The military-industrial scientific research system of the academic master.

About two hours later.

Yoon Jong-hyun, wearing an inconspicuous, half-worn windbreaker, appeared in front of a convenience store on the other side of the city on a bicycle.

According to the plan just now, he should go in, buy an anonymous phone card with a short-term contract, and then immediately call the numbers he had written down before.

However, at this last moment, he hesitated a little.

On the one hand, this is an absolute, blatant crime.

Although it seems a bit strange to consider these things in the current situation, as a scholar who has lived a law-abiding life for half his life, Yoon Jong-hyun has actually become accustomed to being pushed forward by others in work and life.

He didn't think much of it when he was emotional before, but now that he has calmed down, he still finds it difficult to make this "unorthodox" decision himself.

Moreover, even if we put the inner struggle aside, there is another more realistic problem.

Once this step is taken, there is no turning back.

If the deal was made rashly, the other party could just make a verbal promise first, and then throw him aside to die after getting the goods.

Many spy-themed novels or movies are written this way.

Will the Chinese do the same?

Moreover, the phone numbers he copied from the website were all responsible for external liaison business.

Just call them rashly and say I have what you want...

Others may not believe it...

Yoon Jong-hyun parked his bicycle on the side of the road, put his hands in his pockets, and gently twisted the note.

After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and walked into the convenience store as planned.

The shop owner was a half-bald man about 50 years old. He was leaning on a worn wooden chair, crossing his legs and watching TV intently.

I didn't even notice that there were customers entering the store.

Of course, it was a weekday afternoon, so there were indeed very few people visiting.

Yoon Jong-hyun did not immediately remind the other party, but walked to the counter in silence.

Stacks of phone cards were tied with rubber bands and neatly stacked in a cardboard box.

“Buy…don’t buy…buy…don’t buy…”

Two voices lingered in Yoon Jong-hyun's mind, making it difficult for him to make a final decision for a while.

"Eh?"

At the same time, the boss finally realized that there was someone standing next to him, and quickly stood up to greet the guest:

"I'm sorry, I was so engrossed in watching TV that I didn't notice you, my guest."

"What would you like to buy?"

As he spoke, he walked to the opposite side of Yoon Jong-hyun, opened the glass door behind the counter, and prepared to get something for the latter.

"I……"

I don’t know if it was because of dry mouth or because of hesitation, but after Yoon Jong-hyun opened his mouth to say one word, his voice got stuck in his throat.

"Ahem - I want to buy a bottle of water..."

At the most critical moment, he retreated almost instinctively.

"Oh...what brand do you want?"

When the boss heard Yoon Jong-hyun say he just wanted to buy a bottle of water, he became a little discouraged.

Compared with all those fancy electronic gadgets on the counter, the profit from a bottle of water is negligible.

“Nongshim…Nongshim is fine.”

The shop owner turned around and went to get him some water.

Yin Zhongxian was also a little annoyed at his own weakness.

He knew that if he walked out of here in disgrace today, he might not even be able to "walk into a convenience store" in the future.

Just when Yoon Jong-hyun's mind was a mess, a voice that sounded familiar came from the TV next to him.

"The Geoje Shipyard under our group is still building the eight LNG ships as planned. Any rumors that the Norwegian company is considering changing the second party are false news..."

Yoon Jong-hyun turned around abruptly and looked at the small TV on the shelf next to him.

It was a press conference.

A press conference held by Samsung Offshore & Marine.

The person sitting in front of the camera and talking at this moment was the executive director, Song Minyong, whom he had just contacted.

"Here, your water."

The shop owner put a bottle of mineral water on the counter:

"500 dollars."

But Yoon Jong-hyun seemed not to have heard it. He neither took the water nor paid the money. He just stared blankly to the side.

"You are following the news, right?"

The shop owner had a good temper and thought that the customer in front of him was just a bystander like himself, so he immediately started talking:

"If you ask me, these Chinese people really overestimate their own capabilities. South Korea's shipbuilding is expected to surpass Japan and become the world's number one next year. What technology can they have that is worth stealing?"

Geoje City is one of the top shipbuilding industrial cities in South Korea and even in the world, and as a result, it has become one of the regions with the highest per capita income in South Korea.

As a local who has reaped the benefits, the shop owner naturally has a strong sense of identification and confidence in his country's shipbuilding industry.

However, when Yoon Jong-hyun heard this, he felt completely uncomfortable.

Outsiders don’t know the twists and turns here, but he knows it clearly.

"Hey, young man."

Seeing that Yoon Jong-hyun didn't answer, the shop owner continued to show off his chatterbox nature:

"Your skin is so tanned... Are you also working in the shipyard?"

This sentence scared Yoon Jong-hyun so much that he shuddered.

"Oh... no, I'm a project manager building a house."

While the two were chatting, the press conference on TV had entered the next round of questions and answers.

This time, the reporter had obviously prepared in advance. He used the example of the bulk carrier structural fracture accident that happened last year and asked how Samsung Offshore & Marine would ensure the safety of the ship.

"The bulk carrier you are talking about should be the Leader L built by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in 1977."

“I would like to draw the attention of this reporter to the fact that there are very clear differences between the construction standards of bulk carriers and LNG carriers, and between the shipbuilding technologies of the 70s and this century, and such a comparison cannot be made directly, not to mention that the ship was built in Japan.”

Song Minyong is no fool. He answered the question fluently and even stepped on another competitor:

"In short, you can rest assured that the so-called infringement of the BOG reliquefaction system and the safety hazards are all slanders from our competitors. They lost to us in fair competition, so they resorted to such means..."

"In addition, the technologies used on these eight ships have been rigorously tested and certified by Geoje Shipyard. The relevant reports and all construction processes also have detailed review documents to ensure that there will be no problems with accountability..."

Hearing this, the convenience store owner nodded with satisfaction:

"Look, I'll tell you."

"Our shipyard is still responsible..."

However, Yoon Jong-hyun next to him had his eyelids twitching and he almost started to curse at the old dog Song Min-yong in front of the TV.

Fulfilling responsibilities...

It can indeed be implemented.

It all falls on my head, right?

For a moment, the courage and impulse that had just been suppressed by cowardice resurfaced.

Anger arises from the heart, evil comes from the courage.

"That's right, boss."

He almost squeezed out these two words from between his teeth:

"Give me another bearer phone card with a short contract... and a small bottle of sake."

Hearing this request, the convenience store owner immediately smiled, lowered his head, and pulled out a phone card from a pile of phone cards:

"7500 yuan per ticket, with 5000 yuan in phone credits. I can't recharge after I use it up... Including sake and water... the total is 10000 yuan."

Obviously, the profit here is quite lucrative, and there should be considerable room for bargaining.

But Yoon Jong-hyun didn't care about that anymore and paid without saying a word.

The shop owner took a few banknotes, checked them carefully against the window, and the smile on his face became even brighter.

Then he took a bottle of wine and a disposable plastic cup from the shelf next to him:

"Young man, stop looking so sad and have a drink..."

As the saying goes, alcohol makes cowards brave.

Yoon Jong-hyun did not ask for the store owner's cup, but instead blew the entire bottle of sake directly into the bottle mouth.

Then, under the influence of alcohol, he found a secluded place and made the phone call that would affect the rest of his life...