Chapter 301 - 233: A Grand Mobilization

Chapter 301: Chapter 233: A Grand Mobilization

December 23rd, Tuesday.

10:45 AM.

Beijing South Station, a vital transportation hub in the nation’s capital, was in a perpetual state of hustle and bustle.

Surging crowds, blaring announcements, the rumbling of rolling suitcases over tiled floors, and a mishmash of dialects from all corners of the country wove together into a colossal wave of sound.

As an intercity train from Jinmen slowly pulled into the station, the stream of people at the exit instantly swelled.

Chen Lin, dragging the 20-inch suitcase that had been with him for over two years of college, blended into the crowd. He showed no signs of fatigue from his long journey. His well-tailored black suit, covered by a dark gray cashmere overcoat, made him look sharp and handsome.

Little Champion didn’t just give him a powerful physique, but also preternaturally sharp senses.

Even from dozens of meters away, through the bobbing sea of heads, Chen Lin’s gaze instantly pierced the crowd and locked onto a young man holding a sign outside the exit.

The young man was wearing a slightly loose-fitting black suit and glasses, and he was anxiously craning his neck on his tiptoes to peer inside.

The corners of Chen Lin’s mouth lifted slightly.

’I know this guy, even though we’ve never met.’

A couple of days ago, the conference organizing committee had sent him some electronic materials, which included information about the staff member in charge of his reception.

The young man’s name was Wang Hao, but everyone called him Wang. He was on secondment to the organizing committee from the Ministry of Science and Technology. Chen Lin had even added him on WeChat yesterday, so he recognized him at a glance.

Chen Lin quickened his pace, moving against the congested flow of people like an agile fish, easily weaving his way to the exit.

"Hello, are you Wang Hao?"

Chen Lin walked up to the young man and greeted him with a smile.

Wang Hao was still staring intently into the crowd when someone suddenly called his name, making him jump. He turned around, and his eyes lit up when he saw the young man who was even more handsome than his photo. He quickly lowered the sign and respectfully extended both hands.

"Ah! Professor Chen! Hello, hello! I’m Wang from the organizing committee. I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you right away!"

Inwardly, Wang Hao was quite nervous.

Although the Professor Chen before him was younger than he was and looked like a pop idol, on the committee’s internal list, he was a VIP marked for "special-grade" treatment.

"It’s fine, there are too many people," Chen Lin said with a smile, shaking his hand without a hint of arrogance.

Just as Wang Hao was about to take Chen Lin’s suitcase and lead him to the parking lot, a few people suddenly approached from the side.

The man in the lead was middle-aged.

He was around forty, with a buzz cut, and wore a seemingly ordinary dark blue jacket over a white collared shirt with no tie.

He had a sturdy build and a square face. His eyes were as calm as a deep pool, but when they occasionally swept over his surroundings, they revealed a sharpness that could make one’s heart skip a beat.

Following behind the middle-aged man were two other burly young men, both wearing earpieces and vigilantly scanning the area.

Wang Hao froze for a second. "This is..."

’My orders were to pick up Chen Lin by myself. I wasn’t told anyone else would be coming.’

The middle-aged man ignored Wang Hao’s confusion and walked straight up to Chen Lin. A warm smile appeared on his face as he extended a hand.

"Professor Chen, you must be tired from your journey."

"I am Qin Feng, from the security department. I’ll be in charge of your security detail during your time in the Imperial Capital."

As he spoke, he subtly showed Chen Lin the credentials in his hand.

He didn’t open the wallet completely, only revealing a corner with the special national emblem and the two large, gold-stamped words: State Security.

Chen Lin was slightly startled.

Although Academician Liang had previously hinted that his security level would be raised after he joined the hypersonic vehicle project.

’But this whole setup... isn’t it a bit of an overreaction?’

’I’m just here for a conference. Is this level of security really necessary?’

Before Chen Lin could voice his doubts, Qin Feng seemed to read his mind. He smiled, took the suitcase from Chen Lin’s hand, passed it to the man behind him, and made a "this way, please" gesture. As they walked, he said in a low voice:

"Professor Chen, given your current importance to the nation, as well as... the attention from certain foreign powers, we must ensure there are absolutely no mistakes."

"Also, a small suggestion." Qin Feng lowered his voice, his tone gentle yet firm. "In the future, when you travel long distances, we suggest you apply for a private plane or use special access channels. Please don’t take the high-speed rail like you did this time. It... makes our security work quite difficult to carry out."

Chen Lin stopped in his tracks. He raised an eyebrow, looking at Qin Feng with some surprise.

"Captain Qin, from the sound of it... are you saying you had people with me on the high-speed rail this time?"

He had kept his senses from Little Champion active the entire trip. Aside from that mixed-race female reporter who looked a bit familiar, he hadn’t noticed anyone particularly suspicious, let alone anyone secretly protecting him.

Qin Feng just smiled without speaking, his eyes holding the profound meaning of ’that’s classified’.

Seeing Qin Feng’s expression, Chen Lin understood instantly.

’Well, I’ll be.’

’It seems I’ve underestimated the power of the state apparatus.’

The superhuman sight and hearing granted by Little Champion were indeed powerful, but they were passive sensory enhancements, not an active radar scan.

If his protectors were highly-trained elite agents who could blend into a crowd, their expressions, movements, and even breathing patterns identical to any other passerby, then it would indeed be very difficult for him to spot them.

’I can’t just keep my ears peeled at all times, listening to every single word spoken by the hundreds of people around me, can I? I’d go schizophrenic.’

But on second thought, Chen Lin relaxed.

’If even I couldn’t spot them, it means it would be even harder for anyone with hostile intentions to find an opening.’

Besides, if he had protection on the high-speed rail, it meant the covert protection had probably started back when he was in Jinmen. He just hadn’t noticed.

Understanding this actually put his mind at ease.

"Alright, I’ll follow the organization’s arrangements," Chen Lin nodded and asked casually, "So, what’s the itinerary?"

Qin Feng said, while escorting Chen Lin toward a restricted-access channel:

"Wang here is responsible for coordinating the specific conference schedule. My mission, however, is mainly to ensure your itinerary tomorrow goes smoothly."

"Tomorrow..." Chen Lin understood.

"Correct." Qin Feng’s tone grew more solemn. "The meeting tomorrow morning is extremely important, and it’s one of the core objectives of your trip to the Imperial Capital. For today, please get some rest. I will come pick you up early tomorrow morning."

Chen Lin nodded.

He himself had only received a last-minute notification the previous evening about an "extremely important" closed-door meeting the next day.

The group quickly walked out of the arrival hall.

Outside the station’s VIP access, two black sedans were already waiting. The license plates were low-key, but anyone in the know could tell the weight they carried with a single glance.

Seeing them emerge, a driver immediately got out of the car. He deftly placed Chen Lin’s luggage in the trunk, then respectfully opened the rear passenger door, thoughtfully placing a hand over the top of the door frame to prevent Chen Lin from bumping his head.

"Professor Chen, please."

Chen Lin ducked into the car, feeling the comfortable temperature and the faint smell of leather. He sighed inwardly:

’This level of treatment... it really is different now.’

As the door closed softly, the black convoy slowly pulled away, merging into the bustling traffic of the Imperial Capital.

...

Meanwhile, back outside the station exit.

Although the previous scene had unfolded quickly, it was still witnessed by numerous lingering travelers and people waiting to pick up arrivals.

The two black cars parked right at the VIP access gate—obviously special-purpose vehicles—and those tough-looking "bodyguards" were particularly eye-catching.

It wasn’t until the convoy disappeared from view that the crowd of onlookers snapped back to reality, and a buzz of discussion erupted.

"Whoa, who was that young guy? That was some serious entourage!"

exclaimed a young man who looked like a college student with a backpack.

"He looks a little familiar. Is he some new pop idol? He’s really handsome," a girl pulling a suitcase guessed excitedly beside him.

"An idol? A pretty boy?"

Hearing this, a guy nearby wearing thick glasses and a plaid shirt couldn’t help but scoff, looking at the girl with disdain.

"Lady, do you not go online? Or do you only read entertainment news?"

"If that guy’s just a pretty boy, then everyone else in the entertainment industry would have to kneel down and polish his shoes!"

The girl, annoyed at being contradicted so bluntly, retorted, "Who do you think you are? Why are you so aggressive? Then you tell me who he is."

The guy with the glasses pushed them up his nose, his tone filled with fanatical adoration.

"That’s Chen Shen! Chen Lin!"

"You know about the World Mathematics Conference a while back? He single-handedly tore apart a world-class problem right on the spot and proposed the ’Chen Lin Algorithm,’ completely stunning all those foreign experts!"

"And also, that breakthrough in new-energy solid-state batteries that was all over the national news? He’s the one who solved the core mathematical problem! That’s a trillion-yuan industry!"

At this point, the guy with the glasses grew more and more agitated, spit flying from his mouth as he spoke.

"He’s only a junior in college, and he’s already a professor! The company he founded is valued at three hundred million! His personal net worth is supposedly over a hundred million!"

"For a national-treasure-level genius like him, what’s wrong with the state sending a private car? I think even a fighter jet escort wouldn’t be going too far!"

The people around him were dumbfounded by his words.

"Holy crap! He’s that incredible?"

"I remember now! He’s that genius professor who’s been all over my feed these past few days!"

"No wonder... His aura just now really didn’t seem like a typical celebrity’s."

"So accomplished at such a young age, and a multimillionaire on top of that... Sigh, comparisons are odious."

Amidst the crowd, voices rose and fell in a ceaseless murmur of admiration, envy, and shock.

Meanwhile, Chen Lin, the center of all this discussion, was sitting in the smoothly moving car, watching the streetscapes of the Imperial Capital fly by outside his window.

...