Chapter 1382: Thesis

Chen Ling suddenly realized a very serious problem.

If the Ji Xuan in Shennongjia was the Suspended Jade Lord who had traveled back from the future, then the one who accepted the Red Star Wish Power with them should also have been the Suspended Jade Lord... In other words, the Ji Xuan who should have obtained the Red Star Wish Power in this era hadn't gone to Shennongjia at all!

No... wait, if that was the case, wouldn't it mean that the original Lou Yu of this era hadn't gone to Shennongjia either?

Wouldn't that change history??

The Ji Xuan and Lou Yu who should have obtained the Red Star Wish Power were replaced by the Suspended Jade Lord and the Infinite Lord who shouldn't have appeared in this era. Wouldn't the Nine Lords be directly reduced to Seven Lords?

If so, did the future Suspended Jade Lord and Infinite Lord still exist?

"How could this be... wouldn't this be a paradox?" Chen Ling muttered to himself.

"What's wrong, Director Chen?" Yang Xiao covered the phone's microphone and asked him in a low voice. "Should I still talk to Dr. Ji?"

"...Yeah, have him come over too."

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Ling made the decision.

No matter what, let's arrange things according to the original Nine Lords configuration first, and we'll deal with other things later... As for the Suspended Jade Lord, Chen Ling currently had no way to contact him and could only hope he would improvise.

Next, Yang Xiao called the others one by one.

After hesitating, they basically gave Yang Xiao an affirmative answer. After all, they had all encountered some things during this period, and if they could get together and communicate well, they would undoubtedly feel much more at ease.

However, Chu Changqing's phone still didn't go through... He should still be in the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest and unable to return to Earth.

"Director Chen, when I contacted them just now, the officials seemed to be with them... When they heard about it, they said they wanted to send people to protect us." Yang Xiao hung up the phone and said somewhat helplessly.

"That's normal." Chen Ling nodded slightly. "They already know your strategic value, and with the current tense global situation, they will definitely prioritize ensuring your safety... It's already quite good that they didn't force you to go to the capital for a meeting."

Just now, Yang Xiao had wiped out the Seventh Fleet alone, so they must have seen it. They made this request not because Yang Xiao and the others really needed their protection, but because if they couldn't keep track of Yang Xiao and the others' whereabouts at all times, they would feel uneasy instead.

Just as Yang Xiao hung up the phone, he saw a ship sailing from the direction of the country, approaching their position in a straight line, while flashing lights in a rhythm, as if releasing some kind of information.

"They are here to pick us up." Yang Xiao only then remembered that he was still blocking the communication signals in this sea area, and immediately waved his hand to disperse them.

As the ship slowly approached, Chen Ling pondered for a moment before slowly stepping back behind the railing:

"No, they are here to pick you up."

"?" Yang Xiao was stunned. "Director Chen, aren't you coming with me?"

"No... In their eyes, I am not exactly a positive figure right now. If I stand with you, it will only cause trouble." The dark-faced Chen Ling smiled slightly.

"But I will follow you in the shadows... Let's meet again in Shennongjia."

After saying this, the figure in the bright red opera robe spread his arms, tilted his head back, and fell into the vast sea, disappearing without a trace.

Seeing this, Yang Xiao didn't even have time to voice the words of persuasion he had prepared. By the time he turned back, the ship had already reached his vicinity.

Figures stood along the side of the ship, looking at Yang Xiao, who stood alone on the American destroyer, with expressions of awe.

……

"Lou Yu!"

A majestic voice called out from behind. The frail young man, who had just reached the entrance of the cafeteria, trembled slightly.

He turned around instinctively and bowed deeply to the old man carrying a black leather bag at his waist. The old, black-rimmed glasses on his nose, already stretched out of shape, slid slightly and nearly fell to the ground.

Lou Yu immediately steadied his glasses with his hand, lowered his head, and whispered:

"...Dean."

"Lou Yu, what is wrong with you?" The Dean frowned tightly. "It's been so long, why is there still no progress on the project I gave you last time? Do you have any idea how much research funding the boss at Golden Mantis has invested in our institute for this project?

The situation outside is chaotic now, and Golden Mantis is already considering abandoning the project. If you can't produce results, never mind whether we'll get the final payment, we might even have to return the research funds we've already received... Do you want all of us at the institute to go hungry?"

"I am truly sorry, Dean." Lou Yu bent even lower. "The ultra-low-cost paint material they want is extremely difficult to develop... I have tried many directions, but the environmental indicators still don't meet national requirements..."

"Didn't I tell you? Environmental indicators are not the problem... Golden Mantis has its own connections. As long as you can keep the costs down, everything else is easy to solve."

"But Dean..."

"That's enough. I'll give you three more days. If you can't develop it in three days, I'm handing this project over to someone else... And as for your subsidy this year, forget about it."

The old man waved his hand and was about to leave when he suddenly seemed to remember something and turned back:

"Oh, right. I read that paper of yours on new aerospace materials last time; it was not bad. A nephew of mine just transferred to our institute recently, and I plan to have him join your research group... You don't mind letting him be the first author on this paper, do you?"

Lou Yu was stunned. "Dean, then I..."

"I know you did a lot of work organizing the materials for this paper, but you know how hard it is to get papers published these days. It's not just about how well you write; the line between good and bad lies in knowing how to handle people... My nephew just transferred here and needs one more achievement to pass this year's assessment. Help him out.

You're still young, there will be plenty of opportunities. Just take the second author spot for now; there's room for advancement later!"

The Dean patted Lou Yu on the shoulder, flashed an encouraging smile like an elder, and then tucked his leather bag under his arm and turned to walk out of the institute.

Lou Yu remained silent for a long time, finally let out a long sigh, shook his head, and walked into the cafeteria...

"Auntie, give me a serving of shredded potatoes with vinegar and chili."

"Little Lou, don't you want a meat dish?" the woman serving the food asked kindly when she saw him.

"No, Auntie Xu. It's the end of the month, and my subsidy is almost gone." Lou Yu adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"You child... you spend all day in the lab, using your brain so much, yet you don't eat enough. Look at how thin you've become." As she spoke, the woman took advantage of the fact that no one was around and secretly scooped a large spoonful of eggplant with pork onto Lou Yu's tray. "This one's on the house."

"Thank you, Auntie Xu." Lou Yu looked at the overflowing food on his tray, his eyes filled with gratitude.

After saying that, he ladled himself a bowl of winter melon soup, grabbed a small packet of free pickled mustard greens, and walked toward a seat in the dining hall.