Chapter 34: Disturbance

"I can't tell you... I can't tell you..."

Xu Jin muttered, then suddenly stood up abruptly and roared:

"I can't tell you!"

"Shut up! Stop asking me!"

His muscles were taut, his fingers clenched so tightly that his knuckles were twisted and protruding, and he began to hammer his own head repeatedly.

Lin Xu was startled. He instinctively wanted to pull Xu Jin back, but he didn't know how to go about it.

He had once seen videos of autistic individuals having meltdowns on the internet, and even through the screen, he could feel that sense of helplessness and despair.

He had originally thought that Xu Jin's Asperger's syndrome was different from those with low-functioning autism.

But now it seemed that when it came to "social barriers" and "stereotypical behaviors," autism was, in fact, always autism.

Xu Jin's head was thumping as he struck it. Lin Xu rushed forward to pin him down, shouting:

"Calm down! Calm down!"

"If you want to go to Mars, you have to tell me why!"

"It's okay, it's okay!"

"Just say it!"

"I won't tell anyone!"

"Come here, lean in, and tell me quietly!"

"Relax!"

Lin Xu did not compromise. He held Xu Jin firmly, ignoring his struggles.

Xu Jin struggled more and more violently, drawing the attention of other customers in the coffee shop. As someone approached them, Lin Xu quickly raised a hand and said:

"Don't come over!"

"He has autism; he'll be fine in a moment!"

The person obeyed and retreated, their eyes filled with a touch of pity.

After a standoff of at least five minutes, Xu Jin finally ran out of strength.

He collapsed, gasping for air, as if he had regained his sanity.

"I'm okay... I'm okay..."

Lin Xu was drenched in sweat, his arm strained.

But fortunately, high-functioning autism like Asperger’s was still a bit different from low-functioning autism. Their emotions might be uncontrollable, but when their reason was online, it could overpower their emotions.

Lin Xu sat back on the sofa, panting, the sudden incident leaving him with lingering fear.

"...You don't need to be so nervous."

Lin Xu said:

"I just wanted to know why. If you really don't want to say it, then forget it."

"Zhurong."

Xu Jin grabbed his own hair.

"Zhurong... I have to bring Zhurong back..."

"Bring Zhurong back?!"

Lin Xu was stunned.

"Why??"

"Do you want to bring the Zhurong rover back, or do you want to bring back what Zhurong discovered?"

"Bring Zhurong back... bring Zhurong back..."

Xu Jin repeated the phrase over and over, and no matter how Lin Xu questioned him, he refused to say anything else.

Lin Xu frowned deeply.

"Does it have to do with your father?"

"Is it because of your father that you want to bring Zhurong back?"

"Yes... no..."

Xu Jin seemed to have fallen into a state of confusion. Lin Xu didn't dare to provoke him further and could only comfort him:

"Alright, alright."

"Let's leave it at that. We won't talk about this anymore."

"Look at the data, come on, look at the materials in these two files."

"I have many questions to discuss with you. Help me look at them, okay?"

As soon as he said this, Xu Jin's expression suddenly calmed down.

He picked up the files and began to speak:

"These two sets of data are incomplete; I need a lot of equipment to test them."

"The temperature control process of the liquid molding method is a big problem. We need more precise temperature control equipment."

"By the way, it should be fully automated production..."

Xu Jin was instantly immersed.

Lin Xu let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he still had a way to control him.

However, the upcoming cooperation would likely not be smooth sailing.

But that was fine. As long as he held the majority share of the patents, at least with Tianqiong Technology, he could successfully launch...

...

Two hours later.

Lin Xu finished discussing everything he needed to with Xu Jin, and the latter's mood had stabilized.

After reminding Xu Jin again not to mention this meeting to anyone, not to leak any information about the materials prematurely, and warning him of the legal liabilities involved, Lin Xu dropped Xu Jin back at the Jinling University campus.

Watching Xu Jin walk toward the teaching building with a slightly unsteady gait, Lin Xu finally felt at ease.

His big mouth was truly something else.

Dealing with such a genius was truly exhausting.

Perhaps later, he should really find a professional doctor to consult on how to communicate with Xu Jin more efficiently.

Otherwise, if he were to have a reaction like this every time they met or whenever he asked an unexpected question, the work would be impossible to carry out.

But this conversation had yielded results.

Not only were the contract and patent issues finalized, but he had also obtained a key piece of information.

Xu Jin wanted to go to Mars, and it was definitely related to Zhurong—perhaps even to his father.

He had a special obsession with that Mars probe. If he wanted to understand his motives, he would likely need to learn more about the design details of "Zhurong."

He would go back and check the archives.

Lin Xu turned and got into the car that had come to pick him up, not noticing that, ahead, Xu Jin had not actually walked into the teaching building...

...

Several hours later.

Zhongshan, Jinling Cadre Sanatorium.

Xu Jin walked down the long corridor of the sanatorium. The light from the windows, obscured by curtains, alternated between brightness and shadow, casting his figure vaguely onto the Roman-style pillars.

He walked two hundred and forty-one steps and stopped in front of a door with a red "Fu" (fortune) character pasted on it.

Xu Jin's movements were once again a bit distorted; he neurotically twisted his neck, flexed his wrists, opened and closed his fingers, and then reached up to grab his hair.

This series of movements betrayed his inner anxiety. After long hesitation, he finally pushed open the door, which hadn't been fully latched.

Inside the room, a nurse in plain work clothes was sitting beside the hospital bed, carefully lifting the thin arm of the patient in the bed, gently massaging the slack muscles and skin on his back to prevent pressure sores from prolonged bed rest.

Seeing Xu Jin walk in, the nurse nodded slightly at him and then whispered:

"Professor Xu is in a very good state today. His vital signs have all stabilized."

"He just fell asleep, so I..."

"I'm still awake."

The man in the bed suddenly opened his eyes. The moment he saw Xu Jin, a touch of tenderness appeared in his gaze.

"You're here?"

"How was it at school today?"

"...It was very good, Dad."

Xu Jin lowered his head slightly and sat down beside Xu Qianlin.

"I did the radio gymnastics, and I read some books."

"I have already received the admission notice from the Materials Research Institute, and I will be starting work soon."

"I also plan to do something else. The two materials I was researching have made progress."

"Dad, I will help the country build the rocket."

"When the time comes, we can go to Mars, and I will bring Zhurong back..."

"You don't need to think so much."

Xu Qianlin raised his hand to interrupt Xu Jin.

"Being able to launch it up there is enough; whether or not it can be brought back is not important."

"Dad is old, and my body is failing."

"Dad hasn't thought about these things for a long time. You should just forget what I told you in the past."

"Live your own life well, study well, and work well."

"If you have the chance, remember to serve your country."

"Do you understand?"

"I understand."

Xu Jin nodded heavily.

Xu Qianlin took a breath and continued:

"Zhurong is not that important. The things it encountered might not necessarily be as meaningful as we think."

"The universe is too vast, and there is still so much we don't know."

"Perhaps its encounter was just an accidental, random fluctuation."

"Just like when you were a child and didn't know why wheels turned or why the wind blew, but as you grew up, you gradually understood."

"Time will give us the answers."

"Don't force it, do you understand?"

"...I understand."

Xu Jin nodded first, but then suddenly said:

"But I want to try, Dad."

"You can, of course you can."

Xu Qianlin stroked Xu Jin's head.

"But take care of your health, and learn to distinguish things—don't get tricked."

"Alright, Dad needs to rest for a while."

"Your mother is cooking in the kitchen; go help her."

"Okay, Dad."

Xu Jin stood up and walked out of the door "obediently."

After the hospital room door closed, Xu Qianlin's expression shifted.

He beckoned the nurse over and said:

"Check on this child."

"He's a bit off today."

"Investigate whether he has met with anyone or come into contact with any unauthorized information."

"Submit a request to the organization for me."

"The security clearance for Xu Jin needs to be raised appropriately, and as soon as possible."

"When I was still capable, I could look after him myself."

"Now that I'm no longer capable, he will have to rely on the country to protect him."

"Understood."

The nurse nodded.

"What do you think the problem might be? If I report it, I can help pinpoint the issues and vulnerabilities quickly."

"I don't know."

Xu Qianlin shook his head.

"The child has been talking about materials; it seems he has made some progress."

"But I know my son. Even if he is smart, he couldn't have made progress that fast."

"If things go wrong, it might be that his research into those two materials has caught the attention of certain people, and they have been passing information to him."

"Perhaps those people want to use this child... However, people who show up at this time are most likely scammers."

"You go and take a look."

"If they really are scammers..."

"Then arrest them immediately and make an example of them!"