Qiu Mingrui had a headache recently.
He didn't expect that he, an expert in nuclear engineering, would become the spiritual leader in the eyes of the people of Guanghan City.
Although he was happy to see that his paper had such a huge influence, he never thought that his paper would become popular in such a way.
What was even more unexpected was that this paper would cause such a huge wave in the field of public opinion!
What's more, the first author of that paper wasn't his name. He was just a low-key corresponding author.
As a result, several local media in Guanghan City not only forcibly put him and Lu Zhou on the opposite side, but they also directly promoted him as the savior of the people of Guanghan City, a chivalrous man who really dared to tell the truth.
Although it was a tradition with a long history to flatter others, this flattery was too heavy. Qiu Mingrui felt that he really couldn't bear it.
Even if he opposed Lu Zhou's views, he didn't think that his academic achievements could be compared with Academician Lu. In other words, how could he be on the opposite side of Lu Zhou? The two sides were completely unequal in ability and influence.
It was just that the past was the past. Just like Lu Zhou himself once said, "Lu Zhou has never believed in authority in his life, and you don't have to believe in him." He just stated the reason why he was not optimistic about the pulsed magnetic field.
From beginning to end, he thought that this was just an academic debate, but the voices of brainless idiots were always the loudest, and they were keen to discuss politics regardless of the occasion.
Once there were more such people, his paper would naturally be stained with political color.
Realizing that things had become serious, Qiu Mingrui, who felt that he was being roasted on a fire, immediately contacted the Institute of Physics and submitted an application for withdrawing the manuscript.
The Institute of Physics was also quite cooperative. Obviously, they also realized that the controversial paper might bring them trouble, so after receiving the request of the corresponding author, they quickly withdrew the paper.
Seeing that the manuscript was withdrawn, Qiu Mingrui finally breathed a sigh of relief. After issuing a clarification statement on his virtual reality personal homepage, he felt that this matter was over.
However, what he didn't expect was that he was still too naive.
Ever since his thesis became the fuse that ignited this storm, things were no longer something that a mere scholar like him could control.
It could even be said that his withdrawal did not become an opportunity to quell the anger of the residents of Guanghan City. Instead, it became a new fuse that intensified the conflict.
The second day after [Controllable Fusion Research Progress] issued a retraction statement, the public suddenly turned their attention to him.
What Qiu Mingrui didn't expect was that the residents of Guanghan City who were still praising him a few days ago had now begun to criticize him.
Perhaps the people who praised and the people who scolded were not the same group of people, but when the matter rose to the level of a group, the behavior of an individual in a group incident was actually not that important.
Qiu Mingrui watched helplessly how those people pushed him to the altar and how they threw him to the ground now.
He looked at the comments below that said that he was an "unscrupulous academician", "unethical academician", "only knows how to support the rich", and "has been bought by East Asia Power". He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Although he admitted that his level was indeed not as good as Academician Lu, he wouldn't fall to the extent that he would be bought by Academician Lu.
The kind of person who only cared about profit, but it was definitely not him.
However, at this point, there was nothing he could say to defend himself.
Most people only talked about their butts and didn't talk reason. The logic that hung on their mouths was mostly just to find a reasonable explanation for their idiocy. They didn't understand what science was, didn't understand the scientific concept of development, and didn't understand human language. The only thing they could do was to be a repeater.
But if you wanted to argue with this kind of hooligan, then no matter how reasonable you were, you were being unreasonable.
Immediately afterward, someone found out that he had met Lu Zhou on the Moon, and then there were rumors that his research team received a "donation" of 10 million credits.
Hearing these rumors, Qiu Mingrui didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
If he did accept the money, it would be fine. It could be regarded as a comfort to his injured heart.
However, the problem was that no one gave him money at all!
Just when he was in a dilemma and didn't know what to do, he suddenly received a transfer reminder from the bank, reminding him that he had received a large transfer of one million credits.
Qiu Mingrui, who received this message, almost had a heart attack. He quickly checked the sender's account and planned to return the money. However, the bank told him that the transfer account was registered on Mars, and the refund could not be initiated unilaterally.
Qiu Mingrui, who got the one million, felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Just after he spent the first day in an uneasy mood, he suddenly received a mysterious anonymous call the next day …
"Hello, Academician Qiu Mingrui, I don't know if you are in a good mood today."
Looking at the blurry video window, Qiu Mingrui frowned and said, "Very bad … Who are you? I haven't heard your voice. Where did you get my number? "
"There are no impenetrable walls in this world, especially in the information age. Not only do we know your phone number, but we also know your bank card number and home address. "
A drop of cold sweat ran across his forehead. Qiu Mingrui said calmly.
"Who the hell are you, what do you want! That one million credits, did you — "
"That's the deposit." Interrupting Academician Qiu Mingrui's words, the voice continued with a smile, "As for who we are, it doesn't matter. As long as you are willing to do something for me that is not too difficult, there will be another nine million credits transferred to your account. "
Qiu Mingrui gulped and spoke in a difficult tone.
"What is it …"
"Continue what you started." The voice continued slowly, "Aren't you opposed to the second-generation controllable fusion technology? Then continue to oppose it. Whether it is for money or for the residents of Guanghan City, we hope that your position can be more firm. "
A trace of struggle flashed in his eyes, but soon the struggle disappeared.
Qiu Mingrui took a deep breath and spoke.
"Sorry, I'm just a scholar. Your commission is beyond my ability. If it's an academic matter, I don't mind discussing it with you, but please don't let me get involved in this matter. What's your account number? I'll return the money to you now. I don't want to get involved in this matter … "
When Qiu Mingrui said this, there was already a hint of pleading in his voice.
However, after hearing his words, the person on the other end of the phone just smiled faintly and said in a slow tone, "It doesn't matter.
If you don't want to get involved, then don't get involved. "
"You don't have to return the money to me. Just treat it as a gift."
"But on the other hand, I hope you can stay sober and know what to say and what not to say. If I hear our conversation today from somewhere else, I will let you know the price of not keeping your promise. "
This is …
Hush money?
Qiu Mingrui opened his mouth and was about to say something.
However, the phone had been hung up …
…
Inside a small apartment in the suburbs of Shanghai.
A slightly chubby man took off the virtual reality helmet and placed it on the table next to him.
Looking at his face alone, there was nothing worth mentioning about him. However, if there were employees of East Asia Power or financial people standing here, they would definitely show a surprised expression on their faces.
There was no other reason.
It was really hard to imagine that Morinaga, the manager of SoftBank Group and one of the managing directors of East Asia Power, would actually live in such a place that was almost no different from a low-rent house.
But in fact, Morinaga did not really live here. This was just his base of operations.
Every time he needed to act as the leader of the foundation, he would come here and start his plan with an anonymous identity and address.
He still had many similar bases of operations.
So far, his work had been going very smoothly, and everything was developing in the direction that he expected.
Although he did not succeed in pulling Academician Qiu to the foundation's chariot, this did not affect anything. After all, at this point, the anger of the residents of Guanghan City had been completely ignited. Not to mention opposing the second-generation controllable fusion, if this trend continued, they would probably break with the mother planet.
Originally, the society between the two had also been in a state of long-term separation. Even in this era where interstellar navigation had become commonplace, many Pan-Asian citizens living on Earth had never left Earth in their lives. The same was true for those who were born and raised on the Moon. Their parents had lived here for as long as they could remember.
Sacrificing oneself for the prosperity of Earth was unacceptable for the vast majority of people on the Moon.
"It seems that the legendary man standing at the pinnacle of human wisdom is nothing more than this.
"What a pity."
With some regret, Morinaga stood up from the chair, walked to the clothes rack next to him, took off his coat, then left the apartment and locked the door.
The moment he left the base of operations, he had completed the role switch and successfully substituted himself into the role of Morinaga, the manager of SoftBank Group and the managing director of East Asia Power.
However, just as he walked into the garage and got into his car, a trace of inexplicable vigilance suddenly rose in his heart.
"Is it an illusion?"
He didn't know if it was an illusion.
He always felt that an eye was staring at him …
Although it was more likely that he was scaring himself, it was better to be cautious.
Morinaga whispered in his heart. He quickly started the car. When he set the destination on the smart navigation map, he subconsciously took a detour.
However, what he didn't know was that his hunch was actually not wrong.
It was just that everything was too late.
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