Chapter 52 Is This Still a Scientific World?

The Coaster pulled out of the school gate, and the scenery along the street retreated continuously, but Wang Qizhi’s face grew gloomier by the minute.
Back at the Cultural Relics Bureau and the Baoji Bronze Museum, this sort of routine was precisely what he despised most, which was why he had applied for a transfer to the university.
Yet he discovered that even within the ivory tower, such things remained entirely unavoidable.
Then he recalled the boasts he had made to Lin Sicheng the previous night, pumped up by alcohol as he patted his chest: "With me here, you can swagger through this school however you please!"
And how had it turned out?
Instead, he would be the one walking with his tail between his legs first?

Lin Sicheng suppressed a smile: "Maybe you're overthinking it; it must be a coincidence!"
There was certainly some truth to that, but not entirely.
Wang Qizhi didn't speak; he pointed backward.
Aside from the director of the university's administrative office who was handling the liaison, there were six professors: two for calligraphy and painting, two for ceramics, one for jade and stone carvings, and only himself for bronze ware.
As it happened, Xida had the largest number of professors researching bronzes. Therefore, before he arrived, did they just stop authenticating bronze wares altogether?

"At most, it's a case of quiet quitting," Lin Sicheng said with a straight face. "Put yourself in their shoes: you snatched someone else's project, occupied the university's largest laboratory, and you expect them not to harbor any resentment?"
Wang Qizhi was left speechless.
Forget it, let them seek peace through struggle!
He sighed, preparing to give a symbolic pep talk, but the moment he turned his head, he froze involuntarily.
Immediately afterward, his mood improved considerably.
All six professors had brought assistants—some one, others two—filling more than half the Coaster.
The professors were fine; they were probably used to such scenes. But the teaching assistants and graduate students were either whispering among themselves or glancing forward incessantly.
Their expressions varied: envy, jealousy, and above all, contempt.

Could they possibly be showing contempt for him, the Deputy Secretary of the Youth League Committee?
Naturally, they were looking down upon Lin Sicheng, the academic slacker: "Professor Lin must have pulled strings for him again, right?"
Otherwise, how could an undergraduate—who didn't even qualify to carry a bag—be brazenly tagging along with Professor Wang?
Good-for-nothing... shameless... you can't carve rotten wood...
Wang Qizhi could well imagine how these assistants were cursing Lin Sicheng in their hearts, and the more he thought about it, the more amused he became.
"Lin Sicheng, don't you think the two of us make a pretty good master-apprentice pair?"
Lin Sicheng looked puzzled: "Why?"
"We're both connected folks!" Wang Qizhi gestured backward. "If you don't believe me, look behind you!"
Lin Sicheng turned his head: the whispering had stopped, and those sneering had quickly reined in their expressions.
Yet their gazes remained direct.
Lin Sicheng smiled indifferently: "A true iron man can withstand heavenly trials; a mediocre talent is never envied!"
thick-skinned though Wang Qizhi was, he couldn't help blushing slightly: those were the very words he had pounded his chest and said to Lin Sicheng last night.
He had been praising himself, of course...

***

The municipal bureau was located right beside the Drum Tower, a drive of about half an hour.
The contact had been rushed, and their arrival even more so, but the bureau attached immense importance to the visit: a deputy bureau chief, the director of the forensic identification center, and two deputy directors were waiting downstairs long in advance.
The other professors had visited many times before and were well-acquainted with everyone, so Guan Xingmin focused his introductions on Wang Qizhi.
It was exactly the same routine as back at the department office: the leaders wore smiles on their faces, shook his hand vigorously while pumping it up and down, and spoke of how long they had admired him, while inwardly wondering: Goodness gracious, just how much did this fellow drink?
Could this Secretary Wang possibly be an absolute alcohol-guzzling fiend?

Wang Qizhi forced a smile, his face flushed from the roots of his hair down to his neck, wishing he could just slap himself twice.
Let yourself give in to the cup—now you’ve made a complete fool of yourself, haven't you?
After brief introductions, the two deputy directors led the way forward. Just as his foot stepped onto the threshold, Guan Xingmin waved his hand.
Then, he stepped a little closer: "Bureau Chief Chen, Director Zhang, this is Lin Sicheng..."
Fearing the two leaders might not remember, he specifically prompted them: "Municipal Antiquities Corporation, the Reversing Vessel!"
It was no exaggeration; in an instant, all four eyes of the two leaders lit up with a brilliant flash. Simultaneously, the deputy bureau chief’s hand shot out.
Because of this young man, how many rounds of scolding had they endured over the past half-month? When had they not been cursed right to their faces until they were drenched in disgrace?
Yet if not for the young man before them, they wouldn't merely have faced a tongue-lashing—they would have lost their posts. And in droves...

The bureau chief shook his hand once, then twice more. The formal smile on his face vanished, replaced by a genuine sincerity: "Student Lin, you've worked hard!"
He held onto the handshake for a long time before finally letting go, not forgetting to praise Guan Xingmin: "Director Guan always considers everything so thoroughly!"
Though the probability wasn't high, what if?
What if some radioactive source appeared in the physical evidence center as well... Haha!
Lin Sicheng finally understood what Guan Xingmin had meant back at the department office when he said "just in time."
It was precisely to let him take a look and see if the physical evidence center also harbored something similar to the reversing vessel.
He smiled: "You are too kind, Leader."

The professors were baffled: Does Lin Changqing’s influence really run this deep?
Deep enough for a municipal bureau leader to personally shake hands with Lin Sicheng, and for such a long time?
Surely not?
The teaching assistants also curled their lips in secret: *Hmph, it certainly must be nice to have a grandfather who is a dean...*
Wang Qizhi, however, was struck with a sudden wave of shock: When Director Guan introduced Lin Sicheng, he hadn't even mentioned Professor Lin's name, meaning this had fundamentally nothing to do with Professor Lin whatsoever.
The crucial point was the attitude of the two leaders: admiration tinged with astonishment, sincerity laced with gratitude.
Not to mention that Lin Changqing was merely a retired vice-dean; even if he were the sitting president of the university, his grandson wouldn't receive treatment like this.
So, what on earth had Lin Sicheng done?

Led by the two deputy directors, accompanied by the two leaders and Guan Xingmin, the group entered the identification center.
Just as they sat down, Wang Qizhi turned back and asked, "What did you do?"
Lin Sicheng shook his head: "I can't say!"
Firstly, the case hadn't been solved yet; secondly, the fallout would be far too severe. Guan Xingmin had specifically instructed him not to spread rumors, let alone in a place like this.
Wang Qizhi received another jolt of shock: It was ten-to-one a major criminal case!
Otherwise, Lin Sicheng wouldn't be so direct.
Connecting the dots, Lin Sicheng must have played a massive role in it, and since Professor Lin was basically uninvolved, that explained why the leaders were so warmly receptive upon seeing him.
But what kind of case could it possibly be?

The more he thought about it, the more curious he became. Taking advantage of the identification center's briefing on the specific details of this request for support, Wang Qizhi found an excuse and stepped outside the conference room to make a phone call.
He reached out to an acquaintance, and the feedback came swiftly. Clenching his phone, Wang Qizhi’s expression twisted piece by piece.
So today’s joint-construction guidance was entirely instigated because of Lin Sicheng?
The problem was... that was a radioactive source, for goodness' sake! Was that something you could spot just by looking at it with your naked eyes?
Wang Qizhi felt as though his entire worldview was on the verge of collapsing.
Compared to this, all of Lin Sicheng’s previous brilliance and uniqueness were utterly insignificant:
What did knowing iron-ware protection technology amount to?
Knowing cloisonné and being able to restore enamelware was even less worth mentioning.
Knowing how to operate ultraviolet scanners and X-ray machines was completely worthless.
Relying on naked-eye inspection to identify a radioactive source... What the hell, was this even a scientific world anymore?

Through the crack of the conference room door, Wang Qizhi gazed at his newly accepted disciple with a look in his eyes as if he were staring at an immortal being.