mesbooks Chapter 14: Public opinion completely exploded.
Chapter 14: Public opinion completely exploded.
Gu Qingzhou's expression was serious.
He nodded honestly.
A hint of surprise crossed Sun Yang's face.
He originally thought Gu Qingzhou would ask questions like, "What will happen if I run away?"
After all, based on the information Sun Yang had gathered, this kid was incredibly audacious.
Therefore, Sun Yang was already prepared to "give this troublemaker a good talking-to".
As a result, Gu Qingzhou didn't ask anything, behaving as obediently as a primary school student.
run away?
What a joke.
This is a military camp, and the surrounding area for dozens of miles is a military restricted zone.
There are sentries at the entrance.
Armed guards patrolled everywhere.
There is an electric fence on the wall.
The security was much tighter than that of a prison.
Only a fool would run away.
not to mention.
From the interrogation room to the guesthouse, although both involve restrictions on personal freedom, the difference in environment is like night and day.
One is a cold, hard iron chair; the other is a single room where you can take a shower and lie down.
"Um... Staff Officer Sun," Gu Qingzhou raised her hand, "may I ask you a question?"
Sun Yang looked at him with a serious expression. "Speak."
"Can I take a shower here? I've been sitting in the interrogation room all day and I've sweated a lot."
Sun Yang looked at him for two seconds, then turned and walked out.
As he reached the door, he left a message saying, "There's a water heater in the bathroom, you can take a shower."
The door closed, and the sound of the lock turning clearly reached my ears.
Footsteps could be heard in the corridor outside; it was the sound of sentries taking their positions.
Gu Qingzhou stood in the room and took a deep breath.
He walked to the bedside, reached out and pressed the mattress. The firmness was just right, much more comfortable than the hard bed in the school dormitory.
He then went to the bathroom and looked around. The white tiles were polished to a shine, and the water heater, shower, towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, and soap were all readily available. Even shampoo was provided in the kind of simple packaging issued to soldiers.
He turned on the water heater and saw the indicator light come on; the last weight was lifted from his heart.
It would be good to be able to take a shower.
Today, from morning till night, it started with reporters' interviews, then the SWAT team surrounding the area, followed by a battle of wits in the interrogation room, and finally, the nerve-wracking experience on the helicopter ride...
He looked like a sponge that had been wrung out and then soaked again, every pore of his body radiating exhaustion.
Gu Qingzhou opened the instant noodles in the bedside table, made a bowl, and wolfed it down with a sausage.
Then I went to the bathroom and took a nice, long hot shower, and changed into the camouflage pajamas that were neatly folded by the bedside.
I don't know who it was prepared for, but the size is just right.
Lying in bed, staring at the fluorescent light tube on the ceiling, he went through everything that had happened that day in his mind.
Reporters interviewing, special police surrounding, arresting, interrogating, military intervention, helicopters, military camp guesthouse...
Everything seemed like a carefully scripted production.
Each step was linked to the next, perfectly executed, leaving him no room to struggle.
However, he is not so panicked now.
If they really wanted to ruin him, they wouldn't have arranged such good accommodations for him.
A hot shower, instant noodles, clean bedding, and even a set of pajamas—these things send a very clear message.
He was not treated as a serious criminal.
At least not at the moment.
Gu Qingzhou turned over and pulled the blanket down to her neck.
"Go to sleep first," he yawned, his whole body relaxing. "We'll talk about tomorrow's problems tomorrow."
The lights are off.
The room was plunged into darkness.
Outside the window, the northwest wind rustled through the poplar trees.
Occasionally, the sound of patrolling footsteps could be heard in the distance, orderly and steady.
The figure of the sentry at the gate was projected onto the ground through the light from the crack in the door; he stood motionless, like a sculpture.
Gu Qingzhou closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
However, the controversy surrounding this matter did not subside.
On the contrary, the situation is showing a trend of escalating.
It has been seven or eight hours since Gu Qingzhou was arrested.
Over those seven or eight hours, online public opinion exploded like a lit powder keg, in an unbelievable way.
The first to explode were local forums, followed by Weibo, Douyin, Toutiao, Bilibili...
Almost all social media platforms were flooded with the same message at the same time.
A third-year student at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China was arrested by hundreds of armed police officers on suspicion of selling large quantities of weapons to multiple armed groups in the Middle East, with the transaction volume potentially reaching one billion US dollars...
Five of the top ten trending topics are related to this incident.
The top trending topic, "University of Electronic Science and Technology of China student wanted globally," was followed by a bright purple "hot" sign, and its readership exceeded 500 million in just a few hours.
Media outlets from all walks of life flocked to the scene, and independent media, like sharks smelling blood, frantically dug up every piece of information about Gu Qingzhou.
His school history, grades, college performance, family background, and even an essay he wrote in third grade were all dug up and posted online for people to see.
As this basic information was stripped away, deeper and more shocking content began to surface.
The first to surface was an anonymous user's answer on Zhihu, titled "How do you evaluate the fact that Gu Qingzhou of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China is wanted by Interpol?"
This answer is only a few hundred words long, but it contains an astonishing amount of information.
"As an insider, I can say with certainty that Gu Qingzhou is no ordinary arms dealer. In just two months, through his family business, Qianyun Precision Machinery Factory, he sold over one billion US dollars worth of 'civilian products' to the Middle East, profiting nearly one hundred million US dollars. These products include, but are not limited to: steel pipes with internal rifling, gas cylinders modified into mortar shells, light motorcycles modified into reconnaissance and strike drones, and a large number of robots for military use..."
"But these are not the main points."
"The key point is that all these products were legal and compliant civilian products before they were sold. The steel pipes were just ordinary steel pipes, the gas cylinders were just ordinary gas cylinders, and the motorcycles were just ordinary motorcycles. It was only after they arrived in the Middle East that the customers modified them into military equipment."
"In other words, legally speaking, Gu Qingzhou has not violated any domestic laws."
This answer instantly went viral across the internet.
The number of likes exceeded 100,000 within half an hour, and the number of comments exceeded 10,000.
Some people believe it, some don't, and some are skeptical.
But believe it or not, this topic has been thoroughly ignited.
Following this, more "insiders" emerged.
Someone posted photos of Gu Qingzhou training drone operators for the Houthi rebels during his time in the Middle East.
In the photo, Gu Qingzhou is wearing a wrinkled white T-shirt, standing in a field of yellow sand, holding a laptop in her hand, surrounded by a group of armed personnel wearing slippers and headscarves.
Someone unearthed a video of Shen Zheng commanding mercenaries in Yemen.
The video is only a dozen seconds long, with poor image quality and an unclear face, but you can clearly see a tall and strong figure moving through a ruin, holding a uniquely shaped rifle in his hand, with skillful and sharp movements.
Furthermore, someone unearthed Shen Yao's purchase record for her $100,000 Blackberry P9982, confirming Chen Bin's statement.
That phone was indeed the most secure civilian communication device in the world, and its price did indeed exceed $100,000.
But none of that matters.
What truly shocked the entire internet was that someone uncovered the complete timeline of Gu Qingzhou's "entrepreneurial" activities in the Middle East, as well as the key role he played in the Houthi rebellion's capture of Sana'a.
A blogger named "Middle East Observer" posted a long article on Weibo with the bold title: "This 21-year-old college student overturned a country in two months."
"Many people may not yet understand what the capture of Sana'a means. Simply put, controlling Sana'a means controlling North Yemen, and controlling North Yemen means controlling a strategic location in the southern Arabian Peninsula. The key to the Houthi rebels' ability to turn from a series of defeats to a full-scale offensive and ultimately capture the capital in just two months lies in their acquisition of a batch of 'special weapons' of unknown origin. These weapons include gas canister shells, 'flying motorcycle' drones, heavy-barreled rifles, and robotic dogs."
"And the one who provided these weapons was Gu Qingzhou."
"This is a 21-year-old Chinese college student."
The article is well-reasoned, data-rich, and features clear illustrations. It even lists the time, amount, and product model of each order, demonstrating a level of professionalism comparable to an intelligence agency's analysis report.
The article was shared more than 500,000 times within an hour of its publication.
Public opinion was in an uproar.
The explosion was thorough and spectacular, so much so that it crashed Weibo's servers twice.
The explosive public opinion quickly split into two diametrically opposed camps.
The side supporting Gu Qingzhou was large in scale and had formidable fighting power.
"I just want to ask one question: which law did this college student violate? Does he have an export customs declaration? Is the product a legitimate consumer product? Was the order signed through proper channels? Have all the taxes been paid? If everything is compliant, then he is a legitimate businessman. On what grounds does Interpol issue an arrest warrant for him?"
"If a gas cylinder is modified into a shell, should we ban the export of gas cylinders? If a car can kill someone, should we ban the export of cars? If a kitchen knife can kill someone, should we ban the export of kitchen knives? According to this logic, nothing in the world can be traded."
"—Pay attention to the question. He's not manufacturing weapons; he's just selling steel pipes and gas cylinders. What the customer does with them is their business. If you buy a hammer from a hardware store and then use it to hit someone, are you going to hold the hardware store owner criminally liable?"
"Even assuming he was selling arms, how much weaponry did European powers sell to Chinese warlords a hundred years ago? How many years did it cause us to fight each other? Were they wanted by the authorities back then? No. Now, a college student of ours selling steel pipes and gas cylinders is wanted globally? Could the double standard be any more blatant?"
"This generation of netizens has such a strong moral compass! They're right, why is it legal for foreigners to sell weapons, but illegal for us to sell civilian products? Get out, you hypocrite!"
"We strongly demand the release of Gu Qingzhou! He did nothing wrong; he was simply an excellent salesman who delivered our civilian products to where they were needed!"
Even more extreme, some people launched a petition on Weibo with the title "Give me back my light boat, give me justice," which garnered more than two million signatures within a few hours.
It was a grand and imposing event.
However, dissenting voices also exist.
However, being outnumbered and outgunned, they were quickly overwhelmed by the voices of their supporters.
"Although he didn't break the law, what about morally? His actions objectively fueled the war, causing more deaths. How can that be excused?"
"The gas cylinder shells collapsed the building. What did the people inside do wrong? Those civilians were innocent."
"No matter what, it's clearly abnormal for a college student to spend their summer vacation fighting a war. What's wrong with our education system?"
"Since Interpol issued a global arrest warrant, they must have their evidence and reasons. Shouldn't we investigate thoroughly before taking sides?"
But as soon as these voices emerged, they were met with fierce criticism from supporters.
"You talk about morality? When has the Middle East ever been peaceful just because you lack your morality? The Houthis would buy Gu Qingzhou's products elsewhere, the only difference being the price and performance. Gu Qingzhou's products are at least cost-effective, saving poor countries money, which is actually a good thing."
"Civilian casualties? War itself is a tragedy, but the root of this tragedy lies not in those who sell weapons, but in those who use weapons and those who wage war. According to your logic, all arms dealers should be executed? Why don't you go protest in front of Lockheed Martin then?"
"What's wrong with our education system? I think it's very successful. The students we produce have both business acumen and technical skills, earning a hundred million dollars in two months and generating foreign exchange for the country through exports. Give me a dozen students like that!"
The debate grew increasingly intense and heated.
A trending topic even appeared on Weibo.
— "Should Gu Qingzhou be released or extradited?"
The number of views exceeded one billion in just a few hours.
And at the center of this media storm.
In a military camp a thousand miles away from Chengdu in the Northwest, Gu Qingzhou was fast asleep in bed.
Completely unaware of everything happening online.
He was sleeping soundly and peacefully.
She even turned over a few times, kicking the blanket off the bed, then groggily picking it up and covering herself again.
The soldiers standing guard at the gate heard the faint snoring coming from inside through the door. They exchanged a glance and both saw a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.
This kid has a really big heart.
at the same time.
Discussions about Gu Qingzhou on the internet continue to escalate and intensify.
Commentators, experts, scholars, and legal professionals from various media outlets have all voiced their opinions on the matter.
Legal experts have pointed out that "from the perspective of my country's current legal framework, Gu Qingzhou's actions do indeed fall into a gray area. His products were legal civilian products when they were exported, but they were converted into military equipment after arriving at their destination. The legal characterization of this process is very complicated. Interpol's arrest warrant is based on international law, but my country is not a party to the International Criminal Court and has no obligation to extradite its own citizens."
Some military experts have analyzed that "Gu Qingzhou's greatest contribution was not how many weapons he sold, but rather the creation of a low-cost, high-efficiency asymmetric warfare model. This model may be insignificant to large countries, but it is of great significance to small and medium-sized countries that are financially strapped and technologically backward. He solved the most practical problems with the most basic methods, and this way of thinking is worth learning from."
One social commentator remarked, "A 21-year-old college student accomplished in two months what many large companies couldn't do in decades. Regardless of whether we like what he did, this event itself is enough to give us pause for thought. Did our education system nurture him, or did our education system fail to suppress him? That is the question."
Various voices mingled together, creating a noisy cacophony.
But one thing is a consensus among everyone.
—Gu Qingzhou's name will not be forgotten for a long time.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
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