"Good afternoon, Melissa."
Lex handed the prepared bouquet to the young girl. Out of politeness, a somewhat listless Melissa still accepted the flowers and thanked him.
"Please come in. Would you like tea or coffee?"
Stepping through the front door, Lex saw a relatively spacious area, with a set of fabric sofas bathed in the brilliant afternoon sun.
Melissa placed the flowers into a vase in the corner and looked towards Lex.
"Black tea is fine." Lex sat down on the sofa, looking around, observing the place where Klein once lived, a strange feeling in his heart.
While Melissa went to make tea, Lex habitually scanned his surroundings. He noticed that the house had an open-plan layout, with no separation between the dining room and the living room.
The dining room contained a small red rectangular wooden table, surrounded by cushioned hardwood chairs, and a fireplace.
Was this where Klein used to eat?
"Mr. Lex, your black tea."
A familiar voice sounded. The black-haired girl brought two cups of tea to the living room, placing one in front of Lex.
Lex picked up the black tea and smiled, "Actually, I came this afternoon because I wanted to ask for your help."
The girl's dim eyes glanced at him: "What is it?"
"It's like this." Lex took a small sip of black tea, swallowed the fragrant liquid, and then continued, "I want to create a container that can store gas. It doesn't need to be large, preferably something I can hold in one hand."
"But storing gas is only one of its functions. I also hope this container can, when I need it, absorb external air anytime, anywhere, to mix it with the original gas inside the container."
"I think this would require the assistance of some mechanical components to achieve. Coincidentally, I learned from Professor Newman that you seem to be very skilled in mechanics, so I took the liberty of visiting, hoping not to disturb you."
Melissa showed a somewhat forced smile, first shaking her head, then after a brief thought, she said, "Perhaps a mechanical part with a pressure structure could solve your problem."
"What gas do you intend to store?"
"Hydrogen."
Lex frankly stated, "A gas less dense than air."
Melissa nodded: "Understood. I can think about how to solve this problem, but I can't guarantee success."
"That's great!"
Lex took an envelope from his pocket and placed it on the table: "Here are 300 pounds for research expenses. You can use it to buy the necessary materials and tools."
Melissa immediately waved her hand: "That's too much."
"Don't be so quick to refuse, Melissa."
Lex said seriously: "Every master in physics relies not just on ideas, or on novel thoughts. Inspiration is important, but to realize every inspiration, countless experiments are needed."
"The first time I saw you, I had a hunch that in the future, you would definitely achieve something significant in physics and mechanics."
"So I want to invest in you, and in the future, I may have many questions about mechanics to ask you, and even, like this time, need your help."
"Therefore, these 300 pounds for research expenses are not too much at all."
Seeing Lex say this, after a small internal struggle, Melissa nodded and said, "Alright then, but I will record every expense."
"Regardless of whether it succeeds or fails in the end, if there's any money left, I'll return it all to you."
Lex smiled: "No problem, but please don't forget to add your remuneration. Time is a very precious thing. How about this: you only take time to help me research this pressure component without affecting your studies."
"As for remuneration, I think 2 pounds per week is a fair and reasonable price. What do you think?"
Melissa gasped: "That's too much!"
"No, I think it's still too little, after all, it takes up your valuable private time. Let's decide on this."
Lex also left the address of the safe house: "If you need anything, or if there's any progress, you can write to me."
"Also, I hope this work won't affect your normal life. Please take care of yourself."
Melissa smiled and nodded: "I will."
Perhaps being entrusted with great expectations, or perhaps having a challenging topic, the girl's eyes were much clearer than before.
This was exactly what Lex had hoped for.
"Well then…"
Lex was about to leave when suddenly, his ears caught a soft sound.
The sound came from upstairs; it seemed someone had quietly opened a window.
Lex narrowed his eyes slightly, first made a 'shush' gesture to Melissa, then pointed upstairs, intentionally raising his voice and saying, "Do you mind if I use the washroom?"
"Of course not, please follow me." Melissa seemed to have guessed something too, cooperating with Lex's words and actively leading the way.
They went into the washroom opposite the living room. Lex turned on the water, letting it gush loudly, then leaned close to the girl and whispered in her ear.
"Is there anyone else in your house?"
Melissa did not feel uncomfortable being so close to Lex. She shook her head: "No, I'm the only one home this afternoon."
"Then, if no stray cat got into the house, it's highly probable a thief has snuck in."
Melissa said nervously: "I'll call the police."
"Wait a moment, I'll go up and check first. Don't worry about me, I've had rigorous training, and my marksmanship and combat skills are quite good."
Lex took off his top hat, handed it to Melissa, and went upstairs himself.
Recalling the direction from which the sound came, Lex stood in front of a bedroom door.
He used his cane to gently push the door open.
Inside seemed to be Melissa's bedroom. Lex saw a dress hanging on the wall, books and various small parts on the desk by the wall, and the window directly opposite the door was open, with the wind blowing the curtains.
Wind poured in from the window and flowed into the hallway. In the wind, Lex smelled an odor. It seemed to be perfume, and men's perfume, but this scent was not the mainstream perfume used by Loen Kingdom gentlemen.
Smelling this faint scent of perfume, Lex knew, without needing divination, that someone was in the room.
A thief shouldn't be using perfume.
So, who was trying to target Melissa?
Lex, of course, wouldn't allow Klein's sister to fall into danger. He subtly curved his lips upwards and fearlessly walked into the room.
The moment he stepped into the room, he felt a prickling sensation on the back of his hand, and a scene suddenly flashed in his mind.
A man in a black swallowtail coat and a semi-tall silk top hat. At this moment, like a cat, he was squatting above the doorway with an unusual lightness and agility. His right hand was raised high, a playing card pinched between his fingers, and he suddenly flung the card at himself, who was entering the door!