Luo Chuan and Li Ming exchanged glances, then Luo Chuan said indifferently, "Do as you please."
The people from the Secret Council left with the vehicle, Meng Wankui also hurriedly bid farewell, not wanting to stay there any longer.
"Ding Hui mentioned you did quite well, come visit me when you have time," Professor Xia told Li Ming, while the others, especially Professor Bai, didn’t say much.
They appeared, largely, not for Wu Yanqing’s sake.
After seeing them off, Luo Chuan soothed everyone in the lab and sent them back to their respective places before taking Li Ming to his office.
"You really are decisive," Luo Chuan said with a smile that was not quite a smile, pouring a cup of plain water for Li Ming.
Li Ming was not surprised, his actions could not be concealed from the sharp individuals present.
But what did that matter? This was an overt plot, its establishment was predicated on proving that Wang Yan intended to make the first move against Li Ming, as the already triggered internal defense mechanism would prove, but for some reason, he was the one who ended up killed instead.
That was sufficient for everyone to know.
This matter could not be investigated openly, either they grit their teeth and accept Li Ming’s explanation, which would then retain some dignity.
Or they would have to explain why Wang Yan made his move, and with Wang Yan dead, no one could be certain whether he intended to intimidate Li Ming or to kill him.
Li Ming still held the vehicle surveillance footage; if push came to shove, he could throw it out there, investigating thoroughly.
Of course, the support from the University of Science and Technology was also a crucial factor.
"What did he want to do?" Luo Chuan continued to ask.
"To recruit me..." Li Ming shrugged. "I didn’t agree, so he wanted to make a move."
Li Ming didn’t mention the matter of blood taking.
"Ha... Fu Zongchen..." Luo Chuan let out a sneer, "losing more than what one tries to gain. I want to see what face he has to continue jumping around."
"How come this guy helped the Sela Civilization go against Teacher? Isn’t this an act of betrayal?" Li Ming asked, puzzled. "Don’t the other high-level individuals of Blue Star care?"
"Right, but also wrong," Luo Chuan shook his head. "Fu Zongchen wasn’t opposing Teacher for the Sela Civilization, but for Prince Bai Jiang from Yitelan."
"Sain is the same, they are acting under the momentum of the Sela. Fu Zongchen is just one of their forerunners on Blue Star."
Prince Bai Jiang... Li Ming suddenly understood, that seemed to be the powerful figure Fu Zongchen was clinging to.
These affairs were complicated, with various plots intertwined, everyone sought to gain their own benefits from them.
"So, can we kill this... Fu Zongchen?" Li Ming tentatively asked.
Luo Chuan was taken aback by the question and then looked at him in amazement. This little junior brother of his was even more rash than he was; killing Wang Yan wasn’t enough, now mulling over Fu Zongchen.
He shook his head and explained, "Some people can be killed, like Bian Jiyun. Before making a move, I had colluded with people from his family clan, someone would replace him, and there’d be no subsequent troubles."
"But Fu Zongchen is different, killing Fu Zongchen would give Prince Bai Jiang a chance to intervene unless it could be done without leaving any trace."
He was unable to accomplish this. Seeing Li Ming silent, Luo Chuan comforted him, "You don’t need to worry too much, these people must play within the rules, Teacher is not afraid."
Li Ming nodded and left Luo Chuan’s place, returning to his own room.
Li Ming took out his smart terminal, logged into the Black Hole Network, and contacted the cripple—"Limp Uncle, still alive?"
The cripple quickly responded, "Alive!"
"Want to take down Fu Zongchen?" Li Ming sent the message.
There was no response for a long while, and Li Ming thought the cripple had gotten busy.
Just as he was about to close the page, he noticed the cripple had sent him a message—
"Can you kill him, or is it Professor Wu’s idea?"
"Limp Uncle, always so composed," Li Ming remarked, replying, "Teacher seems busy with something lately, this is my own idea."
The cripple, location unknown, had bloodshot eyes and trembling arms, intently staring at the virtual screen before him.
Upon seeing Li Ming’s reply, his expression tensed, seeming somewhat disappointed, and then he let out a slow breath.
"Fu Zongchen is not only a Life Form of Class C but also holds a high position with substantial power, how do you plan to kill him?"
"Do you believe in me?" The cripple stared at this message, fell into a long silence, typed two characters, then deleted them.
Li Ming couldn’t help but nod, as expected, and then sent over a link.
The cripple raised an eyebrow, opened it, and gradually his expression turned to shock. It was a link to a custom black bullet called "Night Pursuer," worth seven million Star Coins.
"You’re planning on sniping him?" The cripple found it unbelievable.
"Where are you going to get a sniper rifle that can fire these bullets? Your dad’s old gun can’t withstand that sort of abuse."
"Moreover, with such a heavy-duty weapon, how are you going to roam around Jingnan Star with it? He won’t give you the chance to snipe him."
"Even if you meet all the stringent conditions above, if you do kill him, how will you escape? Are you trading yourself for him?"
"Or do you plan to become a fugitive? In Wu Yanqing’s situation, can he still protect you?"
The cripple sent a series of questions, and Li Ming’s reply was simple—
"That brings us back to the original question, do you believe in me?"
"I don’t have much money in the Black Hole Network, help me buy the bullet."
The cripple said, "I don’t have money either."
"Limp Uncle, if he were your own enemy, I wouldn’t ask for anything, but he’s hunting the Xianglong, you should have contact with other hunted individuals, right?"
"Not one person, but crowdfunding shouldn’t be a problem? Seven million, a fair price for quality."
Every time he saw such words from Li Ming, the cripple felt a desire to refuse and yet was tempted by the devil, secretly grinding his teeth.
"I have indeed been contacting other Xianglong members lately," the cripple didn’t respond immediately, "the number confirmed to be still alive is less than two hundred."