Chapter 24: The First Signs of Estrangement

“Liu Qingshan...”
“Lin Changqing...”
...
Twenty names were called in succession, and twenty people stepped forward, their average age around thirty-one. Looking at them, Zhang Mingyang divided the group into two teams. He and Hui Jun each led ten people away from the area. The two began from the northern and southern sides of the lab, gradually familiarizing themselves with the entire facility.

At the northernmost point, Zhang Mingyang led his ten members, starting from the pipelines, learning bit by bit.

...

By six in the evening, Zhang Mingyang’s legs had gone numb, trembling so much he could barely walk. Glancing at the time, he suggested everyone rest and eat dinner, then continue later in the evening.

Exiting the first underground level, they reached the base camp. Outside, a light rain had begun to fall, and the temperature dropped noticeably. Zhang Mingyang had left in the morning wearing only a jacket, so he pulled it tighter around himself and braved the rain toward the cafeteria.

Inside, the dining hall was already packed, the noise deafening.

“Mingyang, over here!”

Professor Lin Guangming saw Zhang Mingyang at the entrance and waved him over.

After getting his meal, Zhang Mingyang sat next to Lin Guangming.

“How was it? Was today exhausting?” Lin Guangming asked.

Zhang Mingyang rubbed his legs, grimacing in pain. “Don’t even ask. Fifty-five kilometers, and who knows how much more there is to go.”

The others at the table laughed.

A group teased, “Young man, walk a bit more and you’ll get used to it.”

“That’s right. If you made us old bones walk that distance, we’d probably fall apart.”

Listening to their banter, Zhang Mingyang forced a smile, though inside he was bleeding.

“Oh, Mingyang,” Lin Guangming continued, “your team needs to hurry. There’s only a week—next week the machine will start its first capture.”

Zhang Mingyang nodded. “I know. I’ve told them already.”

For the next half hour, the group chatted about the base’s gossip.

Lin Guangming glanced at the time and stood up. “Take your time. I have to test the system tonight, so I’ll head out.”

“Hey, old Lin, always in such a rush...”

He declined their attempts to make him stay and walked out.

“I’d better go too. I have a lot to deal with tonight.”

One after another, people stood and left, citing tasks, until only Zhang Mingyang remained, still eating.

For some reason, since entering the archives, Zhang Mingyang’s appetite had tripled.

Seeing the others gone, he quickened his pace, finished the last bun, and left his dishes behind as he walked out.

On the way back to the lab, Zhang Mingyang met Hui Jun.

“Mingyang, how’s your team? Are they picking things up?” Hui Jun looked troubled; it seemed his group had run into problems.

“They’re alright. Most are professionals, so they learn fast. Except for a few who don’t accept me, everything’s fine.”

“Don’t accept you?”

Zhang Mingyang explained, “Imagine a bunch of thirty-somethings being led by a guy barely in his twenties. Would you be okay with that?”

Hui Jun nodded, chuckling. “True. They haven’t seen what you can do, and you’re so young. If I met you for the first time, I wouldn’t accept it either.”

As they spoke, the two arrived at the lab.

“I’ll head over to the accelerator. We can catch up later,” Hui Jun said, waving goodbye.

Watching Hui Jun walk off, Zhang Mingyang sighed and continued north.

Meanwhile, Zhang Mingyang’s team was gossiping about him.

“Hey, do you think someone so young can lead us?”

“I heard he’s here because of Academician Wang’s connections.”

“I knew it—what skills could someone so young have? It’s all about connections. Our project is highly important and specialized. Just wait, he’ll show his true colors soon enough.”

“Yeah, exactly...”

“What are you talking about? So lively.”

Hearing their chatter, Zhang Mingyang didn’t get angry. Instead, he walked over naturally.

“Team Leader Zhang, is it true you were introduced by Academician Wang?”

Zhang Mingyang detected the contempt in the speaker’s tone. “Yes, I was introduced by Academician Wang.”

“Which institute are you from? Is the project funded nationally? Do you have a professional title yet?”

Zhang Mingyang smiled and shook his head at the barrage of questions. “No, I'm just a student.”

“A student?…”

The group burst into laughter. “So you haven’t graduated yet!”

“Of course not. How could I compare with Professor Wang? I only beat him once.”

During dinner, while the others chatted, Zhang Mingyang had carefully reviewed his team’s profiles. Among them, Wang Yanxiu from the Institute of High Energy Physics was someone he paid special attention to. In a national competition organized by the school, Wang Yanxiu had been defeated by Zhang Mingyang, and since then, refused to accept being bested by someone younger.

“Beat him once?”

The others looked at Wang Yanxiu. “Old Wang, you lost to this youngster?”

Wang Yanxiu hadn’t expected Zhang Mingyang to bring this up and retorted angrily, “That was because I was competing away from home, and he’s a student from North China United University. Of course he won—otherwise, how would his school keep face? After all, it’s the top science university in the country.”

Zhang Mingyang shot back, “Professor Wang, surely you’re not that petty? A win is a win, a loss is a loss. Don’t be so stingy!”

“You...”

Wang Yanxiu was at a loss for words, furious as he turned and left the group.

“Hey, Old Wang, where are you going?”

The others tried to persuade him to stay.

“Let him go!” Zhang Mingyang called out. “As a professor, he hasn’t learned much of the scholar’s virtues, but all their flaws he’s mastered. His temper’s smaller than a ghost’s. Let him leave. If any of you want to go, I can report to the base. Others are desperate to get in here.”

Hearing this, the rest fell silent. No one spoke up for Wang Yanxiu. They all understood—it would be foolish to ruin their own reputations for someone irrelevant.

Seeing the group quiet, Zhang Mingyang led them back to their studies.

...

At nine-thirty that night, Zhang Mingyang saw he still had half an hour before his appointment with Bai Muqing, so he dismissed the group and told them to study on their own.

Leaving the lab, he hurried through the light rain toward the northern hillside. He’d originally planned to return to the dorm for a jacket and umbrella, but time was tight, so he went straight there—after all, it was just “five minutes.”

Reaching the small slope, he found it slippery from the rain, and slipped three times before finally climbing up.