Break out of the courtyard

Chapter 872 Public Opinion War

What to do next?
When Hua heard Zheng ask this question, he knew what the other party wanted to say: we must prioritize the overall situation, focus on domestic economic development, and stability is paramount!
But will Zhang Heping agree?

Wouldn’t the Zhang family be heartbroken after hearing about this decision made back home?
Hua Lao did not answer, but looked at the emergency room doctors and nurses who came out later, as if he was listening attentively to them recount Zhang Heping's follow-up treatment.

Secretary Chen, who had just gone to the intensive care unit, came back.

"President Chen is contacting media in Hong Kong and Macau!" Secretary Chen whispered to Old Master Hua, "This matter is unlikely to end well!"

Old Hua frowned as he looked at his secretary, who had been with him for many years. If there hadn't been outsiders present, he probably would have questioned her stance on the spot!

Zhang Heping was seriously injured in the explosion. How could this matter be resolved peacefully?

In Hua Lao’s opinion, if he chose to suppress the matter, given Zhang Heping’s stubborn temper, he would definitely turn against him first, and then withdraw all funds and his employees!

Secretary Chen, still unaware of his misstep, continued, "Look, why don't we first investigate the explosion in depth, and then discuss with Advisor Zhang how to handle this matter once he's better."

Hua Lao remained silent, but handed the note Zhang Heping had written to him to Secretary Chen.

Zhang Heping just instructed Chen Shuting to contact Hong Kong and Macao media to launch a media offensive, but he didn't mention domestic media or ask Hua Lao to do anything for him.

If he followed Secretary Chen's advice and waited for Consultant Zhang to get better, he would ask him, "What should he do?"

Humph……

Hua Lao doesn't need to think to know how disheartening this will be!
~
A biological laboratory in Huadu, Magnesium Country.

"Lu!" A tall, blond, middle-aged man waved his cell phone at Old Lu, who had defected here over three months earlier. "The Huadu Daily just reprinted the Hong Kong Island News. Your former boss, Zhang Heping, was killed in a truck bomb!"

Old Man Lu does not have the title of professor in Magnesium, so the Magnesian people only call him by his last name and don't even bother to add the prefix "Mr."

The reason for this is that he and his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson suffered from the collapse of their immune and metabolic functions.

The cause was the bacterial culture fluid stolen by Old Man Lu!
After his grandson drank the bacterial culture fluid, the four members of his family actually showed different symptoms in the early stages, but they thought it was the flu and did not associate it with the bacterial culture fluid.

It was not until last week, when his family was successively hospitalized due to systemic lupus erythematosus, diabetes, gastric cancer and other diseases, that he realized that their family's illness might be related to the bacterial culture fluid.

However, he didn't dare to make it public!

Judging from the current situation, it was his grandson who drank the bacterial culture medium, but Old Man Lu, his son, and his daughter-in-law were all infected.

If the Taiwanese knew that they had infectious diseases, it would be a luxury to isolate them and treat them in the hospital.

Locking them up in laboratories for research and extracting bacteria from their bodies that are relevant to the development of longevity drugs is in line with the capitalist attitude of the Magnesium people.

Old Man Lu then secretly conducted some genetic tests in the laboratory of the Magnesium Man, and the results showed that the genetic function of his family of four was undergoing a continuous and systematic decline.

This conclusion reminded him of an experiment in the development of the 200-year-old medicine, in which he performed gene subtraction and extracted specific gene fragments.

In other words, he had taken the wrong bacterial culture fluid that helps cell division!

In order to raise money for his children and grandchildren's medical treatment, Old Man Lu revealed to the Magnesium Lao some rumors he had heard at the Peace College, such as the controlled nuclear fusion device led by Zhang Heping, the aircraft carrier in Wucheng, the new fighter jets of Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, etc.

Old Man Lu looked at the mobile phone handed to him by the assistant from Magnesium, and looked at the two burning vehicles, one large and one small, on it. He knew that the explosion must have been done by the Magnesians!

Because after he sold those secrets to the Magnesians, some of them asked him if there was any way to recruit Zhang Heping to come to Magnesium.

At that time, Old Man Lu was afraid that Zhang Heping would have no way to survive after coming to Magnesium, so he exaggerated and told stories about Zhang Heping's various investments in the mainland.

When Old Man Lu saw the news of Zhang Heping's death, he felt a little complicated.

He thought that if Zhang Heping had not opposed the assistant candidate he recommended, his family and Zhang Heping should still be alive and well.

Just as the big magnesium assistant put away his phone and prepared to start his day's work, a message popped up on his phone.

"What? Zhang Heping is not dead?" The assistant from the Magnesium country exclaimed in surprise. He never expected that the Hong Kong and Macau media would first use the news that the world's richest man and internationally renowned scientist was killed in a bombing as a gimmick, and then throw out the news that Zhang Heping was seriously injured and hospitalized as a turning point.

Just as Old Man Lu, with a complicated expression on his face, leaned over to check the news on his assistant's phone, the Magnesium assistant started cursing again, "Nonsense! How could we in Magnesium possibly carry out a terrorist attack? This is a serious slander!"

~
Higashima Toudou, Suzuki family.

Former Mayor Suzuki couldn't fall asleep again after being woken up by a series of phone calls!
The third daughter and son-in-law went to Shenzhen to discuss the licensing of Shouyuan 100 pharmaceutical technology with Zhang Heping. He had known about it last week.

Strictly speaking, it was in order to obtain the 120 billion RMB sponsorship for the Shouyuan 120 medicine that he facilitated his third daughter and son-in-law to go to Shenzhen to help Mitsui Pharmaceuticals negotiate the technology licensing.

But what he never expected was that Zhang Heping would be seriously injured in the explosion after meeting his third daughter and son-in-law!
These two things are linked together, and no matter who looks at it, they will feel that the explosion is closely related to his third daughter and son-in-law.

So, when he received the call and heard that Zhang Heping might have been killed in the explosion, he began to think about how to rescue his third daughter and son-in-law!
However, what he didn't expect was that someone was even more anxious than him, and actually asked the mainland's embassy in Japan to send people to directly ask for the person from the mainland's capital!
~
Hong Kong Island, as the origin of this news, although not the site of the explosion, has ignited the emotions of people from all walks of life in Hong Kong Island.

Zhang Heping's status in Hong Kong Island is such that it is easy for people to overlook the Zhang family's existence because their family usually keeps a low profile and the Heping Group controls most of the media in Hong Kong and Macau.

However, whenever someone mentions them, the first thing that comes to mind is that the Zhang family is the number one family in Hong Kong Island!

So, when the Hong Kong and Macao media collectively broke the news that Zhang Heping was killed by a truck bomb in Shenzhen, the phones of Hong Kong and Macao's television stations, radio stations, newspapers, and news websites were all flooded with calls!
However, the Hong Kong and Macao media did not keep the outside world waiting for long before breaking another bombshell: because the incident happened right next to the Heping Hospital, Zhang Heping and the driver were rescued in time, and only one bodyguard was killed in the explosion.

As this news came out, all the wealthy wives in the Heping Real Estate wives circle wanted to call and comfort Tang Xin and Chen Shuting, but unfortunately their phones were turned off, leaving them no chance to laugh at the joke!
Yes, don’t look at how well those rich ladies appear to be doing in front of Tang Xin and Chen Shuting.

Tang Xin and Chen Shuting were deeply impressed by the sarcastic expressions of many rich ladies when gossiping about others, and they privately warned their own children about this.

When those rich ladies couldn't contact the Zhang family, there were naturally other people who could contact the people in Shenzhen.

For example, Mr. Rong from CITIC directly contacted Mr. Hua, the person in charge of China Resources also called Director Wang Sumei, and Chairman He also called the director of the Shenzhen Municipal Government Secretariat.

……

After the Governor's Office received the news that Zhang Heping was seriously injured in the explosion, it directly sent people to the neighboring Magnesium Embassy in Hong Kong to ask whether they were responsible for the explosion?
The Eagle Guys in the Governor's Office don't really need recognition from the Magnesium Guys. They just want to put on an act for the Zhang family to see. Even if they can't see it, this action still has to be done.

The Magnesians in the embassy would naturally not admit it, but the representatives of the major families who gathered at the Governor's House overnight all believed the report in the Hong Kong and Macau media that the truck bomb was made by Magnesium agents!

"Can anyone contact someone in Shenzhen to find out how serious Zhang Heping's injuries are?" "If Zhang Heping can't be saved, will the manufacturing technology for Lifespan Potions 120 and 160 disappear forever?"

"That kind of technology that can make a lot of money, he should have a backup at home!"

"It would be great if there really were a backup! They might even use the 120 Lifespan Potion as a bounty for revenge."

Shen Bi, the former chairman of Huifeng, was listening to the conversation among the family representatives, but his eyes were on the address book on his mobile phone; he looked at the contact "Mr. Zhang" but hesitated to click to dial.

After a while, the Governor came in with his secretary.

"Everyone, I have called you here tonight to inform you that the Governor's Office will send people to Shenzhen Peace Hospital to express condolences tomorrow morning. You can choose three representatives to go with you." As the Governor spoke, he walked to the wine cabinet and took out a bottle of whiskey.

A brown-haired, bearded man asked in confusion, "Why only three? Can't we go together?"

The Governor held the wine glass in his left hand, his right loosened his collar, and said with a slightly irritated look, "You should have all seen the photos on the news. It was such a violent explosion scene. What would it have been like if Mr. Zhang had survived?"

"Also, I don't think our people will be able to get into Shenzhen Peace Hospital tomorrow."

“So, there’s no need to go with too many people!”

"There's new news!" A curly-haired young man, who was checking his phone nearby, read aloud, "We can't rule out the involvement of Japanese people in this explosion!"

~
Capital, a certain conference room.

Elder Yang, who was presiding over the meeting, turned off the TV news and looked at the others with a serious expression. "Advisor Zhang has been severely burned and is currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of Shenzhen Peace Hospital."

"According to information from Shenzhen, we can now confirm that the truck bomb was planted by an unidentified Magnesium agent. The driver of the truck is a young man from Western Shu, and it's said he was unaware of the bomb."

Just then, there was a knock on the conference room door.

After getting permission from Mr. Yang, the leader, a secretary pushed the door open, ran in hurriedly, and whispered a few words to Mr. Yang.

Then, Yang Lao waved his hand and said, "Tell everyone!"

The middle-aged male secretary stood up straight before speaking loudly, "We just received news. According to analysis by weapons experts living in the Shenzhen Peace Hotel, the explosion that occurred next to the Peace Hospital tonight was detonated by remote control."

"According to the Shenzhen Smart City Management Center's surveillance and investigation, we've preliminarily ruled out the possibility of remote detonation by a Magnesium agent. We've currently identified a Japanese suspect named Mitsui Sho."

"After the explosion, this Japanese man was sitting in the passenger seat of a commercial vehicle and fled the scene with four other Japanese people."

"During their escape, surveillance footage captured Mitsui Sho frequently throwing things out of the car."

"Shenzhen has already sent personnel and police dogs to the scene to search for the discarded items, but the problem now is that the Japanese embassy is demanding that we release Mitsui Sho and four other people."

Elder Yang waved to his secretary. After the secretary left the meeting room, he continued, "Things have become more complicated. Japan and China are conspiring to carry out a terrorist attack in our home!"

"Hua Lao's meaning is very simple: resolutely retaliate! We must make Japan and the US give an explanation! Even if it means starting a war, we must seek justice!"

"Mr. Zheng should be in Shenzhen right now!" Mrs. Zheng frowned and asked, "What did he say?"

When Yang Lao heard Zheng Laotai ask this question, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He felt much more at ease. As long as Zheng Laotai was still rational, Hua Lao's proposal would be difficult to achieve.

"Mr. Zheng hasn't expressed his opinion yet!" Elder Yang said solemnly, "We've been focusing on economic development in recent years. Although our military equipment has received technical improvements from Advisor Zhang, we haven't had time to replace it, let alone conduct relevant training."

“You didn’t understand what Elder Hua and Elder Zheng meant!” Old Mrs. Zheng shook her head and said, “Elder Hua is now expressing his stance to Advisor Zhang and the Zhang family.”

"Mr. Zheng didn't express his opinion because he felt it was not appropriate for him to do so now."

"As for the military equipment you mentioned, it's actually secondary."

"As far as I know, Peace Space has the means to instantly control other countries' satellites. Magnesium's information-based tactics are nothing to worry about!"

Elder Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he frowned and asked, "So what do you mean?"

"Old Hua has always wanted to test the small electromagnetic pulse bomb that Consultant Zhang gave him!" Old Mrs. Zheng said solemnly, looking at the others in the room.

"Instead of letting Advisor Zhang return to Hong Kong Island and build a bomb for revenge, why not let us help him test the power of that bomb first, and then ask the Japanese and the Magnesian people for an explanation!"

Mrs. Zheng's two sentences contained a lot of information. Just about the small electromagnetic pulse bomb, several people attending the meeting didn't know about it. Even Mr. Yang, who presided over the meeting, had only heard of such a bomb.

As for the second sentence, some people find it absurd that Consultant Zhang returned to Hong Kong Island to build bombs, and it is difficult to connect the two together.

They had this misunderstanding mainly because the military projects that Zhang Heping was engaged in were all top secret. Many people in the venue were unaware of this and only thought that Zhang Heping had projects such as highways and nuclear power plants in the country.

It is precisely because of this that those people keep talking about Zhang Heping’s identity as a capitalist and bring it up at every turn.

"We'll help him test the bomb's power, and then ask the Japanese and the Magnesians for an explanation!" Elder Yang pondered for a moment and said, "If that's the case, we'll have to conduct a public test, and we'll have to announce the explosion point and range in advance!"

"If the test fails, we'll probably become a laughing stock internationally," said an elderly man in a military coat. "And getting an explanation later will be impossible."

Old Mrs. Zheng nodded and said, "So, we need to find relevant experts to discuss this matter."

"Isn't this response too radical?" an elderly man in a black down jacket objected. "The domestic economy has finally started to improve. If we get stuck in the quagmire of war, who knows how many years the economy will be set back."

Someone who hadn't figured out the situation yet interrupted, "Although Consultant Zhang has a lot of investments in China, he's ultimately a Hong Kong capitalist."

"We can help him negotiate with Japan and Magnesium, but we won't start a war for him."

As soon as this was said, someone immediately objected, "According to you, Advisor Zhang should return to Hong Kong Island and ask the Eagles in the Governor's Office to help him demand an explanation from Japan and Magnesium?"

"Believe it or not, if Consultant Zhang really did this, the Japanese and Magnesian people would immediately apologize to him, give him huge compensation, and then let him immigrate to Eagle Country!"

"Ahem!" Elder Yang coughed and frowned. "Some comrades may not know this, but Consultant Zhang has also invested in military projects such as aircraft carriers, ships, and fighter jets in China. He is very important to us!"

……

(End of this chapter)