Key Dialogue
On the road, Mo Yang looked at the scenery outside the police car window, his mind constantly racing with thoughts.
Fan Siwen is right. Who could be the person who nominated him for the Nobel Prize?
Is he on the same side as himself, or are they opposing each other?
There was another thing that puzzled him.
During the interview, he spoke fluently and seemingly haphazardly, as if he himself didn't know how the story came to mind and came out of his mouth so naturally. It didn't sound like a lie at all, because after he finished speaking, the event became a memory, residing in his mind.
A designated meeting room for important meetings within the research institute.
"What happened today serves as a wake-up call for us. It is possible that the enemy's henchmen are trying to infiltrate and sabotage our entire operation in places we are not paying attention to."
"I think the main fault of this matter lies with Elder Huang. He initiated the project seminar in the first place, and now Song Yize's remarks have been leaked, which has led to the current situation."
"At that time, Professor Huang did a very good job of keeping things confidential. No one in the entire research institute spread the word."
"Then who can guarantee that he has nothing to do with what happened today?"
"Alright, everyone, stop arguing. Is it possible that Song Yize himself submitted the Nobel Prize nomination application?"
"If it's a name, then the possibility of this is very high."
“It couldn’t be him. Based on the time when the nomination application was sent, he didn’t have the means to use electronic devices during that period.”
Everyone looked at Hou Chengjie, who was speaking, and then turned their attention to the others.
“Lieutenant General Hou, we know that you have been under a lot of pressure since this responsibility was entrusted to you, but at this critical juncture, we must be realistic and speak from the perspective of an outsider.”
"At that time, I was putting three people in Song Yize's lab under solitary confinement."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
Much later.
"Does anyone have a different perspective on this matter?" The speaker was clearly a high-ranking military officer.
"Is it possible that this incident, along with the last data breach, was orchestrated by the same person?"
"So what you mean is?"
"I heard that before the Nobel Prize nomination application, the surveillance system in Song Yize's laboratory was hacked."
Everyone turned to look at Hou Chengjie again.
Hou Chengjie's eyes showed a hint of contempt. "At the time, it was hacked and a series of virus codes were set up, but we are investigating and will know the results soon."
"But now, as long as you try to access the lab monitoring page, the entire computer system will still be attacked by the virus, causing it to crash."
Why are you looking at his lab's security camera footage?
"Look at you..."
An officer of significantly higher rank interrupted the emotional argument between the two.
"Has the source still not been found?"
"The source has been deliberately hidden by someone using code, making it impossible to trace. The only solution is to have a hacker break in again and crack the monitoring virus."
"So, according to you, the entire laboratory has been compromised from the very beginning."
"Although we don't know if they were all done by the same group of people, the fact is that the hidden dangers have never stopped. Take, for example, the two officers we've lost so far..."
"In that case, their goal is clear: they're after Song Yize. Regardless of which side they're from, they're all eyeing our people covetously."
"Now they're going even further, trying to expose our entire State Secrets Bureau to the public. I think we can't tolerate this any longer. Our position is no longer safe, and there's a good chance something even more uncontrollable will happen next."
"From this perspective, shouldn't we consider making arrangements to relocate our base?"
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
"When we proposed the alternative plan, Mr. Huang had already announced that the alternative plan was our last resort. We should not fight to the death with the other party unless absolutely necessary."
"Nobody knows where Old Huang is now, and what he said didn't take into account how quickly the situation could change."
"I don't think now is the best time to move our positions. It would be unwise to expose our territory so quickly when we don't even know who the enemy is."
"General Qin is right. We shouldn't be so quick to regard Plan B as the only solution. We should think of other possibilities in the absence of alternative solutions."
"What are you still thinking about? Do you think we're the most brilliant minds? If you ask me, we've already reached such a critical moment. Let's just use the most powerful measures we can to defend against the enemy. It's not about how fast we strike the enemy, but how comprehensive we are. Let's give them a heavy blow first, so they'll at least know our strength."
"Commander Sun is right. That is currently the safest location to ensure the smooth progress of the entire project, and it is also our most advantageous force in striking the enemy. Anyone with objections may raise them."
No one spoke.
A short while later, a young soldier raised his hand and asked, "Should all projects proceed, or just this one?"
That's a good question, and everyone fell silent again.
“It would be a risk for us to have everyone go, and the cost would be too high. Letting Song Yize’s project go alone is still within our control.”
No one objected.
"Alright, everyone, let's vote by raising your hands."
When everyone expressed their consensus, the relevant options were to raise their hands or abstain.
Among those who raised their hands, we looked at each other, none of us able to make a final decision.
The votes for both sides looked very close, and just then, the meeting room door was pushed open.
"Oh dear, have I disturbed everyone?"
The person who entered spoke slowly, and his voice remained calm, without a trace of anxiety.
They all turned around in unison, their reactions varying; some had their eyes light up immediately.
"Just a heads-up, if it weren't for Song Yize's sudden exposure, would you have thought this was our safe haven forever? From what I've heard in those reporters' reports, it seems that someone here had already started investigating and analyzing our unusual data before this even happened. They just didn't have a suitable breakthrough. Now, it seems the Song Yize incident has perfectly satisfied the appetites of those trying to dig up secret information. So, can I assume that this firsthand information also came from someone among us, allowing those outspoken clowns to seize a lucrative business opportunity?"
These words caused an uproar among the crowd.
A rustling sound rang out in the conference room, which had never been in chaos before.
"In my opinion, relocating the laboratory is not an absolutely impossible option, but it is not our best option right now either. Based on the current situation, we can find out who is behind this and then safely move the site."
After pausing and glancing at everyone's expressions, the man continued, "The backup plan is a safe card to play when success or failure hinges on this, not a straw to grab when we have no other options. I hope everyone here understands the difference between these two approaches."
The final decision was made with everyone's agreement or through compromise.
Everyone agreed that Song Yize's project was best suited for independent assignment to the new research base. If the entire research institute realized things were going wrong and couldn't be reversed, they would be dispatched at the critical moment. Simultaneously, all traces of the research within the institute would be removed.
After the meeting.
Hou Chengjie's office.
"I think this whole thing was Huang Zhongqian's doing. I can say that very clearly. Who else could know about this and actually send it out? When he was in power, he suppressed all speech. Now he's suddenly making a big fuss about it, clearly just watching us make a fool of ourselves." The person on the other end of the phone was spitting as they spoke, clearly indicating that they hadn't had a proper discussion during the meeting.
"But we can't deal with him right now."
“He has no leverage over us, so it’s actually quite easy to take him down.”
"Don't underestimate what's behind him. Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
"I think he's making it clear that we can't deal with him, which is why he's making such a big fuss about causing trouble."
"So what should we do next?"
"It's not entirely hopeless. How's Song Yize's research going?"
"We are still a long way from achieving results."
"Is it some distance, or a very long distance?"
"You're not fighting on the front lines, so all you do is make sarcastic remarks."
"Is there any way to move forward?"
"We're already working against the clock."
"Don't worry, everyone, it's not over yet. If he dares to underestimate us, we have many more ways to silence him."
“Cut off his men, leaving him all alone.”
"They've stretched their hands out in front of us; that's far enough."
"Has anyone considered whether he considered the country's interests when he did this?"
"He's betting we'll make a move."
"How arrogant! Using our power to do his own thing!"
"He won't be arrogant for long. Our people will take action."
"Sooner or later he'll learn what happens when he messes with us!"
In front of Song Yize's dormitory.
The car quickly drove back to the research institute. It bypassed the crowd at the front gate and drove to the back gate.
When Mo Yang returned to the wolf's den, he felt that everyone's gaze towards him was a bit discordant.
As he slowly made his way back to the dormitory, he saw a person standing at the dormitory entrance in the distance. Before he could see the person clearly, Mo Yang had already sketched out a rough outline of their appearance.
What are you doing here?
Seeing that the man didn't answer immediately, Mo Yang asked again, "Are you waiting for someone here?"
"Professor Song, I...I've come to congratulate you." She said, handing over the bouquet of flowers she had hidden behind her back.
Mo Yang was somewhat surprised when he received the flowers, but he still accepted them.
"Thank you."
Mo Yang's tone was much gentler than usual.
"Professor Song, I have a favor to ask. May I apply to transfer to your laboratory to study?"
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