Chapter 434 Counter-espionage Upgrade

Yang Xiaobing did not knock when he came in.

He Yuzhu looked up and saw that he was clutching a stack of papers in his hand, his knuckles white from gripping them so tightly. The old scar on his face was taut and shiny—Yang Xiaobing's scar would become congested with blood whenever he was nervous.

"Xiao Zhao is in trouble." Yang Xiaobing threw the paper on the table.

"Zhao Weidong from the superconductivity group. A graduate student under Qian Zhiyuan." Yang Xiaobing took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, lighting it after three tries. "That guy surnamed Chen from Hong Kong, the one who sent samples to test us, we've been in contact with him."

He Yuzhu picked up the stack of papers. Call records, printed out, with numbers circled in red pen. One from Beijing, one from Guangzhou, and one from Hong Kong. He recognized the Hong Kong number—Chen Yongkang.

"How long have you been in contact?"

"Two months. He gets it every three or four days, for three to five minutes. We checked, and Zhao Weidong's family is in urgent need of money. His mother has uremia, and dialysis costs over 300 yuan a month. His salary is 42 yuan, and they sold their ancestral home; they can't make ends meet for more than a few months."

He Yuzhu put down the call log. "Where is he?"

"He's at the security office. I didn't restrict him, but I had someone follow him. Qian Zhiyuan doesn't know yet."

"Call him to my office. You stay away."

Yang Xiaobing opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only nodded and turned to leave.

He Yuzhu stood up and walked to the window. Someone was shoveling snow in the yard; the shovel scraped against the cement ground with a dull, cutting sound.

There was a soft knock on the door behind me, as if afraid of disturbing something.

"Come in."

Zhao Weidong stood at the door, wearing a faded blue cotton-padded jacket, his face deathly pale and his lips ashen. He kept his head down, staring at the tips of his shoes, his feet grinding back and forth on the ground.

"Come in and close the door."

Zhao Weidong walked in, closed the door, and stood two meters away from the desk, as if he were nailed to the spot.

"sit down."

He didn't sit down. His lips trembled a few times, but no sound came out.

He Yuzhu didn't urge him anymore. He sat back down in his chair, took out a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, pulled one out, and lit it. The smoke slowly rose and dispersed.

"How has your mother been feeling lately?"

Zhao Weidong was taken aback. He probably hadn't expected He Yuzhu to ask that. He opened his mouth, and a muffled sound came out of his throat, as if he were choked.

"...Not good." The two words were so hoarse they were almost inaudible.

"Uremia?"

Zhao Weidong's knees buckled, as if he had been kicked from behind. He braced himself against the edge of the table to keep from kneeling.

"Director He, you already know."

Why did you answer that Hong Kong number?

Zhao Weidong's tears finally fell. Silently, each tear landed on his blue cotton-padded jacket, spreading into dark, round spots. He wiped them with the back of his hand, but they wouldn't come off, so he wiped them with his sleeve.

"My mother's illness... costs a little over three hundred yuan a month. That person said he could help me, he'd give me two thousand five hundred first, and I'd tell him the prescription, then give him another two thousand five hundred. I didn't give it, Director He, I really didn't give it."

"Why did you answer so many calls if you didn't give me a reason?"

"He keeps hitting me. He says I'm not helping him, so he goes to my supervisor and says I took the money and didn't do the job. I'm scared. Director He, I'm afraid of losing my job." His voice became more and more urgent, like water bursting from a dam. "I didn't give him anything, really. He asked about the proportions in the formula, and I didn't tell him. He asked about the sintering temperature, and I didn't tell him either. I just said I didn't know."

He Yuzhu stared at him for a few seconds. "You don't know the recipe?"

Zhao Weidong raised his head, his eyes red. "I know. But I dare not say it."

The office fell silent. The clock ticked away, second by second.

Which hospital is your mother in?

Jishuitan (Accumulated Water Pool)

How much does one dialysis session cost?

"...Over eighty. Three times a week."

He Yuzhu picked up the phone and dialed the finance department. "Accountant Zhang, starting next month, the hospital will set up a medical subsidy fund for employees in need. Two thousand yuan will be allocated each month. Zhao Weidong's mother's dialysis expenses will be covered by the hospital through this fund."

The accountant's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Director He, the fund needs your signature."

"I'll sign now." He Yuzhu hung up the phone and looked at Zhao Weidong. "The court will handle your mother's matter. But you must write down everything. The time and content of every phone call, what he asked you, and what you answered—not a single word should be omitted."

Zhao Weidong nodded vigorously, tears welling up again. This time he didn't wipe them away, letting them flow. He wanted to say something, his lips moved a few times, but he could only utter the three words "Director He," and then he couldn't say anything more.

He Yuzhu stood up and walked over to him. "You are Qian Zhiyuan's most capable man. The mass production of high-temperature superconducting cables will depend on people like you in the future. Don't ruin yourself because of temporary difficulties."

Zhao Weidong finally couldn't hold on any longer. He squatted down, covered his face, and his shoulders trembled violently. His sobs were muffled in his hands, like the low howls of a wounded beast.

He Yuzhu didn't say anything or pull him up. He waited until the boy had finished crying before standing up on his own.

"Go find Yang Xiaobing and write the report. After you're done, go back and rest. You'll be at work tomorrow."

Zhao Weidong wiped his face with his sleeve, took a deep breath, straightened his back, and bowed to He Yuzhu. He turned and walked to the door, opened it, and saw Yang Xiaobing standing in the corridor, already prepared with paper and pen in his hand.

"Yang Xiaobing, take him to the security department to write up some materials. Once he's done, let him go back. His current position doesn't involve handling core data; transfer him to the equipment maintenance team."

Yang Xiaobing nodded and left with Zhao Weidong. Zhao Weidong walked slowly, stopping at the corner of the corridor. He turned his head, revealing half his face, and glanced at He Yuzhu with reddened eyes. Then he disappeared behind the wall.

He Yuzhu closed the door and sat back in his chair. He tapped his fingers twice on the table, picked up the phone, and dialed Lao Sun's number.

"Old Sun, Chen Yongkang has made another move. He tried to bribe one of our people, but failed. Contact the Ministry of Public Security and have him listed as a key target; arrest him as soon as he enters the country."

Old Sun's voice came through the receiver, laced with anger. "It's that Chen guy again. Last time he sent samples, this time he's bribing people. Isn't he afraid of dying?"

"He has an American passport, so we're not afraid. But we can't let him get away with this. Also, all personnel in the institute with access to classified information must re-sign confidentiality agreements for life. Those who refuse to sign will be reassigned."

"This is a bit too much; some people will object."

"Confrontations are acceptable. The Shiroyama Research Institute leaves no loopholes."

He Yuzhu hung up the phone and wrote a few lines in his notebook: Lifetime confidentiality agreement for all employees. Install electronic jammers on the compound wall to cover civilian frequency bands. Establish a fund to assist employees in need.

After finishing writing, I closed the notebook and stuffed it into the drawer—actually transferring it to the system space.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor; Yang Xiaobing had returned. He pushed open the door, leaned against the doorframe, and lit a cigarette.

"It's finished. Seven pages, very detailed. He really didn't tell. When the guy surnamed Chen asked him about the formula, he always said 'I don't know.' When the guy surnamed Chen pressed him, he said he would report him for taking money. He panicked and wanted to sell the formula to keep his job, but in the end he didn't dare."

He Yuzhu looked at Yang Xiaobing. "Do you think he's trustworthy?"

Yang Xiaobing flicked his cigarette ash. "Believable. But unreliable."

"How so?"

"He won't betray us. But if that Chen guy holds a knife to him again, he'll panic. Zhao Weidong is timid, soft-hearted, and burdened by his mother's illness; he can't handle the pressure. He's not a bad person, but he's not one to keep secrets either."

He Yuzhu remained silent for a long time. The sky outside the window darkened, and the streetlights in the courtyard came on. Snowflakes drifted down in the beams of light, fine and silent.

"Transfer him to the equipment maintenance team, where he won't have access to core data. But retain his position and salary. Keep an eye on the fund; make sure his mother's dialysis payments are disbursed on time every month, without interruption."

Yang Xiaobing nodded and stubbed out his cigarette. "Director He, people's hearts are harder to guard against than technology. You can't control a person's heart."

He Yuzhu stood up and turned off the light. Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting long shadows of the two people on the opposite wall, like two withered trees.

"We'll lock it up as long as we can."

He walked out of the office and into the corridor. The motion-activated lights came on, and his footsteps echoed. Yang Xiaobing followed behind, neither of them speaking.

He Yuzhu stopped at the elevator entrance and turned around.

"Have the security department install an electronic jammer at each of the four corners of the compound wall, covering all civilian communication frequencies. Anyone bringing a camera, recorder, or radio into the compound must register and be checked upon exiting."

"I'll do it tomorrow."

The elevator doors opened, and He Yuzhu stepped inside. Before the doors closed, he took one last look at the corridor. The lights were a stark white, and the place was deserted.

The old jeep was parked in the yard, a thin layer of snow on its roof. He got in, started the engine, and the headlights illuminated the road ahead. On the passenger seat, the envelope with no sender's name, only "To Zhao Weidong," was still lying there. He neither opened it nor threw it away.

He stepped on the gas. The snow fell heavier and heavier, the snowflakes as dense as walls in the headlight beams. The gray walls of the research institute receded further and further in the rearview mirror, gradually merging into the night.

What was in the envelope? A second round of bribery? A threat from Chen Yongkang? Nobody knew.

The snow will cover up all traces.

But it can't cover up what's in people's hearts.