Deputy Chief Engineer
A tall, thin man with graying hair sat on the third bed in the ward.
He was facing away from the door, gazing at a pine tree outside the window, lost in thought. When he heard the head nurse call his name, he paused for several seconds before slowly turning around.
It was also Zhang Heng's first time seeing Dyaltov. He had previously only caught a glimpse of him in the hallway outside the ward. This was a name that could never be avoided whenever the Chernobyl incident was mentioned in later generations. Many news reports and editorials regarded him as the person most responsible for the nuclear power plant accident, depicting him as an arrogant, greedy, and foolish leader.
Yet from that first impression, Zhang Heng could not see much in Dyaltov. The man before him had a sharply defined face, deep-set eyes, and a somewhat sluggish gaze.
Like his colleagues, Dyaltov had suffered a massive dose of radiation. His skin was flushed red, and traces of vomit remained on the collar of his hospital gown. He stared directly at the five people who entered the room without saying a word.
The head nurse had no choice but to repeat herself. "Mr. Dyaltov, the Expert Group is here to see you."
"I heard you," said the Deputy Chief Engineer.
The ward fell quiet as well. They had been discussing the Expert Group not long ago, yet it had arrived in Pripyat in the blink of an eye. That also showed how seriously the higher-ups regarded this accident, and everyone could not help but feel worried.
For a moment, the atmosphere was rather strange.
Bessonova was the first to break the silence. "I am Daria, an engineer from the Atomic Energy Alliance. This is Yevrem, an acute