Chapter 7: Father's Judgment
The sound of his father's footsteps echoed down the corridor — heavy, measured, the sound of a man burdened by too many years of struggle.
He entered the workshop, rubbing his eyes.
"You didn't sleep?" he grunted.
The MC wiped the last speck of aluminum dust off the workbench.
"Take a look," he said, lifting the prototype into the light.
His father blinked.
He stepped forward slowly and picked up the part, turning it in his callused hands.
"Where'd you buy this?"
The MC gave a half-smile. "I made it."
Silence.
His father raised an eyebrow.
"You made this?"
"From what? A textbook? A dream?"
"You're still in school. You've never touched a lathe before last year."
The skepticism cut deep — but the MC didn't flinch.
"I learned. Watched. Practiced."
"It's based on our current carburetor, but I corrected the flow angle and reduced the fuel chamber thickness. It'll increase efficiency a little. Less clogging."
The older man said nothing for a moment. Then:
"…You memorized all that?"
"More than memorized," the MC said quietly. "I understand it now."
His father narrowed his eyes and walked to the test bench. He mounted the prototype to a spare engine head and pulled the starter cord.
Vrrrummmm.
The engine sputtered once… then roared to life.
He revved it twice. The sound was steady, clean.
"Not bad," his father muttered. "Not good enough for full production. But not bad."
His expression remained stern… but his fingers tapped the engine housing thoughtfully.
Skeptical eyes, the MC thought, but not dismissive. That's a start.
Flashback – 5 Years Ago
The MC, barely twelve, watched his father yell into a telephone.
"We made a deal! I don't care what Changzhou Motors offers you — we've been loyal customers for seven years!"
Click. Dial tone.
His father slammed the receiver down so hard the table cracked.
"They all turned their backs," the MC said now, in the present.
"All those relatives you helped when they were poor — they vanished when we needed one favor. And your old classmates? The suppliers you paid early during there difficult times?"
"All cowards."
His father looked up, eyes dark with memory.
"…You remember that?"
"I remember everything now."
Back in the Workshop
"And what are you trying to do with this?" his father asked finally.
The MC met his eyes.
"Start small. Make one or two parts ourselves. Become independent from suppliers. Slowly build our own design. If it works, we revive the factory — our way."
His father stared at him a long moment.
Then he placed the prototype down gently.
"I don't know what changed you."
"Maybe this is a phase. Maybe it's arrogance."
"But…"
He paused.
"If you can finish a working carburetor, and attach it to one of our old models by the end of the month… I'll consider giving you some space in the workshop."
"Until then, don't get in the workers' way."
The MC nodded.
"That's all I ask."
System Notification
🛠 New Challenge Accepted:
[Proof of Capability]
✅ Design Part
✅ Create Prototype
⬜ Attach and Run Successfully
⬜ Pass Endurance Test (1 hour runtime)
Outside the factory, the sky was beginning to brighten. The world was still asleep.
But inside the MC's mind, a machine had already started turning — one built from gears of memory, vengeance, and raw ambition.