Chapter 5: Seeking Justice in the Face of Financial Crisis

Chen Xiao estimated that he had discovered a way to gain influence and contemplated gathering the struggling students in the class after the first consultation, providing them with guidance to improve their grades and generate a positive wave of influence.

It was already five o'clock in the afternoon when he arrived home on his bicycle. Lin Hui's small booth at the entrance of the neighborhood was still there, but it was vacant.

No one was at home.

Where could they have gone?

In this era, not every family can afford a mobile phone, and Chen Qiang's family had only recently installed a landline.

Chen Xiao cooked rice and waited for their return.

Upon seeing Chen Xiao's return, Uncle Guo from next door hurried over and said, "Xiaozi, you're back! Your father had an accident at the factory, and your mother went with him."

Chen Xiao's heart sank.

Although he had only been reborn for two days, he already considered the parents in this world as his own due to their shared genes and appearance.

He rushed out, riding his bicycle toward the state-owned machinery factory.

Jiangcheng State Machinery Factory.

The production department office was crowded with workers watching the commotion on all three floors. Su Desheng, the factory manager in a suit, Gao Hongze, the director of the production center, and Wu Wei, the squad leader, were all present.

On the other hand, Chen Qiang and Lin Hui looked haggard, surrounded by the factory's security personnel.

Seeing that they were still there, Chen Xiao felt a sense of relief, but what had happened?

Chen Qiang, who hadn't slept for two consecutive days, looked worn out after this incident.

In a hoarse voice, he explained, "Director Su, I was originally called in for overtime work to carry steel plates last night. It was Director Gao who asked me to guard the central control. I have no education and don't understand mechanical equipment at all. Despite my explanation, he still insisted that I stay."

"I haven't slept for two days straight, working overtime in the factory. Director Gao asked me to stay there last night, and I didn't even dare to close my eyes. I've never operated any mechanical equipment, and then this happened. I truly don't know what went wrong!"

Gao Hongze grew anxious and said, "Chen Qiang, you're a member of the factory. You should work wherever the leader assigns you. What happened yesterday was due to your negligence!"

"Me?!" Chen Qiang, an honest person, couldn't find a way to argue against Gao Hongze.

At that moment, the equipment department hurried over and whispered a few words in Su Desheng's ear.

Su Desheng's face turned pale!

The equipment department's investigation results were out, and all the machine tools had been burnt.

The power control electrical equipment could be repaired with some money, but the main problem was that the motherboards had been burned.

These CNC machine tools were all imported from Germany. The special chips and mainboards were crucial components. If the mainboards were burned, the machine tools would be useless.

Currently, there was no technical maintenance available for imported motherboards in China. The equipment had been purchased several years ago, and the warranty period had expired. Germany would not send someone to repair it. The only solution was to repurchase the motherboards, and dozens of them for more than ten machines would cost millions.

Su Desheng couldn't afford this cost!

And he couldn't bear the responsibility either!

If he mishandled the situation, he would be fired as the factory manager.

Su Desheng also knew that the true responsibility for this accident fell on Gao Hongze. After all, Gao Hongze had abandoned his post without permission and held a leadership position.

However, Gao Hongze was his brother-in-law. If he were to be held accountable, wouldn't the tigress at home fiercely defend him?

Su Desheng quickly calmed himself down. Perhaps the responsibility for this accident could be attributed to Chen Qiang!

Su Desheng said to the security department, "The cause of the accident has been investigated and is clear. Chen Qiang acted on his own at the central control and did not follow the proper procedures. He should be terminated and handed over to the security department for handling."

Hearing this, Chen Xiao quickly left the office and headed to the first factory area to assess the situation.

As expected, a burning smell permeated the air upon entering. The equipment department staff had just dismantled all the CNC machine tools, and the wires inside were charred. The most severe damage was to the motherboards, most of which had melted. Repairing them would be an arduous task.