Chapter 539: Laugh If You Want (Bonus Chapter)

A group of people looked at each other, staring at the circuit board of the microscope.

They did not understand what ISP was, let alone cloud reconstruction, but at least they could understand the concept of reconstructing the complete initial form of a Cultural Relics from an extremely small fragment.

To give an example, when a fragment of a Cultural Relics is excavated from a ruin, to figure out its production era, main purpose, and production process, one must first reproduce its original shape.

To achieve this, there is only one method: use the comparison method and the elimination method to find its identical counterpart within a massive model and Database, and then replicate it one-to-one.

Sometimes, the data for this model might be a million entries, and sometimes it can reach ten million.

In the face of such a massive Database, if manual labor were used, how great would the workload be, and how low would the efficiency be?

But no matter how low the efficiency, it must be done; this work has always been completed by manual labor before. Often, in a medium-sized laboratory, there might be ten or so members, and the data group would take up half of them; this is the reason.

And now that Lin Sicheng says these tasks could potentially be completed by letting a microscope take a look, and completed in an extremely short time, how great must the shock be to these Researcher?

Not to mention the cost, how much time would be saved?

But beyond the shock, they inevitably felt suspicious: since this machine is still a blank slate in the country, where did Lin Sicheng learn about it? Director Tian really wanted to ask, and the words were already at his mouth, but he paused and swallowed them back.

No matter how advanced this thing is, it is just a machine. Lin Sicheng is merely relatively knowledgeable and knows how to use it.

Yet BTA is a milestone protective material in the field of Cultural Relics Protection; Lin Sicheng only relied on hand-mixing and led a few Master to research it for a year, yet he is several versions ahead of the domestic academic community—how does one explain this?

Compared to that, it doesn't seem strange at all that Lin Sicheng knows a bit more about just a machine.

Besides, the point now is not this, but what to do?

A high-precision, high-end instrument worth two million was swapped by someone for an old version worth only twenty or thirty thousand; how can this loss be recovered, and how should rights be protected? "First, find all the problems that can be discovered!" Lin Sicheng said decisively, "To protect our rights, we must first have evidence in our hands!"

"What if the other party plays dumb?" Director Tian was a bit worried, "The deposit is as high as seventy percent, nearly nine million. If Saishi Company doesn't admit it, or drags it out without handling it, what should we do?"

According to Lin Sicheng's estimation, this pile of junk shipped by Saishi Company is worth at most three or four million; even if it is all confiscated, and even if there are channels to dispose of it, and it can all be cashed out, it is still short by more than five million.

What if the other party doesn't admit it, or even if they do, they drag it out and don't compensate?

Wang Qi Zhi sneered: "Do they dare?"

Director Tian sighed: "Professor Wang, make it clear to yourself, the other party is an international giant, a World Top 500 enterprise. Come, tell me: what do they not dare to do?"

Are there few big companies and big enterprises that have been scammed by foreign capital?

Is there any one whose influence is smaller than yours, Wang Qi Zhi, or whose connections are worse than yours, Wang Qi Zhi?

Those that should be scammed are scammed all the same, and in eight out of ten cases, it ends up being left unsettled.

Regardless, in the field of technology, it is an indisputable fact that we are currently far behind them. More importantly, the other party has already formed a unified front; if you don't buy from them, where else can you buy from?

Wang Qi Zhi was righteous and confident: "Old Tian, that was in the past!"

Director Tian was unimpressed: "I don't feel there is any difference!"

Compared to the past, foreign capital has indeed restrained itself somewhat, but that refers to big companies.

Do you count as a big company?

Wang Qi Zhi was speechless: "Old Tian, if you don't believe me, just wait and see!"

Seeing that the two had a tendency to argue, Lin Sicheng intervened: "Teacher, let's check first!"

Wang Qi Zhi didn't argue anymore, just snorted.

That was what he said, but he knew very well in his heart: the two situations Director Tian mentioned were not impossible to happen.

Because there is a high possibility: this incident was a case of people from Saishi Company colluding inside and out to line their own pockets. The nine million Lin Sicheng paid before never even passed through Saishi Company's account.

It's even worse to say, it might have been carved up long ago, or even already spent.

Under this premise, even if Saishi Company admits it and is willing to handle it, it would be a matter of chasing the debt first, then compensation. By the time they chase back those nine million, who knows how long it will take?

Therefore, there is a high probability that it will be dragged on and on, and left unsettled.

Wang Qi Zhi is quite influential, but no matter how great his influence is, can he shut down a World Top 500 company?

Suddenly, Wang Qi Zhi's face collapsed, both bitter and worried.

Zhao Xiuneng was even more worried than him: the mission failed before it even started; they hadn't even opened for business yet, and they had already stepped into such a big trap?

Nine million, how many times does Lin Sicheng have to perform appraisals, and how many pieces of antiques does he have to perform Artifact Restoration on to earn it back?

But looking at Lin Sicheng: how he was before, he seems to be the same now?

Calm and composed, laughing and talking.

Wang Qi Zhi was completely unable to understand: "This is nine million, why is he not worried at all?"

Zhao Xiuneng sighed: "Professor Wang, when have you ever seen him worried?"

It is only nine million.

Wang Qi Zhi hasn't seen it, but Zhao Xiuneng has witnessed it with his own eyes: in the basement of Wang Chun, with a gun pointed at his head, surrounded by a pile of remote-controlled bombs, perhaps in the next second he would go "Boom—" and be blown to bits.

Wasn't Lin Sicheng still laughing and talking, and even had the mood to joke with Wang Chun?

Mount Tai collapsing before one's eyes without changing color—that is exactly what Lin Sicheng is like.

With Zhao Xiuneng saying this, Wang Qi Zhi felt relieved instead: That's right, as long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood.

Compared to his life, what is nine million? With Lin Sicheng's skills, he will earn it back sooner or later.

The two looked at each other, both thinking they had seen through Lin Sicheng's psychology: there is a high possibility that this loss is destined to be taken.

Actually, it is far from that.

Lin Sicheng has never been that kind of character: you pee on my face, and you still want me to smile at you?

Heh heh... if I don't twist your head off, I'll take your surname!

As for how to do it, Lin Sicheng hasn't thought it through yet, but the result will definitely be that result.

The inspection was methodical.

And the more they checked, the more amazed Lin Sicheng became: cleaning the shell, panel, and interface, removing dust, stains, and marks, etc., were all just basic operations. Replacing parts, repainting, and applying labels were also not surprising.

What was impressive was that they could actually reset the counter, modify system logs, and even reinstall the operating system, update the Firmware, and restore factory settings.

They even cloned the data and Information Detachment of the Third Generation Machine onto the First Generation Machine and the Refurbished Machine. This included the calibration certificates, manufacturing dates, and model identifiers built into the instrument system.

But one must understand: these instruments are all high-end equipment in the scientific research field; whether it is Keyence, Bruker, or other manufacturers of other equipment, which one is not an international giant or a tech tycoon?

Lin Sicheng could not figure it out: where did this group of people get the original software and independent systems, and how did they install them onto these refurbished machines cobbled together from junk?

It couldn't be that they breached these companies' firewalls and password locks, could it?

Stop talking nonsense; that's impossible.

Lin Sicheng suspected: it must be that the original manufacturer's engineers opened a backdoor.

Or even more likely: among this gang, there were maintenance engineers from these manufacturers participating themselves.

The expert looks at the technique, the layman looks at the spectacle; the others didn't understand as much as Lin Sicheng, but at least they could see that many screw holes on many of the components had traces of wear.

Second-hand equipment, without a doubt.

Then, when assembling them yesterday, why didn't the three engineers from the Cultural Relics Research Institute, as well as Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng, notice it despite looking so carefully? Because they had been refurbished, the traces polished away, and freshly painted. Only by screwing them in once, wearing away the paint, and then removing the screws could one see it. Time passed minute by minute, and after checking everything, it was already 4:30 AM.

Wang Qi Zhi gritted his teeth in hatred.

He did a rough calculation; the final loss would definitely be more than the eight or nine million Lin Sicheng mentioned.

Because if you want to dispose of them, you can only treat this junk as second-hand equipment; only by discounting them based on the actual price will anyone want them. More importantly, there is simply no institution that needs so much equipment at once, so they can only be disposed of one by one.

How much manpower, material resources, and energy would be wasted in this process?

But the matter had reached this point.

Director Tian offered a few words of comfort and looked at Lin Sicheng: "How shall we proceed? Debugging, testing?"

Lin Sicheng shook his head: once debugging and verification begin, traces will be left in the logs. No matter how stupid the people at Saishi Company are, they will know the matter has been exposed. Although there is video footage, which can be said to be ironclad evidence, it is not enough.

At the very least, it is not enough to achieve his expected goal, not enough to make Saishi Company feel the pain.

Therefore, from beginning to end, Lin Sicheng never intended to debug or test in advance.

When he called Director Tian, he only mentioned that there was a problem with the machines and asked Director Tian to send a few engineers to help. As it turned out, Director Tian not only came in person but also brought almost half of the staff from the Ceramics Research Institute.

Including researchers, operators, engineers, and even material specialists and data clerks. They even brought a full set of reagents, specimens, and consumables for various standard tests.

"Thank you, Director Tian. I think we still need to let the Saishi Company engineers perform the normal debugging first!"

Director Tian nodded: one must play the whole act; tearing off the mask rashly would only alert the enemy.

Since Lin Sicheng could grasp the proper measure, he didn't need to do anything superfluous.

"Then I won't come over tomorrow. If you need anything, call me anytime!"

He was, after all, a well-known expert in the field of ancient ceramics; it was possible someone at Saishi Company might recognize him.

Although Director Tian empathized with Lin Sicheng and was very angry, he knew the gravity of the situation.

"Alright, Director Tian. Sorry for the trouble, everyone, for staying up so late!"

"Teacher Lin, you are too polite!"

After having Zhao Da and Zhao Er buy breakfast and eating a little, Director Tian took his people back to the Forbidden City.

The Research Center suddenly fell silent, and the sky outside the window turned a pale white.

Zhao Xiuneng looked at the machines and sighed: "Senior Brother Lin, what should we do next?"

"Go back to the hotel and catch some sleep first!"

What was that?

Zhao Xiuneng was stunned: "You can still sleep?"

There was nothing to keep him awake.

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Teacher, Senior Brother, don't worry, this matter can definitely be handled well!"

Wang Qi Zhi asked without hesitation: "Lin Sicheng, how do you plan to handle it?"

"Catch some sleep first, and when work starts, I'll go to the Public Security Bureau first."

What did that mean? Was he going to report it to the police?

Wang Qi Zhi jumped: "Lin Sicheng, this matter cannot be handled by force!"

Director Tian's worry was not without reason, but Wang Qi Zhi's considerations were not groundless either.

It wasn't like the old days, where there was nowhere to appeal and no one to turn to, and in the end, one could only suffer in silence.

The scale of the China market was growing larger and larger, and foreign companies were gradually realizing the influence of their brands and their public credibility. Although they remained arrogant and exclusionary, they had restrained themselves compared to the early years; at least they were not as rampant as they were at the beginning:

I just cheated you, what can you do to me?

Wang Qi Zhi felt that if they took a roundabout approach and applied pressure through special channels, the loss this time might not be unrecoverable. Even if they could only recover half, that would still be four or five million.

But if they reported it to the police, that would mean a direct confrontation, a head-on clash.

There was no need to doubt that, at the first moment, Saishi Company would 100% deny everything.

Admitting it was impossible; if they admitted it, it would mean they were wrong.

And then there would be one word: drag—drag it out until the public developed visual fatigue toward this incident, or even slowly forgot about it.

But Saishi could afford to drag it out; could they afford to?

"Teacher, I know!" Lin Sicheng nodded, "I'm not going to file a report, just to consult!"

Nine million is not a small sum; at the very least, he had to check where this money went after being handed over to Saishi Company.

Where it was now—whether it was still in the country, had already been laundered out, or had already entered a private account.

Secondly, he had to ask: through what channels did this batch of refurbished machines come in? Was it through smuggling channels or regular channels?

Thirdly, there was a high probability that this was not an isolated incident, and this group had not done this for the first time. If he could find a few more victims and learn more information, the success rate of defending their rights would be higher.

Once he had enough chips in his hand, he would then decide what method to use.

Seeing that Lin Sicheng did not intend to tear off the mask right now, Wang Qi Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then let General Manager Zhao accompany you; I will go find the second sister!"

"It definitely won't work if we all leave; otherwise, the people at Saishi Company will get suspicious."

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment, "Teacher, if you need to tell the aunt, make a phone call first. I think you and Senior Brother need to stay here; I can go to the Public Security Bureau by myself!"

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned.

What do you mean: if you want to tell the aunt, just make a phone call?

Lin Sicheng, do you know how much money this is? Eight or nine million, or even ten million.

Not only must we tell the second sister, we must tell the brother-in-law, and we must discuss a strategy with them on how to get this money back.

But looking at Lin Sicheng, he even seems to have no intention of saying anything?

Wang Qi Zhi glared: "Lin Sicheng, at a time like this, are you still making such clear distinctions?"

It is not like that at all.

Lin Sicheng could neither laugh nor cry: "Teacher, I think: it is better to resolve this matter through public channels!"

What do you mean by public channels—calling the police, filing a lawsuit, going to court?

Instead of finding people, pulling strings, and relying on private influence to resolve it?

No... if we do it this way, isn't it still a head-on collision?

He blamed himself for thinking earlier: has Lin Sicheng finally figured it out?

As it turns out, in the end, Lin Sicheng still wants to tear off the mask?

Seeing what they were thinking at a glance, Lin Sicheng's tone was gentle, but his attitude was resolute: "Teacher, Senior Brother, trust me!" Trust me!

Hearing this, Wang Qi Zhi had a belly full of words, but couldn't spit out a single one.

Because every time, as long as Lin Sicheng says these three words, it represents one outcome: hard-nosed and uncompromising, get it done first and talk later.

No one's persuasion is of any use; even a hundred oxen couldn't pull him back.

In Tongchuan, when going head-to-head with the locals, it was like this. In Shanxi, when confronting so many units, institutions, and so many experts and scholars, it was still like this.

In Xijing, in Beijing, when he had a gun pointed at his head and his life hanging by a thread, it was still like this.

Wang Qi Zhi realized belatedly: when Lin Sicheng goes crazy, he doesn't even care about his own life; do you expect a person like this to back down?

He moved his lips, but didn't know how to persuade him.

"Teacher, Senior Brother, you two handle it for now, try your best not to let the cat out of the bag! But if it really comes out, it's not a big deal..."

Lin Sicheng looked at his watch, "It's almost five o'clock, let's go back to the hotel and nap for a while!"

Nap my ass.

In this situation, how big must one's heart be to be able to sleep?

"It's fine, just say we were too excited and didn't sleep well all night!"

Wang Qi Zhi rubbed his face: "Then, don't let Zhu Kaiping and Qin Tao know yet?"

"Right!"

These two are the type of people who wear their emotions on their faces, so Lin Sicheng didn't notify them at all.

The same goes for the three from the Cultural Relics Research Institute.

"Teacher, add two more cameramen. At the same time, notify the renovation company to set up the cloud!"

Wang Qi Zhi nodded: this means multi-angle filming, leaving absolutely no blind spots.

The three of them talked as they entered the elevator.

No one said anything, but as if they had agreed, the three of them sat into two cars.

Zhao Da drove, while Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng huddled in the back seat of the Mercedes-Benz, heavy-hearted and full of hesitation.

"General Manager Zhao, aren't you going to persuade him?"

"Heh heh!" Zhao Xiuneng smiled without mirth, "Professor Wang, then why don't you persuade him?"

A breath choked in Wang Qi Zhi's throat.

Usually, Lin Sicheng is quite obedient; no matter what suggestions Wang Qi Zhi makes, Lin Sicheng always pays extra attention and gives enough respect. But when it comes to matters of great principle, let alone him as a teacher, even his own father, mother, or grandfather would be of no use.

Because sometimes, in Lin Sicheng's world, there are only two words: black or white!

For example, when he blocked those two knives for Tang Nan Yan. Or for example, when he offended Customs to death for the sake of Feng Sanjiang and Hu Pangzi. There is only right and wrong, not whether it is worth it.

Even more so, right now.

Wang Qi Zhi shook his head and sighed again.

He didn't want to persuade him, and he didn't dare to.

To use Lin Sicheng's own words: once you bend your waist, you will never be able to straighten it again.

To take a step back: the family likes him so much, and appreciates him so much. Including Ji Wangshu, Ye Anning, as well as the eldest brother, second brother, father, grandfather, and even the sisters and brothers-in-law. Is it just because Lin Sicheng looks good and has strong personal ability?

Including Director Tang, Department Head Tang, Tang Nanjin, Tang Nanyu, as well as several wives, and even the children, despite having only met a few times, why is Lin Sicheng so well-liked?

Is it just because he saved Tang Nan Yan?

And those leaders in the public security departments, General Team Leader Li, Vice General Team Leader Sun, Branch Chief Yu, Branch Chief Han, why are they racking their brains and trying every possible way to get Lin Sicheng into the public security sector?

Is it just because he is self-taught and acts more like a police officer than the police?

No, these are secondary; it is the spirit and the traits he possesses.

Just as his grandfather said, with this kind of drive, even if Lin Sicheng went begging, he could become the leader of the Beggar Sect.

He thought for a long while: "The old man said, in Lin Sicheng's chest, there is a kind of spirit!"

"Clap!" Zhao Xiu clapped his hands: isn't that it?

"My old mother said: there is light in that child's eyes!"

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned for a moment: then what else is there to say?

Persuade my foot!

"Then let's do it!"

"Right, do it!"

Zhao Xiuneng was resolute: a few million, it's not like he, old Zhao, hasn't lost that much before?

As long as Lin Sicheng agrees, it's nothing more than lifting a finger and swiping a card.

The two felt their spirits lift, and the gloom in their hearts was swept away.

Three hours passed in a flash.

Saishi Company was very punctual; they arrived downstairs just as it turned eight o'clock.

Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng arrived a little early; although they hadn't slept all night, their energy was still quite good.

After exchanging greetings, the group went upstairs.

It was the same people as yesterday: Zhu Kaiping, Qin Tao, Li Zhen, Fang Jin, as well as several research assistants and three Engineers from the Cultural Relics Research Institute.

Fang Yin looked around: "Where is General Manager Lin?"

"He didn't sleep well last night and hasn't gotten up yet!" Wang Qi Zhi said calmly. "He will come over a bit later; let's just proceed with the debugging as usual!" Fang Yin smiled: "Young people, I understand!"

She said this with her mouth, but in her heart, she was mocking: After these few contacts, she had thought that kid was how sophisticated?

It seems he was just like that.

Many people had come, and many cameras had been arranged, even the cloud had been activated, but to tell the truth: it was useless.

The commands were all pre-programmed, and the coding used during input was shockingly simple. Even the instrument Engineers from the original manufacturer might not be able to understand it, let alone a bunch of amateurs who knew nothing.

The specimens, materials, and Reagents were specially prepared; theoretically, with a performance index of only one hundred, today it could at least be pushed to three hundred.

Fang Yin did not believe they could figure anything out.

Subsequently, Engineer Qin took the manual and explained the process: how to power it on, how to preheat, which one to start first, which components to debug first, and what performance to verify.

Including which machine used which materials, which Consumables, the specific operation, what the workflow was, and what the reasonable range for the performance index was, it was all explained clearly and distinctly.

Unable to keep up with the notes, several Researchers could only list outlines in their notebooks.

Even the outlines were not fully listed.

There was no time to wait for them to record slowly, so the technician first powered on the XRD.

The screen lit up, revealing the most primitive input interface. Engineer Qin and Engineer Xu exchanged a glance and then smiled at each other: just the last bit of nagging left! The two had already begun to calculate how to spend the six hundred thousand once it was in their hands...

It was just the start of the workday, and the lobby was bustling with people.

With everyone in uniform caps and the new dark blue uniforms, Lin Sicheng, in plain clothes, was exceptionally conspicuous.

He was bored, staring at the bulletin board on the wall: the leaders were still the same leaders, basically none had changed.

The only difference was that several people had an extra star or an extra stripe on their shoulder boards.

Lin Sicheng did not know how many of these were due to the Wang Chun Case.

Just as he was looking closely, a voice came from behind: "Teacher Lin?"

Lin Sicheng turned his head; Yu Guang and Yan Wenjing were standing shoulder to shoulder, staring at him with surprise.

Immediately, the two took two quick steps forward, and both hands reached out simultaneously: "A rare guest, a rare guest! Teacher Lin, what wind blew you here?" It was indeed a rare guest: since they had met once at Zhao Xiuneng's Baishan Studio early last winter because the Hong Kong businessman Chen Weihua had investigated Lin Sicheng through internal channels, they hadn't seen each other since.

They had been in contact by phone, and both Yu Guang and Yan Wenjing had said more than once that they wanted to get together with Lin Sicheng. Lin Sicheng also occasionally came to Beijing, but he was busy as a one-armed paperhanger, busier than the Police.

After shaking hands one by one, Yu Guang looked curious: "Last time the Political Department notified us about the training, I thought you wouldn't come until after the Qingming Festival. It's still more than ten days away, right?"

Lin Sicheng didn't hide it: "I came this time to consult on something; I want to ask Captain Sun to help introduce me to the leaders of the Economic Investigation Division!"

Economic Investigation Division, economic crime?

Having been in contact for so long, Yu Guang knew very well: Lin Sicheng was definitely not the type of person who was opportunistic or petty.

He didn't have the energy, let alone the time.

If he were forced to do something for someone else, Wang Qi Zhi would have helped him handle it.

For Lin Sicheng to come in person, it was nine times out of ten his own business. And there was a high probability that Wang Qi Zhi couldn't handle it, or it was difficult to handle. Moreover, since he specifically asked to find Deputy General Manager Sun, the matter was definitely not small.

Secretly guessing, Yu Guang joked: "Teacher Lin, why are you looking for the Economic Investigation Division? You haven't been scammed, have you?"

Lin Sicheng didn't speak; he pursed his lips.

As expected of a policeman, even if he guessed randomly, he could guess so accurately.

Seeing his expression, Yu Guang and Yan Wenjing looked as if they were stunned: was he really scammed?

No way... Lin Sicheng was actually scammed?

The four eyes of the two people were wide open like light bulbs.

Thinking back to those two months last year, all the things Lin Sicheng did. And thinking back to the scenes when he clashed and fought with those crime bosses: Ma Shan, Ren Danhua, Yu Jiyao, Yu Jichuan, Qi Song, Yang Jisheng, and even Song Qiu and Wang Chun—which one of them wasn't a veteran of the underworld, a seasoned old hand?

But in front of Lin Sicheng, they were just like children.

So, such a person could actually be scammed?

It was no exaggeration; to Yu Guang and Yan Wenjing, it felt like a thief had broken into the police station and stolen everything, not even leaving a scrap of paper. Really, it was too unbelievable.

For a moment, the expressions of the two were both surprised and strange.

Lin Sicheng looked at them: "Captain Yu, Captain Yan, do you really want to laugh?"

The two pursed their lips and shook their heads in unison: "Teacher Lin, we really don't!"

Lin Sicheng sighed: "It's okay, if you want to laugh, go ahead!"

Who doesn't have a time when things go against them?

The elevator reached the first floor; Yan Wenjing quickly pressed the button to open it, and Yu Guang patted Lin Sicheng on the shoulder.

"It's okay, even if the scammer runs to the ends of the earth, I will dig them out for you!"

Lin Sicheng really wanted to say: Captain Yu, you said that too early!!