The train driver in the courtyard

"I found this by chance in an antique shop. When I saw it for the first time, I felt that it was full of the mystery of the universe and it matched your temperament very well, so I bought it."

As Li Aiguo spoke, he gently picked up the necklace, slowly walked behind Zoya, and gently helped her tie the necklace around her neck.

The necklace sets off Zoya's fair skin, making her look like a princess from a fairy tale.

I have to say that Russian girls are indeed pretty, but as they get older, they can easily turn into middle-aged women who can carry 500 kilograms of logs on their shoulders.

The necklace fell steadily on Zoya's neck. The coolness of the gem passed through her skin, making her shiver slightly.

She raised her hand and gently touched the warm emerald, tears flashing in her eyes, and she was speechless for a moment.

"Comrade Li...Comrade Li, this is too precious. I..." Zoya's voice was choked with sobs.

It’s not like she hasn’t received gifts before, but this is the first time this one is so precious and thoughtful.

Li Aiguo returned to his seat, looked at Zoya, and said in a deep voice: "Comrade Zoya, during this period of time I have been with you, I feel that we are good friends with similar ideals. This gift represents our friendship."

These words, like a heavy hammer, hit Zoya's heart hard.

In an instant, she felt her mind go blank, and her whole body seemed to be frozen, standing there in a daze.

Just friends?
These words kept echoing deep in her heart, and an indescribable sense of loss and confusion overwhelmed her like a tide.

Li Aiguo was very aware of Zoya's abnormality and could not help but look surprised. He asked with concern, "Zoya, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell or are you worried about something else?"

"No, it's nothing..."

Zoya suddenly came back to her senses and said casually, "I suddenly remembered that there is still some urgent work to be done at the training base. I'm really sorry, I have to go back first."

After saying this, she stood up hastily, her steps a little flustered, and left the dining table almost as if she was fleeing.

Li Aiguo looked at Zoya's departing back, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Two days later, Li Aiguo finished his work in Moscow and prepared to travel to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to unveil the office of Andrei Trading Company in Minsk.

Andre was still there with him.

He has the self-awareness of a second-generation rich kid, believes in doing less and making fewer mistakes, and likes to delegate work to others.

Now that the trading company is on the right track, the daily work can be handed over to the housekeeper.

Andre saw Li Aiguo looking outside the airport and asked curiously, "Brother Aiguo, who are you waiting for?"

What we are waiting for is not a person, but an object. However, the plane is about to take off, so it is obviously impossible to get it.

Li Aiguo did not feel disappointed, after all, he was just gambling on the odds.

The plane was a civilian airliner from Moscow to Minsk. It was not that Andrei could not contact a private plane, but that civilian airliners were safer.

A Russian broadcast came from the radio, which roughly meant that the plane was about to take off, and passengers were asked to put out their cigarettes and not continue smoking until the plane took off.

Andrei started chatting with a girl sitting next to him.

The girl was wearing an old Russian officer's woolen uniform and a large watch on her wrist, exactly the type Andre liked.

The two were chatting animatedly over there, while Li Aiguo took out a piece of material from his canvas bag and began to read it carefully.

The materials are the information of Professor Gillotti of the Minsk Computer Research, Development and Upgrading Special Design Bureau.

Professor Gilotti was a leading figure in programming and cybernetics on the Russian side, and had presided over the manufacture of water flow integrators in the 1930s.

The water integrator is a "physical computer" that operates by carefully controlling the flow of water through a room filled with interconnected pipes and pumps.

The water levels in the various chambers (accurate to the millimeter) represent the stored numbers, and the flow rates between them represent the mathematical operations.

This machine can be used to solve non-homogeneous differential equations.

To put it simply, it is similar to the legendary difference engine.

It’s just that the difference engine is a legendary thing and was never actually built, but the water flow integrator was a huge success.

Flow integrators were first used to calculate concrete for railway bridges and were later used for military purposes until they were phased out in the 1980s.

Logically speaking, Professor Gilotti should be successful and famous for creating such a groundbreaking technology.

However, Li Aiguo checked the information and found that Professor Gilotti is still not a member of the Moscow Academy of Sciences.

According to the information, he had been nominated as an academician several times, but was not approved.

Even the water flow integrator was thought to be the work of a Moscow research institute and had nothing to do with Professor Gilotti, the project leader.

Professor Gilotti was now exiled to Minsk because he focused only on scientific research and made ideological mistakes.

"The technical staff was dealt with by the political staff. Well, that makes sense."

Li Aiguo flipped through the information and felt like he had discovered a treasure.

Professor Gilotti is truly a god-level figure. It is a shame to keep him in Minsk.

The flight attendant came over, looked around the first-class cabin, and quickly identified the target.

In the entire first-class cabin, Li Aiguo was the only Oriental person.

The flight attendant came over and handed a wooden box to Li Aiguo.

"You must be Comrade Li Aiguo, right? This is a gift from a female comrade."

"Lesbian?" Li Aiguo turned his head to look out the window, only to see a slim figure disappearing at the airport.

"Thank you." Li Aiguo took the box but had no intention of opening it.

Andre next to him couldn't help but say, "Aiguo, is this a gift from your lover? Open it quickly."

"My little lover? Comrade Andre, you are too vulgar. Zoya and I are revolutionary comrades, and we have a pure friendship." Li Aiguo knew Andre's temper well. If he didn't let him take a look, something strange might happen.

This second-generation rich man is not as simple as he seems.

Take the letter that was sent back, for example.

There were indeed no signs that the envelope had been opened, which showed that the relevant Russian authorities did not check the letters.

But what’s strange is that the comrades at the weather station found fingerprints on the letter paper.

When Li Aiguo was writing the letter, he wore gloves to prevent the secret writing solution from smearing all over the letter.

This can only mean that someone checked the letter before it was sealed.

The biggest suspect is Andre.

On the Russian side, there are countless second-generation rich people like Andre, some of whom have deeper backgrounds and higher positions than Andre. These people are like hungry wolves.

If Andre hadn't been more prudent, the family business he had created would have probably been devoured by hungry wolves long ago.

Li Aiguo did not mean to blame Andre. After all, if Andre was so stupid that he didn't even know how to check the letters, then don't expect him to do anything else.

What Li Aiguo needs is an ally with ability and background, not a second-generation rich man who just sits back and waits for death.

Thinking about it, Li Aiguo slowly opened the box.

There was a strange ring in the box.

The reason why it is weird is that the ring is just a black iron ring without any carvings or patterns on it, and it looks a bit ugly.

"You gave Zoya a necklace worth eight thousand rubles, and she gave you an iron ring in return? Well, no wonder they say smart girls are stingy."

Andre lost interest after just one look.

In his opinion, the tone of this cultural poet is really boring and there is nothing suspicious about it.

Andrei turned his head to look at the beautiful Russian lady, pretending to show the pure gold watch on his hand casually: "Dear Natasha, I have a holiday estate in the suburbs of Minsk, where I raise a few golden pheasants. When we get off the plane, I will invite you to visit my chickens."

The iron ring that Andre looked down upon, Li Aiguo held in his hand like a treasure. He rubbed it gently twice and felt a Russian character on the back.

The character means that this is a component of a certain accessory.

Li Aiguo was overjoyed, it seemed that his 8,000 rubles were not wasted.

After giving the emerald necklace to Zoya, Li Aiguo also expressed his thoughts tactfully.

He realized the secrets of the universe in the centrifuge, but since he could only ride it once, he wanted a souvenir that would allow him to relive the feeling at any time.

Souvenirs can be small accessories of centrifuges or some discarded parts.

However, this iron ring is not an iron ring, but a support rod kit of the centrifuge, which is forged from a special alloy material.

As long as we take this kit back and conduct a detailed analysis, we may be able to find the raw materials for making a centrifuge.

At this time, the plane shook violently and the broadcast announced that the plane was ready to take off.

Li Aiguo put the iron ring on his finger, with his finger slightly bent, like a brass knuckle.

"Well, this ring can be used as a weapon."

******
"Zoya, what have you been doing?" When Semenov saw the car Zoya was riding in returned to Star City, he immediately led people to stop the car and invited Zoya to the interrogation room.

Under the dim light, Zoya looked extremely calm: "I left Xingcheng to take care of some private matters. There is no need to explain this to you."

"Private matter? I now suspect that you have leaked the secrets of Star City. Please cooperate honestly."

Semenov slammed his hand on the table with a stern face. "Your poet friend has left now. No one will care about a small researcher. If you don't cooperate, then I can only..."

Before he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.

Semyonov, angry at being interrupted in his interrogation, rushed over and opened the door.

"Who is it? Ah, General, why are you here?" When he saw the person coming, the anger on Semenov's face disappeared, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.

General Yaroslav ignored Semenov.

After all, as a general, he didn't need to answer any of Semenov's questions.

When the two attendants saw that Semenov did not move away, they stepped forward and pushed Semenov aside roughly. Only then did Yaroslav enter the interrogation room with his hands behind his back.

"What mistake did Researcher Zoya make?"

After the waiter lit his Cuban cigar, General Yaroslav leaned back in his chair and asked with his eyes narrowed.

The sudden appearance of General Yaroslav made Semenov feel that something was wrong.

However, the arrow was on the string and had to be shot. Semenov puffed out his chest and said, "Report to the general, we suspect that researcher Zoya helped outsiders steal secrets from the base. I have reported the matter to the Ministry of Internal Affairs." The Ministry of Internal Affairs issued an arrest order. If you have any questions, you can go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Although the Ministry of Internal Affairs has declined somewhat, not everyone can commit fraud against it.

General Yaroslav seemed to have known all this for a long time. He did not dwell on the legitimacy of the arrest, but directly said: "You are just suspicious, but you have no actual evidence. Comrade Semenov, you must learn from the lesson of two years ago."

Hearing this, Semenov's face changed. He couldn't understand how the general knew what happened two years ago.

Two years ago, not long after the Star City base was established, Semenov discovered that some confidential information was lost during his work, so he reported it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs without contacting the base leaders.

The Star City Base is the most core secret of the Russians. After learning about it, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was furious and sent a capable team to the Star City Base.

The Chekas conducted a detailed investigation at the Star City base but failed to identify any suspects.

This is unacceptable to the Ministry of the Interior.

Thus, a large-scale censorship operation was launched.

More than a dozen leaders, more than twenty researchers, and even the workers involved in the construction of the Star City base were all taken back to the interrogation room of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Soon, the Ministry of Internal Affairs obtained confessions from those people. These people were dissatisfied with the Star City Base, so they secretly sabotaged the base.

As a result of the incident, more than one hundred people were sent to Siberia to grow potatoes.

Logically, the matter should have ended here, but the staff at the Star City Base found the lost documents in a warehouse.

The seal on the document was intact and showed no signs of having been opened.

In other words, the file was not lost at all, but was "missed" by the staff.

The bigwigs in the Star City Base were originally intimidated by the pressure from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and did not dare to help their own people during the investigation.

Now that they saw that it was all a misunderstanding, those bigwigs went to the Kremlin in person to sue the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In the end, although the Kremlin did not punish the Ministry of Internal Affairs due to the overall situation, the person in charge of the review was still exiled to the border area.

Now General Yaroslav brought up the old matter again, and his intention was obvious. If Semenov dared to act recklessly, he would send Semenov to the border.

When Semenov saw that General Yaroslav was determined to stand up for Zoya, his face turned slightly pale, but he still did not give up.

"General, the investigation is ongoing. I believe that as long as Zoya is interrogated, we will definitely find evidence."

"Interrogation? Oh, Comrade Semenov, have you heard a joke?" General Yaroslav smoked a cigarette, a hint of teasing appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said slowly: "A mummy was found in Egypt, and scientists all over the world racked their brains but could not determine its age.

Cheka: Leave it to me.

Two days later, the Cheka: its date of birth is January 2025, 1 BC.

Scientist: How do you know?
KGB: He confessed. We are only telling you now because it took us two days to find an expert who knows Egyptian.

"Hahaha, it's only 1959 now, how can there be a mummy from 2025? That's so funny!" The two Chekas standing nearby couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Clap!"

Semenov walked over and swung his arms, saying, "Idiots! You don't understand the joke, are you laughing at us?"

"Team leader, we understand what you mean, but this is indeed very funny." The two Chekas were stunned for a moment before they realized the meaning of the joke, but they still couldn't help but continue laughing.

Semenov was helpless with these two stupid subordinates.

After all, if you are a truly talented person, who would want to be a member of the notorious Cheka?

Semenov also realized why General Yaroslav told this joke.

He suppressed his anger and said seriously: "Sometimes, in order to get certain results, it is inevitable to use some means. This is called necessary sacrifice."

General Yaroslav stood up and pulled his coat together. "I can't control other people, and I don't want to control them. As long as I'm here today, I won't allow you to mess around!"

As he spoke, the pistols were placed on the table.

The meaning was obvious: he had secured this young researcher.

Semenov frowned slightly. He had considered everything carefully before arresting anyone.

General Yaroslav has a good relationship with Andrei, but what Zoya is involved in now is a "leak of secrets", and even if Andrei comes forward to plead for mercy, General Yaroslav will not interfere.

What happened that he didn't know about?
For the first time, Semenov felt that he had lost control of the situation.

But there is no time to think now.

"Since we can't take him away for interrogation, let's just follow the regular procedures." Semenov could only settle for the second best and pin his hopes on counting the materials and equipment.

He knew very well that researchers of Zoya's level were more like maintainers than researchers.

The maintenance personnel were not aware of the secrets within the Star City base, and the only things they could tamper with were the equipment accessories.

Semenov personally led a team to inspect all spare parts in the base, including those that were discarded.

To his surprise, the number of accessories was exactly the same.

After checking the list of accessories again, Semenov could only admit: Zoya and Li Aiguo were just a cultured young woman and a poet, and were not involved in any leak of secrets.

Semenov personally apologized to Zoya.

"Comrade Zoya, I'm really sorry, but I'm just doing my job, and I hope you can understand."

Since the general appeared, Zoya is still in a daze.

How could a figure like the general come forward for a simple researcher like her?

Unless it’s Li Aiguo!
Thinking of this, Zoya felt warm inside. She had always thought that the poet didn't care about her, but it seemed that she had misunderstood.

The poet may have rejected her advances because he wanted to protect her.

"Comrade Zoya?"

"Ah, it's okay. It's my duty to cooperate with your investigation." Zoya knew that she was lucky to have escaped and had no intention of causing trouble at all.

She signed her name on the list and wanted to thank the general.

At this time, the general had already left the office with his hands behind his back.

After returning to the car and closing the door, the general said slowly, "It's done."

An envelope appeared in front of him.

A female comrade in a Lenin suit wrapped herself up like a dumpling, revealing only a pair of eyes and some scattered golden hair around her ears.

After handing over the envelope, the female comrade opened the car door without saying a word, and got out of the car, soon disappearing on the street.

The uniformed comrade in the co-pilot's seat whispered, "General, do you want me to send someone to find out her background?"

"No need. Remember, we haven't done anything and we don't know anything. Let's drive." The general opened the envelope and took a look. Inside was a foreign currency check worth two thousand pounds.

"With these two thousand pounds, we can go to Chum."

Chum is a large store in Moscow.

The store has a wide variety of products, including French brandy, Scottish whiskey, American jeans, Swiss chocolate, Italian ties, Austrian leather shoes, British woolen cloth, French perfume, German transistor radios, and Japanese tape recorders.

However, the payment method of this store is a little unusual. It is a unique store designed for foreign tourists and foreigners. Only foreign currency is allowed for settlement, and the variety of goods is also very wide.

Customers can select the goods they need from the catalog and transfer money through the Foreign Trade Bank.

The female comrade walked eastward along the street, crossing the main streets and alleys, ignoring the whistles of the young people, and finally entered an empty alley.

He opened his scarf and took off the golden hood.

"This headgear made by our patriotic brother looks just like the real thing. The only problem is that it's too beautiful. If those young men had rushed over just now,

Yu Jinan couldn't help but shudder when he thought of this. He was not sure whether he had the confidence to "face the challenge head-on."

After changing out of his women's Lenin suit and wiping off his lipstick, Yu Jinan appeared on the street again, transformed into a clerk wearing a gray Zhongshan suit.

Although Yu Jinan looked calm at this moment, he was actually very excited.

Just now, he had his first secret line, and the opponent was a Russian general.

"Brother Aiguo is so awesome!"

As for whether the general was still willing to continue the mission, Yu Jinan was not worried.

After all, it is far from enough for Chum to develop into the largest store in Moscow just by relying on those foreign tourists.

"The greatest ability of capitalism is that it is too good at corrupting people. Be careful, be careful."

On the other side, Zoya has returned to work. Her colleagues thought that Zoya would never come back, but when they saw her again, they surrounded her excitedly.

"Comrade Zoya, are you okay?"

"What can I do? Semenov just wants to ask me some questions."

Zoya did not blame her colleagues for not speaking up for her. After all, not everyone had the courage and ability to face the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

She chatted with her colleagues for a while and then got down to work.

At this time, the staff responsible for maintaining the centrifuge handed the newly replaced parts to Zoya.

"Please send it to the warehouse and register it."

This is Zoya's job.

She took the accessories, fished out a key from the drawer, went to the warehouse of the Star City base, and opened a box marked with support rod kit accessories.

There were several support rods in the box, one of which seemed to be one section shorter than all the other support rods.

However, the centrifuge will cause wear during operation, and it is only less than two centimeters shorter, which is a normal phenomenon.

Zoya dropped the support rods into the box and signed her name on the list.

After returning to the office, she took out a collection of Pushkin's poems.

"Love, love, please listen to my prayer: let your shadow come into my heart again, let me be intoxicated again in the early morning, and wish to die and never wake up again"

(End of this chapter)