"Whoa?! Amazing!" Xin Yaoqiao exclaimed the moment she snapped back to reality, even though she could tell there was more to this than met the eye.
Right now she was no scientist; Han Qingyu was here, and this concerned him.
The massive block of metal was set into the pan scale beside them—a full twelve blocks by standard weight, and even a tiny bit over.
If one were to ask whether Han Qingyu was happy, he certainly wasn't at the moment. Exchanging twelve for ten, losing two blocks outright—in ordinary times, that would have practically been the death of him.
Yet looking at it from another angle, the gold brick truly had to be surrendered.
Whether from the standpoint of Azure, of humanity, or from Han Qingyu's enduring desire to protect his friends and family and return home after victory, he had to make this choice... because this object might bear upon matters of vast importance.
If he didn't hand it over, he wouldn't be far from becoming a covert member of the Self-Preservation Faction.
So, compared to losing all twelve blocks at once in exchange for some honor that might take who knew how long to materialize, keeping a solid ten blocks in hand was practically the best possible outcome.
At the very least, it was an outcome where he remained filthy rich and wouldn't have to worry about source energy in the near future. In the short term, Han Qingyu couldn't think of a better way either.
So, he would just treat it as refining loss—a ten percent handling fee... Besides, in its state as a gold brick, he had no way to take it for refining anyway, and the others, including Rusty Sister, couldn't use metal blocks. The few blue crystal blocks they had left weren't even enough for Han Qingyu himself to replenish his gear and liquid source energy... Once absorbed, metal blocks melted directly into the body.
As things stood, Han Qingyu's ten metal blocks were tucked inside his inner coat pocket. If Xin Mingzhi and the others turned hostile on the spot and demanded to search him, the blocks would simply vanish.
And without concrete evidence, the people from the research system probably couldn't do anything to him anyway. After all, Han Qingyu was currently draped in glory and renown.
And after that, perhaps his mindset would undergo some shift.
Han Qingyu was waiting for Xin Mingzhi's judgment and choice... This was a transaction, one called "May You Be Kind"... roughly meaning: *I've surrendered the item, I didn't take advantage of the research institute, and I didn't put you in an awkward spot.*
It was just that these things couldn't be stated openly. His decision to choose Xin Yaoqiao's grandfather this time had been influenced by such considerations deep down.
In the silence, Xin Mingzhi stepped forward alone, reached out, and lifted the gold brick from the tray. He rubbed it in his hands a few times, his expression instantly turning solemn. It was real. He had handled these things for decades; real or fake, its exact composition—he could tell at a single touch.
As for it being conjured out of thin air...
How could that be possible?! What a brilliant man Xin Mingzhi was. Connecting a few dots on the spot, the old man instantly understood where this object had come from, and at the same time understood Han Qingyu's intentions.
As for why Han Qingyu had turned it in this way, it was very simple. If he turned it in directly, everything would have to follow Azure's protocols: first classified, then evaluated for medal grade, with the past few days' events scrutinized and questioned.
And if he didn't hand it over... the truth was, he really could have kept it.
Thinking to this point, Xin Mingzhi looked up into Han Qingyu's eyes again, thinking to himself: *Honest my foot, you little brat! Infuriating! But at least it's not all bad—when it comes to major principles, he still holds the line.*
*So after all that fuss, you were scheming for source energy blocks after all! Brat, you had this old man thinking about so much in that short span, I nearly thought I was going to be your grandfather!*
From the perspective of a gossiping grandfather, Xin Mingzhi was furious. This kid was truly as hopelessly dense as rumors claimed... You even dare scheme against Qiaoqiao's grandfather—do you not want Qiaoqiao anymore?
Yet from the perspective of a scientific leader, someone who cherished talent... Xin Mingzhi gave it a moment's thought, then raised both hands. *Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap...* Amid the applause, the old man praised him with genuine earnestness: "Brilliant! A wholehearted magic performance. Utterly breathtaking, deeply moving."
His applause and acknowledgment amounted to tacit approval of the current situation.
Immediately, his trusted students, followed by Xin Yaoqiao and her mother, as well as the Great-Aunt, all joined in the applause. Xin Yaoqiao was especially thrilled.
When the applause subsided, Xin Mingzhi looked into Han Qingyu's eyes, smiled, and said, "That magic trick wasn't easy, was it? In that case, I'll have to take this back and study it thoroughly."
Meeting the old man's gaze, Han Qingyu gave a solemn nod.
The best state between the two right now was unspoken mutual understanding.
As for how the matter would be explained and handled moving forward, Xin Mingzhi would naturally see to it. He possessed more than enough authority and stature to manage it easily. After all, compared to these trivial details, the object itself and the information it contained were what truly mattered.
With the transaction concluded, Xin Mingzhi weighed the gold brick in his hand one last time and said, "Two metal blocks' worth in just a short moment—the research institute made a huge profit this time."
After Han Qingyu left, the atmosphere grew a bit peculiar. Xin Mingzhi sat there with a somewhat awkward expression. He held it in for a while, but eventually couldn't resist snapping, "Qiaoqiao, if you keep giggling behind your hand, Grandpa's going to get angry."
"I didn't! I'm not laughing at all," Xin Yaoqiao said, instantly pressing her lips together to suppress her smile.
Xin Mingzhi looked helplessly at his granddaughter, thinking: *Sigh, my precious granddaughter's heart has probably long since wandered off to who knows where.*
***
*Clunk, clunk-clunk...*
The sound of metal blocks landing on the tabletop was unimaginably sweet at this moment. Han Qingyu looked up at the people in the room.
"One, two, three... ten."
Once the count was done, with one person counting aloud and the rest silently counting along... they had originally thought everything was gone, had already endured the heartache, and had resigned themselves to accepting it. So now, seeing these ten blocks return was an immense, sudden pleasant surprise.
With this, they truly could return to their squad with peace of mind. There was no need to worry about the drain of sustaining Rusty Sister's life, no need to worry about what was needed to improve their strength, and no need to fear that Qingzi wouldn't be able to unleash his full power if danger struck.
The leaps of celebration and cheers were kept to the lowest volume, but they couldn't be contained.
Standing to the side, Wu Xu watched in silence. From their earlier helplessness and worry to their genuine joy now, he couldn't help feeling happy too... *I was actually sad earlier as well. I almost thought it was all gone.*
"You... Qingzi, how did you do it?! This definitely isn't Azure's style."
Once things calmed down, Wen Jifei grabbed Han Qingyu and asked anxiously, implying that Azure would never return this much—in fact, there didn't seem to be any policy for returning even a single block directly.
Han Qingyu smiled and said, "I just did a magic trick."
"A magic trick?"
"Yeah."
"Then why didn't you tell us beforehand?"
"If I had told you, you wouldn't be this happy right now." Han Qingyu smiled, then switched to an agonized expression. "You'd be just like me, with your heads full of nothing but the two blocks we lost."
He Tangtang thought about it and said, "That's actually true. Stop talking about it, let's happily pack our things."
It was time to get ready to leave.
Before departing, reminded by Wen Jifei and Liu Shiheng, Han Qingyu went specifically to apologize to the girls of the outreach troupe, only to have the door slammed in his face.
Only a window stood open. Someone leaned out from the windowsill, waving goodbye and saying, "Next time we'll definitely perform for your squad... but we won't let you watch!"
Han Qingyu said, "All right, then I'll stand guard for you."
The girl: "..."
It was the same airport where they had arrived. It had been raining then, but today was clear. Right before boarding the plane, Xin Yaoqiao tugged at Han Qingyu and handed him a case. "There are eighty-six blue crystal blocks inside. I took an average value. Knowing you'd need them, I refined them for you."
Then, smiling, she held out her fair, open palm.
"Thank you." Han Qingyu placed two metal blocks into her hand.
Again, unspoken mutual understanding.
So, counting their return journey, aside from the few scattered blocks remaining on them, Han Qingyu and the others were bringing back a total of eight metal blocks and a hundred and six blue crystal blocks. It seemed they really could accomplish quite a bit.
"About Wu Xu... I'm sorry, I..." Xin Yaoqiao said suddenly, watching the plane already start up.
"Things turning out like this for Wu Xu is already very good. At least the army won't drive him away," Han Qingyu said sincerely.
"Mm." Xin Yaoqiao nodded and waved goodbye, adding, "Then next time you're free, remember to come visit me again."
In truth, Han Qingyu had only come this time to handle a bunch of business... yet she said it anyway.
"Sure." Han Qingyu felt a bit guilty himself. Thinking it over, he said, "Don't worry, next time I won't bring sugarcanes. I'll try to catch a Great Spike for you so you can chat with it... If it dares ignore you, I'll beat it up."
"Mm!" Xin Yaoqiao nodded happily.
Chapter 182