Mi Jun wasn't there, but several of his colleagues who were doing research at the same time were; they were in another lab.
Without any discussion, Cheng Zhen and Jiang Wan almost simultaneously kicked open the laboratory door, barging in and triggering a piercing alarm from the laboratory's access control system.
The people inside finally noticed the commotion. When they saw it was them and met Cheng Zhen's domineering aura, they all looked scared, but they seemed much more confident than the last time they met.
They asked, "What are you doing? This is a national research institution! What are you trying to do by barging in like this?"
"Stop talking nonsense, where are the US troops?" Cheng Zhen asked coldly.
"He's gone. He's done his mission and gone home," someone replied dismissively and impatiently.
Jiang Wan frowned: "He went home?"
She had a feeling something was wrong. He was home, so why wasn't he answering her calls?
The task is complete, the experimental results are in, so why didn't he reply to her message?
"Of course! Why would we lie to you!" they said, exchanging glances as they spoke; it was clear something was amiss!
Both of them understood perfectly well that Cheng Zhen suddenly moved closer and grabbed one of the men with each hand. They were both researchers who were too weak to even kill a chicken, so they couldn't withstand Cheng Zhen's strength. With such a simple grab, they felt like their shoulders were about to break!
They still need to rely on their own hands to keep this job!
We live in an apocalyptic world with no oxygen, and there are no more compensations or benefits for work-related injuries. If someone loses their arm, there's only one outcome waiting for them—unemployment!
In an oxygen-deficient post-apocalyptic world, unemployed disabled people are practically dead!
Both of them became frightened at the same time, and no longer caring about the warnings and reminders from others, they quickly confessed: "I'll talk, I'll talk!"
"Me too! Me too!"
Cheng Zhen tightened his grip slightly and said coldly, "Stop making noise. I can't hear you. Answer each question as it comes."
The two readily agreed.
Jiang Wan asked, "What happened to the US military?"
The two men who had been arrested exchanged a glance, one of them speaking and the other adding to the conversation.
"He's gone mad."
"Yes, he went crazy as soon as the experimental results came out."
Jiang Wan was taken aback: "Crazy? Why?"
She had considered countless possibilities, but she never expected the US military to suddenly go insane!
The two shook their heads in unison: "We don't know either!"
"As soon as the results came out, our dean reported them. He said he would let you know, so he went out to make a phone call."
"But he never came back, so we went out to look for him and that's when we found him..."
"He's gone mad!"
The last three words were spoken in unison by both of them, and they insisted on them.
The more this is the case, the more problematic it seems.
But their lives were in Cheng Zhen's hands, and the two were terrified. They spilled the beans like beans from a bamboo tube, and it didn't seem like they were lying.
Jiang Wan put it aside for now. They only said that Mi Jun had gone mad, not that he was dead. She would find out later when she went to the Silver City VIP room.
She continued, "The experiment results are in? Tell me about them."
This time, both of them were in a bit of a predicament. The people around them couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "What's wrong with you? This is a state secret! What right do you, a mere girl, have to interfere? What if you leak it?!"
Cheng Zhen retaliated by throwing a beam of light at his feet, and rebuked him, "She is our only botanist right now. This is an oxygen-deficient apocalypse, and any research you do is related to her!"
Those people were so frightened that they immediately shut up.
He exuded an air of dominance and spoke directly: "Stop talking nonsense and speak!"
As he spoke, he exerted force with both hands, and almost immediately, as soon as they felt a pain in their shoulders, they spoke up:
"No, no, no, I'll tell you!"
"It's Ω! There's an extra color in sunlight that can absorb all the light, which prevents plants from photosynthesizing."
"Our research has revealed a special material called Ω, which can be made into a special baffle that can filter out the extra light in sunlight, allowing the sunlight to return to normal!"
Cheng Zhen was confused, but Jiang Wan understood.
There is a type of light called "black light" in sunlight that absorbs all colors of light, much like a black hole absorbs everything. A light-blocking plate made of a special material called Ω can block this "black light"!
Therefore, the experiment was a success!
Jiang Wan then asked, "Have you finished making it? When can it be used on a large scale in Xiangcheng?"
"In principle, it's feasible, and it should be done soon... but this Ω material is extremely scarce, so I'm afraid we won't be able to make many light-blocking panels..."
"Besides, we're only responsible for research; production and use... have nothing to do with us..."
Jiang Wan and Cheng Zhen exchanged a glance, had no further questions, and released the two.
Jiang Wan's gaze swept over them all, then she said, "You'd better be telling the truth, or you'll be keeping the US army company!"
Can a person go crazy for no reason?
She'd have to be crazy to believe that!
The two left the Optical Research Institute and headed straight for the Silver City Private Room, but no one answered the door despite ringing the doorbell for a long time.
Have the US military gone mad? So they can't even open a door?
Mi Mang doesn't live here anymore?
Jiang Wan took out her phone, but Mi Jun's phone was switched off. She then found Sunflower's profile picture in the residents' group chat that she had set to "Do Not Disturb," clicked on it, and sent a private message:
"I'm Jiang Wan. Is your uncle home?"
It was already late at night. Logically speaking, in the oxygen-deficient post-apocalyptic world, people eat little and expend a lot of energy, and there's not much nightlife. They also have to worry about encountering mutated plants when they go out, so everyone goes to bed early.
Jiang Wan planned to wait two minutes, and if she didn't reply, she would just make a voice call.
But Mi Mang replied instantly: "Are you here to see my uncle too? Where are you?"
What does "also came looking for me" mean?
Besides them, who else would come looking for the US military?
Jiang Wan was puzzled, but her fingers deftly typed: "At your uncle's door."
"Wait a minute, I'll be right there!" Mi Mang replied instantly, and then there was no further response.
A few minutes later, the elevator rang, and Mi Mang rushed out in a hurry. Her face was flushed red, probably from running, and the thin air made it difficult for her to breathe. Her eyes were red, and she had obviously just had a good cry.
Cheng Zhen had a sharper eye than her and even noticed the scar that had inadvertently appeared on her wrist.
He concluded that she had recently been beaten or involved in a fight, because her hair was messy and her clothes were disheveled.
Jiang Wan waited patiently until she caught her breath before asking, "What happened? Where is your uncle?"
Mi Mang grabbed her arm and roared, "Quick! Go save my uncle!"
Jiang Wan was shocked. Her voice was completely hoarse. She had used all her strength to say this, but she could only make a little sound.
However, Jiang Wan heard this and helped her up, saying, "Tell me slowly, where is your uncle?"
"He's gone, he's disappeared! The people at the research institute said he went home, but he didn't! We don't know where he went!"
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