923: Chapter 918 A dilapidated temple cannot contain a true god

"But... the funding gap is huge."

"Don't worry, someone will be sending money to our door soon enough."

Shen Yan hung up the phone, his gaze falling onto the system interface.

Following the contract signing just now, the progress bar for the "Artificial Intelligence" mission had lit up.

And in the wealth column, the numbers were jumping wildly.

Since he aimed to be a magnate, he needed the spirit to devour everything.

The cultural relics protection field was merely a stepping stone.

His true goal was to establish a commercial empire spanning materials, AI, and manufacturing.

He would take back what he had lost a thousand, even ten thousand times over.

He would make that Ex-wife who betrayed him, and those petty people who kicked him when he was down, only able to gaze up at his retreating figure, without even the right to be jealous.

"Guang Ke, take a trip to Jinghai University."

Shen Yan suddenly spoke.

"Why go to the school? To settle accounts with Li Xiang's advisor?"

Chen Guangke was startled.

"No."

Shen Yan shook his head.

The system intelligence showed that Jinghai University had an AI project team whose funding was currently being cut off.

The person in charge of that project was his former university classmate, also a stubborn genius.

Since he had obtained the algorithm fragments, he needed someone to implement them.

The black maybach drove smoothly on the mottled asphalt of Jinghai University.

Chen Guangke skillfully gripped the steering wheel, a hint of strangeness in his eyes.

"Brother Yan, you mean Lin Dong?"

He glanced back through the rearview mirror.

Shen Yan was resting with his eyes closed, his fingers tapping almost imperceptibly on his knee.

"That lunatic who slept in the computer room for half of his four years at university, and spent the other half arguing with the air?"

Chen Guangke smacked his lips, apparently recalling a not-so-pleasant memory.

"I remember in our junior year, to verify some algorithm, he hacked into the academic affairs system and changed all the male students' elective courses to 'Sow Postpartum Care'."

"That was to test the system's load balancing and vulnerability patching mechanisms."

Shen Yan opened his eyes, his tone flat.

"Although the method was radical, he is indeed a genius."

"And also an unlucky fellow."

Chen Guangke added.

"I heard he stayed at the university to teach after graduation but didn't fare well. His personality is too rigid, and he offended every leader in the department."

The car stopped in front of the old red brick building of the School of Computer Science.

Shen Yan pushed the door open and got out.

The early autumn wind swept a few fallen leaves, and the familiar atmosphere of the ivory tower rushed towards him.

Many students carrying books stopped, curiously sizing up the two sharply dressed uninvited guests.

Some with keener eyes had already recognized the man who frequently appeared on the front pages of financial news.

"Is that... Shen Yan?"

"The one from Shenyan Group?"

Whispers spread like wind through a field of wheat.

Shen Yan ignored the surrounding gazes and walked straight toward the basement entrance on the side of the building.

According to the detailed coordinates popped up by the system just now, Lin Dong's laboratory was located there.

A forgotten corner.

Before even descending the stairs, sounds of an argument drifted up through the damp air.

"Move out! You must move out today!"

A sharp male voice echoed.

"This is the department's decision. This basement is to be converted into a storage room. Your broken copper and iron are wasting space!"

This was immediately followed by a hoarse voice suppressing anger.

"Director Zhao, my model is running critical data. If the power is cut now, all previous efforts will be wasted!"

"Give me three more days... no, one day! Once this training run is complete, I'll move!"

The man called Director Zhao had clearly lost patience.

"The funding was stopped half a year ago. The electricity bill has been subsidized by the department. Lin Dong, you need to know when to yield."

"That deep learning thing you're doing is pure pseudoscience, a bottomless pit!"

"Throw these computer cases out for me!"

Shen Yan stood at the basement doorway, shadows obscuring half his face.

He saw a man wearing a yellowed white shirt, his hair like a bird's nest, fiercely guarding a server that was still humming.

The man was emaciated, his eye sockets deep, but his gaze was as fierce as a wolf's.

Opposite him, a middle-aged man with a beer belly was directing two security guards to pull out the power cord.

Chen Guangke frowned and was about to step forward when Shen Yan stopped him with an outstretched hand.

"Wait a moment."

The two words were not loud, but they echoed in the empty basement.

Director Zhao was startled. He turned and saw the two people standing at the door, and his brow immediately furrowed.

"Who are you? This is a teaching area, unauthorized personnel..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

Although he was an administrator, it didn't mean he didn't read the news.

The imposing young man before him had been appearing on major media outlets far too frequently recently.

"Mr.... Mr. Shen?"

Director Zhao's attitude instantly made a 180-degree turn, his flabby face creasing into a forced smile.

"Oh my, what wind blew you in? Are you here to donate to your alma mater, or to inspect a project?"

Shen Yan didn't look at him. His gaze swept past the bloated body and landed on Lin Dong behind him.

Lin Dong was also stunned.

He was still clutching the hot main unit in his arms, staring blankly at Shen Yan. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

A former classmate.

Now, one was in the clouds, and the other was in the mud.

This huge disparity instinctively made him want to hide.

"Guang Ke."

Shen Yan tilted his head slightly.

Chen Guangke understood immediately, strode over, and shoved the two stunned security guards aside.

"Get away, get away! Clumsy hands! Can you afford to compensate if you break this treasure?"

He took the heavy server from Lin Dong's arms and grinned.

"Old Lin, it's been a few years, and your hairstyle has gotten even more artistic."

Lin Dong's arms suddenly felt empty, and the protective instinct dissipated, making him look somewhat flustered.

"Guang Ke... Shen Yan..."

He lowered his head, nervously rubbing the dust-covered seam of his trousers with his fingers.

"I've made you two witness this embarrassing scene."

Director Zhao finally reacted, his eyes darting around.

So, these two big shots knew this poor lecturer?

"Oh, Teacher Lin, why didn't you say earlier that you had such connections?"

Director Zhao rubbed his hands together, smiling somewhat awkwardly.

"Since he is President Shen's friend, then this laboratory..."

"Move it."

Shen Yan interrupted him.

He walked to the row of simple server racks and ran his finger over the thick layer of dust.

"This environment is indeed not suitable for research."

Director Zhao, hearing this, assumed Shen Yan also looked down on Lin Dong's project and immediately breathed a sigh of relief, chiming in:

"Yes, yes, President Shen has sharp eyes. A project with no output like this should have been stopped long ago."

Shen Yan turned around and looked at Director Zhao, his eyes as calm as a deep pool of water.

"What I mean is, a temple like this cannot contain a true god."

Director Zhao's smile froze on his face.

"Guang Ke, call the moving company."