilian operators to afford, and after a series of significant accidents in the 90s, no one wanted them. They were left to serve as electronic jamming or reconnaissance aircraft.

The few that were occasionally used for transport were eventually replaced by specialized transport aircraft. As they aged, they were left here in storage.

And Lin Ju’s purpose is to enable these mothballed old planes to continue extracting their value.