Chapter 74: Food Delivery

The food delivery log showed one laboratory that had no previous delivery records until two days ago, when deliveries began.

Furthermore, the meals being delivered were interesting—half were dishes from Luofan Country, and the other half were specialties from the Dongli Kingdom.

"Amida is surprisingly thoughtful, knowing Liou Wenxin and Mrs. Yun can’t stomach Luofan’s mushy pilaf."

Seeing this, Su Ze concluded that Liou Wenxin and Mrs. Yun were most likely being held under house arrest in this very laboratory.

Upon seeing the delivery log, Mr. Ya realized, "That evolutionary expert is from Dongli?"

"Yeah. Why else would Amida capture her? He doesn’t want her returning to Dongli."

Mr. Ya hesitated. "If I help you like this, aren’t I betraying my country?"

Su Ze smiled. "We’re just trying to meet and pass on a message. It’s not that serious."

But Mr. Ya wasn’t an idiot; he knew it wasn’t that simple.

Seeing his hesitation, Su Ze said, "I’ll give you ten more... no, twenty ’Six-Tier Extracts’!"

Mr. Ya’s face immediately lit up. "Gifts? Don’t be a stranger! A direct transfer will be just fine."

He had sold his sliver of patriotism for a handsome price.

Su Ze laughed as well. He wasn’t put off by Mr. Ya’s behavior. In this day and age, anyone who did the job after taking the money was a good person. Someone like Mr. Ya, who would risk his neck after being paid, was even more likable.

Mr. Ya immediately led Su Ze straight toward the laboratory area.

"This whole area up ahead is all exclusive laboratories for the academy’s top scientists," Mr. Ya said, pointing to the zone in front of them.

They were called laboratories, but each one was a standalone building, looking like a series of round fortresses from the outside.

Each laboratory was quite large and spaced far apart from the others. Unlike the public lab area, not a single student could be seen at a glance.

"The people here are all top figures in the academic world. Every one of them is highly respected and holds an important position. Ordinary students wouldn’t dare come near this place," Mr. Ya explained.

The two continued deeper into the area and finally found their target laboratory.

Mr. Ya remarked, "This place is pretty remote. The surrounding labs are all vacant. It looks like Amida really values that evolutionary expert from Dongli, finding her a place where she won’t be disturbed."

Su Ze observed the laboratory from a distance. It was constructed entirely of metal, seemingly airtight, with only a single large, tightly shut door.

They didn’t dare approach rashly, instead discussing how to sneak inside.

When Mr. Ya saw Su Ze staring at him, he shook his head repeatedly. "I can’t just phase into that."

"What about that trick you used to get out of the crocodile’s stomach?"

"I can only use that trick once in a short period. If I go in, I’m afraid I won’t be able to get back out."

Su Ze fell into deep thought.

’Forcing my way in is out of the question.’

’So how am I supposed to get in?’

Suddenly, an idea struck him: the food delivery log.

「...」

"The food deliveries at our school are all handled by students on work-study. When the guy comes to deliver lunch, let me go talk to him. I guarantee it’ll be no problem!"

Since Mr. Ya said so, Su Ze entrusted the matter to him. The two waited nearby until lunchtime.

Sure enough, a skinny, dark-skinned male student came riding over on a tricycle, which was carrying a food cart.

The skinny student lifted the food cart off, then started pushing it toward the laboratory.

Mr. Ya immediately stepped forward to stop him.

"I’ll make the delivery. You can head back."

The skinny student seemed nervous, stammering, "And you are...?"

"I’m your senior." Mr. Ya leaned in and whispered a few words in his ear, then stuffed a hundred-yuan bill into his hand.

"Thank you, senior!" The skinny student took the money, a trace of excitement on his face.

Mr. Ya started pushing the food cart, but when he looked back, he saw the skinny student still standing there. He couldn’t help but ask, "Why haven’t you left yet?"

The skinny student pointed at the food cart. "I have to go back in half an hour to collect the dishes."

"I’ll take care of it for you. Go on, get back to your business!"

After saying this, Mr. Ya looked back a moment later and saw that the skinny student had only ridden his tricycle a short distance away and hadn’t actually left.

He shook his head and muttered, ’This kid... is he afraid I’m going to steal the food? He’s obviously a freshman, just like I was back in the day—cautious and afraid of getting into trouble over anything.’

Su Ze walked over and asked, "What did you tell him?"

Mr. Ya replied, "I told him I needed to ask the professor in the lab for a favor but was struggling to get a chance to meet him. I asked him to help me out by letting me take this delivery opportunity."

Su Ze nodded, took the food cart, and said, "I’ll go."

With his youthful appearance, Su Ze looked more like a student and was a better fit for the delivery job than Mr. Ya.

Besides, Liou Wenxin and Mrs. Yun wouldn’t necessarily trust Mr. Ya. It was better for Su Ze to make the delivery.

Su Ze pushed the cart all the way to the laboratory entrance and rang the doorbell.

The camera above the doorbell blinked, and the door opened. A sturdy, middle-aged woman with short hair glanced at Su Ze and said, "Come in."

Su Ze entered the laboratory and pushed the cart down the hallway, observing his surroundings from the corner of his eye.

The lab’s interior was vast. The central area was the testing zone, divided into several rooms with transparent glass and filled with various experimental instruments.

The outermost ring consisted of various rooms: a dedicated gym, a bathroom, a dining room, and many other closed-door rooms of unknown purpose.

Su Ze saw a total of three people outside the rooms, all female evolvers, but he didn’t see any sign of Liou Wenxin or Mrs. Yun.

The sturdy woman suddenly spoke from behind him. "Where are you pushing that? You passed the dining room without even stopping."

Su Ze put on a frightened expression and apologized profusely.

"So clumsy. Where’s the guy who delivered this morning? Why the change?"

"He had something to do at noon, so he asked me to help out."

The sturdy woman didn’t say anything else. She walked up to one of the doors, knocked, and said, "Mr. Liou, it’s time to eat."

A moment later, the door opened, and Liou Wenxin walked out. As she turned her head, she saw Su Ze pushing the food cart.

Her expression and gaze showed no change as she simply said, "I’ll eat in my room."

The sturdy woman said to Su Ze, "Well? Hurry up and bring the food inside."

Su Ze quickly picked up the Dongli Kingdom dishes from the cart and carried them into Liou Wenxin’s room.

Liou Wenxin’s room was very large, furnished with two beds, a desk, and a tea table.

As soon as he entered the room, Su Ze saw Mrs. Yun sitting at the tea table.

Mrs. Yun saw him too. She blinked, her eyes filled with obvious surprise.

She wasn’t just surprised to see Su Ze here; she was also wondering why he had gotten so much fatter.

Under the sturdy woman’s constant gaze, Su Ze had no opportunity to say anything to Liou Wenxin or Mrs. Yun. He simply placed the food on the tea table and said, "Please enjoy your meal. I’ll be back later to collect the dishes."