As the saying goes, a Taoist is indispensable to appearance. I have always considered an indispensable radio operator in the exploration team. This really surprised me.

Seeing my surprised expression, Raflinko asked with a smile: "Comrade Oshanina, do you feel a little surprised? A young man who looks like a choreographer is actually an indispensable radio operator in the team?"

"Yes, yes," I nodded quickly when I heard Raflinko say this, "We have been together for so long and don't even know that there is a radio operator in your team. This is really my mistake." After that, I ordered Bukov, "Major, go and find the radio operator immediately, and take him to our radio station."

Seeing Bukov leaving, Raflinko called him, "Comrade Major, please wait a moment. I'm worried that you can't explain it clearly, so I'd better send someone to find our radio operator with you." He called the older team members and whispered a few words. The old team members nodded, and then left the tent with Bukov.

After only me left in the tent, Raflinko and another team member, I could finally continue to ask with confidence and boldness: "Comrade Raflinko, do you have any plans for the next step?"

"Although I found an accompanying uranium mine today, it's a pity that it's still a poor mine." Raflinko sighed and said with regret: "It can't meet our basic needs for manufacturing atomic bombs at all."

Although I am a completely amateur in uranium mines, I still have some advice to Lufflinko. So as soon as he finished speaking, I asked tentatively: "Comrade Lufflinko, do you know what other mines are in addition to tin mines that are easy to produce associated uranium mines?"

When I heard the questions of an amateur like me, the Raflins did not show any impatience. Instead, it also popularized me: "Uranium ore, usually phosphorus, non-ferrous metals, and rare metal minerals are symbiotic or associated with them. The types of deposits are mainly granite type, volcanic rock type, sandstone type, and carbon-silica mudstone type uranium deposit..."

When his popular science came to an end for the time being, I asked tentatively: "I don't know if there are uranium mines in coal mines? If so, can we focus on Donbas, which is an important coal production place in the Soviet Union."

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, he shook his head and replied: "Although Donbas also has the potential to find ore, it is a pity that the uranium deposits, uranium deposits in the coal-containing formation, and uranium deposits in alkaline rocks and other types of uranium deposits account for a very small proportion of proven reserves. Even if they are found, they are still depleted uranium mines."

After recalling the popular science content he had just thought about, I put forward my own point of view again: "What about the volcano? I remember you just mentioned that there is a volcanic deposit of uranium ore that is volcanic rock-shaped."

After hearing my words, Raflinko looked at the team members standing next to me. After the two of them smiled knowingly, he turned to look at me and said, "Lida, your learning ability is very good. You still remember what I just said. That's right, according to the theory we are currently mastering, ancient volcanoes will also form low-quality uranium ores after eruption."

Seeing that Raflinko denied my two proposals in succession, I understood in my heart that I had learned and used it now. In front of them, I was just showing off my skills. It was not very meaningful to continue. Thinking of this, I changed the microphone in time and asked, "Comrade Raflinko, where are you going tomorrow?"

Ravlinko put a geological exploration map on the table and pointed at me and said, "Comrade Oshenina, look, we have searched for a range of more than 300 square kilometers from Rovno. In order to find a more abundant reserve of uranium mines, I feel it is necessary to expand the search range. From tomorrow on, we will go south and continue to search in this direction."

Although he used geological exploration maps, they were almost the same as the military maps I often used. Therefore, I quickly judged that to complete his mining search, our activity area would be expanded to more than 4,000 square kilometers, which would be impossible to complete in less than a few months or even half a year. I thought that it would take half a year to wander around this ravine, and I felt extremely heavy. This made me think that no matter whether it was the attack of Belarus or the battle to liberate Ukraine, I might not be able to participate.

"Comrade Oshanina," Seeing me staring at the map in a daze, Raflinko quickly called me twice. When I turned my head and looked at him, he continued: "To find mines in such a vast area, the supplies we are carrying may be insufficient and may need additional supplements."

"Don't worry, Comrade Raflinko." I thought that I would walk more than a hundred kilometers southwards and there would be a city occupied by our army. It was very convenient to replenish supplies there, so I gave him a reassurance: "The areas we are currently active are all defense areas of the First Front Army of Ukraine. As the deputy commander of the Front Army, it is not difficult for me to complete the supply of the exploration team."

"That's good," Laflinko immediately felt relieved when he heard me say this: "If the mining search work is affected due to insufficient materials, it will greatly delay the speed of our development of the atomic bomb."

When I heard him mention the atomic bomb again, I couldn't help but think that in another year, on July 16, 1945, the United States will successfully test the first atomic bomb in human history in the Alamogordo Desert in New Mexico. In August, it will drop one in each of Hiroshima Nagasaki and razed the two cities in Japan to the ground. The Soviet Union only tried to test the explosion of its own atomic bomb on August 29, 1949 and became the second country to possess nuclear weapons.

While I was thinking about it, I suddenly heard the remaining team member say to Raflinko: "Comrade Raflinko, I'll go to the mine to ask the comrades to come back for dinner. They should be hungry now."

Although finding the uranium mine is an exciting thing, it is obviously inappropriate to let the team members stay hungry in the mine again. Therefore, when Raflinko heard the team members' proposal, he immediately nodded and agreed.

When the team members left and only Raflinko and I were left in the tent, I couldn't help asking curiously: "Comrade Raflinko, since we have found enough uranium mines, when do you think we can create an atomic bomb?"

Raflinko thought about my question for a long time, and finally shook his head and said, "Comrade Oshanina, I don't think I can answer your question. As far as I know, the United States began to implement a plan to use nuclear fission reactions to develop atomic bombs two years ago, and we are already far behind them. If we want to have an atomic bomb, we have to wait at least three to five years after the United States' atomic bomb is put into actual combat."

Seeing that his analysis and actual situation were inconsistent, I continued to ask: "Comrade Raflinko, do you think we can catch up with the use of the war after we have equipped the atomic bomb?"

After hearing my question, Raflinko actually laughed and said to me with a smile: "Comrade Oshenina, are you a soldier or a senior commander? You know more about military affairs than me. How long do you think the German army can last under our current powerful offensive? I guess in two years, three years, or less, the German fascism will be completely defeated by us. Maybe our nuclear weapons have not been developed yet."

After he finished speaking these words in one breath, he seemed to realize something and quickly closed his mouth. After a moment, he smiled bitterly at me and said, "Comrade Oshaninna, I just said drunken things. Don't take them seriously, and don't tell others, otherwise you and I will cause unnecessary trouble."

"Don't worry, Comrade Raflinko." I knew he might have been drinking and was excited for a moment, so he said something he shouldn't say, so he quickly comforted him and said, "We are just chatting, as if we didn't talk about any confidential matters, so you don't have to worry."

Seeing me say this, Raflinko's face also showed a relaxed expression. Just as he was about to say something, the curtain of the tent was suddenly lifted from outside. Then Bukov walked in quickly and leaned into my ear and said, "Comrade Commander, I just received a telegram, ordering you to return to Moscow immediately."

"Comrade Major, what did you say just now?" I thought Bukov was wrong, and he specifically reminded him, "Did the superior ask me to return to Rovno or Kiev?"

Bukov shook his head vigorously, then took out a telegram and handed it to me, saying, "The telegram was sent by the Deputy Chief of Staff himself. He asked you to return to Moscow as soon as possible and report to the General Staff."

"Damn, what are you going to do when you go back to Moscow?" This telegram that urgently summoned me back to Moscow made me wonder. You must know that the May Day military parade has ended, and it is meaningless to go back to Moscow again. But since it was Antonov personally sent me a telegram, it must be something important, but it is not easy to write in the telegram, so I can only vaguely ask to return to Moscow as soon as possible.

"Major, take the map to see." Because I didn't carry any briefcase, I didn't have a map on my body, so I could only look for Bukov, so I told him: "I want to see where the nearest city is."

Bukov simply packed up the tabletop, took out the map from his briefcase and spread it on the tabletop, pointed to it and suggested to me: "Comrade Commander, from our current location, you can choose to go to Shepetovka to take the train, or Dubno to take the plane."

I thought about it and it took two days to get to Moscow from Shepetovka; and to take a plane to Dubno, you can reach your destination in a maximum of three hours. Just when I was about to go to Dubno, I heard Bukov say, "Comrade Commander, it takes more than 100 kilometers of mountain road from here to Dubno, and the mountains may not be safe. I suggest you go to Shepetovka to take the train."

"The way to Dubno is not safe," I looked at Bukov and said, "Can you be safe all the way to Shepetovka?"

"The safety factor should be much higher when you get to Shepetovka." Bukov replied confidently: "My troops have suppressed bandits there for a while and are very familiar with the terrain there. After our attack, there are basically no established bandit troops in that area. Moreover, you only need to walk more than 40 kilometers of mountain road to Shepetovka and you can get there in a day and a night."

Bukov's last two words touched me. It took at least two or three days to walk to Dubno, and the road was not peaceful. It only took one day to take the train to Shepetovka, and the safety factor was much higher. Thinking of this, I immediately made a decision: "Okay, that's the decision. I went to Shepetovka to Moscow by train."

When he heard that I was going to Moscow, Bukov suddenly became excited as if he was injected with chicken blood. He straightened his body and asked me: "Do you need me to go to Moscow with you?"

"Comrade Major, no, you can't accompany me to Moscow this time." After saying this, I saw the frustrated expression on his face and quickly explained to him: "The work of protecting the safety of the geological exploration team is very important. I need a trusted subordinate to do this, and you are the best candidate."

After listening to my explanation, Bukov knew that he could not accompany me to Moscow. Although he was very disappointed, he still tried to ask me in a steady tone: "Comrade Commander, how many people do you plan to bring to Shepetovka this time?"

I considered the existing troops to ensure the safety of the exploration team, but also shoulder the heavy responsibility of carrying materials. If I take too much, it will affect their security work. So after thinking for a while, I replied: "Well, Comrade Major, just give me a platoon. You can't escort me, but you can't affect the safety of the exploration team by escorting me."

At noon the next day, I arrived in Shepetovka smoothly under the escort of the guard platoon. I found the military representative at the station. With his assistance, I boarded the freight train with the soldiers of the guard platoon, and sat in the last empty carriage and embarked on the itinerary to Moscow.

After two days of driving, the train arrived at the central railway station in Moscow. After getting off the train, I didn't care about washing, and found the stationmaster and military representatives in the station. With their assistance, I took the guard platoon to the General Staff in the center of the city in jeeps and trucks.

When we arrived outside the yard of the General Staff, the convoy was stopped by the soldiers on duty. I pushed open the car door and walked out of the car, showed my ID to the soldiers who were checking, and then said to him: "Comrade Soldier, I am the deputy commander of the First Front Army of Ukraine. I was ordered to report to Deputy Chief of Staff Antonov."

The soldier glanced at me, then said coldly: "Comrade General, please wait, I'll call to verify."
Chapter completed!