Chapter 53 If you can't speak, then keep your mouth shut.

After a brief explanation of the process and a few words of thanks from the leaders, the verification process officially began.

Wang Qizhi was distracted the whole time. After finally seeing the leader off, he couldn't wait to pull Lin Sicheng aside as soon as he entered the evidence room.

His thick eyebrows furrowed into an inverted V shape, his pupils contracted slightly, his Adam's apple bobbed incessantly, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Lin Sicheng, come here and let me see if you have lasers in your eyes... This is fucking amazing: you can detect radiation sources with the naked eye?"

Guan Xingmin was startled, and Lin Sicheng gave him a look that said, "Don't panic."

With that watch on his wrist, what can't he ask?

"Professor Wang, it's not as exaggerated as you say. At most, it's just a coincidence, a guess!"

"Come on, tell me in detail, how did you make that deduction?"

Lin Sicheng gave a general account of what happened:

Because of the low price, I suspect there's something wrong with the product...

Because of the color difference, I suspect the item is counterfeit...

Because the forensic report was so comprehensive, I suspect it used advanced technology...

One last trick...

His expression was calm, and he spoke plainly without any embellishment, but Wang Qizhi retorted with a single sentence: "Was Professor Lin there at the time?"

Lin Sicheng stood there speechless, his mouth agape.

Not only is he there, he's still lying in the hospital right now.

So, did Professor Lin suspect there was something wrong with the teapot? Did he notice any color difference and therefore suspect the use of high technology?

So he did, right? Then why didn't he consider whether the pot contained radioactive material? He's a top-notch ceramics expert...

Moreover, that teapot was sent to Beijing and the Shanghai Museum, and all the necessary authentication and testing were done. How come they didn't have any doubts?

His nostrils flared uncontrollably, and his cheeks twitched slightly. Wang Qizhi looked at him with exasperation: "Lin Sicheng, how can you talk about something so serious and important so casually?"

Coincidentally? What a coincidence!

"Professor Wang..."

"Shut up!"

Wang Qizhi turned around abruptly: "Director Guan, what you mean is: that teapot flowed from abroad into Guangzhou, then from Guangzhou to Singapore, then from Singapore to Hong Kong, then back to Guangzhou, and finally to Xi'an..."

So it's like that thing went out of the country and then back into the country, then went out of the country again, and then back into the country again?

Guan Xingmin paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Then it was sent to Beijing, where carbon-14 dating was performed, and mass spectrometry was also used?"

Guan Xingmin nodded again.

"Then it was sent to the Shanghai Museum for thermoluminescence analysis!"

Guan Xingmin nodded again.

Wang Qizhi pressed on: "And then what happened?"

Guan Xingmin didn't speak, but sighed: "Is there any need to explain the result?"

Wang Qizhi gave a strange smile: "So, that thing must have taken more than ten flights, right? Surely the customs authorities abroad, our customs authorities, and all those airport testing centers can't just be doing nothing."

Or is it that the cultural relics appraisal center, the Shanghai Museum, and even the provincial and municipal appraisal centers all accepted bribes from those two fake antique dealers?

No... Professor Wang, are you trying to confuse the issue?

Just as Guan Xingmin was about to say something, Wang Qizhi waved his hand forcefully: "Director Guan, don't misunderstand. Didn't Lin Sicheng also mention that last year, foreign terrorists openly smuggled nuclear materials, and foreign customs were also slow to realize it?"

So, the problem lies with the system… And what I'm trying to say is: Lin Sicheng is too young to understand, but you should know what his 'coincidence' this time signifies.”

Guan Xingmin nodded vigorously: "Secretary Wang, I know... I didn't say anything because I was afraid of scaring him!"

What does it mean?

This means that all these institutions have huge security vulnerabilities, especially customs security: things that can make atomic bombs and cause rapid cancer can just come and go so openly.

This is just an antique dealer; what if it were an extremist?

It doesn't need to be much, just put some in the airport restaurants and some in the restrooms... The scene is too beautiful for Wang Qizhi to imagine.

So, it was because Lin Sicheng "coincidentally" "suspiced" something and "coincidentally" "speculated" that the national customs and public security systems were forced to undergo emergency reforms.

And it won't do if it's too slow.

To put it more officially: how much loss did he manage to save for the country and its people this time, by sheer coincidence?

It's no exaggeration to say that I didn't know Lin Sicheng was coming. If I had known, believe me, the person who came to the forensic center today would have been at least a department-level leader.

"Professor Wang..."

"You don't know anything! Shut up!"

Lin Sicheng had barely opened his mouth when Wang Qizhi scolded him back, then smiled and said, "Director Guan, the child may be ignorant, but we can't just assume it's a coincidence, can we?"

Guan Xingmin opened his mouth, unsure how to answer.

Was Wang Qizhi asking "us"? He was asking the Municipal Bureau, or even the Provincial Department.

Leaving aside higher-level matters, as for which institution or memorandum the name "Lin Sicheng" will be written into, and which government agencies or leaders will keep it in their minds, let's leave those aside for now.

The question is: if it weren't for Lin Sicheng's "coincidence," would this teapot have ended up in a cultural relics company, then in the provincial museum, and finally been publicly exhibited?

Most importantly, the pot was first processed by the provincial department's equipment before being sent to Beijing for analysis. Therefore, shouldn't the first and biggest blame fall on the provincial and municipal public security systems?

From this point of view alone, how much reputational damage has been salvaged for you, and how many people's positions have been saved?

It can't just be a matter of the bureau leader shaking hands, saying "thank you for your hard work," and that's it.

Of course, it wasn't over yet, but Guan Xingmin didn't dare to speak up casually.

How could a professor understand the cause of a matter so clearly with just one phone call?

He considered it for a long time and said, "Secretary Wang, don't worry, there will definitely be a reward after the case is investigated!"

What kind of award? Just a certificate?

Are you playing with a child?

Wang Qizhi smiled and said, "Professor Guan, I didn't mean to make things difficult for you. I was just a little excited and wanted to take this opportunity to calm down..."

Difficult... Why is this word choice so strange?

Just as he was starting to have doubts, Wang Qizhi took out his phone again: "You guys do the appraisal first, I'll make another call to find out more..."

As he spoke, he pointed at Lin Sicheng with his finger: "If you can't speak properly, then shut up!"

Lin Sicheng was completely bewildered by the scolding: That was a radioactive source... If I said it wasn't a coincidence, would anyone believe me?

Watching Wang Qizhi's retreating figure, Guan Xingmin narrowed his eyes, staring at the watch on his wrist: "Your Secretary Wang must have quite a background, right?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: No need for "吧", and remove the question mark.

Wang Qizhi's implication was so obvious: Director Guan, I won't make things difficult for you... We're all at the same level, why would you make things difficult for me?

I'll make another call and find out... What decent person would talk like that?

Guan Xingmin pondered for a moment: "His watch looks familiar. It's like one of the earliest calendar watches produced in Shanghai. What was its A rating again?"

Lin Sicheng sighed: If you have doubts, just say so!

"A623!"

Guan Xingmin was startled and speechless for a long time: I knew it looked familiar?

The first domestically produced mechanical calendar watch, with its unique "gold-plated embossed font" dial, was produced in a total of 1,048 pieces.

Why are there both whole and fractional parts?

Because the first conferment of military ranks in the People's Republic of China involved 1048 people...