Did the world end today?

Chapter 155 The Best Strategy
David Julius is not in the United States.

Lin Xu wasn't sure if he hadn't been discovered by Zhou Yue or taken seriously by the CIA yet, or if this was originally part of the plan.

But actually, it doesn't matter.

His absence from the United States itself created an opportunity for himself.

Find a way to bring him over!

He works in neuroscience, specifically in the area of ​​neural ion channels. This stuff really seems to be related to "mind control."

But that's it.
Convincing him to come over without arousing the CIA's suspicion is indeed a problem.

How to do it?
Tell him, "We have an academic conference here that we need you to attend?"
This is so abrupt; you can tell right away it's not going to be anything good, right?

Scholarship is not truly without borders.

Especially for scientists like David who have already won the Nobel Prize, there are strict barriers to academic research.

Of course, this doesn't mean he can't come to China.

If he wants to come, no one can stop him.

The problem is that his own subjective will is actually heavily influenced by ideology.

He would naturally be wary of this country and would be unlikely to accept any "official" or "purposeful" invitation.

In this case
Perhaps an invitation from a non-official organization would be more persuasive to him?

Lin Xu couldn't think of a good solution for the time being.

Jiang Xingye, who had just finished eating the chilled watermelon, was already feeling dizzy. She stood up unsteadily, said something to Lin Xu, and headed for the door.

Lin Xu was still lost in his own thoughts and hadn't come to his senses, so he didn't invite her to stay for dinner.

It wasn't until several minutes after the door closed that he suddenly came to his senses.

Ok?
Did you just leave her there?

do not care!
Lin Xu called Qin Feng in and said directly:
"Two questions."

"My first question is, suppose I want to ask a scholar who is very wary of China to come and visit, and the schedule is very tight, what do you think I should do?"

"My second question is, suppose I want to attack a large space station, not only to take it down, but also to take it down before the people inside have time to react or make any moves. How do you think I should do it?"

Qin Feng was stunned for a moment.

"No, aren't these two questions a huge leap in scope?"

indeed.

Lin Xu scratched his head.

"Leave it alone!"

"Anyway, these are the two problems. Do you have any ideas?"

Qin Feng pondered for a moment and replied:

"The worst option is to have the Coast Guard take action and kidnap the person."

"The middle strategy is to find a credible scholar who has connections with him and invite him over."

"The best course of action is to let him come to us himself."

Lin Xu was baffled.

Both the worst and the middle options are understandable.

Best option?

Did you come looking for me on your own?
What, did you arrange a romantic encounter for him in Germany, and then leave him with the message, "I've taken your child to China. If you want to see him, come to China and find me"?
This is a plot so outrageous that even the most melodramatic TV series couldn't come up with!

Or should we show him the latest developments in the research field, and then tell him that further exchanges can only take place in China?

It doesn’t seem to work either.

To reiterate, it was too deliberate.

Lin Xu looked at Qin Feng, who confidently said:

"I don't quite understand the thinking of these researchers, but I understand human nature."

"Look, the scientist you're looking for, his name is David, right?"

"He went to Germany to attend academic conferences related to pain management and pharmacology."

"This proves that he does have a need for communication and verification, and that he is indeed making every effort to advance his theory."

"If we can produce a sample that is sufficient to refute his theory, do you think he'll be eager to come and see the sample?"

Do we have them?

Lin Xu asked:
"You don't mean we need to find a sample first, do you?"

"Aren't high-dimensional experiencers ready-made samples?"

Qin Feng said mysteriously:
“We can give him a piece of information—limited, strange, but explainable information.”

"This is a good opportunity to test the attitudes of top scholars on this issue."

"If the attitude is more positive, then we can use more diverse methods in the future."

It seems so?

But will he take the bait?

There's no harm in giving it a try.

Start with the best strategy, then move on to the middle strategy, and finally the worst strategy.

We absolutely have to get our hands on this person. If all other methods fail, then we'll really have to go to Shanghai for protection.

Thinking of this, Lin Xu nodded and said:
"Then you can make the arrangements."

"The second question is, how do we shoot down this space station?"

"It's very simple."

Qin Feng answered without hesitation.

"Let's break them up."

".break up??"

"Yup!"

Qin Feng said in a serious tone:

"As I understand it, a space station should be floating in space, right?"

"Just destroy the key structure, make it break apart as a whole—wait, you don't have similar weapons, do you?"

".have."

It was only then that Lin Xu realized he had fallen into a misconception.

Yes.

If methods of "mind control" truly exist, then it is clear that every person involved must have undergone "physical encryption."

There's not much point in letting them live.

On the contrary, killing them all at once would allow them to obtain the paper documents inside the space station more completely.

Depend on!
Aren't the weapons simple enough?
The "obstacle clearing system" on the Yinghuo Palace space station would be perfect.
The plan goes through!
Lin Xu is ready to re-enter the world of bracelets.

But it's a pity.

The number above still only has a plain "0".

Let's take a rest then?
Oh, Jiang Xingye didn't seem very happy when he left just now?

Shouldn't we try to comfort her?

Lin Xu exchanged a few words with Qin Feng, then turned and walked towards the door.

Qin Feng then sat down and began communicating with the coordination team to deploy the "acquisition plan" for David Julius.

He didn't follow Lin Xu.

nonsense.

Even if I'm a security guard, I can't follow them around all day, can I?
When two young people are dating, they really need to be given some space.
After typing out the basic report, Qin Feng immediately dialed his superior's number.

After the call connected, he began to speak:
"Boss, I just sent you the report."

"Yes, that's roughly the idea."

"I need the cooperation of the coast guard comrades over there to put on a show."

"The main thing is to get the information to him in a reasonable way."

"Yes, yes, that's about it."

"Huh? You're handing it over to the Bureau of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Chinese Academy of Sciences? Do they even know how to do it?"

"Oh, so the International Liaison Department is assisting, right?"

"I'm fine, what problem could I possibly have?"

"I have no worries."

"Germany? No way, I can't leave here. Let's settle things locally, and hopefully there will be progress today."

Hours later, in Munich, Germany.

David Julius left the pain studies conference and returned to his hotel.

He was holding a document in his hand—to be precise, a letter of intent for cooperation from a well-known pharmaceutical company.

He hadn't initially wanted to accept the document, but the young man he'd met during the tea break had deeply moved him. He was friendly, warm, and his words were full of respect, and of course, a hint of pleading.

Just like myself when I was young.

Who hasn't walked this path?
So, even if it was just out of politeness, I accepted his letter of intent.

Of course, I won't look at it.

I receive far too many letters of intent like these every day.

Most of them neither bring me enough benefit nor arouse enough interest.

Because most of the theoretical research involved is still based on data from several years ago.

TRPV1 antagonist? Topical capsaicin preparation?

Even the most cutting-edge ones are just TRPM8 inhibitors used for chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain.

Please, I already studied these things years ago.

What I care about more now is content related to "brain science" in a real sense.

For example, NMDA receptors, which are related to learning and memory.

Although this is a completely new research project for me.

However, based on my previous research in the TRP channel family field, I am still very confident that I can achieve new results in this new field.

With that thought in mind, David casually tossed the file onto the desk in the room.

But at that moment, he suddenly noticed several lines of handwritten text on the file bag.

"No man is an island."

No man is an island.

It's from Bon Jovi, a lyric from my favorite band.

So much effort?

David picked up the document with great interest.

His fondness for rock music is certainly no secret, but often, those who want to collaborate with him don't notice anything outside his area of ​​expertise.

This piqued his interest in the young man and the document.

Just take a look?
Let's give him a chance, just for the sake of that lyric?
David opened the file and glanced at it casually.

His expression quickly changed.

A moment later, he picked up his phone and dialed his assistant's number.

"Book me a plane ticket to China."

"Yes, the sooner the better."

"Two hours later? No problem, I'll head to the airport right now."

"Visa? No problem."

"Didn't you know? They're offering visa-free entry to tourists for a limited time now."

"Okay, stop talking so much."

"I will give you a company's phone number. Contact this company and inform them of my travel arrangements."

"Also, call me a car, I'm leaving right away!"

After hanging up the phone, David quickly packed his luggage and left the room.

He didn't know why he was in such a hurry.
-
It should be said that this was not a matter of being in a hurry, but rather a matter of being decisive.

My trip to Munich is over; I had originally planned to go to Switzerland.

There, several investors invited him to go skiing at the ski resort they had just acquired.

Skiing is definitely a great activity.

However, compared to the things mentioned in this document, they are not very appealing.

Let's just consider this a spontaneous trip.

Isn't the "Journey to China" video quite popular on YouTube these days?

I'm a 60-year-old man, so it's actually not bad to travel to different places.
The last time I went to China was 15 years ago.

I don't know about the snacks sold in the old city of Guangzhou.
Does it still taste the same?

Two hours later, in the hotel corridor.

The two men in suits looked helplessly at the room, which had already been cleaned by the cleaners, and accepted the fact that the person they were looking for had left.

The man standing on the left sighed and said:
"The plane has taken off—bound to China, and will land in Guangzhou."

"We were still a step too slow."

"It's impossible to intercept it now. All we can do now is pray that this is a normal academic trip."

"Obviously impossible."

The man opposite shrugged and said:
"Although we haven't found any signs of Chinese intelligence agencies' involvement, you know, in many cases, their intelligence work is more covert than ours."

“When dealing with them, you can’t rely on any ‘coincidence’ or any ‘randomness’.”

"If something seems like a coincidence, then it's best to treat it as part of your opponent's plan from the very beginning."

"Indeed."

The man on the left nodded slowly.

His expression was somewhat somber.

If this isn't a coincidence...
Then, the advantage that our side has worked so hard to build up will probably have vanished.

This is not good news.

According to the superiors' speculation, the project they are currently tracking will not be exposed for at least three years.

It's even possible that it could remain hidden for even longer.

but now.
It is very likely that not only has it been exposed, but the other party has even found the key nodes.

Based on past experience, once this happens, a full-scale confrontation will begin.

Some people will die silently, and many battles will be fought in the dark.

The man subconsciously touched the pistol hidden under his suit, as if trying to find a sense of security in the cold metal.

But in reality, his heartbeat became increasingly erratic.

After closing his eyes and remaining silent for a long time, he finally spoke:
"Let's go."

"Now that he's gone to China, we have to go there no matter what."

"Are you ready with your identity?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his companion on the other end nodded in reply:
"Ready."

"Should we request support from headquarters?"

"of course."

The man answered without hesitation:

"Have them keep a close eye on that plane and the person picking it up."

"Once we discover that the person picking up the passenger may have connections with Chinese officials, we will have no choice but to take action."

"A more aggressive strategy."

The companion opposite him had a slightly shifty look in his eyes.

"A more aggressive strategy? You mean..."

The man paused, then raised his hand to his neck.

"If conditions are right."

He didn't finish his words.

But his expression said it all.

His companion immediately frowned.

"Conducting combat missions within their territory?"

"Are you sure?"

“We haven’t done this for at least twenty years.”

"The current situation is very sensitive, and in fact, David Julius is not that important."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to leave."

"Isn't this an overreaction?"

"Do not."

The man let out a long breath.

"There is no overreaction to the Lanzhou Petrochemical Project."

"We must not allow them to obtain even a single useful piece of information."

"That would plunge us into the abyss!"

(End of this chapter)