After another twenty minutes, they finally reached their destination.
Li Tianming parked the capsule pod underground.
Lu Daoxing, who had taken a nap, switched seats with Li Tianming and piloted the capsule pod up to the surface.
Looking at the gray, hazy surroundings, Qin Siyang asked, "Professor Lu, we're on the surface now, right? No one's monitoring the area?"
Lu Daoxing nodded, "Principal Zhao arranged everything very carefully. I checked, this is a space that blocks surveillance, and there's no one inside. I guess there's some kind of cloaking light shield outside. Anyway, our capsule pod won't be detected."
"Good."
The group stepped out of the capsule pod and walked toward the edge of the space. After about a dozen steps, they saw a semi-transparent blue light shield. Everything outside it was still blurry and indistinct.
Lu Daoxing reached out and touched the shield. Instantly, everything outside became crystal clear.
Qin Siyang saw a brightly lit lobby with a large crystal chandelier hanging overhead, shining brilliantly. In the middle of the lobby stood a tall figure.
Qin Siyang asked in surprise, "What kind of technology is this?"
Li Tianming said, "It's a [Semi-Transparent Light Shield]. Normally, the inside and outside are completely separated, and neither side can see the other. Only when someone inside touches the shield can people on both sides see each other clearly. We usually call this thing a 'frosted shield,' kind of like frosted glass."
Lu Daoxing lightly flicked the semi-transparent shield, "Frosted shields aren't rare, but one as refined as the Zhao family's, I've never seen before."
"Oh? What makes it so good?"
"With ordinary frosted shields, only the area I touch and a small section around it becomes fully transparent. The rest stays blurry. In other words, the effective area is no more than two square meters. But this one from the Zhao family, at least several dozen square meters. Just a slight touch from me, and the whole thing turns transparent. Whoever made this definitely has real skill."
Then he looked at Li Tianming, "Old Li, do you know who in the Zhao family is responsible for research? I'd like to find a chance to exchange ideas with them. I think the Zhao family's light shield technology is very advanced, it could make up for my shortcomings."
Li Tianming shook his head, "No idea. You can ask Principal Zhao yourself. But the people who help the Zhao family's black market with research have never shown themselves. I guess Principal Zhao doesn't want their identities revealed."
Lu Daoxing sighed, "That's really a shame."
"Forget it. Someone's been standing there waiting for a while. Let's go."
As the group stepped out of the semi-transparent shield, the tall figure not far away also walked toward them.
"Hello, professors, and hello, Student Little Qin. I'm Zhao Longju, responsible for all your arrangements for this thesis hearing."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhao."
Zhao Longju was tall, with a broad face, big eyes, and a full beard. He bore some resemblance to Zhao Sifang.
Qin Siyang even had the feeling that if Zhao Sifang, Zhao Longteng, and Zhao Longju stood together, people would think Zhao Sifang and Zhao Longju were the actual father and son.
"Please follow me. Let's head to the place where you'll be staying, have a simple meal first, and then we can discuss if there's anywhere else you need to go."
"Much appreciated."
Qin Siyang wasn't very familiar with Zhao Longju, so he stepped forward a couple of paces, walked beside him, and asked with a slight upward tilt of his head, "Uncle Zhao, you're related to Little Zhao, right? How come I've never seen you before?"
Zhao Longju's expression was gentle, "I used to rely on my eldest and second brothers for support, so I didn't really have the chance to meet someone as outstanding as Student Qin. Now that they're willing to trust me and give me opportunities to handle more matters, I finally get to meet you."
With just a few words, he placed Qin Siyang at a much higher position than himself.
Qin Siyang shook his head, "Uncle Zhao, you're too polite. You're Little Zhao's uncle, which makes you my uncle too. I'm sure there will be times in the future when I'll need your help. I hope you'll support me then."
"Of course."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qin Siyang used tying his shoelaces as an excuse to fall back to Li Tianming's side and activated conversation blocking.
Li Tianming said, "You went up to probe him a bit. What do you think?"
"Since Zhao Longfei sent him, his capability is definitely solid. From the few sentences we exchanged, his intelligence checks out too. As for his character, that's harder to say."
"As for character, Zhao Longteng and Zhao Longfei would've screened him strictly. He's just here to look after you for a few days, why are you worrying about his character? You're making a fuss over nothing."
"This arrangement by Boss Zhao is probably just the beginning. Zhao Longju's position in the Zhao family will definitely become more and more important. My relationship with the Zhao family is deeply intertwined, so of course I need to understand his temperament clearly."
Li Tianming shook his head, unable to bother with Qin Siyang too much, "Do as you like. Just know what you're doing."
The place they were in was a clubhouse of the Zhao Chamber of Commerce in Area 134.
They went up to the third floor, where there was a living room and guest rooms. Walking down the corridor, they reached a spacious and brightly lit dining hall.
The entire clubhouse was decorated with magnificent crystal chandeliers. The flickering light made Qin Siyang unconsciously feel like a successful man.
A rich yet not greasy meal had been prepared in the dining hall. It was enough to satisfy Qin Siyang's appetite while not dulling his mind from digestion.
Although the food was delicious and looked especially tempting under the crystal chandeliers, Qin Siyang still had to say something fair in his heart, it wasn't as good as the bowl of porridge Wen Shu made.
"What's the plan next?"
After finishing his meal, Qin Siyang wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and asked Li Tianming.
"We should definitely go take a look at the hearing venue in advance, make sure there are no issues."
Zhao Longju said, "I'll accompany you."
At that moment, a service staff member in a suit suddenly appeared in the dining hall, walked up to Zhao Longju, and activated conversation blocking to whisper something.
A few seconds later, the conversation blocking was lifted.
Zhao Longju said to his subordinate, "Inform everyone that anything related to this hearing can be discussed directly with the professors and Student Qin present. There's no need to activate conversation blocking."
"Yes."
Zhao Longju then turned to Li Tianming and the others, "Professors, are you acquainted with Professors Jiao Zhijie and Hong Liang from North Pillar University?"
"Jiao Zhijie and Hong Liang?"
Li Tianming turned to look at Lu Daoxing.
Lu Daoxing said, "They were my partners back when I was a professor at Central Glory. We all worked with Old Li on research. Later, when something happened to Old Li, we all went our separate ways, though we kept some contact. This year, when Old Li returned and I rejoined his team, I asked for their opinions, but they refused. After that, I stopped contacting them. Why, what's going on with those two?"
"They said they've come to visit you professors. They're currently waiting outside our clubhouse."
"Visit?", Lu Daoxing snorted, "Not earlier, not later, but choosing this exact time to visit, doesn't that make their intentions obvious? Tell them to get lost."
Zhang Kuang scratched his messy hair, "If they really wanted to visit, they should've waited until after the thesis hearing. Old Li, what do you think?"
Li Tianming nodded, "I think the same. Little Qin, what about you?"
Qin Siyang shrugged, "They didn't say they came to visit me. What does it have to do with me? You guys decide."
Li Tianming chuckled, "Alright, then we'll trouble Mr. Zhao's people to inform them, once the thesis hearing is over, we'll catch up properly."
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