Chapter 23: Under Pressure (Revised)
The inspectors arrived on a Wednesday morning—early, quiet, and sharp-eyed.
They were polite, but their questions came fast:
"Where is your welding inspection log?"
"Why did these fasteners pass tensile tests despite showing cracks?"
"Who approved batch #342 from Ningyuan?"
Xu Lian fielded what she could. Li Wei stayed with the inspectors step-for-step.
Chen Rui handled the big picture: smoothing egos, handing out tea, reading their expressions like a poker player.
By 2 p.m., they found it—an irregular serial batch on a completed motorcycle frame. Too light. Weld seam weak.
"Defect," one of the inspectors said bluntly. "One more of these, and this line is shut down."
Meanwhile, Chen Rui received a whispered update from logistics:
"One of our outbound trucks was stopped for random inspection. Tires slashed before it left the depot."
Sabotage. Again.
"Did the driver talk?" Chen Rui asked.
"No. But word's getting out. Competitors think we're collapsing."
Chen Rui's eyes darkened.
"Let them."
Back on the floor, the inspection ended with a warning—but no shutdown.
The lead official handed over the final report with a neutral expression.
"You're close to the line, Mr. Chen. Stay above it."
Chen Rui nodded. "We will."
But the moment they left, he turned to Li Wei and said:
"Start background checks. Every department. Every supplier liaison. We've got a mole."