Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 36: Cleverly Forming an Alliance with Anti-theft Bells, Outsmarting a Grain Theft Plot and E

Before the morning bell rang at the steel mill, Lin Chen was already squatting in the corner of the courtyard, repeatedly bending a thin piece of wire between his fingers. Morning dew dampened his cuffs, mingling with the smell of rust and clinging to his skin, but he seemed oblivious, his eyes fixed on the fusion parameters on the system panel. Having thwarted Liu Haizhong's scheme yesterday, the system's unlocked "materials analysis" function was still fresh in his mind. He had spent the night rummaging through his collection of scrap parts, contemplating fulfilling his promise to his neighbors—installing anti-theft devices for the households frequently robbed.

"Xiao Lin, what are you busy with so early in the morning?" Grandpa Wang came in from outside the yard carrying a vegetable basket. He saw the wire and the scattered springs and bells in Lin Chen's hand and came over to ask curiously. Grandpa Wang lived in the backyard. Last month, half a bag of cornmeal was stolen from him, which made his wife sick for several days. She would grit her teeth whenever she mentioned the thief.

Lin Chen straightened up and spread out the parts in his hand: "Uncle Wang, I was thinking of making a burglar alarm to install on the doors and windows. It will ring when someone touches it. I still remember the time your family lost grain." He picked up a spring, scanned it with the material analysis function, and the panel immediately displayed: "Low carbon steel spring, elastic coefficient 1.2N/mm, applicable temperature -20℃ to 80℃, can be fused with iron wire to improve toughness."

Grandpa Wang's eyes lit up, and he put down his vegetable basket and squatted down to help: "This is wonderful! I was discussing installing a wooden latch with your Aunt Li, but I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful. Just tell me if you need any help!" As they were talking, Aunt Li also came over with a laundry basin. Hearing that they were going to make an anti-theft device, she quickly put the basin on the stone table: "I have some old cloth at home. Can we use it to wrap the bell to reduce the noise? So it won't ring in the middle of the night and scare the children."

Lin Chen smiled and nodded, pulling a sketch from his pocket: "Look, I chose brass for this bell. The sound is crisp but not harsh, and it'll fit perfectly with the fabric. We made a 'trigger-type' bell; once the latch is pried open, the wire pulls the spring, and the bell rings. I also specially designed different timbres; yours will ring three times, and Aunt Li's will ring twice, making it easier for everyone to pinpoint the location by sound." He spoke with confidence, having simulated over a dozen schemes using the system last night. The one he ultimately chose not only had high sensitivity but also allowed him to control the trigger force by adjusting the spring tension, preventing it from ringing accidentally due to wind.

The three were busy at work when Yan Bugui came out of the house carrying his lesson plan. Seeing the commotion in the corner of the yard, he came over and squinted at it, saying, "Xiao Lin, will this thing work? My daughter Jie Di lost three sewing needles last time. If we had this earlier, I wouldn't have had to write 'loss of 0.05 yuan' in the ledger." As he spoke, he reached for the sketch in Lin Chen's hand, clearly wanting to calculate the "cost price" of the device.

Lin Chen moved the sketch aside and handed him a half-finished product: "Teacher Yan, try pulling this wire." Yan Bugui pulled it hesitantly, and the bell immediately rang out a clear "ding-a-ling," startling him so much that he dropped the lesson plan. "Wow! That's a bright sound!" Yan Bugui picked up the lesson plan, a calculating glint in his eyes. "Little Lin, can you install one in my house too? I'll pay you for the labor, you can even use ration coupons."

"Teacher Yan, you're joking. We're all neighbors, helping each other is only right." Lin Chen changed the subject, "But with this bell installed, everyone will have to keep a close eye on their belongings. If the bell rings and no one comes out, and something gets stolen, you can't blame anyone else." He said this to Yan Bugui, but also to the other neighbors in the courtyard—he wanted to use this anti-theft device to unite the scattered neighbors into an "anti-theft alliance," completely cutting off Jia Zhangshi's thoughts of stealing.

Sure enough, as soon as he said that, several neighbors who were washing up in the yard gathered around, all asking Lin Chen to help install burglar alarms. Lin Chen simply put the tools on the stone table: "Don't worry, everyone, I'll install them for each household after get off work today. But we need to agree on three rules: First, if the alarm rings, everyone who's home must come out and check; second, if anyone deliberately doesn't come out, we won't get involved if anything happens to their house later; third, if a thief is caught, they'll be handed over directly to the neighborhood committee, no private settlements."

"I agree!" Grandpa Wang was the first to speak up. "Last time my grain went missing, we called for ages but no one came out because there were no rules." Grandma Li chimed in, "That's right! That's how it should be! That old woman Jia Zhangshi stole Teacher Yan's chicken last time. If Xiao Lin hadn't provided evidence, she would have tried to deny it!" Everyone chimed in, and the previously loose neighborly relations suddenly became more cohesive because of a small burglar alarm.

Lin Chen was distributing parts to everyone when Jia Zhangshi came out of the house carrying a broken bowl, a toothpick dangling from her mouth. She glanced sideways at the commotion in the corner of the yard and said, "What are you pretending for? Aren't you just afraid of being robbed? I think some people are just like thieves crying 'stop thief!' They're dishonest themselves, yet they pretend to be careful of others." Her words were ostensibly directed at Lin Chen, but in reality, she was feeling guilty—after being warned by Lin Chen yesterday, she had been holding her breath and was also thinking about the grain coupons hidden in Lin Chen's house, so she wanted to come and check things out.

Lin Chen stopped what he was doing and looked at her with a half-smile: "Aunt Jia, if you haven't done anything wrong, what are you afraid of the burglar alarm? Besides, you haven't paid back the grain coupons you owed for stealing Teacher Yan's chickens last time, have you? Teacher Yan is waiting to put it on the tab." He deliberately raised his voice so that everyone in the courtyard could hear him.

Jia Zhangshi's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and the toothpick in her mouth fell to the ground with a "clatter": "You...you're making false accusations! When did I steal a chicken? You're framing me!" Her tantrum flared up again, and she rolled up her sleeves, ready to charge forward, but was stopped by Grandpa Wang. "Jia Zhangshi, stop your wild antics here! The evidence was laid out at the last hospital-wide meeting, and you still want to deny it?" Grandpa Wang's voice was loud and clear, making Jia Zhangshi take two steps back.

"I bet you were trying to steal from Xiaolin's family, and you only got angry after you were caught!" Aunt Li chimed in, pointing at Jia Zhangshi's broken bowl. "What's in your bowl? Sha Zhu just brought you some cornbread yesterday, and you're only drinking porridge today. You're probably hiding the cornbread, planning to steal something tonight, aren't you?" Jia Zhangshi hurriedly hid the bowl behind her back, muttering "None of your business," and slunk back into the house, the sound of the door slamming shut so loudly it shook the dust off the windowsill.

Everyone laughed at the sight, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Lin Chen. Yan Bugui leaned closer and whispered, "Little Lin, that's a brilliant move! You've brought everyone together with just a bell. Jia Zhangshi will have to think twice before trying to steal anything again." Lin Chen smiled but didn't speak—he wasn't just trying to prevent theft; he wanted to use this opportunity to completely isolate Jia Zhangshi and the Yi Zhonghai and his associates behind her, leaving the retirement group's conspiracy nowhere to hide.

When Lin Chen arrived at the workshop in the morning, he had just put his tool bag on his workstation when Director Zhou rushed over excitedly: "Xiao Lin, good news! The forging hammer device you improved last time is going to be promoted to other workshops by the factory, and you are even asked to give a training to the team leaders of each workshop!" As he spoke, he placed a red-headed document in front of Lin Chen, on which the words "Advanced Individual in Technological Innovation" were particularly eye-catching.

Lin Chen was overjoyed and took the document to read it carefully. The document not only mentioned promoting his improved plan but also promised him a bonus of 500 points and a spot in the city's trade union skills competition. "Director Zhou, don't worry, I'll definitely handle the training well," Lin Chen quickly assured him. He knew this was a good opportunity to improve his status in the factory; with the title of "Advanced Individual," it wouldn't be so easy for Yi Zhonghai to make things difficult for him.

Just then, Liu Haizhong walked over with a forged part, a fawning smile on his face: "Team Leader Lin, how's this part forged? I made it using the quenching techniques you taught me, and it's much harder than before." He handed over the part, his eyes full of anticipation—ever since he forged a qualified crankshaft using the alloy material Lin Chen gave him yesterday, he had been completely impressed by Lin Chen's skills and was eager to learn the technique from him.

Lin Chen took the part and scanned it with the material analysis function. The panel displayed: "45 steel part, quenching temperature 840℃, hardness HRC52, toughness 850MPa, pass rate 98%." He nodded: "Not bad, a big improvement. However, the tempering time after quenching can be optimized further, which can increase the toughness by another 10%." As he spoke, he picked up the chalk and drew the tempering curve on the blackboard, explaining in detail the techniques for adjusting the parameters.

The surrounding workers gathered around, listening attentively to Lin Chen's explanation. Previously, everyone thought Lin Chen was young and had only gained the foreman's favor through luck, but now, seeing his mastery of the technology, they all admired him from the bottom of their hearts. An older worker couldn't help but ask, "Team Leader Lin, who did you learn this skill from? It's even more thorough than Master Yi's explanation." Lin Chen smiled and replied, "I figured it all out myself, plus I consulted with the masters, and gradually accumulated it." He deliberately mentioned "the masters," both giving the older workers face and cleverly avoiding mentioning Yi Zhonghai, lest he find fault with him and accuse him of "ingratitude."

At lunchtime, Sha Zhu approached with a lunchbox filled with braised pork and rice. "Lin Chen, I heard you're going to be an advanced individual? I specially saved this braised pork for you, try it!" he said, pushing the lunchbox towards Lin Chen with a sincere smile. Since learning from Lin Chen, Sha Zhu had increasingly felt that Lin Chen was reliable, much better than Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu who were always scheming against him.

Just as Lin Chen was about to decline, he saw Qin Huairu enter from the cafeteria entrance, carrying an empty lunchbox and looking at them with a complicated expression. Since being exposed for stealing eggs, Qin Huairu's reputation in the workshop had plummeted. The apprentices who used to fawn over her now avoided her, and Yi Zhonghai had been summoned by factory leaders for "ineffective teaching," and his attitude towards her had cooled considerably. She had originally intended to ask Sha Zhu for food, but seeing this scene, she paused, then turned to leave.

"Senior Sister Qin, wait a moment." Lin Chen called out to her, taking a piece of braised pork from his lunchbox and placing it in her bowl. "I heard you've been practicing fitter skills lately? I have a 'Fitter's Handbook' here; I'll bring it to you tonight. It might be helpful." He said this intentionally—he had already discovered through the system that Qin Huairu was secretly practicing her skills, clearly wanting to take the exam and become a full-fledged employee, thus breaking free from her dependence on Sha Zhu. Rather than letting her practice secretly, it was better to take the initiative and show goodwill, which would not only make him appear magnanimous but also allow him to observe her true skill level.

Qin Huairu was stunned for a moment, her hand trembling slightly as she took the braised pork. She hadn't expected Lin Chen to help her, especially since she had conspired with Jia Zhangshi to frame Lin Chen for the egg theft incident. "Thank you, Junior Brother Lin," she said, her voice a little hoarse, before hurrying away from the cafeteria, her back view appearing somewhat forlorn.

Sha Zhu looked at Lin Chen in confusion: "Why are you still giving her meat? She schemed against you so much before." Lin Chen smiled: "She's a pitiful person too, used as a pawn by Master Yi and a cash cow by Jia Zhangshi. Besides, if she really passes the fitter's exam, she won't have to resort to moral blackmail to get food anymore, which isn't a bad thing for you." Sha Zhu thought about it for a moment, and felt that Lin Chen made sense, nodding: "You're very thoughtful."

After the afternoon training ended, Lin Chen had just stepped out of the workshop when Yi Zhonghai stopped him. Yi Zhonghai was wearing a brand-new blue work uniform with an "Eighth-Level Fitter" badge pinned to his chest, and a condescending smile on his face: "Little Lin, I heard you're going to participate in the city's skills competition? It's good that young people have drive, but don't be too arrogant. Fitter skills are profound and complex; I advise you to learn more from me, so you don't embarrass yourself on the competition field." His words were ostensibly advice, but in reality, he wanted to suppress Lin Chen's arrogance and regain his authority in the workshop.

Lin Chen sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm: "Thank you for your concern, Master Yi. However, I'm participating in a forging competition, which is quite different from fitter work. If I have the chance, I'd like to ask Master Yi for some advice on fitter work. I heard that Senior Sister Qin has been practicing her skills recently, and Master Yi must be a very good teacher." He deliberately mentioned Qin Huairu to poke at Yi Zhonghai's sore spot—Qin Huairu's egg-stealing incident had damaged Yi Zhonghai's "master teacher" image, and bringing it up now was undoubtedly a reminder of his "ineffective teaching."

Yi Zhonghai's expression changed, and his smile froze. "You...you're talking nonsense! Huai Ru was just confused for a moment; I've already taught her a lesson." He turned to leave, but Lin Chen stopped him. "Master Yi, there's something else I want to tell you." Lin Chen took out the official document. "The factory wants to promote my improved plan, and we need the cooperation of all workshops. We'll have to trouble you with the fitter workshop." He emphasized the words "trouble you," his tone carrying an unquestionable authority.

Looking at the official seal on the document, Yi Zhonghai knew it was the factory's decision, and he couldn't refuse. He gritted his teeth, nodded, and said, "I understand." He then hurriedly left, his back looking somewhat disheveled. Lin Chen watched his retreating figure, a cold smile playing on his lips—Yi Zhonghai's era had come to an end.

By the time Lin Chen returned to the courtyard house, it was already dusk. As soon as he entered the central courtyard, he heard a clear, ringing sound, followed by Jia Zhangshi's scream: "Who's there! Who's stealing my things!" His heart tightened, and he rushed over to see what was happening. He saw Jia Zhangshi's door ajar, a cloth bag lying on the ground near the entrance, its contents scattered everywhere. Grandpa Wang, Grandma Li, and others also rushed over upon hearing the commotion, carrying rolling pins, shovels, and other tools.

"What happened? Was your house burgled?" Grandpa Wang asked in a deep voice, his eyes full of vigilance. Jia Zhangshi clutched her chest, panting heavily, "I just came back from outside and saw the door open, and the cornbread inside was gone! Someone must have stolen my things!" Her gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Lin Chen, "Was it you? You installed the security bell this morning just to distract them so you could steal my things at night!"

Lin Chen sneered, squatted down to examine the cloth bag on the ground closely, and then scanned the footprints at the door with his system: "Aunt Jia, don't make false accusations. Look at these footprints, they're child's size, and there's corn silk on the cloth bag, obviously it got there by accident after stealing your cornbread. Besides, my burglar bell is perfectly fine, it would have rung long ago if I went out." He paused, his gaze shifting to Jia Geng's room, "But your Jia Geng, when I came in just now, I saw him running back from the backyard, with cornbread crumbs on his lips."

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Jia Geng's room. Jia Geng was hiding behind the door, peeking out cautiously. Upon seeing everyone's gazes, he hurriedly shrank back. Madam Jia's expression changed, and she quickly stood guard at the door, saying, "Don't wrong my Geng Geng! He's only ten years old, how could he steal from his own family?" Her voice trembled slightly, clearly lacking confidence.

"Whether he's innocent or not, we'll find out by asking him." Lin Chen said, walking over and gently pushing open the door. Jia Geng was squatting under the bed, clutching half a half-eaten cornbread. Seeing Lin Chen enter, he was so startled that he dropped the cornbread on the floor. "I...I didn't mean to," Jia Geng cried. "Grandma said there weren't enough cornbreads at home, and she told me to steal some from Uncle Wang's house. I was too scared to go, so I stole some from home."

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter. Jia Zhangshi's face instantly turned deathly pale, as if all her strength had been drained away, and she collapsed to the ground. Grandpa Wang sighed, "Jia Zhangshi, what kind of mess have you made of! You've raised your own child like this." Aunt Li also shook her head, "I used to feel sorry for you, but now I see, there's always a reason why someone is pitiful."

Just then, Yi Zhonghai came out of the house and, seeing the scene, his face turned somewhat grim. He had originally wanted to say a few words in defense of Jia Zhangshi, after all, Qin Huairu was his apprentice, and if Jia Zhangshi were exposed in public, Qin Huairu would also lose face. But now the evidence was conclusive, and if he continued to show favoritism, it would only worsen his own reputation. "Alright, alright, we're all neighbors, don't make a scene," Yi Zhonghai waved his hand. "Jia Zhangshi, you should also discipline your child properly, and make sure he doesn't do such shameful things again."

"Master Yi, this is no small matter!" Lin Chen stepped forward, his tone firm. "Jia Geng has stolen things more than once or twice. Last time she stole my sweet potatoes, and this time she stole her own. If we don't discipline her, she'll steal even more things in the future, and then it won't be something that can be solved with just a few words of criticism. I think we should report this to the neighborhood committee and let them judge the matter." He knew that only by thoroughly exposing Jia Zhangshi's true colors could he prevent her from doing whatever she wanted again.

Upon hearing that the neighborhood committee was going to be notified, Jia Zhangshi scrambled to her feet, grabbing Lin Chen's arm. "Lin, I was wrong! I'll never discipline Geng Geng again, please don't report it to the neighborhood committee, okay?" Her voice was trembling with tears, all traces of her previous arrogance gone. Lin Chen shook off her hand and said coldly, "If you don't want to report it to the neighborhood committee, fine. First, you return the grain coupons you stole from Teacher Yan's chickens to Teacher Yan; second, you promise never to instigate Jia Geng to steal again; third, you apologize to Grandpa Wang and Grandma Li. You haven't apologized for stealing from them last time."

Madam Jia dared not refute, and could only nod repeatedly, "I agree! I agree to everything!" As she spoke, she took out grain coupons from her bosom, handed them to Yan Bugui, and then bowed deeply to Uncle Wang and Aunt Li, her back bent like a shrimp. Seeing this, the crowd did not make things difficult for her any further and dispersed. Yi Zhonghai watched this scene, his face ashen, and went back into his house, slamming the door shut—he knew that his authority in the courtyard had been further weakened by Lin Chen.

That evening, Lin Chen was teaching Sha Zhu and Liu Haizhong about cultural knowledge when Yan Bugui approached with an account book, a smile on his face. "Little Lin, Jia Zhangshi returned the grain coupons to me. I noted it down in the account book, and I even made a special note for you as a 'debt of gratitude.' If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know." As he spoke, he handed over the account book, on which was written in small regular script: "Lin Chen, helped recover 0.5 jin of grain coupons, a favor to be repaid."

Lin Chen smiled but didn't take the ledger. "Teacher Yan, we're neighbors, no need to be so polite." He paused, "By the way, I'm going to the city tomorrow for a skills competition, so I might be a few days late. Could you please keep an eye on the training in the workshop?" Yan Bugui nodded quickly, "Don't worry! With me here, I guarantee everything will be fine."

After seeing Yan Bugui off, Lin Chen activated the system panel, which displayed: "Host successfully created an anti-theft device, formed an anti-theft alliance, exposed Jia Zhangshi's conspiracy to instigate grain theft, thwarted Yi Zhonghai's biased attempt, and completed the 'Strengthening Neighborhood Relations + Combating the Retirement Group' mission, earning +2000 points. Current points: 16900. New feature unlocked: Skill Fusion (can fuse two basic skills into an advanced skill)."

Lin Chen was overjoyed; the skill fusion function was a wonderful thing. He currently possessed "Basic Forging Skill" and "Basic Fitting Skill," and if he could fuse them into "Advanced Machining Skill," he would have a much better chance of participating in the skills competition. He immediately chose to fuse the two skills, and the system prompted: "Fusing requires 1000 points, and the estimated fusion time is 60 minutes. Confirm?" Lin Chen clicked confirm, and the two skill icons on the panel emitted a faint glow, gradually merging together to form a brand new skill icon.

After the fusion was completed, Lin Chen checked the skill details: "Advanced machining skill, including a variety of basic skills such as forging, fitting, and turning. It can accurately control the machining precision of parts and improve the production efficiency of complex parts." He nodded in satisfaction. With this skill, he was confident that he could win an award, not to mention the city's technical competition, even the national competition.

Just as Lin Chen was about to rest, he heard Grandpa Wang's voice from the backyard: "Little Lin, thank you for the burglar bell! My cat bumped into the door just now, and the bell rang. That's when I realized the window was open, and I almost let the rain soak the blankets." Lin Chen smiled and replied loudly, "Grandpa Wang, don't mention it! If you need anything in the future, just call me anytime."