57: Chapter 57 Battle

The security forces deployed and personnel assembled this time far exceeded the past.

The moment Chen Zhi gave the order, the security personnel in Zone A1 rushed over.

In this interval.

The rapid-fire metal had stopped; only the heavy breathing of a few people and the noise from the adjacent smoking room remained in the restroom.

Suddenly, Lin Ning's ears twitched. His superhuman hearing caught a faint sound of fabric rubbing—someone had entered.

Unable to care whether he might cause secondary injury to Liu Zhao, he braced his hands on the floor, used his back muscles, and turned Liu Zhao over as gently as he could.

Liu Zhao was silent, eyes tightly closed.

Lin Ning's heart sank. The speed of the unconsciousness was too fast; either a vital spot was hit, or there was something on the metal splinters.

Lin Ning quickly picked up the bulletproof briefcase from the floor, shook it open with lightning speed, and braced it.

Holding his breath, he unleashed all his hearing, vision, and Psychic Power to sense his surroundings.

The barely audible footsteps and long, suppressed breathing allowed Lin Ning to instantly determine the intruder's movements and position in his mind—they were here.

Beneath the corner leading from the sink to the inner room, a tiny bit of a black toe was detected by Lin Ning immediately.

Lin Ning's body was like a taut bow; his blood flow and heart rate slowed as he prepared for the final showdown.

"Why didn't they give me some kind of weapon? Even a baton would be fine! Just a bulletproof briefcase, what good is that?"

In just one short second, Lin Ning felt as though time had stagnated.

A figure quickly lunged out, and three consecutive flashes of fire erupted from their hand—Puff! Puff! Puff!

Lin Ning's pupils constricted rapidly—a gun!

He couldn't afford to think about how a gun had been brought in.

He only felt a massive force strike his arm, knocking him backward.

Lin Ning's mind went blank. Was he going to die here today?

Chaotic footsteps came from outside the door.

Lin Ning's spirit was jolted. They were here!

He had to hold on.

The killer hadn't expected the reinforcements to arrive so quickly; he was effectively trapped here.

Rushing inward to take a hostage was his only way out.

Lin Ning realized this too.

So, the moment the killer rushed over.

Lin Ning also exploded forward, like a heavy arrow that had been primed for a long time, and collided with him.

The long, foldable bulletproof board wrapped around the killer as he extended his arms.

He followed through by closing his arms and hugging the opponent tightly.

Using the momentum, the killer was knocked to the ground by Lin Ning's headbutt.

At this moment, Lin Ning's adrenaline surged, and a beast-like roar involuntarily escaped his throat.

Using all his strength, he tightened his arms, as if trying to crush the person in his arms in two.

William hadn't expected the opponent's speed and reaction time to be so formidable.

It was like being hit head-on by a truck; the pain caused his brain to go blank for a second.

By the time he regained his senses, he was already tightly trapped by Lin Ning.

The gun was stuck against his chest and couldn't be pulled out, so he decisively gave up and planned to use close-quarters combat techniques.

But the immense force that followed made him hear the crisp sound of bones breaking, and his strength and consciousness drained away rapidly, like water from a pool with the plug pulled.

Seemingly slow but actually fast, half a minute later, the State Security agents rushed in.

Looking at the chaotic scene before them, they were shocked.

They dispersed to check on the situation of the few people.

When two of the guys tried to separate Lin Ning, his brain finally started to register external information.

He stiffly released his arms from William, who was already rolling his eyes and unconscious.

He hurriedly looked toward Ou Jiarui and Liu Zhao, who had already been taken into care.

Ou Jiarui's clothes and hair were a bit messy, and his face was pale. He was being supported by others and saying something; he seemed uninjured.

As for Liu Zhao, Lin Ning said in a hoarse voice, "Liu Zhao is injured. There's likely something on the metal splinters. Get him to the hospital quickly!"

Chen Zhi hurried over, pulling Ou Jiarui to look him up and down; only after confirming he was truly uninjured did he let out a sigh of relief.

His face was as dark as ink, and in a steady voice, he quickly arranged for Liu Zhao's medical transport and the sealing of the restroom.

Every State Security agent who entered or left couldn't help but glance at Lin Ning.

After everything was arranged, Chen Zhi walked over to Lin Ning's side.

With a hand that was slightly trembling, he pressed firmly on Lin Ning's shoulder, "Well done!"

When he heard about the attack, he had prepared for the worst-case scenario.

He hadn't expected Lin Ning to actually turn the tide.

And even subdue the armed assailant.

Lin Ning's body was also trembling slightly from the excessive excitement and exertion just now; hearing this, he squeezed out an expression that was half-crying and half-laughing.

"Liu Zhao only got hurt because he was lying on top of me! There was something on the metal splinters!"

There was a small step to enter the stall.

He had pressed Ou Jiarui down below the step; even if the explosive device had a blind spot, there was still a chance Lin Ning could have been injured.

But Liu Zhao had shielded him with his body.

Now Lin Ning and Ou Jiarui were both unscathed, but Liu Zhao...

An indescribable feeling permeated Lin Ning's heart: relief, lingering fear, guilt, and shock.

Chen Zhi pressed his hand on Lin Ning's shoulder a bit harder, pushing down firmly.

"You've done very well! Protecting the people is our duty; he was just fulfilling his responsibility. Liu Zhao will be fine!"

When the forensic technician came to report to Chen Zhi, they glanced at Lin Ning with amazement; this tall, thin young man was a badass, though they didn't know which department he was from.

"All ten stalls have issues. We have already started dealing with them."

Chen Zhi nodded faintly, "Mm."

Ou Jiarui, having finished being thoroughly checked, walked over, "I need to prepare to go on stage."

Lin Ning looked up at him in astonishment. What kind of warrior, what kind of interest, made Ou Jiarui refuse to give up on going on stage to report after having just experienced assassination attempt after assassination attempt?

A trace of dissatisfaction rose in his heart.

To protect him, Liu Zhao had already...

His gaze fixed on Ou Jiarui's head. Hmm???

Chen Zhi, however, looked calm, "Then let's go, I'll follow you."

He looked back at Lin Ning, "Can you hold on?"

A relaxed smile appeared on Lin Ning's face, "It's gone, it's changed for the better!"

He was referring to the grayish-white spot on Ou Jiarui's head—it had vanished. Now, only a brilliant golden color remained, giving one the feeling of looking directly at the sun.

Chen Zhi instantly understood what he meant—the aura of death was gone, and his physiognomy had improved.

A smile also appeared on his face. Even without verification, security would be even tighter, but hearing Lin Ning's words, he felt much more at ease.

It seemed that unconsciously, Chen Zhi had begun to subconsciously believe in Lin Ning's physiognomy readings.

Ou Jiarui didn't know what they were talking about, but he could feel their happiness.

He nodded at Lin Ning with a gentle gaze, "Xiao Lin, thank you!"

He seemed to want to say something else, but swallowed it back.

In the main venue, Ou Jiarui's thin frame standing on the wide stage seemed like a pillar of stability, attracting the attention of the entire venue. His tone was forceful and resonant as he displayed the data from each stage of the experiment and elaborated on the experimental logic and design path.

"Over the course of 6 years and 7 months, my team has finally proven the special ductility of the liquid metal expansion Aewd5-4 in a non-condensed state... Final laboratory interim result showcase... Regarding the follow-up Swer series of experiments..."

"That concludes my presentation. Thank you, everyone!"

Some of the elders in the front row of the venue looked at each other; a few stood up and began to applaud.

The small sound of clapping was like a fuse; it gradually spread, and then the applause swept through the entire venue.

Lin Ning also applauded, but he didn't understand what this represented.

But Chen Zhi knew. He applauded vigorously, a hint of moisture appearing in his eyes; he blinked quickly to suppress it.

The venue began the Q&A session; Ou Jiarui, like a mountain, firmly suppressed all doubts and questions.

Lin Ning couldn't understand either, but he had to say, he felt Ou Jiarui was shining; how cool!

Seeing Chen Zhi's excited demeanor, Lin Ning asked for advice, "How important is this report that you are all risking your lives for it?"

Chen Zhi stared at the figure on the stage, "It means we are already standing at the peak of international science and can sit as equals with scientists from other countries. At least in this field!"

Lin Ning thought that was pretty impressive, but, "If we have it, we have it. Do we still need others' recognition? The results are right there. And if we publish it, wouldn't that just benefit others?"

Chen Zhi shook his head, "If there are results, they will say you stole them. When it comes to joint disciplinary experiments, if we don't get recognition, we can't participate in the core experimental content. The key is," he paused, "letting those who are pretending to sleep and have actually fallen asleep know that we really have something—something that can make them sleep forever."

Chen Zhi spoke very cryptically, but Ou Jiarui's project was the cornerstone of those things—we could already build them.

Are you afraid?!