Chapter 22

When the invitation arrived on Yael's computer, he was researching new ways to work part-time.

【To “wwn” students:

In order to promote exchanges, mutual learning and common progress, based on the cooperation and exchange agreement, we sincerely invite you to conduct short-term exchange study on the xxx project.

During your exchange study at our school, all fees are waived and you will receive a certain amount of subsidies.

Contact information: StarNet account number XXXXXXXXXXXX

——Exxon First Research Institute】

"?" What is this? Are the Zerg also engaging in email fraud?

When Yerla reached the end and saw the signature of "Exon First Research Institute", he paused and looked thoughtful.

The noble school that rewards him with 50,000 Star Coins for solving a problem? Inviting him to join a research project for exchange and learning?

His eyes scanned the word "subsidy" and he thought of his deposit, which was jingling. He wanted to withdraw the money but hesitated for a while. Finally, he searched for the StarNet account provided.

The profile picture shows a black night sky, and the home page only shows a short line of words "If you have something to say, please talk about it. If you don't have anything to say, please don't bother me." It is very cold.

Yael hesitated for a moment and sent a friend request.

…

"chief?"

A voice broke the silence in the room. Adelaide, who was checking the report, raised his head and glanced coldly at the hesitant member.

"That... optical computer has information."

"knew."

Adelaide closed the report in his hand and handed it to him, then picked up the computer that was flashing red light.

"There's a wrong parameter. I've circled it. Please calculate it again."

[User "wwn" sent you a friend request, do you agree? ]

Adelaide raised his eyebrows, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

【agree.】

The chat page opened, and Adelaide took a few seconds to organize her social words, but before she could send out the stiff greeting, a message came from the other side.

【wwn: Hello, can you give us a detailed introduction to the research content of the project? 】

Crisp enough, and arrogant enough.

There was a glimmer of interest in his eyes, and his original indifferent attitude of trying everything changed slightly. He packed up a document and sent it over.

About ten minutes later, another message came from there.

【wwn: I roughly understand it. Which part requires communication algorithm? 】

Adelaide straightened up instantly.

【Adelaide: Start now?】

【wwn: Start now.】

…

Almost all members of the laboratory gathered in front of a huge demonstration whiteboard, staring blankly at the large algorithm that was quickly running before their eyes.

Countless cold and magnificent data towers were built up, and then changed their shapes in an instant.

That strange voice was their controlling god, working seamlessly with Adelaide to create a vast new world.

"Wait...where were we just now?"

"No, they just calculated a sub-data a second ago, and now they have already started building the model?!"

The panel was calculating frantically trying to keep up with the progress, but in the blink of an eye they were already tens of thousands of miles away, and many members had looks of despair on their faces.

In addition to Adelaide, there is another strange bug in the shared demo. Its avatar is an unknown stick figure of a star monster. It tilts its head and looks innocent and cute, but——

"Here, here... and here, your algorithm has flaws. If I'm not wrong, the final value will be a very exaggerated number..."

That voice, which was so beautiful that it could be used as a sleep-inducing anchor, mercilessly poked several big holes in what they had been researching all night for several months.

A building that was built with great difficulty may be torn down and rebuilt in just a few seconds.

Thinking of this, one member's face turned pale, and he muttered indignantly, "Maybe he is just talking nonsense. Who is that guy to dare to give nonsense suggestions? Isn't he afraid of getting his tongue caught in the wind?"

"That's right, he's here to cause trouble... I don't know why the chief would trust such a half-baked fellow."

Just as this kind of whispering spread, it was interrupted by a long "beep" -

The algorithm, which had been tangled up on the screen, began to run smoothly through the next node, and a big green checkmark appeared on the detector.

The algorithm, which had been stagnant for a whole week, actually made some progress!

Although it seems insignificant compared to the entire huge system, it is still real progress, and if we accumulate little by little, we may be able to conquer it in the end!

"The test...it actually passed?!"

The researcher who was originally frowning, his eyes widened when he saw the test passed, and he couldn't help but exclaimed, "So amazing?! It's written so awesomely!"

"Who is this guy? Sure! Hire him into our lab right away!"

Waves of suppressed shock and joyful discussions rang out, bringing a breath of fresh air into the laboratory which had been dead silent for half a month.

Adelaide looked at the data link rapidly passing by on the screen. The coldness on his face had disappeared without a trace. The suppressed enthusiasm seeped out bit by bit, and his dark blue pupils contracted with excitement.

"Very good, very good..."

He muttered, staring at Yael's StarNet account avatar.

Building an algorithm with a partner who is in sync with me is almost a complete enjoyment, and this feeling is something I have never experienced even when competing with my sophomore genius.

The researcher's heart skipped a beat when he caught a glimpse of his expression. He looked sad.

"It's over. The Chief is going into science mad mode again..."

"continue."

Adelaide's hand was already on the presentation screen, and he subconsciously used a commanding, firm tone.

Suddenly, there was a noise coming from the other side of the microphone, and after a while, the voice said apologetically.

"Sorry, that's all for today. I'm offline for a while."

With a crisp click, the other avatar on the shared presentation disappeared, giving the bug no time to react.

“……???”

That’s all for today… That’s all for today… That’s all for today…

The insects in the laboratory looked at the demonstration screen in disbelief, and then all looked at Adelaide in front of the screen.

His movements were completely frozen, and his expression darkened instantly. His breathing, which had been erratic due to excitement, became even more rapid, like a volcano about to erupt.

Oh no, it's over.

He kept silent like a quail, fearing that the last straw would fall and completely piss off Adelaide.

“Beep beep.”

The computer placed aside flashed red. Adelaide came back to his senses, took a quick look at it, and picked it up while suppressing his anger.

【wwn: How much is the exchange subsidy? I urgently need some money for medical treatment [Rose]. 】

Adelaide paused, and the anger on his face subsided a little.

【Wait.】

…

That night, the Star Network account nickname "wwn", after solving the mystery last time, once again dominated the major Exxon forums.

Not only did the professors and students feel the turmoil, but the Dean's office also welcomed an extremely difficult guy -

"I only have two requests: first, to recruit him as a student, even if it's just a nominal one; second, to approve the subsidy in advance. If it's relatively low, I suggest giving him more."

Adelaide sat on the small sofa for guests with his arms and legs spread out, his expression as cold and indifferent as ever, and he refused to leave without saying a word.

"You haven't even met him, but you're already rushing to give him money. Aren't you afraid of being ripped off?"

Norman sighed for who knows how many times and rubbed his brows with a headache.

"First, we have already discussed this afternoon. His ideas are very sharp and unique. I unilaterally judged that he is trustworthy. The dean can use his connections to verify his true identity. Second, the specific details have been spread throughout the academy, and the algorithm has indeed successfully advanced by 100%..."

"Three, four, five, six more?"

Adelaide was silent.

Norman put down the documents in his hand and looked at Adelaide with disappointment.

This child is good in every way except that he is too stubborn and simple-minded. Once he makes up his mind about something, he will be so stubborn that even the nine-headed beast cannot pull him back.

"Okay, I got it."

He waved his hand casually, "Go back and do your experiment."

Seeing that he was hesitant without getting a definite answer, Norman finally let out a hint, "What you mentioned is currently under consideration by the school. The early admission subsidy and other things can be discussed...get out now."

Shortly after Adelaide left, a document was delivered to the desk.

Norman opened the cover and frowned at the first sight, "This is..."

*

Due to the sudden severe pain in Cizek's right eye, Yael had to stop communicating to treat the wound.

"This kind of pain is normal during treatment. Just bear with it. If the pain is severe, tell 015 and he will give you a dose of analgesic."

Yael threw the blood-stained gauze into the trash can and admonished the female insect without looking up.

"Originally, you don't need to wrap it with gauze, but since it's bleeding, there's nothing we can do. I'll take it off for you tonight."

"Okay, thank you, Lord."

Xi Ze touched the soft gauze on his eyes with his fingertips, whispered thank you, hesitated for a moment, and said again.

"…You didn't have lunch, and dinner is still two hours away. Do you want to eat something to fill your stomach first?"

Yael realized later that his stomach was rumbling and slightly spasming and contracting, but he had ignored it because he was concentrating on other things.

"015 usually disposes of the leftover food... I'll go to the kitchen to see if there's anything to eat."

He got up and went into the kitchen. When he opened the refrigerator door, he saw 015. The little robot butler seemed to remember something and slapped his head, then took out a portion of steaming tomato pasta from the thermos cabinet.

“Dangdang!”

"I'm having this for lunch. Why did you think of leaving a portion for me?"

Yael was a little surprised, but didn't pay much attention to it. He took it and put it on the coffee table.

"It was your female insect who said she would leave it for you." 015 blinked and said honestly.

I see...Yell glanced at the female insect, thanked her and started eating noodles. "We need to prepare some bread or something at home for emergencies."

"You still have to eat on time."

Xi Ze disagreed, and couldn't help but rub the gauze over his right eye with his fingertips.

He had experienced severe pain in his right eye several times before, but this was the only time he took the initiative to call out to Yael.

One reason is to make sure the male insects eat on time, and the other reason is some subtle and unspeakable thoughts.

It was the male insect who enthusiastically suggested watching TV together, but he walked away on his own after a short while, without even having lunch.

"well."

Yael said this perfunctorily, remembering his conversation with Hughes just now.

"There is a field hospital in Etal. I heard it is quite effective in treating gunshot wounds and post-traumatic stress. Once you have recovered..."

Recently, I have been hearing the male worm talking to himself, planning treatment plans, and this matter has obviously occupied a large part of his mind.

This seriousness and solemnity are too heavy, and this kind of torment and fear of being so broken that he can only accept care is intensifying Xi Ze's sense of indebtedness and shame every minute and every second.

The cost of treatment can be reimbursed a thousand times in the future, but the energy and emotion he puts in every day makes him feel deeply in debt and unable to repay it.

"...Actually, there is no need to treat it so carefully. Many injuries can heal on their own. There is no need to go to the hospital."

Xi Ze opened his mouth and a dry sound came out of his throat.

Yael swallowed the food in his mouth and wiped his mouth with a tissue. "But there will be sequelae."

"The money can be earned back later, but delaying the golden period of treatment is a loss. The most important thing is life and health, and everything else should be put aside first."

Life is above everything.

This is the lesson he learned from the country he once lived in.

Yael knew that the cold theory that those without value should be eliminated had always been popular in the Zerg society, but Caesar was now in his hands, so -

“Don’t try negative therapy.”

He gave a warning tone and pointed at the female insect from a distance.

"……good."

Xi Ze was stunned, and the tearing pain in his right eye suddenly became tamed, and something soft and fluffy filled the bleeding hole, overflowing and wrapping him up.

"If you pick up a stray puppy, you must take full responsibility for it. Otherwise, it would be no different from just letting it fend for itself. This is too irresponsible."

Thinking of the stray dog ​​he had picked up before he traveled through time and raised until it was plump and white, Yael joked, "I'm a very qualified keeper."

Before Xi Ze could reply, 015, who was washing vegetables in the kitchen, short-circuited again and cried for Yael to come over and rescue her.

The sofa beside me lightened, and the male insect's light breath left easily, and that bit of fresh heat turned cold in an instant.

The silence that I was used to enduring suddenly became unbearable, and even the air around me became thinner.

Xi Ze's eyelashes trembled, and he subconsciously called out in a low voice, "Heroic Lord?"

"Um?"

Yael's voice came from not far away, mixed with 015's chatter, "I'm here, what's up?"

Xize was stunned for a moment, and his wrinkled brows slowly relaxed.

The corners of his lips curved slightly in an almost silent smile.

"……It's OK."