The Science and Industry Bureau.
The director's office.
An elderly man with a graying beard angrily pushed open the office door and strode inside.
"Li! I want to know what's going on!"
The commotion didn't startle Director Li, but it gave his secretary quite a fright.
Anyone else would never have dared speak to the director of the Science and Industry Bureau like that, but Academician Xue was clearly no ordinary person.
Even the head of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the bureau's supervising ministry, treated the old gentleman with great courtesy.
At the sight of Academician Xue in the doorway, Director Li seemed to guess why he had come. He quickly offered a placating smile, put down his ballpoint pen, and spoke.
"What brings you here? Please, have a seat first... Little Zhou, get Academician Xue some tea. Then take this document on my desk to the copy room, print fifty copies, and deliver them to Director Liu."
"Right away."
Understanding that his boss wanted him out of the room, the secretary named Little Zhou smiled and quickly poured Academician Xue a cup of hot tea. Then he picked up the document from the desk and hurried out, closing the door behind him.
"Hmph!" Academician Xue glanced at the closed door and waited until the footsteps in the hallway faded. Then he picked up the tea, drank half of it in one gulp, and set the cup down with a sharp slap. His anger undiminished, he said, "You're asking what brings me here? You people drove me here! What else could it be?"
Before Director Li could speak, Academician Xue's mouth opened fire like a machine gun, giving him no chance to interrupt.
"You were the ones who wanted a quantum encryption algorithm! Now you're the ones