Everyone is convinced it was an inside job, but the Foundation only has a little over a hundred people, most of whom know each other. Who would do such a thing? And why? These are the questions on everyone's mind since the incident began.
Someone tentatively suggested, "Maybe it's for the money, maybe they were coerced."
"Impossible!" A man, not very old but with gray hair, stood up. "Impossible! We've donated our spare money to the Foundation, how could we possibly profit from selling this little bit of information? Compared to the great cause we're undertaking, no amount of money can sway a true scientist! Besides, everyone has received project research funding. If it were really about money, manipulating the project would earn more than selling data!"
Mei Yiqiu silently smoked, watching the agitated middle-aged man. This was an upright scientist who had been ostracized last year for contradicting his superiors, resulting in the theft of his research findings accumulated over more than a decade. He was right; the Foundation was lax in its financial management to ensure the smooth operation of projects. Almost every one of the more than one hundred members had research assignments and received funding. With billions of yuan in funds and no unified financial oversight, embezzlement was extremely easy.
Is it possible that someone among the members of *He*Books was successfully hacked?
"All members who joined passed the Thought Matrix Cipher Test, making it highly unlikely that they could be successfully hacked in such a short time."
"No matter what the situation is, it's certain that there were problems with the internal staff, otherwise such detailed information wouldn't have been leaked online. There are some things that even I don't know that well!"
"Anyway, the earliest leaks were all from overseas websites, so they probably weren't from here."
"That's not necessarily true. If it were me, I wouldn't post it on a domestic website either."
"Could it be you?"
"What nonsense are you talking about! Don't you understand an example?"
People started to get agitated, and the arguing grew louder.
Mei Yiqiu tapped his pipe twice on the table and said, "Leaving aside whether there are internal problems, let's first consider the whistleblower's motives."
"Purpose?..."
The room fell silent as people fell into deep thought. The air grew heavy, and only the occasional meow of a cat brought a touch of life to the room.
Mei Yiqiu gently stroked the cat's body, muttering to herself, "First it was the Gray Brain Virus, then Lester words and toxoplasmosis, and finally the Cat-Killing Order. To this day, I still can't figure out whether the person who did this is friend or foe!"
"Friends are impossible, right?" someone chimed in. " The Cat-Killing Order is clearly targeting our current toxoplasmosis research. Without cats, how can we continue our research? Moreover, this situation puts us in a very passive position; a slight misstep could expose our identities."
"That's not necessarily true! Their goal probably isn't membership in the Foundation. If they can get so much classified information, surely they can get our membership list too?"
"That's the crux of the problem. Regardless of whether it was an insider who leaked the information, our enemy is the intruder, and the core of the whole incident is also the intruder. If we're going to sell information, it can only be to them. But if that's the case, it means they know everything about the Foundation. So why would they leak it online? Who would they show it to? What benefit would it bring them? Besides, they were originally operating in the shadows, but now that Lester's last words have been made public, it's like exposing them, which unnecessarily increases the difficulty of the intrusion."
"Yes, my students now suspect they've been invaded by aliens whenever they have a nightmare. The number of people visiting the neurology and neurology departments at hospitals has surged recently; the waiting lists for CT scans and MRIs are months long."
"So, this matter has nothing to do with the intruders?"
"It seems that the only direct victim of this whole incident is the cat. If we consider the original intention of the Cat-Killing Order, and there really are no felines, then without a definitive host, the risk of Toxoplasma gondii infection can indeed be reduced."
"You can't kill all the cats. The strangest thing is the government. Apart from debunking a few rumors at the beginning, they've just let things run their course. It's really incomprehensible!"
Everyone started talking at once, and the conversation became increasingly chaotic. Qingmu listened for a long time but still couldn't make heads or tails of it. He had initially thought it was a simple matter—the news had leaked, after all. No secrets stay hidden forever. Besides, the public has the right to know, and knowing isn't necessarily a bad thing. Some people might see what's circulating online as rumors, but everyone here knows it's the truth. What's wrong with the truth being made public? But now, with everyone talking like this, things seemed incredibly complicated, and Qingmu's mind was buzzing.
Mei Yiqiu listened silently until his pipe went out. He beckoned to Mei Ziqing. Mei Ziqing went over, Mei Yiqiu handed her the pipe, whispering a few words to her. Mei Ziqing then took the pipe and went out the door, taking the cat with her as she went.
The people in the hall were still discussing enthusiastically, but there was nothing new to say; they were just repeating the same old things. When Mei Ziqing returned, he helped Mei Yiqiu refill his pipe and brought out a few packs of cigarettes, which he distributed to the scientists present. Most of these people were heavy smokers; with a cigarette between their fingers, their excited emotions calmed down considerably, and their thoughts became clearer.
When a scientist's mind is clear, he falls silent; silence is the best expression of a person's lucidity.
Mei Ziqing returned to her seat and whispered in Qingmu's ear, "Scientists who get involved in politics are doomed." Seeing Qingmu's surprised expression, she smiled and added, "The professor said so."
Mei Yiqiu, seeing that things had progressed sufficiently, summarized. "Through the discussion just now, we can draw the following conclusions: First, the probability that the whistleblower is an insider is extremely small; second, this incident doesn't seem like the work of invading aliens; third, the entire incident has completely disrupted our rhythm with the aliens."
He paused, took a drag of his cigarette, and slowly exhaled. "So, can we conclude that there's a third party besides us and them... stirring up trouble?"
"Is Professor Mei talking about the government?" someone asked.
Mei Yiqiu his head and said, "It's the hardest thing for politicians to work together. There are so many governments and parties around the world, each with its own interests. To think that they would suddenly form an alliance to do this is absolutely impossible. The reason governments are not acting is to avoid suspicion. The targets of Parasitic Consciousness invasions are those who control resources. How can those in power avoid it? Now, which government, which institution, which large corporation dares to say that no one has been invaded internally? At this time, anyone who stands up and speaks out is as if they are an alien declaring to the world."
All attendees, including Qingmu, nodded in agreement, agreeing that Mei Yiqiu's analysis was reliable. But if it wasn't the government, then who was this third party?
Mei Yiqiu gently placed the pipe aside, took out a small plastic bag from the document bag, inside which was a very small yellow object that looked a bit like a mobile phone SIM card.
"This is a chip. We have Mr. Qingmu sitting here to thank for obtaining this chip." Mei Yiqiu held up the plastic bag. "Have you ever heard of Laboratory No. 19 at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory?"
A considerable commotion arose in the meeting room. The mysterious Laboratory No. 19 was famous, and these scientists had certainly heard of it.
From the moment the professor took out the chip, Qingmu knew who the third party he was referring to was.