"Wow!"

A gasp made Yuan Huabai turn to look at her companion, Jiang Qingyue. Seeing her friend staring like a lovestruck fool at the Northeast Army soldier who had come to pick them up, Yuan Huabai wasn't particularly surprised. Instead, she turned her head to examine the soldier opposite them once again.

The young officer before them was about 180 centimeters tall. Yuan Huabai found it hard to determine if she was attracted to the young officer himself, or to the uniform he wore. Or perhaps, she was attracted to the image of a soldier in such a handsome uniform.

Fitted, detailed, striking, pristine. This young officer exuded a deep, cold temperament, yet one that commanded attention. Beneath this depth and coldness, there was a sense of rationality, self-control, and asceticism.

Just then, Jiang Qingyue took a step forward. Judging by the way she raised her arm, it looked like she intended to touch the fabric.

Yuan Huabai hurriedly grabbed her companion. Her good friend seemed to have become obsessed since studying painting; she would easily lose her composure whenever she saw beautiful objects she liked, whether they were trees, scenery, or people. She often caused embarrassing situations.

Fortunately, Yuan Huabai acted in time and prevented Jiang Qingyue from going up for a closer inspection.

The young officer didn't seem to mind. He took two steps forward to stand in front of the group. Several young men, emboldened, stepped forward to block him from Yuan Huabai and Jiang Qingyue. Yuan Huabai's mother also struggled to keep up on her bound feet, grabbing the arms of both girls while staring warily at the soldiers ahead.

The young officer asked the team leader, "I am Lieutenant Xie Mingxian. Is Comrade Wang Bin here?"

Wang Bin was one of the heads of the Civilization Party's *Northeast Daily* station in Shanghai. Hearing the other party identify himself, he responded, "Yes. I am Wang Bin."

Xie Mingxian saluted Wang Bin before shaking his hand. "I am responsible for escorting this group to the station."

Jiang Qingyue stared unblinkingly at Lieutenant Xie Mingxian, gently shaking Yuan Huabai's arm while whispering as low as possible, "Look, look! The shoulders, the cuffs, they're made so well!"

Yuan Huabai had worked in a metal processing factory in Shanghai after graduating from middle school, a completely different career path from a designer like her classmate Jiang Qingyue. However, one takes on the color of one's company, and combined with a natural female sensitivity to color and fashion styles, Yuan Huabai knew what her classmate was talking about. Such a fitted military uniform should have hindered arm movement to some extent.

Yet this uniform didn't at all. Beautiful design, exquisite tailoring. As Lieutenant Xie Mingxian moved, the uniform appeared incredibly natural and comfortable, as if it were one with him. He managed to wear a military uniform with the elegance of high-end formal wear; it was indeed extraordinary.

The youths from Shanghai settled into a hotel. Looking at the earthen walls, Yuan Huabai was momentarily speechless. Her uncle was a skilled worker who had come to the Northeast a few months ago after seeing recruitment news in the *Northeast Daily*. A month after her uncle left, Yuan Huabai actually saw his name in the newspaper.

The paper serialized a report titled "Technicians in the Northeast," and it seemed her uncle was doing well there. Afterward, Yuan Huabai received a letter from him suggesting that she and her mother come to the Northeast, as life here was better than in Shanghai.

Staring at the earthen walls, all the anticipation and unease of the journey finally settled into dust. The cramped rooms of Shanghai, the days and nights on the train—all these had become the past. Yuan Huabai accepted the reality that she had truly arrived in the Northeast and was about to start a new life here.

The next day, Yuan Huabai and her mother met her uncle, who had rushed over. It turned out her uncle wasn't in Fengtian, but in Siping, a city to the north. According to her uncle, Yuan Huabai would also be going to Siping.

Yuan Huabai packed her luggage and was ready to leave with her uncle when she was stopped. The person who stopped her wore a uniform that was quite different from the military ones. Right there in Yuan Huabai's lodging, the visitor had a talk with her and her uncle.

During the conversation, the person stated clearly that since Yuan Huabai was a middle school graduate and had experience in mechanical processing, the Northeast Department of Industry was offering two choices: work in a machinery factory, or go to work at the newly established Metallurgical Bureau.

"Metallurgy?" Yuan Huabai savored the word, finding it very strange. Her work experience and studies didn't seem to have anything to do with working in a gold mine.

Hearing Yuan Huabai repeat the word, the staff member explained, "Yes, metallurgy. We are currently expanding production capacity for steel and other metals, which are all under the jurisdiction of the Metallurgical Bureau."

"Isn't that just iron smelting?" Yuan Huabai suddenly realized.

"Metallurgy includes not only steel smelting but also the smelting of various metals like aluminum and copper."

"Can I... think about it?" Yuan Huabai replied.

Over the next two days, Yuan Huabai looked over the introduction materials many times and found herself looking forward more and more to the metallurgy profession, about which she knew nothing.

On the night before she was due to reply, her classmate Jiang Qingyue ran excitedly to Yuan Huabai's room. As soon as they met, she exclaimed happily, "I finally understand why those clothes look so good!"

Yuan Huabai had to think for a moment before she remembered the military uniform. Feeling a bit envious of her classmate's frankness, she sighed, "So you went to a garment factory?"

"Not a garment factory, I went to the Design Bureau," Jiang Qingyue replied joyfully. "I showed the paintings I did before to the cadres here, and the next day I was assigned to the Design Bureau. Do you know? The Design Bureau is actually doing design! They are really doing design!"

Speaking of her excitement, Jiang Qingyue grabbed Yuan Huabai's arm and shook it.

Yuan Huabai was happy for her classmate but also felt she was being a bit too dramatic. Jiang Qingyue continued excitedly, "That military uniform is actually custom-made! Custom-made! They have approximate sizes based on height and weight, but for the parts that must vary from person to person, they are custom-tailored! Huabai, they are mass-customizing clothes! Hehe, haha!"

Looking at her classmate who was practically going crazy with joy, Yuan Huabai didn't really know what the distinction meant. However, she understood one thing: the army outside the pass was really willing to spend money. And there were a lot of tailors here.

The next day, when the cadre came to ask for her decision, Yuan Huabai replied for reasons she couldn't quite explain, "I want to go to the Metallurgical Bureau."

A look of joy appeared on the cadre's face; it was clear he really wanted her to make that choice. Yuan Huabai looked at her uncle's somewhat disappointed expression and didn't know what to say for a moment. Perhaps influenced by Jiang Qingyue, Yuan Huabai just wanted to do something she hadn't done before. A big reason for leaving Shanghai was that she loathed the dim workshops and roaring machines of the processing factory, and she had had enough of the malicious gazes and deliberate catcalling.

The status of women in mechanical processing factories was terrible. Their wages were much lower than those of men whose technical skills were far inferior to hers. Even so, the foreman's attitude contained an arrogance as if he were bestowing charity.

Since it was steelmaking, there should be fire. Those soaring flames might feel more comfortable.

July, high summer. The Northeast was not any cooler in summer just because the winters were cold. The bright sun roasted the earth, but in the open-hearth furnace workshop, the furnaces emitted an even more intense heat. Inside her thick heat-protective suit, Yuan Huabai was dripping with sweat, but this feeling made her happier.

Molten steel rolled out from the tap hole and began to gradually solidify in the prepared casting molds. While the steel was still relatively soft, huge steel tongs clamped the steel bars and sent them into the processing equipment for the next step.

These massive machines were so powerful that Yuan Huabai could feel their strength. However, her job was not in smelting or processing; those stages did not recruit women. Yuan Huabai didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

Yuan Huabai's job was steel quality testing.

Using a long steel rod to probe into the scorching open-hearth furnace, she took out a bit of molten steel and hurried to the laboratory. On the way, the steel was already solidifying. Once at the lab, cooling and various tests began.

When she did mechanical processing before, she didn't know where the raw materials came from. Now, many of those doubts had cleared up. Yuan Huabai felt that as her work progressed, she would definitely understand even more clearly.

These steel columns didn't require particularly excellent materials. Testing showed the steel quality leaned towards mild steel and was very uniform. It fully met the requirements.

After signing the inspection record, Yuan Huabai handed it over to the next inspection department. She couldn't help but wonder what this steel was used for. Although she had various imaginings, even considering weapons, she hadn't expected that these steel materials were used to process bullet warheads.

After this batch of steel came out, it was eventually rolled into long strips by a rolling mill. Although connected, the approximate shape of the warheads was already there. Then they were fed into a machine that cut the connected parts.

Small cone-shaped steel columns were sent into the arsenal. After mechanical turning and stamping with copper caps, they were made into copper-jacketed steel-core bullets. Then, combined with the other parts of the bullet, and after undergoing a series of inspections and finally being painted, they were sent to the railway platform beside the arsenal.

The Russian technical personnel, having already drunk a round of vodka, finished their inspection drunkenly and began considering how to drink that night. The product quality of the Northeast Arsenal was very good, and there was no cheating on quantity, so the Russian technicians had begun to just go through the motions. After all, the ones currently in power were a bunch of rebels; the Russian technicians felt that sticking to their posts was already the strongest manifestation of patriotism.

At this time, He Rui arrived in Siping again. The gathered committee members immediately raised a question, "On July 1st, the Russian offensive failed. Chairman, what happens next?"

"I didn't call this meeting to discuss that issue. I've spoken about the development of the Russian situation several times. The methodology lies in the fact that whoever can represent the people's demand for an armistice will gain true political power in Russia. Comrades, when we consider a country, we cannot anthropomorphize it. Russia is composed of over a hundred million people, and the thoughts of these hundred million vary."

He Rui solemnly explained his views while observing the comrades' reactions.

"Just like in our China, there are people with all sorts of different ideas. We are gathered here because we all share the desire to save the country and the people. However, among the people of the Northeast, those with such clear views are a minority. And the population of the Northeast is a minority compared to the whole of China. Russia is the same. The government that is about to collapse is just a minority in Russia. They represent only a minority. And don't think that Russians are binary; opposing the war now doesn't mean the Russian people have no patriotism. What the Russian people oppose is being sent to die for the hegemony of imperialists."

It was clear that there were no diplomatic geniuses among the comrades, as most of the expressions He Rui saw were somewhat blank. So He Rui could only ask, "Do you think that if we recover the Chinese Eastern Railway, the Russian people will feel they have suffered a loss?"

No one answered. This silence proved everyone's attitude. He Rui really had no choice but to tell the comrades, "Next, everyone just needs to obey orders. The Russian Provisional Government won't last many more days. By the end of the year, they will be finished. And our operations will start entering the activation phase at that time."