Qu Shi put down the manuscript in his hand and realized that Su Li was no longer there.
"When did he leave?" Qu Shi asked.
"They've already been gone for a few hours." Qi Yuan said.
"Did he say anything before he left?"
"He said that he had a friend who might come to the Iron Chariots. If someone comes to you with his name, he hopes that you'll take good care of him."
Qu Shi frowned slightly.
"Aren't all the people he called friends …"
Master Qu did not say the last few words, but Qi Yuan had already guessed the gist of it.
"He said that his friend's surname was Luo, and he was an old acquaintance of Qu Shi."
"Surname Luo?" Qu Shi was stunned for a moment, then he thought of a name.
"He's still alive?"
Qu Shi had already guessed who Su Li was talking about. Qi Yuan also thought of the old man who liked to drink in Black Stone Town.
Master Luo usually did not leave Black Stone Town. Why would Su Li make such an arrangement?
Was it better to be prepared?
Or did something happen in Black Stone Town?
Qi Yuan had some doubts. With Master Luo's personality, under normal circumstances, he would not leave Black Stone Town easily.
"You've decided to enter the Black Steel Shelter?" Qu Shi suddenly asked.
Qi Yuan nodded.
"With Feng Qian's methods, if I don't enter the shelter, I won't be able to get rid of him."
According to the usual habits of the check-in system, a check-in point would definitely appear in the Black Steel Shelter. He just did not know whether it would be a Tier 3 or Tier 4 check-in point.
Since he had to enter the shelter sooner or later, he might as well take advantage of this opportunity to build a good foundation. If he could find a few fighters with the strength of Su Li, he might not have to risk his life for the check-in points later.
Qu Shi pondered for a while and said hesitantly, "I've dealt with Tan Qiu before. Although it's all about technology, I can tell that she's not a cold person. You shouldn't be in danger in her lab."
In the new era, trust was a luxury. It was very difficult for ordinary people to build such trust. After being tricked by Feng Qian, Qu Shi knew that if he trusted someone wrongly, he would definitely pay a heavy price.
If Qi Yuan believed Tanqiu wrongly this time, the price he would pay would be his own life.
Anyone would find it hard to accept being forced to place a bet that required one's life.
"In two months, I should be able to enter God's Sanctuary, but I may not be able to enter Tanqiu's lab," Qi Yuan said.
Qu Shi was stunned.
With Feng Qian's strength and authority, if Qi Yuan didn't have Tanqiu's protection when he entered the Black Steel Shelter, he would almost certainly fall into Feng Qian's hands.
If he entered Tanqiu's lab, he might lose some things, but at least his safety would be guaranteed.
However, if Qi Yuan used Tanqiu's power to enter the Black Steel Shelter but refused to enter her lab, then Qi Yuan would have to face the evil intentions of two Level 4 researchers!
For a newcomer who had just entered the Black Steel Shelter, the evil intentions of two Level 4 researchers would definitely be a disaster!
"What are you going to do?" Qu Shi couldn't help but ask.
Although Qi Yuan's potential was limitless, his strength and background were still too weak. When he became a Level 4 ability user, he might be able to rely on his own strength to fight against two Level 4 researchers. However, for the current Qi Yuan, this was almost impossible.
A dark light flashed through Qi Yuan's eyes.
"I heard that the Sanctuary's recruitment exam is on the same day as the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory's recruitment exam!"
Qu Shi's eyes lit up.
"You want to rely on your own strength to enter the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory?"
He quickly realized that this was indeed a good way to fight against Feng Qian. The Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory's position in the Black Steel Shelter was rather special. The laboratory's manager was the only Level 5 researcher, Molin. At the same time, he was also a member of the Sanctuary's board of directors. Without Molin's permission, even the other board members couldn't interfere with the laboratory's matters.
Under Molin's management, the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory strictly prohibited internal conflicts. Otherwise, Tanqiu wouldn't have been able to be promoted to Level 4 researcher so smoothly. If Qi Yuan really could rely on his own strength to gain a foothold in the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory, then he could indeed fight against Feng Qian's black hand.
However, for a newcomer to gain a foothold in the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory, it was easier said than done.
According to the laboratory's rules, even if Qi Yuan really passed the exam and became an assistant researcher, it would be very difficult for him to keep his life at the hands of Feng Qian. In this situation, it would be better to stay in Tanqiu's lab.
According to the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory's rules, assistant researchers didn't have their own labs, and couldn't lead research projects independently. They could only rely on the labs of high-ranking researchers to accumulate experience and skills. Only when they were promoted to full researchers as assistants would they have their own labs and the right to apply for projects.
Only when they had their own labs and could lead research projects independently would they be noticed by Molin. Only then would Feng Qian be wary of them, and they would be able to gain a foothold in the laboratory.
"If Feng Qian can do it, why can't I?!" Qi Yuan said.
"It's not that simple!" Qu Shi shook his head.
"Although your talent in energy control is very strong, after all, you haven't gone through systematic training, and you haven't accumulated experience over a long period of time. If you want to enter the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory and become an assistant researcher, there's still some possibility. If you want to reach the sky in one step and become an official researcher, it's simply impossible."
"Feng Qian also stayed in my lab for a full five years before he finally found an opportunity in the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory."
"If you continue to stay in my lab for two more years, I'm confident that I can recommend you to the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory to become an official researcher. Two months is too short!"
"If I don't try, how do I know it won't work?" Qi Yuan smiled.
"If I really fail, it won't be too late for me to agree to Tanqiu's conditions!"
If he really couldn't win, then he would have to join!
Qu Shi looked at the manuscript on the table and seemed to think of something.
"Do you know how an assistant researcher becomes an official researcher in the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory, and how to complete the researcher rank promotion?"
"Examination, experiment results, I think it's about these things," Qi Yuan said.
"You're right." Qu Shi nodded.
"With your talent, if you train in seclusion for a few months, you do have a certain degree of confidence that you can pass the assistant researcher examination in the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory. However, to be an official researcher, you need experiment results. Without enough experiment results, unless Molin says so, no one can make you an official researcher."
Qi Yuan frowned slightly. In a short period of time, it was indeed difficult to come up with enough experiment results, unless the talent tree could help.
Every gray ball of light in the Talent Tree represented a magical ability. Every magical ability could be established as an independent research project. If it could be analyzed, it would definitely become an experimental result with sufficient weight.
Qu Shi picked up the manuscript on the table and said slowly, "Come with me."
Qi Yuan vaguely guessed something. Feng Qian was able to hide for many years and then steal Qu Shi's experiment results to soar to the sky. In addition to Tanqiu's attitude towards Qu Shi, it was enough to prove that Qu Shi's achievements in a certain field were not inferior to other researchers. He definitely had a lot of valuable research results. Could it be that Qu Shi wanted to use his research results to send into the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory?
Impossible!
Qu Shi wouldn't do that!
Qi Yuan quickly denied his own guess.
After Qu Shi was scammed by Feng Qian, he should hate this kind of academic fraud very much. He wouldn't make an exception for himself!
Qu Shi led Qi Yuan to his private laboratory. Qu Shi's important experiments were basically completed in this private laboratory. The public laboratory and the apprentices outside were only there to help with some simple tasks.
This was not only because Qu Shi didn't fully trust them, but also because their skills were not up to the standard to complete these experiments.
Qu Shi walked to the laboratory table and pressed a green button. A screen appeared.
He entered a long string of passwords on the screen and a robotic female voice sounded.
"Password correct. Please verify your iris information!"
Qu Shi stared straight ahead without moving. A green screen scanned his eyes.
"Iris information verification complete. Please select your experiment project."
A few independent numeric characters popped up on the screen. Qu Shi reached out and pressed the "0" character. Then the screen disappeared. The alloy laboratory table separated into two sides and a black box slowly rose from the bottom of the laboratory table.
Qu Shi took the black box down from the robotic arm and turned off the laboratory table's screen.
Qi Yuan frowned slightly. Through the area detection, he had already "seen" what was inside the box. It was similar to the Mechanical Armament he seized from Venom.
Qu Shi opened the box and took out a palm-sized black metal cube.
"This is?" Qi Yuan stared at the black metal cube in Qu Shi's hand.
Of course, this was not an ordinary piece of metal. Under the "observation" of the area detection, Qi Yuan saw that the interior of the metal cube was densely packed with pocket-sized parts and energy nodes that were as complex as stars.
Just based on the complexity of the design, this metal cube was far more complex than the Decapitator and Doomsday Striker. It was even more complex than the Mechanical Armament he seized from Venom.
"This is a Mechanical Armament I once designed: Berserker!"
"Mechanical Armament: Berserker?"
Qi Yuan was slightly stunned. He was no longer that little newbie who knew nothing about Mechanical Armaments. The name Berserker was not unknown. This was a Mechanical Armament that once had a period of glory in the Black Steel Shelter.
As a mechanical equipment that could be used by ability users below rank 4, the Berserker, because of its powerful attack capabilities, was once designated as the standard equipment for ability users of rank 3 by the Desolate Exploration Department. Even now, there were still rank 3 members of the Desolate Exploration Department who used the Berserker as their combat mechanical equipment.
However, the information that spread out from the shelter showed that Berserker was the result of a biological and mechanical laboratory!
Thinking about the melon he just ate, Qi Yuan suddenly understood. The researcher who came up with the Berserker Mechanical Armament must be Feng Qian!
It was he who stole Qu Shi's research results and used it as a springboard to become famous. Until now, he had become a level 4 researcher.
"Has this Berserker been completed?" Qi Yuan asked.
Qu Shi sighed and shook his head: "No!"
"The components of the Mechanical Armament are not that simple. Without the help of the corresponding equipment, with my current strength, there is no way I can complete its construction by myself."
"Before Feng Qian left, he destroyed the only supercomputer in the laboratory and its core calculation matrix. Without the help of the supercomputer, a normal computer would need at least 200 years to calculate the data I need."
"Why not buy another one?" Qi Yuan asked.
In the new era, supercomputers were no longer rare things. They were only restricted by the shelter.
However, the shelter's restrictions were not as strict as imagined. If the restricted Mechanical Armament could flow out, then naturally supercomputers could as well. Since Qu Shi could make the first one, it shouldn't be difficult to get a second one. Not to mention, Qu Shi had a few acquaintances in the biological and mechanical laboratory.
"It's not that simple." Qu Shi shook his head.
"After all, the supercomputer is a controlled item. If no one is watching, I can still get it through other channels. But now that Feng Qian is watching, no one is willing to offend an official researcher for me."
Qi Yuan understood. This kind of thing could not be done in public. Once someone was watching, Qu Shi would not be able to change anything.
Taking drastic measures!
This Feng Qian's methods were indeed ruthless!
Using only one supercomputer, he completely blocked Qu Shi's final chance of making a comeback.
However, what surprised Qi Yuan was that with Feng Qian's current strength and authority, he could have easily gotten rid of Qu Shi. The difficulty would not have been higher than getting rid of a homeless person. However, he did not do so. Qu Shi was still living peacefully in the Iron Chariots.
With Feng Qian's various methods, this was completely illogical. Getting rid of the source of trouble was the best choice.
Is it because of Ling You?
Or because of Tanqiu?
Or is it because of other people that I don't know?
Qu Shi walked to the corner of the room. On the test bench there was the supercomputer that could not be activated. Without it, unless it was a Mechanic who had built a third order computing center, no one could complete the huge amount of data required to build the Mechanical Armament.
"Can it be fixed?" Qi Yuan asked.
The smuggling route of the supercomputer had been blocked by Feng Qian, but the repair route was not blocked. If it could be fixed, many problems could be solved.
"The people who have the ability to fix it are all in the Black Steel Shelter!" Qu Shi said calmly.
As an official researcher, Feng Qian had a certain status in the Biological and Mechanical Research Laboratory. He only needed to secretly do something to stop the repairmen from repairing the supercomputer.
Qi Yuan used the area detection to carefully observe the supercomputer. Although its internal structure was not as complicated as the Mechanical Armament, Qi Yuan still felt that his head was a little swollen.
Fortunately, he had the experience of restoring the Energy Tesseract before, so he quickly got used to it.
However, as the inspection went deeper, Qi Yuan could not help but open his mouth slightly.
What am I seeing!
In the core of the supercomputer, above the damaged energy matrix, why is there a sign-in beam?
It was very small, and its light was dim. However, Qi Yuan was sure that it was a sign-in beam, a miniature version of the sign-in beam!
Is this the sign-in beam that I sensed in the Iron Chariots before, but I could not pinpoint its location?
Is the sign-in point smart enough to play hide and seek with me?