Courtyard House: A Major Power's Heavy Industry, Hand-Crafted Nuclear Fusion

The following evening, at an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Moscow.

Led by Alexei, Su Zheng and Lao Chen passed through the rusty iron gate and entered this industrial relic left over from the Cold War.

The factory interior was empty and cold, with only a few dim light bulbs barely illuminating the passageways. The sound of dripping water echoed in the distance, reverberating in the desolate space.

"Is this the place?"

Su Zheng looked around, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Yes."

Alexei nodded. "My friend is quite cautious; he chose a place like this to meet."

Be careful.

Old Chen lowered his voice, his right hand stealthily reaching for his waist. "Something just feels off."

The three walked through a long corridor and arrived at an office deep inside the factory.

The door was ajar, and a faint light shone through.

Alexei knocked on the door.

"Come in."

A deep voice came from inside.

Pushing open the door, Su Zheng saw a middle-aged man in his fifties sitting behind the table.

The man wore a faded military overcoat, his face weathered by time, but his eyes were unusually sharp. Beside him stood two expressionless young men, their waists noticeably bulging—those were guns.

Let me introduce myself.

Alexei said, "This is Viktor Petrovich, a former lieutenant general in the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces, who was in charge of several nuclear weapons development projects."

"General Victor, this is the Chinese friend I mentioned to you."

Victor sized up Su Zheng, and after a long pause, he finally spoke: "I heard you want to buy nuclear technology?"

"Yes."

Su was straightforward: "If the price is right."

"Hahaha……"

Victor suddenly burst into laughter, but there was an indescribable bitterness in his voice. "The price is right? Young man, do you know what you're talking about?"

"Of course I know."

Su Zheng calmly replied, "Nuclear reactor design data, nuclear weapon miniaturization technology—these are all things you possess."

"You're certainly well-informed."

Victor's smile faded. "But what makes you think I'd sell these things to you?"

"Because you need money."

Su Zheng bluntly said, "You haven't received your pension for three months, have you? The heating in your Moscow apartment has been turned off. And you're almost unable to afford your daughter's tuition in St. Petersburg."

"..."

Victor's face darkened. "You investigated me?"

"It's not an investigation."

Su Zheng shook his head. "Just to understand. I need to know if my trading partner is reliable."

"reliable?"

Victor sneered, "You're a Chinese citizen, coming to Russia to buy nuclear technology. Who do you think is more unreliable?"

"The general is right."

Su Zheng remained composed and assertive. "Therefore, we can check and balance each other. You need money, and I need technology. We each get what we need, and neither of us owes the other anything."

"interesting……"

Victor stared at Su Zheng for a long while before slowly saying, "Alright, I like your frankness. Tell me, what do you want?"

"Three things."

Su Zheng held up three fingers. "First, the complete design drawings and operational data for the VVER-1000 pressurized water reactor."

"Second, the design principles and key manufacturing processes for miniaturized nuclear warheads."

"third……"

He paused, then continued, "The relevant technical documents for nuclear submarine propulsion systems."

"..."

The office suddenly fell silent.

The two young men beside Victor exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

"You have quite an appetite."

Victor said slowly, "If any one of these three things were leaked, it would be enough to send me to a military court."

"Therefore, the price will also be very high."

Su Zheng said, "I can give you twenty million US dollars."

"Twenty million..."

Victor's breathing quickened noticeably, but he still shook his head. "Not enough. These things are worth far more than that."

"Then name your price."

"Fifty million US dollars."

"And it has to be cash," Victor said. "Not bank transfers; they're too easily traceable."

"Fifty million..."

Su Zheng hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay. But I need to see the goods first."

"certainly."

Victor took a thick brown paper bag from the drawer and pushed it onto the table. "Here are some microfilm reels of the documents. You can take them back to verify their authenticity."

"If you are satisfied, we can complete the transaction here again in three days."

"good."

Su Zheng took the paper bag, carefully checked the seal, and only put it into his pocket after confirming that it had not been tampered with.

"Then...it's a pleasure to work with you."

Victor reached out his hand.

Su Zheng squeezed his hand; the hand was cold, but he held it tightly.

……

It was already late at night when we left the abandoned factory.

The winter night in Moscow was bitterly cold, and Su Zheng tightened his coat.

"Minister Su."

Old Chen said in a low voice, "I always felt that this Victor... was a bit off."

"How so?"

"It went too smoothly."

Old Chen frowned. "Such sensitive technology, and he agreed to sell it to us so easily? And he even offered to lower the price..."

Your concerns are valid.

Su Zheng nodded. "Therefore, we must verify the authenticity of this information."

"Upon returning, immediately send the film reel to the embassy's technical team and have them analyze it overnight."

"clear."

……

However, shortly after they left.

In the abandoned factory's office, Victor picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"It's me."

"The fish has taken the bait."

A cold voice came from the other end of the phone: "Very good. Proceed as planned."

"but……"

Victor hesitated for a moment. "Sir, this Chinese man is not simple. He's cautious and won't be easily fooled."

"rest assured."

"The wolf" said, "The information I gave him was seven parts true and three parts false. That was enough to convince their experts."

"Once they bring the money, that's when we'll close the net."

"At that time, not only will we be able to catch this Chinese spy, but we can also extort some money from him."

"clear."

Victor hung up the phone, looked out at the dark night sky, and sighed.

He was a lieutenant general in the Russian Strategic Rocket Force and was in charge of several nuclear weapons projects.

But now, he is just a pawn in the hands of the KGB.

A chess piece used to catch big fish.

……

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Russia.

Several experts from the technical team are carefully examining the microfilm rolls under a microscope.

"How is it?"

Su Zheng stood to the side and asked anxiously.

"At first glance... it seems to be true."

An elderly expert removed his glasses. "These drawings are incredibly detailed; they couldn't have been forged so easily."

"We've seen similar information about the VVER-1000 reactor design before, and it's basically the same."

"but……"

He paused. "Some data needs further verification. We need more time."

How much time do you have?

"At least two days."

"good."

Su Zheng nodded. "Hurry up. I need to give them an answer in three days."

"clear."

……

For the next two days, Su Zheng was restless and unable to eat or sleep.

He knew the deal was extremely risky, but the temptation was equally great.

Nuclear technology is one of the things that China urgently needs.

If we could obtain this information, the level of China's nuclear industry could be improved by at least ten years.

However, he also knew that Russia's intelligence agencies would not stand idly by.

This could very well be a trap.

A trap designed specifically for him.

"Minister Su."

The following evening, the senior expert approached him, saying, "We've completed the preliminary verification."

"What was the result?"

"The information is basically true."

The old expert said, "But there's a problem."

"What's the problem?"

"Regarding the miniaturized nuclear warhead section, some key data... appears to have been deliberately altered."

"Revise?"

Su Zheng's heart sank. "Are you sure?"

"It cannot be completely certain."

The veteran expert shook his head. "This requires further analysis. But my gut feeling tells me there's something wrong with these data."

"..."

Su Zheng fell into deep thought.

Sure enough, it was a trap.

The other party provided information that was 70% true and 30% false.

The truthful parts are meant to convince him; the false parts are meant to mislead him.

More importantly—

If he gets caught at the trading site, he's finished.

But if I don't go...

Then this opportunity to visit Russia might be wasted.

"Minister Su, should we... still go?"

Old Chen asked cautiously.

Su Zheng stood by the window, gazing at the snow-covered night sky outside, and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he took a deep breath and turned around.

"go."

"But we need to do it another way."

……