A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Late at night, a sudden power outage prompted the elderly man, who was used to working continuously, to leave his study.

"Wow, it's been so long since I've seen the starry sky. It's twinkling and still so beautiful."

"Boss, there's a power outage. Why don't you get some rest?" Secretary Zhao, who knew the inside story, secretly gave Xiao Dai Mao a thumbs up.

Huh? Should we have that kid do more of these kinds of experiments in the future, so that when the boss refuses to rest, we can have one? A wicked idea suddenly popped into Secretary Zhao's mind.

The old man waved his hand and slowly strolled around the yard by the faint starlight. "Sigh, the situation is pressing. Even the lake, which has never had a power outage, is without power... We really should put more effort into this. Where is the equipment that the French promised us?"

"The loading is still underway at Uncle Hippo's house. To avoid inspections in Batumi, the comrades decided to unload the equipment at the port of Qasim and transfer it overland from the Tian Shan region. The original ship will continue to carry wheat along the established humanitarian aid route."

The journey is long and arduous, posing a challenge to the integrity of our equipment! Although the leader of the Barba Sheep organization says they want to join us, there's a section of the route that requires passing through uncontrolled territory. Leader, I'm still a little worried..."

Secretary Zhao, flashlight in hand, followed behind the old man, slowly giving his report.

"There are challenges, but I believe our comrades can overcome them! Since Baba Yang has made a guarantee, we still need to have some faith in them."

"Oh, I really hope these devices arrive soon. Once they do, I'll quickly organize experts to see if we can replicate them. We can increase the electricity consumption and reduce the cost, so that Grandma won't have to sew and mend by oil lamp anymore..."

"By the way, isn't Jiang Xia quite knowledgeable about mechanics? Let's include him and let him learn more from the veteran experts..."

Before the old man could finish speaking, a hearty laugh came from the doorway.

"Hahahaha... That mischievous monkey, does he really have a lot of research to do? Old friend, you've misjudged him! Others, along with their predecessors, have already started tackling the world's most difficult problems!"

"The challenge was one thing, but they also burned down our substation..."

"Huh? So, does that mean we've indirectly participated in this grand event?"

Another elderly man walked into the yard laughing, carrying a piece of meat in his hand.

"Hey, old friend, why aren't you resting so late?"

"Ha, you're the same."

"It's all because of the power outage!" the two said in unison, then couldn't help but laugh.

……

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat in the courtyard, leisurely gazing at the night sky. Secretary Zhao, worried they might catch a cold, covered each of them with a blanket.

"Oh my, is this the same blanket you have from the old district? Look at the patches, they're not as good as mine!"

"Nonsense! Look at this patch of mine. It looks a bit out of place, but the stitches are incredibly secure. It hasn't even torn after washing for so long!"

The two elderly people, like children, teased each other relentlessly. In the end, they both burst into laughter again.

"How long has it been since you felt this relaxed?"

"It's been a long time, but I'm happy to do it, and aren't you the same?"

"Hahaha……"

As they spoke, their gazes simultaneously turned toward a patch of light in the darkness.

Will they succeed?

"That's for sure. Our comrades are all great. Even if they don't succeed this time, there's always next time. And if they don't succeed next time, they'll try again the time after that! One day, they will succeed! All we need to do is support them from behind!"

"Thirty-eight years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the world has changed, as if the heavens and the earth have been turned upside down." The old man recited half of the poem, and his eyes narrowed slightly again.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, but both looked at the brightly lit area in the distance, their eyes filled with anticipation.

In the distance, the lights flickered a few times, and a few faint blue-purple flashes appeared.

"Phew... Leaders, it's getting chilly, why don't you come inside?" Secretary Zhao opened a few hand warmers and stuffed them under the elderly people's thin blankets.

"It's been quite a while, I should head back! The general from Lobster Country is still waiting for my reply, I need to take care of that."

“That’s right, I’m afraid I won’t have time to treat everyone before the end of the year, so I’ll have to ask you to treat the little guy to a meal. But I’ve already bought the meat, so you’re not at a loss!” The old man pointed to a small strip of meat, only two fingers wide, hanging on a tree branch.

"I thought you were here to share with me, but I didn't expect that I'd have to get some of your meat and benefit from the little guy's presence!"

Another elderly man reached out and took the meat off:

"Oh, I almost forgot. I also need to scout things out in Geneva, and I was just about to give you a report tomorrow..."

"Thank you for your hard work! Could you please ask Sister Deng to stand in for us?" The old man sighed softly.

"She's already gone to the disaster area. Didn't the Alliance receive a large shipment of corn kernels a couple of days ago? She's representing the organization, going down to guide the disaster relief efforts in the name of the Federation!"

"Oh dear, doesn't that mean we can't keep our promise? That's not good, not good..."

Another elderly man, using his unused right hand, weighed the strips of meat: "Old friend, can you still cook? The night is beautiful tonight, and the light in the distance is even shimmering with purple light. Why don't we put some effort into providing some nutrition for those searching for light in the darkness?"

"Great idea! I'll show off my skills too, so that guy won't keep trying to fool me with grasshoppers! Shall we go?"

"go!"

The two elderly people were in high spirits and immediately plunged into the small kitchen to get busy.

Secretary Zhao first tidied up the thin blanket, and then quickly followed to help start the fire.

Busy as he was, Secretary Zhao could only look on with envy: "Wow, this is what a real state banquet is like! The two elders are personally cooking? I want to try some too..."

……

Just as the two elderly people were gazing at the starry sky, the arrival of a group of new recruits made the office building of the comprehensive machinery factory somewhat noisy.

"Number One standby diesel generator set is ready!"

"The No. 2 standby diesel generator set is ready!"

"Lead-acid battery packs are ready!"

"Autotransformer is in place! On-duty personnel are in place, brine tank is ready! First test run is complete. Repeat, first test run is complete!"

Watching the well-trained comrades in front of him work efficiently, Jiang Xia's mouth remained open: "This is the predecessor of the 'Electric Tiger,' the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power, right? And isn't that guy in front of us the famous General in Plain Clothes? His reputation is well-deserved; he's really efficient at his work!"

Yes, that's right. With the substation down, it's impossible to get power from other areas. Frustrated, the relevant personnel from the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power simply brought out their reserve diesel generators for on-site power generation. The domestically produced 4146 diesel generator set proved quite capable.

Such a major event as mobilizing military forces naturally requires their minister to appear.

"it's me!"

The old man seemed to hear Jiang Xia's mutterings, turned around, and glared at him with his fierce eyes: "You little brat! If it weren't for the fact that you managed to get your hands on an excavator, I would really like to teach you a lesson!"

The general walked up to the little ahoge and stroked the few strands of hair: "It's not that I don't want you to do experiments, just let me know if you find out! With that one move, you knocked down all the streetlights in front of the city gate that hadn't gone out for over ten years!"

"Tell me, how should we compensate you?"

"Oh! It's that serious?"

"Hmph, that's mild! But didn't you get a high-powered generator set from the French? The good and bad cancel each other out, so I won't give you a reward!" The general smiled broadly. "Also, if you get any more unplanned excavators or something, I guarantee your factory's power supply will be fine."

"Uh, I can't say for sure. The production plan needs to be approved by Minister Xia, especially for highly integrated products like this. Without the materials, I can't possibly make them out of thin air!"

"However, I do have something new, I wonder if you'd be interested?"

"Huh?" General Bu Yi was a little stunned. He had only said it casually, but he didn't expect this kid to actually dare to speak up!

The general was somewhat excited as he recalled the bustling renovation project at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

"What good stuff?"

"Hehehe, let's finish the experiment first. With so many big shots here, we can team up and sort this thing out in one go!"

"it is good!"