Chapter 369: Deceptive Demands

Flipping through the list provided by Yenir—or rather, by Sun Li Cheng.

Deputy Director Zhang, who holds approval authority, stared at the list’s demands in disbelief.

Still reeling from the earlier shock, he had only just managed to steady his nerves, his mind set on hurrying back to analyze the experimental data. He intended to meet any of Yenir’s requests, yet as he read on, his frown deepened.

These items…

How is it that all they require are spirit energy extraction devices and equipment related to human body maintenance?

The list demanded over seventy different experimental devices. Even if he couldn’t immediately pinpoint their exact purposes, his experience made it clear that these items were meant to form a large-scale laboratory.

On paper, it was a high-grade lab setup—a remarkably costly affair.

Moreover, it even delved into highly sensitive human experiments.

Instinctively, he glanced over at the ‘Researcher’ standing behind Yenir.

In his eyes, Sun Li Cheng looked extremely nervous, nervously rubbing his hands and keeping his gaze down, much like someone from a subordinate zone—someone who had always stayed within a small Safe Zone.

His emaciated frame was as fragile as dry straw, and his rough, calloused hands were scarred with lesions—a clear sign of malnutrition and prolonged physical labor.

Rather than the researcher Yenir claimed him to be, he looked more like a grimy maintenance worker in a soiled lab coat.

The list was scrawled in a messy, uneven hand, with many device names seemingly made up on the spot, as if the writer didn’t know the proper scientific terms and was merely guessing.

Some devices were listed only by their experimental identification numbers, lacking proper names.

It felt as if the requester jotted down whatever popped into his head, not really knowing what these devices were for.

“Yenir, may I ask what you intend to do with these items?”

“Or, what about the man behind you?”

Setting the list aside, Deputy Director Zhang fixed a scrutinizing gaze and asked in a low, steady tone.

Normally, he might have approved such requests, but these items were far from ordinary. Many of these precision instruments—of which the Institute had only one set—left no margin for a simple yes.

“I plan to set up my own laboratory to study how willpower attributes can amplify spirit energy,” Yenir explained.

“Aren’t these items already available at the Institute?”

Calmly, Yenir resorted to a casual excuse, not wishing to elaborate further.

Before the Supernatural Plan reached fruition, he needed to have everything under his control. This was critical for his major policy reform in Huaguo. After all, a comprehensive Supernatural Plan could threaten the interests of many.

Noticing Yenir’s reluctance to elaborate, Director Zhang exchanged a look with several researchers behind him, paused, and then shook the list in his hand.

“Forgive my frankness,” he began.

“Unless Yenir acquired some new technology during the replica, the research you propose is essentially meaningless.”

“If you have any such ‘technology’ in hand, you could simply hand it over to us. Trust me, our Institute Two’s technical capabilities are at least superior to—”

Mid-sentence, Deputy Director Zhang paused, his eyes instinctively flicking over to Sun Li Cheng.

“At the very least, they’re far more professional than the man behind you,” he continued.

“Does he even know how to use these devices?”

He had chosen his words as tactfully as possible.

Deep down, he suspected that Yenir—an Awakener—had probably been duped into making these requests.

The middle-aged man, Sun Li Cheng, looked less like a legitimate researcher and more like an amateur—a quack who had somehow latched onto Yenir’s coattails.

Just look at the list: many device names were unrecognizable, apparently fabricated from pure imagination.

So many? Aren’t you worried they might break the bank?

Cautiously, he even asked if Yenir had any ready-made technology on hand. The earlier debacle had been too embarrassing. If such tech existed, he’d readily help Yenir and share the credit; if not, he simply couldn’t agree.

Before Yenir could furrow his brows and respond, the nervous Sun Li Cheng suddenly shuddered all over.

He clearly sensed that these people, like those he had encountered before, looked down on him.

“I know! I know how to use them!”

“I’ve been keeping up with the latest scientific journals! I know exactly what these devices can do!”

“I even took related courses on my own and purchased a small Spirit Crystal for my experiments!”

His breathing quickened as he frantically tried to explain.

Sun Li Cheng gripped his fists tightly, his face pleading as he stared at Yenir. Though he had rarely handled these devices, he truly understood their purpose!

He knew these people looked down on him, and no amount of explanation would change that.

All he wanted was for Yenir to trust him as before! He believed Yenir was the only one capable—and the first who could help him realize his dream.

It was hard to fathom that, despite barely having enough to eat, he would skip meals to learn cutting-edge knowledge—scavenging for trash, working odd jobs, even begging the Institute’s staff—just for a glimpse of the latest research papers.

Obsessed with his studies, he simulated experimental data in his mind day and night, as if possessed by madness.

But he was too poor—so impoverished that even the most basic extraction device had to be purified using the rudest methods, and when it came to risky human experiments, he was forced to use himself as a test subject.

He couldn’t even afford a single mouse; after all, fried mice were considered a delicacy among the lower class.

As for meat—he would never, ever sacrifice that.

Only after Sun Li Cheng’s lengthy explanation did most of the researchers burst into laughter.

They clearly saw him as nothing more than a quack—a man with a deranged mind.

Buying a Spirit Crystal for experiments? That’s all he had to show for it? Strangely, even those who had been amazed by Yenir’s earlier display of technology now looked upon him with disdain.

Indeed, Yenir’s earlier performance had nearly left them dumbfounded, but on closer reflection, these technologies weren’t his own inventions—they were off-the-shelf, with no real connection to him.

Aside from that ready-made technology, Yenir was nothing more than a layman—completely clueless.

Being misled was hardly unusual.

In this post-apocalyptic era, it wasn’t uncommon for powerful Awakeners to entertain unrealistic ideas and discuss far-fetched methods to gain strength.

That’s why they were so averse to Awakeners coming here, and even more critical of outsiders meddling.

“Yenir, I believe you’ve been duped,” one researcher stated.

“Enhancing willpower with spirit energy? I’m sorry, that concept was debunked over twenty years ago. Otherwise, you’d see Willpower Types on every corner.”

“Frankly, taking these devices away would be a waste—especially the [Tri-Form Gaseous Spirit Energy Extraction Device] and [Cryo-Electron Microscope]. The Institute barely has a few of them.”

“If you take them, what are we supposed to do with them?”

Seeing that Deputy Director Zhang hesitated to outright refuse Yenir, one researcher stepped forward, pointing at the list and launching into a tirade.

As his words fell, his eyes glinted with scorn while he looked at Sun Li Cheng, whose lips had turned pale.

“This quack is utterly laughable.”

Not only would these devices be taken by some random upstart, but even if the researchers used them, every single piece required layers of approval!

Moreover, without these devices, what would become of his research project?