Chapter 70

Tao Shushu waved her fist at the screen.
She couldn’t expose Nan Yuan’s trump card, which meant she couldn’t actually punch Dr. Xie. She was furious.
On the screen, a group of people had been swayed by Dr. Xie’s emotional manipulation. "Dr. Xie is pushing through his illness to conduct research. Someone as capable as Nan Yuan should step up and not let the efforts of our predecessors go to waste."
"No one else can complete this mission except Nan Yuan. Our special abilities are useless against artificial intelligence."
"The hope for humanity’s victory rests on Nan Yuan’s shoulders."
Tao Shushu frowned. No matter how they sugarcoated it, the underlying message was that they wanted Nan Yuan to sacrifice himself.
Besides, Dr. Xie had only mentioned the possibility. The signal transmitter might be destroyed by the AI before it was even assembled.
To sacrifice Nan Yuan for such a vague possibility, Tao Shushu felt indignant on his behalf just thinking about it.
She shifted slightly and hooked her fingers around Nan Yuan’s hand, which was resting by the table.
Nan Yuan’s expression remained calm, as if the person everyone was pushing toward sacrifice wasn’t him.
Tao Shushu held his hand tightly and glared at Dr. Xie.
Fortunately, there were still rational people present.
Zhou Yan leaned back casually in his chair. "I think I’m more suitable for this. After all, I was the one who helped Dr. Xie break through the AI’s pursuit and land on the Trash Planet. And, by the way, I’m one of the strongest fighters in the Second Legion."
Catching sight of Nan Yuan’s face, Zhou Yan grinned and added, "One of the strongest. For something as life-threatening as this, I’m the better choice."
Hearing Zhou Yan’s words, another higher-up from the Second Legion jolted, as if suddenly remembering that Nan Yuan was the son of Commander Nan of the Second Legion. The Nan family had shown him kindness, and he had intended to repay it. Yet, just moments ago, his mind had been filled with the idea that only Nan Yuan was suitable, completely contradicting his original intentions.
To Tao Shushu’s surprise, Bob also spoke up. "I think I’d be suitable too. The doctor said he needs more time. During that period, I can learn how to install it. I might be a bit slow, but I’m sure I can manage."
Dr. Xie glanced at the tall Bob. "I'm merely stating a possibility. The specific candidate can be discussed further when the time comes."
"When the time comes..." Dr. Xie coughed twice.
Nan Yuan seized the opening to interject, "If there's truly a way to counter the artificial intelligence, I'll do it."
Tao Shushu's grip tightened instantly, leaving marks on Nan Yuan's hand.
Nan Yuan's expression remained unchanged. "I hope we have a reliable and feasible method."
The meeting adjourned.
Tao Shushu gradually calmed down. Nan Yuan hadn't yet completed the mission of subduing the superhumans and hadn't received the influence rewards. If Nan Yuan hadn't made a stance, those opposing him would use this as an excuse to spread detrimental rumors.
Zhou Yan's smile also vanished as he said sternly, "Nan Yuan, come with me."
"Does Captain Zhou have urgent matters?" Dr. Xie spoke up before everyone had left. "Should you two talk first?"
Dr. Xie's assistant worriedly reminded, "Doctor, you have to take your medicine in fifteen minutes. You must rest after taking it. Without sleep, you'll die."
The remaining executives immediately cast disapproving looks toward Nan Yuan.
Tao Shushu was nearly infuriated by these two hypocrites.
But she could only suppress her rage.
Nan Yuan smiled in Zhou Yan's direction.
Tao Shushu paused, only she knew this reassuring smile was meant for her.
Most of her anger subsided as she followed Nan Yuan to Dr. Xie's laboratory.
Dr. Xie sighed bitterly. "Nan Yuan, you must be wondering why I insist on pushing you to bear such heavy responsibility."
He shook his head mournfully. "Only you can achieve the goal I envision. I can only succeed in one attempt. The artificial intelligence won't allow a second chance."
Tao Shushu nudged Nan Yuan's ear, whispering, "Not listening, not listening, turtle chanting sutras."
Dr. Xie coughed several more times. "My time is truly running short. If I had more time, I could make more attempts. Unfortunately, I'm now so ill I can barely walk..."
Nan Yuan listened without feeling moved, nor did he exhibit the determination, fear, or any other emotion Dr. Xie had hoped for.
He nearly let a smile slip because Shushu immediately grumbled in his ear, "Serves you right!"
Like a little volcano about to erupt.
Nan Yuan's fingertips twitched slightly as he manipulated the path of light.
He'd heard that the color of light depends on what it reflects.
Amid the ever-present interplay of light and shadow, he guided a few strands of light to sense the surrounding supernatural energy fluctuations.
Nan Yuan withdrew his ability and adopted a pained expression. "Doctor, I didn't realize your health had deteriorated this much."
"We must not cause panic among the surviving humans." Dr. Xie shook his head. "I believe you understand that."
Nan Yuan nodded, his gaze somewhat unfocused.
Dr. Xie asked, "Nan Yuan, I chose you for a reason. Man Qian must have taught you something. Tell me what it is."
Nan Yuan remained motionless.
Dr. Xie repeated the question, this time with a hint of urgency in his tone.
But Nan Yuan still didn’t move.
Instead, Dr. Xie erupted into a fit of violent coughing.
Listening to Dr. Xie’s coughs, Tao Shushu found a way to retaliate, an attack using foul odors.
She searched through the game store for a long time, finally settling on her plan. At last, she no longer had to hold back and could vent her anger on Nan Yuan’s behalf.
Nan Yuan seemed to snap back to attention upon hearing Dr. Xie’s coughs. "Doctor, what’s wrong? I’ll have an assistant bring you medicine right away."
Dr. Xie shook his head weakly. "No need. Medicine won’t help my condition. If you can complete the mission, I might feel a little better."
"I’ll do my best," Nan Yuan replied.
"I believe you. But Zhou Yan doesn’t seem to understand my decision. Persuade him and let him know you’re doing this voluntarily." Dr. Xie’s tone turned commanding again.
Nan Yuan nodded and pushed the door open to leave.
A small robot peeked out from behind him, acting as Dr. Xie’s eyes.
Nan Yuan walked straight over to Zhou Yan, and only then did the little robot retract.
Tao Shushu was momentarily stunned.
Zhou Yan grabbed Nan Yuan’s hand. "Nan Yuan, don’t let Dr. Xie deceive you..."
"Just tell me what intel you’ve gathered," Nan Yuan said with a faint smile. "I’m fine."
Zhou Yan slapped his forehead. "Look at me, I thought you’d been tricked."
"You must have noticed something off about the scavenged junk. According to Dr. Xie, in this post-apocalyptic world, the resources and materials available to artificial intelligence are limited. They have an overwhelming advantage on the Trash Planet, so it’s impossible for them to leave high-quality materials unused."
"Moreover, I’ve uncovered some crucial information. Dr. Xie has always claimed to be the strategist for the Eastern faction, and the leader of the Eastern faction is supposedly taking care of humans injured by robots."
"Guess what?" Zhou Yan crossed his arms, deliberately drawing out the suspense.
"There’s no such person," Nan Yuan said.
Zhou Yan hissed in annoyance. "You’re just like your brother, can’t you see through things without saying it out loud? So boring."
Nan Yuan chuckled.
"Alright, you’re right, but not entirely. The Eastern faction did have a leader once, but on the night you landed on the Trash Planet, he was injured. The air here is toxic, and he was quickly exposed and infected."
"The others agreed to keep it under wraps," Nan Yuan added.
"Yeah, so it’s ridiculous that they’re urging you to sacrifice yourself. Clearly, the Eastern faction is just as hypocritical. For the sake of power, they’ve kept such a major incident hidden."
After hearing the intel, Tao Shushu felt a chill of fear. Dr. Xie’s calculations were truly meticulous. He left the most impulsive person, Bob, here to prevent him from discovering the truth and causing trouble, while also using Bob to hassle Nan Yuan.
Fortunately, Nan Yuan had subdued Bob.
Nan Yuan smiled faintly but didn’t elaborate. "They certainly have their own schemes."
Nan Yuan told Zhou Yan to pretend to be angry with him for now and to avoid further contact with Dr. Xie. The next time they met, he should act as if he’d been persuaded.
And, above all, to protect himself.
Nan Yuan hinted meaningfully, "The Trash Planet isn’t entirely made of trash."
Zhou Yan trusted Nan Yuan deeply. "I was really worried about you before. But now I feel that you haven’t lost the kindness of your brother, while also embodying your father’s meticulousness."
Pretending to be upset and angered by the conversation,
Zhou Yan cursed loudly, pulled open the door, and stormed out. In a fit of rage, he even smashed a row of newly built intelligent defenses that Dr. Xie had just completed.
Nan Yuan rolled his eyes. "Dr. Xie will just make me fix it. My brother was right, Zhou Yan can be a bit dense sometimes."
Tao Shushu was curious about Nan Yuan’s past. Perhaps because of Zhou Yan’s presence, they had been mentioning their families more often lately.
But this wasn’t the right time for such a conversation.
Tao Shushu decided to focus on the important matters first. "Nan Yuan, I have an idea! Is Dr. Xie planning to give a speech to everyone personally?"

After closing the game, Tao Shushu started working on the weekend homework assigned by her teachers from various subjects.
She took some time to check the situation online. The Qin family was currently overwhelmed, dealing with business matters and trying to protect their reputation, so they hadn’t made any statements.
The Luo family’s scandal was still trending high on the hot search list.
There was no new information from the teacher about Jia Xu either, perhaps the investigation was still ongoing.
Tao Shushu wasn’t afraid. If the Qin family caused trouble, she could always seek more allies. In the original book written by the Academic Genius System, there were plenty of cannon fodders and defeated antagonists she could team up with.
After solving problems all morning, Tao Shushu hurriedly headed out.
She had arranged to meet Shen Yichen.
In Tao Shushu’s opinion, meeting at school would have been the most convenient.
But Shen Yichen no longer needed to attend school.
Tao Shushu sighed enviously, "How lucky are those who get early admission?" and scheduled the meeting for that afternoon.
Shen Yichen was packing his things in the study.
Tao Shushu was taken aback. "Senior Shen, are you going on a long trip?"
Shen Yichen smiled wryly. "Qin Rui is more influential than I expected."
Tao Shushu was almost developing PTSD from the word "influence." She asked, "What did he do?"
Shen Yichen shrugged. "He convinced my parents."
Beside him, Xun, in terminal form, started emitting little hearts as soon as he saw Tao Shushu.
Hearing Shen Yichen’s words, Xun immediately chimed in, "I suggest you lay low for a while. The sooner, the better, preferably under Miss Shushu’s escort."
Tao Shushu hadn’t expected Xun to speak to Shen Yichen in such a tone.
She couldn’t help but laugh.
Xun instantly displayed a shy expression.
"I’m doing exactly what you suggested. Just let me finish packing my luggage," Shen Yichen said as he carefully selected books and discs to pack.
Tao Shushu couldn't really contribute to others' professional expertise, but she felt that escorting Shen Yichen might be safer, the Academic Genius System couldn't target her.
Xun shouted, "You're too slow, too slow! Making a lady wait isn't gentlemanly."
Shen Yichen sighed helplessly, "Then why don't you entertain the guest for me?"
"Okay." Xun arranged for smart home devices to bring more tea and snacks. Tao Shushu quickly waved her hands in refusal. Shen Yichen's study was filled with computers, and the floor was insulated; she'd better not touch anything.
Xun said regretfully, "Alright then, let me beat up Shen Yichen to cheer you up."
Just as Tao Shushu was wondering how that would work, she saw a pixelated little robot appear on Xun's display screen. The little robot threw a punch and KO'd another pixelated character.
It was exactly the same as what Nan Yuan had made for her.
"Sorry about that, it's called artificial stupidity..." Shen Yichen's voice trailed off. "Classmate Tao, what's wrong?"
Tao Shushu blinked hard, trying not to show her surprise too obviously. "You said the person who wrote Xun's core code, the one you want to seek out, who is it?"
"Lu Nan Yuan."
Shen Yichen was holding a photo frame. In the picture, standing next to him was a handsome young man holding Xun and a first-place medal from a programming competition, his lips curved slightly in a faint smile for the camera.
Lu Nan Yuan, who had suffered from autism since childhood and was now injured and unconscious.