Chu Fu exchanged a glance with Shen Chi and Xie Lin.
Looks like Li Weizheng had prepared quite the tempting offer!
“Then let’s go take a look!”
Chu Fu naturally wanted to show Li Weizheng some respect.
Li Weizheng was delighted and led everyone toward the experimental building.
As soon as they got close, Chu Fu saw a vast expanse of greenery.
All kinds of plants had been gathered together, forming an entire botanical garden.
“This is the plant cultivation area,” Li Weizheng explained. “It contains special plants collected from all over the country. There’s also a seed room inside the experimental building ahead.”
Chu Fu’s eyes widened in amazement, her gaze sparkling with wonder. Along the way, she had already seen more than ten plants capable of transforming into combat forms.
Once they entered the experimental building, everyone was even more stunned.
Row upon row of seeds sat in containers, each labeled with its classification, family, genus, and whether it was poisonous.
Li Weizheng spoke with undisguised pride.
“There are currently four hundred thousand documented plant species worldwide, not counting marine life. This laboratory has cataloged every plant species found domestically—nearly forty thousand in total.
“Another sixty thousand were transported here by air from overseas, after clearing all the necessary security inspections.
“There are six thousand poisonous species among them, covering every known poisonous plant found within China.”
“There are also 162 species of highly toxic plants collected from all over the world. Some were purchased from abroad at enormous cost, while others had already been preserved by research institutes.”
“This entire floor will be your laboratory from now on. You can come whenever you like, and there will be staff maintaining it around the clock.”
This was the power of the nation.
It was also proof of how seriously the government took her.
How long had it been since she decided to register with Origin Academy?
And yet Li Weizheng had already prepared all this.
His sincerity was impossible to doubt.
Chu Fu could not help saying, “Even if I don’t officially join the government, I can still use all this freely?”
Li Weizheng smiled.
“Classmate Chu, as long as your heart is in Linjiang and you remain here, that alone is the greatest contribution you can make to the government.
“Besides, you’re one of Origin Academy’s first students. As a university student, the school supports your early participation in experimental projects.
“Every bit you increase your strength is one more bit of safety for the people.
“We don’t ask for anything in return for any of this!”
Li Weizheng truly had an impressive sense of perspective.
Chu Fu had to admit that she was somewhat moved.
“Thank you, Major Li.” Chu Fu nodded, already considering what she could offer Li Weizheng in exchange for all these resources.
Sigh. Given the current size of the Thorn Guild, there was indeed no way for it to join the government officially. Otherwise, wouldn’t they just be waiting for someone to take the fruits of their labor?
But cooperation was still possible.
She could trade resources from the game for the resources Li Weizheng was offering now.
In fact, Li Weizheng was far more anxious than she was. These resources could still be collected now, but four months later, anyone would be able to take them for free.
Not only that, by then the resources would be impossible to consolidate, and they would no longer be worth anything in exchange.
“There’s also a training room on the second floor, prepared specifically for Student Xie.”
Everyone moved upstairs.
Although it was called a training room, the second floor looked more like a library. Bookshelves covered the walls, and every volume was an ancient text.
Rows of display cases equipped with humidity control and constant-temperature systems held yellowed bamboo slips, silk manuscripts, and thread-bound books.
Li Weizheng explained, “We collected every ancient text related to swordsmanship that could be found from museums and private collectors across the country.
“There are 372 volumes in total.”
The more kinds of swordsmanship Xie Lin learned, the stronger he became through his Myriad Swords Return to the Source ability.
Li Weizheng had clearly seized upon that point.
“Translating these ancient texts will be extremely difficult,” he continued, “but we can mobilize the resources of Linjiang—or even the entire country—to help translate the sword techniques recorded in them. We can assign specialists to study them and then teach you directly. That will certainly be faster than learning on your own.
“It could save you a great deal of time.”
Xie Lin smiled.
Then he suddenly said, “Major Li, do you know that I possess the Heart’s Eye ability? I can even see through any object. I took one look at the books here just now and already knew what they were. I also never forget anything I’ve seen. You might be giving these away like meat buns tossed to a dog—gone forever, with no return.”
Li Weizheng laughed heartily.
“Student Xie, you’re joking. I already said that all of this was prepared for everyone free of charge.”
Xie Lin shook his head. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch. I don’t accept anything I haven’t earned. By nature, I don’t like being tied down. Actually, Lu Xing and I are quite alike.
“But if Linjiang ever encounters danger—like what happened the last time we faced the people from the Saint Wolf Club—I’ll absolutely do my duty and help.”
Chu Feng, who had been following the group the entire time, glanced at Xie Lin.
This was completely backwards!
Who was actually like whom?
That kid was really asking for a beating!
Hearing Xie Lin’s words, Li Weizheng not only wasn’t offended—he even seemed relieved.
Of the three, Chu Fu, Shen Chi, and Xie Lin, he had actually found Xie Lin the most difficult to handle.
Because Xie Lin was an invincible man.
Despite having a poor relationship with his parents, he had managed to claw his way up from the bottom even after becoming blind. He had no one to worry about except himself.
Even these ancient texts and sword techniques held little appeal for him.
Psychologists had already been studying the profiles of Chu Fu, Shen Chi, and Xie Lin in depth.
Fortunately, just as the psychologists had predicted, Xie Lin possessed a passionate sense of justice.
Xie Lin did not want to be bound down. He simply did not want to be exploited for free.
Cooperation was still possible.
“We’re already very glad that Student Xie can think this way,” Li Weizheng said. “I, Li Weizheng, can guarantee that all of this is being provided free of charge. We absolutely have no intention of asking you to exchange other benefits for it.
“As I said before, the current situation is truly dire. Every bit you strengthen yourselves is another layer of protection for humanity.
“So, as long as you have a request, we will do everything in our power to fulfill it.
“The same goes for everyone else. We simply don’t know you well enough yet to understand what you need, and some professions don’t seem to rely much on real-world resources.
“We’ve also prepared a collection of ancient medical texts for Classmate Li Zhenzhen.
“Various insects and reptiles for the classmate who refines Gu through killing husbands.
“China’s finest fabrics and textile materials for Dreamweaver.
“But for Student He, all we can provide are a few gravity chambers for you to use.”
Dream King’s telekinesis required no external resources, so his needs were minimal.
There was little the government could offer him.
But that absolutely did not mean they took him any less seriously.
The degree to which each profession could draw out its power in the real world varied greatly.
“Next, we have the place prepared for Shen Chi,” Li Weizheng continued. “A collection of rare metals. Shen Chi, you haven’t redeemed your mecha yet, have you? But you should have no trouble with the technology. These metals represent practically every type that can be collected domestically.
“Some of them are radioactive, so they’ve been isolated in another building.
“However, these metals are extremely expensive, and we’ve invested a great deal of manpower and resources into acquiring them, so…”
Shen Chi: Oh no. This one’s aimed at me.
