Chapter 1511 The Big Fish that Surfaced

Qiu Mingrui has gotten a little dizzy recently.

It never occurred to him that he, an expert in nuclear engineering, would become the spiritual leader in the eyes of the people of Guanghan City.

Although he is very happy to see that his thesis has such a huge influence, he never thought that his thesis would become "outside the circle" in this way.

What was even more unexpected was that this paper would cause such huge waves in the field of public opinion!

What's more, the first author of that paper didn't have his own name on it, he just put a name on the position of corresponding author very low-key.

As a result, several local media in Guanghan City not only forcibly pulled him and Lu Zhou into opposition, but also directly publicized him as the savior of the people of Guanghan City, a hero who is dedicated to the people, and a man who truly dares to truth teller.

Although it is a long-standing tradition to put a high hat on others when listening to the wind is the rain, but this high hat is too heavy, and Qiu Mingrui feels that he really can't wear it.

Even if he disagrees with Lu Zhou's point of view, he doesn't think that his academic achievements can be compared with Academician Lu. In other words, how can he and Lu Zhou draw a confrontation, the two sides are completely unequal in terms of ability and influence.

It’s just one yard to one yard, the past is the past, just like Lu Zhou once said, “Lu Zhou has never been superstitious about authority in his life, and you don’t have to believe in him.” The reason was stated.

From the beginning to the end, he believed that this was just an academic debate, but the voice of the idiot who couldn't stand it was always the loudest, and he was keen to discuss politics regardless of the occasion.

Once there are more such people, it will naturally give his thesis a political color.

Realizing that the matter had become serious, Qiu Mingrui, who felt that he was being roasted on the fire, immediately contacted the 585 Institute and filed an application for retraction.

The 585 Institute also cooperated quite well. Obviously, they also realized that the controversial paper might cause trouble for themselves, so they quickly withdrew the paper after receiving the request from the corresponding author.

Seeing that the manuscript was withdrawn, Qiu Mingrui finally heaved a sigh of relief. After publishing a clarification statement on his virtual reality personal homepage, he felt that the matter was over.

However, what he didn't expect was that he was still too naive.

Since the moment his thesis became the fuse that ignited the storm, the direction of things is no longer under the control of a mere scholar.

It can even be said that his retraction not only did not become an opportunity to appease the anger of the residents of Guanghan City, but instead became a new trigger for intensifying conflicts.

Almost on the second day after the "Progress in Controlled Fusion Research" issued a retraction statement, the spearhead of public opinion suddenly turned its guns on him.

What Qiu Mingrui didn't expect was that the residents of Guanghan City, who were still praising him a few days ago, now began to criticize him verbally and in writing.

Maybe the people who are praising and scolding are not the same group of people, but when things rise to the height of the group, the behavior of individuals in group events is actually not so important.

Qiu Mingrui just watched helplessly, how those people pushed him to the altar at the beginning, and how they threw him to the ground now.

Looking at the comments below the news saying that he is an "unscrupulous academician", "has no education", "will only give a platform to the powerful", and "has been bought by East Asia Electric Power", he couldn't help but cry.

Although he thinks that his level is indeed inferior to that of Academician Lu, he will not degenerate to the point of being bribed by Academician Lu.

The kind of mercenary, but certainly not him.

But now, for this sake, he is completely speechless.

Most people just talk about farts and don't make sense. Most of the logic they talk about is just to find a reasonable explanation for their own brain damage. I don't know what science is, I don't know what the scientific concept of development is, and I don't understand human speech. Only when I am a repeater, I can inexplicably ecstatic myself.

But if you want to argue with this kind of hooligan, no matter how reasonable it is, it will be unreasonable for you.

Immediately afterwards, someone revealed that he met Lu Zhou on the moon, and then there were rumors that his research team had received a "donation" of 10 million credits.

Hearing these rumors, Qiu Mingrui didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

If he did take the money, it would be fine, and it would be considered a comfort to his wounded heart.

But the problem is that no one gave him money at all!

Just when he was in a dilemma and didn't know what to do, he suddenly received a transfer reminder from the bank, reminding him that he had received a large transfer of 1 million credit points.

Qiu Mingrui, who received the news, was almost shocked to have a heart attack, and quickly checked the sender's account, intending to return the money. However, the bank told him that the payment account was registered on Mars, and the refund cannot be initiated unilaterally.

Qiu Mingrui, who got this one million, just felt like sitting on pins and needles.

Just after he spent the first day with anxiety, he suddenly received a mysterious anonymous phone call the next day...

"Hello, Academician Qiu Mingrui, I wonder if you are in a good mood today."

Looking at the blurred video window, Qiu Mingrui frowned and said, "It's terrible... who are you? I haven't heard your voice, where did you get my number?"

"There is no impenetrable wall in this world, especially in the information age. We not only know your phone number, but also your bank card number, and home address."

A drop of cold sweat streaked across his forehead, Qiu Mingrui spoke calmly.

"Who are you guys? What do you want to do! Are you the one million credits—"

"That's the deposit," interrupted Academician Qiu Mingrui, the voice continued with a smile, "As for who we are, it doesn't matter. As long as you are willing to do something not too difficult for me, then There will be another nine million credits credited to your account."

Qiu Mingrui swallowed, and said in a difficult tone.

"whats the matter……"

"Continue what you did at the beginning," the voice continued slowly, "Aren't you opposed to the second-generation controllable fusion technology? Then continue to oppose it. Whether it is for money or for the residents of Guanghan City, we hope You can stand firmer."

A trace of struggle flashed in his eyes, but soon the struggling look disappeared.

Taking a deep breath, Qiu Mingrui said.

"Sorry, I'm just a scholar. Your commission is beyond my ability. If it's an academic matter, I don't mind discussing it with you, but please don't let me get involved in this kind of matter. Your account How much is it, I will refund the money to you now, I don't want to participate in this matter..."

When he said this, Qiu Mingrui's voice already carried a trace of pleading.

However, after hearing his words, the person on the other end of the phone just smiled lightly and said in a slow tone.

"It's okay, if you don't join, don't join."

"You don't need to return the money to me, just treat it as a gift."

"But on the contrary, I hope you can stay awake and know what you can say and what you can't say. If I hear our conversation today from other places, I will let you know the price of not keeping promises."

This is...

hush money?

Qiu Mingrui opened his mouth, just about to say something.

However, the phone has been hung up...

...

In a small apartment in the suburbs of Shanghai.

A man with a slightly fat body took off the virtual reality helmet and put it on the table next to him.

Just looking at his face, there is nothing worth mentioning. However, if there are employees of East Asia Electric Power or people from the financial sector standing here, there will be surprised expressions on their faces.

There is no other reason.

It is hard to imagine that Morinaga, the manager of Softbank Group and one of the executive directors of East Asia Electric Power, would actually live in such a place that is almost no different from low-rent housing.

But in fact, Morinaga Moto doesn't really live here, it's just his base of operations.

Every time he needs to act as the leader of the foundation, he will come here and start his own plan with an anonymous identity and address.

And he still has many bases of operation like this.

So far, his work has been going very smoothly, and everything is developing in the direction he expected.

Although he failed to pull Academician Qiu's pawn to the Foundation's chariot, it didn't affect anything. After all, for the sake of now, the anger of the residents of Guanghan City has been completely ignited, not to mention opposing the second-generation controllable fusion, if this trend continues, I am afraid that they will break with the parent star.

Originally, the society between the two was also in a state of long-term separation. Even in this era when interstellar travel has become commonplace, many Pan-Asian citizens living on Earth have never left the Earth in their entire lives, and the same is true for those residents who were born and raised on the moon. Their parents have been here as long as they can remember live.

Sacrificing oneself for the sake of prosperity on Earth is unacceptable to the vast majority of Lunarians.

"It seems that the legendary man standing at the pinnacle of human mind is nothing more than that."

"What a pity."

Clicking his tongue with some regret, Morinaga Moto stood up from the chair, went to the hanger next to him and took off his coat, then left the apartment and locked the door.

The moment he left the base of operations, he had already switched roles and successfully replaced himself with Moto Morinaga—or the role of Softbank Group manager and managing director of East Asia Electric Power.

However, the moment he walked into the garage and got into his car, a sense of vigilance suddenly rose in his heart for no reason.

"Is it an illusion?"

I don't know if it is my illusion.

He always felt that there was an eye staring at him...

Although it is more likely to scare yourself, it is better to be cautious when sailing for thousands of years.

With a whisper in his heart, Moto Morinaga started the car quickly, and when setting the destination on the smart navigation map, he subconsciously spared a long way.

However, what he didn't know was that his hunch was actually not wrong.

It's just that it's too late.