Chapter 51
Recently, a piece of gossip has been spreading rapidly on the campus wall of Jinghai University: a student from the School of Life Sciences mysteriously disappeared on the way from the laboratory building to the dormitory late at night after leaving the laboratory building.
The dormitory buildings in that area were newly built, and the streetlights on the path in front of the buildings hadn't even been repaired, so there were naturally no security cameras.
The two buildings are less than a kilometer apart, a five-minute walk. A grown man just vanished so mysteriously, and the students on campus were filled with fear. No one dared to go back to their dormitories late at night anymore.
"So, is this true or false?"
“It’s true. I heard from a senior that the missing student’s surname is Liu and he works under Professor X.”
"Could it be that he was exploited too much and couldn't take it anymore, so he found a place to commit suicide? Doesn't this happen often?"
"Didn't you see that there have been several people coming and going on that path recently? They're obviously not students, they're probably plainclothes police officers or something."
"Could it be contamination..."
Lin Mo sat in front of the computer, his eyes on the game screen, but his attention was actually on his roommate's words. The anger he felt at the time had faded, leaving only panic.
Even if a coward possesses great power, he cannot change his nature.
"Hey, Sixth Brother," he couldn't help but shudder when he heard his roommate's voice, but luckily the other person didn't notice. "There's a lecture today, are you going? It seems like an executive from the Operations Department is going to explain some basic knowledge about pollution."
"Really?" The third brother's eyes lit up. Teenagers still have a bit of a hero complex. They had only ever seen people like this fighting against pollutants on the front lines in movies and games before. They never thought they could meet them in real life.
"Really, and it won't hurt to listen." The eldest brother put down his phone.
Lin Mo didn't want to go at first, but his roommates persuaded him to go to the lecture hall. He was actually curious about this part, and now he had a contaminant on him and lived in fear all the time.
The lecture hall was already packed with students, a sea of black faces. Everyone was in a state of panic about the pollution, fearing it because of the unknown.
When Lin Mo and his group arrived, the place was already full, with only a few seats left in the first and second rows.
"This is way too far forward," my roommate muttered under his breath.
Lin Mo didn't feel anything. He had good grades and used to sit in the front row to listen to lectures. He had become familiar with several of his professors, so even though Lin Mo was quiet and not good at socializing, the professors were still willing to take him on some projects.
He glanced around and saw several professors in the middle of the row, with only one seat left on the far right of the first row.
He sat down quietly. Next to him was a young man, probably a student, handsome and fair-skinned, with a tall and straight figure—the kind of guy who would be very popular with girls.
Xiao Shengyun originally wanted to take the opportunity of the lecture to investigate Jinghai University, but he didn't expect to have a clue before he even started. The aura of the young man next to him was too obvious. It was as perfect as a pillow when you're sleepy.
"Hey, I saw that your bags say 'School of Life Sciences.' Have you heard about the recent rumors about the school?" Xiao Shengyun thought for a moment and decided to use gossip as a way to strike up a conversation.
The third brother received this backpack as a gift when he participated in a college event. It's sturdy and durable, so he's been carrying it ever since.
"Then you've come to the right person. According to my senior at the academy..." the third brother shared enthusiastically.
When you have inside information that others don't, your gossip instincts kick in instantly, and since the lecture's topic was about pollution, there was nothing you couldn't say.
Xiao Shengyun simply picked a topic that wouldn't seem out of place; his main purpose was to get closer to this student who was carrying out the "polluting" activities.
He took a form from the table: "You need to sign in for the lecture. Please sign your names and pass it to the back."
It's common for university lectures to be signed and credited, so this wasn't unusual. Several people signed their names.
Lin Mo.
Xiao Shengyun's eyes flickered.
Ringing—
The lecture was about to begin.
"Hey student, the bell's already rung. Where are you going?"
The roommates looked bewildered as their classmate, who had just finished gossiping with a few others, walked onto the stage.
"No, is he the executor from the operations department?"
"They look so young, they can't be much older than us!"
"I think I just complained to him a bit, now I'm doomed." The fifth brother looked completely devastated.
"Hello everyone, a month ago, news about pollution was first reported to the general public. Because people had no understanding of pollution, most of them were afraid. So this lecture will mainly explain some basic knowledge about pollution, and what measures ordinary people can take when facing pollution..."
The fear in the students' eyes gradually disappeared, turning into curiosity.
Pollution has existed for decades, and the government has been able to protect its citizens so thoroughly that the pollution is not as terrible as imagined.
"The main pollutant is the source substance. Just as all known organisms are composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, etc., the source substance is currently the most abundant substance in pollutants known to humankind. In addition to the source substance, there are also substances such as fibrous tissue and ash. Just like our ancestors explored the world hundreds of years ago, this is a new challenge that the world has given us..."
The young man's clear and bright voice echoed in the lecture hall, and the students were quickly drawn to it.
Although the "lecture" was not the main purpose, he still prepared carefully before coming, and the second half of the content was mainly about the weaknesses of pollutants and how to deal with them.
"There is now a way to completely eliminate pollution, as I believe everyone knows. A month ago, a cult infected the city's residents with pollutants. Fortunately, Director Zhou Zhi of the Life Research Institute developed the fourth-generation antagonist in time. Although this antagonist can only eliminate pollution caused by plant pollutants at present, our predecessors have already opened up a complete research and development route. I believe that antagonists for other pollutants will be developed soon."
"We are facing a world that is both knowable and unknown. Human wisdom and indomitable will will lead us toward tomorrow!"
The lecture concluded successfully, and afterwards, Xiao Shengyun answered some questions from the students.
"Teacher, there was a recent disappearance at our university. I'd like to ask if it's related to pollution."
Upon hearing this, two people's expressions changed instantly: the principal who was not far away and Lin Mo.
"Don't worry, if we find any clues related to the pollution, the Operations Department will send people over."
After the lecture, Xiao Shengyun went to the principal's office. This investigation had been arranged in advance with the school.
The principal's back was already soaked with sweat. He could have kept it a secret if it were just the disappearance, but he received a call from the operations department early this morning saying that there was a pollution-related organization's base in the school. He was immediately jolted awake.
He denied colluding with polluting organizations, but he did plenty of things like accepting bribes and lining his own pockets.
The call came suddenly, but fortunately the action department only sent a young man. The principal just wanted to get rid of this troublesome person first and then clean up the evidence in the accounts.
"What's the story behind the student's disappearance?" Xiao Shengyun hadn't expected such an unexpected discovery during his trip.
"It's just that a student hasn't been to the lab for a few days, but this kind of thing is common. Nowadays, kids don't check their text messages or answer their phones. They get tired of class and just decide to go out and wander around for a few days. We were thinking that if we didn't hear anything in a few days, we would file a case with the police." The principal was sweating profusely.
Xiao Shengyun nodded, and a connection gradually formed in his mind.
The True Knowledge Society's hidden stronghold, Lin Mo carrying the contamination, the missing students...
"Could I please look at the student's file?"
The principal was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, paused for a moment, and then said with a forced smile, "The Information Department is in another building. I have some things to attend to here. I'll have Director Ren take you there in a bit."
Xiao Shengyun waited in the reception room for a while before the person arrived. After talking with him, he learned that this Director Ren was not from the Information Department, but the head of a research institute outside the school.
Moreover, he appears to be a close confidant of the principal.
Jinghai University is considered a prestigious university. There are some small research institutes and laboratories around the school. In addition, some graduates have also set up companies nearby, relying on the reputation and technological development of their alma mater.
There were people inside the information department. After Xiao Shengyun went in, the office door slowly closed.
Ren Jian walked to a secluded spot, and the principal's voice came through the phone: "Is he sure he's here to investigate a case and not to check the accounts?"
Not long ago, the principal made a fortune by taking advantage of the newly built dormitory building, and the money is still in his account.
When the laboratory and research institute were being built, the technology company where Ren Jian worked took the initiative to cooperate with Jinghai University. Over the next few years, the university president benefited a lot from this, and he trusted this "comrade-in-arms" quite a bit.
"Don't worry, you can get the accounts sorted out as soon as possible."
"Alright! Alright! Then this kid is in your hands." The principal breathed a sigh of relief.
Ren Jian leaned against the wall, looked up at the distant sky, and a shadow crossed his eyes.
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