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墨書 Inktalez
After the subway arrived, Zhang Qiu and the others walked for a while. Duan Qirui pointed at the weathered wall of the government building, where words were carved beside the door, indicating it was a national key cultural relic protection unit. Zhang Qiu looked up to see a typical European classical gray brick building standing there. What puzzled Zhang Qiu was that the porch looked somewhat strange.
Zhang Qiu stepped inside when a security guard in loose-fitting uniform ran over, pointing at Zhang Qiu and saying, "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing!"
Zhang Qiu was taken aback and looked around; there was no ticket office set up, and it was free to check information online. Just as he was wondering, he heard Chen Kun tell the security guard, "Just having coffee."
"Oh!" The security guard stopped in place, nodded, and turned to leave.
Zhang Qiu couldn't help but laugh and asked Chen Kun, "What’s this? Do we need a code to visit historical sites now?"
"This code was told to me by her," Chen Kun said, shaking his head. Zhang Qiu decided not to ask further.
The main building of the government was separated by blue iron plates from the construction team, with dark green covers surrounding the scaffolding, revealing several holes through which the wind blew wildly. The grand entrance had been painted an ugly green, contrasting sharply with the original gray bricks and stones of other parts. Zhang Qiu felt a pang in his heart for the building before him and hurried to walk aside.
After circling around the main building, Zhang Qiu felt anger rising within him; not only had the front of the main building been damaged, but even other parts were covered in green paint, severely ruining its historical feel.
"What are they doing? Maintenance?" Lucia asked, pointing at the blue iron plates surrounding the main building. "But why paint it? Can it even be removed?"
"Do you know?" Zhang Qiu asked Chen Kun.
"Who knows what they're doing? Just messing around; it wasn't like this when I came here before."
"A perfectly good ancient building is being destroyed like this." Zhang Qiu recalled seeing the key protection sign when entering; it felt like a joke.
"How can they do this? This is history!" Lucia angrily paced around the main building while Zhang Qiu and Chen Kun hurried to catch up.
"What are you going to do?" Zhang Qiu asked Lucia.
"I want to find the manager here; they can't do this!" Lucia said while glaring at the green paint on the building.
"Don't cause trouble; this is the capital," Chen Kun quickly tried to stop Lucia.
"What about the capital?"
"You don't understand. Just don't ask for trouble."
"Lucia, stop looking." Zhang Qiu shook his head pessimistically at Lucia. Chen Kun's words made sense; the capital is full of hidden talents, and daring to paint in plain sight already says it all. Even if someone managed to intervene successfully, could the paint that has already been applied be restored?
"That's so infuriating, truly infuriating."
Lucia stomped her feet in anger, and Chen Kun sneered, "They've torn down walls that have stood for hundreds of years. What's so surprising about this?"
"What?" Lucia didn't understand and turned her gaze to Chen Kun.
"Ask Zhang Qiu; he knows much more about history than I do."
Zhang Qiu felt a surge of frustration and had no desire to discuss history with Lucia right now. The three of them took some photos around the main building, but the blue iron boards were tightly secured, leaving them no choice but to abandon the idea of sneaking in. Nearby, other buildings showed peeling walls and were in a dilapidated state, with many broken windows left unrepaired. The area outside was cluttered with junk, yet people still lived inside.
"I think we should leave here."
Zhang Qiu's suggestion received unanimous agreement. The three of them retraced their steps, and as Zhang Qiu looked back, he could still see the quartz clock on the top floor of the executive government building from a distance.
At noon, they ate Lamb Spine at a nearby hotpot restaurant. When the pot arrived at their table, Lucia excitedly pointed at it and pronounced in her not-so-fluent Chinese, "Hotpot." Soon after, when the meat was served, Lucia looked at the pieces of bone with confusion and glanced at Zhang Qiu, asking, "Why is it like this?"
"This is called Lamb Spine; it's a type of hotpot and tastes quite good."
After tasting it, Lucia praised it enthusiastically. The temptation of delicious food swept away the morning's unpleasantness, replaced by a joyful atmosphere. Considering the awkwardness from earlier, they chose well-known attractions for the rest of the day. Lucia had a great time moving from one spot to another. While boating at Summer Palace, the three of them played around so much that they almost capsized the boat but thankfully leaned against a wooden post by the lotus pond for support.
With Bai Jingwei's bank card, Zhang Qiu experienced a taste of extravagance. That night they stayed at a rather nice hotel and rushed from one attraction to another, savoring hidden culinary delights throughout the old capital. On the fifth day, as soon as they stepped out, Zhang Qiu noticed something was off with Chen Kun; he looked dazed as if he had something on his mind.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Qiu asked Chen Kun.
Chen Kun hesitated, which made Zhang Qiu certain that something was on his mind. "If there's something to say, just say it. Is there anything we need to keep secret between us?"
Chen Kun smiled slightly and said, "Brother Qiu, I might not be able to continue hanging out with you all."
"Is it something at school? That's fine, go take care of it. I've had a great time these past few days; Lucia and I can just wander around." However, Qiu Wan noticed Chen Kun shaking his head.
"It's not something at school; it's..." Chen Kun suddenly lifted his lowered head. "It's her who reached out to me. We might get back together."
"That's great news!" Zhang Qiu smiled. "Hurry up and go then; don't worry about us. Go on, don't keep her waiting."
"Then I'm off."
"Go quickly."
Chen Kun turned and hurried away, and Zhang Qiu called out, "Brother Kun, good luck! Don't miss your chance with the person you like!"
"Wish you luck!" Lucia also wished Chen Kun well. After spending a few days together, she felt that he was a really nice guy.
Once Chen Kun left, only Zhang Qiu and Lucia remained. Zhang Qiu asked, "Lucia, is there anywhere else you'd like to go?"
"Well, I can't think of any specific places. Actually, many places aren't that different, and they're too crowded. Right now, I want to eat Peking Duck. Is that okay?"
"Of course!" Zhang Qiu nodded with a smile; it seemed that people with similar tastes naturally gathered together—Lucia was also a foodie. The taste of Peking Duck was indeed tempting, so Zhang Qiu and Lucia immediately took a taxi there.
After enjoying their meal, the two took a taxi back to the research institute. Zhang Qiu contacted Bai Jingwei and arranged to meet at the nearest subway station. Having learned from their previous experience, Zhang Qiu and Lucia chose to hide in an open mall.
After receiving the call, Zhang Qiu immediately took Lucia downstairs. Lucia gently poked Zhang Qiu's right arm and asked, "Aren't you going to confirm who it is?"
"No need. Can you guess who called?"
"Who?"
"e."
"It's her!"
Zhang Qiu smiled and nodded, walking out of the mall with Lucia. A black Buick was parked by the roadside. Zhang Qiu opened the car door for Lucia to enter first, then habitually glanced around before getting in himself.
"Hello," Zhang Qiu said.
"Professor Bai asked me to take you back."
e's cold statement instantly extinguished Zhang Qiu's interest in continuing the conversation with her.
Inside the car, Zhang Qiu and Lucia shared the photos they had taken. Upon arriving at the research institute, Zhang Qiu and Lucia headed towards the apartment when e called out to them, saying, "Professor Bai is waiting for you."
Zhang Qiu was slightly taken aback but quickly replied, "Okay." He had thought that Bai Jingwei would be focused on the research site and wouldn't have time to meet them.
The path to the laboratory passed through several security gates, which e unlocked with their fingerprint. As expected, there were fully armed guards stationed here. Zhang Qiu noticed that the guards treated e with great respect. Arriving outside the laboratory door, e stopped and said, "You wait here; I'll go in and inform the professor."
"Alright."
Zhang Qiu and Lucia waited outside for about ten minutes when the laboratory door opened. Bai Jingwei emerged wearing a white lab coat, smiling broadly as he shook Zhang Qiu's hand and said, "You're back."
Seeing Bai Jingwei's excited expression, Zhang Qiu subtly asked, "Did you get good results from the research?"
"Come in, come in," Bai Jingwei warmly pulled Zhang Qiu and Lucia inside.
Zhang Qiu observed the interior of the laboratory; it was indeed as sci-fi as depicted in movies. In a closed room, Zhang Qiu sat across from Bai Jingwei. Bai Jingwei took out a piece of velvet cloth, opened it, and handed it to Zhang Qiu. Zhang Qiu received the white tiger, gazing curiously into Bai Jingwei's eyes and asked, "What happened?"
"The research has concluded early."
"You need at least a week; it's only been five days."
"The research has gone very smoothly. Now, we have developed a miraculous drug." Bai Jingwei's complexion was flushed, and he spoke excitedly, his hands fidgeting.
"How miraculous is it?" Zhang Qiu had never seen Bai Jingwei like this. The jade pendant itself was already extraordinary; he must have discovered something incredible.
"A drug that can methylate DNA, reprogram the biological clock of cells, allowing for changes in gene editing and expression, thereby slowing down the transformation of the life cycle, and it can even maintain a certain life stage without change!"
Zhang Qiu was speechless. How could he understand such professional English terminology? Looking at Bai Jingwei, he said, "I can understand that."
"Oh, I forgot you're still in high school." Bai Jingwei chuckled and shook his head. "What I mean is that using this drug can slow down the aging process of the human body and even achieve the effect of eternal youth. The concept of immortality is no longer impossible. I have a bold hypothesis: humans could have achieved this goal a hundred years ago."
Zhang Qiu looked at Bai Jingwei in disbelief. Bai Jingwei didn't seem to be lying. Despite the jade pendant's miraculous nature, Zhang Qiu still felt that Bai Jingwei might be exaggerating. Could humans really achieve immortality?
"Are you joking?" Lucia asked.
"No, no, no, this is absolutely not a joke." Bai Jingwei stood up from his seat and paced back and forth in the room as he spoke. "Zhang Qiu, you still don't know how amazing this drug's effects are. An elderly official has already tried it personally; after one night, he, who had been bedridden for a long time, was able to get out of bed and walk around. Isn't that incredible?"
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