Ye Wenjie, watch my moves closely.

Seeing that Li Youyu's behavior was even crazier than her own, Ye Wenjie suddenly had the illusion that Cheng Lihua was not so scary.

Thinking that he would be investigated by the organization sooner or later anyway, he might as well see what Li Youyu could do.

"Write whatever you want, a denunciation of traitors, a shrew's rant... anything is fine. Once the letter is written, send it out as quickly as possible."

After thinking for a moment, Ye Wenjie simply agreed.

"Where are you going next? To find Political Commissar Lei?"

Ye Wenjie asked.

"Yes, there are some things I need to give him."

In the early 1980s, research on radio astronomy had not yet begun in China, causing us to miss many opportunities for major astronomical discoveries.

The Hongan Base happens to have the necessary observation conditions. If it can be planned in advance and positioned as a fortress at the forefront of global cosmological observation, Lei Zhicheng's status will naturally rise accordingly.

The key is whether Lei Zhicheng is willing to reach a deal.

"Looks like you don't need to walk anymore."

Just then, Ye Wenjie pointed behind Li Youyu.

A military green jeep pulled up, and a soldier got out. "Please get in."

Li Youyu turned his head and saw Lei Zhicheng shrouded in the shadows of the back seat of the jeep, his face gloomy.

-----

The military green jeep, like a silent beast, rushed up the mountain road. Inside the narrow cabin, the crackling sound of gravel hitting the chassis echoed.

Lei Zhicheng, sitting in the back seat, kept his brows furrowed.

The ultimate goal of establishing the Red Coast Base is to find extraterrestrial civilizations.

From the 60s to now, more than a decade has passed, and there have been no substantial results. If I hadn't published Ye Wenjie's papers, the Red Coast Base would probably have been drowned in a sea of ​​criticism long ago.

This year, external policies have gradually loosened, and the importance of national-level projects like the Red Coast Base, which are burning through money and have no clear future, is rapidly declining.

He received word that the authorities were considering the feasibility of transferring jurisdiction of the base to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The base is currently under the command of the Second Artillery Corps and is a legitimate military unit.

Once he's kicked out, his past and his future are completely negated.

Therefore, he was determined to report the discovery of extraterrestrial civilizations.

He believes that given the importance the higher-ups attach to this matter, the Red Coast Base will certainly be able to maintain its current status.

But Li Youyu's appearance really gave him a headache.

The investigation revealed that Li Youyu was an ordinary person with a clean background. His father was a soldier in the Korean War and is now buried in the snow and ice of Changbai Mountain. His mother was an ordinary worker who, while on duty, resolutely jumped into radioactive wastewater to repair equipment.

Li Youyu grew up in a military family compound in the area, where he was fed and clothed by many different families.

He had no opportunity to contact external forces.

Then why would he make a deal with me to suppress the discovery of extraterrestrial civilization?

What gives him the confidence to refrain from reporting it?

Lei Zhicheng couldn't understand it.

Lei Zhicheng only spoke when the Jeep reached the highest point of Radar Peak, breaking the oppressive atmosphere.

"You are not an imperialist spy."

Li Youyu neither confirmed nor denied it.

"So what exactly is your purpose?!"

Lei Zhicheng sternly questioned, "Your father was a veteran of the Korean War! After his sacrifice, the country raised you! Everything you do should, and must, be for the sake of the country and the people!"

"I ask you, what are you planning to do by suppressing the discovery of extraterrestrial civilization? Are you waiting for an alien invasion? Or are you waiting for another country to make contact with an alien civilization first? There are many people in this world smarter than Ye Wenjie! Have you thought about the consequences if the Soviet Union and the United States made contact with an alien civilization first? I am a sinner, and you are a sinner too!"

Lei Zhicheng's concerns are indeed valid.

What he didn't know was that Ye Wenjie had already replied to the Trisolaran civilization.

The Trisolarans' fleet began construction even earlier, and will be heading towards the solar system in two years.

At that time, the only entity on Earth qualified to contact the Trisolarans will be the ETO.

"Political Commissar Lei, let's talk about my bargaining chips first."

Li Youyu said, "Although the Red Coast Base was a casual move back then, it accurately predicted the future."

In 61, Gagarin became the first human to walk in space. In 69, the United States successfully landed on the moon for the first time. Sooner or later, humans would leave Earth. The United States, the Soviet Union, and Europe were all preparing their space strategies in full swing.

The observation of the universe is the foundation of strategy.

What I'm about to give you is a plan that's in no way inferior to the atomic and hydrogen bomb project!

Li Youyu waved his hand and tossed the transcribed letter into Lei Zhicheng's arms.

------

The letter that was suddenly thrown at him interrupted Lei Zhicheng's train of thought.

He glanced at it suspiciously, then his brows furrowed more and more.

Large Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope

[Major Science and Technology Infrastructure Construction Projects]

Feasibility Report

[To revisit the primordial universe before the radio environment is completely destroyed; once completed, it will accept observation requests from astronomical research institutes worldwide...]

[Technical Direction]

"slightly."

Before he knew it, Lei Zhicheng had turned to the last page.

He was so eager to see the details of the research that he only saw the word "briefly" and almost jumped up in frustration.

Having studied political work for many years, Lei Zhicheng's academic background may not be as sophisticated as Yang Weining's, but he has been constantly broadening his horizons.

This radio telescope, named FAST, is definitely a key project that can enhance the country's status.

It perfectly aligns with the nation's philosophy of opening its doors to the world and sharing development opportunities.

Looking across the country, only the Hongan Base can facilitate the implementation of this project.

Modifying existing infrastructure can significantly shorten construction time.

This can be described as a blueprint tailor-made for the Red Coast Base!

Once the project is implemented in Hong'an, my status as the highest-ranking person in charge of the base will inevitably rise both domestically and internationally.

Li Youyu is right.

Although FAST was not as groundbreaking as the two bombs project, it was no less significant in terms of Lei Zhicheng's personal circumstances.

Lei Zhicheng looked up, his eyes still brimming with excitement.

After thinking for a long time, he handed the blueprint back, saying, "No matter what your background is..."

Lei Zhicheng took a deep breath, suppressing the regret in his voice, "I still stand by what I said: soldiers of the Republic do not make deals with anyone."

"If an alien civilization were to make contact with other countries first, leading to a technological explosion, I would be a sinner against the Republic."

"The suffering that the people have endured over the past century must never be repeated."

Li Youyu did not answer.

Lei Zhicheng's reaction was exactly what he had expected.

Taking advantage of Ye Wenjie's trust, he seized Ye Wenjie's academic achievements. However, in some ways, Commissar Lei is an extremely pure person. He possesses the integrity of a human being and the most steadfast bottom line of a soldier of the Republic.

Some people are like that; they're neither black nor white, but rather an indistinct gray.

Actually, there's an even simpler way to get Lei Zhicheng to listen: just tell him that Ye Wenjie has already replied.

Compared to the Sword of Damocles that won't fall for centuries, this earth-shattering thunder that will implicate him and the Red Coast Base is the most deadly thing right now.

Lei Zhicheng had no choice but to keep it a secret.

But that would ruin him.

Now, we can only launch another solution.

"Political Commissar Lei, take it."

Li Youyu smiled at Lei Zhicheng, "I won't stop you from reporting it, but you have to fill in the details yourself. You're the expert in this area."

---

Lei Zhicheng originally didn't want to accept this uncontrollable kindness, but when he heard what Li Youyu said, he was shocked once again.

"I suggest adding a plan to study pulsars to the report. Research on pulsars is still in its early stages abroad. We can increase our investment in this area and strive to win the Nobel Prize within ten years."

Lei Zhicheng had previously heard that foreign astrophysical research institutes had discovered a super-compact star—a pulsar—that physicists had predicted.

The study of pulsars can advance theoretical progress in astronomy, astrophysics, nuclear physics, and particle physics.

If research is intensified after the Hongan base is renovated, Lei Zhicheng may not win a Nobel Prize within ten years, but he is very confident that he can within twenty years.

Thinking of this, Lei Zhicheng's mind instantly flew to his superiors. If he could see that day in his lifetime, he would probably have no regrets.

Even so, I still won't let you leave the Red Coast Base.

Lei Zhicheng is now at a loss with Li Youyu. He wants to send Li Youyu to the interrogation room, but finds that there is no suitable charge against him. He doesn't even know where Li Youyu's information came from.

If he were to rashly send him to the interrogation room, he himself would also be punished for leaking top-secret information.

Such a punishment is essentially equivalent to a death sentence for the future of cadres with his special status.

Therefore, he will not easily release Li Youyu before he has figured out Li Youyu's background.

Three days later, Lei Zhicheng called Li Youyu to his dormitory.

"When are we leaving?"

Li Youyu walked to Lei Zhicheng's dormitory door according to the door number and saw him packing his bags, so he leaned against the door frame as if they were old friends.

Lei Zhicheng folded the bedding into his backpack, glanced up at Li Youyu, pointed disapprovingly at his collar, and scolded, "Button up your top button properly, you're so sloppy!"

He returned to his desk, took a sip of tea, and said, "We'll set off tomorrow. I'll arrange for two soldiers to accompany you. Until I return, neither you nor Ye Wenjie can approach the Red Coast launch system."

Although Lei Zhicheng's tone was not good, Li Youyu could still feel the change in his attitude. Otherwise, such a serious topic should have been discussed in Hongan's office, not in his dormitory.

The current situation seems more like a compromise on his part.

"I wish you all the best."

Li Youyu offered his sincere blessing.

He had gathered some information while at the base these past few days.

The importance of the Hongan Base, which has not yielded any results for a long time, has diminished considerably. It was Cheng Lihua who advocated removing the base from the military's ranks.

The changes to the character's background have taken effect.

Previously, Lei Zhicheng was able to save Ye Wenjie from Cheng Lihua by relying on the base's superior status.

Now, if Lei Zhicheng saw her, he would probably have to bow his head and say hello.

She must have received the letter Ye Wenjie sent.

Li Youyu dug a small pit at Lei Zhicheng's destination.

Old Lei, oh Old Lei.

Experience the pain of unfulfilled ambitions.

Lei Zhicheng nodded and replied with a thank you.

Li Youyu said no more, bid farewell to Lei Zhicheng, and returned to his dormitory.

--------

With Lei Zhicheng gone from Hongan, the responsibility of being the chief technical officer of the base temporarily fell on Yang Weining's shoulders again.

Although it was tiring, it wasn't without its benefits. The weekly ration included two extra ribs, which was a godsend for Ye Wenjie, who needed to continue supplementing her protein intake to nourish her body and support her pregnancy.

"Wenjie, dinner's ready."

Yang Weining used his shoulder to push open the kitchen door and carefully brought out a bowl of wild vegetable soup with oil floating on top.

Ye Wenjie came out of the study and, without any hesitation, took out bowls and chopsticks from the cupboard and placed them on the table.

Seeing his wife's pale face, Yang Weining felt a pang of tenderness in his heart.

"I'll take care of you, I'll take care of you. You're pregnant, you need to rest more."

Yang Weining scooped a bowl of rice, then picked out a piece of lean pork rib from the soup bowl and piled it on top of Ye Wenjie's white rice.

Ye Wenjie smiled helplessly, "How am I supposed to eat like this?"

Eat slowly.

Yang Weining, with his hands tucked in his pockets and a simple, honest smile on his face, said, "I want to discuss something with you."

"you say,"

Ye Wenjie picked up a small mouthful of white rice and chewed it.

"I want you to change..."

"vomit!"

Yang Weining was speaking when Ye Wenjie suddenly gagged. He jumped up in alarm, patted his wife's back, and asked, "What's wrong, Wenjie?"

Ye Wenjie pointed at the ribs, "Meat... I feel like throwing up when I smell meat... Ugh!"

Yang Weining quickly took the meat away and brought over a glass of water. "Take it easy, this is morning sickness. I've checked, it might last for a few weeks, or even several months."

"Um,"

Ye Wenjie nodded, swallowed a mouthful of water, and the nausea subsided slightly.

Yang Weining gently brushed away the stray strands of hair from her forehead and said with concern, "You're going to have a hard time."

Ye Wenjie lowered her eyes and saw the strips of cloth wrapped around her husband's hand, a warm feeling rising in her heart.

What a stupid guy.

"Does your hand hurt a lot, Lao Yang?"

Ye Wenjie tapped Yang Weining's hand with her finger, gently stroking the injured area.

Yang Weining shook his head in denial, "I can carry a gun and handle a cannon. It's just a minor injury, no problem."

This was the first time in all the years of their marriage that he had seen his wife so vulnerable.

It's like a block of solid ice, slowly showing signs of melting.

Yang Weining was somewhat tempted and wanted to bend down and kiss his wife's forehead.

"It's broad daylight, it's not a good thing."

Ye Wenjie stepped back.

Yang Weining wanted to continue, but suddenly, footsteps came from outside the door.

"Is Engineer Yang here?"

A young soldier stood at the gate and shouted, "The interference with the receiving system is getting worse again. Political Commissar Lei isn't here. The command wants you to come and take a look."

"Understood."

Yang Weining replied, looking at Ye Wenjie listlessly, "I'll go take a look, wait for me to come back."

"I'll go too."

Ye Wenjie got up to go with them, but Yang Weining pressed her back down.

"The base's radar is operating and the radiation is high. Don't go there yet; it's bad for the fetus. I'll be right back."

Yang Weining, who was about to become a father, was very assertive, and Ye Wenjie, unable to persuade him, could only nod and say, "I'll wait for you to come back."

Yang Weining went out, got into the soldier's jeep, and sped off towards the top of Radar Peak.