Chapter 39 Special Branch
Coming to Hong Kong under the current circumstances is a perilous endeavor.
To put it bluntly, everything that happens here will, as his career in the American aerospace system steadily ascends in the future, be dug up and scrutinized under a microscope.
Lin Ran does not believe that the protection of the Jewish syndicate provides absolute peace of mind, nor does he believe that by relying on the help of the Jewish syndicate within the NASA hierarchy to contend with German scientists, the other side will simply surrender without a fight.
The "Door" is a last resort to be used only in extreme desperation.
If possible, Lin Ran hopes he will never have to use this ability at all.
In fact, Lin Ran is certain that once NASA's bidding process is approved at the end of this year, even if he remains merely a nominal consultant to General Dynamics, he will never be able to visit Hong Kong again.
Risking so much for this single opportunity to come to Hong Kong, Lin Ran’s purpose extends far beyond simply helping China solve a few mathematical problems.
Even if these mathematical problems are of vital importance to contemporary China, and even if the mathematical methods behind them can be applied to the future design of China's intercontinental ballistic missiles, helping transform the DF-1 from an experimental prototype into a practically functional weapon.
If it were only about these, it would not be enough to make Lin Ran take such a massive risk.
Leaving behind the seeds for Chinese scientific research and establishing a channel for Chinese science to communicate with the outside world—this is the true purpose Lin Ran has hidden beneath the layers of mathematical problems.
"You can do it yourselves"—this is what Lin Ran truly wanted to convey to Elder Qian from afar, hoping he would be able to make use of it.
Given that Elder Qian received professional academic training in America and once served as the director of the Jet Propulsion Center at the California Institute of Technology, how could he possibly fail to understand this?
Yet only with external assistance would his viewpoints stand a chance of being put into practice.
Of course, Lin Ran does not know whether it will work; he can only hope it does.
However, Lin Ran will not pin all his hopes on Elder Qian's individual efforts. He has prepared a ultimate trump card for this trip, waiting to be deployed just before leaving Hong Kong.
"56-6-12, 58-10-3, 59-1-3"
"56-6-12, 58-10-3, 59-1-3"
"56-6-12, 58-10-3, 59-1-3"
Chen Jingrun did not leave immediately. Instead, he sat at his desk, repeating this sequence of numbers in his mind over and over again, terrified of forgetting them.
At the same time, he wondered: after the last time Professor Lin had a private conversation with him, he returned to find himself inexplicably acquiring a father figure; if the same thing happened after today's talk, would he end up with an extra mother when he got back?
People in this era were still remarkably innocent. Even amidst such a whirlwind of events, the thought of bad luck or impending doom never crossed Chen Jingrun's mind.
Just as he finally managed to memorize the numbers and headed toward the door of the tiered lecture hall, he was intercepted by two men in plain clothes—one Chinese, the other Caucasian.
The young Chinese man spoke in a tone that brooked no refusal:
"Mr. Chen, hello. We are Hong Kong police officers, specifically from the Special Branch. Here are our credentials. We would like to inspect the materials Professor Lin just gave you to ensure they do not contain sensitive content."
Lin Ran jogged all the way down the steps from the lecture podium to join them: "Gentlemen."
This time it was the Caucasian's turn to speak. Plump and fair-skinned, looking entirely unsuited for such line of work, he spoke in fluent Mandarin:
"Professor Lin, hello. I am Thomas, an officer with the Special Branch. Under Article 27 of the Hong Kong Ordinance, we have the right to arrest individuals who may threaten Hong Kong's security without a judicial warrant.
We have no intention of taking Mr. Chen away; we simply wish to inspect whether the materials you handed him contain any sensitive technical data.
Please understand this is not a lack of trust in you, but merely a routine check. Your understanding is appreciated."
At this time, the Special Branch wielded immense authority in Hong Kong, specializing in covert operations and receiving direct guidance from the organization featured in the James Bond films, including technical support and intelligence sharing.
Lin Ran looked the man straight in the eye, his lips pressed tightly together. As he flipped through the identification booklet handed to him, he said after a moment, "What I gave him are merely academic journals."
The plump Caucasian clasped his hands together: "Professor Lin, I apologize. Please don't make things difficult for us. You are equally renowned in England, and Her Majesty the Queen is going to confer upon you the honor of knighthood. This news will be announced by the Governor at the welcome dinner being organized for you. The British Empire holds you in the highest regard; this truly is just a routine check."
Seeing Chen Jingrun standing beside him, sweating profusely and likely terrified that the materials contained sensitive secrets that would ruin them all, Lin Ran could observe—even through the man's trousers—that Chen's legs were tensed, ready to bolt at any second.
Lin Ran sighed inwardly. Where could you possibly run to? "Fine. This is the last time."
The plump Caucasian said, "Professor Lin, once we complete this inspection, as long as you do not provide Mr. Chen with technical data in the future, we will certainly not disturb him. I give you my word!"
Lin Ran said, "Alright, Dehui, let them inspect the materials."
Only then did Chen Jingrun relax slightly, handing over the thick stack of documents with slightly trembling hands.
The Chinese officer carefully examined the papers while Thomas, the plump Caucasian, pulled a clipboard from his waist pouch, supervising the process while jotting notes.
About twenty minutes later, after the Chinese officer walked over and whispered to him, the plump Caucasian wrote a few more lines and said to Lin Ran:
"Professor Lin, my colleague has just inspected the materials. The documents you provided Mr. Chen are issues of the *Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics* published by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics in America, and do not include sensitive contents.
This is the sensitive literature inspection report I have written. Please verify it."
The plump Caucasian handed the report to Lin Ran, who narrowed his eyes and glanced over it:
"Non-Suspect Materials Report"
The reference code alongside it was "SB/CC-Form6".
"SB" stood for Special Branch, and "CC" stood for Chief Inspector. This report could only be signed by officers of the rank of Chief Inspector or higher.
(Note: The "SB/CC-Form6" coding convention was only introduced in 1963; since an earlier version could not be found, the 1963 version is used here for context.)
"SB/CC/1960/0715-04"
The document clearly outlined the subject of review, the basis for review, the inspection process, and the conclusion. The final verdict read: "Confirmed that the contents consist solely of academic journals, with no invisible inks, interlayer notes, or other sensitive contents."
After reading it, Lin Ran handed the document back. The plump Caucasian signed the bottom and said: "Rest assured, Professor Lin. The reason no one has disturbed you since your arrival in Hong Kong is entirely because we have shielded you from unnecessary interruptions.
If possible, I would prefer not to offend you either. If I were to offend you, the members of Parliament in London would not let me off the hook.
This truly is a routine inspection, and I hope you will forgive us.
Moreover, even if the items you gave him contained sensitive material, I would only advise you to destroy it rather than write it into the report.
Thank you for your cooperation with our work."
Only then did Lin Ran's expression soften somewhat. He took the hand Thomas extended and shook it perfunctorily a couple of times.
"Dehui, take them and head back. Remember what I told you—these materials will be beneficial to your study of mathematics."