ushernet Chapter 764 The Old Man Who Arrived Suddenly.
Chapter 764 The Old Man Who Arrived Suddenly.
As night faded and dawn broke, the thin layer of snow that fell last night outside the window had not yet melted completely.
The factory area where the Seventh Institute is located is eerily quiet, save for the howling north wind and the crunching sound of sentries' footsteps on the snow. Under Company Commander Tang's arrangement, the security level here has been raised to the highest level, with both overt and covert sentries, and any personnel or vehicles entering or leaving must undergo strict checks.
A thin figure pedaled a rickety old bicycle, wobbling as it approached the heavily guarded gate. An old satchel hung from the handlebars. The man wore a worn-out cotton overcoat, his hood pulled low, his face weathered, and his shoulders still covered in lingering snow.
"Comrade, please show your identification." Two badge soldiers immediately stepped forward and blocked his way, their tone serious but polite.
The old man stopped his car, rummaged in his pocket for a while, and gave a slightly embarrassed smile: "Oh dear, young comrade, I'm sorry... I was in a hurry and forgot my work ID. My surname is Li, I'm from the Ministry of Geology, and I'm here to see Comrade Jiangxia about something urgent..."
The soldier remained expressionless, but his tone was firm: "I'm sorry, comrade. Without valid identification, we cannot let you in. That's the rule."
Just then, the office building door opened. Jiang Xia, who had stayed up all night and was starving, rushed out, wrapped tightly in his cotton-padded coat and hunching his shoulders, intending to find something to eat in the cafeteria. He caught a glimpse of something at the entrance, but it was a bit far away and still dark, so he couldn't make out who it was.
He frowned and muttered to Squad Leader Ru beside him, "Squad Leader Ru, look at the door... Did you raise the defense level in the middle of the night without notifying all the comrades in the research institute? Go and ask what's going on. Maybe some senior expert is being kept out by his own people. It's freezing cold, don't cause trouble for them."
"Yes!" Squad Leader Ru immediately jogged over.
Upon reaching the door, Sergeant Ru overheard the old man patiently explaining to the soldiers, "...I really am looking for Comrade Jiang Xia; we arranged to discuss technical issues..."
Squad Leader Ru's heart skipped a beat. He glanced back at Jiang Xia, who was still standing at the entrance of the office building looking this way, and then asked the old man calmly, "Old comrade, you said you're looking for Comrade Jiang Xia? Can you describe what he looks like? Or what his features are? There are a lot of people here, I need to confirm."
The old man was taken aback by the question. He had indeed never met Jiang Xia in person, only contacted him by phone through Zhong Yi. He was momentarily speechless: "Well... Comrade Jiang Xia is very young and very talented... his characteristics..." He tried hard to recall Zhong Yi's description, but... well, it seemed there wasn't one...
Squad Leader Ru's heart immediately jumped! Jiang Xia's signature stubborn tuft of hair, which couldn't be suppressed even with a hat, was well-known among those in the know!
There was even a special clause in that confidentiality manual that stated "the physical characteristics of R&D personnel must not be disclosed."
This elderly comrade, who claimed to have arranged to meet, couldn't even say it?
This immediately triggered Sergeant Ru's highly sensitive nerves. Suspicion arose suddenly, and Sergeant Ru's hand quietly moved to his lower back, his eyes sharpening as he prepared to take control measures and sound the alarm.
At this tense moment,
A gasp of surprise came from the direction of the office building entrance, followed by a muffled thud!
Squad Leader Ru turned around and was shocked to find that Jiang Xia had somehow tripped and fallen flat on his face in the snow!
The platoon leader was shocked. He remembered that Old Wang had once told him, "That kid is weak and faints easily. You have to keep a close eye on him." He immediately rushed over to help him.
To everyone's surprise, Jiang Xia, who had just taken a step, scrambled to his feet in the snow, not even bothering to brush the snow off himself. He stumbled and trudged toward the gate, shouting something anxiously, but it was too far away to hear clearly.
It turned out that Jiang Xia, puzzled by Ru Ban's prolonged absence, instinctively pulled out his high-powered binoculars and peered towards the door. What he saw nearly scared him to death. The elderly man who had been stopped at the door and was talking to Ru Ban was actually a geological leader!
Startled, his legs went weak, leading to that embarrassing scene.
Jiang Xia rushed to the door in one breath, panting, not even bothering to tidy his disheveled appearance. He grabbed the sergeant, who looked like he was facing a formidable enemy, and hurriedly said, "Sergeant...Sergeant! It's a misunderstanding! This is Old Li! It's Mr. Li Guang!"
He then bowed repeatedly to the old man, his tone filled with guilt and fear: "Old Li! Why did you come in person? It's freezing cold, and we made you wait outside for so long. It was our oversight! It's all my fault! I didn't inform the sentry post in advance, causing such a big misunderstanding and making you suffer!"
I really didn't expect that!
He was filled with both shock and shame. He was shocked because Professor Zhongyi had casually mentioned on the phone that "a senior geologist was nearby," and that senior geologist was none other than this national treasure-level expert!
I feel ashamed that I didn't ask any more questions, leaving the old man being questioned outside the door in this freezing weather.
Family members, who knows!
The old man arrived alone, riding a simple old-fashioned bicycle. His worn-out cotton hat and dark cotton-padded coat still had some snow dust on the shoulders and back, and his trouser legs were damp, making it look as if he had accidentally fallen into a snowdrift by the roadside and had just gotten up.
He must have fallen!
Jiang Xia looked at the still smiling old man and took a big sniffle...
The geological leader looked at the young man before him, his face and head covered in snow, panting heavily. He was first taken aback, then laughed, showing no sign of blame: "Hahaha, it's alright, it's alright! Comrade Jiang Xia, isn't it? Indeed, a promising young man! Don't blame them, don't blame them! These young comrades are very vigilant, that's a good thing! Your rules here are very good, that's how it should be!"
He didn't forget to turn to the two slightly nervous soldiers who were already standing at attention and saluting, and said kindly, "Young comrades, you're doing the right thing. That's how strict we should be! You've worked hard!"
Jiang Xia took the bicycle handlebars from the geological leader, pushed the bike, and walked slowly toward the office building side by side with the old man.
"I never expected that Teacher Zhongyi could actually get you to come. I am extremely apprehensive..."
The geological leader waved his hand with a smile, his voice gentle: "Tsk, why are you being so formal? This is nothing like the daring, lawless little Jiangxia that Zhongyi praised to me on the phone."
As he spoke, the old man naturally placed his hand on Jiang Xia's slightly thin shoulder and gave it an encouraging squeeze.
"Tsk, just as Zhongyi said, his physique is a bit weak. Young man, you need to work out!" The old man said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Believe it or not, I, this old man, can climb that little hill over there in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, without even breaking a sweat. As for you... well, that's another story!"
It was only then that Jiang Xia noticed that the old man beside him walked with unusually steady steps. Each step he took on the remaining snow and frozen ground was extremely firm, and his stride was remarkably even.
He subconsciously felt a strong urge to explore, and quietly activated the "scanner" in his mind, his gaze falling on the trail of footprints the old man had left in the snow behind him.
85 centimeters, 85 centimeters, and still 85 centimeters!
Almost exactly the same!
The rumors were indeed true! Jiang Xia sighed inwardly. It was said that this old man could estimate the length and dip angle of rock strata after just a few steps in the wild, relying on this almost instinctive and precise pacing ability honed over many years!
It's truly a human-shaped self-propelled rangefinder!
His gaze unconsciously drifted to the old man's old shoulder bag hanging on the handlebars of his bicycle. Inside, surely, were the old man's other two treasured possessions that he never parted with?
As if seeing through Jiangxia's curiosity and amazement, the geological leader laughed heartily, his laughter particularly clear in the chilly air.
He stopped, patted the bicycle seat, pointed to his eyes and brain, and then slowly revealed the purpose of his trip:
"You noticed? But, Comrade Jiang Xia, with my old skills, I can only measure the ground and tap on rocks. But I heard that you've discovered an even more amazing treasure here, one that can 'see' through the earth's strata! I'm so excited about it, like a cat scratching at my heart!"
"I can't wait for all that official paperwork and endless reporting; I have to ride my bike over here and see it for myself! How about it, take this old man to broaden his horizons?"
"okay!"