Reality Programming Association

Chapter 166 -70: The Missing Fourth Person

For the entire morning, the substitute teacher on the podium presented their PowerPoint with impassioned energy.

In the corner, two heads leaned close together. They scribbled repeatedly in a notebook, staring at the list of questions on the page as they constantly simulated and deduced the flow of the upcoming conversation in their minds. The order of every question, every possible answer, and every tone they needed to catch. They had to be exceedingly careful to probe for information without exposing that they had already seen through the other party’s conspiracy.

RING! The bell signaled the end of class. Students stood up one after another, their folding chairs springing back with a series of CLACKS like a dissonant symphony.

Yu Xian closed his notebook and stuffed it deep into his backpack.

“Let’s go,” he whispered.

The two followed the crowd out of the classroom. As soon as they reached the first-floor lobby of the Second Main Building, they were forced to slow their pace.

The usually spacious lobby was now packed with a long line. That familiar Deep Blue booth had been set up once again. A massive “Yinuo Biotechnology” display board stood like a flag, its large characters especially striking indoors on this rainy day.

“Holy crap, Old Yu. Looks like your luck has arrived!”

Shi Zuozhou’s eyes lit up. He grabbed Yu Xian’s arm and pointed toward the booth, his tone full of pleasant surprise. “They restocked! They’re handing out those bracelets again!”

Yu Xian followed his gaze. Sure enough, the uniformed staff were opening brand-new cardboard boxes. A pile of sealed black square boxes lay nestled in shock-absorbing foam, eagerly snatched up by the surrounding students like starving tigers pouncing on their prey.

“These guys are practically throwing money away…” Although Shi Zuozhou was still marveling at the company having “more money than sense,” his body honestly dragged Yu Xian into the line. “We have to get one for you this time, no matter what! Our Rabbit Hole happens to lack a mobile base station. This thing has a strong signal, long battery life, and most importantly, it’s waterproof. It’s practically a hardware carrier tailor-made for us.”

Dragged to the back of the line, Yu Xian looked at the dense crowd ahead and their excited faces, a strange sense of unease welling up in his heart.

Shi Zuozhou had already investigated Yinuo Biotechnology; it was indeed a massive international corporation. They just didn’t know what the company’s goal was in spending so much money on data collection. Watching the students strap the ink-black bracelets onto their wrists, Yu Xian felt as though he were seeing countless drowning people shackling themselves with exquisite electronic cuffs. However, this bracelet was undeniably the best available carrier for deploying mobile nodes.

The distribution speed was much faster this time, and the process seemed to have been simplified. When it was Yu Xian’s turn, the staff only had him scan a QR code and fill out a simple questionnaire. Surprisingly, it had been heavily streamlined. He could even use a nickname instead of his real name. Since it didn’t ask for any sensitive private information, he didn’t agonize over it and simply claimed a bracelet.

Taking the heavy black packaging box, Shi Zuozhou seemed even more excited than Yu Xian, as if he had been the one to receive it. “This is great. Once we install Rabbit Hole on it, the two of us will transform into the Two Towers. Wherever we are, we won’t have to worry about a lack of signal.”

Stepping out of the Second Main Building, they found a roof overhang to take shelter from the rain. Shi Zuozhou eagerly whipped out his phone, his fingers flying rapidly across the screen.

The “Crazy Thursday (4)” group chat popped up. Gala sent a message to Mu Gaoshou and tagged everyone: “@all Gather at the North Campus Palace in half an hour.”

They hurriedly grabbed lunch at the Second Cafeteria. With the important afternoon phone call weighing on their minds, neither had the appetite to be picky. They wolfed down a quick meal from the nearest counter and rushed off toward North Campus.

Standing once again at Building 3, North Campus, they skillfully tailgated someone to swipe in, passed the turnstiles, and entered the elevator. The elevator came to a smooth halt on the twelfth floor, and they walked to the public lounge at the end of the hall. Through the glass door, Yu Xian saw Wen Xiao and Shao Yiyi already sitting inside.

Wen Xiao, wearing her kitten pajamas, was holding a cup of hot tea and tilting her head as she said something to Shao Yiyi. Meanwhile, Shao Yiyi was huddled in the corner of the sofa in her dinosaur pajamas, her hands clutching her phone tightly. Her messy double bun hairstyle drooped listlessly.

Yu Xian pushed the door open to find the indoor air warm and sweet.

“You’re here,” Wen Xiao greeted softly, looking up immediately. Her gaze lingered on the two boys for a moment.

Yu Xian and Shi Zuozhou hung their dripping umbrellas on the rack by the door and walked over to sit by the sofa. He glanced at Shao Yiyi, dug the black notebook out of his backpack, and spread it open on the coffee table.

“Yiyi, don’t be nervous,” Yu Xian said, his voice steady, hoping to soothe the anxious girl in front of him. “Old Shi and I have mapped out the flow of the conversation. You’re his junior, so he shouldn’t make things difficult for you. No matter what you hear, don’t panic. Just ask these few questions and you’ll be fine.”

Shao Yiyi looked at Yu Xian, then at the notebook filled with keywords. Her expression soured as though she had just bitten into a bitter melon.

“Brother Cos, but what if…” Shao Yiyi pinched her fingers nervously. “What if Martial Uncle doesn’t play by the rules? I mean… what if his first reaction is to ask if I’m trying to pry information out of him? Or what if he just completely ignores the bait?”

“Don’t panic.” Yu Xian pushed the notebook in front of her, tapping his finger on several bolded keywords. “No matter what he says, don’t lose your composure. You only have one goal, and that is to casually bring up these specific questions.

“Remember, absolutely do not bring up the School of Physics, the professor, or the laboratory riot on your own,” he added, pausing as his tone turned serious. “If you show excessive interest in these matters, he might immediately notice and get suspicious.”

“Okay… I’ll try my best.” Shao Yiyi took a deep breath and nodded solemnly, acting as though she were marching to the execution grounds. Her expression of facing death unflinchingly made Shi Zuozhou burst into laughter.

Over the next half hour, the four of them rehearsed the possible conversational scenarios several times, like actors practicing for a play. Shi Zuozhou played the role of Su Mingyuan. One moment he adopted a genial tone, and the next he feigned profound solemnity. He even snuck in his own personal questions from time to time, asking Shao Yiyi if she was dating anyone, which infuriated her so much that she chucked a throw pillow at him.

Wen Xiao took notes on the side, writing down Yu Xian’s countermeasures for every possible situation on sticky notes until they covered the entire coffee table. Although the atmosphere had lightened slightly, the heavy burden pressing on everyone’s hearts refused to dissipate.

RING!

The piercing sound of the alarm startled all four of them into a cold sweat like frightened birds. Shao Yiyi hurriedly grabbed her phone and stuck out her tongue in an apologetic gesture. “I was afraid of missing the time, so I set an alarm…”

Yu Xian gave her an encouraging look, Shi Zuozhou shouted, “Hold steady, we can win this!”, and Wen Xiao gave her a massive hug.

Taking a deep breath, Shao Yiyi dialed the number with trembling fingers and tapped the speakerphone button.

The dialing tone echoed through the quiet lounge. All four of them stared intently at the phone on the coffee table.

After about five or six rings, the call finally connected.

“Hello? Yiyi.”

A gentle, earnest voice drifted out of the speaker. It was exactly the same voice they had heard at the lecture, carrying a warmth that felt as refreshing as a spring breeze. Yet, it was this very voice that made the four of them hold their breath simultaneously.

“H-Hello, Martial Uncle…”

Shao Yiyi’s voice visibly trembled. Yu Xian facepalmed; it seemed she had completely forgotten the opening lines they had just rehearsed.

“Um… are you busy right now? Am I… bothering you?”

“Haha, no, I’m not busy. I had a symposium at Science University this morning, but I don’t have any plans for the afternoon,” Su Mingyuan replied at a leisurely pace. “What made you suddenly decide to call me, my girl?”

Shao Yiyi panicked for a moment, not knowing how to answer. She subconsciously looked at Yu Xian, her eyes brimming with a plea for help.

Yu Xian gestured to her, signaling her to stay calm and not lose her composure, then hurriedly pointed at the first question in the notebook.

Shao Yiyi let out a breath, trying hard to steady her emotions.

“Martial Uncle, actually… I have a question regarding a trigram that I’d like to ask your advice on.”