Chapter 86: Night 2
After driving for a while, Xie Zeyi said nonchalantly, "I can't really blame him. He's already driving faster than me."
Chu Wang glanced at him and said, "Oh, so you came back from the same place."
"Not really. Everyone has their own master. Unfortunately, he's across from me."
"So you're just trying to excuse yourself for being so slow in returning to Shanghai?"
"No, I'm defending Officer Lin."
From these few words, which others couldn't understand, she could make some inferences. Since Lin Zitong was going to intercept them, the other party was likely related to Jiangxi. With Xie Zeyi on the opposite side, it was likely that there was progress in Jiangxi, which was why Nanjing was nervous. Therefore, these two people, one was escorting, the other was guarding.
Since Xie has connections to both Jiangxi and the UK, it means that he has recently been ordered to pledge his loyalty to the institute. So, his words can be understood as saying, "You and I are now on the same page."
When they got home, he walked her upstairs. While she was washing up, Xie Zeyi turned on the record player outside. As the sound of running water and waltz music played in the room, he pushed the bathroom door open a narrow crack and added quietly, not looking away, "Someone else is making a move. Get ready."
Hearing this, she felt a stir. She wanted to ask more questions, but when she wrapped her hair in a towel, put on her pajamas, and pushed open the bathroom door to leave, his door was still open. Dance music danced briskly from inside, and the wind rustled the gauze curtains on the windowsill, bringing in the fragrance of white orchids. Xie Zeyi was gone. She took the record player and closed the window for him, then slept through half the weekend, filled with doubts.
She guessed a lot from Xie Zeyi's cautiousness and his hesitation to speak, which completely ignored the confidentiality agreement, and the remaining doubts were quickly answered.
When I got up, there were freshly sliced fruits and musli yogurt on the table. The coffee machine was also repaired. There were concise and clear operating instructions written on the coffee machine with sticky notes. The line of words grew bigger and bigger like a primary school student making sentences.
After breakfast, she pulled her hair into a loose bun, casually threw a coat over her cheongsam, and went out. Xie Zeyi's car was parked downstairs, with Bian Jieming behind the wheel. As soon as she got in, he stared at her and said, "Are you wondering where the commander is?" Then, with a grin, he joked, "We'll see him soon. He told you not to miss him too much."
She had never bothered to respond to the flirtatious comments Xie Zeyi had sent her. But she was still a little surprised to hear that they would be meeting soon.
The alleys outside were guarded, and the cordon was widened. The car slowly pulled in, and the road was filled with the clamor of British soldiers, and there were also many unfamiliar faces. It seemed that the importance attached to the institute had been raised to a new level, and they were willing to inject new blood.
As soon as she entered the institute, everything seemed the same as usual, but the atmosphere became inexplicably tense: the familiar faces became blurred, as if they had never seen her before, and she had never seen them before; everyone who passed by her walked in a hurry, and in every room, people would immediately lock the door cautiously as soon as they entered.
It felt like an enemy was at the gates of a city, making everyone feel insecure. Soldiers built high walls and fortresses, and all the flaming arrow towers were fully armed with bowstrings.
She quickened her pace and headed for the fifth floor. Bohr was waiting outside the I-group laboratory. Seeing her, he frowned and waved at her to hurry up. Following Bohr, as soon as she entered the laboratory, he immediately locked the door tightly behind her.
When they saw her come in, many people looked up and glanced at her with some displeasure, then immediately lowered their heads to organize their own documents.
Her "good morning" smile froze on her face, and she turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"
Bohr opened the safe and took out a stack of her manuscripts. "Do you remember the results? No, I'll give you five minutes to finish them and then burn them."
She nodded at the first question, then turned her head and glanced at everyone in the lab: most were reciting their calculations from the past few weeks, while a few, including Oppenheimer, were shredding their results. Oppenheimer shredded his own paper and handed the shredder to her. Bohr placed his paper in front of the shredder again and asked, "Are you sure you've memorized it?"
She stretched out her hand to block it, and asked in confusion, "Why?"
Bohr pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and placed it before her. It contained a few simple lines, written in both Japanese and English, the content identical.
The English translation is:
Dear Dr. Bohr, I have recently learned that you and many world-renowned physicists and chemists have been invited to Shanghai, China to conduct theoretical and experimental research in atomic physics. The Emperor, who has always respected learning and education and has a long-lasting line of succession, has heard from the envoy in Shanghai who is concerned about the progress of scientific research that you are restricted by many conditions such as funding and policies, and are even unable to work with female researchers with only a bachelor's degree. I cannot help but feel regretful. I have also heard that Yoshio Nishina and you were classmates, colleagues and good friends at Cambridge University and Göttingen University. Therefore, I have specially invited Yoshio Nishina and his best scientific research team to come to Shanghai, hoping that they can be of some help to your research progress. To ensure the safe and smooth progress of the research, the envoy has sent Major Sakuma and dozens of non-commissioned officers to guard the road construction across the border. They will work tirelessly and guard it day and night. Please accept their invitation.
With the highest respect.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Shanghai Takagi Unai (Signed)
As she read the letter, her heart grew clearer. They had been sending spies to spy on the institute's movements for a long time, but unfortunately, for various reasons, they had been unable to take action. On Friday evening, Sakuma, the major stationed in Shanghai who had been monitoring the situation, noticed her: she had come to Shanghai from the institute's original base in Hong Kong, and had the lowest academic qualifications of all the researchers. Now the institute's weaknesses and weaknesses had been exposed, and Japan had found a way to exploit them: if Bohr wouldn't accept the renowned Yoshio Nishina, your former colleague, why would he accept an unknown undergraduate, a woman of relatively low academic standing?
We cannot appreciate Japan's kindness, but we should let go of Dr. Yoshio Nishina and his excellent team and send them back to Japan.
This is impossible.
He was well aware of the scientific research capabilities and had worked with Bohr before. Furthermore, a major and his non-commissioned officers were about to make a surprise attack on a Monday morning. Now that they were here, why would they send them home?
Many people outside the Institute's i-group had long expressed confusion and dissatisfaction with her academic qualifications; they had been whispering about her privately on weekdays, and finally found a breakthrough today: It's bad enough that you don't seem to be of any benefit, but why do you have to be a black sheep and let all our hard work go to waste?
No wonder everyone who saw her coming up from downstairs looked as if they wanted to tear her apart.
Even the i-Team, who usually seemed to get along quite well, had someone impatiently look up and ask, "Why are you standing there if you're not going to destroy the research materials?"
Another Danish physicist laughed and said, "Her research data isn't particularly useful, except for the parts involving sensitive terms. It doesn't really matter whether it's destroyed or not."
Bohr turned around, holding her research materials in his hand, and asked sharply, "You've already done your own thing, and now you're meddling in other people's business?"
Oppenheimer noticed that she looked uneasy, so he walked over and whispered, "You remembered something, didn't you?"
She stared blankly ahead, a slight smile on her face, muttering to herself, "Since I'm here..."
"What's coming?"
The doorbell rang outside, and everyone thought the Japanese had arrived, so they couldn't help but speed up their actions.
Bohr looked around, paused, and went to open the door without changing his expression.
The door opened, but only Xie Zeyi was standing outside.
Xie Zeyi had met with Bohr the previous Monday. Fearing Japan's ambitious troop increase, the British preemptively transferred him. He was even given a promotion, with the two bars on his shoulders, one thick and one thin, becoming two large, thick ones. The captain rushed over in a hurry, but for no other reason than to simply wave and call Chu Wang out.
Bian Jieming had greeted her early in the morning, so she wasn't surprised to see him here. But she couldn't help but feel suspicious when he suddenly called her out at this moment.
Xie Zeyi was waiting for her in the corridor. The moment she left, before the soundproof door behind her closed, she heard a sarcastic remark: "Oh, isn't this her British lover?"
At that moment, she had no time to think about it. She took a few steps to Xie Zeyi, but he didn't look at her. He paused, motioning for her to look downstairs. The view from this spot was excellent, and she could just see five or six German cars parked beneath the institute's main entrance. The Japanese soldiers led the charge, and the foreman behind them personally opened the door and ushered in the bespectacled scientist. It was none other than Yoshio Nishina. The nominal director of the institute, a Jewish old man who looked like an old doll, personally greeted them and occasionally led the group into the institute.
Another line of Japanese soldiers was left behind. The major in the lead looked up. She would recognize that face even if it turned into ashes.
"The Major you were talking about, is this the one?"
"It's him."
"It seems you have caught his attention, otherwise how could it be such a coincidence."
"He's not concerned about me, but the research institute behind me."
"What do you think?"
"What are you thinking about?"
"Are you ready?"
Xie Zeyi's tone was unusually urgent. In the past, everyone thought guarding the research institute was a sinecure. To facilitate the tasks assigned to him by Mrs. Ge, he had applied for a transfer here, but it had never been approved. Last weekend, it was suddenly approved, but he hadn't expected that once it was approved, the sinecure would become a hot potato. Rutherford petitioned King George VI for a large sum of funding, and on top of that, he subsidized a significant amount of research himself and invited physics giants from around the world to this premier city in the Far East. What exactly was being researched was difficult for anyone outside of this building to understand; but the value of this research had been clear since the day they arrived.
Now that the Japanese are poaching, how should we protect our resources? Should we accept them without hesitation, adopt them, resist them, or give up?
He is also very difficult.
She wasn't nervous at all, with a smile on her face: "Do you know what the examiner said to me when the case didn't pass the review that night?"
He asked, "What?"
"He said, 'But, ma'am, you are within the protection of our laws.'" Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "He said, 'If it were you, they would pursue it to the end.'"
Xie Zeyi's voice was a little cold. He stared at her and asked, "What do you want to do?"
She was so lost in her own world that she didn't even notice the other person's voice and tone had sunk to the bottom. She smiled to herself and said, "Remember Mr. Saumur, Luca's lover? When he returned to Paris, I asked him, 'If there were another war, would you still be willing to serve the country that broke your heart?' Do you know what he said? He said, 'As many times as possible, at any time, he would die for you, even if it meant death.'"
He couldn't understand the source of her passion and excitement. He just wanted to throw a bucket of cold water on her, to calm her down, to be more rational, and to think through the consequences. He'd thought Third Miss Lin was intelligent, but who knew she only knew how to pursue her own unrealistic passions and ideals, repeatedly committing impulsive and reckless acts.
He stared at her and said, "You know, I kind of regret it now."
She also stared at him and smiled: "You regret taking over me from Mrs. Ge, don't you?"
"Yes. Very sorry."
He thought that she would be as obedient, intelligent and decent as other Chinese "ladies of noble families", and would be able to listen to some well-intentioned suggestions and advice... In this way, he only needed to carry her cage and take her out to breathe fresh air and see the local customs and scenery when he was free. At most, when it was safest, he would open the cage door and let her fly a little higher within the visible range, which didn't matter.
Little did he know that what Mrs. Ge handed to him was not a bird in a cage at all, but a time bomb that could explode at any time and place at will, catching you off guard.
He felt very regretful and wanted to give up immediately and send her back to where she came from.
The two men stood facing the stairs. Not far away, a group of Japanese soldiers had already come up. The two men stared at each other, oblivious to each other. Xie Zeyi slowly asked, "It seems you already have a plan in mind, and you know the price you'll have to pay for it, right?"
"Yes," she said.
"Then I wish you good luck," he sneered. "Also, please allow me to tell Mrs. Ge that from now on, I will no longer be involved in your affairs. I cannot manage them. Xie Zeyi cannot bear such a heavy responsibility as yours."
Before she could reply, a sarcastic American English voice drifted from a distance: "Thank you... Oh no, Captain, I've heard a lot about you."
Xie Zeyi had a gloomy face, but as soon as he turned his head, he immediately changed to a sunny expression and said with a smile: "Of course, it's to match... Uh, sorry?"
The major remained calm: "Sakuma Ichiro."
"Major Sakuma, I've long admired you." He suddenly realized something, and then asked, "Excuse me, who is Sakuma Shozan to you?"
"My great-grandfather."
"Oh," Xie Zeyi imitated Chu Wang's tone, looked at him, and smiled: "You don't look much like him."
"Really?" Because of the huge height difference, the Major had to raise his head with difficulty, smiling, "But growing up, everyone in Japan said I was the most like him."
Xie Zeyi's smile remained unchanged. "Then I would suggest they visit places outside of Japan. For example, Shanghai, Fuzhou Road. Perhaps they will change their minds."
The Major's face darkened for a moment, then a smile broke through. "Oh, thank you, Captain...it seems someone close to you has had a very regrettable experience there."
Chu Wang wasn't in the mood to argue with him right now. Her mind was full of other things, and she was about to walk away, leaving the stage for the two to clash, when the major suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
First he said, "Wait."
Then he pinched her shoulders and turned her around so that she was facing Xie Zeyi.
He glanced past her at Xie Zeyi and suddenly laughed, "I knew it. Shanghai is a dangerous place. If you want to retain business and build good relationships, how can the Chinese, with their limited skills, not use some honey traps? Otherwise, why would a female researcher who has never studied abroad for a doctorate appear here? Right, Captain Xie?"
Xie Zeyi stared at her, his heart full of anger, but there was a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, which seemed to be saying: Have you really thought about how to ask for trouble?
The Army Major and another Major, along with several others, led the group and the Japanese scientists up to the fifth floor. Xie Zeyi lowered his voice and said, "A little advice: Everyone has their own area of expertise. Don't meddle in matters you shouldn't be involved in, and don't judge things you don't understand. Otherwise, you'll easily become a laughing stock."
After saying that, he turned around and saluted the major respectfully.
The boss suddenly asked, "Who is this lady?"
The door to Group I opened, and Oppenheimer frowned and shouted, "Linzy, what are you still doing there!"
"This female scientist is the one I mentioned to the class..."
The lieutenant suddenly had an inspiration. He stretched out his arm and was about to pull her over to introduce her to everyone in a frivolous manner, but Xie Zeyi reacted faster than him and his arms were longer.
With his obvious natural advantage, Xie Zeyi easily reached out and pushed her towards the laboratory, and the major's arm awkwardly missed.
After she strode into the lab and the door closed, Xie Zeyi introduced her calmly and politely in English, saying, "This is Group I. Because this is extremely confidential information from the Royal Society, we don't know what their main work is, and we hope that no one will disturb us."
A Chinese translator quickly translated from English to Japanese.
The major spoke excellent English and said with a smile, "Since we don't understand, there's no point in listening." He made room for Yoshio Nishina and the others and said, "Then, can Dr. Nishina be considered a related party?"
The teacher suddenly spoke in Japanese with great seriousness. The translator said, "If not, then please explain to us why you accepted an unknown person but rejected the famous Professor Nishina?"
Just as Xie Zeyi was about to speak, the major suddenly glared at him and interrupted him, saying, "Perhaps Dr. Bohr can give us the answer."
…
The members of Group I listened to all this from the half-open doorway. There were still many manuscripts left that hadn't been destroyed, and much data that hadn't been memorized.
Bohr could find no reason to exclude Yoshio Nishina.
Some people even had the leisure to criticize her: This oriental woman is not only useless, but also causes trouble everywhere.
Chu Wang looked up at Oppenheimer and said softly, "They are all here."
He was still a little confused: "What do you mean?"
The experiment had progressed to this point, and she had pointed out something to this extent. If even Oppenheimer couldn't understand it, then no one else in the world would be able to understand it.
The data didn't need to be destroyed; she only needed to make minor revisions and polish it with a few more sentences. Then, all the experimental progress would immediately point in another direction!
Only she can save all the information here in these few minutes, only she!
If any outstanding twenty-first-century physics student were transported to the beginning of the twentieth century, what would they become?
Each of them possesses an astonishing weapon, unparalleled magical skills, and possesses an astonishing treasure.
These treasures are more powerful than the "Nine Yin Scriptures" and the "Sunflower Manual"; their thoughts are like sharp blades and swords, and once they come out, many heroes will rise up to seize them.
But no one can use this weapon better than them.
She smiled and said, "Since we're here, it's not good to let people go back empty-handed."
She lowered her voice and uttered a single word to the helpless Bohr: "Slow neutrons. Our research direction is slow reactors, right?"
She saw the confusion in Bohr's amber pupils gradually turn into surprise, and after he gradually realized everything, only shock remained!
He then opened the city gate and walked out. He coughed twice and said calmly, "Team I welcomes the Japanese leader and Dr. Nishina. If you'd like, I'll have my best researchers give you a rough overview of our recent research. However, this is still in its early stages of development, and there are many immature aspects."
Seeing him so calm, many people in the corridor were surprised.
Bohr made a "please" gesture and invited the Japanese scientists in first.
The British major and lieutenant, and the Japanese captain and major remained in a stalemate outside. Bohr remained in his previous position. The captain and major exchanged greetings, and the major again invited Xie Zeyi. Then the four of them followed closely and entered Group I.
The soundproof door closed, and the usually empty lab suddenly filled up. Familiar and unfamiliar, protectors and uninvited guests... jackals, wolves, tigers and leopards gathered together, and every member of Team i was terrified.
Bohr raised his eyebrows and cast a look at Chu Wang.
She caught the look, nodded, and walked to the blackboard with her experimental data, just like when she was a substitute lecturer for the professor and stood in front of college students for the first time when she was just starting her doctoral studies.
She first looked at Yoshio Nishina. "Twenty years ago, Einstein predicted that 'enormous energy exists in the atomic nucleus.' Ten years ago, another physicist also said, 'Humanity stands upon a vast source of energy, but unfortunately, it has not found a way to utilize it.' A year ago, my teacher Xu Lai discovered this and wrote a letter to Professor Rutherford, stating this point. Through him, he invited many of the world's most renowned physicists, chemists, and mathematicians to Shanghai. I am fortunate to have his advice and become a part of this great project."
Then she drew a circle on the blackboard and said, "There's something that, when a certain reaction occurs, generates enormous amounts of energy. If this energy is effectively harnessed, just one gram could be as powerful as three tons of high-quality coal or 200 kilograms of aviation fuel."
She stared at the boss intently and said in English, "Just one gram is equivalent to six generators from the Chinese Electrical Company in the French Concession. It can make the entire city of Shanghai shine like a city that never sleeps, anytime, anywhere!"
She had only tampered slightly, adding resistance to the fast neutrons over the past few weeks, and all the calculations shifted from uncontrollable reactions to controlled nuclear reactions. They weren't calculating weapons, but rather attempting to utilize the vast energy source that could provide electricity for humanity. As long as she calculated silently in her head and then eloquently recounted the brief process of the Chicago Pile, all the data didn't need to be destroyed!
After hearing the translation, the teacher's eyes lit up, and he even asked in Japanese before Nishina Yoshio did, "What is it?"
She understood this sentence.
She had long known that no one in the world was more desperately in need of, or more interested in, these words than the Japanese. She narrowed her eyes slightly and continued, "These are principles my teacher and the Royal Society of London have developed. They are Chinese property. Any deal is fair, and Britain is currently negotiating appropriate terms with our government. So, I would like to ask the respected Taipan, what terms and sincerity can you offer?"
The senior classmate suddenly said something unreasonable: "Science has no borders!"
She smiled and said, "But aren't invasion and plunder the boundaries between nations? Are you here to negotiate or to plunder?" She looked in the direction of Xie Zeyi and the major and said, "The British know the power of this secret. To this end, they have offered us their sincerity, demonstrating the proper courtesy of a nation of propriety and integrity. What about you?"
The boss and Yoshio Nishina talked in low voices for a long time. Nishina said a few words in broken English, and she immediately said, "You can speak German. I can understand."
Nishina breathed a sigh of relief, clearly feeling more comfortable speaking German. Then he said in German, "I want you to show me some data to prove that you are indeed conducting some relevant research. It doesn't need to be too much."
She nodded, handed her portion of the manuscript to Yoshio Nishina, and told him: "We plan to build a 'boiler' in the playground behind this building. It has a critical volume, called 'critical volume'."
She casually misrepresented the supercritical nature of weapons as boilers, reeling off familiar data as if she'd been working on "boiler" research for weeks, leaving no room for flaws. Yoshio Nishina's eyes grew brighter, and his hands trembled as he held the manuscript. Not only him, but everyone in Group i, including Bohr and Oppenheimer, was stunned: Was she really working on superweapons like us? Or had she been researching powerful energy stations from the beginning?
After she finished, Nishina said, "Some of your data is a bit one-sided. I'd like to hear something more."
Oppenheimer glanced at her, then followed her to the blackboard. He listed some data and turned to Nishina. "The moderator is graphite or heavy water. I compared the two and concluded that the former is superior."
After he finished speaking, Chu Wang was also surprised. He turned his head and stared at her, asking with his eyes: "When did you start researching decelerators?"
I looked at the handwriting on the manuscript again: it turned out to be Fermi's.
It turns out that he had been trying to successfully build a reactor since the first explosion on the playground!
With his voice trembling, Yoshio Nishina negotiated with the boss for a long time. Then the boss asked the translator, "For example, what are the conditions?"
"That's something your diplomats should agree with our government," she said.
The senior class teacher smiled and suddenly asked, "You can try to explain it to us and see if we can afford it."
Her eyelashes suddenly trembled, and she walked up to the captain and the major and wrote in Chinese: "Provide all the raw materials and equipment for the moderator and radioactive elements for our research..."
The captain and the lieutenant understood the Chinese text and burst into laughter. They wanted to pass the paper around, but she pulled the whole piece of paper over and continued writing:
"Return Port Arthur, Dalian, and the Manchurian Railway, apologize for the massacres and deaths in Port Arthur and Jinan, and withdraw all marines from the Shanghai Concession..."
As the captain and the major stared in amazement, she continued writing, "And I swear I will never invade China in my lifetime!"
The Major laughed heartily: "You are a little too naive."
She unfolded the paper, revealing the neatly written Chinese characters one by one. Pointing to the last nine characters, she said, "This is just the basics. Can't you even do something this simple?"
The major was about to mock her, but the captain stopped him with a hand. Then he asked in Japanese, "If I agree to all your conditions, how long will it take for our scientists to join you and provide you with all the necessary raw materials until your so-called 'boiler' is officially completed?"
"Six weeks." She breathed softly, ignoring the murderous looks from the people in Group i in the lab, and continued, "If there's no problem with your raw materials, then there's absolutely no problem with us!"
The boss also took a deep breath, looked at her with sharp eyes for a while, and then asked Yoshio Nishina in an inquiring tone.
Yoshio Nishina nodded.
The major stood up, walked over in three or two steps, pulled the paper over to her, and placed it in front of the boss.
The chief executive took the paper and said, "Then we will immediately send an envoy to negotiate with your government. We will base everything on this paper, and we will add nothing to it."
The Chinese translator was shocked and took a long time to translate it for her.
After she understood, she stared at him intently and asked, "Are you absolutely correct?"
The teacher replied in broken Chinese: "That's absolutely true."
Even if you cheat on me at this moment, what does it matter? This is a slow reaction, which requires a complex system of suffocation theory to shut down;
It is not like a quick reaction that can bring you a moment of annihilation like Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is death, and it is also the pleasure that you, the Japanese army, sought when you committed suicide by seppuku after being defeated.
It is Fukushima, it is acne, corroding you bit by bit and making you rot; it is endless, you can't die even if you want to, and you can't live even if you want to.
This is also a weapon. In the next few decades, twenty years, or even thirty years, no one will use this weapon better than her.
Ouyang Feng, you want the Nine Yin Scriptures, right? Take it. I'll recite it backwards, backwards, messily, at my whim. From now on, a tumor will be planted in your body, disrupting your meridians. If you harbor any evil intentions, you will be possessed.
The antidote is in my hand, but I won't give it to you.
When the wound is completely festered from the inside out, will you still kill the hostages and let the whole nation perish in peace?
"I don't want you to ever break your promise."
She stared at the boss, standing in front of everyone, with clear eyes, and suddenly smiled.
Many people present were shocked by that smile.
All the team members who had doubted her ability felt a little ashamed to face that smile.
The major who said that she "had never studied abroad and had no doctorate" and was "an idler" felt as if he had been slapped hard in the face in an instant.
Xie Zeyi was also shocked by that smile.
He had never seen such eyes before, so ambitious, yet so tender, yearning for something he loved so much.
If he had to describe it, he would rather say that at that moment, it was not blood flowing in her body, but millions of volts of high voltage electricity. She looked at you, and in an instant, thunder struck.
Everything turns to ashes. (m.)138TXT
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
