60: Chapter 60 Top-Tier Sense of Security

Washing up didn't take long, and breakfast was wolfed down in just a few bites.

Lin Yuan casually stuffed the three black solid-state drives into his black backpack.

If outsiders saw that the technical data capable of upending the global semiconductor landscape was being so carelessly shoved into a canvas bag, they would probably have a heart attack on the spot.

But Lin Yuan didn't care in the slightest. He slung the backpack over one shoulder, pushed open the door to his quarters, and strode towards Research Building No. 7.

In the early morning at the Xia Academy of Sciences, the air carried a crisp, cold freshness.

Lin Yuan walked along the internal walkway connecting the various buildings, his pace unhurried, his breathing steady.

Then, he noticed something unusual about the surrounding environment.

He couldn't say exactly what had changed, but compared to a few days ago, the atmosphere of the entire compound had noticeably deepened by an order of magnitude.

The roads were the same, the buildings were the same, and the researchers coming and going still walked with hurried steps, each with their own business.

Everything was operating as usual, with no visible abnormalities.

But something was different.

The feeling was subtle; it wasn't brought about by any specific person or object, but was closer to some kind of intangible sense of order.

The entire interior of the compound seemed to have been reorganized by an invisible hand, with every corner incorporated into a more precise grid.

Lin Yuan's pace didn't change in the slightest, and his gaze didn't drift in any direction.

But deep down, he already knew.

Three days.

It had been exactly three days since his meeting with Yang Tongan in Elder Long's office.

Elder Yang had said that within three days, he would have the personnel in place.

And today was exactly the third day.

This secret yet shocking change was, without a doubt, the thunderous work of that old man.

A knowing smile flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes.

That old man sitting in Xishan did things in an extraordinary way.

This kind of truly top-tier protection was never about having a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten, keeping the protected person constantly surrounded by a wall of people.

Instead, it was about not letting you notice any specific "protectors," yet clearly allowing you to sense that some kind of hard shell had been seamlessly placed over you without you even realizing it.

This secret sense of security was, in fact, more reassuring than the stern array of guards every five steps.

Lin Yuan didn't dwell on it anymore; he turned his steps and set foot on the final stretch of the road leading to Research Building No. 7.

...

Research Building No. 7.

Lin Yuan swiped his access card and walked into the building.

The corridors were sparsely populated; at this hour, most researchers were either still in the lab after pulling an all-nighter or hadn't arrived for their shift yet.

He went straight upstairs, all the way to the room with the nameplate that read "Chief Technical Engineer Office."

He pushed the door open and went in.

He casually placed his backpack on the desk.

The weight of the three hard drives in the backpack pressed against the canvas fabric, emitting a dull thud on the desk.

Lin Yuan didn't rush to sit down; instead, he turned his head and waved at a researcher who happened to be passing by the door.

The researcher was taken aback for a moment, but after seeing Lin Yuan's gesture, he trotted over and stood at attention.

"Chief Engineer Lin, are you looking for me?"

"Could you please do me a favor and go invite Director Wei, Director He, and Director Yang over here?"

Lin Yuan's tone was gentle, his instructions simple and clear.

"Just tell them I have something to discuss with them."

"Understood, I'll go right away!"

Hearing this, the researcher nodded heavily, turned around, and walked away quickly, his back showing a sense of urgency, not daring to delay.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan pulled out his chair and sat down, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the desktop as he waited quietly.

He had originally thought that the first to arrive would be the short-tempered Wei Jiancheng.

But less than a few minutes later, when the office door was pushed open.

The person walking in front was none other than Chen Jingshan.

Behind Chen Jingshan followed a man and a woman, trailing him by exactly half a step, following his every move.

The man was tall with a buzz cut, wearing a simple black jacket, his posture upright.

The woman was in a sharp, professional tracksuit with a simple ponytail; her features were delicate, but she exuded a cold, standoffish aura.

From the moment they entered, their gazes swept rapidly across every corner of the room, from the ceiling to the windows, then to the floor, before finally fixing on Lin Yuan.

The entire sequence of movements was fluid, yet carried an instinct that could only be formed through countless hours of training.

Lin Yuan's fingers paused on the desktop, then resumed their normal rhythm.

Elder Yang's work, as expected, went beyond just that "outer" layer.

Chen Jingshan had already walked to the desk, a gentle smile on his face as he nodded at Lin Yuan.

"I heard you calling for people early in the morning; it seems there's good news?"

"Haha. Dean Chen, you've arrived quite opportunely."

Lin Yuan rose calmly and returned the greeting, his gaze naturally drifting past Chen Jingshan's shoulder to land on the two people behind him, asking a question he already knew the answer to:

"And these two are..."

The smile on Chen Jingshan's face deepened, and he raised his hand to introduce them:

"Full-time assistants sent from above, responsible for handling all your daily affairs so that you can focus on your research without any worries."

He then turned to the side, pointing first to the man with the buzz cut.

"Leng Yun."

He then pointed to the woman in the tracksuit.

"Qin Meng."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two stepped forward in unison towards Lin Yuan.

"Researcher Lin, hello."

Two voices spoke simultaneously, one deep, one crisp.

Leng Yun's gaze lingered on Lin Yuan's face for a moment before lowering slightly, neither staring nor avoiding eye contact.

When he received the transfer order, he had read the file over and over three times.

Twenty years old, university student.

Chief Technical Engineer of the Lithography Machine Special Task Force.

Protection Level: Highest.

He recognized every word, but combined, they formed a strange picture that was logically inconsistent.

Why would a student, even a genius, be able to enjoy the security treatment reserved only for the pillars of the nation?

The order offered no explanation.

But obeying orders was his duty.

At this moment, he looked at the slender, gentle-looking young man before him, rapidly assessing his physical data and behavioral habits, incorporating him into his security plan model.

Beside him, Qin Meng's gaze also swept across Lin Yuan's face.

But in that one glance, she captured much more.

This young man showed no surprise when he saw them appear.

He didn't even show the slightest bit of the curiosity he should have had.

That composure, far beyond his age, was as if he had known they would come all along.

Lin Yuan took in both of their reactions, merely nodding slightly and returning a measured smile.

"Then I'll be troubling the two of you from now on."

His words were spoken with a calm acceptance.

Just then, a chaotic and hurried sound of footsteps came from the end of the corridor, approaching from afar.

Hearing this commotion, the smile on Lin Yuan's face became even more pronounced.

The main characters had arrived; it was time to raise the curtain on the final act of this grand play he had personally directed.