Zombie, zombie, zombie!

"Zombie, zombie, zombie!"

12.

It was as if they had discovered some unspeakable secret.

After ending his conversation with Xiulan, Chongming became unusually silent.

Lan Jian didn't know if he was frightened or angry.

But after experiencing frequent social interactions, she lost the desire to flatter people.

The two didn't exchange a single word until the next morning. When Chongming emerged from the game room with his hair a complete mess, Lanjian was eating a bagel sandwich. The avocado and smoked salmon looked appealing and whetted his appetite. Walking into the kitchen, he saw a stack of egg-filled bread on the counter.

"Lanjian!"

A person chewing food in a restaurant mumbled a response: "Mmm."

"Can I eat the leftovers for breakfast?"

Last week at home, Chongming prepared breakfast for Lanjian. He is good at making Chinese breakfast, such as fragrant scallion oil noodles, fried dumplings with snowflake-like bits, and wonton soup with seaweed, dried shrimp, and celery. Lanjian enjoyed every meal.

“That’s not what was left over,” Lan Jian said, understanding the importance of reciprocity. “That was made especially for you.”

Standing in the kitchen, Chongming smiled and used a fork to break open the poached egg. The thin, tender skin cracked open with a single poke, and the runny yolk was a beautiful, warm yellow, just like Chongming's heart that was about to break through the soil.

Nothing happened until Wednesday. Lan Jian and Chong Ming were the uninvolved listeners this week. Lan Jian went to the accelerator lab to visit her friend Guan Shaoxiao. Chong Ming was busy with experiments and was afraid of getting caught in the evening rush hour, so he borrowed Ma Yuehe's electric scooter. He was just about to send a message to Lan Jian to call her back when the lab door suddenly opened.

Meng Lanjian stormed into the storage room. She was usually a very energetic person, and walking with a brisk pace was her personal trait. But behind her was Guan Shaoxiao, who was equally aggressive, with a small Bluetooth speaker hanging on his wrist.

That's a bit strange.

Ma Yuehe was supervising a special topic student in the afternoon, and he looked just as bewildered as Chongming. He and Guan Shaoxiao were classmates, but Guan Shaoxiao stayed on to pursue his doctorate, becoming the sole doctoral student in the accelerator lab before it was merged into the Institute of High Energy Physics. Guan Shaoxiao had an excellent personality and was known throughout the entire 12th floor as a very kind person; it was extremely rare for him to look so unwell.

Ma Yuehe grabbed Guan Shaoxiao and asked, "What happened?"

"Those brats from the university on the seventh floor are asking for it! What kind of idiotic movement are they putting on? Lan Jian and I are going to take up arms on behalf of heaven!"

Guan Shaoxiao's lab boasts a floor-to-ceiling window with a stunning view overlooking the entire southern slope of the university's back mountain. Because of this, he was among the first to discover a small group of scattered university students from the Nuclear Engineering Institute staging a sit-in on the large lawn behind the college, and the content of their protest was—

They opposed the disbanding of the Nuclear Engineering Institute and demanded that the university fully cooperate with the military to continue research on nuclear weapons.

If it were an anti-war sit-in, such a righteous act would be supported by the vast majority of people. But those warmongers with bandages on their heads and ferocious faces, every smug expression on their faces reveals excessive indignation and utter stupidity.

Meng Lanjian finally dug out the megaphone that had been used for previous events in the lab. She didn't care who else was in the lab and dragged Guan Shaoxiao down to the first floor.

The two of them carried a reckless energy that disregarded the lives of others, which made the other people in the lab unable to resist following suit.

There were probably too many onlookers, because the elevator wouldn't go up to the twelfth floor. Lan Jian ran towards the stairwell without saying a word.

Guan Shaoxiao wasn't going to be left behind. Ma Yuehe was a little confused by the commotion. He asked Chongming, who had been silent and just following along, "So, are we going to take the stairs too?"

"We're not going to the first floor, we're going to the seventh floor."

Why go to the undergraduate level?

"Find their student council officer and check the records."

Ma Yuehe then realized that Chongming was going to use rules and regulations to punish people.

"Then how about I go to the other labs on the twelfth floor and recruit some more able-bodied men?"

"Have someone identify them, see which lab they belong to or which lab they want to join, and arrest them."

The senior students dealt with them.

"What if the senior students are too lazy to care about them?"

Chongming sneered, "Then let them write a report to the director at next week's institute-wide meeting, explaining why their respective laboratories condoned their juniors' open opposition to the director's and higher-level school leaders' decisions, while also using school premises to openly spread belligerent declarations."

The group from the heavy particle lab split up, with Meng Lanjian being the most reckless, holding a Bluetooth speaker and a megaphone high, playing The Cranberries' famous anti-war song "Zombie" at the group of protesting students on the grass.

"Inyourhead,inyourhead,theyarefighting!Withtheirtanksandtheirbombs,andtheirbombsandtheirguns!"

"To all those protesting here, my name is Meng Lanjian. I am the last doctoral student admitted after Professor Zhong Shiqing, the current director of the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, personally participated in the admissions process. Regardless of whether you are sitting here or not, I can tell you the fact that once I obtain my doctoral degree through the triple certification of my supervisor, the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, and the China Nuclear Engineering Research Institute, the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology will complete the entire process of merging into the Institute of High Energy Physics in the academic year following my completion of my degree. This matter was decided two years ago through a university affairs meeting, and it was not a decision made by me or the director personally."

Among the demonstrators, someone held up their phone screen with a disdainful look, displaying scrolling messages such as "People from the North Luan region, get out of the Nuclear Research Institute," "Northern barbarians don't deserve to study at National Taiwan University," and "What's so great about a PhD? You still have to get a degree from National Taiwan University."

As soon as Meng Lanjian appeared, these people became restless. It was clear that these scrolling messages were not prepared at the moment, but had been stored on their phones for a long time.

The college lawn was a slope, and the demonstrating students sat on it, attracting a growing number of onlookers eager for more excitement. Meng Lanjian's platform was already three steps higher than the lawn, and her upright posture, exuding righteous indignation, made her disdain for the demonstrators appear even more arrogant. She was determined to slap these clueless brats who were playing the role of warmongers, and her tone grew increasingly harsh.

"Whether you like it or not, I hope you all understand one thing: it's not me who decides the fate of the Nuclear Research Institute, but rather that I, a native of Beiluan, have secured the last doctoral student spot before the institute becomes history. If you disagree, please compare your academic performance with mine, and then compare your research experience or student activity experience with mine back then. Unfortunately, whether you agree or not, you will not have this one and only spot."

Among those sitting on the ground, one gradually lost his temper. Every word Meng Lanjian spoke was true, yet every word pierced the heart. That person clenched his fists, grabbed at the mud in the grass, and his eyes burned with a fury that seemed to want to burn Meng Lanjian and fight her to the death.

However, in sit-in protests, silence is the greatest power.

Since these people chose the extreme method of sit-in and hunger strike to demonstrate from the very beginning, they have essentially shut themselves up.

Meng Lanjian looked at them as if they were the mud on that man's hands. She didn't intend to lecture them, she only intended to declare war.

"I see that everyone here is a second-year undergraduate student. Coincidentally, I am also a second-year doctoral student. The undergraduate program at the Nuclear Engineering Institute is four years, and the basic graduation period for doctoral students is also four years. If you graduate smoothly, you may have the opportunity to receive a graduation certificate with the emblem of the Nuclear Engineering Institute. If any of you unfortunately graduate later than me, Meng Lanjian, whether you plan to transfer to another school or drop out, the administrative efficiency of the Nuclear Engineering Institute will not decrease because of your delayed graduation."

"Alright, now that we've finished talking about the nuclear research institute, as a native of Beiluan, I have a few more words to say about nuclear weapons. Nineteen years ago, the North and South signed a nuclear peace treaty, the first of which was: neither side is allowed to use nuclear weapons in any form."

Article 4, Sections 1 to 3, details that both sides should maintain their respective nuclear weapons development progress under the premise of fair demonstration, and refrain from conducting unauthorized tests, prioritizing defense. I ask you, who among you truly understands the content and meaning of the Nuclear Peace Treaty? Or do you all view nuclear weapons development as simply as your midterm or final industrial mathematics exams, each of you boasting of unlimited potential and the ability to easily become a nuclear power in the South?

Equipment expert?

"Forgive my bluntness, but the actions of everyone here today are childish and despicable. Your belligerent declarations have not only hurt the sincere and loving hearts of your fellow students from Beilu who have come all the way to Nanlu to study, but have also chilled the hearts of people in both the North and South who yearn for peaceful reunification. The Nanlu University you attend is the top comprehensive university in Nanlu. To some extent, you represent the vigor and courage of Nanlu students, but I only see reckless courage in you now, and I have not seen a single trace of the heroic spirit of sacrificing one's life."

When Chongming arrived with a group of graduate students from the twelfth floor, they happened to hear the last words Lan Jian said.

Besides the six or seven quails sitting quietly on the lawn, there were also students from various departments of the college and the university standing in three or four layers around them, watching the commotion. All their eyes were focused on Meng Lanjian, who was cursing at the students sitting in the quiet. Chongming watched her, one hand playing music and the other holding a megaphone, her gaze firm and calm, radiating a fierce, do-or-die aura.

Similar to the application of heavy ion therapy in clinical treatment, at the moment of instantaneous energy release, all particles are concentrated on the tumor area, precisely targeting each cancer cell.

"You cowards have no idea how cruel war is! Instead of sitting here in protest, why don't you join the army and defend the country you claim to love?"

"What's in your head, in your head! Zombie, zombie, zombie!"

The music blared, and one of the students, finally provoked by Meng Lanjian, stood up and rushed over, intending to attack her. Guan Shaoxiao, already on guard, raised the mop handle in his hand and roared, "Let's see who dares to come any closer!!"

Guan Shaoxiao is tall and strong. He usually speaks gently and is emotionally stable. He is never one to offend anyone. However, when he is out in public, anyone who sees his physique will be intimidated by his large size.

Once one person moves, there's no point in the others sitting.

The group thought that everyone around them was just there to watch the show, and even mistakenly thought that the master's and doctoral students in the lab were there to cheer them on. Relying on their numbers, they impulsively rushed over to gang up on Meng Lanjian and Guan Shaoxiao.

"Let's see who dares to lay a hand on you."

Chongming stepped forward and blocked Meng Lanjian's path.

For the undergraduate students, Chongming was the senior professor in the entire nuclear research institute and even the nuclear engineering institute. Xue Xiang was the least competent teacher in the department, and he had to teach many of the undergraduate professional courses. Chongming was his postdoctoral fellow and often helped him with classes or grading assignments. When students had questions, they would first go to Chongming and then to Xue Xiang.

Although he usually speaks gently and has a low-key and easygoing personality, he is usually stern and unsmiling. Now, when he suddenly raised his voice and spoke, everyone was so frightened that they stopped what they were doing.

The hot-blooded youth Ma Yuehe was also enraged by these brats. He stepped past Chongming and flipped to the last page of the student council's record book that Chongming had given him before he came. He glared at the leader and shouted, "Ou Jianbin! As the vice president of the student council, you stole the council seal and held a demonstration without authorization. According to school rules, you should be expelled!"

The leader, who had intended to argue with Chongming, was intimidated by Ma Yuehe's words, "stealing the official seal."

The graduate students on the other 12th floor also stood up and called out their juniors in their own labs. Some lectured them in the name of their advisors, while others directly questioned them about their progress. This sit-in demonstration, which started at 5 p.m. after all the administrative staff had left and the professors had left one after another, was premeditated and targeted. In the end, the united graduate students on the 12th floor used their various skills to deal with the second-year students who overestimated themselves and couldn't even hold a demonstration for an hour.

Because they all knew that these troublemakers weren't after the nuclear research institute, which had announced its impending restructuring two years prior—

Clearly, they are targeting Meng Lanjian.

How could Meng Lanjian be a coward who willingly suffers humiliation?

She was so unfortunate, simply because she was from Beiluan, she was openly ostracized by a group of immature students.

But she was also so lucky that every student on the twelfth floor did not stand idly by, but stood up without hesitation to protect her dignity as a fellow student of the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research at Nanlu University.