Personal achievement task was roughly equivalent to the player’s optional side quest. Tang Xiao glanced at it and knew it was roughly to encourage the player to work hard to climb the scientific research route in the Third Eye. So, the next task was a request to make an outstanding presentation at the achievement conference.
Finally, rewards would be given according to the task evaluation standards.
Tang Xiao just glanced at it and temporarily suppressed it. Everyone else left and only Bader and Tang Xiao were left in the room.
“Sorry. I didn’t expect him to go so fat.” Bader said to Tang Xiao, “You’ve worked hard these days.”
Tang Xiao shook his head in silence.
“You won’t encounter this kind of thing in the future. You can experiment here with peace of mind.” Bader walked up to Tang Xiao and patted him on the shoulder, full of hints. “After the one-month probationary period, there will be a qualification for a mentor pairing selection. If you choose me, I won’t refuse.”
Mentor pairing selection.
Lodge also told him that there were a few fixed opportunities every year. The experimenters working in the organization could submit their resumes and thesis to attract the attention of more senior scholars, and then enter the laboratory. The closer relationship was to accept closed disciples. It was similar to studying for a PhD.
Tang Xiao said, “Mr. Bader, in fact, I still haven’t said one thing at the group meeting. I think there may be more possibilities in 428. Have you ever thought about….”
Before Tang Xiao could finish his sentence, he saw Bader raise his palm. “You don’t need to say it.”
He was impatient. “You newcomers who just joined the lab may not know this project has failed. There is no other possibility. 428 does not have the potential we expect, and the organization will dispose of it soon.”
“But,” Tang Xiao was about to say something but was interrupted by Bader. “Tang. I hope you’re a smart person.”
His meaning was clear enough. The matter of disposing of 428 could no longer be discussed.
Under the pressure of Bader’s gaze, Tang Xiao sighed. “I know.”
“Focus more on the current topic. This achievement conference is the best stage for you newcomers to show your talents. Don’t waste your minds on superfluous things.”
“Okay.”
Tang Xiao didn’t say anything more, closed the door to leave the place.
As soon as Tang Xiao came out, he saw Lodge waiting at the door. They didn’t talk by the door but tacitly found a place where no one was around.
As soon as he stopped and confirmed that no one was around, Lodge couldn’t wait to say, “Today’s performance is really wonderful. No wonder you didn’t ask for my information last night, you’ve already calculated the process of our experiments. It’s amazing!”
Tang Xiao: … No, he just read the archive.
“By the way, did Bader say anything after telling you to stay behind?”
“En. He told me about the mentor pairing selection…”
Lodge was stunned for a moment and didn’t even wait for him to finish before interrupting anxiously, “Did you agree?”
“Not yet. I’m still thinking about it.” Tang Xiao said and also noticed that Lodge’s mood was a bit off. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Do you remember what I said earlier about Bader being no longer trusted by the above?”
“En. What does that mean?”
“Actually…” Lodge was a little hesitant to say this, looked around and gritted his teeth. “Well, actually it’s not something that can’t be said. Many people know that the project with 428 as the research object at the beginning was a fifth-level project. It was very valued by the above and a lot of resources were poured into it.”
The classification of scholars in Third EYe was simple and crude. The project and scholar levels were divided into levels 1 to 5—— Correspondingly, only level 5 scholars could lead level 5 projects. Level 5 scholars were roughly equivalent to academicians, but this level was not lifelong. It might fall off if there was academic misconduct or if they didn’t produce achievements again for a long time or something like that.
“But no results?”
“...No. Actually, it came out halfway through,” Lodge laughed bitterly. “But it might be as good as not. Do you know how excited the higher-ups were when they thought that 428 really had an impact on another mushroom? A lot of people saw 428 as hope, the future. During that time, Third Eye really had high hopes for Bader’s project. Any resource application could be approved quickly, but… It was data that couldn’t be reproduced.”
As a biologist, Tang Xiao understood immediately. “Fake?”
“Ahem, keep your voice down. Don’t be heard,” Lodge lowered his voice, “In short, Bader’s academic career nearly suffered a devastating blow, which is why he desperately wanted to make achievements to keep himself from dropping out of the level. Anyway, the resources of this project were ‘exceeded’, which at that time caused a lot of scholars to be dissatisfied. The problem is very complicated. If he wants to take you to do experiments, you can, but don’t easily agree to him to be his disciple…”
“I know. Don’t worry. I’m not going to say yes to Bader in the first place.”
He wasn’t prepared to restart the project, but Tang Xiao wanted to complete the main task. So, both of them had a natural contradiction.
Moreover, did the other party really know nothing about what Babbitt was doing in the lab?
Tang Xiao thought about how to push the main task. “Must the level 5 project 428 be disposed of? How about the level 4 project?”
Lodge opened his mouth. “...Why are you so obsessed with 428?”
“I think there’s more possibilities hidden in it. It’s a waste to destroy it like this.” Tang Xiao said casually.
Lodge stared at Tang Xiao with a complicated look. He remembered Tang Xiao’s genetic disease.
Could it be…?
“No.428 itself could be a disaster for the organization. A level 4 security level is not enough.”
“Are you talking about the group of lunatics?” Tang Xiao’s gaze came over.
“You’ve investigated ah,” Lodge let out a long sigh. “Yes. It’s because of the Huigui Sect.”
In fact, Tang Xiao hadn’t had time to investigate yet, but it didn’t matter. Doesn’t he know this?
From Lodge’s mouth, Tang Xiao knew that Huigui Sect was a cult organization that roamed the wasteland forest. They believed in mushrooms, especially the King of Mushroom in the Mushroom Country, claiming that it was the origin of all life.
“They worship mushrooms. They believe humans should follow the same path of evolution as other species. In other words, the path of merging with mushroom. They are hostile to all attempts to understand the existence of mushrooms. They will do anything to destroy them. In short, they are a bunch of antisocial lunatics. Even our Third Eye does not want to provoke such a lunatic group.” Lodge shrugged his shoulders. “Now you know how difficult this project is.”
It’s an academic fraud and a cult organization eyeing this project.
It sounds like the future is bleak.
Seeing that Tang Xiao didn’t speak again, Lodge couldn’t help but test again. “Tang, you are a smart person. You should know that the organization won’t revive this project. Relying on the mushroom to control other mushrooms is the wrong direction. There’s no longer any value on 428. Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
“Don’t you have a problem with 428 as well? It attacked you three times. It’s a good thing to be disposed of.”
Above the ceiling, 428 stared at Tang Xiao.
Tang Xiao didn’t bother to say anything to Lodge. Some things were not easy to explain, so he said with a flat expression, “En. You’re right…”
As soon as he said these words, the favorability began to plummet.
[428 Favorability -5]
[428 Favorability -6]
Tang Xiao suddenly changed his tone. “However, I don’t agree!”
“You guys don’t even understand the value contained in 428! I’m not going to give it up! IN any case, I will ask the organization to reconsider the value of this project!”
The drop in favorability finally disappeared.
Tang Xiao breather a sigh of relief silently. He saw Lodge looking at him with a complicated expression. “You really…”
You’ve decided on 428, right?
Even if it’s destined to be a fatal attraction?
Lodge’s heart turned cold. He suddenly realized that he had missed one thing. A genetic disease was indeed a genius disease, but it also seemed to mean that such a diseased ‘genius’ would be unexpectedly stubborn and wouldn’t turn back even after hitting the wall.
He had made the stakes so obvious, yet Tang Xiao still insisted on going his way.
A genius and a lunatic…
There was really no closer evaluation than that.
“Forget it. Just do whatever you want.”
Tang Xiao didn’t notice Lodge, whose attitude suddenly cooled down because he was now sweating a bit.
428.
It actually sneaks out again! It’s eavesdropping!
If it wasn’t for the favorability prompt, it almost turned cold.
After a short conversation, they walked out of the corner and returned to the laboratory to continue working. Tang Xiao was about to get a broom subconsciously, but the person next to him quickly stopped him. “Howe can I let you continue to do this kind of work? The new console has been moved over. You can just go there!”
Tang Xiao raised his head and glanced at this person lightly. The person stiffened and the smile on his face became even more flattering.
Tang Xiao didn’t actually remember this person’s name, but vaguely remembered this person should also be a newcomer who came in with him in the same batch. He nodded indifferently, waling over to the console that had just been moved over.
Tang Xiao’s console was located right next to the room where 428 was being held, very close to the glass window that he could logically get close enough to that side to observe the experiment subject’s movements.
He looked inside but saw that 428 was not moving in the corner. He didn’t know if he was dormant or what he was doing, showing no signs of running out at all.
Tang Xiao still had a few moments of apprehension in his heart. Although he remedied the situation in time and his favorability didn’t continue to fall, but it did not rise back either.
The basis of their cooperation was built on the fact that Tang Xiao would find a way to keep 428 from being disposed of.
But now… will it still abide by the contract?
A day passed in the laboratory.
It was just an invisible storm that was already quietly condensing.
When he left the laboratory early in the evening, Tang Xiao was checking information in the dormitory and heard the familiar sound of rustling again.
The blood-colored mycelium climbed up the white sheets like snakes.
Tang Xiao clicked on the keyboard for a moment, took off his glasses, and put them aside. His black eyes reflected a cold light against the screen.
“Take it.”
He didn’t look back. After feeling the bed behind him sink, he casually took out a blood bag from the bedside table and tossed it back.
The blood bag was accurately caught by the monster behind him. A warm touch could still be felt through the package.
Tang Xiao had already prepared that 428 would sneak into the dormitory building again, staring at the screen absent-mindedly, rubbing the injection hole of his left wrist with the fingers of his right hand, pretending to know nothing.
“Don’t challenge the surveillance again and again. In case someone suddenly visits you, it will be exposed. Go back after drinking this blood bag.”
The monster behind him didn’t answer, only two or three consecutive heavy swallowing sounds were heard.
Tang Xiao quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing as how this can be drunk and eaten. It should be nothing, right?
There was silence in the room. At the moment when Tang Xiao turned around, his vision was suddenly engulfed by blood-colored mycelium.
The blood-colored mycelium slowly converged on the bed into a humanoid shape. The mycelium wrapped around the young man’s limbs under its body, slowly extending to the eyes that flashed with different emotions.
The blood-colored humanoid pressed down, saying close to his ear.
“Xiaoxiao…”
“Disposed of. What is it?”
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