This is really not mechanical ascension-Chapter 219 - 124: A Thief Stealing from Another Thief? _2

In his eyes now, Li Ming was a treasure among treasures, and nothing could go wrong with him.

After a brief packing, he was ready to set out. Originally, he intended to take a small hover car, but then he saw Li Ming carrying a large metal box out.

"What’s this?" Luo Chuan hesitated.

"Tan Guard Mecha." Li Ming had someone replace it with a large transport vehicle, and as he loaded the box on it, he explained to Luo Chuan, "I’ll see if I can apply for a mecha experimental lab."

"Apply for a lab?" Luo Chuan was stunned and then somewhat incredulous, "You?"

"Yeah, a small lab." Li Ming added, and Luo Chuan fell silent; of course, he knew it was a small lab.

But even a small lab was too extraordinary – how old was Li Ming now?

But then he remembered that Tan Guard Mecha, and suddenly he stopped himself. With the ability to mold mecha with bare hands, applying for a small experimental lab wouldn’t be too difficult.

He sighed. People really shouldn’t be compared to others.

The two set off, and Li Ming had sent a message to the dean in advance, so someone was there to pick him up upon arrival at the school.

It was Yuan Hong, who looked quite curious at the large metal box behind him.

After seeing Luo Chuan off, Li Ming followed Yuan Hong all the way to the dean’s office, where Chen Jinglong was present, waving Yuan Hong away.

After the door closed, only the two of them were left. Chen Jinglong glanced over the large metal box and said indifferently, "What can I do for you?"

Li Ming secretly curled his lip; this dean really knew how to play people, being warm when asking for a favor, but now his attitude was so indifferent.

"Can we speak freely here?" Li Ming lowered his voice.

"What’s the matter?" Chen Jinglong was a bit more interested, seeing how cautious Li Ming was.

"I suspect there’s someone from Torch around me," Li Ming said solemnly.

As the voice fell, Chen Jinglong only narrowed his eyes slightly but showed no sign of surprise.

"You mean, Chen Yan?"

"You know too." Li Ming feigned surprise, but he murmured to himself, this old fox certainly knew something.

Then he swiftly turned the tables and questioned, "Dean, why didn’t you arrest her if you knew, and why did you leave her by my side?"

Chen Jinglong’s brows furrowed, "I’m not certain; she’s a third-year student, still under suspicion. The investigators sent to her hometown haven’t arrived yet."

The paper data had only a few lines of text; nothing could be concluded from it, and confirming whether she was Torch was very troublesome.

Immediately, he stared at Li Ming again, "And how do you know she is Torch?"

Li Ming explained, "Chen Yan said her senior smuggled a batch of interstellar precious metals into the country, which might be troublesome, and wanted my help in transit. She promised to give me a portion of the reward."

"As you know, I am quite cautious. I felt something was off right away, but she was evasive and couldn’t explain herself clearly. In the end, she even turned it around and questioned if I didn’t want to help."

"Oh..." Chen Jinglong looked thoughtful. He had Chen Yan’s information, and he knew she had been getting close to Li Ming lately.

They hadn’t started screening the third-year students yet, but precisely because she was close to Li Ming, Chen Jinglong had sent someone to verify Chen Yan’s identity.

"If she is indeed what you say, she is most likely Torch," Chen Jinglong tapped on the desk.

Li Ming’s face was tense, with no hint of joy, but instead he sighed, "Actually, I’ve had my suspicions. She started getting close to me in a somewhat deliberate way; I should have come to you earlier."

Chen Jinglong looked at Li Ming and could roughly guess Torch’s thoughts, and so he consoled, "Don’t take it to heart, the innocence of youth, there’s always a bit of longing for love..."

At this, his voice deepened, his eyes grew profound as if recalling something, and he sighed, "Later on, you’ll understand – the universe is vast, but only evolution endures."

The dean seemed to have been deeply hurt...

Li Ming muttered to himself, and Chen Jinglong realized he had lost his composure, then he turned to ask, "What do you want to do about this matter?"

"If she truly is Torch, I’ll arrest her right now," Li Ming said in a deep voice. "In the face of civilizational interests, romantic entanglements can’t be indulged."

Chen Jinglong wasn’t surprised; the last time Li Ming bargained with him, he realized this kid wasn’t simple.

This kind of person is good, knowing when to advance or retreat. Getting entangled with Torch is a big problem. Blue Star might be able to turn a blind eye, but the Yitelan Civilization will not let it go easily.

"Also, there’s no need..." Chen Jinglong shook his head, "Because of Fu Zongchen’s death, the entrance examination recently has been exceptionally strict. If Torch had other ways, they wouldn’t risk using you, such an important piece."

"You could just play along with them and see what they’re really up to."

"You want me to go undercover?" Li Ming frowned on the surface, but as he spoke, he was ninety percent sure that Chen Jinglong would definitely ask him to do so.

Arresting Chen Yan would be of no use; it would instead alert Torch. Anyone slightly intelligent would understand the principle of waiting patiently to catch a big fish.

"Isn’t it too dangerous?" He hesitated.

Chen Jinglong’s face twitched, "Don’t exaggerate; what danger is there?"

Li Ming chuckled twice and asked again, "What do you think Torch is smuggling interstellar precious metals for? Could it be to bribe someone?"

Chen Jinglong’s gaze flickered but he shook his head, "Unclear for now."

No conjectures? Li Ming shook his head and asked again, "The group that attacked me, where are they from?"

Chen Jinglong’s gaze drifted momentarily, "Still investigating, I don’t know yet, but a portion of them can be confirmed as Torch’s men."

Not figured out yet? Torch has already been found out!

Li Ming seriously suspected this old fox was deceiving him, not likely to protect Sain but probably afraid he would disrupt some plans.

Or perhaps he was being forcefully pressured to demand an explanation from the Sela Civilization.

Seeing the displeased expression on Li Ming’s face, Chen Jinglong returned to the previous topic:

"Smuggling interstellar precious metals might just be a cover; it’s highly likely something else, possibly related to their upcoming plans."

"You can pretend to agree when you go back."

"Got it." Li Ming looked sullen. Seeing that he seemed glued to the chair with no intention of moving, Chen Jinglong knew there was something more and his gaze fell on a metal box to the side.

"What’s in here?" freewebnoveℓ.com

"The mecha I crafted." Li Ming seemed enthused, slapped the metal box, and opened it from the center; the sturdy Tan Guard Mecha hung from a support post.

"A mecha you crafted?" Chen Jinglong looked slightly startled, got up slowly, walked around the table, and approached the Tan Guard Mecha, his fingertips brushing the cold alloy armor.

Chen Jinglong examined it from top to bottom, his fingertips suddenly gathered a dot of black light.

"Wait..." Li Ming shouted, "Director, what are you doing? Do you know how much effort I’ve expended, how much alloy material I’ve wasted to forge this?"

"If you damage it, you’ll have to compensate."

"What level is this mecha?" Chen Jinglong asked hesitantly.

He had no experience with mech engineering and didn’t understand it.

"It’s focused on defense; in terms of defensive capability, it should be of C-grade standard," Li Ming said.

"C-grade?" Chen Jinglong’s voice rose slightly, then with suspicion, "Did you really craft this yourself?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Li Ming replied helplessly: "You can check; when have I ever bought such a mecha? Only the alloy materials."

A C-grade defensive mecha could at least withstand attacks from ordinary C-grade life forms.

Chen Jinglong’s brows furrowed tightly; he felt it was somewhat preposterous.

Although he was completely ignorant of mech engineering, he knew that none of the instructors under Xia Yuanlun had this level of skill.

After thinking for a while, he suddenly asked, "Why did you bring this mecha to me? Is it a gift?"

"Director, you’re taking the joke too far," Li Ming shook his head and explained: "I would like to apply for a small mecha development laboratory. This mecha has many shortcomings; I want to continue improving it."

"You want to apply for a small laboratory?" Chen Jinglong felt the situation was getting out of hand.

He rubbed his forehead, unsure of how to respond for a moment.

"According to our school’s regulations, I should be eligible to apply for a small laboratory," Li Ming emphasized. "If there is a breakthrough, it would be beneficial for our civilization as well."

"That’s true," Chen Jinglong paced back and forth, "but, applying for a laboratory requires the approval of the professor committee."

"Then let them approve it. After all, I am a level sixteen with development potential, a future A-grade life form," Li Ming spread his hands: "I believe the professors will be fair."

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