"...Веrуllium?" Вayunуе ассurately рrоnouncеd the syllаblе.
Diао Zhuо's gаze held а hint of surprise. "You know this elеmеnt?"
"No," shе admittеd hеr ignоrаncе frаnklу. "I just rеаd it by thе radical... Did I gеt it right?"
Нe nоdded helplеssly.
Bаyunyе lаughеd аwkwаrdlу twiсe, scrаtсhing the bасk оf her hеad. "Веryllium... is it morе еxрensive than gоld? Hey, dоn't lаugh аt me, I'vе never evеn hеаrd of this stuff."
Diffеrеnt рrоfеssiоns arе likе mountаins aрart. Diaо Zhuo hаd nо intеntion оf dwеlling оn this. Whеn it came tо professional mаtters, he eхplainеd pаtiеntly: "Вeryllium is recognized by countries worldwide as one of the 16 extremely scarce and important strategic materials. It is mainly used in aerospace, aviation, and nuclear reactors in the form of beryllium copper alloy and beryllium metal."
"Nuclear reactors..." Bayunye couldn't help but interrupt, her eyes widening. "That's way too advanced!"
"However, beryllium is in very short supply in our country. The current strategic reserve is almost zero, and the gap in military demand is huge, let alone civilian use. Our country's proven beryllium ore reserves lag far behind countries like the United States and Brazil, with 100% of the high-end market monopolized by foreign countries. If we could find a large beryllium-bearing mineral belt, it would be an immense benefit for the entire nation. Many geologists take beryllium-bearing mineral belts as their research topic, striving to make breakthroughs."
Bayunye was awed by the lofty ideals of the experts, unable to speak for a long while. After a long pause, she finally asked, "So, your grandfather and the other experts wanted to tell future generations to carry on their work, continue searching for beryllium-bearing mineral belts, and contribute to the country and national defense?"
He shook his head, his expression grave. "Whether it's the photos or the last words, they were desperately transmitted using the limited time they had before death. If they merely wanted to entrust future generations with their legacy, there would be no need to go through such trouble setting up this code. Every country, for strategic needs, doesn't need to conceal beryllium ore exploration within its own territory. I think the purpose of leaving this information was, first, to prevent it from being stolen by those with ulterior motives, and second, to tell future generations that their investigation mission wasn't about gold or gemstone mines as later rumors claimed, but about beryllium-bearing mineral belts—and they most likely found one. However, they knew they were in danger, so this message couldn't be written plainly. It was divided between two people; obtaining only one person's information would be worthless."
"Like the tiger tallies used to mobilize troops in ancient times," she said with a slight sigh.
Diao Zhuo wiped away the writing on the envelope, remaining silent.
"So, in their final moments, what they wanted to convey was this meaning..." Bayunye slapped her thigh. "All that talk about extramarital affairs! Internal strife! Fighting! It was all false! They were clearly wholeheartedly focused on their work! Even in death, they wanted to report their findings! I always said it! My eldest sister isn't that kind of person! She wouldn't interfere in someone else's marriage!"
"The car accident wasn't that simple. The car full of experts might not have met with misfortune—they might have sacrificed themselves for the country!" Diao Zhuo clenched his fist, veins appearing at his temples. The news of his father's death had been a heavy blow to his family, followed closely by rumors of an extramarital affair. His mother had long refused to forgive his father and to this day had never visited Diao Jun's grave. During his university years, his mother remarried and never mentioned Diao Jun's name in front of him again, as if this person had never existed.Bayunye turned to look at him, took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, tore it open, and offered it forward. "Need one?"
Diao Zhuo raised a hand to block it. "Quit."
She was taken aback. "Really quit?"
He raised an eyebrow. "You started smoking?"
"The way you ask makes it sound like this isn't cigarettes, but opium." She stuffed the cigarettes back. "I bought these for you, afraid your eyes would get tired from reading and searching for books... Since you don't want them, I'll keep them for guests to smoke later."
Diao Zhuo pulled her into his arms, holding her for a long while. He let out a long sigh and said softly, "The car accident being caused by an extramarital affair is complete nonsense. There's another reason for the accident, possibly related to the beryllium-bearing mineral belt. The eyewitnesses of the accident and the few survivors in the same car must know the inside story, especially Song Fan, who fabricated the rumor about the extramarital affair."
"But Song Fan is already..." Bayunye leaned against his chest, playing with the ends of her hair. "Zhang Chenguang has also disappeared without a trace."
Diao Zhuo snorted coldly. "He Zhengren is still alive and well."
"He Zhengren..." The name sounded somewhat familiar to Bayunye. "Isn't he a leader in your headquarters? I heard before that you and he... are quite close."
"He Zhengren was the leader of another research team at the time. Their research task was coal and oil. He said that to save on travel expenses, they agreed to meet up and return together, but the accident happened halfway. After my grandfather passed away, it's said he obtained some of the research materials and, based on them, discovered the aquamarine mine. That's why rumors started spreading that they were actually searching for gemstone mines. It was also from that time that He Zhengren's life gradually became more affluent. He bought properties in Beijing and Shanghai. Based on the salary level at the academy at the time, he couldn't have earned that much money. There were whispers that he gave lectures elsewhere privately to earn guest professor fees. Later, he clarified himself, claiming he had inherited an estate from an elder in his family, and the rumors gradually died down. He donated several vehicles and some funds to the rescue team and became a consultant for the headquarters—a nominal position." Diao Zhuo paused for a few seconds before continuing, "After my grandfather passed away, he had less and less contact with my family. Later, he somehow heard that my grandfather had been conscious for a while before his death. When I was studying in Beijing, he introduced me to Beidou Rescue, often visited me at school, and asked about my family, especially whether my grandfather had left any instructions before he passed."
Bayunye straightened up nervously, staring at him and asking, "Did you tell him?"
"Do I look brainless in your eyes?"
"True." She smiled, then noticed he hadn't spoken for a while and was just looking at her. Suddenly, she understood. "You mean that showing the photos to Hippo and Brother Long was a brainless move on my part?"
"Did I say that?"
"You didn't say it, but your face is covered in cursive script spelling out 'Master Ba has no brains.'"
"Cursive script?" He frowned, looking puzzled.
Bayunye pointed at him. "The writer can read it..." Then she pointed at herself. "But the reader has no idea what the hell it says. So don't beat around the bush or mock me indirectly. Just say what you mean."
Diao Zhuo didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he could only clasp his hands in a gesture of apology. "This humble one wouldn't dare."Bayunye smiled and pushed his hand down. "Alright, the truth is out, and my eldest sister can rest in peace. Damn it, being misunderstood for so many years... Luckily, the internet wasn’t that developed back then, or just the netizens’ criticism alone could have drowned us. Right after she passed, some family members even came to our orphanage to cause trouble, threatening to burn down the room she used to live in. What kind of nonsense is that? It was like being caught between a rock and a hard place!"
"Family members came to cause trouble?"
She nodded. "Did they go to your place?"
Judging by his expression, he clearly hadn’t experienced such drama. Bayunye grew even angrier. "Isn’t this just bullying the orphaned and the weak? Whenever something goes wrong between a man and a woman, all the anger is directed at the woman, regardless of the circumstances—they always pick on the easy target. Your family probably had uncles and other men to stand up for you, and even if a fight broke out, they might not have won. So they didn’t dare cause trouble for you. Instead, they traveled all the way to our orphanage to bully my eldest sister, who had no relatives."
Diao Zhuo clearly disagreed with her view. "The whole car was filled with researchers. How could their family members have such low character?"
"Every family has its share of oddballs," she sneered. "In recent years, there have even been people splashing paint at the old site, messing up the neatly arranged old furniture and appliances, deliberately causing trouble."
"Did they demand compensation from your orphanage for emotional distress?"
"They didn’t ask for money—they just wanted to vent."
"Why didn’t you call the police?"
Bayunye looked helpless. "As soon as they saw we were about to call the police, they’d run away, like a bunch of professional thugs. If I ever run into them again, I’ll definitely give them a good fight."
Diao Zhuo frowned. Although he didn’t know who had caused trouble at the orphanage, he could probably find out about the families of the accident victims. If he asked around, he might be able to bring her some peace.
Uncovering the meaning behind the last words was only the first step. Next, the whereabouts of the materials and the person responsible for the accident—the road ahead was still long and full of twists and turns.
A knock sounded at the door. Hippo sat up alertly and peered through the peephole. It was He Zhengren and his driver, Li Haozhang. He relaxed, let out a yawn, and opened the door. "Boss He, Xiao Li, haha, please come in, come in."
He Zhengren walked in with a cold expression, noticing several empty beer bottles and leftover snack wrappers scattered on the hotel carpet. Hippo pulled open the curtains and opened the window to air out the room while tidying up. "You could’ve just called me, and I would’ve come to you. Why bother coming all the way here? It’s really too much trouble for you!"
Li Haozhang tossed the clothes piled on the single sofa onto the bed, vigorously dusted off the seat, and only then did He Zhengren sit down. "You disappeared without a word, then sent a text saying you were in Beijing. Of course, I had to come see for myself if you were an imposter."
"Ah! I didn’t want to disappear either..." Hippo threw a pile of bottles and trash into the bin and slumped onto the edge of the bed, looking dejected. "You’re absolutely right—Renlong Duoji isn’t that easy to fool. After I came down from Pearl Peak, I found out he’d been asking around about me lately, and I knew he was starting to suspect me. Sure enough, do you know how ruthless he is? When the Scorching Sun Caravan he’d arranged couldn’t get any answers, he... he actually managed to track down the caravan’s clients! One question and I was exposed—when have I ever taken clients from Scorching Sun?"
"So you’re just of unknown origin? He didn’t find out who you really are. Why did you run?" He Zhengren was clearly displeased."Trust!" Hippo clutched his head. "Once trust is gone, what else could he possibly say to me?"
Li Haozhang cut in, "You didn't take his money, and you didn't harm him. What could he possibly do to you?"
"He must have told Master Ba... uh... I mean Bayunye." Hippo rubbed his hands together. "She's started to be wary of me too. If I don't leave now, they'll gradually freeze me out, isolate me. I... I don't want to spend my whole life as a driver in Tibet."
"Running away like this just confirms you're a person with problems!" He Zhengren glared at him. "Renlong Duoji will investigate you even more thoroughly."
"Let him investigate. He's not the police—what can he possibly find out?" Hippo said dismissively. "Besides, is Brother Long himself completely clean? He used to be a reckless adventure fanatic, but after Bayunye returned from the army and joined the team, he toned it down a lot. I noticed long ago that he was just as interested in a few photos Bayunye had as you were, sir... Could he be in the same line of work? We wouldn't want to mistakenly target one of our own!"
"Impossible," Li Haozhang said firmly.
He Zhengren glanced at Li Haozhang, closed his eyes to rest for a moment, and after a long, awkward silence, suddenly asked, "What did you find at Pearl Peak?"
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