This also meant that the longer they lingered at Qing University, the more danger they would encounter on their return journey.
Even though he wasn’t usually a smoker, Li Fei felt his body uncontrollably craving a heavy drag.
Chen Moxin’s hand, covered in thick, slightly protruding calluses, slowly rubbed the pistol at his w# Lu Chuan of Qing University
## Chapter 14: Lu Chuan of Qing University
This also meant that the longer they lingered at Qing University, the more danger they would encounter on their return journey.
Even though he wasn’t usually a smoker, Li Fei felt his body uncontrollably craving a heavy drag.
Chen Moxin’s hand, covered in thick, slightly protruding calluses, slowly rubbed the pistol at his waist. His cold and powerful aura forcefully suppressed the restlessness within his teammates.
Light footsteps echoed from the direction of the stairwell. A flicker of suspicion crossed Chen Moxin’s eyes, and he signaled Li Fei to investigate.
The beam of a flashlight cut through the gloom. A beautiful, aloof student with long black hair falling straight over her shoulders walked toward them.
Li Fei blinked. He also sensed that something was wrong with this person. Students and teachers at Qing University were all hiding on the upper floors of the dormitories; who would risk their life to brave the torrential rain and come to the Experimental Building?
Well, aside from Lu Chuan, who—for the sake of scientific research—had repeatedly delayed the golden window for evacuation, insisting on organizing all his data before he would leave with them.
Once Chen Moxin saw the newcomer’s face clearly, he immediately blocked Shen Ruoran from advancing further. His voice was stern.
“This is not a place you should be. Please leave immediately.”
Shen Ruoran had intended to observe the situation secretly, but these men had such keen hearing that they had spotted her instantly.
She decided she might as well get a closer look, taking the opportunity to observe the massive machine at the laboratory entrance. It looked somewhat similar to what she had seen in television dramas; as expected of something sent by the state.
The man in military uniform looked fierce, but Shen Ruoran wasn’t afraid of him. She adopted a nonchalant attitude. “Why can’t I stay here? The laboratories at Qing University welcome all its students.”
Chen Moxin pursed his lips, his gaze heavy as he watched Shen Ruoran. He understood her implication.
She wanted to go inside.
The two fell into a tense, sword-drawn standoff.
Finally, Chen Moxin sighed. He told Li Fei and the others to keep an eye on Shen Ruoran while he went inside to ask Lu Chuan if they could move up their departure.
Before coming here, his superiors had cautioned him repeatedly about Lu Chuan’s status, even issuing a dead-set order for his absolute protection.
Everything below the fourth floor of the Experimental Building was submerged. For a female student to suddenly appear on the 7th floor was an extremely bizarre occurrence.
Chen Moxin was not foolish enough to let Lu Chuan stay in the same room as a potential source of danger.
Inside, various glass apparatuses and instruments were labeled and neatly arranged in portable experimental supply crates.
The cabinet doors were all wide open. A thin man in a white lab coat crouched on the floor, gathering fallen papers.
Sensing the movement of the lab door opening, Lu Chuan didn’t stop what he was doing. His voice sounded like a clear spring flowing through a mountain valley.
“I’m sorry for the trouble. Please don’t be anxious; I still need to organize things for a bit longer. I am well aware that the state sent you to get me not so that I, as an individual, can live longer, but to preserve the precious data on nuclear research from this laboratory.”
Chen Moxin’s hand, which habitually hovered near his gun, paused mid-air. He lowered his eyes, a glimmer of pleading hope flashing within them.
“Professor, how much of a chance do you think humanity has of breaking through this situation?”
Chen Moxin was a member of a side branch of the Chen family in the capital. Due to his specialized profession, the family had leaked some recent information to him regarding Country H’s Research Institute.
Using the “Red Star No. 3” satellite remote sensors, the institute had detected that the storm disaster would last for at least half a year. The oceanic water cycle was completely imbalanced, and the nuclear radiation levels near Country R had reached a point where they could no longer be measured.
While they couldn’t be certain about other nations, the downfall of Country R was a certainty that would happen within the next few days.
This was an apocalypse—a natural disaster-level end of the world that humanity would find difficult to resist.
Lu Chuan slowly stood up and tapped his legs, which had gone numb from crouching. His voice remained as warm and gentle as a spring breeze. “Captain Chen, the dinosaurs went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era, and then all things flourished.”
“If humanity cannot clean up the sins committed by other nations within the time allotted, the global purification system will do as it did over sixty million years ago—rebirthing from total destruction. The Blue Planet will not perish. If we die, new species will take our place. Do not worry; everything has a predetermined end.”
Chen Moxin’s eyes dimmed, and his breathing grew increasingly unsteady.
Remembering the female student who had suddenly appeared outside, he quickly reported to Lu Chuan.
“There’s a girl who wants to enter the lab. I stopped her, but she’s still waiting outside to come in.”
The laboratories at Qing University were open to students of all levels. Students who were not part of the research team could log into the campus app and make an appointment to visit the outer sections of the lab for learning purposes.
As long as it was a student of the university, if they stated their reason for visiting, the lab would welcome them, and a Master’s student would usually be assigned as a guide.
The core confidential areas were the exception; those required facial recognition verification from relevant personnel.
Long, fair fingers adjusted a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Lu Chuan leaned his elbow leisurely against a chair and glanced at his phone, which had long since run out of battery. He was reluctant to use his backup power source to charge it.
Lu Chuan narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment. The most important data had already been packed into crates; letting a student in now wouldn’t hurt.
Shen Ruoran hadn’t expected to get in so easily. She appeared exceptionally calm on the surface, but in reality, she was using her peripheral vision to scan her surroundings frantically.
A clear, refined voice made her movements halt abruptly. “Classmate, I don’t believe I’ve seen you at Qing University before. Did you make an appointment earlier?”
Shen Ruoran nodded like a chick pecking at grain.
She had checked before coming—Qing University’s water, electricity, and internet were all cut off. No one could prove she was lying.
Shen Ruoran couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances at Lu Chuan.
This Triple-Qing PhD was young and handsome, and even his voice was incredibly pleasant. How could the heavens create such a perfect character? It was enough to make anyone jealous.
Lu Chuan treated Shen Ruoran the same way he would any ordinary student.
Chen Moxin, on the other hand, kept his body ramrod straight, ready to enter combat at a moment’s notice. He didn’t dare relax for a second, seriously suspecting that Shen Ruoran was an undercover agent sent by an enemy side. He stared at her intently with a sharp gaze, as if he might take her into custody the very next second.
Some non-essential materials were laid out on the experimental table. Shen Ruoran walked over, and seeing that Lu Chuan had no intention of stopping her, she sat down and began to read slowly.
*Experimental Technical Manual for Nuclear Radiation and Its Detectors*, authored by Lu Chuan, Wang Zhenming, and Ouyang Xinyu.
Shen Ruoran flipped through the pages one by one. For the first time, she gained a true conceptual understanding of nuclear radiation. She also learned about the principles, performance parameters, and related nuclear physics experimental methods for eight categories and more than twenty types of nuclear radiation detectors.
She became increasingly absorbed. Her serious attitude even left Chen Moxin somewhat confused.
His intuition and powers of observation rarely failed him. If a person had crossed water four stories deep to get here, it was impossible for them to be completely clean except for their pant legs. Furthermore, it was absolutely impossible that she had been living in this Experimental Building all along.
They had conducted a carpet search of the premises.
“Professor Lu, I would like to ask,” Shen Ruoran said, tilting her head. Having been trained by the fast-travel system to read with extreme speed, she had already absorbed the key points into her mind. “Is there a compact, household version of a nuclear radiation detector?”aist. His cold and powerful aura forcefully suppressed the restlessness within his teammates.
Light footsteps echoed from the direction of the stairwell. A flicker of suspicion crossed Chen Moxin’s eyes, and he signaled Li Fei to investigate.
The beam of a flashlight cut through the gloom. A beautiful, aloof student with long black hair falling straight over her shoulders walked toward them.
Li Fei blinked. He also sensed that something was wrong with this person. Students and teachers at Qing University were all hiding on the upper floors of the dormitories; who would risk their life to brave the torrential rain and come to the Experimental Building?
Well, aside from Lu Chuan, who—for the sake of scientific research—had repeatedly delayed the golden window for evacuation, insisting on organizing all his data before he would leave with them.
Once Chen Moxin saw the newcomer’s face clearly, he immediately blocked Shen Ruoran from advancing further. His voice was stern.
“This is not a place you should be. Please leave immediately.”
Shen Ruoran had intended to observe the situation secretly, but these men had such keen hearing that they had spotted her instantly.
She decided she might as well get a closer look, taking the opportunity to observe the massive machine at the laboratory entrance. It looked somewhat similar to what she had seen in television dramas; as expected of something sent by the state.
The man in military uniform looked fierce, but Shen Ruoran wasn’t afraid of him. She adopted a nonchalant attitude. “Why can’t I stay here? The laboratories at Qing University welcome all its students.”
Chen Moxin pursed his lips, his gaze heavy as he watched Shen Ruoran. He understood her implication.
She wanted to go inside.
The two fell into a tense, sword-drawn standoff.
Finally, Chen Moxin sighed. He told Li Fei and the others to keep an eye on Shen Ruoran while he went inside to ask Lu Chuan if they could move up their departure.
Before coming here, his superiors had cautioned him repeatedly about Lu Chuan’s status, even issuing a dead-set order for his absolute protection.
Everything below the fourth floor of the Experimental Building was submerged. For a female student to suddenly appear on the 7th floor was an extremely bizarre occurrence.
Chen Moxin was not foolish enough to let Lu Chuan stay in the same room as a potential source of danger.
Inside, various glass apparatuses and instruments were labeled and neatly arranged in portable experimental supply crates.
The cabinet doors were all wide open. A thin man in a white lab coat crouched on the floor, gathering fallen papers.
Sensing the movement of the lab door opening, Lu Chuan didn’t stop what he was doing. His voice sounded like a clear spring flowing through a mountain valley.
“I’m sorry for the trouble. Please don’t be anxious; I still need to organize things for a bit longer. I am well aware that the state sent you to get me not so that I, as an individual, can live longer, but to preserve the precious data on nuclear research from this laboratory.”
Chen Moxin’s hand, which habitually hovered near his gun, paused mid-air. He lowered his eyes, a glimmer of pleading hope flashing within them.
“Professor, how much of a chance do you think humanity has of breaking through this situation?”
Chen Moxin was a member of a side branch of the Chen family in the capital. Due to his specialized profession, the family had leaked some recent information to him regarding Country H’s Research Institute.
Using the “Red Star No. 3” satellite remote sensors, the institute had detected that the storm disaster would last for at least half a year. The oceanic water cycle was completely imbalanced, and the nuclear radiation levels near Country R had reached a point where they could no longer be measured.
While they couldn’t be certain about other nations, the downfall of Country R was a certainty that would happen within the next few days.
This was an apocalypse—a natural disaster-level end of the world that humanity would find difficult to resist.
Lu Chuan slowly stood up and tapped his legs, which had gone numb from crouching. His voice remained as warm and gentle as a spring breeze. “Captain Chen, the dinosaurs went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era, and then all things flourished.”
“If humanity cannot clean up the sins committed by other nations within the time allotted, the global purification system will do as it did over sixty million years ago—rebirthing from total destruction. The Blue Planet will not perish. If we die, new species will take our place. Do not worry; everything has a predetermined end.”
Chen Moxin’s eyes dimmed, and his breathing grew increasingly unsteady.
Remembering the female student who had suddenly appeared outside, he quickly reported to Lu Chuan.
“There’s a girl who wants to enter the lab. I stopped her, but she’s still waiting outside to come in.”
The laboratories at Qing University were open to students of all levels. Students who were not part of the research team could log into the campus app and make an appointment to visit the outer sections of the lab for learning purposes.
As long as it was a student of the university, if they stated their reason for visiting, the lab would welcome them, and a Master’s student would usually be assigned as a guide.
The core confidential areas were the exception; those required facial recognition verification from relevant personnel.
Long, fair fingers adjusted a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Lu Chuan leaned his elbow leisurely against a chair and glanced at his phone, which had long since run out of battery. He was reluctant to use his backup power source to charge it.
Lu Chuan narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment. The most important data had already been packed into crates; letting a student in now wouldn’t hurt.
Shen Ruoran hadn’t expected to get in so easily. She appeared exceptionally calm on the surface, but in reality, she was using her peripheral vision to scan her surroundings frantically.
A clear, refined voice made her movements halt abruptly. “Classmate, I don’t believe I’ve seen you at Qing University before. Did you make an appointment earlier?”
Shen Ruoran nodded like a chick pecking at grain.
She had checked before coming—Qing University’s water, electricity, and internet were all cut off. No one could prove she was lying.
Shen Ruoran couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances at Lu Chuan.
This Triple-Qing PhD was young and handsome, and even his voice was incredibly pleasant. How could the heavens create such a perfect character? It was enough to make anyone jealous.
Lu Chuan treated Shen Ruoran the same way he would any ordinary student.
Chen Moxin, on the other hand, kept his body ramrod straight, ready to enter combat at a moment’s notice. He didn’t dare relax for a second, seriously suspecting that Shen Ruoran was an undercover agent sent by an enemy side. He stared at her intently with a sharp gaze, as if he might take her into custody the very next second.
Some non-essential materials were laid out on the experimental table. Shen Ruoran walked over, and seeing that Lu Chuan had no intention of stopping her, she sat down and began to read slowly.
Experimental Technical Manual for Nuclear Radiation and Its Detectors, authored by Lu Chuan, Wang Zhenming, and Ouyang Xinyu.
Shen Ruoran flipped through the pages one by one. For the first time, she gained a true conceptual understanding of nuclear radiation. She also learned about the principles, performance parameters, and related nuclear physics experimental methods for eight categories and more than twenty types of nuclear radiation detectors.
She became increasingly absorbed. Her serious attitude even left Chen Moxin somewhat confused.
His intuition and powers of observation rarely failed him. If a person had crossed water four stories deep to get here, it was impossible for them to be completely clean except for their pant legs. Furthermore, it was absolutely impossible that she had been living in this Experimental Building all along.
They had conducted a carpet search of the premises.
“Professor Lu, I would like to ask,” Shen Ruoran said, tilting her head. Having been trained by the fast-travel system to read with extreme speed, she had already absorbed the key points into her mind. “Is there a compact, household version of a nuclear radiation detector?”