Chapter Eight: Please Come With Us

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At the Academy of Sciences.
Wang Guang’s face flushed with excitement as he watched the news about the theft at the Eagle Nation’s National Museum.
“That’s the big shot. It’s definitely him!”
Clenching his fist, Wang Guang sprang up and rushed swiftly to Zhao Zizhen’s office.
“Teacher, have you seen the news? He really pulled it off!”
“Look at you, all jittery. I’ve told you countless times: remain calm when facing great matters!”
Zhao Zizhen frowned slightly, gently admonishing him, but if one listened closely, a trace of excitement could be heard in his voice as well.
“I’m just too thrilled,” Wang Guang chuckled sheepishly.
How could he not be excited?
The big shot was simply incredible!
He had managed to get the photolithography machine manufacturing manual from Windmill Nation, and now he had retrieved the artifacts from the Eagle Nation’s Museum.
Either feat alone would be earth-shattering.
But the big shot had succeeded twice in a row!
Wang Guang couldn’t fathom how it was even possible.
At this moment, Lin Yang had become his number one idol.
He had come to Zhao Zizhen’s office to ask if it was now permissible to send an email.
He yearned to establish further contact with his idol.
Zhao Zizhen signaled for him to calm down, thought for a moment, and said, “You can, but don’t ask him for help with the materials. Just send an email to express our gratitude. At a time like this, let’s not cause him any additional trouble.”
“Understood, Teacher,” Wang Guang nodded repeatedly, then dashed back to his office like the wind, excitedly composing the email.

Dormitory Building, Police Dispatch Center.
Wang Xinxin woke up and instinctively grabbed her phone to check the time, only to be greeted by headline news pushed by various apps.
“The Eagle Nation’s National Museum has been robbed?!”
“And all the stolen items are our country’s artifacts?”
Wang Xinxin was stunned.
Then she suddenly jolted upright in bed, staring intently at the news on her phone, her mind caught in a whirlwind of shock and confusion.
At the same time, she involuntarily recalled the bizarre phone call she had received the previous night.
“If I bring the Eagle Nation’s National Museum artifacts home, would I be considered an artifact trafficker?”
At this moment, those words seemed to possess strange power, cycling repeatedly through her mind.

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“It can’t be... could it really be him?”
“But...”
“How is that possible?!”
Wang Xinxin was completely bewildered.
That was the Eagle Nation’s National Museum!
How could it be robbed just like that?!
She shut her eyes tightly, then opened them again, as if trying to confirm she wasn’t hallucinating.
Yet the official live broadcast’s voice from her phone constantly reminded her: the Eagle Nation’s National Museum had indeed been robbed overnight!
Not a single artifact belonging to Shangxia remained!
She wanted to believe it was a coincidence because it was just too unbelievable. But how could such a coincidence exist in this world?
Wang Xinxin felt a chill run down her spine.
If this was really the work of the person who made that call, then the story about bringing back the Windmill Nation’s photolithography machine manual wasn’t a joke either.
Thinking of this, Wang Xinxin suddenly recalled the abnormal reaction of her brother Wang Guang when she mentioned this in the morning.
When Wang Guang heard her talk about it, instead of thinking it was a joke, he seriously warned her not to tell anyone. She hadn’t paid much attention at the time, but now, thinking back, his reaction was unusual.
Wang Xinxin was starting to feel numb.
Her intuition told her the photolithography machine manual must really have been brought back.
Wang Guang had said that something major had happened at the Academy of Sciences this morning, and if leaked, it would be treated as treason.
Now it seemed that major event was very likely the receipt of the photolithography machine’s manufacturing manual.
Besides that, Wang Xinxin couldn’t think of any other incident that could be so serious.
Especially since she recalled Wang Guang asking if anyone above had summoned her for talks and then warning her not to wander around these days.
At the time, she wondered why she was summoned and why she shouldn’t wander, but now she realized that her brother said that because they had received the photolithography machine manual!
So when she mentioned that guy wanting to bring the Eagle Nation’s museum artifacts home, Wang Guang hadn’t taken it as a joke!
“This is bad. Such huge matters, both times connected to me. Could it be that I’ll end up like my brother and be dragged into signing a confidentiality agreement?”
Wang Xinxin suddenly felt nervous.
Though signing a confidentiality agreement wasn’t a big deal, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a knock came at the dormitory door, followed by a deep voice.
“Wang Xinxin, please come with us. We need your assistance with an investigation.”
...

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Meanwhile, on a beach.
Lin Yang was leisurely lying on a beach chair, basking in the sunlight.
A voice from the system sounded in his mind.
“Congratulations, host, for completing the artifact repatriation task series. You have earned 100 National Treasure Points and 1 Achievement Point.”
“100 National Treasure Points?” Lin Yang’s eyes lit up.
Though the number didn’t sound large, in the system store, the brand-new full photolithography machine manufacturing manual for 0.1 nanometers only cost 20 National Treasure Points.
Last time, when he sent the Windmill Nation’s photolithography machine manual to the Academy of Sciences, he was only rewarded 20 National Treasure Points, just enough to redeem the 0.1 nanometer photolithography machine manual.
Although there were still subsequent manufacturing rewards to come, they wouldn’t be much more.
This time, however, bringing back the artifacts earned a full 100 National Treasure Points, clearly indicating that these artifacts were far more valuable in the system’s assessment than the Windmill Nation’s photolithography machine.
“Truly ancestral treasures, priceless indeed!”
Lin Yang sighed with admiration, then curiously asked, “System, what are Achievement Points?”
He hadn’t received any Achievement Points the last time he completed a task.
“Answering host: Achievement Points are special rewards unique to task completion. They can unlock an exclusive Achievement Point store where special items can be exchanged.”
“Please note, Achievement Points are highly valuable. Do not waste them frivolously.”
“An Achievement Point store too? Let me check it out!” Lin Yang was quite surprised.
Besides the National Treasure Points store, there was actually an Achievement Point store!
As soon as he spoke, a virtual screen appeared before him, visible only to him.
At the top were the four large characters: ‘Achievement Store.’
Below were the items available for exchange.
The first thing that caught his eye was a “Finished Version 0.1 Nanometer Photolithography Machine.”
It was priced at one Achievement Point.
“...” Lin Yang was stunned on the spot.
0.1 nanometer!
And it was the finished version?!
“System, what does ‘finished version’ mean? Is it something already manufactured?” Lin Yang asked.