Trespassing

In the end, Yun Jingheng managed to pull the three of them out of the Star Pavilion through the passage he had reserved for him.

Amidst the resentful gazes of the three, he closed the door.

The moment the door closed behind him, the lazy and easygoing expression on Yun Jingheng's face vanished completely.

He practically tumbled and crawled towards the basement entrance, rushing in on all fours, his steps so fast he almost missed the last few steps.

The laboratory's shielded door slid open automatically the moment he approached, and a blast of scorching air rushed out.

"Don't blow it up! Don't blow it up! Don't blow it up!"

He muttered to himself as he rushed to the central experimental table, which was covered in layers of thick lead plates and high-grade alloys.

Through the outermost observation window—a specially treated crystal glass—he could clearly see the situation in the core reaction zone.

The "Breeder Reactor," roughly constructed using uranium ore, lies quietly at the center of the Magnetic Confinement Array.

Despite being called a "reactor," it's more like the product of some mad scientist's imagination.

All of this was pieced together from "scrap" from the Shrek Academy's abandoned laboratories.

Yun Jingheng stared at the data flashing on the screen, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

The neutron quantity was already close to his preset critical threshold, and the temperature in the reaction zone was ridiculously high.

Inside that core uranium ore deposit, an uncontrollable, self-sustaining chain reaction has likely already begun.

"I knew it..."

He cursed through gritted teeth and began working rapidly on the control panel.

Emergency commands were input into the system, instantly boosting the power of the Magnetic Confinement Array to its maximum. At the same time, the cooling circuits around the reactor also started operating at full power, with the liquid metal coolant emitting a low rumble in the pipes.

The curve on the screen jittered violently a few times, then slowly began to fall back down.

Yun Jingheng stared intently at the numbers, not daring to breathe.

Thirty seconds.

One minute.

Three minutes.

Only after all the data had fallen back below the safe threshold did he collapse into the swivel chair at the control panel, as if all his strength had been drained, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"I almost... I almost died here."

He raised his slightly trembling hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead, only to find that the back of his clothes was already soaked with cold sweat.

Yun Jingheng stared at the now quiet reactor through the observation window, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He knew better than anyone how dangerous this experiment was.

The neutron firing speed was uneven, and even increasing, almost causing an accident.

If this thing really explodes and causes a nuclear flash, all living things within a radius of several kilometers will be subjected to all-around baking by ionizing radiation within a hundredth of a second.

"But..."

Yun Jingheng's gaze fell on the curve on the screen, a glint of fanaticism flashing in his eyes.

Neptunium has already been formed. Now we just need to wait about 2.5 days for it to naturally decay into plutonium (β-correlation), and then separate and purify it to obtain metallic plutonium.

Metallic plutonium is easily oxidized, so it is best stored in an inert gas-sealed container or in a vacuum environment.

The Storage Soul Tool is the most typical example of a vacuum environment.

The next step is to build a bomb to trigger a nuclear reaction.

In the following days, the Outer Court organized a competition for exchange student spots for first-, second-, and third-year students.

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, Ye Xinglan all participated, but Gu Yue did not. Leng Yaozhu gave her a mission to the Star Luo Empire, and she needed to ask for leave for the next period of time.

So while the group was participating in the competition, Gu Yue came to the outside of Yun Jingheng's room.

However, Yun Jingheng, who was busy with the purification process, did not notice that after he happily stored the metal plutonium into his newly purchased Storage Soul Tool.

The Protective Soul Tool he always carried at his waist suddenly emitted a soft buzzing sound.

Yun Jingheng stopped abruptly, his smile freezing instantly.

This is the "intrusion alarm" he set on the hidden door.

Someone... entered his study.

Ye Xinglan should be participating in the selection process with Tang Wulin and the others these past few days, eliminating [the incompetent].

It's unlikely that Yuanen Yehui... If there's no response to knocking, she won't bother them anymore.

My parents are busy with other things and don't have time, and Aunt Cai and the others are all serving as judges and don't have time either.

So...

There is only one answer left.

Yun Jingheng took a deep breath, stretched his stiff facial muscles, put on his signature lazy expression again, and slowly walked towards the stairs.

However, Yun Jingheng did not rush out; instead, he stood calmly behind the hidden door.

His gaze fell on the display screen on the wall.

In the scene, Gu Yue is standing in front of the bookshelf, tilting her head slightly, seemingly examining the neatly arranged rows of classic books.

Her gaze lingered on the spines of the books, unhurried and calm. Her fingers gently brushed the edge of one of the books, not rushing to look for anything, but rather as if she was waiting.

She was wearing a dark-colored casual outfit today, her long hair casually gathered behind her ears, revealing a section of her fair neck.

From this angle, her expression seemed more enigmatic than usual.

Yun Jingheng did not move.

His finger rested on the mechanism to open the hidden door, but he didn't press it.

On the screen, Gu Yue's gaze had already landed on the wall where the hidden door was located; it wasn't a casual glance, but a pause.

The gaze seemed to pierce through the wall, landing directly on him.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Three soft sounds.

It was neither too fast nor too slow, the force was just right, and it even carried a sense of calm confidence.

Yun Jingheng raised an eyebrow.

Is this considered a foul? What 13-year-old girl could see right through a wall that blocks Divine Power and have someone behind it?

After careful consideration, he reached out and pushed open the hidden door.

If I don't tell anyone, no one will know that I know she is the Silver Dragon King.

The moment the door hinge turned, all the tension and scrutiny on Yun Jingheng's face evaporated like watermarks.

He leaned against the door frame, one hand in his pocket, his gaze lazily fixed on Gu Yue.

He drawled, "Gu Yue, trespassing is against the law."

Her gaze swept across his face, then over his shoulder, and landed on the hidden door behind him.

"We set up an intrusion alarm at the door," she said casually, "But we didn't install surveillance cameras in the study. Are we too confident in our reaction speed, or do we think no one will find this place?"

Yun Jingheng's smile faltered slightly.

He then smiled even wider, stepping aside to make room for us, and casually pointed behind him with one hand. "Want to take a look? Well, be prepared, it's a bit messy inside."

Gu Yue withdrew her gaze and returned it to his face.

She didn't take a step immediately, but studied him for a moment, as if confirming something.

Then she said something that made Yun Jingheng's heart tighten:

You smell bad.

Yun Jingheng subconsciously lowered his head and sniffed his collar.

What does it taste like?

Gu Yue had already stepped onto the descending stairs, and without turning her head, she said, "The smell of Destruction."

Yun Jingheng grew anxious.

"Wait a minute."

He grabbed Gu Yue's wrist and pinned her against the wall.