Workshop No. 5 of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill buzzed with the usual morning activity. The heavy clang of metal, the hiss of machines, and the warmth of labor shaped the air. Leon Ford sat on his wooden stool, holding his porcelain cup. He lifted the lid, blew away the thin layer of tea foam, and slowly brought the cup to his lips.
Across from him stood Brian Mullin, the polite reporter from Dasheng Daily, currently scribbling in his notebook. Leon observed him quietly, trying to remember where he had seen the young man before. The face was familiar—too familiar.
Then it hit him.
This was the man who, in the original timeline, destroyed Evelyn Winter's life.
The root of her tragedy.
The reporter who condemned her future.
Leon almost dropped his tea.
Still, the interview proceeded. He knew how interviews worked in this era. When asked questions, all he needed to do was recite the correct phrases—patriotic lines, unity slogans, inspirational quotes. Leon spoke with passion, precision, and ideological "clarity." His answers were perfect in the eyes of the time.
When he finished, Brian closed his notebook with satisfaction. He pushed up his glasses, smiling warmly.
"Master Ford, thank you. I believe your story as a model worker will spread across the factories soon. You are an inspiration."
Leon only smiled politely, but his mind remained sharp. As Brian spoke, Leon pressed a hidden switch on his holographic glasses. Instantly, detailed information about the reporter appeared on his lenses—clothing, items, even the shape of objects hidden inside pockets.
Leon's eyes narrowed.
On Brian's right side was a small English paperback.
The glasses translated its title instantly:
Silent Spring
Leon's heart skipped.
Without warning, he reached forward and plucked the book from Brian's pocket.
The young reporter froze. Fear washed over his face.
"Master Ford—!"
He broke into cold sweat. Owning a foreign book in the 1960s—especially an English one—was dangerous. Workers who didn't understand English might easily mistake such a person for a spy.
Brian swallowed nervously.
"Master Ford, don't misunderstand! It's a foreign book about environmental protection. Nothing political!"
Leon flipped through it slowly, deliberately. His expression remained serious.
Then he placed the book on the table and spoke in a firm voice:
"I don't understand English, Reporter Brian.
I don't know if what you said is true.
But let me tell you this—I will never wrong an innocent man, and I will never let a guilty one go free."
Brian's legs nearly gave out.
Leon watched him struggle to breathe, then gently patted his shoulder, making him jump.
"Don't be nervous. I'll let one of my classmates analyze it. If it truly is about protecting the environment, your name will be cleared."
Brian exhaled deeply, relief rushing through him.
"Thank you… thank you, Master Ford. Thank you for trusting me."
He bowed repeatedly and left the workshop.
Leon smirked.
Then picked up Silent Spring again.
This book… this book changed Evelyn Winter's entire life. It opened her eyes to human greed, environmental destruction, and how the world's progress came at the cost of nature. It pushed her further down the road that shaped her future, including her rise within ETO.
And now he possessed it.
Leon's fingers brushed the cover.
"I'll use this to build trust with Evelyn Winter," he murmured.
This book would be a powerful bridge.
Just as he turned a page, a panicked figure rushed into the workshop.
It was Lewis Grant, another seventh-level fitter and one of the factory's technical pillars. His face was covered in sweat, his breathing heavy. He quickly grabbed a water cup and gulped down several mouthfuls before finally turning toward Leon.
"Master Ford—!" he blurted. "You… you can read English?"
Leon blinked.
Lewis pointed at Silent Spring in his hands, excitement filling his eyes.
"Please, come help! Workshop No. 7 just received a batch of precision part blueprints from above, but everything is written in English! None of us can read it!"
Leon widened his eyes briefly.
Then he understood.
He allowed Lewis to pull him out of Workshop No. 5.
If it weren't for the holographic glasses, he would have refused immediately. He may have been a top student, but he didn't understand English.
But now?
He had advanced Kingsman technology hidden behind his lenses.
He stepped into Workshop No. 7.
Dozens of workers stood around, holding papers in their hands with visible frustration. The air felt heavy. Machines hummed, drills spun, but the workers barely noticed.
Lewis clapped his hands.
"Everyone! Don't stare at the drawings anymore! If we can't read them, we can't build anything! Give all the drawings to Master Ford—our factory's top student!"
The workers' eyes lit up with hope.
"Master Ford can read English? Really?"
"He's the smartest in the plant!"
"He studied in college—of course he can!"
Leon wanted to sigh, but he kept a straight face.
"I can't guarantee I understand everything," he said calmly. "But I'll do my best."
The workers relaxed. Dozens of sheets were placed on the table. Leon picked them up one by one.
The diagrams were all in English—dense technical terms, engineering notes, structural descriptions.
If the glasses didn't exist, he wouldn't stand a chance.
He pressed a tiny button near the frame.
The drawings translated instantly.
Words changed before his eyes. Symbols adjusted. Notes re-aligned. Even engineering shorthand was converted into neatly formatted text.
Leon's heart raced.
He continued flipping through the pages. Every time he finished one, he tapped his glasses again, triggering the holographic imaging module.
Data streamed across his lenses.
Parts took shape.
Coordinates aligned.
Components assembled in mid-air like a mechanical puzzle.
Workers around him saw nothing—just Leon staring intensely at the drawings.
But to Leon, a magnificent structure was forming.
Antenna arrays… feeder lines… high-sensitivity receivers… oscilloscopes… power couplers…
All the components clicked together.
And then—
BOOM.
A giant holographic structure appeared in his vision.
A beast of steel and precision.
An Ultra-High-Frequency Radio Telescope.
Leon stopped breathing for a moment.
He knew exactly what this meant.
Ultra-high-frequency telescopes belonged to Hong'an Base—the secret facility that would one day play a crucial role in contacting extraterrestrial life.
His pupils shrank.
They were building a radio telescope for Hong'an Base right now.
Here.
In this workshop.
In 1960s China.
The weight of the realization pressed on his chest.
The timeline was moving.
The future was arriving.
And Leon Ford stood at the center of it.
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