Gravity Manipulation

"But common sense tells me that bio-humans are just a bunch of artificial rejects, fit at best to be toys for the rich. If they truly possessed the same minds and bodies as humans, the Biology Institute would have long since begun preparing to monopolize the entire underground's cheap labor force!"

The deputy superintendent stared fixedly into the eyes of Bai Qiulin, who merely replied at a leisurely pace.

"That is indeed common sense, but the Biology Institute has been conducting human-creation research for over a hundred years; there are bound to be some unexpected anomalies."

"I have reviewed the company's internal files. This bio-human, codenamed Liang Xincheng, was a gift brought to this city from the center by the first Speaker. If he were just an ordinary bio-human, I cannot imagine why the first Speaker would bring him here, or why the company would expend resources researching him for nearly twenty years."

Having said this, he turned to meet the deputy superintendent's gaze, asking with a cryptic smile.

"Has Mr. Officer been to the crime scene at the mine?"

The deputy superintendent did not answer directly.

"There is no issue with the cause of death for those two foremen; both were killed instantly by a single strike from a cafeteria kitchen knife."

"The cause of death is indeed fine, but before they died, those two foremen were the ones who intended to kill first."

Bai Qiulin shook his head dismissively at the deputy superintendent's response; it was clear he had not visited the mine himself.

"Two adult men armed with weapons, who perform manual labor regularly—not to mention whether their bodies are healthy, they certainly have strength. Yet, they were counter-killed by a bio-human with a kitchen knife, and both were killed in a single strike. Does this not speak for itself?"

The deputy superintendent fell into deep thought. Looking at the wide-eyed corpse of Manager Xie and the dried bloodstains on the floor with clear drag marks, he finally sensed that there was something extraordinary about the killer.

Having reached this point, Bai Qiulin seemed to lose interest in staying any longer and began to walk toward the door with a languid air.

"I suggest you report this to your superior as soon as you see him and have him revise the police department's assessment of that bio-human. Otherwise... who knows if he might become increasingly troublesome later on?"

His final sentence was inexplicable, but before the deputy superintendent could react or turn to ask for clarification, he had already walked out of the manager's building.

The coal mine remained filled with dust, the roar of machinery and the shouts of laborers continuing unabated.

Even with two murders involving extraordinary figures, capital would not pause its pursuit of profit.

Bai Qiulin sat inside an off-road vehicle the company had specifically assigned to him. After lying back in the rear seat, he closed his eyes to rest while speaking to the driver in the front.

"Send today's report directly to the manager. Also, apply for a sum of funds to be donated in my personal name to the traveling priest of the Twilight Church, as a token of gratitude for last night's sermon."

The driver was clearly hesitant.

"Isn't it... a bit much to bypass the department head like this?"

Bai Qiulin opened his eyes and looked at him with a beaming smile.

"If you don't do as I say, I will report you to the manager. Of course, after you do as I say, you are free to report me to the department head. It's a multiple-choice question; it just depends on which one you want to pick."

Afterglow District, Laborer Street No. 2.

In a dilapidated barbershop, two big-spending customers pulled out their wallets and booked the entire shop for the night just as the owner was preparing to close up and head home.

After the owner's eyes widened and he accepted the stack of cash, he immediately handed the keys over to the young man with great respect, guaranteeing that everything in the shop was at his disposal—even if he came back the next day to find only the door left, he would have no complaints!

Once the shop door was locked tight and all the curtains were drawn, Feng Zi sat in a chair, spinning around in boredom while watching 626, who was bustling about as if mixing hair dye shades.

"Hasn't my hair already been dyed green? Why go through all this trouble?"

626's technique for mixing colors was very professional; he had worked as a helper at a relative's barbershop back home during his university years, so he had some experience.

"Those cops have definitely investigated the incident at the coal mine by now. Your half-white, half-green hair will certainly be on the priority watch list. Not only does the color need to change, but the style must as well. When I booked the shop, I made inquiries—the owner runs some shady business on the side. There should be some good things hidden in this shop that might help us out a little."

As 626 spoke, he pinned down Feng Zi, who was still spinning in the chair, and smeared the mixed dye from the bowl onto her hair.

Looking at her dissatisfied, frowning self in the mirror, Feng Zi kicked the table legs, trying her best not to think about the harmful elements in the hair dye.

"I also saw you asking others about other things on the way here! And you spent money!"

The word "money" was emphasized heavily in her tone.

"We have to find a way to get into the church with a reasonable identity. Traditional forged identities won't work, so I inquired about some other reliable channels. By tomorrow, we can become the son and daughter of a widow in Community No. 9. Not only will we have ID cards, but also real life records. The laborers on the street above that community are all good neighbors who watched us grow up!"

Feng Zi couldn't help but widen her eyes, her attention no longer focused on her hair, which was turning black.

"How did you find such a channel?"

626 smiled slightly.

"As long as you have money, everything is easy to handle and easy to inquire about, not to mention that the people in this district need money even more."

Feng Zi couldn't help but curl her lip. She wasn't questioning 626's words; she was just a little bitter that she currently didn't have as much money as he did.

But she knew where 626's money came from—it was the compensation he deserved.

So, even though she was short on cash and frugal by nature, she never once thought about coveting the money in 626's hands.

"From now on, I'll teach you physics, 626!"

As if wanting to win back some ground in another area, Feng Zi stared at 626's devastatingly handsome face in the mirror and said.

626 responded while meticulously applying the dye to her hair.

"Go ahead and explain; I'm listening."

Feng Zi looked solemn.

"You must maintain a serious and respectful attitude when studying natural science. This isn't story time!"

"And even though you have been granted the key and have the foundation of physics formulas in your mind, that doesn't mean you can easily get started. If you want to truly become a part of the foundation of nature, even the most gifted person must put in hard work to learn!"

"Besides, besides... this makes me your mentor! As your teacher, I hope you can maintain a respectful attitude while studying!"

Hearing her words, Li Wei set aside the nonchalance on his face, clutching the hair dye with a grave expression as he met Feng Zi's gaze in the mirror and nodded.

"Alright, I will definitely study hard!"

Feng Zi nodded in satisfaction, but before she could finish, Li Wei fixed her head back in place with a look of disdain and continued applying the hair dye.

"First, you must understand what gravity actually is. According to the anecdote passed down from that great scientific pioneer who first perceived its existence, you must learn to think: when an apple falls from an apple tree, why does it only fall to the ground instead of flying up into the sky?"

Li Wei listened patiently as Feng Zi recounted what was essentially the household story of Newton and the apple tree, and it was at this very moment that an unexpected notification popped up in his player interface!

[Quest reward obtained—Physics class skill: Gravity Manipulation (Basic)]

Seeing Li Wei inexplicably freeze in place, his hand movements coming to a halt, Feng Zi couldn't help but wrinkle her pretty nose.

"Focus! You need to listen carefully, 626! Otherwise, how are you going to learn physics well?"

Li Wei did not answer her; he simply blinked, extending his dye-covered hand toward a comb resting on the table.

In the next second, as if a certain iron law of nature had been released, the comb quietly broke free from the constraints of force and hovered in mid-air!

Feng Zi's mouth fell open, and she stared at the scene in utter astonishment.