I started with a ship full of max-level veterans, and I'm just a complete noob.

"Don't add names yet. Register according to what can be seen on the original document; no one is allowed to guess the name."

Director Wang moved the burned letter into a transparent insert and signaled the safety officer to affix a seal across the seam on the spot.

The translator followed to the worktable, his cotton coat pockets stuffed with draft paper, his reddened eyes still fixed on the broken pen with its edge close to the burnt edge.

Fang Xudong moved the magnifying glass above the paper. The remaining ink had turned brown after being heated, and the last stroke was slightly up to the right. Based on its current shape alone, it was impossible to determine whether it was originally located to the left or right of the name.

"Put it on the left, and it could be Chen, Lu, Deng, or Guo; put it on the right, and it could be Zheng." He put down the magnifying glass. "You can't determine a person based on just this one stroke."

Lu Qinghe took out an infrared observation light and adjusted the angle from both the front and back.

The ink stains extended all the way to the scorched edge, but the subsequent strokes were burned away along with the corner of the paper, leaving no trace for restoration.

Director Wang then asked the translator, "Has the preceding content been verified?"

"It's been checked three times. The secret letter uses a double-layer substitution: the outer layer corresponds to the material number, and the inner layer uses the page numbers of the 'Lightning No. 7' manual as an index." The translator spread out the manuscript. "The first four lines can be confirmed, in order: Lei Ming, Meng Dechang, Zhang Shouzhen, and Li Wende. The index associated with the fifth line falls exactly on the three missing pages; for now, we can only read this fragment of a pen."

"In what order is the list arranged?"

The translator turned to the front page of the codebook and checked the index description item by item: "It doesn't match the publicly available job titles, nor is it arranged by the number of strokes in the surname. It's probably grouped by experimental authority. The fifth person's code also appears in the general authorization column, allowing access to equipment origin, transportation records, and personnel rosters. Their authority is at least higher than Meng Dechang's."

The only sound in the laboratory was the faint creaking of the incinerator embers beneath the sand.

Director Wang took a pencil and wrote "To be checked" next to the fifth line of the translation.

As the director of the materials allocation department, Meng Dechang was already able to access freight routes, military supply permits, and cross-regional travel permits.

The fifth person's authority is even higher than his. Once the investigation extends along this line to a higher level, ordinary letters, public access to files, and even routine handwriting verification may alert the target in advance.

"From now on, the fifth person will only be referred to as 'Number Five.' The original will be kept on my person, and copies will be sealed separately. No telegram is allowed to contain this tattered handwriting."

Director Wang put the secret letter into a moisture-proof paper sleeve, and then put it into a kraft paper sealed bag.

Before the sealing wax had completely solidified, he put the sealed bag into the inside pocket of his uniform.

"All personnel present were registered one by one, and after leaving the laboratory, they were not allowed to discuss any names that might be involved; the Beijing hotline only reported new leads."

After the assault company commander signed the confidentiality record, he led his team to continue clearing the 200-meter experimental layer, while the engineers removed all the feeders and batteries around the lead box.

Jiang Ming followed Fang Xudong to inspect the K-band fragments. The 350 points in the system had been settled, but the scale leading to the Hanlin scroll was still 1,250 points away.

The academic integration brought about by the Jinshi examination has just shown its value, but the next level of upgrade requirements has been raised to 1600 points, which means that the results of a single battle can no longer drive the entire examination to leap forward.

He turned his attention back to his worktable; the more important task at hand was to keep the chain of evidence intact for each piece of loot and prevent them from being mixed up during transport.

The mine evidence was laid out in three chambers according to their depth, room number, and rescue order. The safety officer could only register the evidence layer by layer along the steps.

The first layer consists of the main entrance and power distribution tunnel, containing weapons, detonators, couplers, and detonation branches on abandoned steel pipes.

The second floor is the central control room, where the detonation panel, the 7 MHz backup unit, the frequency hopper, and the complete codebook are each placed in sealed boxes.

The third floor is the old laboratory, where K-band prototype components, German drawings, Lightning 7 manuals, and fragments of transnational communications are preserved at the highest level.

Old Sun guarded the handwritten book, waiting for the safety officer to photograph each page before he was allowed to put on gloves and inspect each page.

He turned the pages much more slowly, stopping when he encountered pages stuck together at the edges, waiting for the restorers to separate them with bamboo strips, his palm always supporting the bottom edge of the book.

"The writing on this page was done by Lei Gong. When he writes the number seven, the horizontal line always goes through it, which others can't imitate."

Pointing to the experimental records from the winter of 1949, Lao Sun noted that Lei Ming had added three causes of failure after the cryogenic magnetron test and also requested a halt to the westward transport of nuclear insulation materials.

On the next page, Meng Dechang's red-pen instruction appeared, requiring the shipment to be completed on schedule, with the technical team bearing the risks. The signatures were only one day apart.

"Engineer Lei opposed the removal at the time, saying that the insulation layer was damp and that it would cause an accident if it was taken to the Northwest to start the machine. He said that the batch of materials on the requisition form should not be attributed to him at all."

Old Sun continued flipping through the personnel handover column. Lei Ming's signature only appeared in the technical acceptance section, while the material receipt section had a long scratch mark left by a blade.

Over the past six years, the public conclusions have linked the disappearance of supplies to Lei Ming's westward journey. When those in the workshop who knew him raised objections, they were only met with the response that the files were sealed.

The manual was rescued from the incinerator, and Lei Ming's handwritten record of opposing the transshipment, Meng Dechang's order to ship the goods, and the scraped-off signature of the recipient are all left on the paper.

Old Sun was about to turn to the next page, but after his fingertips touched the corner of the paper, he pulled them back and bent down to change his dusty gloves into a new pair.

"He carried it for six years, and I kept it to myself for six years. People said he ran away with his stuff, so all I could do was argue with them about the old things that happened in the workshop."

"Now that the paper and the seal are here, we can trace back layer by layer who approved it, who transported it, and who erased their name."

As he spoke, he turned around to get his toolbox, first arranging the scattered files back in place, and then repeatedly flattening the empty compartments.

Jiang Ming stood on the other side of the manual and saw that Lao Sun was about to pick up the enamel mug, but after reaching for the rim, he changed his mind and started adjusting the brass clasp.

"Master Sun, this manual can only prove that there are loopholes in the old conclusion. To completely overturn the case, we need to verify the handwriting, check the transportation records, and find the three missing pages."

"I understand. We have to check everything one by one when we build pipes. It doesn't count just because I can read."

Old Sun fastened the toolbox and looked at the stamp again through the transparent cover: "From today onwards, finally someone is willing to verify it again."

Upon hearing this, Director Wang took out a copy of the old material requisition form from the inner bag and handed it to the safety officer to make a preliminary comparison with the handwriting in the manual.

The signatures of Lei Ming on the two documents are structurally identical, but there are obvious differences in the ending strokes, the connection between the characters, and the numerical conventions of the name in the material verification column.

The on-site conditions made it impossible to conduct a forensic examination, but the preliminary comparison was sufficient to support the reopening of the files in Beijing. The case of Lao Lei was changed from being sealed as an old case to being reviewed as a combined case.

As pale blue light shone through the collapsed ventilation shaft, the last sealed box was carried out of the experimental layer, and the inventory list inside the cave was filled with twelve pages.

Jiang Ming returned to the ground via the steps. The shoulder pain from continuous combat resurfaced after moving the equipment, and the wounds on his palms became hot from being rubbed by the gloves.

Most of the dust outside the main tunnel entrance had settled, and the eastern light spread out from between the low clouds and the stone beams, shining on the mottled iron roof of the adobe command post.

The stretcher team completed the transfer of the last batch of wounded soldiers, the assault company counted personnel on the open ground, and the artillery began to reseal the remaining ammunition.

The equipment seized in the mine was loaded onto the truck in sequence, and the K-band fragments were placed separately into a constant humidity box. Four guards stood watch on both sides from the time the box was loaded until it was locked.

After Director Wang emerged from the cave, he first reported to the base that the gray pigeons had been captured, the mine had been cleared, and the underground detonation system had been deactivated. He then requested that Beijing open a top-secret encrypted hotline to report the casualties, spoils, and key achievements separately.

After a brief flurry of activity, everyone returned to their posts. Outside the mud-brick command post, only the idling sound of the generator could be heard. Old Sun leaned against the truck wheel and drank two mouthfuls of cold water.

Lu Qinghe hung the earphones back on the directional vehicle. The indentation on her right ear had not yet faded. She handed the last spectrum diagram to Fang Xudong for filing.

"From the start of the sandstorm to the silence of the mine, all frequency points and phase changes are here; the three K-band pulses are listed in another volume."

Fang Xudong took the records and looked at the shockproof box containing the fragments in the distance: "Send these data back to Beijing, and at least a new frequency band pre-research group should be established."

"Let's wait for the classification level to be determined. We lack reliable conclusions at the moment about how many prototypes the enemy possesses and where the second unit is located."

Jiang Ming carried the chipped enamel mug to the entrance of the command post. A communications soldier was tearing an urgent telegram from the decoder, the paper still warm from being pressed by the roller.

Upon recognizing the red security classification mark, the communications soldier immediately changed direction, turning his hand from the one extended to the duty officer and quickly approaching Director Wang.

"The Beijing military dispatch was urgent. The Air Defense Force Headquarters and the First Ministry of Machine Building jointly replied, demanding that the identity of the informant be verified immediately."

Director Wang signed the identification code and unfolded the telegram. Upon reaching the end, he raised his hand and called to Jiang Ming, who was about to board the train.

"Don't board the vehicle yet. Beijing is verifying the battle results and personnel list. The official order from headquarters will arrive soon."