Chapter 86 George's Defection

In the urban area of Jiayuguan, there was an inconspicuous teahouse.

George sat at a window seat on the second floor, holding a cup of Pu'er tea, his gaze fixed on the road outside that led out of the city.

There weren't many people in the teahouse; a few old men were playing chess in the corner, and a waiter was leaning against the counter playing on their phone.

Footsteps echoed on the stairs.

A middle-aged man in a grey jacket walked up, looked around, and then headed toward George's table.

"Engineer Zhang?" George stood up and extended his hand. "I've heard so much about you."

Zhang Jianguo shook his hand, looking a bit reserved. "You must be... Mr. Li?"

"That's me." George smiled and gestured for him to sit. "Would you like tea or coffee? The Pu'er here is quite good."

"Tea is fine."

George poured a cup of tea, pushed it toward him, then leaned back in his chair, sizing up the man before him.

He was in his early forties, slightly plump, with thinning hair, wearing a washed-out jacket. His fingers were rough, with grease still lingering under his nails—the standard image of a frontline technical worker.

According to the files, he was a maintenance engineer at an equipment factory, responsible for providing equipment maintenance services to Kunlun Base.

Over the past three months, he had entered and exited the base four times and was very familiar with the environment and personnel there.

"Engineer Zhang," George said, getting straight to the point, "I know you've been a bit strapped for cash lately."

Zhang Jianguo's hand, holding the teacup, paused.

"Your son is about to start university, right? I heard his grades are good; he should be able to get into a top-tier university." George continued, "But in this economy, supporting a college student costs at least thirty to forty thousand a year. How much is your monthly salary? Six thousand? Seven thousand?"

Zhang Jianguo put down the teacup and looked at him. "Mr. Li, what exactly are you trying to say?"

George smiled, took a kraft paper envelope out of his briefcase, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Zhang Jianguo.

Zhang Jianguo glanced down at it but didn't move.

"Open it and see."

Zhang Jianguo hesitated, then opened the envelope. Inside was a stack of brand-new banknotes. He counted roughly; there was at least twenty thousand.

"This is the deposit," George said.

Zhang Jianguo's breathing quickened, but he quickly steadied himself. He looked up, his eyes filled with a bit more wariness.

"Mr. Li, I'm just someone who repairs equipment. Whatever it is you want me to do, you need to be clear about it."

George nodded and took another photo out of his briefcase, placing it on the table.

The photo showed a facility built in the Gobi Desert—reaction kettles, separation towers, pipeline pumps and valves, as well as rows of photovoltaic panels and wind turbines. It was exactly the Pilot-scale production site of Lin Mo and his team.

"You should have seen this facility," George said.

Zhang Jianguo stared at the photo, his expression changing slightly.

"I... I have indeed been there to maintain the equipment a few times. But that was all routine business, and I signed a non-disclosure agreement."

"I know," George said. "That's why I came to you. I'm not asking you to sabotage anything, nor am I asking you to steal any physical objects. I just need some data."

Zhang Jianguo's hands trembled slightly.

"What kind of data?"

"Process parameters," George said. "Temperature, pressure, flow rate, concentration, and any recent changes they've made. You don't need to take photos, and you don't need to bring anything out. You just need to memorize a few key figures and tell me."

Zhang Jianguo remained silent, staring at the photo.

George took out another kraft paper envelope, thicker than the previous one.

"This is the rest. Once it's done, I'll double it."

Zhang Jianguo looked at the two envelopes, his throat bobbing.

He thought about the tuition his son had to pay next month, the new washing machine his wife had been nagging him about for a long time, and the pitiful figure on his monthly pay stub.

But he also remembered the non-disclosure agreement he had signed, the heavily armed soldiers he saw when entering the base, and the way Captain Zhou would watch them work every time.

"I..." he began, his voice raspy. "What if I get caught..."

George interrupted him. "You won't. You're just performing routine equipment maintenance. You glance at the numbers on the dashboard and memorize them—who would notice that? Besides, you're a veteran employee; they won't suspect you."

Zhang Jianguo didn't speak.

George added, "Even if something really does go wrong, don't worry, we'll arrange for your whole family to leave. Australia, Canada, take your pick."

Zhang Jianguo looked up at George.

This man who called himself "Mr. Li" had a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes were so cold they were unsettling.

He thought of those spy movies he'd seen, and the fates of those who had been turned.

But then he thought of his son's admission letter.

"I..." he opened his mouth. "I'll think about it."

George nodded with a smile. "Of course. But Engineer Zhang, time waits for no one. When is the next time you're going to the base?"

"Next Wednesday." Zhang Jianguo blurted out, then immediately regretted it.

George pushed the two kraft paper envelopes toward him. "Take them, consider it making a friend. When you come back next time, we'll discuss the rest."

Zhang Jianguo looked at the money, his hand trembling as he reached out, then pulled back.

In the end, he picked them up.

George stood up and patted his shoulder. "Engineer Zhang, you're a smart man. Go on, don't let anyone see you."

Zhang Jianguo stuffed the two envelopes into his jacket, kept his head down, and walked downstairs quickly.

George stood by the window, watching his back disappear into the crowd, a cold sneer appearing on his lips.

The waiter came over to collect the teacups, and George handed him a banknote. "Keep the change."

He walked out of the teahouse and slipped into a black sedan parked on the side of the road.

"Did you find out?" the person in the front seat asked.

George nodded. "Next Wednesday, he'll go to the base."

"Is he trustworthy?"

George thought for a moment. "This type of person is short on money, has family burdens, isn't very brave, but has significant desires. Useful. But we need to keep an ace up our sleeve."

The person in the front seat handed over a tablet displaying Zhang Jianguo's detailed dossier—home address, wife's workplace, son's school, and daily commute route.

George took one look and smiled.

"Very good. If he dares to double-cross us, all of this will come in handy."

The car started and slowly merged into the flow of traffic.

George leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.

Lithium Extraction from Seawater, at a cost of less than thirty-five thousand... this data is worth him taking action personally.

Next Wednesday, 7:00 AM.

Zhang Jianguo, carrying his toolbox, stood at the security checkpoint of Kunlun Base.

Captain Zhou personally led the inspection team. They turned the toolbox upside down, checked his ID twice, and even made him lift his feet to check the soles of his shoes.

"Engineer Zhang, how come you're here so early today?" Captain Zhou asked with a smile.

Zhang Jianguo tried his best to look normal. "There are a few pieces of equipment that need a careful look; I'm afraid I won't have enough time."

Captain Zhou nodded and waved him through.

Zhang Jianguo walked into the base and took a deep breath.

In the distance, on the Gobi Desert, the facility stood silently, the photovoltaic panels shimmering with a deep blue light in the morning sun.

He gripped the handle of his toolbox tightly and walked toward it, step by step.

Hidden in the lining of the toolbox was a micro-camera.

He knew that as long as he took one photo, that money would be completely his.

But he also knew that once this step was taken, there would be no turning back.

The wind blew across the Gobi Desert, kicking up a cloud of yellow sand.

Zhang Jianguo squinted his eyes and continued walking forward.

Behind him, Captain Zhou watched his back and suddenly frowned.

"Old Sun, look at the way he's walking today. Doesn't it look a bit off?"

Another soldier took a look. "Maybe he's just nervous; workers are all like that."

Captain Zhou nodded, but there was a hint of vigilance in his eyes.

He picked up the walkie-talkie. "Monitoring room, keep an eye on the feed for Area 3. Engineer Zhang is acting a bit strange today."

A "Received" response came over the walkie-talkie.

In the distance, Zhang Jianguo had already reached the facility.

He put down the toolbox, looked up, and stared at the precision instrument panels.

His hands started to tremble again.