A tall, thin man with gray hair was sitting on the third bed in the ward.
His back was facing the door, staring at a pine tree outside the window. No one knew what he was thinking. When he heard the matron calling his name, he paused for a few seconds before slowly turning his head.
It was also Zhang Heng's first time meeting Diatlov (he had only glanced at him twice in the corridor outside the ward). This was a name that would always be mentioned in the future whenever the Chernobyl incident was mentioned. Many news editorials regarded him as the person responsible for the nuclear power plant accident. In those articles, he was described as an arrogant, greedy, and stupid leader.
At first glance, Zhang Heng couldn't see much about Dyatlov for the time being. The man in front of him had a chiseled face, sunken eyes, and a dull look in his eyes.
Like his colleagues, Diatlov had also suffered a large dose of radiation. His skin was red, and there were traces of vomit on the collar of his hospital gown. He looked straight at the five people who walked into the room without saying a word.
The matron had to repeat, "Mr. Diatlov, the expert panel is here to see you."
"I heard it," the deputy chief engineer said.
The ward quieted down. Not long ago, everyone was still talking about the expert panel. They did not expect the expert panel to come to Pripyat in the blink of an eye. This also showed how much importance the higher-ups attached to this accident. Everyone could not help but worry.
The atmosphere was a little awkward for a while.
Bersonova was the first to break the silence. "I am Daria, an engineer from the Atomic Energy Union. This is Evrem, an acute radiation disease expert, and Valentina, a nuclear physicist, and … Mr. Sergei, a senior assistant prosecutor."
The doctor and Coconut nodded at Diatlov as a greeting. Zhang Heng, on the other hand, did not move. He just stared coldly at the deputy chief engineer in front of him, like a viper staring at its prey before it hunted its prey.
The cold gaze made Diatlov very uncomfortable, and his stomach sent a signal to his brain. Diatlov quickly picked up the trash can next to the bed and vomited again. Zhang Heng noticed that Coconut's body was also trembling. Dyatlov had obviously made her want to vomit, but fortunately, she used her willpower to overcome the physical discomfort. She gritted her teeth and did not take off the mask on her face.
Dyatlov did not vomit anything either. His stomach had been emptied a few hours ago. There was nothing left except gastric juice.
Dyatlov retched for a while and rinsed his mouth with salt water. Then he raised his head and said in a weak voice, "What do you want from me?"
"Everything you know about the accident, Comrade Dyatlov." After the initial nervousness, she had gradually gotten into character. Zhang Heng had not misjudged her. She was indeed a talented actress.
She was originally just a nurse at the Pripyat Medical Center, while Diatlov was the deputy chief engineer in charge of the operation of Chernobyl's reactor units 3 and 4. He was also a big shot in Atomic City. Normally, Besonova would never dare to speak to him in such a tone.
But now, she experienced a wonderful feeling that she had never experienced before. It was as if Diatlov's fate was in her hands, and she knew that he knew it too.
Perhaps because he knew that he had made a big mistake, Diatlov did not ask the expert team in front of him to show his identity, nor did he verify it with the chief engineer, Fuming, or the nuclear power plant's person-in-charge, Brihanov. Of course, the main reason was that he did not expect someone to impersonate the expert team. The boldness of the expert team was secondary.
So, Diatlov nodded. "Okay, I will tell you everything I know."
Besonova turned to the head nurse and said, "Find us a place where we can talk."
"Uhh, the hospital's wards are full now," the head nurse said awkwardly.
"Isn't there a changing room for the nurses?" Besonova regretted it as soon as she blurted it out. She had been working here for a long time, and she was too familiar with the place. The moment she heard the head nurse's words, she immediately thought of a solution. However, her current identity was Daria, an engineer of the Atomic Energy Alliance. Obviously, she should not be so familiar with the medical center's changing room.
Sure enough, a strange look appeared on the head nurse's face. But in the end, she did not say much and led them to the changing room.
Before leaving, Besonova said to Akimov and Toptunov, "After I talk to Mr. Diatlov, it will be your turn. So, you'd better use this time to prepare in advance."
The foreman on duty and the senior reactor control engineer looked at each other and saw the anxiety and worry in each other's eyes.
Three minutes later, only Diatlov and the four members of the "expert team" were left in the changing room.
The doctor took out a tape recorder from his suitcase, placed it on the table, and pressed the record button.
On the other side, Besonova had already walked in front of the deputy chief engineer. She was in a surprisingly good state. She looked into Diatlov's eyes and said in a soft voice, "Don't be nervous, comrade Diatlov. We will start with the simpler questions."
"You are the deputy chief engineer of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant reactor 4, Anatoly Stepanovich Diatlov, right?"
"Yes, that's me." Diatlov looked a little uneasy. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and his voice sounded a little hoarse.
"Can you briefly explain how you came to be here?"
"Here, Chernobyl? Oh, I used to be the head of a physics laboratory in the Far East. " Diatlov sorted out his thoughts and continued, "Researching … the physical properties of small reactor cores."
"Mhmm." Besonova nodded pretentiously. In fact, she did not understand a single word of Diatlov's research, but this did not prevent her from continuing to ask questions.
"Then, how is your work here going?"
"Generally speaking, it's going quite well, although there have been some minor problems with the reactor before."
"For example?"
Diatlov hesitated for a moment, but he still said, "In the previous report, we actually mentioned some leaks, most of which are in the drains and vents. The leakage rate of radioactive waste water is about 50 cubic meters per hour. There is also some waste disposal. In addition, part of the cement structure of the main part of the nuclear power plant also needs to be reinforced, but as I said before, these are minor problems."
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