Chapter 61: The Secret Inside the Files

Seeing he was recognized, Lu Cheng thought to run: "No, no, you've got the wrong person."

The middle‑aged man stepped forward quickly and grabbed him: "Got the wrong person? Impossible. Even if you turned to ash I'd still know you. Didn't you say it was a drill? Then why are you actually hitting people?"

"Well, maybe there was an accident," thought the grabbed Lu Cheng, and when Ding Han Zhen came over he instantly saw a way out.

"Right, right, this is Ding Jingzhang, the leader. Everything is under his full command; just go find him."

Lu Cheng broke free and hurried toward the lounge.

The middle‑aged man grabbed Ding Han Zhen again: "You're the leader, so give an explanation."

Ding Han Zhen, still unclear about the details, asked: "Comrade, don't be impatient. What exactly happened? If any of our comrades did something that wronged the public, I'll certainly give you an explanation."

The middle‑aged man, angry, blurted out how he had become a Human Trafficker.

Ding Han Zhen understood at once; this was how they caught the enemy spy.

There was no drill at all; even though they claimed to protect the child, the method was too ruthless, and only Lu Cheng could have thought of it.

"Look at how they hit me—my waist is about to break. What do you suggest? They said it was a drill, and I was almost beaten to death."

Ding Han Zhen was flustered; had he known it would be like this, he would have hidden like Captain Lei, yet he still rushed over.

"Comrade, don't be impatient. This is indeed our fault; we didn't arrange the details properly. Whatever you need, we'll try to meet it. We truly apologize."

Ding Han Zhen was almost furious, inexplicably taking the blame for Lu Cheng; no wonder the kid ran so fast.

The middle‑aged man glared, twisted his face, and said, "I can't take a beating for free. Most people can't endure this drill; we need extra money."

Hearing about extra money, Ding Han Zhen breathed a sigh of relief; as long as the other side doesn't sue them, it's fine.

Otherwise, how can we say it? It's already a bit illegal.

"Add, add, we'll definitely give you extra money."

Ding Han Zhen, helpless, could only have everyone chip in, giving the man less than ten yuan.

The middle‑aged man left, finally satisfied.

Ding Han Zhen sighed helplessly, wanting to criticize Lu Cheng, but the key point was that they had captured the enemy spy, and the person had earned a great merit.

Fortunately Lu Cheng wasn't from Beijing Station; he couldn't help feeling sorry for Team Captain Zhou.

……

In the train lounge, Lu Cheng gently opened the small door, tiptoed over, and saw the document already opened, placed on a small table.

Lei Zhan Ge sat back‑to‑back, bent over his desk writing something.

"If you want to look, just do it openly; why be sneaky?"

Lu Cheng had to go inside, sit on a small bed there: "This is a classified document, I'm afraid I'll cause trouble for Captain Lei again."

"Hehe, you're quite disciplined this time; others aren't permitted to see, but you can."

"This time you actually earned a great merit for the Railway Department, salvaging a major loss for the nation; you should look at the document first."

Hearing Lei Zhan Ge's solemn tone, Lu Cheng picked up the document and began reading, becoming increasingly alarmed.

The document was lengthy; Lu Cheng read carefully and finally learned the secret hidden in the slag.

It turned out that after extracting iron, the slag should have become useless rock, yet it still contained rare associated precious metals such as indium, nickel, vanadium, titanium, cobalt, and others.

These precious metals are extremely important, usable in manufacturing components for aircraft, aerospace satellites, rocket missiles, and other crucial industrial and medical fields.

What shocked Lu Cheng most was that the content of these metals reached as high as twenty percent.

This is beyond monetary valuation; when many countries impose technological blockades on our motherland, even with Foreign Exchange, they won't sell it.

If sold cheaply to the Xiao Ri Zi delegation, one can imagine how huge the loss would be.

Lu Cheng clenched his fists, truly feeling what it means to be backward and get beaten.

"That delegation is really unscrupulous, trying to buy our nation's treasure at a low price."

"Indeed, the Metallurgical Department also suspected other metals inside, but after a lot of effort, with our current industrial smelting technology, we extracted nothing."

"We have to admit, compared with theirs, our industrial technology is still far behind."

If the slag's secret remains unknown, as the document states, once the enemy spy brings the slag back home and its composition is confirmed, the delegation suggests that the National Congress pressure to repurchase the slag.

Fortunately this time the major loss was averted; these precious metals are non‑renewable resources, the nation's treasure, and must not be sold to the delegation.

Even though current technology can't extract them, they must be preserved for future generations.

Seeing Lei Zhan Ge after capturing the enemy spy, there was little joy, only greater worry for the country's future fate.

This generation of veterans, who emerged from the fires of war, deeply hope the motherland can prosper.

"Captain Lei, don't worry too much. Our great nation is full of talent; we may be poor now, but our greatest wealth is our spirit. One day our country will surely stand atop the world."

Lei Zhan Ge felt a surge of hot blood: "Well said! In Huaxia Nation, our greatest wealth is our spirit; no one can take it away."

"Alas, we are old; the future must be handed to your younger generation. Just hope you won't forget the sacrifices and contributions of our predecessors."

That's a heavy topic. Lu Cheng relaxed and said, "Captain Lei isn't old at all; I've never seen any old man dare to jump onto a train."

In front of the ageless Lei Zhan Ge, anyone who dares call him an old man would instantly get into a fight.

Lu Cheng is still a junior; Lei Zhan Ge heard it, and not only wasn't angry, but felt he could blend with the youngsters and felt younger himself.

Lei Zhan Ge let out a hearty laugh: "Come on, I'm drafting a Suggestion Letter to the Department Committee, first sealing the slag from Gangdu City, and we can just brush aside the delegation's ideas. Take a look—any other suggestions?"

Usually only his secretary, Director Wang Fengshi, would have the qualification to co‑author documents with Lei Zhan Ge.

That shows how much Lei Zhan Ge values this junior comrade Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng glanced briefly: "I think the slag is secondary; the priority is to block the iron ore mine needed by Gangdu City, preventing it from being exported abroad as ordinary ore."

"Hmm, your suggestion is crucial; I'll write it down immediately," Lei Zhan Ge nodded, then asked, "By the way, how's your foot injury?"

Lu Cheng wiggled his ankle: "It's nothing serious, a minor injury, still on duty. If Captain Lei needs me, I can jump on another train without problem."

Lei Zhan Ge shook his head: "I wouldn't dare let you jump again. When we reach the next platform, I'll have the Railway Division dispatch a car; you and I will ride back to Beijing together and treat your foot injury."

Lu Cheng stood up: "Yes, Captain Lei, after this I'll return to the Train Police Unit at Xizhimen and report this mission to Team Captain Zhou."

Watching Lu Cheng's departing silhouette, Lei Zhan Ge said nothing aloud, but had already made a decision in his heart.

Want to leave? I'm afraid you won't be able to go this time.