The resistance from some of the faction heads in the scientific community was much greater than Chen Ke had imagined. Seeing Chen Ke earnestly persuading them, You Gou could no longer stand it. "Wen Qing, when will this approach of yours actually take effect? You are being too lenient with them."

"Do you feel they are wrong?" Chen Ke asked You Gou.

"That depends on the standpoint," You Gou replied.

You Gou’s answer was so sharp that Chen Ke smiled. "They are also attempting to fight for control over funding. In a modern industrial nation, any interest group will fight for control over capital funds. I don't care about that; this is reality. Anyone who doesn't operate this way is finished. What I care about is that they cannot insist on playing the feudal game, nor can they engage in the balancing of personnel and power."

"Is anti-feudalism such a heavy burden and long road?" You Gou’s mood did not improve in the slightest due to Chen Ke’s relaxed demeanor; her tone remained quite severe.

Chen Ke poured a glass of water for You Gou before saying, "Biologically speaking, the feudal system actually suits our biological nature quite well. For rationality, the capitalist system suits rationality quite well. And communism, in a certain sense, is an ultimate humanism; communism seeks the liberation of all mankind. Therefore, the work of social transformation is extremely arduous, even more arduous than we imagined when we first started the revolution."

You Gou smiled slightly. It was a very fierce smile; her slightly clenched teeth made her look like a carnivore. "It seems we are sometimes a bit too humanitarian."

"Comrade You Gou, when you joined the revolution back then, I felt your goal was to liberate yourself and realize the value of your own life. Is that about right?" Chen Ke asked.

"Correct," You Gou answered readily. She never considered herself a natural-born revolutionary.

"Some comrades, however, hold to the concept of saving the nation and the people. Generally speaking, it is either for liberation or for salvation. In a sense, this is neither a biological thing nor even a rational thing." Suddenly, remembering something, Chen Ke slowly recited a passage.

*I see a huge building. In the front, a narrow door is wide open, and beyond the door is gloomy mist. Before the high threshold stands a girl... a Russian girl.*

*A breeze carrying snow blows from the mist, and a chill emanates from the depths of the building. At the same time, a slow, heavy voice asks, "Ah, what do you want to do by crossing this threshold? Do you know what awaits you inside?"*

*"I know," the girl answers.*

*"Cold, hunger, hatred, ridicule, contempt, insults, prison, illness, and even death?"*

*"I know."*

*"To be alienated from people, completely alone?"*

*"I know. I am ready. I will endure all suffering, all blows."*

*"Not only from your enemies, but even your relatives and friends will give you these sufferings, these blows?"*

*"Yes... even if they give me these, I will endure."*

*"Good. Are you also prepared to sacrifice?"*

*"Yes."*

*"This is a nameless sacrifice. You will perish, and no one... no one will know, nor will anyone honor your memory."*

*"I do not need gratitude. I do not need pity. I do not need fame."*

*"Are you willing to commit a crime?"*

*The girl lowered her head.*

*"I am also willing... to commit a crime."*

*The voice inside paused for a moment. Then it spoke these words:*

*"Do you know that in the future, amidst your suffering, you might deny your current faith, and you might think you wasted your youth in vain?"*

*"I know that too. I only ask you to let me in."*

*"Come in."*

*The girl crossed the threshold. A thick curtain immediately fell.*

*"Fool!" someone shouted from behind.*

*"A saint!" came the answer from somewhere unknown.*

Chen Ke spoke at a slow pace because he hadn't read this article for a long time. But for some reason, he could clearly remember every trial mentioned in it. These were things that the Party's revolutionaries in history had all experienced. Only after the Party had traversed all of this, finally established New China, and created an unprecedented great cause in Chinese history, did everyone realize how glorious and bright the things inside that "thick curtain" were. But that thick curtain, which anyone could have lifted, stopped the majority of people. They hesitated and feared outside, never daring to take a single step inside.

You Gou’s feelings were vastly different from Chen Ke’s. She felt this article was written specifically for her. That young woman who once drank her days away in Shanghai—when she met Chen Ke, her soul was already scarred. "I only ask you to let me in." This sentence was truly the most apt description of You Gou’s heart back then.

Any external suffering was nothing to You Gou. After joining Chen Ke’s organization, both the work and the life were true suffering for ordinary people. You Gou didn't care about that at all. All You Gou needed was a world that considered the You Gou of that time a normal person, a world that considered You Gou’s pursuit of personal liberation a legitimate demand.

In the process of joining the People's Party and dedicating herself to creating this new world, the revolution lifted the black curtain shading everything before You Gou’s eyes, smoothed over You Gou’s scars, and stabilized, calmed, and enlightened You Gou’s spirit. You Gou was very satisfied with this. This was also the reason You Gou was extremely angry at those faction heads in the scientific community. There was a chasm-like gap between the two sides' cognitions. You Gou merely wanted a new world where one could live freely, while those people, able to enjoy such a new world, wanted to drag the new world back onto the old path.

"Wen Qing, they won't listen to you. They are not revolutionaries; their way of thinking is different from revolutionaries," You Gou said slowly.

Chen Ke replied, "Their thoughts are to a large extent the thoughts of the people. The strong ones born from the people will theoretically walk their path. This is different from the revolutionaries born from the people. I talk to them, and actually, I know they won't listen to me. I just want to see to what extent they can compromise. This can also serve as preparation for the future."

"Oh? What are you preparing to do?" You Gou immediately became interested.

"I'll notify you when the time comes," Chen Ke laughed.

"You must notify me!" You Gou said, her eyes shining.

The negotiations did not last too long because the post-nuclear explosion collection work was temporarily completed. Chen Ke not only cordially received all the staff members, but he also organized a military review.

Nuclear weapon development was entirely under military management, and all members were incorporated into various departments. The young comrades naturally knew that the core concept of nuclear weapon development was pointed out by Chairman Chen. Amidst the arduous work, "Complete Chairman Chen's entrustment" was one of everyone's slogans. Now, with Chairman Chen personally coming to review the research teams, everyone was incredibly excited.

When Chen Ke appeared on the reviewing stand, when Chen Ke appeared before all the troops and personnel of the scientific research units, cheers of "Long live Chairman Chen" suddenly erupted from the frontmost formation. One after another, the young people joined in such cheers. This actually had nothing in common with paying respect to an emperor. The hardships the young people experienced, the pride sparked by great achievements, and the respect and longing for Chen Ke could actually be turned into thousands of words, but none of those thousands of words could trigger a greater resonance than this single sentence.

The faces of those faction heads in the academic community all changed. Most of their expressions were a mixture of fear, unease, and dissatisfaction. They hadn't expected the terrifying influence Chen Ke possessed among these young people who had cast aside the faction heads, nor had they expected the excited emotions of these young people. In this moment, they finally understood what kind of status Chen Ke held in the scientific community. It was a status beyond rationality, completely capable of inciting large numbers of young people to serve Chen Ke.

Chen Ke was not frightened by such cheers. He simply smiled and raised his arm, waving a few times to the young people. Seeing that Chen Ke was about to speak, the cheers quickly subsided.

"Comrades, the motherland thanks you! You are the heroes of the revolution!" Chen Ke said loudly.

A moment later, huge cheers coming from the heart rang out again. It was not just cheering; most of the young people were crying. They let the tears of joy and excitement stream down their faces, only desperately shouting the slogan "Long live Chairman Chen"...

Seeing this, the faces of the faction heads in the academic community became even more unsightly.