The news of the Prime No.2 car crash instantly dominated the headlines of major news.
Without exception, the entire Prime team was taken to the Public Security Bureau for interrogation, and the laboratory was also sealed off that day. The police seized all the data equipment and machinery in the laboratory, and invited experts from a third-party scientific research institute to assist in the analysis and investigate the cause of the car accident. The accident was still man-made.
After questioning all afternoon, the teenagers were released. When assembled at the door, everyone's eyes were red and swollen, and their faces were ashen. It was like this when I came out of the hospital.
The loss of control of Prime No.2 and the death of Levi dealt them a devastating blow.
What's more deadly is that until the last moment, everyone naively thought that Prime No.2 would really stop.
But she didn't.
Although the airbag popped up, the speed of the car was too fast, and several rescue efforts were of no avail.
From the hospital to the police station, the teenagers were both physically and mentally cold, and they didn't say a word to each other.
At this moment, nine teenagers stood at the gate of the public security building, dead and silent like the fallen leaves in late autumn, wandering and helpless.
The outside of the compound was crowded with media reporters, like wolves waiting for the entrance of sheep. But the sheep were anxious, conflicted, unable to advance or retreat, and no one moved first.
Seeing their pity, the police comforted them: "It's all right here, let's go."
Du Ruo didn't see Jingming, and asked tremblingly, "Where's our captain?"
"Still being interrogated, we have to wait a while. Get on the bus and go back to the school first, and help us seal the laboratory."
After all, they are all eighteen or nineteen-year-old children, and they were a little panicked when they heard this: "Why do you want to block it?"
"program."
Du Ruo whispered: "Can you wait for our captain to join us?"
"I have to work now, so don't delay. Your captain will return naturally. Don't be nervous, it's just a routine investigation."
What else would she say, Wan Ziang grabbed her and shook his head.
A group of people got into the car, and when they left the compound, reporters outside the car swarmed like locusts, and everyone bowed their heads deeply. But Du Ruo was still looking for something, and when he looked back, he happened to see Jing Yuanshan's car leaving the compound and heading in the opposite direction. A large number of reporters rushed to follow his car, taking pictures, shouting questions, and taking pictures of the roof and body of the car.
Du Ruo was startled, for a split second, she seemed to see a blurry shadow inside the car.
But before she could open her mouth to shout, her sight was blocked.
She leaned against the car window, suddenly recalling the scene in the hospital—
At that time, Li Wei's relatives cried to death;
The teenagers sat dejectedly on the corridor floor, weeping and crying together.
Jing Ming stood against the wall, his lips were pale, his eyes were out of focus, as if he was dead. Only clenched fists trembled one after another.
I don't know if it's fear, sadness, confusion, or despair.
But she hadn't come out of her grief, and before she had time to comfort him, the police arrived and took everyone away.
How could she have imagined that the scene in the hospital corridor would be Jingming's last impression on her.
After that, Du Ruo never saw Jing Ming again.
His cell phone has since been turned off. No phone calls, no text messages.
She called Mingyi.
Ming Yi's voice sounded haggard and heartbroken, and he refused to mention Jing Ming or answer how he was doing. Even just mentioning it, my mother's voice would choke. She politely declined Du Ruo's request to visit him at home, and in turn begged Du Ruo and anyone in the Prime team not to go to him.
He is such a proud and conceited person.
All his arrogance and indulgence in the past, his dreams, his beliefs, his confidence and self-esteem greater than the sky, were all destroyed and shattered at the moment of his best friend's death.
Du Ruo promised not to look for him, put down the phone, tears streaming down his face.
One day, two days, three days, she spent countless "Sorry, the user you called is temporarily unavailable". Knowing that the phone number is not available, but still have to dial and send a message.
Waiting for the day when he gets better, maybe he will see it, maybe he will contact her.
But that day never came.
The days at school have become like hell, all the students are talking about Jingming, regretting, pitying, lamenting, mocking, she can't escape no matter where she goes. Even more afraid to go online, accusations and abuse are overwhelming.
There is no peace in the classroom, there are fewer individuals in the class, and the monitor is gone. The whole class was immersed in a sad and depressing atmosphere.
Back in the dormitory, it was even more suffocating.
Qiu Yuchen didn't say a word, and cried in silence for three days in the dormitory. She also went to class and slept as usual, but she just didn't say a word, and whenever she was free, she would be in a daze and shed tears.
Du Ruo took good care of her, fetching water for her and tidying the table, but she didn't care.
Until a week later, she suddenly said, "Du Ruo, I regret it."
"What do you regret?"
"Why did I help you in that debate competition?" She said, "It would be fine if I didn't go, I wouldn't pay attention to him, I wouldn't like him, and I wouldn't be together. Now he's just a strange alumnus, I won't be sad anymore."
There was a sharp stabbing pain in her heart, and she was speechless.
And there are no ifs in life, only the dismal reality after the disaster.
After more than a week, Du Ruo finally plucked up the courage to go to the laboratory building and take a look at the Prime laboratory. There is a seal on the door, and no one is allowed to enter.
Uncomfortable emotions filled her chest again, she couldn't bear it, and turned to leave, but saw Zhu Tao coming.
He smiled wryly: "I'm used to it, I always come here unknowingly."
These days, he has been haggard a lot, suddenly there are two people missing in the dormitory, it is empty, always reminded of failure and tragedy. Everyone is living a hard and miserable life, and they can't accept the reality.
"Du Ruo, did you say that Li Wei believed at the last moment that No.2 would stop?" Zhu Tao muttered to himself, smiling bitterly, "I think so too. Until now, I don't believe that we failed. Until now, I couldn't accept it."
Du Ruo was stunned, she didn't believe it either. These days, she seems to be living in a nightmare, and she is always looking forward to waking up.
"Have you contacted him?" she asked.
"No one can find him. I asked his mother, but it's not good to hurt Auntie's heart again and again." He said desolately, "He should be living very badly now."
She has a sore nose. She knew, but she couldn't imagine it, it was too painful.
Zhu Tao: "There is something that I don't know if I should tell you."
"Just tell me something."
"The case with the police is closed, and experts can't find out why Prime No.2 lost control. But it can be judged that the speed, control, sensing, and braking are superimposed. It is definitely the cause of the machine itself, not human. It is determined as The technology failed. But the incident is so big, the school still has to make a statement, and someone must be responsible for this failure."
Du Ruodong had an ominous premonition: "It means..."
"Expert investigations show that the most likely reason for No.2's loss of control is that the existing technology and safety precautions cannot support her overall running speed and self-awareness. The academy blamed the accident on Jingming's hasty improvement of No.2. fire him."
She was completely cold: "I'm going to find them!"
"Do you think we haven't looked for it?" Zhu Tao held her back, his eyes wet, "It's useless. He Wang can also hack the official website of the courtyard to vent. We can't do anything. We can only rely on Jingming himself. "
"What's the meaning?"
"Jing Ming's family has that ability. If they sue the school and claim that he is not responsible, they will definitely win."
Her heart felt cold again, and her face turned pale from the pain: "How could he have this kind of personality to fight this lawsuit with the school?!"
Zhu Tao scratched his face in pain: "I sent a message to my aunt, but she ignored me. I don't know what they think! Wan Ziang said that the uncle and aunt paid Li Wei's family a huge amount of compensation without negotiating with the school. It's like, it seems that they acquiesced that the responsibility for this accident lies with Jingming. If this matter gets out, the Internet will... "
"No." Du Ruo shook her head, "It's not what the outside world thinks. Uncles and aunts are very kind and love him very much. They just..." She was so bitter that she couldn't say anything. After a while, she decided: "I'll go find him Aunt."
She immediately contacted Ming Yi and relayed what the school had said.
This time, Mingyi agreed to meet her. The two met in a coffee shop.
When seeing Ming Yi, Du Ruo was startled. She was visibly thinner, but she was still elegant, but she couldn't hide the haggard look under her eyes.
Du Ruo had countless things to say in his heart, and he should greet him politely, but when he opened his mouth, all the words were blocked in his throat, and there was only one sentence: "Is he okay?"
"Not good." Mingyi took a deep breath, eyes flushed, "It's been half a month, I locked myself in the room, never went out, never said a word. It's like, it's going to be abolished." Always calm At this moment, the kind woman's eyes were wet, she immediately pressed it with a tissue, and said softly, "Xiao Ruo, my aunt's son, seems to be abolished... I hope he can cry, lose his temper, and smash things, at least Let it out, but he didn't make a sound or move at all..."
Du Ruo grabbed the edge of the table: "Auntie, can I see him? Just one time. Just one time. I'll go and tell him that it's not his fault, at least not his fault alone."
"It's useless." Ming Yi shook his head, "No one knows his character better than me. He has no face to face anyone, especially you. The more he likes someone, the more proud he is in front of her. But now... see Losing you will only make him more painful. His self-esteem can no longer bear it... His father usually criticizes him if he does not make mistakes, but this time he caused such a big disaster, he did not say a word about him. Because this time it is not It's the same." She choked slightly and couldn't continue.
Du Ruo's heart was twisted like a knife, and his eyes were red: "Then what should he do? Auntie, what can we do to make him come out?"
"I don't know. Zhu Tao and Wan Ziang have told me about the school. His father and I have also considered going to court, but we gave up. He will never agree. He would rather go to the school to shirk responsibility. Die. You ask me what to do?" Ming Yi covered his eyes with his hands, "Xiao Ruo, Auntie doesn't know what to do? There is no other way."
Du Ruo froze.
She could already imagine Jingming's current situation, the thick curtains were drawn, the room was dark and dark, he was curled up on the bed, motionless, as if dead.
Outside the window, the sun rises and sets day by day, and day and night alternate. He is ignorant, just hiding in the darkness silently.
After seeing Ming Yi, Du Ruo didn't get better at all, and the pain became even worse. All the time, my heart is like soaking in the cold deep sea, stabbing it with a knife.
On the way back to school, she was sitting in the bus, looking at the golden autumn in Beijing, the warm and brilliant colors burned her eyes like fire.
In such a bright autumn, her heart is barren.
…
Du Ruo was desperate, and when he returned to school, he suddenly thought of looking for Teacher Liang Wenbang.
Half a month has passed since the incident, and Teacher Liang is still depressed, with sadness in his eyes. This defeat hit him equally hard. Seeing Du Ruo, the first sentence he asked was: "How is Jingming doing now?"
Du Ruo shook her head: "No one has seen him before."
Liang Wenbang was even more sad: "I can't get in touch either. Our supervisors are all responsible for the accident. It's not his fault alone, but this kid is too conceited, and he can't bear this kind of setback."
Du Ruo listened to the words and asked him to respond to the leader and save Jingming.
"I've tried my best. But we can't handle administrative matters. Professor Zhen even tried his best to help him contact MIT and let him go to school there in advance. But..."
She understood: "If the school puts the responsibility on him and expels him, he won't be able to go, right?"
"Yes. If this continues, he will never have a chance to stand up again in this field."
She was flustered, and said anxiously: "Teacher, I beg you to find a way, this can't be done in the courtyard. His best friend died in this accident, and he suffered more than anyone else. He shouldn't be alone when the project fails. Take responsibility!"
Liang Wenbang was silent for a moment: "I have an idea. It's just that if you don't succeed, you risk being expelled from the school."
Du Ruo didn't even think about it: "What way?"