Qian Gang roared, "Treat it as a bargain? You wish! We all saw that you smashed up the business hall yourself! If you don't believe me, you can ask the others."
Zhao Qiang said, "So if I get a bunch of friends to say you guys smashed it, you'll admit it? Are you taking advantage of me because I was the only one there and there were no witnesses?" The so-called government officials who came to enforce the law last time used fabricated charges against Zhao Qiang. Now Zhao Qiang is returning the blame to Qian Gang, letting him taste what it's like to be framed! Judging from Qian Gang's bulging belly, you can tell he's not feeling well. Zhao Qiang's mind is sharp now, and it's impossible for Qian Gang to deal with him the way he used to.
Zhong Shuhuan, relying on his age and seniority, stepped forward and shoved Zhao Qiang: "You little brat, you haven't even grown your hair yet and you're already causing trouble here. Get out of the way, I need to take the wounded to the hospital!"
Zhao Qiang pretended to be weak and was pushed to the ground, and said indignantly, "He's injured, but aren't I?"
Seeing his nephew suffering with his broken leg, Zhong Shuhuan angrily stomped on Zhao Qiang, yelling, "You damned brat who won't die!"
It would have been easy for Zhao Qiang to deal with Zhong Shuhuan, but he couldn't do it that way. So Zhao Qiang decided to take Zhong Shuhuan's kick, which would also serve as proof of his crime of abusing his power. Simply ending his life wouldn't make him realize the consequences of offending him! Just like Qian Gang, keeping him alive is more satisfying than letting him die immediately.
Just as Zhong Shuhuan's foot was about to kick Zhao Qiang, a hand suddenly grabbed Zhong Shuhuan's foot and lifted it upwards. Zhong Shuhuan immediately lost her balance and fell flat on her back.
It turned out that the cross-dresser had intervened. He shoved Zhong Shuhuan over and said to Zhao Qiang on the ground, "You spineless coward! You're just wasting time. It's such a simple thing, yet you've made such a big fuss about it."
Zhao Qiang thought to himself, 'You say I have no backbone? Let you try being in my shoes! If you dare to go against the city leaders, I'll call you 'Uncle' three times! Reckless action isn't backbone, it's idiocy!'
Zhong Shuhuan's head hurt from the fall, and he didn't know if he had suffered a concussion. He got up, pointed at the cross-dresser, and cursed, "Where did you come from? I'm the Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee!"
With a wave of her fair, delicate hand, the cross-dresser summoned three soldiers behind her. Two soldiers flanked Zhong Shuhuan, while the third relentlessly punched him in the chest from both sides! This beating terrified Shan Hongfei, who turned pale. District Chief Xu, Secretary Liu, and a group of policemen felt their legs go weak, and some even turned to run away. These soldiers were too ferocious; even after Old Zhong had identified himself, he was still brutally beaten! If they were to join the fray, who knows what they would be like. These soldiers' holsters were bulging, and even the policemen had no intention of getting involved.
Volume 2 [124] So angry he vomited blood
Gu Xuemei tugged at the cross-dresser's sleeve and shook her head at him. The cross-dresser seemed to dote on Gu Xuemei and showed no sign of disobeying her. He waved to the three soldiers who were beating Zhong Shuhuan, and the three threw Zhong Shuhuan to the ground. Zhong Shuhuan lay on the snow like a rotten, empty skin, unable to move.
The cross-dresser ignored Zhong Shuhuan and walked to the Audi. He then said decisively to Qian Gang in the trunk, "Pay him the money."
When Qian Gang saw that his uncle had been beaten so badly that he was neither human nor ghost, he was terrified. Although he had already intended to compromise, his proud nature still made him hold back. "You, you're dead! You beat up a servant of the people! I'm going to report this to the Central Military Commission!"
The cross-dresser shrugged in a welcoming gesture, then waved his small, fair hand: "Smash the car."
Two more soldiers came up and casually picked up a few large wrenches from the SUV. Whoosh, the windshield shattered, bang, the rear window shattered, then the windows on the left and right sides were smashed, and then the roof was smashed. Qian Gang was still lying inside at first when a bunch of broken glass flew towards him. He was so frightened that he ignored the pain of his broken leg and actually plunged headfirst down.
The cross-dresser squatted down and poked Qian Gang with his finger. "Hey, my time is really precious. It's not good for either of us if we keep wasting it."
Qian Gang finally understood that if he didn't compromise immediately, not only would the Audi continue to be smashed, but he wouldn't escape either! "Pay, pay! Pay right now! I'll give you whatever it takes!" In the past, it was always others who paid money while he paid money, so it was not easy to hear the word "pay" from Qian Gang's mouth this time.
The cross-dresser beckoned to Zhao Qiang: "Look, isn't the matter resolved? If you use your method to go to Xiaomei's house, you'll only be able to make it to dinner. You go and tell him how much compensation he needs."
To be honest, Zhao Qiang initially didn't have a good impression of the cross-dresser. He felt that this guy was just an androgynous eunuch. However, Zhao Qiang later admired his actions. In fact, Zhao Qiang also wanted to do the same, to settle scores quickly and decisively. But he didn't have the resources, not even Shan Hongfei, who was very influential in Donghai City. Shan Hongfei had to find a good reason to take action against anyone. He had the scheming and intrigue of a politician, which was nothing compared to the cross-dresser's straightforward methods.
With his accurate and powerful calculation abilities, Zhao Qiang could fight without any problem. Problems he used to avoid could now be solved with his fists. However, considering the complexity of society, Zhao Qiang had to act cautiously. But the cross-dressing style caught Zhao Qiang's eye. If he could get a military identity, wouldn't he be able to do whatever he wanted? Why would he have to put up with the temper of a withered old man? He wasn't a truly evil person, so he naturally wouldn't do something like Qian Gang. Having a protective identity would also allow him to further his research on energy repair and find Xiao Wei as soon as possible.
However, Zhao Qiang then thought, what kind of relationship could he possibly have with the military? This cross-dresser in front of him probably wouldn't have any feelings for him, and even if he did, Zhao Qiang would run away immediately. Xu Xiaoya can play lesbians, but he doesn't want to play gay. If he did, he would be disgusted to death like Zhang Lingfeng.
Zhao Qiang dusted himself off and got up from the snow. Qian Gang cried and asked, "How much money do you want?"
Zhao Qiang roughly estimated that the amount smashed earlier was at most 20,000 yuan. Considering the previous incident, Zhao Qiang decided to be lenient and charge him only the cost price: "50,000 yuan."
Qian Gang quickly replied, "Okay, I'll have someone send 50,000 over right away."
Zhao Qiang didn't take it too seriously and casually tossed a business card to Qian Gang, saying, "No need, just transfer it to the account on my business card. I trust you."
Qian Gang glanced at the cross-dresser but didn't say anything. He wanted to deny it, but this pretty boy dared to beat up even his uncle. Did he dare to offend him? He had bullied others with his power before, but when someone bullied him with their power, Qian Gang was more afraid than anyone else.
Suddenly, Zhao Qiang seemed to remember something, squatted down and leaned close to Qian Gang's ear, saying in a very low voice, "Mr. Qian, there's something I forgot to tell you. Your son isn't coming back. Just enjoy this pain. Remember this in the future: if you want to inflict pain on others, you should also be prepared to endure double the pain!"
After saying that, Zhao Qiang winked at Qian Gang with a meaningful look, a gesture even more provocative than saying "I killed your son." Qian Gang was so angry that he couldn't hold back his anger, and his face turned red with rage. Suddenly, with a "poof," he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His leg injury, combined with fear and resentment, meant that Qian Gang had almost lost his life! It was more painful than death!
The Audi driver got up and was unharmed. The soldiers had only given him a warning, not a serious injury. Only Zhong Shuhuan was in a bad state, but he was mostly faking it. He decided to file a complaint with the mayor and the party secretary. This matter could not be left unresolved; he would use all his power to retaliate.
District Chief Xu was quite perceptive. As soon as he saw that the matter was resolved, he immediately said to the police and the ambulance that was already waiting outside, "Save people, save people, get them to the hospital immediately."
The cross-dresser waved to Zhao Qiang: "Young Master Zhao, shouldn't we be going? It's not right of you to keep your teacher waiting."
Zhao Qiang locked the iron gate, greeted District Chief Xu and Secretary Liu, and got into the SUV. Shan Hongfei followed behind in his car; he would go with him to Professor Gu's house because there were some things he needed to report to Professor Gu.
In the SUV, Zhao Qiang sat in the passenger seat, with the cross-dresser and Gu Xuemei in the back. The driver was a rigid soldier whose eyes were fixed straight ahead. Zhao Qiang could occasionally see what was happening in the back seat through a corner of the rearview mirror. The cross-dresser was holding Gu Xuemei's hand, and Gu Xuemei looked shy with her head down.
"Shiqi, hitting Secretary Zhong will cause you a lot of trouble," Gu Xuemei said softly.
The cross-dresser loudly proclaimed, "I'm the one who hit him, so don't worry about it. If he's got the guts, let him come find me."
Gu Xuemei said with a hint of resentment, "Didn't I tell you not to cause trouble? My parents don't like this."
The cross-dresser gently patted Gu Xuemei's hand and said, "Alright, alright, my little princess, I'm just trying to save time. Just like how your junior brother handled things, can we leave now? Some people won't back down unless they're taught a lesson. So, when necessary, you have to be assertive. As long as you teach him a lesson like this, I guarantee he'll be decisive and efficient next time he does anything."
Zhao Qiang, who was being talked about, was also angry, but he just smiled faintly. How could he compare to a cross-dresser? He was obviously some high-ranking official or a second-generation red. Zhao Qiang, with his status, naturally couldn't do such blatant and arrogant things.
Qian Gang was tortured beyond recognition, losing a leg in the process. Zhao Qiang had vented more than half of his anger. As for Zhong Shuhuan, theoretically he should be in an even worse state than his nephew. An old man, an official with considerable influence in the municipal party committee and government, was brutally beaten. He lost face big time. If he couldn't get his revenge, he wouldn't be able to work in Donghai's municipal circles anymore.
They arrived at Professor Gu's house without saying a word on the way. Professor Gu's wife, Gong Xiaolan, was already busy in the kitchen. After the pseudo-man arranged for the soldiers to leave, he also went upstairs. Shan Hongfei had already gone into the study to talk with Professor Gu. Zhao Qiang could only sit in the living room and wait.
Volume 2 [125] Experiments at the Energy Research Institute
"Hong Fei, you've been causing quite a mess lately," Professor Gu said gently in the study.
Dan Hongfei answered the teacher cautiously: "Teacher, I'm really angry. What right does Zhong Shuhuan have to talk back to you? Knowing that Zhao Qiang is your student, she still protected her nephew and smashed Zhao Qiang's shop twice. Do you think we can tolerate this?"
Professor Gu nodded: "If Zhong Shuhuan hadn't been protecting his own, his career would have gone even further. But now he can only retire at the People's Congress. This old man thinks he can do whatever he wants in Donghai City just because he has connections in the province. Sometimes he even dares to openly listen to what the mayor and the party secretary say and then do something underhanded behind their backs. This man is getting senile."
Dan Hongfei knew that his teacher's words could almost determine Zhong Shuhuan's next career move, so he said nothing more. Professor Gu then said, "Xiao Zhao is still young. It's good to give him some experience. Otherwise, he won't know the dangers of the world, which is not good for his future development. We can't ruin a good seed."
Shan Hongfei asked, "Then, teacher, what do you mean...?"
Professor Gu said, "Let's stop dealing with the development zone matter here. You'll be taking up a position in the province soon, so don't cause any more trouble, lest people gossip."
Shan Hongfei said, "I understand, teacher. I think after this experience, those officials will no longer cause trouble for my junior brother."
Professor Gu said, "Alright, go and call Zhao Qiang in."
Zhao Qiang was sitting quietly, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. Laughter filled the kitchen as Gong Xiaolan, Gu Xuemei, and the cross-dresser appeared to be getting along very well. It seemed the mother-in-law was growing increasingly fond of her son-in-law.
"Junior brother, the teacher wants you to come in." Shan Hongfei called out to Zhao Qiang as he walked out of the study. Zhao Qiang quickly got up and went into the study. This conversation with Professor Gu was crucial to him. He really couldn't understand why Gu Xuemei's parents would agree to her dating at such a young age? Professor Gu and his wife were really open-minded.
"Zhao Qiang, come and sit down," Professor Gu beckoned Zhao Qiang to sit on the old student bench, making Zhao Qiang feel like he was being interrogated.
"Hello, teacher." Zhao Qiang greeted him respectfully. He respected Gu Yu from the bottom of his heart. Gu Yu was an extremely kind and approachable scholar, not the kind of 'beast' that the world despised.
"Zhao Qiang, I've called you here today for two things. Is the patent for the fast charger yours?"
Zhao Qiang had already heard Gu Xuemei mention this before, so he wasn't surprised and nodded directly, "Yes, teacher."
Professor Gu chuckled twice: "You really surprised me. You're a man of few words, but when you do speak, you're astounding. I'm very interested in this fast charger and curious about your design concept. How did you come up with it?"
Zhao Qiang blushed, hesitating whether he should use the mysterious team behind him to deal with Professor Gu. Professor Gu could easily understand his expression and asked, "Is there something you can't say?"
Zhao Qiang could only nod. The key issue was that he was in a difficult position. The fast charger was Xiao Wei's achievement, and he was merely the publisher and investor in its manufacture. Although Xiao Wei wouldn't care that Zhao Qiang had taken away its invention rights, Zhao Qiang couldn't accept it psychologically, especially when facing this respected old scholar. Zhao Qiang felt that lying was a shameful thing.
Professor Gu burst into hearty laughter: "Looks like you've got some secrets too. Alright, I won't delve into your design ideas for now. I'd like to hear your predictions for the future of fast chargers."
Zhao Qiang thought for a moment and said, "Teacher, in addition to building my own factory to produce fast chargers, I also plan to license the production to relevant manufacturers for a fee, and then obtain funds for research on other projects."
Zhao Qiang's so-called research should actually be noted: he only wants to study how to repair the connection between the brain and the super chip. Only by repairing the complete connection between the two can he possibly master energy modification. Only by mastering energy modification can Zhao Qiang repair Xiao Wei's chip.
However, Professor Gu's research scope was too broad, and he naturally wouldn't have thought of what Zhao Qiang was thinking. "That's right, it's good that you have this idea, but I want to ask you whether there is any potential to be explored in fast chargers."
Zhao Qiang quickly did the math in his head and said, "It's very difficult."
Professor Gu sighed and took out a thick stack of documents from the folder. "Take a look at them first, and then share your thoughts."
Zhao Qiang took the document, and a few words caught his eye: "Institute of Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences." Below were several sets of experiments, which turned out to be an enhanced version of the fast charger, a charging experiment that compressed one unit of electrical energy into one-tenth to one-hundredth of a pair of ordinary batteries and special batteries at once.
In ordinary battery experiments, if a unit of electrical energy is compressed to one-twentieth and then released instantly inside the battery, it will cause irreversible damage to the battery. If it is compressed to one-fiftieth and then released instantly, the energy will cause the battery to explode. And if it is compressed to one-hundredth, the explosion will be able to penetrate even a 5-millimeter steel plate!
The specially designed battery charging experiment shows that a unit of electrical energy is compressed to one-fiftieth before it damages the battery, and to one-hundredth before it explodes. If the compression ratio is increased further, the explosion effect will be the same as that of a regular battery.
Zhao Qiang quickly reviewed the data. He already had a clear understanding of the cause and effect of the matter, but for now, he pretended not to know and asked Professor Gu, "Professor, what do you mean?"
Professor Gu said, "I was commissioned by the Institute of Energy Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to ask you, the owner of this patent, if there is a way to compress a unit of electrical energy to one-thousandth or even one-ten-thousandth while ensuring the battery's safety?"
Zhao Qiang smiled and answered the teacher decisively, "Teacher, no, so you can tell the people at the Energy Research Institute to stop doing pointless and wasteful experiments."
Professor Gu asked, somewhat puzzled, "Oh, how can you be so sure?"
Zhao Qiang said, "There is not much potential to be tapped in the lithium-ion acceleration stimulation. If the stimulation of lithium-ion acceleration is forcibly increased, it will also have explosive consequences. Therefore, if we want to improve fast chargers, we can only start with energy compression."
Professor Gu nodded. Actually, there was another stack of documents he hadn't shown to Zhao Qiang. That document was about the lithium-ion acceleration stimulation experiment, and the results were far worse than those of the electrical energy compression experiment. It was a complete failure, and there was no need to show it to make a fool of himself.
"Electric energy compression is dangerous, so the initial experimental results could reach 20 times, but when registering the patent and producing it, I changed it to 10 times in order to reduce the possibility of risks. To solve this bottleneck, two problems need to be solved, one of which is the battery material."
Professor Gu said, "The Chinese Academy of Sciences is trying to make further improvements, but it is estimated that the acceptance of the compression ratio will not be greatly improved."
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "Teacher, it is impossible to make a rechargeable battery with a compression ratio that is hundreds or thousands of times higher with the known materials, unless we use new materials to enhance the pressure resistance of the rechargeable battery."
Professor Gu asked with great interest, "Do you have any ideas about this?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "A few days ago, the teacher gave me that analysis report on the unknown substance. I wrote a paper based on it, but it's not finished yet. I've already told you about it before."
Professor Gu said, "Yes, could it be related to it? Let me see it quickly."
(Thanks to Youai Tianxia, ~~+~~, Hongchen Ningshang, Xue☆Wu, and Feihe Chat for their generous donations!)
Volume 2 [126] Fantastic Ideas
Zhao Qiang handed the USB drive to Professor Gu, who plugged it into the computer on his desk and opened the file. He began to analyze Zhao Qiang's elementary school-style paper word by word.
"You mean this unknown substance is a fundamental unit smaller than a quark?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "Based on the teacher's analysis report, this is what I think, but its original state should be more active than any atom, proton, or quark, and its activity is beyond our current imagination."
Professor Gu nodded: "Your imagination is quite vivid." Actually, Gu Yu hadn't figured this out, since what he had was already the evolved version of 'A' matter, combined with some kind of metal, altering its properties. Gu Yu's words were somewhat of a joke to Zhao Qiang, implying that Zhao Qiang was being unrealistic.
Zhao Qiang didn't mind. There were still many things he hadn't written down yet, and for now, he could only describe them to Professor Gu in words. So Zhao Qiang continued, "'G' substance, in my opinion, should be described as an inorganic virus. If we define the unit of matter as an atom, then this atom is similar to a cell in an organism. This 'G' substance virus penetrates the cell nucleus, destroys the original exoplasmic characteristics of the cell, and produces a new substance. This new substance does not actually discard the properties of the original substance, but only enhances them. Therefore, I think it is more appropriate to describe it as a universal enhancer."
The so-called 'G' substance is Professor Gu's name for 'A' substance, represented by the first letter of his name, while 'A' substance is Xiao Wei's name for the new substance.
This time, Professor Gu didn't joke with Zhao Qiang that he was being delusional. Instead, he thought about it seriously and said, "It's interesting, but so far we haven't been able to isolate the unknown 'G' substance on its own, so the properties you mentioned are still uncertain."
Zhao Qiang said, "Use a large accelerator to blast it out."
Professor Gu asked with some doubt, "Is it really that simple?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I think so."
Professor Gu thought for a moment: "Anyway, it's an experiment. I can notify the Chinese Academy of Sciences to conduct the experiment. However, what you said is only a general outline. I need to list the specific theories in more detail."