bathroom.

Tan Yao stood in front of the sink and scratched his hair with his wet hands, but no matter how he combed it, the hair was still a mess.

“… Phew, forget it.”

Tan Yao turned around and was about to leave when the door was suddenly opened from the outside and a thin man in a suit and tie walked in.

It was Wei Lan.

Seeing Tan Yao, Wei Lan was surprised and delighted: "Mr. Tan! I finally found you. Are you free? Let's chat again."

Tan Yao's eyes twitched a few times.

It was too enthusiastic, so enthusiastic that he instinctively felt a little uncomfortable and took a half step back: "...Hello, Professor Wei."

Wei Lan said happily, "Don't be so distant. In fact, I would rather you call me teacher."

"This isn't the place to talk. Let's go to the restaurant and talk?"

Tan Yao's expression changed slightly.

"Professor Wei, I'm sorry," he said. "I'm preparing for the second round of the competition and don't have time to think about anything else."

Wei Lan nodded: "I understand. I came here for this too."

As he spoke, he took out a small blue ball from his pocket and handed it to Tan Yao.

"According to your previous answer, mecha development has taken a major step forward. On behalf of the Federation, I thank your team for their contributions. This contains some of the latest information, and I'd like to show it to you."

Tan Yao stared blankly at the basketball USB.

"Here, give it to me?" He hesitated. "Won't it leak secrets?"

Wei Lan smiled and said, "It's okay. I've screened all the information and encrypted it. Only you can open it."

He stuffed the basketball into Tan Yao's hand and waved at the boy with a smile: "You can look at it anytime, there's no rush. And here, take this too. If you're interested, you can come and take a look. There's a gift from me inside."

A slightly cool touch touched his palm, and Tan Yao looked at it in surprise.

——It was a key with a warehouse number written on it, which corresponded to a warehouse on the warship he was on.

"I……"

Tan Yao was about to refuse.

Wei Lan waved his hand, walked straight into the bathroom, and closed the small door with a snap.

There was a sound of flushing water coming from the door.

Tan Yao: “…”

Even he was too embarrassed to kick the door and call Wei Lan out at this time. Tan Yao waited outside for a while, feeling entangled, but the man inside seemed to be in a fight with him and refused to come out no matter what.

In the end, there was no choice but for Tan Yao to put the USB and keys in his pocket.

He thought gloomily that he would give these things to Gu Qiongsheng when he got back.

After Tan Yao left, Jiang Yuanliang quietly walked into the bathroom and whispered in a low voice, "Professor, Professor Wei?"

Above the bathroom, the voice-activated light flashed a few times in response.

Wei Lan finally opened the door and glanced at the young man unhappily: "Keep your voice down, it's embarrassing."

Jiang Yuanliang: "..."

God have mercy on him, he has lowered his voice to be quieter than a fly, okay?

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Jiang Yuanliang reported, "Professor, that guy took everything away. I saw it."

"It wasn't placed on the sink, nor was it thrown into the trash."

Wei Lan glanced at him unhappily again: "What do you mean, that kid? Call me Junior Brother."

Jiang Yuanliang: "..."

Oh my god!

Are you already shouting about something that hasn't even happened yet?

"...Junior Brother took everything away," Jiang Yuanliang said with a strained smile, "but Professor, are you sure he'll actually read it?"

Wei Lan pushed his glasses up, a glimmer of light flashing across the lenses: "I'm very sure."

He was not idle during this period. He asked someone to investigate Gu Qiongsheng, Tan Yao and others, and he also personally checked Tan Yao's Star Network browsing records over the years.

The search results showed that Gu Qiongsheng had never had anything to do with mechas in recent years. He was the type who would avoid them even if he came across them in the news. As for the cutting-edge development direction of mechas, he was completely uninterested.

Tan Yao, on the contrary, surfed the Star Network day by day, and most of his search records were related to mechas, machinery, warships, etc.

At this point, it is clear who the hardcore mecha enthusiasts are.

Wei Lan had no choice but to let Gu Qiongsheng go for the time being and focus his target on Tan Yao.

The blue USB contained the targeted materials he had specially compiled based on Tan Yao's interests.

The advanced content and exquisite models are guaranteed to make every mecha enthusiast excited and drool.

"He either doesn't watch it, or once he does, he can't stop."

Wei Lan was full of confidence: "After watching the end, he will be able to guess what my gift is for him - as a mecha enthusiast, I don't believe he can resist taking it!"

"I guarantee it with my professor rating!"

Jiang Yuanliang was still a little worried: "But what if... he refuses to accept the things and gives them all to that girl named Gu Qiongsheng?"

"Don't be afraid," Wei Lan said, folding his arms, confident. "If Gu Qiongsheng accepts it, it means she's still somewhat interested in mechas, which is a good thing."

Although the investigation results showed that Gu Qiongsheng was not interested in mechas at all, Wei Lan still had doubts in his heart.

He could never forget the day in the office building when Gu Qiongsheng was the first to identify Tan Yao.

There were also other people's reactions. Clearly, a few of them had raised their hands to point at Gu Qiongsheng, but as the girl gave the hint, they immediately changed the direction of their fingers.

Wei Lan stroked his chin. "...If she accepted it, it means she's interested in mechas, and she might have contributed to the successful answer to the question that day. If she refused to accept it, it means I made a mistake in judgment, but that doesn't matter. She'll definitely return it to Tan Yao."

"By then, I can still harvest a good seedling."

Jiang Yuanliang offered his timely flattery: "The professor is amazing, and he has thought things through!"

The two looked at each other and laughed mischievously.

…

In the restaurant, Gu Qiongsheng didn't know that someone was targeting her and her teammates.

Ling Kaixuan had already left, but the arrogance of his threats in public seemed to still be spreading in the air. Gu Qiongsheng looked at the silver fork in his hand, and seemed to smell a strong smell of gunpowder at the tip of his nose.

She was a little worried: "He knows you, is it okay?"

Qin Yuan rubbed his temples with a headache and said softly, "It's okay. With his personality, he won't tell anyone."

"Oh," Gu Qiongsheng became even more curious, "What's going on?"

She stared at Qin Yuan with her eyes wide open, unblinking: "Did you know each other before? How come you agreed to form a team?"

"...I've met you a few times, but we're not very familiar with each other."

Qin Yuan smiled bitterly: "Wasn't I promoted as a "rising star" by the Federation in the early years?"

"Some people were unconvinced and came to challenge me to a duel, including him."

Gu Qiongsheng nodded in understanding.

Indeed, it is very similar to Ling Kaixuan’s style of “God is the boss and I am the second.”

"And then... and then I won." Qin Yuan's voice gradually became lower. "He was quite impressed by my performance. Since we are of similar age and both live on Tianyuan Star, he said that he wanted to team up with me in the future and participate in various competitions."

Gu Qiongsheng continued to nod: "Hmm... hm?"

etc?

Are you about the same age?

Qin Yuan was a little embarrassed: "I was only a teenager at the time, and I just dealt with it casually, saying some arrogant words like "You must have the strength to keep up."

"I forgot about it the moment I said it. A few months later, I skipped three grades and went straight to the graduating class..."

Gu Qiongsheng: “…”

Gu Qiongsheng raised his hands to cover his face: "Okay, I understand."

Poor Ling Kaixuan, it’s not easy.

Even though Qin Yuan said it lightly, based on Gu Qiongsheng's understanding of Ling Kaixuan, he was able to make him "convinced", and the fight was sure to be a crushing victory.

Although Ling Kaixuan is very arrogant, he still cares a lot about the people he approves of.

Gu Qiongsheng could imagine that he regarded Qin Yuan as his idol, and excitedly fantasized about teaming up with his idol after entering college to dominate the world... But the idol turned around and forgot about it, skipped a grade and left in a cool manner, waving his sleeves and leaving without leaving a cloud.

Poor little Lingzi was left in the lower grades, training and attending classes step by step with the "mediocrities" in his eyes.

It would be strange if I didn't feel unwilling.

"I spent most of the graduating class in the university, and then I... well, failed to awaken."

Qin Yuan said sadly, "He seemed to have come to see me at that time, but I was in a very bad mood and locked myself in the house. I didn't want to see anyone, and of course I didn't see him either."

Gu Qiongsheng sighed with emotion.

Finally understand.

Ling Kaixuan must have been holding this anger in his heart for a long time, right?

The idol you admire skips a grade and enters the graduating class. You can also imagine reuniting with him after he enters the War College, or waits to join the three major legions.

As long as he keeps getting stronger and follows in his idol's footsteps, he will eventually be able to fulfill his dream of fighting side by side with them.

But just then the news came that his idol was dead.

Gu Qiongsheng covered his arm and said, "No wonder he looked at you so strangely. He was so angry when he heard that you teamed up with others to participate in the inter-school league."

In Ling Kaixuan's heart, not being able to team up with Qin Yuan has become a kind of heartache.

No wonder he made such a harsh statement as "defeating Gu Qiongsheng's team".

Qin Yuan was at a loss for words: "I'm sorry, I didn't know he was still brooding over what happened back then... I'm really sorry for making a strong enemy for you..."

"It's okay," Gu Qiongsheng waved his hand nonchalantly. "Even without your connection, we'd still be enemies in the competition."

"And they have Lu Yuanji and Zhao Qingke on their team. I've been annoyed with them for a long time. I'm going to have a good fight with them in this competition."

Suddenly, an idea flashed through Gu Qiongsheng's mind.

She held the silver fork and stared blankly at the plate for a while.

Qin Yuan asked in surprise: "What's wrong?"

Gu Qiongsheng murmured, "No, I thought of something that doesn't seem right."

Zhao Qingke...

If she remembered correctly, the other party's father was a senior manager of a large group, and the name of that group was... Shunxing Group?

Gu Qiongsheng took a deep breath.

Could it be that the mastermind behind bribing the families of team members and preventing them from participating in the league is actually Zhao Qingke?

Are you kidding me? The other party hates her so much that they don't want her to participate in the inter-school league?

Gu Qiongsheng told Qin Yuan his speculation.

Qin Yuan also frowned: "Shunxing Group...?"

Gu Qiongsheng nodded. "That's right. I remember that this group's business is concentrated in the large-scale smelting industry, and Pure Stone Star is one of their main mineral sources."

Qin Yuan seemed to be thinking: "Pure Stone Star, the mining star that is rich in Zhuyao Stone?"

His slender fingers tapped lightly on the table, his voice steady, "I remember that smelting was just their superficial business. Behind the scenes, Shunxing was actually a pharmaceutical supplier for the military. After all, Zhu Yaoshi was one of the main ingredients in the production of awakening potions."

Gu Qiongsheng was stunned again.

Awakening potion?

"You don't know?" Qin Yuan paused. "Well... that's right. These projects are not open to the public. After all, we have to protect the pharmaceutical production chain to avoid being targeted by some extremists."

Gu Qiongsheng listened blankly, feeling a dull pain in the temples.

——Shunxing Group is the manufacturer of awakening potions.

The original owner was not aware of this, or perhaps he happened to hear it and didn't care.

She made friends with Zhao Qingke, not for the power of the other party's family.

But Gu Qiongsheng knew that the original owner's awakening potion was bought with the help of Zhao Qingke.

It was not purchased through legitimate channels in the military district, but from the black market.

What did Zhao Qing say to the original owner at that time?

She said that for profit, a small amount of awakening potions flow into the black market every year from the military district, but these potions are absolutely reliable, and the original owner can check the sealing glue on the top and the production serial number on the bottom.

After all, it was a matter of great importance to the future. After receiving the potion, the original owner carefully checked it and confirmed that it was not pirated and had not been opened in advance. Only then did he drink it with confidence.

...and then failed to awaken, and fell into dust.

If Gu Qiongsheng had not come through with the nanny system, even if this body did not die, it would have suffered from illness and torture for the rest of its life, and because of the severe brain damage, it would most likely become a madman or dementia.

Originally, Gu Qiongsheng always thought that the original owner was just unlucky or not fully prepared.

But now Qin Yuan's words gave her a new guess.

A horrible, creepy thought.

——Is it possible that Zhao Qingke tampered with the potion?

It wasn't that he tampered with the potion after getting it, but he secretly added ingredients before the potion was packaged. So the potion that the original owner got was packaged intact, but it was no longer just an awakening potion!

Indeed, this can explain Zhao Qingke's attitude towards her. That disgust and fear were not only out of jealousy, but also to cover up the vicious crimes he had committed.

In this era of universal war, awakening potions and young talents are the hope of mankind and the lifeblood of the Federation.

If it is discovered that Zhao Qingke deliberately murdered someone by poisoning the awakening potion, this is not a matter of intentional injury, it is a blatant crime against humanity!

Gu Qiongsheng took a deep breath.

"Calm down," she said to herself, "Think about it more carefully. The factory producing the awakening potion must be a top-secret project. Even if Zhao Qingke's father is a senior executive of the group, it doesn't mean he can interfere with the production process."

But just as Gu Qiongsheng was frowning and thinking, Qin Yuan seemed to suddenly think of something. He opened his personal terminal with a serious expression and typed in a long string of search commands.

Countless pieces of information were filtered out and presented to the young man in a disorderly manner.

Qin Yuan quickly browsed through the text, his fingers dancing like butterflies as he typed in long paragraphs of logical reasoning. Soon he found the result he was looking for, and as he looked at the screen that popped up in front of him, his pupils contracted slightly.

"Jonson, look at this."

Gu Qiongsheng came back to his senses.

Qin Yuan showed her the screen of his personal terminal.

There was a record on the screen, or to be more precise, a news report, saying that a citizen had reported Shunxing Group by real name for producing counterfeit drugs, and particularly pointed out Zhao, a senior executive of the group.

But this news was obviously suppressed.

The number of views is pitifully small. If Qin Yuan hadn't borrowed his grandfather's authority, he might not have been able to find it on Starnet.

Gu Qiongsheng: "Hmm..."

It seems that her guess may come true.

This must be investigated thoroughly.

After a while, Tan Yao, who had disappeared for a long time, slowly walked back to the restaurant.

His expression was also strange, his eyes flickering, and on his back was a gray backpack he had picked up from somewhere. He took out a blue USB from his pocket and handed it to Gu Qiongsheng in a vague tone: "Here, take a look."

"What's this?"

Gu Qiongsheng took it, plugged it into the terminal and took a look: "Uh..."

Densely packed mecha images and texts popped up on the screen, using obscure terms and high-end technology.

Gu Qiongsheng hurriedly unplugged the USB and returned it to Tan Yao: "Take it away, just keep it."

Tan Yao frowned and said, "Don't worry, there's still this—"

As he spoke, he was about to take off the backpack behind him.

Just then, the loudspeaker rang:

[Attention all students, the spacecraft is about to arrive at Weilun Star. Please gather in the rest area immediately. The examiner will announce the rules for the second round of competition.]

The loud electronic sound immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Gu Qiongsheng's eyes also lit up.

What are the rules for the second round of competition?

She stopped Tan Yao from reaching into his bag and spoke quickly, "Keep all the mecha-related stuff. I'm really not interested in that. Come on, stop worrying about it. Let's meet in the rest area."