48: Chapter 48 Weapons Research Institute! Leia sensed something was amiss.

"When inviting them, pay attention to your approach. Be polite and explain that this is to assist with a research project, and there will be corresponding trial points and resource compensation," Professor Reinhardt emphasized specifically.

"Understood!"

...

The next day, after the morning "Star Sea Warfare" class ended, the instructor Zhao Lie just announced the end of the class, and the students began to pack up their things to leave.

Just then, the classroom door was pushed open, and Teacher Yimoku, who taught "Introduction to Weapon Systems," poked her head in.

Well, it wasn't her class right now; her status was as a researcher at the Weapons Research Institute.

She still had the appearance of a petite loli, but she had a powerful aura.

She scanned the room, and her gaze quickly locked onto Li Yuan, who was preparing to leave with Laya and Elia, as well as Chen Jingyi, who was sitting not far away writing and drawing on her personal terminal.

"Student Li Yuan, Student Chen Jingyi," Yimoku's voice clearly reached both of their ears, "Please stay for a moment; I have something to ask of you."

Her tone was very normal, just like a regular teacher asking to talk to students after class.

Li Yuan and Chen Jingyi were both a bit surprised and looked at each other, but they still stopped what they were doing.

Laya and Elia naturally stayed behind as well, watching curiously.

After the other students left, Yimoku walked into the classroom, pulled over a chair, sat down, and got straight to the point: "There is a research project, and the laboratory over there asked me to ask about your intentions."

She paused to organize her thoughts: "It's the 'Void Engine Miniaturization' project team. They recently came up with a prototype called the 'mini-mega particle rifle', which is a new attempt at an individual weapon. Now they need to conduct preliminary environmental tests to collect data."

She looked at Li Yuan: "Li Yuan, the people on the project team saw the combat data of your Light Guardian from somewhere and felt that they have high intelligence, strong defense, and can even use guns, making them a very suitable test platform. They want to invite your Light Guardian to participate in the testing."

Then she looked at Chen Jingyi, "Jingyi, your talent [Daoyan Military Nexus] can grant mechanical intelligence. They also want to invite you to manufacture and control some special mechanical units to participate in the test and compare them with Li Yuan's summoned creatures."

"Of course, this is not mandatory," Yimoku added, her tone softening a bit, "It counts as assisting the academy with research. If you participate, the project team will pay a certain amount of trial points as compensation. How about it, are you interested?"

A new type of individual weapon? "mini-mega particle rifle"? Li Yuan's heart stirred.

He was just worried that his Light Guardian lacked a decisive attack method.

A mini-mega particle rifle; it sounded extraordinary just by the name!

He didn't hesitate and nodded: "Teacher Yimoku, I have no problem with it; I am willing to assist with the testing."

On the other side, Chen Jingyi also nodded gently, and succinctly spat out two words: "Okay."

"Good." A trace of satisfaction appeared on Yimoku's face, "Then come with me; the test schedule is quite tight."

After saying that, she stood up and greeted Li Yuan and the others to set off.

Following Teacher Yimoku's figure, Li Yuan and his group left the teaching area, passed through several isolation doors that required high-level authorization, and finally stepped into a hidden vertical transport hub.

A sleek, teardrop-shaped suspension pod slid silently in front of them.

"Keep up." Yimoku stepped into the pod first.

The suspension pod sped toward the deep underground with a weightless, steady acceleration.

Through the transparent landscape simulated by the cabin walls, one could see countless intricate, gigantic structural layers and energy transmission pipelines like a steel jungle, bottomless.

After a few dozen seconds, the suspension pod's speed slowed down and finally came to a steady stop.

The cabin door slid open silently.

As far as the eye could see, it was an underground space capable of accommodating a small starship.

The dome was composed of countless hexagonal energy units, simulating a deep starry sky, with data streams occasionally flashing by like shooting stars.

Inside the space, independent research platforms like floating islands were fixed in mid-air by invisible force fields and connected by transparent energy bridges.

On the platforms, various unprecedented weapon prototypes were being tested—some emitted scorching beams, while others distorted the surrounding gravitational field, emitting a low hum.

Huge mechanical arms, like tentacles with a life of their own, moved along preset tracks, performing assembly and debugging.

Unmanned intelligent units, like Drones, traced busy and orderly trajectories in the air.

Teacher Yimoku was long accustomed to this strange sight.

She walked in front without looking back, her voice sounding exceptionally clear in the vast space:

"Welcome to the 'Furnace'," there was a hint of imperceptible pride in her tone, "Here, we are responsible for forging the future of humanity."

She raised a hand and pointed at a huge door covered in heavy armor in the distance.

"Your mission is in the 'Void Engine Miniaturization Laboratory'. Follow me, and remember! Here, curiosity is fine, but don't touch anything you don't recognize—it's very dangerous."

...

The heavy alloy gate slid shut silently behind them, isolating the noise and interference from outside.

"Void Engine Miniaturization Laboratory".

The huge nameplate on the wall at the entrance flickered with a cold, ghostly blue light.

The interior space of the laboratory was far more vast than it looked from the outside, with a ceiling height probably exceeding fifty meters.

Looking around, it was filled with all kinds of indescribable, gigantic instruments.

Thick energy conduits had hazy halos flowing on their surfaces.

The air was permeated with a faint smell of ozone and the characteristic tremor of a high-frequency energy field.

Countless holographic projections floated in mid-air, displaying energy models, molecular structure formulas, and endlessly scrolling data waterfalls that were dizzyingly complex.

However, the moment she stepped into this temple of technology, Laya's footsteps faltered imperceptibly.

Her slender eyebrows furrowed slightly, and almost instinctively, she leaned toward Li Yuan.

"Brother Li Yuan..." Her voice was very soft, carrying a hint of confusion, "Here... it feels so strange."

Li Yuan immediately noticed her abnormality, turned his head, and cast a questioning look.

Laya struggled to organize her language, trying to describe the feeling: "It's like... the space and world here have been covered with a thin veil... or, it's like we are standing inside an incredibly realistic painting."

Her description made Li Yuan's heart tighten.

He trusted Laya's perception, especially this kind of intuition involving energy and rules.

He calmly held Laya's slightly cool hand in return.

"Stay close to me, and tell me immediately if you feel any discomfort."