"Mr. Qin, we've arrived at District 7. It must have been a tiring journey for you."
"Huh? Oh... It's nothing."
Qin Siyang blinked hard, trying to clear his foggy mind.
When the vehicle came to a stop, Qin Siyang couldn't help but feel a sense of shock.
The anti-air glass above the streets was much higher than at the edge of the Safe Zone. Soft lighting adorned it, illuminating the entire area as if it were broad daylight.
Several towering pillars supported the overhead anti-air glass. Stairs attached to them likely allowed workers to carry out maintenance.
A warm breeze from an unknown source swept past him, relaxing his entire body.
On both sides of the street, there were even green plants and roadside trees.
Sanitation workers were washing the streets, quietly sweeping up fallen leaves.
Vehicles passed by from time to time, their engines roaring and stimulating Qin Siyang's eardrums.
He glanced at the street again. Small restaurants, seemingly arranged in a well-planned manner, were lined up neatly.
Their signs displayed the types of food they served, such as "Teppanyaki," "Hotpot," and "Country-style Stir-fry."
It felt like he had stepped onto an ordinary street from his previous life.
Staring at the scene, only one thought filled Qin Siyang's mind.
'Could it be… I just woke up from a long dream?'
"Laudenor, is District 7 located in the center of our Safe Zone?"
"Mr. Qin, it's not exactly the center. Strictly speaking, District 7 is still on the edge of the Safe Zone. Our entire Safe Zone was built along a massive mountain range from the former Huaguo¹, making its shape quite long and narrow. District 7 is right next to the mountains."
[T/N: [1] Huaguo is a literally translated into Mountain of Flower and Fruits from Journey to the West fiction]
"Due to the natural barrier of the mountains, there are fewer gods around here. It's relatively safer than the outer edges of the Safe Zone, so development is better as well."
"Then how do people in District 7 hunt gods?"
"Oh, Huaguo's infrastructure was highly developed before the fall. There are tunnels and underground rail systems. We built our transportation facilities on top of these, allowing us to pass through the mountains and hunt gods. Outside the mountains, there are more gods, and they are much stronger."
Qin Siyang nodded in understanding.
'So that's how it is.'
He had assumed that the lower-numbered districts were in the central area. But if that were true, they would be surrounded by other districts, making it impossible to have an exit. He had always wondered where the exits of these smaller-numbered districts were.
Laudenor had now answered that question for him.
It also made him reflect on his own ignorance.
Living at the edge of the Safe Zone, he hadn't just been clueless about the post-apocalyptic world, he barely even understood the Safe Zone itself.
His past assumptions had been nothing more than blind guesses, completely meaningless.
"Mr. Qin, Professor Florence is waiting for us in the lab. Let's go together."
"Alright."
Laudenor, having driven for three consecutive days without proper rest, looked exhausted. Deep dark circles hung under his eyes.
Still, being able to bring Qin Siyang here made him feel honored and happy.
In some way, he had contributed to his mentor, Florence. It shouldn't be too difficult to get his name on this research paper.
The driver turned the vehicle around and left, likely finding a place to rest while waiting to take Qin Siyang back later.
Following Laudenor, Qin Siyang walked through two streets and arrived at a vast open area.
A massive, lush green lawn came into view.
A long stone slab lay across the grass, engraved with two large words: [Nanrong University]
Perhaps because the United Government no longer had racial boundaries, multiple language translations were carefully inscribed below the characters.
An open-style school gate stood on the roadside next to the lawn.
Security guards were there only to provide assistance and handle emergencies. Anyone could enter or exit freely.
Laudenor led Qin Siyang into Nanrong University.
The campus infrastructure was well-developed—there was a gymnasium, a soccer field, even a swimming pool.
The sight reminded Qin Siyang of his past school life, making him slow his pace unconsciously.
"Mr. Qin, our laboratory is this way."
"Oh, okay."
Qin Siyang picked up his pace and followed Laudenor into a building with a sign at the entrance that read [Sequence Research Institute].
The two took the elevator to the fourth floor.
The entire floor was bright and spotless. Along the hallway, wooden doors appeared every three to five meters. Each door had a room number, with a nameplate beside it, likely indicating the person in charge of that lab.
They stopped in front of [Room 207 (Person in charge: Florence Rivers)].
Laudenor knocked on the door, "Professor Florence, I've brought Mr. Qin."
"Come in, quickly!"
Pushing the door open, Qin Siyang saw three rows of laboratory benches.
They were covered with bottles and jars containing unknown potions, as well as various disc-shaped armors.
Florence enthusiastically stepped forward and shook Qin Siyang's hand, "Mr. Qin, thank you for your efforts!"
Qin Siyang noticed that Florence looked more haggard than the last time they met, likely due to a long, restless journey.
But his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Mm, it's fine. This was our agreed-upon method to solve the problem."
Florence nodded, "That's right, that's right. Mr. Qin, you kept your promise, which makes me feel even more ashamed of my past actions. We've already discussed it. After the paper is published, we will compensate you with a high-grade god-hunting weapon. What do you think?"
Florence took the initiative to lay out the conditions before Qin Siyang could even make a demand, maintaining a sense of decorum.
Since Florence had brought it up, Qin Siyang naturally had to make things clear.
"Since Professor Florence has opened the discussion, we should lay everything out now to avoid any disputes later. The god-hunting weapon is compensation for your past mistake. Do you have any objections to that?"
Florence was momentarily stunned but then shook his head, "No, no objections."
"Good. Since the weapon is for past compensation, shouldn't I receive new compensation for helping in your lab?"
"This...", Florence hadn't expected Qin Siyang to be dissatisfied and hesitated, "Mr. Qin, what kind of compensation do you want?"
"The third authorship on this research paper."
"And may I ask why Mr. Qin wants to be an author?"
"I'm applying for this year's special admissions. I need research points to increase my competitiveness."
Florence's expression changed several times before he awkwardly said, "Mr. Qin, the third author position has already been reserved..."
"Crawford?"
"No, no. Director Crawford is the fourth author."
Qin Siyang chuckled, "You guys are interesting. The paper hasn't even been written, yet you've already assigned all the authors."
"Forgive us for this."
"It's fine, I understand. It's just networking. But without me, you wouldn't be able to publish a single word of this paper, right? And your previous three papers would have to be scrapped as well, correct?"
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