45: Showdown, Warning, and New Path

Wang Jianguo's office exuded an air of cold efficiency, as always, as if it were the interior of a precision-running instrument. The air was permeated with a faint scent of ozone—from the high-performance server cabinets running 24 hours a day—mixed with the slightly astringent aroma unique to premium printing paper, and an intangible sense of oppression belonging to absolute power and rigid Order.

The massive solid wood desk was polished to a mirror finish, its dark wood grain resembling a frozen river. Apart from three terminal monitors of varying security levels, a simple metal desk lamp, and a ceramic teacup that looked quite old with a warm glaze, it was almost completely empty. It was tidy to the point of being rigid, revealing its owner's intense desire for control and meticulous personality.

The walls were made of dark gray sound-absorbing material, swallowing all unnecessary echoes. There were no decorative paintings or medals, only a massive LCD screen currently in standby mode, like a silent giant eye, darkly reflecting the scene in the room and staring at everything.

Excellence followed Xiao Zhang into the office, feeling like a stone cast into deep water. Cold, immense pressure surged silently from all directions, compressing his chest and making breathing somewhat difficult.

He sat down uneasily on the visitor chair opposite Wang Jianguo, which looked equally stiff, felt cold to sit on, and offered no comfort whatsoever. His hands were subconsciously clasped together, his knuckles turning white from the force, betraying his inner tension.

Wang Jianguo did not speak immediately. He merely scrutinized Excellence with those eyes, sharp as a falcon's, with a gaze that was calm yet seemed capable of piercing through all disguises and reaching the depths of the soul.

That gaze, like a precision scanner, swept over his pale, haggard face with heavy bags under his eyes, over the complex traces of mixed excitement and unease remaining in his eyes, and over his fingers, which were trembling slightly from lack of sleep. This silent, condescending scrutiny was more suffocating and disorienting than any harsh interrogation.

Time seemed to be stretched, with every second crawling slowly through cold gel. Excellence could clearly hear his heart beating wildly in his chest, the sound so loud it almost threatened to burst his eardrums, forming a sharp contrast with the deathly silence of the office.

Finally, Wang Jianguo broke the silence. His voice was steady and low, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, yet every word was like a cold iron weight, crashing heavily onto Excellence's heart with unquestionable gravity.

"I have read the report you sent yesterday." He extended a finger and tapped his knuckles against the thin, yet seemingly heavy, printed document on the desk. The edges of the paper were laser-cut with extreme precision, reflecting a cold, hard light. The title read: 《Preliminary Exploration of Phase-Lag Energy Dissipation Compensation in Composite Field Nonlinear Coupling Models》.

"You did... very well." He paused slightly, seemingly weighing his words, his gaze still locked on Excellence. "One could even say, astonishing. A few of the old timers looked at it and all felt it was... inconceivable."

Excellence was stunned for a moment. His taut nerves relaxed slightly due to this sudden and unexpected high praise, and he felt a little relieved, like a drowning person grabbing a straw. But immediately, that straw sank—because there was no expression of approval on Wang Jianguo's face. Instead, his eyes became even deeper, even more serious, and even carried a hint of... gravity.

"However," as expected, Wang Jianguo shifted his tone. His voice suddenly grew heavier, and his eyes became like an unsheathed blade, radiating a cold light that pierced straight to the heart. "It is precisely because you did 'too' well that it has far exceeded the scope of 'tinkering' or 'personal interest,' touching upon certain... key technological fields that are highly monitored or even viewed as future strategic high ground. Some people can no longer sit still. Your 'well done' has become their 'bad news'."

He pressed an inconspicuous metal button on the desk that was flush with the surface. The massive LCD screen on the side of the office lit up instantly. There was no sound, only surveillance footage that had been highly technically processed—with some facial features and equipment details blurred, but the process clearly identifiable—showing the entire process of the "Firefly" team being instantly subdued by the "Fortress" team with thunderous force last night!

The footage used multi-angle switching and was of extremely high clarity: three dark figures wearing specially made dark combat uniforms, moving with ghost-like agility, utilized ultrasonic imaging and anti-gravity adhesion devices to precisely avoid the corridor's infrared barriers and infiltrate the ventilation ducts; they used phase-shifting tools to silently open Excellence's vent grille; infiltrating the room, their figures appeared as a dangerous red under thermal imaging lenses; they precisely located the workbench and took out those strangely shaped pieces of equipment that looked like they were definitely not benign—micro-directional EMP generators, nano-catalytic heat-induction wire dispersers, high-frequency resonance micro-crushers...

And then, came the "Fortress" team's thunderous counterattack! Blinding flash, ultrasonic pulses (inferred from the characters in the footage suddenly stiffening and losing balance), activation of the adhesive floor, launching of intelligent capture nets, high-voltage electric shocks, instant subjugation, handcuffing... Every step was crystal clear, filled with cold aesthetics of violence and absolute technological crushing—efficient, precise, and ruthless.

Excellence's pupils contracted sharply! His face turned paper-white instantly, his lips trembled uncontrollably, and it felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen in an instant! A bone-chilling cold rushed from the soles of his feet straight to his scalp, making him almost jump up from the chair!

He watched those sneaky, well-equipped, and clearly highly trained intruders in the footage, watched those terrifying pieces of equipment capable of instantly erasing all his hard work and even himself, and watched that silent yet fiercely cruel offensive and defensive battle that unfolded in a flash... Although he could not hear any sound, the visual impact brought by the footage and the cold murderous intent contained within it were enough to make his heart stop and his stomach churn violently!

He understood in an instant! Completely understood! That faint, lingering sense of incongruity when he woke up in the morning, that extremely faint, strange, cold metallic scent remaining in the air, the unnatural, scorched grass in the green belt downstairs... none of it was an illusion!

Last night, just as he had exhausted his mind and fallen into a deep sleep, completely unaware of everything around him, at his most vulnerable and helpless moment, a real, lethal attack aimed at completely destroying him and all his efforts had occurred right beside him, one could even say right by his bedside, thrillingly unfolding and being reversed! And he, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, had no power to resist, and was completely unaware! This belated fear was even more hair-raising than facing the danger directly!

"This... what on earth is..." Excellence's voice was as dry as sandpaper rubbing together, carrying uncontrollable trembling and the trepidation of having survived a disaster. A massive sense of lingering fear and a rage at being violated, spied upon, and threatened with death swept over him like a tsunami, tightening his throat and making him almost want to vomit.

"This is the 'congratulatory gift' Morpheus Li sent you." Wang Jianguo said coldly, his tone carrying a trace of undisguised sarcasm and icy anger. "A 'final inspection report' of the highest specification targeting your latest 'research results.' If we hadn't been prepared in advance, reacted fast enough, and used sufficiently tough measures, what you would be seeing right now wouldn't be this video, but photos of the ruins of your dormitory and all your hard work, or even... your casualty report. The other side's methods have never been child's play."

Excellence felt a wave of intense dizziness. He clenched his fingers tightly into fists, his nails digging deeply into his palms, sending a sharp, stinging pain, yet it was not even one ten-thousandth of the fear and rage churning in his heart. How... how could they be so unscrupulous?! Just because he had created something? Just because he had touched upon a certain field? Did they have to use methods comparable to military operations to destroy him?!

"They... how could they..." His voice was distorted by extreme rage and fear, and he could barely speak a complete sentence.

"This is the reality you must face on the path you have chosen." Wang Jianguo interrupted him, his tone heavy and cold, leaving no room for subtlety. Every word was like an ice pick, chipping away at Excellence's still-naive understanding. "Excellence, I have known from the very beginning that you have secrets."

"Perhaps you have an expert guiding you from behind the scenes, or perhaps you have had encounters beyond what ordinary people can imagine. I can choose not to probe too deeply into this for now, and I can reserve a certain amount of space and trust for you, as long as you remain aligned with us on the big picture. But I need you to understand one thing clearly and thoroughly from this moment on: you, Excellence, are no longer just an ordinary college student with some talent."

He stood up, walked around the large, heavy desk, and came to stand before Excellence, looking down at him from a position of superiority. Wang Jianguo's frame was not imposing, but at this moment, the air of authority and oppression he exuded—forged by experience, absolute control, and unwavering certainty—made Excellence, sitting in his chair, feel as small as a speck of dust, his fate completely held in the other man's hands.

"The intelligence you have displayed, the directions you have explored, and these... technologies at the borders or even in forbidden territories that you have touched upon," Wang Jianguo's gaze was like a torch, firmly locking onto Excellence's panicked eyes, allowing no room for evasion, "for our future, and for the progress of our entire civilization, they likely possess immeasurable, strategic-level value. Therefore, your value and your safety are no longer just your personal affairs. You have become an important pawn, and at the same time, a prominent target."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping lower yet becoming even clearer, carrying an unquestionable, almost despairing sense of decisiveness: "From now on, you are an extremely important 'National Asset' that must be strictly protected. Your mind and your abilities belong to strategic considerations at a higher level. Your safety is directly related to national interests. This is not a negotiation; this is a necessary judgment made based on the current situation."

"National... asset?" Excellence was completely stunned by this term. It felt incredibly alien, cold, and heavy, like an invisible yet incredibly hard shackle that had instantly been placed upon him, locking away his soul. He felt that he was no longer a living, breathing person, but an object, a tool, labeled, valued, and then having its ownership and usage rights declared. A tremendous sense of humiliation and loss welled up in his heart.

"That is correct." Wang Jianguo straightened up, nodded affirmatively, walked back to his seat, took a new, thicker file from the drawer, and with a slap, placed it on the desk in front of Excellence, pushing it toward him. The file cover was cold gray, with only one line of black Song typeface characters: "'Candle Dragon' Project - Personnel Transfer and Resettlement Agreement (Top Secret)," with a bright red "Security Level: Top Secret" stamp printed below. "Given that the current situation has escalated to this extent, your original dormitory and campus environment can no longer provide sufficient security, and instead, will bring unpredictable risks to you and the innocent teachers and students around you. We must immediately transfer you to a more confidential, safer, and better-equipped location so that you can continue your research work in a completely controlled environment. This is the only viable plan at the moment."

Excellence picked up the file, his fingers trembling violently from tension and resistance, barely able to hold the heavy stack of paper. He flipped to the first page, looking at the dense, cold, and ruthless terms listed above, each one like a chain:

Article 4: After the transfer, the Host (a cold reference to Excellence in the agreement) will be under 24-hour uninterrupted, highest-level monitoring of biological characteristics and behavioral patterns. Without permission, the Host may not leave the designated security zone, and the scope of activities will be strictly restricted.

Article 7: All external communications (including but not limited to telephone, internet, email, and unencrypted physical mail) will be subject to strict monitoring, recording, and restrictions. All communication content must undergo security review and may be unconditionally interrupted or prohibited when necessary.

Article 11: All research results, experimental data, and theoretical deductions (including failed data and fragments of inspiration) must be reported immediately and unconditionally to the designated contact person (Xiao Zhang). No concealment or delay is permitted, and ownership shall be executed in accordance with relevant national laws and regulations.

Article 15: Without permission, no experimental projects with potential risks or exceeding the scope of the current assessment may be conducted independently. All experiments must be submitted with a detailed plan in advance and may only be conducted after approval by the Joint Security and Technology Assessment Group.

Article 19: Must unconditionally cooperate with all necessary security screenings, psychological assessments, and physical examinations...

Article 23: ...

...

This... how is this protection? This is almost equivalent to house arrest! It is the deprivation of all his freedom and privacy! It is placing him completely inside a transparent cage of absolute control! He is no longer a researcher, but a tool in captivity, serving some grand goal!

"This... is this to lock me up? Like treating me like a... a prisoner? An experimental animal?" Excellence felt a suffocating sense of resistance and anger, his voice rising by an octave, trembling with disbelief. He could not imagine a life where all freedom was lost, every move was monitored, and even sparks of thought had to be recorded and reported! That was completely contrary to his original intention of pursuing knowledge and exploring the unknown!

"This is to protect you! It is also to protect your results! And more importantly, it is to protect the many more people who may benefit from your results!" Wang Jianguo's tone suddenly became incomparably stern and unquestionable, carrying a near-cold decisiveness born of long-term authority. "You can choose to refuse to sign this agreement. That is your freedom. However, Excellence, if you choose to refuse, it means you choose to step outside the protection system we have built for you."

"Then, we will no longer be able to guarantee your personal safety, nor can we guarantee the safety of those around you—your parents, your friends, such as that classmate Su Mu who often brings you notes. Morpheus Li's first failure will only make his next action more violent, more unscrupulous, and more ruthless! By then, it might not be as simple as just destroying equipment. An 'accident' targeting you personally, or a 'warning' targeting your family or friends, could happen at any time. You, think clearly about the consequences."

Excellence fell silent. A tremendous sense of powerlessness and heavy pressure, like cold seawater, instantly submerged him completely, freezing all his consciousness of resistance. He looked at the blurred images frozen on the screen—the subdued and pixelated intruders—and it was as if he could see Morpheus Li sneering in the shadows; he thought of his father's busy, oil-stained yet warm hands in the workshop, his mother's nagging concern on the phone, Uncle Liu's hearty laughter, and the cup of warm soy milk Su Mu brought in the morning and those cold yet slightly concerned eyes...

He realized he had no choice at all. Refusal meant exposing himself and everyone he cared about to the fangs of that cold, deadly viper hidden in the dark, and the consequences would be unimaginable. Acceptance meant surrendering his freedom, becoming a tightly guarded 'treasure,' an 'asset' that had lost its self, and spending unknown years in a golden cage.

His hand was trembling violently, barely able to hold the heavy, cold metal fountain pen that Xiao Zhang had silently handed him. The nib hovered over the signature line of the agreement, as if hovering over the dividing line of his life, hovering over the safety of everything he cherished. Finally, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, as if using up all his strength, suppressed all his struggle and unwillingness, and signed his name—Excellence—on that cold, strictly worded agreement.

Those two characters were written crookedly, revealing an indescribable sense of heaviness, submission, and... a trace of grief and indignation that had not yet been extinguished, but had to be hidden deep away.