20: Crisis Response and the Performance of the "Honest Man"

Excellence's brain spun frantically at an unprecedented speed, almost hearing the phantom sound of neurons crackling inside his skull.

CPU? It wasn't just running hot; it was about to melt down! Should he admit it?

Confess that all this was black technology he was forced to hand-craft by a "Super Scholar System" from a higher dimension?

Absolutely impossible! Who would believe him if he said that? He'd be 100% labeled a schizophrenic lunatic and sent straight to a mental hospital! Deny it?

But these devices, clearly ahead of their time, were blatantly sitting there, emitting cold metallic luster and lingering energy traces—there was no denying them!

Lie? Fabricate a lie on the spot that could perfectly explain the miniature controlled nuclear fusion test remnants, the optical camouflage prototype, and the high-efficiency EEG interface device? The difficulty was comparable to asking him to hand-craft another Dyson Sphere immediately!

Just at this critical moment, as cold sweat was about to drip from his forehead,

the familiar, cold System notification sound rang out in his mind like heavenly music:

[Detected Host facing extremely high exposure risk.

Emergency response strategy generated: Adopt the mixed persona of 'Technical Enthusiast + Home Workshop Background'.

Core elements: Emphasize 'clumsiness', 'curiosity', 'love of tinkering', but 'extremely limited technical skill'. Strive to downplay the sensitivity and advanced nature of all technologies. Strategy suggestion: Incorporate some genuine personal information to reduce overall suspicion.]

Excellence instantly had a flash of inspiration, as if grabbing a life raft.

He immediately put on a meticulously crafted smile—timid, honest, and bearing the unique shyness and awkwardness of a tech enthusiast. He even subconsciously rubbed his hands, appearing uneasy: “L-leader... please don't laugh...”

His voice carried just the right amount of nervous stuttering, “M-my dad runs a small hardware processing factory back home. I grew up rolling around in scrap metal and junk, so I... I just love tinkering with these broken things... These are all electronic waste I usually scavenge from flea markets and online, taking them apart, putting them back together, just messing around, hoping to learn the basics...”

He pointed at the pile of “fusion remnants,” which still emitted faint radiation and possessed exquisitely precise structures, his tone full of a “failure's” vexation and embarrassment: “This... I watched a few online videos and got carried away... I tried to imitate what they called a... Te-Tesla Coil? The result... well, you see, it ended up like this, almost blowing the dorm's circuit breaker...”

Then he pointed to the camouflage film demo that could distort light, his expression even more “ashamed”: “This... I actually wanted to make a simple projector, but the lens group was wrong, the light path was a mess, and it couldn't project anything clearly...”

Finally, his gaze fell upon the EEG cap integrated with thousands of micro-components, looking almost mortified: “This... this is the most embarrassing one... It's really just a toy-grade brainwave headband. I thought maybe I could... uh... test how nervous I get or how fast my reaction time is when playing games... Just messing around, purely messing around, never succeeded once...”

While delivering this half-truth, half-lie explanation, he cautiously observed the expression of the middle-aged man referred to as “Director Wang.” The other party still wore that gentle yet inscrutable smile, his eyes calm and unmoving, betraying no hint of belief or disbelief.

“Oh?” the middle-aged man responded softly, his tone impossible to decipher,

“Very strong hands-on ability. It's rare for a young person to have this kind of drive for research.

”He put down the book *Advanced Mathematics*, walked slowly to the pile of “fusion remnants,” and seemingly casually wiped a finger across the surface of a scorched, twisted metal component. He lifted his finger and carefully examined the unique “dust” adhering to his fingertip—it was not ordinary dust but possessed characteristics of specific elemental decay.

His tone shifted to one of elder concern: “Interest is good, but you must pay special attention to electrical safety. Look at how you wired this—so much exposed, and the power matching is chaotic, it's too dangerous. If something were to happen, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

“Yes, yes, yes! Leader, you are absolutely right! I was just messing around, ignorant of the risks!”

Excellence bowed repeatedly, his attitude so sincere he looked ready to pour out his heart. “I will definitely pay attention in the future! Absolutely prioritize safety! I won't mess around anymore!”

He secretly rejoiced that the other party seemed focused on safety issues first, rather than the technical essence.

The middle-aged man then casually surveyed the dormitory, which resembled a small, cutting-edge laboratory. His gaze finally landed precisely on the open book, *fundamentals of analog circuits* (which was actually Su Mu's), filled with dense, profoundly complex formulas and derivations. He smiled,

His tone was ordinary: “You must have a makeup exam soon, reading so diligently. You need to work harder; while you cultivate your interests, you can't neglect your studies.”

“Absolutely! Leader, please rest assured! I will definitely study hard!” Excellence inwardly groaned. How did a leader from the “Education Bureau” know all about his cursed history of failing and having to retake courses? This investigation was far too detailed!

The middle-aged man seemed to have no intention of delving into any details. He simply asked a few questions about school courses, cafeteria food, and the operating status of his family's factory, as if making small talk.

Excellence mustered all his focus, mixing half-truths with cautious fabrications, striving to make everything sound plausible. After a few more questions, Director Wang turned and left, taking the silent young man with him.

Walking out of the stuffy dormitory building, they got into a black sedan parked in the shade—it looked ordinary but had a distinctly different interior.

The young guard spoke first, keeping his voice low: “Director Wang, what do you think...” The gentle smile on Wang Jianguo's face instantly vanished without a trace. His eyes became sharp and profound, as if they could pierce through all confusion: “He lied. And he lied very cleverly, almost flawlessly, as if it were meticulously prepared. But that pile of remnants is definitely not a Tesla Coil. The internal vacuum chamber structure and the residual magnetic confinement traces... are very interesting, and very professional. Also, that so-called 'toy' brain device, the precision and integration of the interface, are absolutely not achievable by market toys or open-source hardware.”

“Should we take immediate action then? Or bring him back...” “No,”

Wang Jianguo interrupted him decisively, his finger lightly tapping the car window frame. “Not yet. Continue observing. Send in another team of skilled personnel for 24-hour uninterrupted monitoring. The methods must be more covert, and the scope expanded to all his social connections and online activities. Remember, do not alarm him.”

He paused, his gaze returning to the dormitory building, precisely locking onto Excellence's window. The corner of his mouth curled into an extremely meaningful smile.

“I want to see exactly what kind of true dragon, capable of stirring up storms, is hidden in this small pond of mediocrity, where he seems content to slack off and only retake failed courses... or rather, what kind of peerless treasure, capable of shaking the world, is hidden here.”

Meanwhile, in the dorm, the moment the door closed, Excellence slid limply to the floor as if all his bones had been removed. His back was ice cold, completely soaked through with cold sweat. His heart was still beating wildly like a drum, and his temples throbbed.

“System... who exactly are they? Have they... discovered something already?” he urgently questioned in his mind.

[Based on behavioral patterns, lines of questioning, and aura analysis, the target identity is highly likely affiliated with national security-related agencies, with a presumably high authority level. Their suspicion level has significantly increased, but they currently tend to define you as 'an unknown source of technology with extremely high potential value and risk,' rather than directly defining you as a 'threat.' The Host's recent response was basically satisfactory; core secrets (such as the existence of this System, the true origin and level of the technology) have not yet been exposed.]

[Severe Warning: Host has officially entered the official view and is a target of high concern. All subsequent words and deeds require extreme caution. Any display of technology or statements exceeding the current persona may lead to a sharp increase in risk.] The System's voice carried a gravity that even its mechanical tone could not completely mask. Excellence let out a long, trembling breath, feeling his heart slowly drop back into his chest, where it landed with a painful thud.

He realized with absolute clarity that his previous, relatively stable “hand-crafted” life—though tormented day and night by the System—was likely gone forever. An invisible yet incredibly heavy pressure descended upon him like a thick, dark cloud.

A greater storm was clearly brewing and imminent.