A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 795 Money and silk move people's hearts; this has always been the case.

The silly boy couldn't understand the connection between "goodbye" and "see you later," just like Secretary Chen in the flower hall of Beijing couldn't understand why Chief Cheng's radio was no longer working.

but……

Secretary Chen glanced at the report from Chief Guard Cheng, looked back at the empty office, and quickly copied down a few key points on a piece of paper.

Outside the flower hall, the winter plum blossoms along the blue brick path had just faded, and a few specks of snow still clung to the branches. The office door closed silently, and Secretary Chen walked briskly down the corridor, her fingertips seemingly still trembling slightly from copying notes.

Suddenly, Secretary Chen stopped and scanned his surroundings warily. The corridor was silent, with only the soft echo of his own footsteps on the blue brick floor.

Secretary Chen subconsciously tightened his coat and chuckled self-deprecatingly. The next moment, he gently pressed a spot on his wool coat to make sure the extra copy was securely in the inner pocket, and a hint of excitement spread across his face.

This trip was definitely the right one! We thought it was just a small-scale gold mine, but it turns out to be a world-class one! Secretary Chen had no doubt about the assessment made by the old geologist himself.

With this foundation, my expectations for a certain position don't seem so unattainable.

He had just passed through a moon gate and entered the courtyard that connected to the small parking lot when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Old Li, back in his old lair, stood leisurely with his hands tucked in his pockets on the other side of the moon gate, seemingly admiring the withered branches in the corner of the courtyard, or perhaps simply pausing there. His weathered face was expressionless, except for his eyes, which, the moment Secretary Chen appeared, seemed to casually sweep over.

Secretary Chen's heart skipped a beat, but he instantly put on a perfectly timed smile, as if it were just a chance encounter. He quickened his pace and stepped forward to greet him, "Comrade Li? What are you doing standing here? It's quite chilly outside, you should take care of yourself."

Old Li slowly turned around, a gentle smile appearing on his face, though the smile didn't fully reach his eyes: "It's Comrade Chen. You're really used to being a secretary, always telling me to take care of my health..."

He paused slightly, then asked casually, "But you, coming in such a hurry, are you from the big boss's place? Something important?"

Secretary Chen was deeply troubled, but his face remained impassive. He smiled and patted the briefcase tucked under his arm: "That's right. The big boss has a few urgent documents that he instructed to be sent to the gentle old man for review and processing immediately. I dare not delay and am sending them over right away."

As he spoke, he changed the subject, his gaze falling on Old Li's slightly trembling shoulders. "But you, Comrade Li, I just heard you coughing. Are you feeling unwell? You seemed quite energetic the other day."

"Oh, urgent documents..." Old Li nodded thoughtfully, his hand twitching as if he were just casually adjusting his sleeves. He then coughed a few times, his voice hoarse and weary. "Sigh, it's all for the country. Unlike this old man, I've been feeling weak lately, and I feel uncomfortable here and there."

Old Li seemed to have been hit where it hurt, coughing a few more times until his shoulders trembled. He raised his hand to rub his chest, but secretly glanced at Secretary Chen's reaction out of the corner of his eye: "I was thinking of taking advantage of today to see the gentle old man and mention it to him. I've carried the burden on the old headquarters for so many years, it's time to find a young person to take over. I can't let this old body of mine break down."

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed almost uncontrollably in Secretary Chen's eyes! His heart skipped a beat, and he forcibly suppressed the question that was about to slip out.

Old Li from the old lair... actually admitted himself that he's losing his strength and wants to find a successor? This is huge news! What would happen if his "old brother," who has been lying in wait for years and has been coveting the position of the old lair, found out...?

A surge of immense joy and a sense of urgency instantly overwhelmed him; he had to get the message out immediately!

If my "old buddy" takes Li Lao's position, then many things won't be so troublesome!

"Oh dear, Comrade Li, we all see how devoted you are to the country. You must take care of yourself!" Secretary Chen suppressed his anxiety and pretended to be concerned: "Comrade Li, don't say that. You're in good health. But if you really feel tired, it would be right to find a reliable young person to take over."

"Reliable young people are hard to find." Old Li sighed, his cough lessening. "Let's discuss it with the gentle old man first, there's no rush."

Secretary Chen couldn't possibly wait any longer. He was already planning to leave quickly, tell his old buddy the news, and take advantage of the opportunity to make some moves. He quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Then Comrade Li, please rest here for now. I won't disturb you any longer. The big boss can't be without someone by his side, so I'll take my leave first."

With that, he turned and walked away, his steps even faster than before, his cotton shoes making a "thump-thump" sound on the blue bricks, without even turning his head back.

Before the moon gate, Old Li slowly stopped coughing, pulled his hand out of his cotton robe pocket, and put it behind his back. He watched Secretary Chen's hurried back, the "tiredness" in his eyes completely disappearing, his sharp gaze fixed on that back like a nail, until Secretary Chen got into the car in the parking lot, only then did he slowly look away.

"Tsk, sometimes breaking the rules can lead to unexpected discoveries..."

"Delivering documents... Ha, you who's not on duty, you probably don't know that right now the big boss and the gentle old man are listening to Comrade Lantian's on-site report..."

Old Li, watching the taillights of Secretary Chen's car disappear into the distance, slowly raised his hand and waved, as if saying goodbye.

As if receiving a silent command, a slight rustling sound arose from behind the jagged artificial rock behind the moon gate, and a tall figure emerged silently like a ghost, his movements so light that they were completely inconsistent with his robust physique.

Hey, isn't this Big Guy, whom we haven't seen in ages!

The tall man strode up behind Old Li, his posture ramrod straight, and reported in a low voice, "Report! Mission accomplished. All dialogue from the target has been fully recorded!"

Almost simultaneously, from the shadows in the corner of the office where Secretary Chen had just left, two men in leather jackets with sharp expressions emerged from the other side of the courtyard.

They were holding several strange-looking devices covered with knobs and antennas. Upon closer inspection, they looked remarkably like the "sound receiver" that Jiangxia had hand-made.

It's so much better looking than the one made by that kid.

Ignoring the cassette tape the man in the leather jacket offered, Old Li instead pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, unscrewed the cap, poured out a dark brown pill, and placed it under his tongue. His Adam's apple bobbed before he slowly spoke: "I've lived most of my life, what storms haven't I weathered? Yet, seeing Secretary Chen's face today still makes my heart tighten. If it weren't for this drug that that idiot kid tricked people into making, I probably would be kicking the bucket today..."

"That's right! Young Jiang's craftsmanship is truly exceptional!" Seeing that Old Li was in a good mood, the man in the leather jacket boldly chimed in, "Look at this 'sound wave receiver,' it's amazing! It's highly sensitive and has strong anti-interference capabilities. Even through walls and with windows closed, as long as it's within range, it can record even the sound of someone clearing their throat clearly! This time, the evidence is irrefutable!"

He realized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth and quickly shrank back.

Sure enough, Old Li raised his hand and slapped him on the arm, not hard, but with a hint of annoyance: "You little rascal! What kind of spell has this dimwit cast on you? You're all taking every opportunity to speak well of him! You don't say a word about his troublemaking skills!"

“Hey boss, you forgot, this guy actually got his name on Xiao Jiang’s project proposal! Wow, he played the victim for a bit and got this kind of reward. If it were me, I would also…” Another man in a leather jacket immediately interrupted.

After the laughter and playful banter, Old Li's expression turned serious, regaining his usual calm and decisiveness. He gestured with his chin in the direction Secretary Chen had left and ordered, "Alright, stop joking around. It's about time. You two, follow him from a distance, not too close. See where our Secretary Chen is rushing off to, and who he's meeting."

"Yes!"

Under the moon gate, only Old Li and Big Guy remained. Old Li stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky. The pill under his tongue brought a cool sensation, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.

"Boss, isn't what we're doing violating the regulations? Didn't they say we're not allowed to conduct investigations without authorization..."

Old Li waved his hand: "Have you forgotten the imperial sword that brat had?"

"Uh... do you have the authority to call upon necessary support personnel and resources as needed for the job?"

"Well, this wasn't originally supposed to be used, but you can't stop these people from getting involved in Project 113..."

"Tsk tsk, you know what, the timing of that world-class gold mine news was just right. If I had any ulterior motives, I wouldn't be able to resist taking a bite..."

Old Li was also taken aback when he heard this. Yes, the timing was too coincidental. At this critical juncture, this incident has made some people who were buried deep in the past unable to resist sticking their heads out.

Peeking out is fine, just take a quick look at the dazzling world, and then you'll be slowly dealt with by the clueless kid sitting on the sidelines...

Hiss, this is terrifying to think about. Did that brat plan this all along?

After thinking it over and over, the innocent smile of a certain guy with a cowlick on his head reappeared in Old Li's mind.

No way, no way. Although this kid is often praised for his foresight, he couldn't possibly have a third eye that allows him to see the gold mines in Northeast China...

Old Li chuckled to himself, saying that working in the dark for so long had really made him paranoid. It was an illness that needed to be cured!

The best treatment, of course, is to have a good chat with the lovable goofball who made such a great contribution.

Does that brat really not know about the Dadonggou world-class gold mine?

Tsk tsk, who knows...