A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

"Hey! Engineer Jiang! No, this won't do! This is absolutely unacceptable!"

"Jiang, please have mercy! This is a precious gem; if you damage it..."

"Don't! Don't!"

Jiang Xia's action of taking out a screwdriver and aiming it at the screws on the side panel of the chassis was like pouring cold water into a pot of boiling oil, instantly causing an uproar among the researchers.

The old researcher surnamed Zhao turned pale. His hand, which was halfway outstretched, froze in mid-air. He wanted to stop Jiang Xia but didn't dare to actually touch her. His nostrils flared in anxiety.

Xiao Zhang gasped, took a half-step forward, his lips trembled, and he could barely speak.

Even the usually composed Liu Huaqing tightened his grip on his cane, uttering a muffled syllable. But seeing Jiang Xia's matter-of-fact expression, he swallowed back the rebuke that was on the tip of his tongue...

After all, the second-generation big shot came because of this person's influence, and if he really wanted to do something, no one would dare to stop him.

With a "click," the first screw was loosened cleanly and efficiently.

"hiss--!"

Someone clutched their chest.

"Jiang Gong! Think it over!"

Jiang Xia seemed not to hear, his hands moving without stopping, removing the second, third... screw after screw.

"ah……"

One young researcher even suddenly raised his hands and covered his eyes tightly as if he couldn't bear to look.

"Alright, all done." Jiang Xia casually removed the dark gray metal side panel, revealing the internal structure.

"It's...it's been taken apart?" The researcher, who had been covering his eyes, murmured unconsciously. He suddenly opened his hand covering his eyes, spreading his fingers to reveal a pair of dark, bright eyes.

His expression was one of extreme contradiction: he was both afraid of seeing terrifying images and unable to resist his fatal curiosity.

Tsk, a girl... never mind then.

As Jiang Xia moved, the scene inside the computer case was immediately exposed to everyone.

It wasn't as chaotic as I had imagined, nor did it have the dense, dizzying web of wires found in old-fashioned machines.

Instead, it has become a beauty of highly integrated and modular industrial design.

Good news! This means that Senior Brother Yungui and his group have broken free from the shadow cast by the Great Demon King Jiangxia. They will no longer deliberately imitate the spiderweb-like patterns of that lazybones just for the sake of safety.

What comes into view is a dark green main printed circuit board that occupies most of the base plate. The components on the board are arranged neatly and orderly, and the early integrated circuit blocks look like neat black sugar cubes, soldered in precise positions.

Several wide, gold-plated data buses run through the board like main roads, connecting various functional areas. Most noticeable is the standardized expansion slot interface reserved on the board, which is now seamlessly connected to the two heavy auxiliary computing boards.

“Look here,” Jiang Xia pointed to the part of the motherboard near the expansion slot with the non-metallic handle of a screwdriver. “This is the ‘brain’ and ‘spine’ of the entire system. The integrated central processing unit is more than an order of magnitude more efficient than the scattered transistor modules of the first-generation machine. These standard interfaces are reserved for future upgrades!”

Then, he pointed to the two auxiliary computing boards: "These are our 'acceleration engines' for graphics processing and data simulation. They are not soldered on, but connected to the motherboard through DIP slots. This means that if a faster 'engine' is developed in the future, we can upgrade them like replacing a cartridge, without having to replace the entire machine."

Jiang Xia then pointed to several modular areas on the edge of the motherboard: "The storage units, input/output controllers, and the core logic module responsible for calling and displaying Chinese character libraries... are all modularly designed. If any part malfunctions, it can theoretically be tested, repaired, or even replaced individually. This machine is not a 'god statue' to be worshipped; it is a 'tool' designed for efficient work and easy maintenance."

"Comrades, don't be intimidated by its outer iron shell."

“Machines are tools, not offerings. It is right to take care of them, but if you don’t even dare to touch them, how can you use them to draw blueprints and calculate data? In the future, if any of you want to disassemble something, just let me know in advance, and I will teach you.”

Jiang Xia's explanation and "disassembly" were like a gentle breeze that dispelled the mysterious fog surrounding the machine.

The awe in the researchers' eyes did not disappear, but it was gradually replaced by a more fervent desire for exploration and conquest, belonging to engineers and technicians.

Researcher Zhao was the first to lean closer, adjusted his glasses, and carefully examined the traces on the motherboard: "The layout of this power supply module is indeed much more reasonable than the spider web-like method of the first generation, and the heat dissipation path is also clear..."

...Let's not talk about the cobwebs, we're still good friends!

Jiang Xia glanced sideways at Researcher Zhao. But he couldn't resist the overwhelming nods of agreement from everyone present; the gestures were so wide that Jiang Xia suspected they might nod their own heads off if it continued…

Another young researcher pointed to the expansion slot: "Jiang, you said this interface is standard, does that mean that special computing boards from different manufacturers and for different purposes can be plugged in and used as long as they meet this standard? It's like... like putting different farm implements on a tractor?"

“In theory, that’s how it is.” Jiang Xia nodded affirmatively. “That’s the charm of standardization and modularization.”

Seeing that the other researchers were also eager to ask more questions about the hardware, each clutching their notebooks, Jiang Xia quickly clapped his hands and said, "Hey, stop, stop!"

"You guys are getting off-topic again!"

The researchers paused, a hint of confusion on their faces.

Jiang Xia saw through their thoughts and continued, "Our core task today is to learn how to use it to draw diagrams and calculate data, and solve the drawing problems of the 021 and early tide-class. As for how to route the motherboard traces and what the principle of the expansion slot is, that's not something you should be thinking about right now."

"Uh……"

The researchers looked at each other in bewilderment. In their view, to do technology, one must understand the underlying principles; how could one use it without considering the underlying mechanisms?

Jiang Xia sighed. That's true. These days, there are already few skilled technicians. Everyone is used to being 'all-rounders'—a lathe operator has to know how to repair a lathe, a driver has to know how to repair a car. It seems that if you don't know how to repair, you don't really know technology.

But computers are different. The kind of person who can master both hardware repair and software development only exists in legends, or is someone you only hear about from distant relatives or classmates…

To prevent future computer science students from being pressured by their extended family members to demonstrate how to repair processors with their bare hands or write programs by hand during family gatherings, Jiang Xia decided to separate hardware and software now.

Kids, don't thank me. Your Uncle Jiang is just too kind-hearted.

……

Jiangxia taught quickly, and his comrades learned quickly as well.

The main thing is that this light pen is just too good to use. It allows you to interact directly with the machine, which is incredibly convenient for people with keyboard phobia.

"Come on, you comrade who's covering his eyes, come up here and give it a try!"

The young researcher who was called upon nervously stepped forward and shakily drew lines with a light pen.

The lines are a bit crooked.

“Very good. Now, use the light pen to select the ‘Perpendicular’ command in the ‘Geometric Constraints’ menu and click on these line segments.” Jiang Xia encouraged the researcher, who was now covering his face again.

After the researcher manipulated the lines, the skewed lines instantly became straight.

"Then use the 'Annotation' command, select these two endpoints, and enter the values ​​from the drawing."

With the dimensions completed, the entire graphic seemed to come alive, firmly fixed on the screen.

“Now, save it as /hull_library_standard.parts.” Jiang Xia continued, “Then, the most crucial thing—” He turned to the command line and clearly typed: “Array copy /hull_library_standard.parts -direction longitudinal -quantity 15 -spacing 500.

As the command was entered, the machine emitted a slightly strained sound of calculation, and the indicator lights on the two auxiliary calculation boards flashed rapidly.

In just a few seconds, a task that might have taken an entire day in the era of hand-drawn illustrations was completed!

On the screen, fifteen identical rib frames are arranged at precise intervals, forming the basic outline of a warship's backbone.

"This...is this done?"

Liu Huaqing's neck unconsciously stretched forward, his body involuntarily squatted down slightly, and then he stood on tiptoe, his whole body rising a few inches higher in an awkward yet eager posture, just like a fledgling bird trying its best to see the world outside the nest.

His shoulders were hunched, his back arched in a tense curve, and all his weight was on his taut toes.

Is there still an injury on your foot?

that's not important!

Jiang Xia pushed aside the researchers blocking Liu Huaqing's way and pulled him in front of the machine screen.

"Comrade Hua Qing, don't stand so far away..."

"We made this ourselves; you can not only touch it, but also use it!"