Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Out of all the warehouses in the prison auction, the warehouse that was of real value
was number seven. It was the one that Li Du had taken down.
However, it was not worth a lot. The prison had been very stingy and had done a
thorough check previously when they were organizing the warehouse. They had kept
the most valuable items for themselves.
The situation of warehouse number seven was similar to that of number one. Li Du had
discovered some useful things for himself, items that could not be found on the market.
Tracing behind Hans, he walked over to the warehouse. A table stood there, and the
side of the table had marks of being cut open.
“What did you find inside?” Li Du asked curiously.
Hans teased him, “Found a fart.”
Then, Hans changed his tone. “However, we found an interesting item in the
warehouse.”
Hans pointed to the table. On top of the table was a small leather box with smears and
spots of color, suggesting that it had been kept there for a long time. It was because the
colors had faded that the image now looked like spots and random smacks of paint.
Li Du was just about to open the box when Hans stopped him. With a serious face, he
said, “No, no, brother, don’t open it. Unless you want to land yourself in danger.”
Seeing that Hans was keeping up an act, Li Du started to laugh. “What’s inside? Is this
a bomb?”
Li Du had noticed that box previously. There was a huge crate in the warehouse with
many such leather boxes inside. There had been more than ten of those.
The little bug had gone in for a look before. Li Du recalled that there were many small
randomly assembled tools inside. There were also user manuals that looked like they
were made for some sort of toy.
Knowing that toys were not valuable and second-hand toys even less so, he had not
paid much attention to the contents of the box.
However, Hans told him in all seriousness, “The things inside, they are more dangerous
than a bomb!”
“What exactly is it?” Li Du looked at him dully. “Isn’t this a child’s toy box? Look, there’s
even a cartoon on top of it. If the words had not faded, it would have said ‘Laboratory
Toys’, right?”
Hans looked back at Li Du, surprised. “Your eyesight is really good. It precisely says
that, yes. But the letters have faded to this extent, and you can still see them clearly?”
Li Du smiled. “Of course, I have good eyesight.”
Hans said, “The things inside are really children’s toys, but they are not like any regular
toys.”
Safety and health would definitely be priorities for makers of toys. That was because
children were the next generation of the country and people and had to be protected.
These days, regulations on children's toys were very stringent in all countries. From the
material of the toy to the danger the toy’s shape may cause, all kinds of restrictions
were imposed. In terms of the material, it had to be non-toxic and harmless, even at
long-term contact.
After sharing this knowledge on toys, Hans patted the box and said, “This is the
exception. This is probably the most dangerous children's toy in history. It was made in
the United States in 1950 and was in the market for only one year. The sales were
amazing at that time, but then it was banned.”
“Why?” Li Du got curious again.
Hans said, “If you know the exact name of this toy model, I think you would be able to
guess what it is. It is called Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory.”
Li Du’s straightened up. “Sh*t, was this used to make atomic bombs?”
Hans laughed. “Of course not. But the idea is the same. This toy model includes four
radioactive stones, real radioactive stones. How about it, buying a toy radioactivity mine
for forty-nine dollars and fifty cents, do you feel that it is worth your money?”
As he spoke, he opened the small box.
Just as Li Du deduced, that bast*rd Hans just enjoyed creating suspense.
However, the things inside the box were truly scary.
“Look, this is the Geiger Müller counter, which is used to measure radioactivity. In here,
inside a toy set, isn’t it amazing?”
“This is an electroscope that measures the charge of the object. This is a scintillation
mirror, which is even more powerful. It can observe radioactive decay!
“There is also the Wilson Cloud Room, which is used to observe the particle trajectory.
These four small stones are the key to this toy set. Four uranium specimens, alpha
particles lead isotope 210 and Polonium isotope 210, beta particle Ruthenium isotope
106, gamma zinc isotope 65…”
There were more than ten sets in that small box. Hans gave Li Du an explanation of
them all, in a very professional tone.
Li Du gave him a strange look and said, “You seem to be very familiar with this model.”
Hans nodded. “Of course. In fact, when I was young, I had wanted a toy set like this
one. Sadly, I could not get my hands on one.”
Li Du picked up the user manual for the toy model. On the first page, it said, “High
energy ahead, here is an early warning! You will be exposed to the most mysterious
and powerful toy in history!”
“This model set is very powerful. It produces an amazing effect that allows people to
actually see electrons and alpha particles moving in orbit at 10,000 miles per second, as
well as images produced by electrons at high speeds,” Hans continued with his
explanation.
Li Du closed the box and said warily, “But it can also expose you to radioactivity. You
are right, this model is dangerous. How could toy manufacturers launch it into the
market?!”
“In fact, these toys had caused a huge sensation when they were launched. The media
reported about them and promoted them widely. Many families purchased these sets.
Do you know how much they had cost then?”
“Forty-nine dollars and fifty cents.”
“How did you know that?” Hans said in mock amazement.
Li Du was losing his patience. “D*mmit, have you turned silly or something? You told me
that just now.”
“That’s right, that’s right. I told you that before. Oh no, my brain is losing its touch. Is it
because of the radioactivity? Has it made me senile?”
Li Du waved his hands, saying, “Your brain is made of tofu mixed with dog poop. Don’t
even talk about uranium ore. Even if an atomic bomb exploded inside your head, the
radiation produced would have no effect on you.”
Short-term exposure was nothing to adults. However, when those toys had been
brought into homes, they caused huge damage for the children.
At that time, many children who had prolonged exposure to the toy models began to
display nose-bleeds, fainting spells and a whole series of other symptoms. Then, when
people found the source of the problem, the toys were recalled and after a year, their
production was halted.
It was hard to determine the level of damage those toys caused to children at the time.
The damage from radiation exposure was not instant. Many years later, as the children
who had been exposed to the radioactive toys grew old, they began to develop cancer
at rates higher than normal.
However, it was still difficult to prove that their cancer was linked to those toys.
There had been a large-scale court case concerning the toy models. Countless families
had made consolidated efforts to sue A. C. Gilbert company, demanding compensation.
However, that was in the 70s and 80s. In those days, people had limited knowledge of
radioactive materials and were not fully aware of the consequences of exposure.
