Just as Su Jiameng was having fun with the kids from the Iron Lion Team, Gu Ningzhi received an invitation from Li You to go somewhere. Looking up at the place with the word ’Research Institute’ displayed, Gu Ningzhi curled his lips and muttered, "Right now, this is the last thing I want to see..."

With the Xilena Affiliated School’s research institute eagerly setting the example, Gu Ningzhi had developed a reflexive wariness towards any research-oriented institution. Now that Li You had brought him here, to be honest, he didn’t think this trip was going to be pleasant.

Li You, not hearing Gu Ningzhi’s complaint, took the lead and brought him inside, saying as he walked, "Previously, I gave the drug to a friend of mine for testing and research. After all this time, there should be results by now. Don’t worry, I will keep my word, and only you, I, and she will know the final test results. Although that person has a bit of a temper, their integrity is trustworthy."

Gu Ningzhi searched through his mind for half a day but couldn’t guess who Li You was referring to. Then he thought, of course, he had been away for over thirty years, and during that time, he was completely in the dark about whom Li You might have met or befriended.

Although this place bore the name of a research institute, Gu Ningzhi looked around and couldn’t find anything here that deserved the title of ’Research Institute’! Those researchers were impeccably dressed in pristine white coats, looking quite angelic... if only they weren’t gobbling up noodle soup with one hand while picking at their feet with the other, they might look even better...

Following Li You into a large office, he found lots of researchers sitting around. Unfortunately, they didn’t live up to the lofty title of ’researcher’, as their sleazy actions made it hard to look at them directly.

Maybe it was near mealtime, each of them ordered takeout and squatted in the office, slurping from small bowls, causing the familiar spicy aroma to waft throughout the room... Gu Ningzhi slightly furrowed his brow, could he admit he was quite hungry himself?

But this wasn’t the main issue, there were also many bizarre animal or plant specimens in the room, some even contentedly soaked in formalin... Gu Ningzhi was genuinely puzzled, could they really eat so happily without mistaking these specimens for side dishes? One must know that researchers have such quirky minds; it’s entirely possible they might do that!

Li You seemed to have seen such a big scene before, although his expression was slightly cracked, overall, he held up well without embarrassing himself. He simply took a deep breath and went straight into the room inside. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

This place was indeed another world... Gu Ningzhi carefully observed the place and discovered the air was devoid of various food aromas, instead filled with a faint medicinal scent... Hmm, this is what a normal research institute should feel like.

"May I ask if the two of you are here together today for something?" asked a female voice emanating from a large piece of research equipment. Not long after, out walked a mature woman in a white coat, with tidy glasses on her nose, giving off a smart and authoritative aura.

"Actually, there is indeed something I need your help with!" Li You got straight to the point without any intention to engage in small talk or establish rapport. Of course, more importantly, he wasn’t foolish enough to cause trouble for himself; Qiu Yexuan wasn’t someone easily dismissed.

Thinking about it, Li You directly asked Qiu Yexuan, "Didn’t I leave a capsule with you before and asked you to study it? I want to know, after so many days, has the medication structure been successfully analyzed? If not, then we’ll wait a bit longer."

Qiu Yexuan pondered for a long time, then turned around and retrieved the information Li You wanted from a pile of waist-high documents, saying, "Although I don’t know where you got this drug, there’s one thing I must tell you: it’s full of mysteries. When the first test data came out, I even thought my eyes were deceiving me..."

In fact, it wasn’t Qiu Yexuan’s fault for having such an expression and reaction. After analyzing the medicine components, she found that this small capsule held so many secrets! Not to mention, just the sheer amount of ’unknown substances’ was startling enough.

Considering we are now in the interstellar era, with technology surging forward and the Human Alliance well-versed with various interstellar substances, having the massive data in their databases as a backup, it’s rare that a substance would go undetected!