Qin Siyang didn't carefully read the papers.
Just by looking at the authors of these few papers, he immediately understood the reason for their report.
They had their livelihoods smashed.
The first author of these three papers was Florence.
The second author was named Harrison Van der Sar. Qin Siyang didn't know him, and he couldn't find his nameplate at the scene either.
Among them, two papers had a third author—Crawford.
Each paper had a long string of twenty to thirty names.
Generally, papers only had a few authors.
So many people signing their names on it indicated that these three papers were not only large-scale research projects but also highly influential.
So many people had put in so much effort just to prove that the plate armor score of the Doom Octopus could never exceed 800.
And yet, Qin Siyang's plate armor scored over 1,200, instantly flipping over the entire pot of these researchers.
No wonder Florence and Crawford rushed over in such a panic, setting up a direct three-court trial trap to convict him without even giving him a chance to explain.
They had probably realized their research was wrong.
But it was impossible for them to give up what they had gained just because their research was flawed.
Thus—
If they couldn't solve the problem, they would solve the person who created the problem.
Such a clever trick.
Unfortunately, their plan had a flaw.
Jonathan wasn't their die-hard supporter. When he realized something was off, he immediately chose to withdraw from their camp.
They no longer had full control over the narrative and couldn't just slap a random crime on Qin Siyang.
Their original plan of convicting him first and then gathering evidence had collapsed.
They could only conduct a face-to-face investigation.
Once he figured this out, Qin Siyang tapped his fingers lightly on the table and smiled slightly.
He didn't understand anything about sequences or gods, so he probably wouldn't be able to make sense of this paper for a while.
But that was fine, he had help.
Li Tianming had come all this way; he couldn't just sit there watching the show.
The issues in the paper, he'd let this former university vice dean handle them. He still needed to conserve his energy to deal with Crawford and the others.
"Qin Siyang, if you have no objections to the evidence, then we need to ask you about the matter of fabricating the plate armor."
"What's the rush?"
Qin Siyang turned to Li Tianming, "Old Li, do me a favor? Take a look at these papers and see if there's anything wrong with them."
Li Tianming stepped forward, "I thought you could handle everything yourself."
Qin Siyang shrugged, "I'm a seventeen-year-old high school student. How could I possibly understand all this complex stuff?"
Li Tianming glanced at Qin Siyang, took the papers, and began reading them on the side.
Seeing how carefully Li Tianming was examining the papers, like an expert, Florence and the others were a bit puzzled.
Then, noticing Li Tianming's thinning hair and slightly rounded belly, their hearts skipped a beat.
They immediately realized, this man's identity might not be simple.
"Who is this gentleman?"
"Oh, he's my [Insurer]. We hunted the Doom Octopus together, so he came along."
"Your [Insurer]?", Florence frowned upon hearing this.
He hadn't expected someone from the security zone's outskirts to have an [Insurer] backing them up.
This was getting trickier.
He had come too hastily and had forgotten to investigate Qin Siyang's background, assuming he was just an ordinary Sequence Ability user who got lucky.
He tried asking, "What's your name?"
Li Tianming glanced at him and replied indifferently, "You called me over, and you don't even know my name?"
"Mayor Jonathan called you over to help. I don't know much about you."
"Li Tianming."
"What? You..."
Florence shot up from his seat in shock.
Even the people around Qin Siyang who had reported him all stood up in an instant.
"You... you're Professor Li from Zhongrong University?"
Li Tianming looked up at them but said nothing, continuing to flip through the papers.
Qin Siyang was momentarily stunned.
He looked at the man standing next to him, then at the speechless Li Tianming, and couldn't help but feel astonished.
'Li Tianming seems to have quite a high status.'
It turned out to be a fantastic decision to have him review these papers.
"Professor Li, you... why are you here?"
"What professor? I'm not one anymore. I'm just a regular school principal now."
"I really didn't expect to see you here... and as Qin Siyang's [Insurer]...", Florence's initial arrogance had completely disappeared. His attitude had become humble, and even his voice was weak.
Qin Siyang noticed that Florence's fingers were trembling uncontrollably, like a death row prisoner who had realized his miserable fate.
As for Crawford, his face alternated between pale and flushed.
Governor Jonathan wasn't familiar with Li Tianming, nor did he know Florence. But he did know Crawford, the director of the Management Department.
He had been helping out so eagerly because he figured he might need a favor from Crawford someday.
Florence could get Crawford to act, meaning his status was undoubtedly high.
And for Florence to show such deep respect, Li Tianming's identity must be even more impressive.
The entire conference room fell into a long silence because of Li Tianming.
Everyone quietly waited for him to finish reading the papers.
The more Li Tianming read, the deeper his frown became.
The faces of those who had reported Qin Siyang also turned darker and darker.
Ten minutes later, Li Tianming tossed the papers to Florence, "Why do your data-processing formulas and models look so much like the ones I designed?"
Florence muttered in a low voice, "We believed your model for estimating Horseshoe Crab points had universal applicability... After some adjustments, it could also be used for the Doom Octopus."
"You really think highly of me. These two gods are worlds apart, yet you think you can use the same model?"
Florence lowered his head like a deflated balloon, his face ashen.
The moment he realized Li Tianming was Qin Siyang's [Insurer], Florence knew, he was finished.
Qin Siyang was amazed.
What a classic case of running into the wrong person at the wrong time—what more needed to be said?
Qin Siyang simply clapped, "Impressive, Old Li!"
Li Tianming ignored him and turned to Florence, "Did you use these three papers to apply for your associate professor position?"
Florence nodded.
"Did you pass the review committee's assessment?"
He nodded again.
"Nanrong University shouldn't be this lax... Is Harrison your mentor?"
"Yes..."
"No wonder."
Florence lowered his head even further.
At this moment, Li Tianming pondered for a while, seemingly making a decision.
He then turned to Qin Siyang, "For my sake, don't go too hard on them. Let's find a way to resolve this together."
Qin Siyang had expected Li Tianming to punish Florence harshly, but instead, he wanted to let him go.
"Huh? Old Li, are you serious?"
"Yeah."
At that moment, Chen Zhongming paused his typing.
As the mayor, he knew exactly what should and shouldn't be recorded in the meeting minutes.
Florence was shocked, "Professor Li, you..."
"I'm just asking for leniency. How you handle this is up to Qin Siyang."
Florence turned his astonished gaze to Qin Siyang.
He never expected a seventeen-year-old high school student to be treated this way by Li Tianming.
Even as his [Insurer], Li Tianming couldn't dictate his decisions.
Crawford, too, looked at Qin Siyang with curiosity.
Qin Siyang frowned. Li Tianming had never asked him for a favor before.
He wouldn't refuse, but he'd have to set some conditions.
These people found it easy to frame him, but letting him go wouldn't be so simple.
"They tried to screw me over, and that's it?"
Li Tianming glanced at Florence, signaling him to show some sincerity.
Florence immediately said, "Qin, our research had some errors. We caused you trouble—sorry."
"Our entire lab will find a way to compensate you."
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