In the end, Tai Yu paid first—well, he completed his "second donation" first.
For this sort of monetary exchange, they naturally had to strike while the charity event was still ongoing, while the iron was hot, to create evidence... and momentum.
After removing his protective suit and armor and returning to the front courtyard, Tai Yu won unanimous praise and applause from the event participants and donation recipients, along with footage from a cameraman forced to work overtime. He remained quite composed about it, cooperating through the necessary procedures without letting it disrupt his shift into experimental mode.
Together with Gong Zhou, he left the people on those "stages" behind and headed into the Military Academy building as they talked.
To outsiders, they indeed appeared to be getting along exceptionally well.
"The experimental participants should still mainly consist of people connected to the Spine Boundary Pattern. We'll first compile and reconstruct the relevant information. After all, the experimental goal can be long-term, but we need some initial results before we can secure further support."
"The experiment will be conducted in the Strengthening Blessing Zone to prevent uncontrollable consequences. But if it makes progress, we'll also need a backup site to avoid later interference. I'm still not entirely comfortable with the Standard Array there... though you people probably aren't entirely comfortable with me either, are you?"
"Then, I can first brief you on the experimental design. Field Officer Gong Zhou, how are your Truth Communion and Configuration skills?" Though he said that, Tai Yu did not wait for Gong Zhou to answer. He casually drew a rather complex three-dimensional Configuration in the air, leaving traces hanging there. "This is a visualization Configuration modified from the physical design of a certain 'lifeboat.' It is also a Collective Configuration similar in nature to