AGTCTCC Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Hello, My Name is Wu Zhen

Chapter 19: Hello, My Name is Wu Zhen

At the laboratory entrance.

A figure in a black coat appeared in the star chart surveillance. The tightly closed door made the laboratory look like a “prison”—white and lifeless.

As the person approached the door, the star chart automatically identified the figure, and a spherical robot was pushed out from the wall.

The round little ball floated slowly in front of him, and an impersonal mechanical voice sounded.

[Hello, welcome to the Imperial Laboratory.]

Xiang Li exposed himself generously to the surveillance, raising a smile towards the robot.

“Hello, my name is Wu Zhen, and I have an appointment with Professor Lai.”

After Xiang Li finished speaking, the surroundings were quiet for a few seconds, then the door opened with a bang, as if it were a relic of the last century, stuttering terribly.

The little ball also automatically transformed into a guide robot. The door behind him closed with another bang, and the pale light illuminated the entire laboratory, devoid of any human warmth.

Xiang Li looked around, his eyes scanning everywhere. Countless robotic arms were embedded in the walls, each performing its own function.

The slender robotic arms crossed and folded, giving the illusion of a spider web come to life.

The robot stopped in front of a room, the mechanical panel on its chest lifted, revealing the complex and precise structure inside, emitting virtual rays for scanning and verification.

The next second, the door was opened from both sides, and at the same time, a piece of the adjacent wall recessed. The robot automatically floated over and parked obediently.

“…”

The door of the room in front of him slowly opened, revealing several people in white coats frantically recording something amidst a pile of instruments.

Countless glass tubes and jars were placed in front of them, transparent liquid completely enveloping the contents.

Unknown creatures were tirelessly tossing and turning in the liquid, looking full of vitality.

Professor Lai was at the innermost experimental table, and in front of him was an even more shocking number of test tubes.

They didn’t seem to care about Xiang Li’s appearance here. Even though the door to the room had been open for a long time, not a single person looked up to ask Xiang Li.

Xiang Li stood at the door for a long time, his eyes, which could now see the light again, taking everything in. No one spoke, only the sound of pen tips rubbing against paper and the clinking of glass.

Professor Lai seemed to finally remember what he had forgotten, looking at Xiang Li at the door, full of apology, but not intending to let Xiang Li in.

Although the door to the room had been opened, there was still a transparent crystal panel in the middle, separating Xiang Li from them.

Professor Lai carefully put away the things in front of him and came out from the other side of the pipeline.

Seeing Professor Lai in front of him, Xiang Li didn’t greet him first. The other party was also sizing up Xiang Li. Noticing Xiang Li’s gaze, he smiled somewhat naively.

Professor Lai: “Student Wu Zhen, I’ve asked you several times before and you didn’t agree. I’m really happy that you came today. Sorry, I’m a bit forgetful.”

“I hope you don’t mind, and can agree to continue the experiment.”

“Okay.” Xiang Li nodded seemingly reluctantly, his face still a bit cold, his lips pulled straight, looking too lazy to even pretend.

“I’m very happy that you can come to the Imperial Laboratory. I think your experiment is theoretically possible.”

Professor Lai changed the subject, his tone seeming a bit frustrated: “But I haven’t been able to complete several experiments perfectly. I’m really happy that you can come to the laboratory to simulate it once.”

Xiang Li pulled the corners of his mouth in a fake smile: “You’re too kind. I’m also flattered that Professor Lai has taken a fancy to my experimental research.”

The two exchanged polite words on the surface. Professor Lai kept rubbing his hands, looking truly excited about Xiang Li’s arrival.

He was a little shorter than Xiang Li, his back slightly bent. He had a smile on his face, but it only made people feel gentle, without a hint of flattery.

Professor Lai led him to another room. After the two of them were thoroughly disinfected, they entered through a side door.

This was a small laboratory. Although small, it had everything.

Professor Lai stood next to him, staring at Xiang Li’s hands, anticipating his next move.

Xiang Li skillfully completed the experiment, cleanly and neatly, without a trace of hesitation in each operation.

He didn’t even control the dosage of the added reagents, but the final crystal emitted a circle of warm fluorescence, very clean and beautiful.

Professor Lai packed up the crystal in a sterile container. The glass reflected Professor Lai’s happy eyes, and also reflected another unfamiliar face.

Xiang Li’s eyes darkened. The person next to him turned his head and said to Xiang Li: “Would you like to stay in the laboratory?”

Xiang Li’s eyes were dark, his tone lazy and meaningful: “I’m not very willing to get busy.”

Professor Lai expressed his understanding: “Excellent people can enjoy privileges.”

The two hit it off immediately.

“Professor, Commander Chu Qi is here.”

The familiar mechanical voice came from the side, interrupting the two. Professor Lai thought for two seconds.

“Professor, can I go with you to meet him? I’ve learned a lot about this Commander’s deeds before, and I’m very interested in him,” Xiang Li asked preemptively.

“Of course, you can.” Professor Lai agreed.

When Chu Qi saw Xiang Li next to Professor Lai, or rather, “Wu Zhen,” he didn’t show much expression, just nodded.

Chu Qi took out a storage disk and handed it to Professor Lai.

“The star chart surveillance from the day of the monthly exam is all inside. The commander requires that the cause of the Polluted Entity riot must be found.”

Although there were many Polluted Entities on the Main Star, it was the first time a riot had occurred.

Although they had suppressed this matter, it was clear that the management felt threatened.

“My students are studying their genes and have found that the gene chains of some Polluted Entities have mutated, but the cause of the mutation is still being observed, and it will take time.”

Professor Lai took the star chart. They had to simulate everything that happened that day.

“Is this your student?”

Chu Qi sensed the gaze of the person next to Professor Lai, frowning slightly. Those eyes felt very familiar to him, an indescribable feeling, but he was sure he had never seen this person before.

“He is Wu Zhen, my partner.”

“Internet friend.”

Xiang Li frowned, retorting, and nodded to Chu Qi as a greeting.

Professor Lai was helpless, but didn’t say anything. The experiment Xiang Li brought was very helpful for their research on the Polluted Entity antidote.

There was no way around it; excellent people always had to have some privileges.

Chu Qi frowned slightly.

Wu Zhen?

Perhaps Chu Qi’s frowning expression was too obvious. Xiang Li chuckled, and the depression in his heart dissipated a little. He handed out a gold-stamped business card to Chu Qi.

Xiang Li: “Hello, I’ve heard of you for a long time, Commander Chu Qi.”

Xiang Li’s eyes were smiling. When Chu Qi took the business card, his fingertip lightly touched the other’s fingertip.

Chu Qi didn’t seem to notice this very light action. The two words “Wu Zhen” on the business card took up a lot of space, and the texture was very hard, indicating that it was made of good materials.

Chu Qi: “…”

His fingertip repeatedly stroked the two words “Wu Zhen” on the business card, raising his eyes to size up the face in front of him.

Professor Lai: ?

How come he didn’t have a business card?

Chu Qi didn’t say anything, put away the business card, and turned his gaze to Professor Lai.

“I have something I want to discuss with Professor Lai alone.”

Xiang Li raised his eyebrows and consciously avoided them. In the corner, he reached out, and the fingertip that had just touched Chu Qi lightly stroked his face.

A very ordinary face, the touch of a very unfamiliar face.

Everything was going smoothly. The only not-so-good thing was probably that Chu Qi didn’t recognize him.

Actually, Xiang Li initially wanted to directly replicate Chu Qi’s face to contact the laboratory.

But Chu Qi was too cautious. Any slight disturbance could make him shrink back into his cave and wait for the opportunity to bite you.

After realizing this, Xiang Li began to post some experimental research data and results online, subtly letting people in the laboratory notice it.

He just didn’t expect it to be Professor Lai.

Xiang Li leaned against the wall, his head lightly touching it, slowly exhaling a breath. The temperature in the laboratory was lower than outside, and Chu Qi’s military uniform didn’t look very warm either.

“Wu Zhen.”

Professor Lai came out, looked at Xiang Li on the wall, and called him.

Xiang Li tore himself off the wall, patted the non-existent dust off his body, and when he raised his eyes again, Professor Lai had already come in front of him, handing him a card.

Professor Lai: “Here, swipe this card directly when you come to the laboratory next time. Can you move in tomorrow?”

Xiang Li glanced at it and didn’t take it: “I don’t live in the laboratory.”

Professor Lai handed it over again: “Then take it anyway, so it will be convenient to come and go usually.”

Xiang Li casually glanced at his back, took the card. Seeing that he had taken it, Professor Lai immediately pulled him to do the experiment.

He had already sent the crystal for testing, and the test results were very ideal, even more ideal than Professor Lai had expected.

Now that he had the opportunity, he had to quickly grab the person to do the experiment. He couldn’t wait to get the results. He immediately rushed over after Chu Qi left.

…

In the evening, Xiang Li returned to Yan Zhou Ping’s house. No one was in the living room. He skillfully walked towards the basement.

The basement was spacious but too many things were placed there, making it seem very messy. Xiang Li passed through a pile of glass tubes and jars like those in the laboratory and found Yan Zhou Ping, who was buried in his work.

Yan Zhou Ping wasn’t surprised by Xiang Li’s arrival. Xiang Li had been coming to see him do experiments a lot these days, and occasionally asked him a few questions.

Xiang Li’s fingers pressed against his chin, gently sinking in. The skin covering his face was taken off and placed in a blue glass jar.

On Yan Zhou Ping’s shoulder, a small white ball was quietly lying there. The black bean-sized eyes blinked, and seeing Xiang Li, it immediately jumped and transferred to the palm of Xiang Li’s hand, gently rubbing against it.

Xiang Li poked the white ball’s forehead, his tone relaxed.

“I met your master today. He didn’t recognize me. Aren’t I amazing?”

The white ball tilted its head, not knowing what this meant.

Yan Zhou Ping rolled his eyes from his busy work.

“You better not have been recognized.”

Xiang Li: “No way, ‘Wu Zhen’ is giving him no less surprises than Xiang Li.”

Yan Zhou Ping dripped a purple reagent on the Source Stone, without looking up.

“Entered the laboratory?”

“Yeah.” Xiang Li responded.

“How was it?” Yan Zhou Ping continued to ask.

Xiang Li gave Yan Zhou Ping a rough account of what happened during the day, and the other party threw over a few reagents.

Yan Zhou Ping: “Learn this formula tonight.”

“Okay.” Xiang Li stretched lazily, and the silver-white ball jumped to the top of his head.

Yan Zhou Ping glanced at the silver-white ball, hesitated for a moment, and carefully worded his question: “Are you really going to keep Chu Qi’s Spiritual Form by your side?”

Xiang Li turned his head: “Do you have any thoughts?”

Yan Zhou Ping: “Send it back.”

Xiang Li: “Do you have a problem with it?”

Yan Zhou Ping: “Isn’t it obvious?”

Xiang Li covered the ears of the silver-white ball, with a teasing expression on his face: “Shh, in a few days, I’m going to find Chu Qi, and then I’ll send it over conveniently.”

Yan Zhou Ping turned his head: “You still want to find Chu Qi? You think we’re not exposed fast enough?”

“He misses me.” Xiang Li’s eyes gradually deepened, repeatedly recalling the changes in Chu Qi’s expression when he saw him.

Yan Zhou Ping: “……?”