All Chapters of The Only Fixer: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

As the first rays of dawn shone through the workshop's tall windows onto my face, I typed the last character and pressed the upload button. The program was written on the small Arduino board via DuPont wires.The LED lights on the Arduino board blinked a few times before sending a special signal to the DMG machine tool's mainboard through the channel I had connected via a jump wire.I stood up and stretched my stiff neck. I had not slept all night, but I was wide awake. I walked to the machine tool and pressed the green start button again. This time, there was no piercing alarm; only a steady, smooth, and powerful hum.The DMG logo flashed briefly on the control screen, and the system interface loaded perfectly. All the indicator lights turned green, All the indicator lights had turned green, which meant everything was normal!I succeeded!Using a cheap plug-in program, I successfully bypassed Henry's firmware lock and booted this million-dollar machine!"It worked! It really wor

"Mr. Zigger, there are... a few people outside looking for you. They say they're your former colleagues from your previous workplace."My heart skipped a beat as I wondered. Former colleagues?Before I could think it through, the office door was pushed open from the outside. A figure that I could never forget appeared at the door.It was Harvey Zimmerman, the workshop supervisor of the state-owned enterprise where I used to work. He was a guy who climbed up the career ladder by sucking up to his superiors and trampling over others.Back then, it was he who fabricated some charges of 'lacking ambition and failing to keep up with the times' to get rid of me and make room for his good-for-nothing nephew.Behind him were a few old colleagues with awkward expressions. They all froze for a moment when they saw me sitting in my spacious, bright, private office, dressed in a crisp work uniform.A flicker of jealousy crossed Harvey's face, but it was quickly replaced by his signature, ins

After prolonged operation, a small amount of coolant would seep into the lubrication system of the guide rails, disrupting the stability of the oil film and causing a decline in processing accuracy.It was not a major problem. All that was needed was to install a one-way pressure valve.However, in the fault report jointly submitted by Henry and Harvey to Randy, the problem was described extremely seriously. Although Harvey was dismissed, he wrote the technical report. They claimed that the machine tool's spindle bearing was faulty and needed to be replaced entirely, and that it had to be an imported top-of-the-line SKF bearing. The material cost alone was more than 300,000 dollars.I immediately understood that this was a trap.Henry knew that I would be able to identify the real problem, but he was certain that someone 'practical' like me would immediately start modifying the cooling system. He could seize the opportunity to accuse me of 'modifying equipment privately and damagin

The atmosphere at home was no longer oppressive and heavy. Instead, it was filled with the long-lost laughter.The biggest change was my daughter, Cecelia Zigger. She was admitted to the best university in the province, and she studied mechanical engineering.During the period when I was unemployed, I knew she felt inferior, even though she never said it out loud. In front of her classmates from wealthy families, she was scared to mention that her father was just an ex-employee fired from a state-owned enterprise.Now, everything was different.One night, I received a call from my daughter. On the phone, her voice trembled with excitement. "Dad! Dad! You're famous!""Huh? Famous?" I was completely confused."I wrote the story about how you fixed that Gorman machine and how you caught that bad professor in a feature article and posted it on my university's internal forum! And... And it was pinned to the top! The number of clicks exceeded 100,000! "My chancellor saw it! The profe

My brain worked at top speed.The existing equipment was definitely not up to the task. The machine tool had to be 're-engineered'. From the structure to the system, the cutting tools, and the cutting algorithms, a complete and revolutionary upgrade had to be carried out.I looked up at Bill's tense face, and I smiled. "Tell them we'll take on this job."I took the blueprints out of the office and gathered all the people from the technical department. I placed the blueprints on the table. "Everyone, come and take a look. This is our next job."The young technicians gathered around. Seeing the requirements on the blueprints, they all exclaimed in surprise."One micrometer? Sir, are you kidding us?""What equipment will be used? Is there any machine in the world that can achieve this level of precision?"Their eyes showed shock and fear, but more of an eager excitement.Looking at them, it was like seeing myself more than 20 years ago.I slammed my hand on the table. "If there's