Siheyuan: I will never tolerate gambling and drugs!

Sijiu City Airport

许林下车的时候手里多了一个包袱和100卢布。这时候卢布对人民币的汇率是2：1，这是时期苏联的工人一个月差不多在60卢布左右，所以这100卢布已经很多了

Xu Lin embarked on his journey to the Soviet Union following the route given by Zhang Feng, the head of the secrecy department. The original train ticket was merely a cover. Traveling by train would take at least 9-15 days, while flying from Beijing to Mongolia and then from Mongolia to Moscow would only take about 10 hours.

In other words, if Xu Lin's journey goes smoothly, the time he originally arrived by train will actually be the time he returns to Beijing after completing his mission.

Although Xu Lin didn't understand why they needed to be so cautious—how could anyone possibly pay attention to someone as insignificant as him—he remembered Zhang Feng saying that there were still remnants of these reactionaries, with their undying ambition to destroy China, scattered throughout Beijing. They were everywhere, so caution was always better than caution, and he came to understand.

The time difference between Beijing and Moscow is 5 hours. Xu Lin boarded the plane in the early morning, and with the layover time, although the journey took more than ten hours, it was only just dawn in Moscow when Xu Lin arrived.

Following the plan, Xu Lin headed to the address he already knew, where his senior brother Gu was studying—"Institute of Virology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the Soviet Union".

When Xu Lin arrived at the research institute's entrance, he was completely bewildered. He only knew Senior Brother Gu's name, but didn't know which group he was in or who his advisor was. After trying to communicate for a while, a frustrated Xu Lin could only listlessly flip through medical books at the entrance, hoping that Senior Brother Gu would see him when he came to class.

But the security guard said the research institute had two main gates. Xu Lin scratched his head helplessly, and finally decided to wait at this gate in the morning and the other one in the afternoon.

Xu Lin stood at the gate, not daring to ignore anyone passing by. Because of his actions, he was observed by everyone passing by, and many even mistook him for a Japanese man and came to provoke him, almost leading to a conflict.

Xu Lin had no choice but to slip a pack of cigarettes to the security guard at the gate in exchange for paper and pen. He then wrote down in Russian: "I am Chinese, here to visit relatives, specifically my relative Gu XX. I hate the Japanese, but I have no ill intentions."

Then stick it to the suitcase you're holding in your arms, and open the visa and hold it in your hand.

This drew an even larger crowd...

After waiting all morning to no avail, Xu Lin was about to grab something to eat and try again at a different gate in the afternoon. Just then, a crisp voice, speaking cautiously in Russian, came from behind him: "Are you Gu's relative?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Lin was overjoyed. Feeling as if he had finally been saved, he immediately turned around and replied in Russian, "Yes, I am Xu Lin, Gu's cousin, here to visit relatives."

When I finally saw who was speaking, I realized they were exquisitely beautiful, incredibly cute, like a sweet little girl next door. Their large eyes, framed by long, silvery eyelashes, were captivating. Their pretty blue eyes and lovely face made them look like a porcelain doll, sweet and adorable.

Xu Lin paused for a moment, then subconsciously added, "Huh? Natasha?"

The girl in front of Xu Lin also found it strange that Xu Lin addressed her as such.

"Are you calling me again? My name isn't Natasha, it's Jelena, hello comrade."

Xu Lin realized that at this time, the Soviet film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's *War and Peace* wouldn't be released for another ten years or so. The Natasha in the original novel was described as an ordinary little girl, quite different from the unforgettable Natasha in the film.

Therefore, using Natasha to describe a beautiful woman at this time would probably not be considered a compliment.

Having made a blunder, Xu Lin offered a somewhat embarrassed explanation.

"Excuse me, ma'am, you're so beautiful and lovely. You remind me of a character from a movie. You're just like him—no, she's just like you, so charming..."

Knowing that Soviet women were quite open-minded at that time, Xu Lin showered the girl named Gerina with compliments. Sure enough, the girl smiled happily at the praise.

"No, comrade, you're too kind. I just have a very ordinary appearance..."

Xu Lin felt a little embarrassed when he heard this. If this were in China, Xu Lin would be certain that the girl was just being modest.

However, Xu Lin was less certain about the situation in the Soviet Union. At that time, due to World War II, the Soviet Union had a gender imbalance, with the male-to-female ratio reaching 1:1.5.

Therefore, it's normal for girls to lack confidence at this time, just like in later generations of China where there are more men than women, many men are outstanding, but most men generally feel that they are just ordinary.

However, just to be on the safe side, Xu Lin chose to praise him back.

"Your appearance is anything but ordinary. In China, 80% of men would be proud to marry you..."

Jelinek was even happier. In her eyes, Xu Lin was an outstanding young man—183 cm tall, with an ethereal appearance and an extraordinary demeanor. Although she knew Xu Lin might be teasing her, she was still delighted to hear it come from his own mouth.

"What's your name? I know Gu. Let me take you to see him."

Xu Lin was so excited he almost cried. He stood at the door holding the sign all morning, being scrutinized and looked at from all sides. If he weren't so thick-skinned, he would have broken down long ago.

"Thank you so much! My name is Xu Lin! Hello, comrade, it's a pleasure to meet you." Xu Lin could no longer contain his excitement and extended his hand to politely shake hands with Jelina.

Jelinek then gracefully and formally reintroduced herself to Xu Lin. Afterwards, she took Xu Lin to find Gu.

After navigating a maze of twists and turns within the research institute, undergoing numerous checks and disinfections, Xu Lin finally saw his long-awaited senior brother, Gu, through the glass of a door outside.

Xu Lin was so excited he wanted to shout, but he held back, considering that he was in a foreign country and at a research institute.

Patiently watching from the doorway, I saw Jelinena walk up to Senior Brother Gu, interrupting him as he was intently researching and recording data.

Then, after Jeline whispered a few words in Senior Brother Gu's ear, Senior Brother Gu looked up in confusion and pointed in the direction Jeline was pointing, towards Xu Lin outside the door.

After confirming that it really was his junior brother Xu Lin, whom he hadn't seen for over two years, he was extremely excited and immediately put down his work and rushed to Xu Lin's side.

Xu Lin was also carefully observing his senior brother Gu who was approaching. He was of medium height, with a well-proportioned and upright figure, without any excess fat. He had the clear and vigorous spirit of a young intellectual, and his long-term dedication to the laboratory gave him a sense of composure. He walked with a steady gait, and his upright posture revealed his determination to seek knowledge, without any trace of naivety or timidity.

When the two faced each other, Senior Brother Gu excitedly embraced Xu Lin.

"Xiao Xu, what brings you, you taciturn fellow, to the Soviet Union to see me? How's Old Li? How's Jianjun doing lately? How did you manage to get through all this...?" Gu bombarded him with questions.

Xu Lin understood Senior Brother Gu's feelings; he also had a lot of questions he wanted to ask him.

"Senior Brother Gu, I'm starving! I haven't even had a sip of water on the way here. Let's go eat first, and chat while we eat..."

"Haha, you little rascal. You're keeping me in suspense. Alright, let's go. Your senior will treat you to a big meal! Wait here, I'll go ask my advisor for leave."

Xu Lin immediately nodded obediently in agreement. After patting Xu Lin on the shoulder, Senior Brother Gu turned and went to the laboratory to ask his advisor for leave.

It was only then that Xu Lin realized that Gu's mentor was a female professor around 55 years old. She had the short, silver-gray hair common among contemporary Soviet female intellectuals, neatly combed with only a few stray strands occasionally falling at her temples, exuding a simple and capable air.

As Gu was talking to his advisor, the female professor glanced at Xu Lin at the door. Xu Lin noticed her gaze and nodded in acknowledgment. The professor then waved for Gu to leave, followed by Jelena, who had led the way.

"Let's go, Xu Lin, I've asked my advisor for leave. I'll show you around this afternoon, but let's go eat first."

Oh, and I should also introduce you to someone. The girl who showed you the way, Jelena, is the daughter of my mentor, Levkovich.

"Jelena, this is my junior brother Xu Lin. When I was studying at Peking Union Medical College, I initially lived at Xu Lin's house..."

After Xu Lin thanked Jielina again, the three of them walked out of the research institute together. Laughter and cheerful conversation filled the air along the way…

In the restaurant

Senior Brother Gu warmly welcomed Xu Lin.

"Xu Lin, try this red sausage, it tastes pretty good. I rarely get to eat it. The bread is just average, but it's not bad once you get used to it. And..."

"Okay, Senior Brother Gu, I won't stand on ceremony with you." Xu Lin began to eat heartily, while Jielina, standing beside him, also ate with relish. Although she couldn't understand what they were saying, she didn't feel any distance between them.

After eating for a while, Xu Lin got down to business.

"Senior Brother Gu, do you know about polio?"

Gu frowned immediately upon hearing Xu Lin's words.

"Poliomyelitis, also known as infantile paralysis, of course I know that. You didn't come here this time to...?"

Xu Lin nodded before Gu could finish speaking, and took a medical record out of his bag and handed it over.

"There are now many cases in Beijing. Li Lao and I estimate that it was caused by the bacteriological warfare launched by the US military at the beginning of the year. Although there has been no nationwide outbreak yet..."

But you know, this was bound to happen sooner or later. In many places, it's very likely that there were outbreaks, but just no large-scale transmission.

Looking at the medical records and listening to Xu Lin's words, Gu was first shocked, then gritted his teeth and continued reading the medical records Xu Lin had brought.

"Damn those foreign devils, they're utterly heartless!" Gu angrily slammed the medical record on the table with a loud thud, startling Jelena, who was eating next to him.

Gu realized he had lost his composure and quickly explained to Jielina that something had happened at home. Jielina didn't think much of it and continued eating, nodding to herself without disturbing the two of them.

"You came to see me because you wanted to..." Gu asked Xu Lin again.

Xu Lin nodded, interrupting Gu Xiang, gesturing that there were outsiders present, and then took out his copy of the polio vaccine development plan and handed it over.

"This is one of my ideas. I hope you can test its feasibility in your lab. If it is feasible, you will need to use your current lab to produce a clinical version of the vaccine."

I'll take it back for clinical trials with patients. If it's effective, Professor Zhao will begin mass production in Beijing, trying to get the vaccine mass-produced before the outbreak.

And the process must be kept secret, preferably not to a third person, including your advisor, because this would have serious political repercussions. After all, we have seen and remembered what the Soviet Union did during the two years of the Korean War.

Gu, while looking at Xu Lin's written proposal and listening to Xu Lin's plan, fell into deep thought, considering the feasibility of what Xu Lin was saying. After a while, Gu's gaze sharpened, and he looked up to ask Xu Lin.

Did you bring the pathogen with you?

Xu Lin nodded. "It's in my bag."

"Okay, I'll go back and test your method now. Just keep an eye on Jelena and make sure she doesn't go back to the lab. My supervisor is going to Europe for an academic forum these two days. As long as Jelena doesn't go to the lab these two days, there won't be any problems."

"This..." Xu Lin was somewhat troubled. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he couldn't very well kidnap someone, could he? However, seeing Gu Xin's anxious expression...

"Okay, I'll give it a try..."