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Wang Miao felt that the four people who came to him were a strange combination: two policemen and two soldiers. If those two soldiers were militia, it would be normal, but they were both army officers. 。Wang Miao didn't have a good first impression of the policeman who came to see him. 。Actually, the young man in uniform was alright. He was polite and well-mannered, but the officer was really unpleasant. 。This man was tall and broad-shouldered, with a fierce look on his face. He was wearing a dirty leather jacket that smelled of smoke. He spoke loudly and was the type of person who most annoyed Wang Miao. 。"Wang Miao?" the man asked, calling his name directly made Wang Miao very uncomfortable, besides the man was still lighting a cigarette and didn't even look up. 。Before Wang Miao could answer, he motioned to the young man beside him. The latter showed his ID card to Wang Miao and then, after finishing his cigarette, strode straight into the house. 。Please do not smoke in my house. 。<"Wang Miao stopped him">。"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor Wang." 。This is our Captain Shiqiang <<< >>>。The young officer smiled and winked at the man surnamed Shi. 。"Then let's talk in the hallway." 。"Shiqiang said, taking a deep breath. The cigarette in his hand was almost burned halfway down, but then he didn't exhale the smoke at all." 。You ask <<< >>>。He nodded again to the young officer. 。"Professor Wang, we'd like to know if you've recently been in contact with members of the 'Scientific Boundaries' Society, is that right?" "The 'Scientific Boundaries' Society is a highly influential academic organization internationally, its members are renowned scholars" 。"If it's a legitimate academic organization, why can't I join it?""You're unbelievable!" Shiqiang shouted, "Did we say it was illegal? Did we say you couldn't join?" He said this while spitting the smoke he had just inhaled right onto Wang Miao's face. 。"Well, that's personal. I don't need to answer your questions." 。"You're settling for everything, and as a renowned scholar like you, you should be responsible for public safety." 。Shiqiang tossed the cigarette butt aside and took another from the crushed pack. 。"I have the right to remain silent. You may proceed." 。"Wang Miao said he was going to turn back to the house". 。"Wait!" Shiqiang shouted, waving to the young officer beside him. "Get me his address and phone number. I'm going to pay him a visit this afternoon." 。"What do you want to do?!" Wang Miao angrily questioned, this argument drew the attention of the neighbors who also poked their heads out to see what was happening. 。 "Officer Shi! You said you— " The young police officer pulled Shiqiang aside angrily, clearly his vulgarity was not just making Wang Miao uncomfortable. 。"Professor Wang, please don't misunderstand 。A military officer rushed forward, "There's an important meeting this afternoon with several scholars and experts attending. The leader asked us to invite you." 。I'm very busy this afternoon. 。We are clear on this, the leader has already spoken to the leaders of the superconducting center. 。Your presence at this meeting is crucial. If you can't make it, we'll have to postpone the meeting until you are available. 。Shi Qiang and his colleagues didn't speak anymore, they went downstairs. The two soldiers watched them walk away, as if they had both let out a breath of relief. 。"What's wrong with this person?" 。"The teacher whispered to her colleague." 。"He has a long history of wrongdoing. A few years ago, in a hostage situation, he acted recklessly and disregarded the hostages' lives, leading to the tragic deaths of a family of three at the hands of criminals; it is also said that he was heavily involved with organized crime, using one gang to deal with another; last year, he even tortured a suspect, causing him permanent disability, which resulted in his suspension from duty..." "How could someone like this be allowed into the war room?" "The commander specifically requested him. There must be something special about him..." 。However, he was under strict limitations. Besides matters concerning public security, he was kept in the dark about almost everything else. 。"A battle center? What is that?" Wang Miao looked at the two military officers in front of him with confusion. 。Wang Miao's car drove into a large courtyard on the outskirts of the city. From the gate, which only had a house number and no unit nameplate, Wang Miao knew this was a military rather than police compound. 。The meeting was held in a large hall, and as soon as Wang Miao entered, he was taken aback by the scene. 。The hall was surrounded by a circle of computers, some so numerous that they spilled onto the floor. Wires and cables snaked across the ground in a tangled mess. A large stack of network switch machines wasn't mounted in racks but haphazardly piled on servers. Several projectors with large screens stood haphazardly in the corners of the hall at different angles, like gypsy tents. Smoke hung in the air like morning mist... Wang Miao couldn't be sure if this was the war room the soldier had mentioned, but one thing was certain: here, logic had been abandoned for something else entirely. 。The makeshift conference table was piled high with papers and clutter. Attendees were mostly exhausted, looking haggard and rumpled; even those who wore ties had loosened them, as if they'd pulled an all-nighter. 。The meeting was presided over by a high-ranking army general, with half the attendees being military personnel. 。After a brief introduction, he knew that there were some police officers present. The rest of the people attending the meeting were experts like him. Among them were several well-known scientists who specialized in fundamental research. 。To his surprise, there were also four foreigners. What astonished him even more was that two of them were military personnel: an Air Force Colonel and a British Army Colonel, both serving as NATO liaison officers; the other two were actually journalists from the Central News Agency, their roles here being observers. 。From everyone's faces, Wang Miao read a single sentence: We've done our best, just fucking end it! Wang Miao saw Shi Qiang, he was unlike yesterday's ru. He greeted Wang Miao, but that silly smile didn't make Wang Miao feel good at all. 。He didn't want to sit next to Shiqiang, but there was only that one empty seat left. He had no choice but to take it. The already strong smell of smoke in the room became even heavier. 。When handing over the file, Shiqiang leaned in and said to Wang Miao, “Professor Wang, you seem to be researching something... new material?”"Nano materials" 。<<<"Wang Miao answered briefly.">>>。"I've heard that thing is incredibly strong. Wouldn't it be used for criminal activity?" From Shiqiang, there was a hint of jest in his tone, but Wang Miao couldn't tell if he was serious or not. 。"What do you mean? “Well, I heard that thing could lift a semi-truck with just its hair. If criminals got their hands on it, one swipe of that blade could cut a car in half " 。"Humph, I don't need to make a knife. Just use that kind of material to make a wire one-hundredth the thickness of hair and block it on the road, and you could cut passing cars in half like cutting butter... What can't be used for crime? Even a fish scaler can!"Shiqiang took half of the file from the bag in front of him and put it back, obviously losing interest. 。"You're right, even fish can commit crimes! I once solved a murder case, where a woman cut off her husband's... you know..." 。"What's being used? Frozen tilapia from the fridge! After freezing, the row of spines on its back is like a sharp knife…" "I'm not interested. What, am I called here to this meeting just for this?" "Fish? Nanotechnology? No, no, it has nothing to do with those..." 。"Shiqiang leaned into Wang Miao's ear, "Don't give these guys a good face. They discriminate against us, only want to get money from us, but don't tell us anything." 。Like me, I've been around here for over a month, and just like you, I don't know anything. 。Fellows, the meeting has begun. 。General Chang Weis said, "In theaters around the globe, we are currently the focus here." 。Let me first introduce the current situation to all the participants present. 。The unusual term "battlefield" intrigued Wang Miao. He also noticed that the leader didn't seem to intend to introduce the ins and outs to him as a newcomer, which confirmed Shiqiang's words. 。In this brief opening, General Chang mentioned "fellows" twice. Wang Miao looked at the two NATO soldiers and two members of the State Bureau across from him, feeling that General Chang seemed to have substituted "gentlemen". 。"They are also fellow admirers, after all, everyone here calls each other that." 。"Shiqiang whispered to Wang Miao, at the same time pointing with his cigarette at the four foreigners." 。While being mesmerized, Wang Miao was impressed by Shi Qiang's observational skills. 。"Dashi, you put out the cigarette, this place is thick with smoke." 。Chang Weis said, "Lowering his head, he flipped through the documents." 。Shiqiang lit a cigarette and looked around, not finding an ashtray. With a "swoosh" sound, he tossed it into his teacup. 。He seized the opportunity to raise his hand and speak, before Chang Weis thought could be expressed, he said loudly: "Chief, I have a request, one that has been mentioned before - information equivalence!"General Chang Weis raised his head, “There is no military operation that is information-equivalent. I ask the experts and scholars present to understand this point. We cannot provide you with more background information” 。But we are different 。"Shi Qiang said, 'The police have been involved since the establishment of the combat center, but until now, we don't even know what this organization does.'" 。And you are driving the police away, you are step by step understanding our work, and then pushing us out one by one. 。The other officers present were quietly trying to restrain Shi Qiang. 。Shi Qiang dared to speak to a high-ranking official like Chang Weis, which surprised Wang Miao. The latter's counterattack was even sharper. 。"I said, Da Shi, now it seems like you still haven't gotten over those old ailments from your time in the military." 。Can you represent the police? You've been suspended for several months due to your misconduct and are about to be removed from the police force. 。I called you here because I value your experience in urban policing. You should cherish this opportunity. 。Da Shi used his voice to say, "Then I'm taking the blame and making meritorious deeds? Didn't you say those were all some crooked and perverse experiences?""But they work..." 。Chang Weis thought for a moment and nodded to Shi Qiang. "As long as it works, we don't have time to worry about the details now. This is wartime after all." 。“We can't think normally anymore,” a reporter at the provincial office said in standard Mandarin, “there's nothing else we can do.” 。"That British Colonel obviously understood him too, he nodded, “To be or not to be…” "What did he say?" Shiqiang asked Wang Miao " 。"It's nothing" 。"Wang Miao replied mechanically." 。These people seemed to be daydreaming, during wartime? Where was the war? He turned his head towards the floor-to-ceiling windows in the hall, outside the window he could see the city beyond the large courtyard: In spring sunshine, cars were flowing on the streets; someone was walking their dog on the lawn, and a few children were playing....Which world, inside or outside, was more real? General Chang spoke: “Recently, the enemy's attacks have intensified significantly, still targeting high-level figures in the scientific community. Please take a look at the list in the document first>>>。Wang Miao took out the top sheet of paper from the file. It was printed in large characters, and the list was obviously hastily compiled. There were both Chinese names and English names. 。"Professor Wang, what comes to mind when you see this list?" Chang Weisi asked, looking at Wang Miao. 。I know three of them, all renowned scholars at the forefront of rational inquiry. 。"Wang Miao replied, somewhat absentmindedly. His eyes were fixed on the last name, and in his subconscious, those two characters seemed to glow differently from the preceding lines." 。How could I see your name here? What's wrong? "Know each other?" Da Shi pointed at the name on the document with a finger that was yellowed by smoke and asked 。Seeing that Wang Miao didn't react, he quickly responded, "Hmm, I don't know him very well..." 。"Want to get acquainted?" Now, Wang Miao knew there was a reason why Chang Weisi had sent this former soldier of his. This seemingly ordinary fellow had eyes like daggers. 。He may not be a good policeman, but he is certainly a tough guy. 。That was a year ago, when Wang Miao was the head of the nanomaterial section of the "China II" high-energy accelerator project. 。That afternoon on Liangxiang's construction site, during a brief rest, he was suddenly drawn to the composition before his eyes. 。As a landscape photography enthusiast, the real world often appears to him as a series of artistic compositions. 。The main focus of the composition is the superconducting coil they are installing, which is three stories high and halfway up. It looks like a monster made of massive metal blocks and a tangle of ultra-low temperature coolant pipes, resembling a pile of scrap from the Industrial Age. This reveals a cold, inhuman precision and brutal ferocity of steel. 。Just before this metal behemoth, a young and slender figure appeared. 。The composition of this scene is also superb: the metallic behemoth is submerged in the shadows cast by the temporary construction scaffolding, further emphasizing its cold and rough nature. A beam of evening sunlight, passing through a hole in the scaffolding, falls directly onto that shadow, illuminating the smooth hair, the collar of the work uniform, and the fair skin of the neck. It looks like after a raging storm, a flower blooms on the vast metallic ruins... |
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