Majeneral Wang』s black bulletproof Buick sped through the gates of the nondescript pound before the People』s Liberation Army security guards could rush to their feet and affect the mandatory salute. The majeneral made a note in his vast brain to give them a firm dressing dowime permitted. He required everyoo be alert at all times, now more thahe pound was the headquarters of the Third Department of the PLA General Staff and was located in the sprawl of Beijing』s Haidian district, home to the nation』s top uies, research labs, sce parks and teology corporations. The majeneral』s mind was reeling from the aftermath of ret events.
He took a deep puff on a gold-tipped Zhongnanhai Premium, thiie-stained fingers holding on to the cigarette as though it was some kind of precision instrument. Thin lips set into a largish face with stroures exhaled the smoke, which was quickly flushed away by the car』s powerful ventilation system. He stubbed out the cigarette in the brimming silver ashtray set into the armrest. The ashtray retracted, the sound of some ing meism muffled behind thick layers of foam aher.
The current situation was intolerable and if he didn』t quickly bring things under trol the repercussions would be eg through the halls of Zhongnanhai, the seat of ese political power, in no time. Majeneral Wang hadn』t risen rapidly through the ranks of the People』s Liberation Army to see his eure put at stake by a professor with grandiose ideas about world pead an errant research student. The very thought of the damage the whole fiasco could do to his career filled him with rage.
「What do you mean he has disappeared?」 the majeneral had bellowed at the video phone in his car just a few minutes earlier. The Tsinghua Uy provost at the other end of the line had visibly blanched, shocked by the military leader』s outburst of ahis was oron he couldn』t afford to offend. Hundreds of millions of Renminbi in funding lay in the balahe provost khat some of this money was being used for 「unofficial」 research. He had been asked not to question the professors or students involved on those top secret projects and he had by-and-large curred. As long as the bulk of that money was going into projects that eventually added to the already incredible world prestige of his renowned institution he was more than happy to cur with the whims of men like Majeneral Wang. He also khat any mistakes would put his job at the whim of the majeneral. What if the man decided to withdraw funding? The provost』s agile mind rapidly accessed a mental list of alternate funding sources.
「The student disobeyed clear orders, an act whi itself is a serious offence. We have, however, secured the equipment and are awaiting your further instrus,」 the provost informed the majeneral.
「You should have placed the student under guard as soon as the edict was issued,」 the majeneral said gruffly.
「Majeneral, I must remind you that we are an educational institution that only resort to those kinds of measures under extreme circumstances.」
「How is this for areme circumstance? I want you to secure the lab until I get some men out there. Do you uand?」
「Perfectly, sir,」 the provost said with atuated reverence, sensing a reprieve. The majeneral』s previous project had he uy an unpreted level of funding, some of which had made it into other faculties, enhang their effectiveness. New equipment had been bought, professors who were leading thinkers in their fields