Chapter 51: The Awe of "It"

Inside the conference room, the discussion continued. Every order deemed feasible by the consensus went through a round of voting before being recorded in the meeting archives.

A backup copy was always retained on the Commander-in-Chief's desk.

After the meeting, some of these orders would be dispatched immediately, while others required formal approval before being issued.

Those issued immediately typically originated from superiors present in the room, directing their own subordinate departments or directly issuing military deployment orders. Those requiring approval generally involved cross-departmental coordination and necessitated prior notification.

Regardless of the channel, one could imagine that they would be executed with extraordinary swiftness.

This was solely due to the unreserved support of the Commander-in-Chief behind them.

At that moment, the veteran detective entered through the back door. He ignored the people continuously conversing in the room—even though these were officials and officers whom he would never normally see—and hurried straight toward the Commander-in-Chief. Reaching his side, he leaned over and whispered into his ear.

The murmur of discussion in the conference room began to subside.

Then, the veteran detective placed a document before the Commander-in-Chief.

The Commander-in-Chief nodded from time to time as he reviewed the material brought to him.

"You mean the clues left behind by Academician Tang have also been severed?"

"Yes. According to his account, Academician Tang discovered something early on, but now..."

"I understand."

The Commander-in-Chief nodded and looked out over the conference room.

The room had fallen completely silent, with everyone gazing at the Commander-in-Chief.

They knew the Commander-in-Chief must have obtained some new intelligence.

"Comrades, I have just received the latest update.

"When Academician Tang came into contact with Meng Hua, the student of Elder Ge, the information he left behind was destroyed. 'It' was the one who did it.

"It is desperately trying to cover something up, which proves that there is something it cares about.

"The fact that it murdered two of our academicians demonstrates that it is afraid—afraid that these two academicians possessed the capability to threaten it."

The veteran detective at his side started slightly, feeling a bit puzzled. After all, the message the think tank had asked him to convey to the Commander-in-Chief was merely that 'It' cared deeply about this piece of information; that didn't seem to imply that 'It' was afraid.

However, when he glanced at the people around the conference table and saw their high morale, he seemed to understand something.

Facing this transcendent entity, this unknown threat wielding mysterious methods, who wouldn't feel fear? All the Commander-in-Chief was doing was trying to boost morale.

"Comrades, we must not lower our guard. Despise the enemy strategically, but take the enemy seriously tactically—the teachings of the great men must be engraved in our hearts.

"What we must figure out now is what 'It' cares about, what 'It' fears, and seize its pain points to strike a heavy blow!

Next, let this veteran comrade brief us on the ins and outs of what just transpired."

With that, the Commander-in-Chief stood up and patted the veteran detective on the shoulder.

The veteran detective felt his mind go completely blank, much like a college student facing their first thesis defense on a podium.

He had only come to deliver a message; how did the duty of briefing fall onto him?

Being experienced and knowledgeable, however, he blanked outwardly for only a single second before beginning to recount his meeting with Meng Hua.

There wasn't much to tell; the core of it was the analysis conducted by the think tank based on these events.

"Those scholars believe that knowing Elder Ge and Academician Tang discovered something is extremely important. Yet, given 'It's' attitude toward this matter and the fate of the two academicians, possessing this information is also exceptionally dangerous. Until we figure out what kind of methods 'It' uses, we will likely find it difficult to mount any counter-measures.

"After all, we do not have many academicians, and academicians in this specialized field can be counted on one hand. Other doctors and professors are irreplaceable talents in their respective domains; not a single one of them is someone we can afford to sacrifice lightly."

The veteran detective paused, then added, "When I sought the scholars' opinions, several of them volunteered—two PhDs and a professor. They possess an extremely high level of ideological awareness and asked me for Meng Hua's location. Moreover, the three of them were the only ones among the group who opposed those conservative views.

"I refused them, but I also advise you to take these constraints into consideration."

A heavy silence fell over everyone present. They had clearly thought of certain possibilities.

Some scholars might rush into the flames like moths to a flame, desperately trying to fathom the information left behind by Elder Ge.

Even if the numbers were small, it would still be a devastating loss for the nation.

For instance, most of the students belonging to Academician Tang and Elder Ge made outstanding contributions within their respective fields. If even a few of these individuals threw themselves into this vengeance for their mentors, it could deal a catastrophic blow to the projects they were leading.

"This certainly needs to be considered. But if that's the case, who else can decode the information left behind by Elder Ge?"

One person's question rang out, deafening and profound.

Indeed, if no one went to decode this message, how could they ever discover the "enemy's" weakness? How could they know what information "It" was desperately trying to conceal?

The Commander-in-Chief scanned the conference room, suddenly realizing he had trapped himself in a trolley problem.

This intelligence was crucial, yet perilous. Once decoded, it would inevitably draw the attention of "It."

An academician was simply too precious. Furthermore, they were not soldiers; even if they responded enthusiastically to a national call, he had no way to force them to execute an order that was clearly a suicide mission.

"It" had merely killed two academicians, yet that act had established a deterrence so simple and effective.

"It" seemed to stand on high, drawing a line in the dust for them and stating with utter contempt:

Cross this line, and die.

A commotion suddenly arose from the front door, drawing everyone's gaze toward it.

Guards were stationed right outside, and anyone permitted entry possessed exceptionally high composure. A disturbance like this was an absolute rarity here.

The noise persisted for a long time without subsiding, followed by a knock on the conference room door.

The Commander-in-Chief looked over and commanded, "Come in."

The door swung open, and a white-haired old man pushed his way in seated in a wheelchair. Behind him stood two guards with expressions of utter helplessness, their hands hovering—neither daring to hold him back nor let him go.

Hearing the Commander-in-Chief's words, they released their grip, saluted crisply, and stepped outside.

The white-haired old man wheeled himself before the Commander-in-Chief. He was brimming with vitality, his eyes sharp and piercing.

The veteran detective recognized him immediately—he was the very professor from the think tank who had volunteered earlier.

The guards had also met him before and knew his identity, which was precisely why they had been caught in such a dilemma.

The veteran detective whispered the old man's identity to the Commander-in-Chief. Looking at a man who knowingly walked into danger yet remained willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, a wave of profound respect involuntarily stirred within the Commander-in-Chief.

The professor straightened his clothes, which had been ruffled during the scuffle at the door: "Commander-in-Chief, I had no choice earlier. I simply had to barge in. Please don't blame the guards."

Looking at the elderly man, whose age surpassed his own, the Commander-in-Chief nodded gently: "Elder Professor, if you wished to see me, waiting until after the meeting would have sufficed. Why resort to barging in?"

The old professor smiled: "I came to ask about the whereabouts of Elder Ge's student. My team and I discussed it and concluded that to decode Comrade Ge's message, one needs a knowledge base of at least a master's degree—and a complete lack of fear of death."

"Even so, it doesn't have to be you. You should retire to the rear lines..."

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about!" The old professor suddenly bristled, his beard twitching with indignation: "Let me tell you, I am over eighty years old; I’ve lived long enough. Besides, I'm retired from the High Energy Physics Research Institute—my knowledge reserves are ample, and I don't have any active projects on my hands right now. Losing one person like me has virtually no impact on the country or the industry."

Unpersuaded, the Commander-in-Chief maintained a gentle tone: "Elder Professor, you have served the country your entire life; it's time to enjoy your twilight years in peace. We will find a way to resolve this matter."

"Nonsense!" The old professor's expression darkened. "I call you Commander-in-Chief because I assumed you were a reasonable man. My colleagues and I have discussed this: making sacrifices is inevitable! If you intend to dispatch people to decode Comrade Ge's message, you might as well let me do it!"

The Commander-in-Chief wasn't angry; he could only smile wryly: "Very well... But this isn't a dictatorship here. My word alone isn't enough; you must follow the proper procedures, submit a formal written application, and let us review it before making a decision."

The old professor pondered this and decided it made sense. He glanced at the Commander-in-Chief and nodded: "Fine. I'll submit the application later, and you'd better approve it as quickly as possible."

With that, he summoned the guards at the door to help push his wheelchair out, rushing off in a flurry to write his application.

Left behind, the Commander-in-Chief was caught between laughter and tears. He watched the professor's retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.

These admirable people truly could not be spared. They were the ones who propped up the nation's spine, allowing it to stand tall and proud.

Was he truly, then, completely out of options?