2 Chapter 2 System Assistance_1

The system space immediately added three tool cards, an Avatar Card, and a hard disk.

He only needed to use the upgrade card at the tractor factory, and he could start building rockets right away!

But before heading to the tractor factory, Lin Ju had to resolve one issue: the workers' wages.

As a small factory in the town, the wages Lin Ju's father offered were not low, otherwise the technicians would have long fled to the big cities.

However, due to poor management and unexpected events, the factory had been unable to pay wages for three months, and some bonuses were also overdue.

Without making up for these, the employees of the tractor factory probably wouldn't acknowledge Lin Ju as the boss.

Lin Ju took out the tractor factory's ledger and, after flipping through it, found that the overdue wages and bonuses had reached 400,000.

As for how to cover this amount, Lin Ju had another method: a loan.

To access funds, Lin Ju's father had already sold off two houses and all his cars, leaving only an old house they currently lived in, another in the city, and an old second-hand car.

The old house in the town wasn't worth much, but it was no problem to get a loan of a million in the city.

Instead of selling when assets don't cover debts, it's better to take a gamble now.

The next day, Lin Ju took the property title and went to a bank in the city to apply for a loan.

After the valuation, the bank offered a one-year loan of 1.4 million at 70% of the house's value, with an interest rate of 4.35.

At this point, Lin Ju didn't care about the interest rate at all; apart from the money in his account, he also withdrew 450,000 in cash.

When he walked out of the bank carrying a travel bag, onlookers did a double-take, as such a large cash withdrawal was quite unusual.

It was only because security had improved nowadays. 20 years ago, there would probably have been no fewer than 10 gangs of carjackers and highway robbers eyeing him up.

Putting the travel bag into the trunk, Lin Ju drove the battered Jetta straight to the factory, while dialing the deputy director's and accountant's phone numbers.

Deputy Director Chen Rong was an old man in his fifties, promoted because he was a level four fitter, with superb skills.

With him in charge at the factory, the product quality could be guaranteed, which was important for the tractor factory with its low level of automation.

"Hello? Uncle Rong, it's Lin here."

After exchanging a few pleasantries and mourning his late father for a while, Lin Ju revealed his real intention.

"Uncle Rong, I've got in touch with America's friend; he's a rich second generation who also runs a machinery factory. He has decided to lend me 500,000 US Dollars and is sending someone to help upgrade our factory's technology!

You should call all the workers to the factory now; I'm going to make up for the wages."

"What? 500,000 US Dollars? 5 million?"

Chen Rong's concept of exchange rates was stuck many years in the past, multiplying the figure by ten, and he was immediately shocked.

"Yes, Uncle Rong, it's hard to explain over the phone. Quickly gather everyone; the American engineer is also coming for an inspection."

Lin Ju hung up the phone immediately after speaking, while Chen Rong at the other end was still repeatedly asking "what" "what."

Deputy Director Chen was initially skeptical, but the mention of the American engineer coming convinced him considerably.

While hurriedly calling the workers back in, Chen Rong couldn't help but look around the factory.

This shabby rural tractor factory, what's there to upgrade!

Meanwhile, on a deserted stretch of highway, Lin Ju stopped the car and summoned the System Engineer.

Since the system had promised to help with rationalization, he had come to believe in supernatural forces.

But no sooner had he used the summoning than his phone received a message indicating a withdrawal of 200,000 from his bank account.

Then someone unexpectedly patted him on the shoulder from behind, startling Lin Ju, who was looking at the message, into jumping on the spot.

A 30-year-old man with a receding hairline abruptly appeared behind him, pushing up his glasses as if he hadn't realized he'd been startled.

"Boss Lin, although I returned to China because the America Aerospace Agency laid off its Chinese staff, I still have a patriotic heart. I can accept the annual salary of 1 million you offered.

The settling-in allowance of 200,000 is barely enough for me to survive a few days in the country, and you must start paying my salary by September."

Lin Ju, with a befuddled face after hearing this, had some information spring to mind:

[Guo Shen, former mid-level engineer at the America Aerospace Agency, forced to resign due to an FIB loyalty investigation targeting Chinese Americans, met Lin Ju by chance while studying in America, and was invited back to China for work.

All relevant procedures have been adjusted by the system, please rest assured in using them.]

Is this the system's capability? It's too exaggerated!

Lin Ju's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, but he was still very polite to Guo Shen, a bigwig whom even in a past life he would look up to, and he no longer had any objection to the system automatically deducting the 200,000 settling-in allowance.

However, before continuing to drive, he mentioned to Guo Shen the pretend America aid engineer and the base upgrade project, to which Guo did not react to the content involving system props, simply nodding in agreement.

This made Lin Ju more amazed; according to Guo, he was also an Earth native who had grown up from a young age, with his own life, yet Lin Ju couldn't help but suspect this was a clone created by the system and then had memories instilled.

Exclaiming in admiration for the system's prowess, Lin Ju looked forward to the future with more anticipation.

Hearing that back pay was going to be issued, the workers, who had all gone home to slack off, rushed back to the factory rapidly, gathering and discussing the news in small clusters.

"Did you hear? Director Lin's son has made a fortune in America and is coming back to continue running the factory."

"Huh? Wasn't it said that Lin cozied up to an American tycoon's daughter? I saw him for the first time when he was just ten years old, and he really was quite a looker."

"Hey, hey, hey? Deputy Director Chen, you meant friends, right? How did it get to cozying up with tycoons?"

"What do you know? What friend lends 5 million US Dollars? It must be a woman blinded by love."

"Brilliant, brilliant~"

"..."

Deputy Director Chen, quietly listening to the news get more distorted as it spread, was somewhat speechless and couldn't comprehend the thought process of these individuals.

He had only spoken a few words to the accountant, and upon his return, it had turned into this outrageous rumor.

Nevertheless, he could guess some of the reasons; the tractor factory was mostly staffed by workers who had been there for over seven or eight years, many of whom had been there since the factory opened.

They were attached to the factory and had watched Lin Ju grow up. The old factory manager was also kind to people and generally had a liberal outlook.

They had long expected the tractor factory to close down. Most of them were in their forties and fifties, nearing retirement, not so attached to money or America, but rather curious about Lin Ju's gossip.

Fortunately, the rumors did not ferment for too long before Lin Ju's beaten-up Jetta drove into the factory.

The workers all crowded around, first seeing Lin Ju exit the car and then, to everyone's surprise, he opened the back seat door, allowing a young, balding man with glasses to step out.

Lin Ju first had Chen Rong tell the workers to line up, then dragged over a table. He chatted with the familiar faces for a bit before pulling Guo Shen aside to introduce him:

"My friend from America also owns a machinery company. This is the upgrade engineer he has sent us. However, Mr. Guo is of Chinese descent, which will make communication considerably easier."

Upon hearing the mention of an America engineer, the thirty-some workers clapped sparsely, respecting the educated man.

"Director Lin, what are we going to do after upgrading the factory? Are we still manufacturing tractors?"

One of the workers at the front asked, with everyone perking up their ears since it concerned their livelihoods.

The technical prowess of New Yuan Town's tractor factory was actually not that impressive; it could basically be considered an assembly plant with some technical capacity.

The most crucial diesel engines were purchased externally, and electrical components as well; what they produced themselves were mainly agricultural machinery parts and small items like wheel hubs.

In recent years, the tractor business had been tough, with the main income coming from subcontracting small electromechanical equipment and metal parts.