Probing out

edited by Shay

Gu Huan didn’t think much about it.

After Gu Huan left, Keppel couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. He never expected Mo Xiao’s disguise to be so solid that the General believed her words without a hint of suspicion.

There were many ways to contribute to charity, so why did Mo Xiao choose this particular method? If General Gu Huan thought carefully, he might be able to figure it out. However, Mo Xiao’s outward appearance was so convincing that the General didn’t delve deeper into it.

Keppel sighed and rubbed his forehead. He glanced at Mo Xiao, who seemed to be subtly delighted. He couldn’t help but offer her some analysis of what she had just missed.

“It would have been so much better if you had just said it outright. You could have asked the General for his autograph directly.”

Mo Xiao had bought so many magazines not only because she hoped to find a signed copy among them but also because there was already a living General who could sign one for her. It was clear that she had missed an opportunity.

Keppel witnessed the transformation of the red-haired general’s expression, from joy to bewilderment and then frustration. He kindly extended his hand.

“Give me two of your magazines.”

“No.”

Mo Xiao refused flatly.

“…Alright.”

Keppel sighed, somewhat exasperated.

“I’ll help you get an autograph.”

“Fine!”

Keppel watched as Mo Xiao’s expression changed in a matter of seconds, from cold indifference to eagerness. He couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Gu Huan walked into the training ground and passed through a group of soldiers training with mechas.

Gu Huan looked up at the mecha designer who was standing on his mecha “Elf”, adjusting something, and called out.

“Designer Fang.”

Because he was a little far away from the ground, he screamed a few times before the other party heard him. The man pulled up the shoulder straps of his overalls that had fallen to his elbows, held on to the handrails, and staggered down.

“General! You are here.”

Gu Huan nodded slightly and waved away a few designers who came around to see him. Then he waved to Fang Yuanqi.

Fang Yuanqi smiled happily and listened to Gu Huan ask.

“What is the new development you were talking about?”

“The technology you introduced to me last time to test SSS-level mental power has been used by me.”

“I have made a simulated mecha, and I need you to try it yourself.”

The newly improved mecha given to the General cannot be used by anyone except the General. Because the mental requirements are too high.

“Have you already put the technology to use so quickly?”

“Hahahaha, thanks to Sui Ran studying with me.”

Only then did Gu Huan remember that Fang Yuanqi had told him that in order to study the new mecha, he had also called the senior researcher who designed the super SSS-level mental power tester to the military region. Sui Ran’s ID card for the military region operation came with special clearance for his actions.

Thinking of this person, Gu Huan pursed his lips and suddenly became suspicious.

Fang Yuanqi, who couldn’t see the change in Gu Huan’s expression, asked.

“Oh, by the way, General, can I also ask him to come out and have a look? He is also curious about what this technology will look like after being used in mecha.”

Gu Huan’s eyes flashed slightly and he agreed softly.

“You can.”

Fang Yuanqi immediately excitedly sent a message stream to someone using his optical brain.

Before waiting long, a young man in a white coat ran in from the direction of the training ground gate. He was breathing heavily. He finally stopped breathing so heavily, pushed up his glasses slightly, and stood up straight.

” Sorry for the delay.”

Fang Yuanqi complained.

“No need, we didn’t wait long; this is actually the most enthusiastic I’ve ever seen you,” remarked Gu Huan. Whenever he wanted to ask Sui Ran for something, Sui Ran would always come up with various excuses or be late. Seeing him this active today, and running over no less, was a rare sight. Gu Huan turned to face Sui Ran and extended his hand, the other party, with a faint and somewhat foolish smile said, “General, it’s good to see you again.”

He had initially thought that staying in the military base would mean frequent encounters with General Gu Huan, but it had been half a month, and he hadn’t seen him once. It wasn’t because Gu Huan was avoiding him, nor was he intentionally evading Gu Huan. It was simply that the current situation in Jialin was too hectic. With the recent appointment of the Crown Prince as regent, major policy shifts, military reforms, and a focus on mechas across various planets, the military legions were all in the process of rebuilding and aiming their efforts towards the Zerg. However, the only military force currently capable of effectively reducing Zerg strength was stationed in Jialin. Jialin’s troops were frequently deployed, and they hadn’t had a single day of rest in a whole month. It was common to see one battalion leaving for one planet and, after returning, quickly heading out to another battlefield. So, for someone like Sui Ran, who spent all his time in the research room, the opportunities to meet General Gu Huan were scarce.

Gu Huan looked at Sui Ran with mixed emotions. Hearing the name Sui Ran again from Fang Yuanqi, he recalled a few months ago when someone had informed him about the Empress and the notebook. It was quite a coincidence that this person had been transferred to the same research department as the Empress, and even more coincidental that he had found the Empress’ notebook and then handed it over to Gu Huan. This string of recent events, combined with his suspicions regarding the researchers and the possibility of them hiding information, had raised Gu Huan’s guard against this particular researcher.

The reason Gu Huan had asked Sui Ran to come here was also a test. If Sui Ran was related to the artificial human experiment, these multiple interactions between them were undoubtedly not without purpose. Perhaps Sui Ran had already realized that Gu Huan might be one of the first subjects of the experiment.

“General… General…” Sui Ran called out to Gu Huan several times before Gu Huan finally snapped back to reality. He looked at the fair-faced researcher and extended his hand for a brief handshake before calmly asking, “Long time no see, Mr. Sui. Did you not rest well last night? You seem a bit tired.”

Sui Ran withdrew his hand and rubbed his nose. “Oh, there was this article last night that was just so fascinating I couldn’t help staying up to finish it.” The article was an academic paper that spanned hundreds or even thousands of pages, but he had the ability to read ten lines at one glance.

Fang Yuanqi, standing nearby, heard Sui Ran’s words and couldn’t help but admire his dedication. “What kind of content were you reading?” Gu Huan asked.

“The content was…,” Sui Ran started, and once he realized that General Gu Huan was interested, he began talking non-stop. Fang Yuanqi couldn’t even interrupt him. He wore an expression of helplessness, wondering why Sui Ran was sharing this specialized knowledge with the General. The General might get tired of listening.

After about fifteen minutes of discussion, Sui Ran finally paused, his throat dry. General Gu Huan still had the same calm expression and seemed genuinely attentive. Fang Yuanqi was somewhat speechless; it was indeed impressive how the commander of a military district could listen patiently to this level of detail.

When Sui Ran stopped talking, Gu Huan pondered and said, “So, are you suggesting that mental power has mass?”

Sui Ran was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected the general to listen so attentively, let alone ask questions. “Yes, General.”

“Nobody measures the mass of psychic power, but I think that since we can measure its strength, it might have mass. Last night, there was a research paper discussing this, and I got too excited and ended up staying up late to finish it,” Sui Ran explained.

Gu Huan lowered his head slightly, then raised it again. “So, according to your theory, mental power is a form of matter.”

“But is there a way to make it exist in a tangible form, like ordinary matter? After all, we can’t see or touch mental power,” Gu Huan continued, his gaze fixed on Sui Ran.

Now they knew about Zerg Crystals, the only means of transforming psychic power into something tangible and visible. However, this information hadn’t been shared with others, so there was no way Sui Ran could know about it. Gu Huan’s words left Sui Ran in awe.

“Wow, General, your idea is incredibly forward-thinking!” Sui Ran exclaimed. Initially, he wanted to hug Gu Huan to express his gratitude, but upon reaching the General, he remembered that this wasn’t his research colleague. He awkwardly stopped his hand, clenched it into a fist near his chest, and his eyes sparkled.

“If mental power could become a tangible, touchable substance, we might be able to borrow the mental power of others. This technology could benefit people who don’t have psychic powers or have very weak ones, allowing them to experience the joy of using mental power.”

“If my current research weren’t incomplete, I’d be eager to start researching this topic. You’re a genius, General!”

Gu Huan looked into the bespectacled eyes in front of him, but he couldn’t discern whether Sui Ran knew about the Zerg Crystals or if he was simply lying.