Reborn in 2011, I am the chief designer of aerospace.

In a yellowed file titled "Volume 2," there is a page containing a deduction about the true purpose of Salyut 7.

The text is likely a translation from Russian to Chinese, hence the somewhat convoluted language. It is probably an analysis by an expert from Country R.

The other party said that Salyut 7 is ostensibly a civilian space station, but in reality it is the product of Project Diamond, a top-secret manned military reconnaissance program during the Cold War!

Although R country has never acknowledged the existence of the Diamond Project, the files list many clues.

Experts speculate that the renowned scientist Chelome secretly installed a 23mm aircraft cannon codenamed R-23M on Salyut 7.

This weapon, which was originally intended to be mounted on a Tu-22 bomber, has a firing rate of up to 2000 rounds per minute and is designed to destroy reconnaissance satellites of Country A.

He also speculated that Salyut 7 was equipped with a large optical reconnaissance telescope, and that the astronauts looked down at the Earth from space every day, so that no movement of Country A's aircraft carrier fleet and missile base could escape their eyes.

The ultimate demise of Salyut 7 has also been imbued with a conspiracy theory element—

Enraged, the people of Country A shot it down with an anti-satellite missile!

Of course, all of this is based on fragmented inferences, without any conclusive evidence or corroboration.

Unless the Pentagon is willing to declassify the Star Wars files from back then.

After all, apart from Country A and Country R, ​​no other country had the ability to monitor the movements in space, let alone know the secrets of Salyut 7.

Jiang Mian initially read it as a science fiction novel, enjoying it immensely and thinking that the Russians had a truly imaginative mind.

But when she turned to the last few pages, a report about the "mysterious astronaut crew" sent a chill down her spine.

The crew consisted of five people. After returning to Earth from the top-secret mission of Salyut 7, four of them died mysteriously, and one mysteriously disappeared...

Jiang Mian instinctively covered her mouth and glanced at the old man at the door in horror.

Fortunately, the old man was still engrossed in his martial arts novels and didn't notice anything unusual.

She then quickly flipped through the pages until the record of the last missing astronaut came to an abrupt end.

What does that mean?

Is the mystery over here?

Jiang Mian mentally complained and subconsciously looked back at the row of iron frames behind her.

It seems that to gain a more detailed understanding of the entire Salyut 7 mystery, we'll have to go back and see if there's a first or second volume...

However, all she can do now is wait patiently.

So Jiang Mian reread the contents of the "Second Volume," trying her best to imprint the words in her mind, while praying that the old man would go out to answer a phone call again.

Fortunately, her patience soon paid off.

Not long after, Jiang Mian suddenly heard a sound.

Suddenly, the old man put down his novel, got up, walked to the cabinet in the corner, unscrewed the tea box, grabbed a pinch of tea leaves, and threw them into the cup.

Then I heard the sound of the thermos shaking, as if it hadn't been filled with hot water that morning and was empty.

So the old man picked up the thermos, turned around, and walked towards the outside of the confidential room.

There is a hot water dispenser on each floor of the library, at the end of the corridor. If the old man walks slowly, it will take him at least five minutes to go back and forth!

Jiang Mian realized that this was undoubtedly another golden opportunity!

As soon as the old man disappeared outside the confidential room, Jiang Mian immediately got up, grabbed the "Second Volume" and headed straight for the file shelf.

She knelt down on one knee, stuffed the file box back into its place, and then rummaged around nearby.

Persistence pays off, and this time, she finally found a copy of the "middle volume" of "The Mysterious Incident of Salute No. 7".

Jiang Mian was overjoyed and reached out to grab it.

They found they couldn't pull it.

A strange sensation came from my hand, as if the document had been glued to its original position and couldn't be moved.

At the same time, a soft, puzzled "Eh?" came from the file shelf.

Surprised, Jiang Mian didn't have time to think further and pulled harder, but unexpectedly, the force on the other side suddenly disappeared.

She used too much force and couldn't stop in time. She fell backward, dragging the folder with her, and landed hard on her bottom.

"Clang!"

Jiang Mian's back slammed heavily against the iron frame behind her, and she immediately felt the old iron frame shake violently.

She was terrified and quickly got up, trying to steady the swaying shelf. But as soon as she reached out, she was hit on the head by a cascade of falling documents, making her see stars.

Immediately afterwards, large swaths of dust flew up along with the documents.

Amidst the chaos, Jiang Mian saw the old man with gray hair and wearing a Zhongshan suit standing opposite her.

"What are you doing?!"

At that moment, a voice filled with surprise and anger came from the doorway of the confidential room.

Unexpectedly, the old man returned with a thermos so quickly. The two people who were looking at each other turned around and saw the old man glaring at them angrily.

Oh no! We've been caught red-handed!

Jiang Mian's brain was still blank when the old man in the Zhongshan suit was the first to react and offered an explanation.

He pointed to the file shelf and said, "Oh, it's nothing. My back is bothering me, so I couldn't squat down. I asked this young lady to help me get the documents from the bottom shelf. She lost her balance and accidentally bumped into the shelf."

As he spoke, the old man extended a hand to Jiang Mian, who was slumped on the ground, a meaningful smile on his face, and winked like a mischievous old man.

"Are you alright, little girl? Get up quickly, thank you so much!"

……

Outside the library, the autumn wind was bleak.

Song Xingye paced back and forth on the steps until Jiang Mian finally came out.

He stared in disbelief at the dusty little girl and the elderly man with gray hair wearing a Zhongshan suit beside her.

Jiang Mian's face was tense, and she looked listless, just like a student who had made a mistake and was being escorted away by the head teacher.

Song Xingye composed himself, ignoring Jiang Mian's desperate attempts to signal him, took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and stood tall to meet her.

Jiang Mian and the elderly man in the Zhongshan suit walked up to him, and before the man could speak, Song Xingye said loudly:

"Sir, it's not her fault. I was the one who encouraged her to go to the confidential office to look up information. If anyone should be punished, punish me!"

The old man in the Zhongshan suit paused for a moment, then looked at Jiang Mian.

Jiang Mian's originally pale face instantly flushed red, a hint of emotion flashed in her eyes, and she was also somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The old man suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

"These young people nowadays are really bold, daring to sneak into the confidential room to peek at secret files?"

The old man patted Jiang Mian's arm and pushed her towards Song Xingye. "But... your accomplice is not bad. He's a responsible man, quite interesting."

After saying that, he seemed to have no intention of pursuing the matter further. Instead, he put his hands behind his back and walked towards the parking lot on his own.

Song Xingye was left standing there, completely bewildered.

He stared at Jiang Mian, who had been pushed over, and then Jiang Mian immediately chased after him, waving to signal Song Xingye to follow.

The old man found an old, dilapidated black Santana 3000 in the parking lot and opened the door.

He didn't seem surprised that the two children were following him; he simply gestured towards the back seat before getting into the driver's seat himself.

Song Xingye was pulled into the back row by Jiang Mian, looking completely bewildered.

Sitting in the car, the old man quietly lit a cigarette, rolled down half of the window, and smoked without saying a word, observing the two kids through the rearview mirror.

Song Xingye turned to look at Jiang Mian with an inquiring gaze, silently asking, "What exactly is going on?"

Jiang Mian blinked her bright eyes, glanced at the old man puffing on his cigarette in the driver's seat, and whispered in his ear, "He's also looking for photocopies of Salyut 7's information in the confidential room!"

Song Xingye said "Oh?", raised an eyebrow, and glanced at the old man whose face was only half reflected in the rearview mirror.

Then, Jiang Mian told Song Xingye in detail about the "accident" that had happened in the confidential room half an hour earlier.

It turned out that in the confidential room, Jiang Mian and the old man in the Zhongshan suit almost simultaneously grabbed the document box of "The Mysterious Incident of Salute No. 7 (Volume 2)" across the file shelf.

As a result, the other party took the initiative to let go, and Jiang Mian not only fell in a "sands landing" style, but also knocked over the shelf behind her. The old man in charge of the confidential office caught the chaotic scene.

If it weren't for the old man in the Zhongshan suit making up an excuse to get out of the situation, Jiang Mian would probably be writing a self-criticism at the security office right now.

However, after this commotion, the administrator became more vigilant. Feeling guilty, Jiang Mian didn't dare to linger in the confidential room. After cleaning up the mess, she made an excuse to slip away.

Unexpectedly, while waiting for the elevator, he was grabbed by an old man in a Zhongshan suit who had followed him and taken to the emergency exit.

"Are you interested in the Salyut 7 project?"

An old man in a Zhongshan suit blocked the small door of the emergency exit, staring at her menacingly as he asked.

Since the other party had the evidence that she had peeked at the documents, Jiang Mian realized she couldn't fool them, so she honestly nodded and admitted it.

"Did you want to investigate this yourself?"

"Of course!"

Although Jiang Mian was a coward, she still stood up for her principles and didn't betray Song Xingye.

"Hehe, little girl, you're not cut out to lie; you can't fool me."

The old man in the Zhongshan suit smiled, clearly not believing her words.

After saying that, he took the last drag of his cigarette, threw away the butt, stomped it out, and pushed open the emergency exit door. "Take me to meet your accomplices."

The tone left no room for argument.

And so, this scene unfolded.