Help! The Villainess Trapped in the Beast World's Drama!

Chapter 493: Chapter 476: A Truly Deserved Scientific Genius

No matter what, I must thank Shen Li.

Shen Tang looked at him and sincerely said, ”Thank you... I’m glad to have you.”

Shen Li’s heart softened, and he smiled helplessly, ”There’s no need for thanks between us.”

Shen Tang met his deep, charming gaze, coughed lightly, and a bit embarrassed, she shifted her gaze, changing the subject, ”Um, have you handled your matters over there?”

The tender warmth melted the hard ice, but the identities of the two were placed in front, leaving a touch of barrier between them. Shen Li knew she couldn’t accept him as she did before, but he was content now. There was plenty of time to take it slowly.

Shen Li said, ”I personally led troops to assist, and indeed faced some opposition, but Xiao Tang’er, don’t worry, trust Brother Li, I can handle these things.”

Shen Tang noticed that Shen Li deliberately hid one of his fox tails, indicating that the news of his advancement to a Ten-tailed Heavenly Fox had not yet been officially spread, and he must be planning other things using this information gap. Given the scheming nature of this sly fox, there was nothing she needed to worry about. Since he brought troops over, he definitely had a backup plan.

Shen Tang looked at Xiao Jin, who had fainted on the ground, feeling distressed. Clearly, she had helped him with mental pacification and healed his wounds, but for some reason, he had not yet awakened.

”Don’t worry.” Lu Xiao held her hand and comforted, ”Xiao Jin just went through a life-and-death battle, maybe he’s exhausted. His vital signs have stabilized, and nothing serious will happen. If you’re worried, I’ll take him back to the Imperial Hospital for a check-up first.”

Shen Tang nodded, ”Alright, you take him back first, Yin Zhou and I will come back later.”

Lu Xiao then took the unconscious Xiao Jin and flew away.

Shen Tang, Xue Yinzhou, and Shen Li led the troops back to the border.

The beastmen responsible for the detection had also investigated the spread of the polluted land.

Everyone wore a look of melancholy, sighing endlessly.

”Your Majesty, according to our detection, within half a year, the polluted land has expanded by nearly 30,000 square kilometers! Far exceeding the previous rate of expansion!”

This data was extremely terrifying.

Even Shen Tang’s heart surged with huge waves; she predicted that the polluted land would have expanded significantly, but she hadn’t expected it to be so much.

This was already the speed at which the polluted land started invading the Beast World Continent in the original storyline!

Even earlier than the original timeline!

Her worst fear had come true.

Xue Yinzhou looked at Shen Li, his voice imbued with a hint of killing intent, ”It was you who stole the Earth Core.”

”Oh? You think this matter rests on me?” Shen Li crossed his arms, smiling faintly, ”The power of the Earth Core began to weaken already. Whether or not I took it, the expansion of the polluted land is an irreversible trend.”

Shen Tang was equally puzzled, ”Then why did you take the Earth Core?”

After pondering for a moment, Shen Li explained in a low voice, ”I need to reactivate the Earth Core.”

Shen Tang was astonished, ”Activate?”

”Yes, the reason for the Earth Core’s failure is that its power has been leaking continuously. The previous High Priest of the Empire once told me that there is a secret place within Yiyuan Country that can regather its strength, but I’m not sure if it will work for the Earth Core. Only time can tell.”

Shen Li continued, ”The current High Priest also divined that the pollution in the Yuan Empire was the first to start spreading. Xiao Tang’er, the troops I brought will stay behind to help guard the border.”

Shen Tang opened her mouth, swallowed the three words, and sincerely expressed her gratitude, ”I really need you.”

”Me too.” Shen Li embraced her, whispering in her ear, ”But I want to hear those words even more.”

...

Returning to the city, the first thing Shen Tang did was contact Vine.

[I need to discuss something with you. Are you available anytime soon?]

These researchers tend to have quite quirky temperaments, the more genius they are, the more they need to be treated with care. Shen Tang and Vine were purely in a cooperative relationship, not exactly superior and subordinate, so she had to make an appointment to see him.

Vine usually stayed in the laboratory doing experiments and rarely checked his Light Computer, often taking half a day to respond to messages. However, this time he replied quickly.

[I’m free tomorrow morning. If Your Majesty is in a hurry, I can come over tonight.]

[No need, I’ll come to see you directly.]

[Okay, Your Majesty. I will have refreshments ready, awaiting your arrival.]

Shen Tang directly had the system teleport her to the Zero Point Laboratory.

Rest room.

The door opened, revealing a man lazily leaning on the sofa, his long legs crossed. He held a coffee cup in one hand and was flipping through an experiment report with the other.

The young man had brown hair and green eyes, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, appearing handsome and elegant. His lab coat was buttoned meticulously, sleeves rolled up revealing a wristwatch, and a pen clipped to his chest pocket glinted with a cold metallic sheen.

If not for knowing he was a researcher, he did have a bit of a refined rogue vibe.

”Your Majesty?” Vine looked over at the sound of the door opening, a hint of surprise on his face, seemingly not expecting her to come so quickly.

Shen Tang strode forward, took out a report from her space and placed it on the table, getting straight to the point, ”We discovered an illegal laboratory engaged in mutant species research on the polluted land. This is a research report we found in the lab, and the information inside is encrypted. Can you decipher it?”

Vine took the report and casually glanced at it, the gentle green eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses revealing a smile with deeper meaning, ”Your Majesty, you have indeed found the right person. Besides me, there’s probably no one else in the Empire who can do you this favor.”

He spoke without any humility.

Shen Tang also trusted his ability.

Vine was undoubtedly a scientific genius. He managed to produce the Frenzy Potion in just seven days and further improved it over the following year, enhancing its effectiveness to near perfection!

Looking into the young man’s deep, like a serene mountain stream, green eyes, Shen Tang couldn’t help her curiosity, ”There’s something I’ve always been curious about, and I’ve been wanting to ask you about it.”

The young man continued with a warm smile, ”Oh? What does Your Majesty wish to ask?”

”Your research talent is so high; who taught you? I looked at your resume before, and it seems that it never mentioned any of this.”

Most of the Empire’s researchers were cultivated through top universities and research institutions, their career histories clear and detailed. But Vine seemed like he came out of nowhere, his research resume extensive, yet his personal history was sparsely outlined.

It only mentioned that he personally established the Zero Point Research Institute, with no mention of his experiences before founding it, making him all the more mysterious and intriguing.

”If Your Majesty really wants to know...” Vine pointed to his head, joking, ”Self-taught genius?”

Shen Tang’s mouth twitched, moving past the topic, ”Let’s not talk about that. How long will it take you to decipher these experiment reports at the fastest?”

After a moment of thought, Vine replied, ”The quickest three days, no later than seven days.”

”Alright, I’ll wait for your report.”

”Take care, Your Majesty.”

The young man sat lazily on the sofa, showing no intention of getting up to see her off.

Shen Tang couldn’t be bothered to manage his quirky temperament. With things still to handle in the city, after handing over the items, she got up and left.