One hour later.
At the entrance of the National Security Agency.
Lin Xu stood sowhat dazed, watching the endless stream of vehicles on the street, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Xu Qianlin's words still echoed in his mind.
"......Frankly speaking, we—especially I—don't really care where your technology ca from."
"Everyone has their own secrets. As long as what you do benefits the nation and its people, we often don't need to dig deeper."
"Of course, that might sound a bit too 'official'."
"But that's the truth of the matter."
"I know you don’t trust us yet, but we’re willing to give you ti and even provide so assistance within certain limits."
"I hope you won’t overthink it and just focus on what you need to do."
"Also, don’t worry too much about our colleagues 'monitoring' you."
"Most of the ti, it’s just a form of protection......"
......
Protection?
Maybe.
At the very least, based on the current situation, the surveillance from the National Security Agency hadn’t disrupted his daily life.
He hadn’t even noticed their presence.
Lin Xu let out a soft sigh, then recalled Xu Qianlin’s remarks about the "Apocalypse."
"......We’ve indeed observed so abnormal celestial phenona, and they’ve occurred multiple tis."
"From our current technological and scientific standpoint, these anomalies are hard to explain."
"Inevitably, so of our colleagues have grown pessimistic."
"Like what you ntioned—is the Apocalypse coming?"
"But in my opinion, it might not be that serious."
"When ancient people witnessed solar eclipses, they also thought the world was ending."
"When Wheeler confird the observer effect in the delayed-choice experint, he thought the foundation of physics was collapsing."
"But look at us now?"
"We’re still alive and well, and the edifice of quantum physics continues to grow."
"The sky won’t fall."
"We should prepare for the worst, but we shouldn’t wallow in despair."
"So......no matter where you’re from or what your plans are."
"I hope you can remain confident about the future."
"As for the rest, I won’t pry or ask further."
"Let’s give each other so ti, alright?"
"I can hold on for a while longer. Whenever you’ve figured things out, you can co to anyti."
"I’ll expedite the process to secure higher clearance for you."
"Then, we can talk about this 'Apocalypse' you ntioned and compare the clues we’ve gathered."
"After our discussion, you might realize things aren’t as dire as they seem?"
......
In the end, Xu Qianlin never pressed him about the origin of his technology, nor did he demand an explanation for how he knew about the "Apocalypse."
His leniency toward Lin Xu was almost extre.
He even hinted that the authorities would exchange information they already possessed rather than forcibly seize what Lin Xu knew before he had the clearance to access it.
Damn, if every governnt official were like him, cooperating with the authorities wouldn’t be so bad, right?
But the problem was—not all officials were like him.
Xu Qianlin, as an elder scholar, held far greater reverence for knowledge and the unknown than most.
That was precisely why he had given Lin Xu this opportunity.
But what if, one day, he was no longer around? Or if Lin Xu could no longer rely on his protection?
His situation would beco unpredictable.
So, he still needed enough leverage in his hands.
One piece of technology wasn’t enough—he needed more. More information that surpassed this era!
With enough leverage, he would be the one in control.
And no rational organization would be foolish enough to interfere with the actions of the one in charge!
His mind cleared with resolve.
Lin Xu glanced back at the National Security Agency, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.
Perhaps one day, if he played his cards right, it wouldn’t be them summoning him—but him summoning them.
Just then, the car Xu Qianlin had arranged arrived.
Lin Xu got in, and the driver in a Zhongshan suit took him straight to the entrance of Tianqiong Technology. After parking, the driver moved to open the door for him with practiced etiquette.
But Lin Xu, unaware of this protocol, had already shoved the door open roughly before the driver could reach it.
The driver nearly stumbled back, and the two exchanged an awkward glance before nodding and parting ways.
Lin Xu headed straight for the office building. When he reached his office, he found two people already inside—Ren Jian and Chu Xu.
"Boss? Engineer Chu?"
Lin Xu asked, puzzled.
"You......need sothing?"
"No, no!" Ren Jian waved his hand.
"We were just here to discuss the next steps for the Donghua Chemical Fiber Factory project. There were so discrepancies with the permits and procedures."
"Jiang Xingye ntioned you were out, so we decided to wait."
"But it’s fine now—I just got a call saying the issue’s been resolved."
"Resolved?"
Lin Xu repeated instinctively.
His words were casual, but to Ren Jian, they sounded like a confirmation.
After all, he had just seen Lin Xu step out of a car with governnt plates.
The driver in the Zhongshan suit—Ren Jian knew exactly what that ant......
So he quickly replied,
"Yes, it’s all taken care of."
"The paperwork should be finalized by the day after tomorrow."
"By then, the equipnt installation will be done, and trial production can begin."
"I see......"
Lin Xu nodded thoughtfully.
He hadn’t really considered the bureaucratic hurdles before—or rather, he assud Ren Jian could handle them on his own.
But apparently, it wasn’t that simple.
Luckily, it was resolved now.
Either through Xu Jin’s connections or Xu Qianlin’s influence.
Essentially, it was the sa thing.
Seed like Xu Qianlin was extending an olive branch in advance.
He really needed to think carefully about how to proceed with their cooperation.
Clearing his throat, Lin Xu said,
"Glad it’s sorted—Boss, if there’s nothing else......"
"Right, nothing else."
Ren Jian stood up.
"Just let know if you need anything. We might not be able to solve major problems, but we can handle logistics."
"Alright, I won’t keep you."
"Take it easy today—get so rest."
With that, Ren Jian left.
Lin Xu watched their retreating figures, feeling both baffled and......
weirdly convinced?
Whatever.
Shaking his head, Lin Xu sat at his desk and pulled out his phone.
He first sent Jiang Xingye a quick ssage to let her know he was fine, then opened the chat window with Bai Mo, whom he’d just added.
No ssages from her yet.
She was probably still reeling from the emotional turmoil.
After a brief pause, Lin Xu typed two lines:
"Sa question—why do you want to go to Mars?"
"I gave you a lot of keywords. Which one was it?"
A mont later, Bai Mo replied:
"No......it wasn’t because of those keywords......"
"I’ve never even heard of them before!"
"But......I know you’ll understand!"
"Have you been there too??"
"That mirror......that mirror space!"
"Where......the entire world is flat!"
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