Chapter 1381: Thesis

Chen Ling suddenly realized a very serious problem.

If Ji Xuan at Shennongjia was Monarch Xuanyu who had traveled back from the future, then it must have also been Monarch Xuanyu who received the power of the Red Star with them... This means that Ji Xuan, who was supposed to obtain the Red Star's power in this era, never went to Shennongjia at all!

No... that's not right. If that were the case, wouldn't it mean that Lou Yu, who originally belonged to this era, also didn't go to Shennongjia?

Wouldn't that change history??

If Ji Xuan and Lou Yu, who were meant to receive the Red Star's power, were replaced by Monarch Xuanyu and Monarch Wuji, who shouldn't have been in this era, wouldn't the Nine Monarchs be reduced to merely Seven Monarchs?

If so, would Monarch Xuanyu and Monarch Wuji even exist in the future?

"How could this be... Isn't this a paradox?" Chen Ling murmured to himself.

"What's wrong, Director Chen?" Yang Xiao covered his phone's microphone and whispered, "Should I still tell Dr. Ji?"

"...Yes, tell him to come over too."

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Ling gave his answer.

Regardless, he would first make arrangements according to the original configuration of the Nine Monarchs; other matters could be discussed later... As for Monarch Xuanyu, Chen Ling currently had no way to contact him and could only hope he would act on his own initiative.

Next, Yang Xiao made separate calls to the others.

After some hesitation, they all gave Yang Xiao affirmative replies. After all, they had all experienced various incidents recently, and gathering to communicate would undoubtedly bring them much peace of mind.

However, Chu Changqing's call still didn't go through... He was likely still in the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest, unable to return to Earth.

"Director Chen, when I contacted them just now, it seemed the authorities were with them... After they heard, they said they would send people to protect us," Yang Xiao said, hanging up the phone with a hint of helplessness.

"That's normal," Chen Ling nodded slightly. "They already know your strategic value, and with the current global tensions, they'll prioritize your safety... It's already quite good that they aren't forcing you to go to the capital for a meeting."

Yang Xiao had single-handedly annihilated the Seventh Fleet just moments ago; they must have seen it. Their request wasn't because Yang Xiao and the others genuinely needed protection, but rather because if they couldn't constantly track their whereabouts, the authorities would become uneasy.

As soon as Yang Xiao hung up, he saw a ship approaching directly from the direction of the mainland, its lights flashing rhythmically as if sending some kind of signal.

"They're here to pick us up." Yang Xiao then remembered he was still blocking communication signals in this sea area and immediately waved his hand to release the block.

As the ship slowly approached, Chen Ling pondered for a moment, then slowly retreated towards the railing:

"No, they're here to pick you up."

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

"No... In their eyes, I'm not a positive figure right now. If I stand with you, it would only cause trouble." Chen Ling's dark face showed a slight smile.

"But I'll follow you discreetly... We'll meet again at Shennongjia."

With that, the large red opera robe opened its arms, and he leaned back, falling into the vast ocean and disappearing without a trace.

Yang Xiao watched this scene, unable to even utter the words he wanted to say to persuade him. When he turned his head again, the ship had already reached his vicinity.

Several figures stood by the ship's edge, looking at Yang Xiao, who stood alone on the American destroyer, with solemn respect.

"Lou Yu!"

A commanding voice came from behind him. The frail young man, who had just reached the cafeteria entrance, trembled slightly.

He subconsciously turned around, bowing deeply to the old man with a black leather bag slung over his waist. The old, oversized black-rimmed glasses on his nose slid down, almost falling to the floor.

Lou Yu immediately steadied his glasses with his hand, lowered his head, and softly called out:

"...Dean."

"Lou Yu, what's wrong with you?" The Dean frowned deeply. "It's been so long, why hasn't there been any progress on the project I gave you last time? Do you have any idea how much research funding the CEO of 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 soon, forget about receiving the final payment; we might even have to return the research funding we've already received... Do you want everyone in our institute to starve?"

"I am truly sorry, Dean." Lou Yu bowed even lower. "The ultra-low-cost paint material they want is simply too difficult to develop... I've tried many approaches, but none meet the national environmental standards..."

"Didn't I tell you? Environmental standards aren't the issue... Golden Mantis has its own connections. As long as you can lower the cost, everything else can be resolved."

"But Dean..."

"Alright, I'll give you three more days. If you don't develop it within three days, I'll hand this project over to someone else... And your subsidy for this year? Forget about it."

The old man waved his hand, about to leave, then suddenly seemed to remember something and turned back:

"Oh, by the way, I read your last paper on new aerospace materials; it was quite good. I have a nephew who just transferred to our institute recently, and I plan to have him join your research group... There's no problem with him being the first author on your paper, right?"

Lou Yu was stunned. "Dean, then what about me...?"

"I know you did a lot of the material organization for this paper, but you also know it's hard to publish papers these days. It's not just about how well you write; the line between good and bad is whether it will impress people... My nephew just transferred here, and he needs one more achievement to pass this year's assessment. Help him out.

You're still young; you'll have plenty of opportunities. For now, just be the second author; there's always room for improvement in the future!"

The Dean patted Lou Yu's shoulder, offering an encouraging smile typical of an elder, then turned and walked out of the institute, clutching his leather bag.

Lou Yu remained silent for a long time, finally sighing deeply and shaking his head as he walked into the cafeteria...

"Auntie, can I have a serving of hot and sour shredded potatoes?"

"Little Lou, won't you have a meat dish?" the serving auntie asked kindly when she saw him.

"No, Auntie Xu, it's the end of the month, and my allowance is almost used up." Lou Yu adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and smiled somewhat shyly.

"You, child... you're always cooped up in the lab, using your brain so much, but hardly eating. Look how thin you've become!" As she spoke, the auntie, seeing no one around, secretly scooped a large spoonful of braised eggplant with pork onto Lou Yu's tray. "This one's on the house, alright?"

"Thank you, Auntie Xu." Lou Yu looked at the generous portion of food on his plate, his eyes filled with gratitude.

After that, he served himself a bowl of winter melon soup, grabbed a small packet of free pickled mustard greens, and walked towards a seat in the cafeteria.