Chapter 2

PS: Thank you, Bingzhihen, for your generous donation of 588 coins, and thank you, Shatianju and Lanbingyiok, for your donations.

During the new book period, I'm rolling on the ground begging for collections and recommendations!

Liu Yijiu never expected to encounter such an incident at this base, which is the country's most confidential strategic reserve base!

Do these guys not have to work? How could so many people gather in this small open space in front of the hospital? If someone gets seriously injured, wouldn't it delay their treatment?

"Wang Shunyi, don't think that just because a new director has arrived, someone will back you up. Don't forget your status a few months ago just because you've had a few good days!" The man called Director Su completely ignored the old men's protests.

Director Su was very displeased to see these usually honest and upright technicians, who never resorted to violence, now standing up to him. He was already extremely uncomfortable because a new director had been assigned by the higher-ups. He had heard that the son of the former base leader, Liu Suzhi, had returned to the base, and he was worried that these old men, who already disliked him, would blame him for what Liu Suzhi had done in the past. The main culprit from back then was long gone!

Due to this concern, he had to eliminate all factors that could be detrimental to him at the earliest stage.

Liu Suzhi, a returned overseas Chinese who supported the country's construction after the founding of the People's Republic of China, had extraordinary talent in the military industry. The construction of this base was also carried out under his leadership.

After the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations in the late 1950s and the drastic changes in the international situation, the construction of the third-line defense began.

The top-secret directive, personally signed by General Zhu and Chairman Mao, to reserve strategic military technology for China, began before the third-line construction started.

The person in charge was Liu Suzhi, who had returned from the United States after breaking through numerous obstacles. The technology and equipment stored in this base were almost entirely operated by this iron-willed returned overseas Chinese.

When Su Mingyi brought a group of people from the space base, about ten miles away, through the railway to this highly confidential base, they happened to witness a fight. Liu Suzhi was beaten to death on the spot, but the people in the base thought he was one of the initial group and had been fighting with them for years.

Before he died, Liu Suzhi had his sixteen-year-old son taken away from the base.

Due to the complicated reasons that had been explained countless times, Su Mingyi could not sit idly by. When he prepared to threaten and intimidate the young man, the news leaked, and these old men rushed over.

He had to get rid of the young man before the new director understood the situation. The resource allocation in this base was unmatched by few places in the country.

Liu Suzhi's wife had fled to the United States, and his son's identity alone was enough to raise suspicion. His subordinates suggested arresting Liu Yijiu on charges of espionage, which would also allow them to smear the new director, Zheng Hao.

This was a win-win situation.

"Su, a thorough materialist is fearless. Don't think our tolerance means we're afraid of you! Try touching Xiao Liu today!" Wang Shunyi was equally defiant.

As an intellectual who had suffered a lot in recent years, his body was not very robust.

Even when he raised his fists, he lacked any intimidating presence.

As a close friend of Liu Yijiu's father, Wang Shunyi deeply understood that the charge of espionage was just an excuse for Su Mingyi to frame Liu Yijiu.

If Su Mingyi arrested him on charges of espionage, he might never return. In this remote mountain area, a death might go unnoticed for months.

"You old thing, you're asking for it! Brothers, get your weapons! Either we crush them or they crush us! Show these old men some color!" A young man in a faded military uniform shouted after hearing Wang Shunyi's words.

This set off a chain reaction.

The young men behind Su Mingyi, armed with steel pipes and thick wooden sticks, immediately rushed towards the old men.

Liu Yijiu watched the entire scene but was powerless to stop it. He gathered all his strength and shouted, "Stop!" but only he could hear his voice.

Even if he were not Liu Yijiu and had no emotional ties to these people, he could not help but be moved by their efforts to protect him.

For so many years, they had only been experimental subjects and had never experienced such feelings. They had only undergone continuous learning and testing, with no personal emotions.

Liu Yijiu was almost in tears, but he had no way to stop the chaos.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Three crisp gunshots finally calmed the fighting crowd. However, many people had already fallen, mostly the old men on Wang Shunyi's side.

"What are you doing? Are you rebelling? We come from all over the country to work together for a common goal, and this is your goal?" Looking in the direction of the gunshots, the middle-aged official who had saved him the other day arrived with over ten black-uniformed guards, wearing peaked caps and red armbands with the letters "NB" (for "Internal Security").

"Director Zheng, you came just in time. These old men are obstructing our law enforcement. There's a spy here! Help me arrest them!" Su Mingyi was even happier to see Zheng Hao.

Fabricating charges was second nature to him; as long as it served his purpose, the truth didn't matter.

"No oppression, no resistance! Su, don't push it!" The people in the base dared to be angry but not to speak out against Su Mingyi's habit of framing people. This was not the same as a few years ago.

The scientific and technological workers in the base had resumed their work and were ready to work hard. They believed the situation would improve, and they were no longer afraid of Su Mingyi framing them with fabricated charges.

"What obstruction of law enforcement? What spy?" Zheng Hao had no connection with Su Mingyi. When he arrived yesterday, no one welcomed him, which was a clear challenge from Su Mingyi, who should not have been in charge of the base.

Thinking about the pressure he would face in his future work, all coming from this man, he said sternly, "I saw everything with my own eyes. Director Su, we are a country of laws, and everything must be done according to the law."

Zheng Hao had seen everything from the beginning. When he saw these people heading towards the hospital, he was worried about trouble and had gathered over ten guards to follow them.

"Regardless, Liu Yijiu's father, Liu Suzhi, was a spy!" Seeing that Zheng Hao was not giving him any face and was clearly protecting the other side, Su Mingyi was displeased.

A new arrival was not even listening to him, the person in charge!

Moreover, Su Mingyi had always been worried that Zheng Hao's purpose in coming to the base was to deal with him. He had given him a warning yesterday, and he could not show weakness today! Otherwise, he would not have a good outcome.

What he had done in the base was enough to get him executed ten times over.

Selling the base's strategic materials and stealing military technology, though done very secretly, could not guarantee that everyone would keep their mouths shut.

"Liu Suzhi's case has not been thoroughly investigated. I came here specifically for this matter," Zheng Hao said seriously.

"Investigate? What's there to investigate? He did return from the United States, right? His wife ran away after giving birth, right? She knew the construction plans in detail. Besides, he had always been in contact with the United States! Isn't that enough to prove he was a spy sent by the American Empire?" Su Mingyi was even more terrified when he heard that the case from a few years ago was being reopened.

His suspicions were confirmed! This was to deal with him.

He had investigated for years and found no evidence that it was not him who had done it. His arrival was too timely. This was clearly to deal with him!

Having experienced many storms, he knew he could not show weakness now, or his subordinates who had done illegal things with him would turn against him.

"Without investigation, there is no right to speak. Whether he is a spy from the American Empire needs to be investigated. You have no reason to beat up the base's strategic engineers. If a war breaks out and the base is activated..." Zheng Hao did not specify the consequences.

No one could bear the consequences!

The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was getting more intense, and the international situation was becoming more complex.

Four years ago, U.S. President Nixon secretly visited China to ally with China against the Soviet Union and to split the red camp. Sino-U.S. relations thawed, and China began to re-establish relations with Western countries. That year, China and Japan also restored relations.

If this claim were to be made public, it would cause significant international repercussions!