After more than half an hour, Chen Yan finally came out with a pale face. Not only that, her clothes were torn, her hair was wet and dripping, and she walked unsteadily.
The laboratory was full of surveillance probes, and the incident spread throughout the lab the next day.
As for Chen Yan, she hadn’t appeared before him in the past few days, probably because she was scared off by him last time.
After getting ready, he and Luo Chuan left for Fu Zongchen’s private villa. The party was to be held there, with far fewer people attending.
The inauguration ceremony was an official affair, but the party was not.
"Fu Zongchen really stole the spotlight this time. Prince Bai Jiang specially sent over the combat armor he wore when he was young as a congratulatory gift," Luo Chuan said disdainfully in the car. The more triumphant Fu Zongchen seemed, the more disgusted Luo Chuan felt.
"Combat armor he wore?" Li Ming, who had been lost in thought, suddenly became interested.
"Yep, it’s caused quite a stir." Luo Chuan had no interest in discussing the armor further, his words filled with resentment: "The teacher is the real hero who resolved the issue, yet all the officials are busy kissing Fu Zongchen’s feet."
Luo Chuan cursed a few times in succession, venting his frustration. He knew, of course, that many were merely wary of Prince Bai Jiang.
Even Wu Yanqing’s return was likely to lead to a peaceful coexistence with Fu Zongchen instead of confrontation.
Seeing how emotional Luo Chuan was, Li Ming didn’t continue the topic.
A couple of hours later, they reached their destination.
In front of Fu Zongchen’s private villa, all sorts of floating vehicles had already filled the parking spaces. Numerous staff members were bustling about, and city guards were even responsible for the periphery security.
At the entrance, there were various detection devices to prevent troublemakers or anyone attempting to bring in destructive items.
When he and Luo Chuan got out of the car, they attracted quite a few glances and hushed whispers.
The detection machine lit up with a red light, drawing many onlookers’ attention, right at the center of which stood Li Ming.
He pulled a metal box from his chest, opened it to reveal a row of cigars, and even smiled as he offered one to the security personnel standing by.
The security officer in charge of the check certainly didn’t dare to accept it, repeatedly waving his hands in refusal.
It wasn’t just Li Ming who carried metal items; Luo Chuan had one too—a pocket watch—and he seemed impatient.
The security staff didn’t dare to delay them and quickly let them in.
"This kind of banquet is nothing but talking to people with complements and talking to ghosts with lies, utterly boring," Luo Chuan muttered as they entered the hall, surveying the surroundings.
Fu Zongchen liked wooden décor, and the place was decorated in a classic style, with wooden structures all around.
This must be Fu Zongchen’s stronghold, Li Ming wondered, whether there were any safes or the like here.
"Luo Chuan?" A somewhat hesitant voice called out. When Luo Chuan turned his head, his face was all smiles.
"Oh, it’s Minister Yang."
Luo Chuan talked with the other party, clinking glasses in a harmonious fashion.
"Hey..." Qi Xing, who saw Li Ming from afar, also came over. He had come with his father—the head of the Blue Star Central Intelligence Department.
Not just him, Roth was there too. The three of them, all bored, gathered together and found a corner to sit down.
"I thought you wouldn’t come." Qi Xing seemed surprised. "After all, Commissioner Fu was quite unfriendly to Professor Wu a while ago."
"It’s just political squabbling," Roth shook his head, looking quite experienced: "After all, he’s Prince Bai Jiang’s man. You can’t just snub him. To keep on fighting is a waste of energy, better to shake hands and make peace."
"Yeah, and he became a candidate before fifty. He might well become the chair of the committee," Qi Xing said resignedly: "Blue Star is in danger."
"He can’t become the chair of the committee," Roth stated unequivocally: "Blue Star won’t let a person with an alien civilization background become its leader."
"Don’t be so sure," Qi Xing scoffed. "What if he really gets the position?"
Roth shook his head and didn’t argue further.
"I heard that Prince Bai Jiang sent a congratulatory gift as well?" Li Ming asked with keen interest.
"Indeed," Roth nodded: "It’s the combat armor he wore when he was younger. It shows how much he values him."
"Many here decided to come after hearing about it," Qi Xing spread his hands: "So, Prince Bai Jiang will surely spare no effort to push him to the chair of the committee."
Li Ming pondered for a moment, chatting with the two. Qi Xing curiously asked about his development progress, to which Li Ming casually replied, "I’m about to integrate the C-level gene seed."
He initially thought Qi Xing would burst into laughter, but to his surprise, the guy looked at him with a face full of shock.
"You really believed that?" Li Ming was at a loss for words, while Roth chuckled lightly.
After more than ten minutes had passed, more and more people filled the hall. Their voices were low yet noisy, all of them laced with laughter as if they were on very good terms.
"Ladies and gentlemen." A clear voice drew everyone’s attention, and they saw Fu Zongchen, dressed in a suit, descending the stairs with a light smile. His gaze swept over Li Ming and Luo Chuan, and his smile deepened.
"Welcome, everyone..."
Fu Zongchen’s inauguration speech had already concluded in the morning; now, it was just a celebration.
He spoke a few inconsequential words, and the audience laughed in agreement, until someone said, "Commissioner Fu, I heard that the Prince Bai Jiang sent over a Combat Mecha, could you let us worship it too?"
That was obviously one of Fu Zongchen’s bootlickers.
Fu Zongchen waved his hands repeatedly, looking embarrassed, until, after the persistent coaxing from the other party, he reluctantly agreed.
"However, let me make it clear first, this is not about worship but observation. Prince Bai Jiang is also a very amicable person, and he wouldn’t like such a term." He emphasized repeatedly with a humble expression, while Luo Chuan looked on disdainfully from the sidelines.
Fu Zongchen raised his hand, and from the second-floor position, a heavy armored chamber flew over with bright blue flames shooting out from its four corners. It slowly descended to the center of the hall.
Although many people sneered at Fu Zongchen’s words in their hearts, they also gathered around at this moment.
Fu Zongchen walked forward, placed his palm on the surface, and then white smoke spewed out from around the armored chamber. Accompanied by the sound of machinery operating, it slowly opened from the center.
A light purple, all-metal armor appeared in front of everyone, intricate and streamlined in structure, standing close to two meters tall.
The most eye-catching features were the sharp, distinct helmet and the raised thrusters at the back, with the metallic blades of the turbine engines glittering brightly.
This thing could fly!
"Taipo—this is what Prince Bai Jiang wore when he served in the Yitelan Terland Assault Troop," said Fu Zongchen with a serious expression:
"Originally, he concealed his identity as a royal family member, started from a simple soldier, and through his merits, became a member of Terland."
"With it, Prince Bai Jiang established his illustrious military achievements, killing more than one C-class Life Form."
The crowd gathered around, all looking impressed, yet inwardly they laughed scornfully, thinking he took them for fools.
Was the intelligence system of the Yitelan Civilization just for show that it would allow a royal member to join the army under a pseudonym?
"Is Li Ming here?" Fu Zongchen asked, suddenly looking around.
Luo Chuan’s eyes flashed with a cold light.
"I’m here." A voice rang out, and the crowd opened a path, their looks varied.
"I hear you have a deep obsession with such mechanical creations and even Professor Xia sings your praises, saying your craftsmanship is very high." He continued, with a smile still on his face:
"What do you think about this Combat Mecha, the advanced forging technology of the Yitelan Civilization is quite rare to see on ordinary days."
The surroundings grew increasingly quiet, as everyone watched with interest.
They could naturally tell that Fu Zongchen was offering an olive branch to Li Ming, and by extension to Wu Yanqing.
But this olive branch also came with a hint of pressure—
Even if Wu Yanqing was formidable, the Prince Bai Jiang behind me could also keep him in line.
"Indeed rare to see." Li Ming walked up directly, expressing admiration: "Truly worthy of an advanced Mecha from the Yitelan Civilization."
His palm swept over—[T-11 type Taipo Combat Mecha—C class: The standard Combat Mecha of a certain ace assault troop of the Yitelan.]
Control Conditions: One hundred thousand metal energy
Control Effect: Solid as a rock
Control Ability—Propulsion Engine: Charge for five seconds, capable of flight off the ground.]
One hundred thousand points of metal energy, Li Ming’s expression subtly changed.
Breaking free from the gravitation of the Earth’s surface was basically an ability only B-class Life Forms possessed; some gene seed B-class Life Forms with weaker abilities couldn’t do it.
As for the control effect, Li Ming had never seen it before; what did ’solid as a rock’ mean?
The crowd around cast strange glances, not expecting that a young man with a sudden rise in fame could suppress his pride.
Many nodded secretly to themselves.
Listening to Li Ming’s praise, Fu Zongchen’s smile grew even thicker.