Mojuke, Exclusive Laboratory

Yan Anqing looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old man with snow-white hair but a vigorous spirit.

The other party was wearing a Zhongshan suit, had a buzz cut, and sharp eyes.

Judging by the old man's demeanor and facial features, one could guess that he must have been quite handsome in his youth.

Alas, time had passed, and the years had taken their toll. The age spots on his skin and the wrinkles around his eyes meant his youthful charm was long gone.

The old man scrutinized Yan Anqing for a moment and then asked the young man beside him, "What's his name?"

Hearing this, a young man with gold-rimmed glasses and a refined demeanor immediately responded, "Yaoguang Section special operative, Yan Anqing. He just started yesterday and doesn't have formal staff status."

"I see."

With that, the old man strode up to Yan Anqing, sizing him up from head to toe. His eyes brightened slightly. "You're a good lad, quite the specimen!"

Yan Anqing's gaze swept over the old man and the refined youth beside him, and he understood.

Yan Anqing knew who the two people opposite him were.

The white-haired old man was Honorary Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences—Zhao Hongyun!

The seemingly refined young man was a highly anticipated and promising star researcher in Mojuke—Qu Li!

Any other newcomer would likely be eagerly trying to curry favor and latch onto them right now.

But Yan Anqing wasn't adept at flattery or ingratiating himself with others.

He responded neither servilely nor arrogantly, "I'm merely of average talent, sir. You flatter me."

The conversation was swiftly killed. The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

A playful female voice suddenly chimed in.

"Old Zhao, senior isn't very good with words, but he's a good person, and very lucky too..."

Hearing this, Yan Anqing's eyebrows twitched slightly, and his gaze fell upon Jiang Xinyue, who had appeared and spoken out of nowhere.

He didn't quite understand why his roommate felt the need to inexplicably emphasize "luck."

From Jiang Xinyue's demeanor, she seemed to be an ally.

"The little girl is right!"

Zhao Hongyun seemed to agree with Jiang Xinyue's words.

His gaze towards Yan Anqing became even more amiable and warm. "Since the Blood Moon Incident, Yaoguang Section has had seventy-five deployments and only found thirteen golden-eyed individuals. But you... you went alone and brought back three in one go! Who wouldn't call you a lucky charm?"

Seeing the old man's serious expression, Yan Anqing quickly grasped the crux of the matter.

Compared to factors like pure ability, appearance, character, or demeanor, this Old Zhao seemed to prefer nurturing and being close to young people who were lucky.

And he, Yan Anqing, was precisely such a fortunate individual.

Before Yan Anqing could speak, Zhao Hongyun continued, "I'm getting old. When I first heard the name Yan Anqing, I didn't quite connect it."

"The 'Guardian' that Xie Zhe often mentions, that's you, isn't it?"

After speaking, Academician Zhao's gaze towards Yan Anqing grew even more affectionate.

Birds of a feather flock together.

This saying was not baseless.

A friend genuinely recognized by a genius with great luck like Xie Zhe couldn't possibly be an ordinary or incompetent person.

Moreover, Zhao Hongyun had always firmly believed that luck was one of a person's strongest talents!

He had lived so many years, seeing countless talented individuals like fish in a river!

Yet, how many of them had achieved success and seen things through to the end?

Upon hearing Old Zhao's words, the facial muscles of the refined young man, who always wore a smile, twitched slightly. He silently added Yan Anqing's name to his mental little black book.

Qu Li's mouth twitched, and he muttered, "Guardian..."

Screw the Guardian!

The moment this embarrassingly loaded title appeared, Qu Li added Yan Anqing to his list of arch-enemies.

Xie Zhe, that scoundrel, always called himself the "Cult Master of the Church of Science."

Every time he was tricked by Qu Li, he would stubbornly threaten him, saying, "If the Guardian were here, he'd beat you so badly you wouldn't be able to take care of yourself."

An enemy's friend is an enemy, there was nothing more to say.

Not only did their positions dictate their thinking, but Yan Anqing also had real conflicts of interest with him!

Academician Zhao Hongyun's reproductive ability was damaged due to frequent unprotected radioactive experiments when he was young. He had no children and never considered adoption, so he greatly enjoyed mentoring young people he found pleasing.

And he, Qu Li, was considered one of Zhao Hongyun's final disciples in the eyes of the outside world...

The other was Xie Zhe.

Old Zhao was old. After he passed away, his reputation and network of connections within the field would be passed down to either Qu Li or Xie Zhe.

Xie Zhe, while excellent at scientific research and full of imaginative ideas, had an appalling lack of emotional intelligence.

Under Qu Li's instigation, Xie Zhe had managed to offend almost all the heads of the seventeen special departments.

Therefore, Xie Zhe was no match for him at all.

Unfortunately…

After the Blood Moon Incident, that guy who had high intelligence but was always lost in fantasy and lacked ambition actually became a golden-eyed individual!

Although he didn't know what was special about golden-eyed individuals, in Academician Zhao's opinion, this was a manifestation of Xie Zhe's "strong luck."

The person Qu Li originally didn't take seriously immediately became a formidable opponent.

Recently, Zhao Hongyun had been taking Xie Zhe out more and more often.

Thinking of this, Qu Li's gaze towards Yan Anqing became even more dangerous.

One Xie Zhe was already giving him a headache, and if this Yan Anqing became an assistant…

He would inherit Zhao Hongyun's legacy?

He must be dreaming!

"Heh…"

Yan Anqing glanced at Qu Li subtly, seeing through his thoughts as if they were clear.

Someone who hadn't experienced much of the world, whose professional circle was simple, just a low-level schemer.

He couldn't even be bothered to pay attention to such a person.

"Academician Zhao, I need your help with something."

Yan Anqing felt Zhao Hongyun's goodwill and shamelessly seized the opportunity, saying, "I'd like to apply for a dedicated laboratory."

As soon as he said this, Qu Li, who already disliked him, felt his jaw muscles tense.

Damn it!

This guy really knows how to seize an opportunity!

Had he even known Zhao Lao for more than half an hour?

Even entry-level researchers could only assist the big shots and didn't have permission for independent dedicated laboratories.

How could Yan Anqing, who didn't even have a job title, an unassigned field agent from the Yaoguang Section, dare to overstep and ask for such a favor?

He had never seen such a shameless person!

However…

"It's a small matter!"

Zhao Hongyun seemed to take on the request wholeheartedly, without any hesitation. He smiled heartily, "After you go back, write an application in the proper format. Coincidentally, the Mojuke has a few laboratories that have become vacant. It's meaningless to let them lie idle, so it's better to give them to you to create value."

"Little Qu, I'll leave this matter to you."

Qu Li felt as if he had swallowed a fly; he was disgusted beyond words.

The crux of the problem was…

He had to handle this matter perfectly and flawlessly.

Pretend to obey but disobey?

Qu Li didn't even consider it!

Looking at Yan Anqing's shameless demeanor, he figured that if he dared to tamper with anything, the other party would immediately report him to Zhao Hongyun.

And then, he would be the one to get punished!

"Academician Zhao, please rest assured."

Qu Li forced a stiff smile onto his face, extended his hand to Yan Anqing, and said insincerely, "From now on, we are colleagues. Let's make progress together."