novelraw Chapter 960 668: Absolutely Not This Time!
Chapter 960 668: Absolutely Not This Time!
Li Zheng and his companion followed the girl with the tiger tooth to a building that stood about ten meters high and covered more than 500 square meters.
"This is a Gravity Room. Feng Yue is going to test his endurance here today. It's hard to say when he'll come out. You can wait patiently here." The girl with the tiger tooth reminded them again before she left: "If you can't wait, you can go back the way you came, but remember not to wander around to avoid accidents."
In addition to the obvious and semi-hidden defensive forces, there are many concealed Energy Cannons in the underground space of the Gravity Research Institute. Just one shot can kill an enemy with Basic Level High Tier strength, extremely vicious.
Li Zheng already saw through the defensive forces here with Prelis' Eye and nodded after hearing this: "Don't worry, we know the rules."
"Okay, that's good." Surprisingly, the girl seemed to trust them and left on her own, taking the elevator back to the ground.
After Mirel watched her leave, she pouted discontentedly: "Isn't there anything here to help us communicate with Feng Yue in the Gravity Room? It's not advanced at all!"
Li Zheng glanced at the side of the door with a smile: "No need to say more, we'll just wait quietly."
There obviously couldn't be a lack of such a facility here, but the girl with the tiger tooth looked sweet and cute, yet she was actually very petty. Because Li Zheng and his companion showed affection beside her a moment ago, she deliberately didn't contact Feng Yue, making them wait here.
If Li Zheng was here to see a professor in the Gravity Research Institute, she wouldn't have been so indifferent. But Feng Yue is just an ordinary researcher who assists professors and doesn't hold a high position in the institute, so even if she offended Li Zheng and Feng Yue, she wasn't afraid of causing trouble for herself.
Of course, Li Zheng wouldn't retaliate for such a small matter; he wasn't that petty.
The two of them waited quietly outside the building for about thirty minutes when the closed door finally opened, and two aliens of different appearances walked out, one ahead of the other.
The one in front wore a uniform style of clothing from the Gravity Research Institute but had a lizard-like humanoid body. A small pair of glasses sat on his slender, protruding face, giving him a somewhat out-of-place look.
However, the gaze in his eyes was very knowledgeable and gentle, clearly a scholarly person.
The one behind only wore bottoms, his upper body covered by a heavy black turtle shell. His head was bald, and his limbs were short and thick, resembling a somewhat simple-minded brute.
"Feng Yue." Li Zheng waved to the brute behind.
Feng Yue was discussing the details of the recent experiment with the lizard professor when he heard someone call his name and looked over quizzically.
Seeing Li Zheng's face, he was even more puzzled. He just felt the voice was somewhat familiar.
"Your friend?" The lizard professor said, "You go greet them first, and I'll go back to sort this data. I'll have someone notify you if there's any discovery."
"Alright." Feng Yue bowed slightly. "Thank you, Professor Rothschild."
Rothschild left quickly, and Feng Yue approached Li Zheng, tentatively asking, "Pathfinder?"
Li Zheng nodded: "It's me, and this is my wife, Mirel."
Mirel's eyes lit up; she glanced at Li Zheng's profile and showed a sweet smile: "Hello."
"It really is you." Feng Yue was excited after confirming Li Zheng's identity: "Has the Pathfinder been waiting for a long time? Why didn't Little Tiger Tooth notify me? If I knew you were visiting, I would have wrapped up the test early."
Little Tiger Tooth…
Was he referring to the girl with the tiger tooth?
"We haven't been here long." Li Zheng replied with a smile: "I saw you were quite busy. After she brought us here, I let her go back."
"This isn't the place to talk." Feng Yue suggested: "If the Pathfinder doesn't mind, I know a great restaurant. Let's go chat over there."
Li Zheng raised his eyebrows with mild surprise: "Does your race, the Ro-Race, have such social customs too?"
Feng Yue scratched the back of his head sheepishly: "Are you talking about inviting guests for a meal, Pathfinder? Our Ro-Race experienced a few massive famines in history. After life slowly improved, our ancestors left behind some food-related etiquettes and customs.
For example, inviting guests for a meal is the most common etiquette.
Sometimes when meeting acquaintances on the street, the first thing we say is often 'Have you eaten?'."
Li Zheng beamed: "That sounds just like our race. Alright, let's check out the place you mentioned."
"Alright, please follow me." Feng Yue put on a large robe, covering his heavy turtle shell.
Li Zheng and Mirel followed Feng Yue out of the Gravity Research Institute and sat down in an inconspicuous shop not far away.
This place indeed had its charm; there's not much to say about the decor, which was almost unnoticeable.
But as soon as they entered, Li Zheng smelled a refreshing fragrance that was intoxicating and made his fingers itch to eat.
"I'm familiar with this place. I'll take care of today's meal arrangements. You have no objections, Pathfinder?"
Li Zheng didn't mind and nodded: "Anything is fine."
He and Mirel weren't picky eaters; as long as the food tasted alright, they were satisfied.
Not just them; any player who managed to survive the first few days in the Matrix had to change any picky eating habits. Otherwise, they could starve to death.
Feng Yue picked up the menu from the table, which was filled with illegible script. He read it without any trouble, quickly picked a few usual dishes, and asked the waiting staff to prepare them.
Putting down the menu, Feng Yue asked: "Pathfinder, you must have a reason for visiting me this time?"
"I actually need your help with something," Li Zheng said. "I've been making slow progress in increasing my strength recently, and I need some assistance. Since you work at the Gravity Research Institute, could you introduce me to someone? I want to rent a Gravity Room."
"That's it?" Feng Yue responded, patting his chest. "Leave it to me! We'll have dinner later, and I'll ask Professor Rothschild for permission. We can get it sorted today!"
Li Zheng thanked him, "Thank you so much."
"No trouble at all." Feng Yue waved his hand dismissively. "Even if you, Pathfinder, hadn't asked me, you could just explain your request to any staff member at the institute, and they'd be willing to help.
After all, a portion of the research institute's profits comes from renting out facilities and equipment."
The Gravity Research Institute doesn't just develop related projects; it also needs to be profitable.
Apart from selling various models of equipment and related products, its facilities are also available for rent, though the prices are a bit steep.
Depending on the facility and equipment, the rental fee for an ordinary person ranges from 100 to 3,000 Red Crystal Coins per day.
If you know someone, it could be cheaper.
"One more thing," Li Zheng said. "I might be staying here for a while. Since you're familiar with this street, could you find me a place to live?"
"Does Pathfinder have any requirements for the accommodation?"
"No requirements. As long as it's habitable, offers privacy, and is comfortable."
"That's easy to arrange."
At that moment, the dishes Feng Yue ordered began to arrive one by one.
They were almost all exquisitely presented meat dishes, complete with aroma, color, and taste, each one comparable to what you'd find in a star-rated hotel on Earth.
Li Zheng took a few bites, put down his utensils, and thought, "Not as good as Mirel's cooking."
Mirel tasted each dish slowly, simultaneously analyzing in her mind which ingredients were used, correctly guessing most of them.
But that wasn't all.
"If this dish had some chili, Li Zheng might like it. That one is too bland; if it had a stronger flavor, Li Zheng would enjoy it more..." Perhaps she was used to cooking for Li Zheng, as she silently compared them and speculated that he wouldn't enjoy them much as they were. Her mind raced with ideas for how to modify them for better acceptance.
The meal was quickly finished, and Feng Yue settled the bill, leading Li Zheng back to the Gravity Research Institute to find the lizard person he spoke to earlier and communicate Li Zheng's needs.
Rothschild agreed without hesitation and offered a fifty percent discount.
The condition was that while Li Zheng used the gravity equipment, he needed to cooperate with him in collecting data on related changes.
For these researchers, data from every different Race, and even different individuals within the same Race, are incredibly valuable research materials.
Therefore, they wouldn't miss a chance to collect data, even if it meant the institute earned half as much from the rental.
Li Zheng thought it over seriously and agreed to the request: "But I have one condition too. You can only collect basic data changes. If it involves my privacy, I will refuse to cooperate."
"Of course! Of course!" Rothschild nodded repeatedly. "That goes without saying. We will not infringe on your privacy."
Then he turned his attention to Mirel. "Does this lady also need to use the equipment? Can I—"
"No, you may not!" Mirel replied with a cold face.
Rothschild said regretfully, "That's a real pity."
Collecting data inevitably requires some physical contact, and Mirel didn't want any other male creature besides Li Zheng to touch her.
Missing out on a set of research data, Rothschild lamented briefly and then led Li Zheng to collect initial data.
They collected various data, including muscle strength, bone density, vascular toughness, blood flow speed, and precise measurements of each part of the body, including height.
By the time all the data was collected, two hours had passed.
During this time, Feng Yue completed the rental procedures for Li Zheng, opting for the most Basic Level Gravity Room, which, after the discount, costs just fifty Red Crystal Coins a day.
Before Li Zheng entered the Gravity Room, Rothschild stopped him and said, "In the coming days, I will monitor your data changes. If possible, can I prepare all your meals?"
"No way..." Mirel instinctively wanted to refuse but was stopped by Li Zheng.
"That's fine."
The different types, amounts, and ratios of food in each meal can cause subtle variations in the consumer.
If dietary control is managed well and arranged by Rothschild, it may help him gain more precise data.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Rothschild, evidently a meticulous scholar, glanced at Mirel, hesitated for a moment, and finally made another request: "During the data monitoring period, I hope you can control your desires because reproductive activities consume a lot of your body's energy, potentially causing inaccurate data..."
Mirel was furious, "Absolutely not!"