29: Choices and "Surrender"

Under immense fear and pressure, Excellence endured a night of painful struggle. The dormitory lights remained on all night; only the passing headlights from outside cast fleeting shadows on the walls, much like the flickering thoughts in his mind.

He curled up in the corner of his bed, his hands buried deep in his hair. The system's warnings and Su Mu's anxious tone echoed alternately in his mind, forming a soul-crushing duet.

[Risk index continues to rise, immediate action advised]

"Their money isn't that easy to take!"

[The Foundation-affiliated organizations have a history of 17 records of technical appropriation]

"By then, it will be hard for you to distance yourself!"

[Morpheus Li is confirmed to have a cooperative relationship with the Free Confederacy intelligence agency]

"If you still want to graduate safely..."

Excellence felt as if he were trapped in a cage that was constantly shrinking, with every choice leading to a different danger. He recalled his meeting with Wang Jianguo; the middle-aged man's sharp gaze seemed capable of piercing through any disguise. Although frightening, it at least represented a certain "official" power.

Finally, as the sky began to turn pale at dawn, he made a difficult decision: to trust Su Mu's judgment and "defect" to Wang Jianguo—of course, a limited and selective defection.

He could no longer hold out on his own! He needed an umbrella, at least to block the potential threats from The Foundation.

The next morning, Excellence dragged his exhausted body out of bed. In the mirror, his eyes were sunken, and his face was pale, as if he had aged ten years overnight. He took a deep breath, picked up his phone, and found the number he had secretly saved—the contact information left by Wang Jianguo, which he had later checked and realized was not a number from the Education Bureau at all.

His finger hovered over the send button for a long time before Excellence finally gritted his teeth and pressed it, sending a short and cautious text message: "Director Wang, this is Excellence. I've encountered some trouble that might be related to... things you are interested in. Can we meet and talk?"

After the message was sent, time seemed to slow down abnormally. Every minute felt like torture, and Excellence kept checking his phone, terrified of missing a reply. However, several hours passed, and the phone remained silent.

Excellence's heart tightened again. Was the other party ignoring him? Did they think he wasn't important? Or had they already lost interest in him? Various terrifying speculations churned in his mind.

Just as he was about to despair, that same evening, when night had completely fallen, a gentle knock sounded on his dormitory door.

Excellence's heart skipped a beat, and he opened the door cautiously. Standing outside was the young man who had once followed behind Wang Jianguo (he later learned the man was called Xiao Zhang), still wearing unremarkable plain clothes, his face expressionless.

"Student Excellence," Xiao Zhang's voice was steady and devoid of inflection, "Director Wang invites you to get in the car for a chat."

Excellence took a deep breath, knowing there was no turning back. He followed Xiao Zhang downstairs in silence, walking toward the familiar black sedan. With every step, he felt his heartbeat accelerating.

Inside the car, Wang Jianguo sat in the back seat, watching him get in. The seemingly easygoing smile from last time was gone, replaced by a cautious seriousness. The car was filled with a faint scent of leather mixed with electronic equipment.

"Speak, what trouble is it?" Wang Jianguo got straight to the point without any pleasantries.

Excellence swallowed, feeling his throat dry. He selectively recounted how he had been proactively contacted by the Prophet Foundation, how he had been offered funding, as well as Su Mu's warning and his own concerns. He carefully omitted the system, the tasks, and specific technical details, emphasizing only that he had almost been tempted by The Foundation due to "interest" and "financial difficulties," and that he now regretted it deeply and was seeking protection.

Throughout the entire narrative, Wang Jianguo listened quietly, his fingers tapping gently on his knees, revealing no emotion. But Excellence could feel those sharp eyes analyzing every word he said and every subtle change in his expression.

"Prophet Foundation... Morpheus Li..." Wang Jianguo repeated the name, his eyes deep. "You kid, you've got guts, and your 'insight' is quite unique too. The first one you provoke happens to be the biggest one."

Excellence kept his head down, not daring to speak, cold sweat seeping from his palms.

"What about the money?" Wang Jianguo asked suddenly, his gaze like a torch.

"It's... it's still in my account, I can't return it..." Excellence said in a low voice, feeling like a criminal being interrogated.

Wang Jianguo pondered for a moment, then said to Xiao Zhang in the front seat: "Xiao Zhang, contact the relevant departments. Under the pretext of 'investigative needs,' temporarily freeze the funds in Excellence's account. We'll talk about it once things are clear."

"Yes!" Xiao Zhang immediately took out a specialized communication device and began operating it.

Excellence felt a sense of relief! It was frozen! At least he didn't have to worry about the money for now! But he immediately felt a wave of lingering fear—the fact that the other party could freeze his account so easily meant...

"As for you," Wang Jianguo looked at Excellence, his gaze as sharp as a knife, "From now on, without permission, you are not to have any form of contact with The Foundation and its related personnel. All your 'research activities' must be conducted under our surveillance. Do you understand?"

This was equivalent to a form of surveillance that also provided protection. Excellence felt a complex mix of emotions—the oppression of being watched and the peace of mind of being protected.

"Understood! Understood!" Excellence nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.

"Very good." Wang Jianguo nodded, his tone softening slightly. "The fact that you took the initiative to come to us shows you haven't completely lost your senses. If you have any difficulties in the future, you can contact Xiao Zhang directly. However..."

He changed his tone, which became stern: "Don't try to be clever, and don't try to hide anything. Here, honesty is the best policy. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences."

Excellence's heart tightened, and he quickly promised: "I wouldn't dare! Absolutely not!"

Wang Jianguo seemed satisfied and waved his hand for him to get out of the car. Excellence felt as if he had been granted an amnesty, and he practically fled the car.

Back in his dormitory, Excellence collapsed onto his bed, feeling as drained as if he had fought a war. Although he had lost some freedom, he had finally found an umbrella to block the most direct threats from The Foundation.

He picked up his phone, hesitated for a moment, and still sent a text message to Su Mu: "Class Monitor, thank you for your warning. I've handled the money situation, and I've made a clean break with them."

This time, Su Mu replied quickly, although it was just one word: "Mm."

But as Excellence looked at that "Mm," his heart inexplicably settled down. He knew that behind this simple response, it meant Su Mu was still paying attention to his situation, and perhaps... she hadn't completely given up on him yet.

Outside the window, the night was deep. Excellence lay on his bed, unable to sleep for a long time. He knew that he had just stepped into a more complex situation, but at least he was no longer fighting alone.

This realization gave him a faint sense of comfort amidst the fear.