On the morning of the fourth day, Su Jianguo deliberately "accidentally" let slip in front of several commune members that they would be transplanting the "core parent" in the newly built greenhouse that night.
The news quickly reached Lin Shirong's ears through Zhao Laoda.
As night fell, Su Jianguo, along with Su Mingqiang and Su Jianjun, solemnly transplanted a batch of "precious" seedlings into the newly built greenhouse.
"The fish has taken the bait."
Late at night, Su Jianjun, hiding in the shadows, spoke in a low voice over the radio.
Sure enough, around 2 a.m., several dark figures quietly sneaked into the greenhouse.
"action!"
At Su Jianguo's command, the villagers who had been lying in ambush rushed forward and caught several people stealing seedlings on the spot.
Under the flashlight beam, Lin Shirong's face, which always wore a fake smile, turned deathly pale.
"Mr. Su...this is a misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstand?"
Su Jianguo sneered and pointed to the box containing seedlings in the other person's hand.
"President Lin personally visited my greenhouse late at night, even bringing sampling tools. What misunderstanding is this?"
Just then, the sound of police sirens came from afar.
Minister Wang personally led a team of soldiers to the scene, accompanied by Professor Li and several agricultural experts.
"Mr. Lin Shirong."
Minister Wang said with a cold face.
"You are suspected of stealing important national germplasm resources. Please come with us."
Lin Shirong suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.
"You think that's all? Greengrass's international influence is beyond your imagination! These varieties will be ours sooner or later!"
Minister Wang remained unmoved.
"take away."
Watching Lin Shirong being escorted onto the military vehicle, Su Jianguo breathed a sigh of relief.
...
However, the day after Lin Shirong was arrested, Green Harvest Group sent a legal team claiming it was "commercial defamation" and demanding his immediate release.
Even more disturbingly, several international media outlets suddenly began reporting on the matter, describing Sujiatun as an "exclusionary and backward village" and portraying Green Harvest Group as an "innocent investor."
Su Jianguo sat in his office with several newspapers spread out in front of him, his brows furrowed.
Su Mingqiang pushed the door open and came in.
"Dad, Minister Wang is here."
Minister Wang walked in looking travel-worn, followed by two young men in military uniforms.
"Mr. Su, the situation has changed."
He gestured for the others to leave, then closed the door and whispered.
"The higher-ups just finished a meeting. Green Harvest's background is more complicated than we imagined. On the surface, they are a Singaporean company, but in reality, they have ties to Western military-industrial groups."
"A military-industrial complex?"
Su Jianguo asked in surprise.
Why are they so interested in our vegetable varieties?
"Based on preliminary analysis, your cold-resistant variety may have significant value for the cultivation of crops in extreme environments."
Minister Wang said seriously.
"This has significant military implications."
Su Jianguo gasped.
"So now..."
"The higher authorities have decided to establish a joint security team."
Minister Wang said.
"The military and your cooperative will jointly be responsible for variety protection. Considering your familiarity with the base, you will be appointed as the team leader."
Just then, the office door was pushed open, and Su Mingqiang walked in.
"Dad, I just finished inspecting all the greenhouses..."
Upon seeing Minister Wang, he immediately stood up straight.
Minister Wang sized up Su Mingqiang.
"This is your eldest son??"
Su Jianguo nodded.
"Mingqiang is very familiar with every variety at the base."
Su Mingqiang mustered his courage and said.
"Minister Wang, I would like to apply to join the security team."
Minister Wang glanced at Su Jianguo, and seeing him nod, he said.
"Okay, you'll be the Technical Confidentiality Specialist, responsible for the registration and protection of all germplasm resources."
In the days that followed, the atmosphere at the Sujiatun vegetable base became tense yet orderly.
Technical experts and security personnel sent by the military were stationed at the base, living and eating with the members.
All core varieties have been moved to a newly built, secure greenhouse, where entry and exit are subject to strict inspections.
Su Mingqiang works until late at night every day, carefully recording the growth data of each mother plant and establishing detailed files.
He also designed an encryption system, the complete breed code of which was known only to him and his father.
One late night, Su Mingqiang was working in the greenhouse when he suddenly heard a noise outside.
He quietly walked to the door and saw a shadowy figure loitering around the wall.
"who?"
Su Mingqiang shouted.
The figure turned and ran, and Su Mingqiang gave chase.
When they reached the wall, the man suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed at Su Mingqiang with a flash of cold light.
At the critical moment, a dark figure pounced from the side and pinned the attacker to the ground.
They were security personnel sent by the military.
"Technician Su, are you alright?"
The soldier asked with concern.
Su Mingqiang shook his head, his heart still pounding.
He crouched down and saw the attacker's face clearly.
"Boss Zhao?"
During the interrogation on the second day, Zhao confessed that Green Harvest Group had offered him $500,000 to act as an inside man in order to obtain samples of the core varieties.
This incident made everyone realize that the battle to protect the country was far from over.
Minister Wang immediately strengthened security measures and applied to his superiors for a higher level of protection.
...
Sujiatun.
The morning sunlight streamed through the glass of the secure greenhouse, and Su Mingqiang had already been working for two hours.
Wearing white gloves, he carefully checked the growth of each cold-resistant cucumber mother plant, writing down data accurate to the millimeter in his notebook.
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