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Researcher Shen called the next day. He immediately told Lin Yanzhou that the previous test report had been reviewed by a higher-level department, and that the military's response was much faster than expected.

"The people from the Eastern Theater Command want to see you in person, the sooner the better. Lin Yanzhou, can you spare the time?"

Lin Yanzhou leaned back in his chair, gazing at the ginkgo leaves turning yellow outside the window. He didn't answer immediately, but instead asked, "How many people are coming? What level?"

Researcher Shen said, "The deputy commander led a team of several researchers. They don't do the usual surveys; they just want to know if you have any more samples. You don't have to answer questions you don't want to answer—that's what they said." He added, "They also mentioned that if you're willing, they can arrange some protective support for you and your family."

"When?"

"An hour later, in the same conference room in the hospital."

"OK."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yanzhou sat in the living room for a while. Xiaozhou was doing her homework at the coffee table when she came home from school, the pencil tip making a soft, steady scratching sound on the paper. Xiaoya was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, the rhythmic sounds coming from the cutting board. He sat there, listening to the two sounds overlapping, the same thought swirling in his mind: what they needed wasn't his identity, but more ore. And he just happened to have some.

The day after tomorrow morning, when Lin Yanzhou arrived at the Academy of Sciences, Researcher Shen was already waiting in the lobby. They didn't say much and went straight to the third floor. The layout of the conference room had changed: this time, there was an electronic device with a metal casing on the table, standing on the edge of the side cabinet, like a recording shield with encryption function. The status light flashed steadily at a fixed frequency, emitting a uniform, weak, and inaudible low-frequency electromagnetic signal.

The projector was moved from the center of the desk to the side near the window. A new table appeared on the screen, listing several rows of incomplete test data, as if leaving a few blanks waiting to be filled in with new results. A stack of new files appeared on the desk, arranged in order opposite Lin Yanzhou's seat.

Deputy Commander Gao sat across the table, next to a middle-aged man in a dark gray suit. There was a dark line under the collar of his suit, extending from the collar to the side of his chest, like a location marker for something.

He held a black folder in his hand, not opening it, but simply placing it on the table with his hand resting on the edge. Researcher Shen sat by the window, an open notebook in front of him.

Deputy Commander Gao glanced in the direction Lin Yanzhou was sitting, then pushed the black folder towards him. The folder's cover bore a line of dark gray text: "Confidentiality Commitment Letter for Classified Scientific Research Projects in the Field of National Natural Sciences, Sample Provided Only."

"This document was approved by the institute after being submitted according to the project's hierarchical level," said Deputy Commander Gao. "Researcher Shen's test report has completed its internal procedures and entered the national-level research sequence. According to regulations, all external collaborators who have access to the core information of this project must sign this agreement. After signing the agreement, you will receive a project participant registration number and must abide by the confidentiality clause—you must not disclose the specific content of this meeting, sample source information, or any details of subsequent research results to any unauthorized personnel."

Lin Yanzhou opened the folder. The contents were short, with the main text listing three core clauses: First, the source of the samples must not be disclosed to any third party in any form; second, project progress, test data, or any related derivative materials must not be used for unauthorized purposes; third, all personnel who subsequently come into contact with this project must report to the project team in advance. The appendix was a brief classification of project names, with "Samples Collected by Private Individuals" listed as the "Source" field.

Lin Yanzhou finished reading the two pages, turned to the last page where a round official seal was already affixed. He picked up the black pen on the table, signed his name in the signature area, closed the folder, and pushed it back.

The middle-aged man in the dark gray suit took the folder, opened it to check the signature, then closed it and put it into his briefcase. He didn't say a word the whole time, and after putting the folder away, he nodded slightly, as if confirming that a procedure had been completed, before leaning back in his chair.

After the action was completed, Deputy Commander Gao spoke: "Now that the agreement is signed, I have one more question... How much of this ore do you still have?"

Lin Yanzhou sat in the chair, his fingers resting on the edge of the table, feeling the cool edge of the silver ring on his left ring finger against the skin at the base of his finger. Inside the ring, there were still many ores and powders. The ores inside the spatial ring were piled up, with scattered fragments and powdery samples each occupying different areas, loosely stacked in their original state when collected, without any deliberate sorting, weighing, or calculation of the total amount.

But he didn't intend to lay this information out directly on the conference table. He simply pulled his fingers back from the edge of the table and placed them on his knees, turned his palms over to check his posture and movements, and then answered, "If the country needs it, I can continue to provide some, but it's impossible to collect data again in the short term."

Deputy Commander Gao didn't press for the specific location of the collection site, nor did he inquire about the quantity. He nodded, as if mentally placing the sentence in a corresponding position, then turned to Researcher Shen and said, "Researcher Shen will be responsible for the subsequent handover and receiving procedures. Inform him in advance when you're ready to hand over the data."

After Deputy Commander Gao finished speaking, the conference room fell silent for a moment. The researcher in plain clothes sitting diagonally opposite Researcher Shen suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Lin, I have a question I'd like to confirm with you." He put down his pen, his tone polite but tinged with barely suppressed curiosity. "When the first batch of samples was sent for testing, we conducted isotope analysis and mineral phase scanning. The results showed that the elemental distribution pattern inside the ore has no corresponding sequence to any natural mineral deposit on Earth. It is not a derivative of any known Earth vein. Its formation environment is not within the Earth's crust, nor within any known sedimentary layers or tectonic zones. So what I want to ask is: where exactly did you take the samples? Through what channels did you obtain this batch of ore? Private exploration channels wouldn't produce this kind of ore."

His tone was not loud, and his wording was polite, but the points of those question marks were very clear.

Researcher Shen lowered his head and flipped through a page of his notebook, his gaze remaining fixed on the page, as if to indicate that he was taking notes and not participating in the conversation. Deputy Commander Gao also remained silent, leaning back in his chair with his hands flat on the table, offering no indication of intervention, as if his silence suggested that the question was within his acceptable range and that he was waiting for Lin Yanzhou's reply.

Lin Yanzhou sat in his chair, his fingers resting on the edge of the table: "The collection location is rather special. It is not within the range marked on regular maps, and it cannot be obtained independently through commercial exploration or legal civilian channels."

He paused there, looked at the researcher, and said, "It's not that I'm unwilling to disclose the information, but the current process hasn't reached the point where it can be made public. I can only say that the acquisition process of this batch of ore has nothing to do with any illegal exploration, mining, or smuggling. As for the details of the specific source... after all the subsequent tests are completed, I will explain it to the designated person in charge of the project team in person, depending on the situation... well, if I may be frank, I think it's very likely that... someone at a higher level will need to decide this matter. Until then, all I can provide is the ore itself and its basic properties data."

After listening, the researcher paused for a moment, briefly exchanging glances between Researcher Shen and Deputy Commander Gao, as if confirming the legitimacy of the information in his own way. Then he sat up straight, picked up his pen again, and did not ask any further questions.

Deputy Commander Gao looked at him, neither pressing for answers nor expressing approval or disapproval. After a few moments, he spoke, "Proceed at your pace. Notify Researcher Shen after you've confirmed the time." He lowered his hand and turned to the others at the table, "Any other questions?"

No one spoke anymore.

At the end of the meeting, Deputy Commander Gao stood up and shook hands with Lin Yanzhou again across the table, this time for about a tap longer. As he released his hand, he said, "If you have any special needs later, you can contact me directly."