Aviloya and Gong Shuxu exchanged a glance, their minds on high alert. This isn't good, this guy is almost brainwashed by the military. We must be careful not to let him be poached by them!

"Alright, then, Chen Jixian will stay here with you," Aviloya said and turned to leave. Chen Gu tentatively asked from behind, "Um... Director-General, may I ask about that special research fund you mentioned before, approximately how much is it?"

In that instant, Aviloya thought: As expected, he's still that little thief.

She turned around again, gazing at Chen Gu with a half-mocking smile and asked, "How much do you want it to be?"

Chen Gu knew that at this time, he should of course say whatever amount the leader gave was fine. But remembering his own hardships and near-death experiences, only to return without a hero's welcome and instead be treated as an experimental guinea pig, he couldn't suppress his dissatisfaction and quipped, "Our Bureau of Mystic Security is a big organization, and after all, you, our Director-General, have made a promise. It should be at least eight hundred million or a billion, right?"

Let me tell you, that character standing next to you—my son—he kicked me out of the house and still gave me one billion.

"Haha," Aviloya chuckled coldly and said indifferently, "One million two hundred thousand."

"How much?" Chen Gu exclaimed. "That won't do, absolutely not!" He rolled his eyes. Aviloya's anger seemed to almost tangibly float around her. "What did you say?"

Her voice was icy cold.

Chen Gu glared. "That price won't work!"

At that price, aren't you basically trying to get my services for free?!

Aviloya pressed forward. "Say that again!"

Chen Gu went all in. "I refuse to cooperate! I could say it ten thousand times, and it'd still be the same. If it comes to it, I might as well turn to Bai Yunpeng!"

On Aviloya's smooth forehead, a vein throbbed again. "Who are you pulling that 'I'm your father' act with?"

Chen Gu cowered instantly, pointing at Chen Jixian. "With him!"

Chen Jixian: "???"

Gong Shuxu: "???" Chen Jixian didn't even rebut.

Aviloya gnashed her teeth, weighing her options. "Five million, and not a penny more."

"Two hundred million, or it's no deal!"

Aviloya snapped, "The Bureau of Mystic Security is not a flea market!"

Chen Gu shot back, "And I'm no cabbage!"

Aviloya said ominously, "Do you really think you can be so fearless just because Bai Yunpeng has your back?"

Chen Gu said, "My contribution this time wasn't small, right? Even as a bonus, it should be more than five million. If you're reluctant to give it, then I'll have to ask the military for it. That's right, after all, the main merit this time lies with the military."

Aviloya, hearing him mention Bai Yunpeng and the military over and over, felt her shoulders beginning to tremble.

If she were just a simple Valkyrie, she would have already struck this little thief and seriously injured him with a single sword blow. Regardless of how many professions he held, he certainly couldn't have withstood one strike from her.

But again, she was the Director-General and had to consider the whole picture. Most of the time, she had to cast aside her personal feelings.

Chen Gu held multiple professions, and this secret had to be kept in the hands of the Bureau of Mystic Security. Otherwise, future work would be impossible to carry out.

"Thirty million, that's my bottom line!"

Chen Gu's mentality from his past life made him instinctively want to say, Sister, you can give it a try. Actually, your bottom line might be lower than you predict. Fortunately, he realized in time who he was dealing with. Had he actually said that out loud, he probably would have met a glorious end on the spot.

So he ramped up his acting skills. After displaying an exaggerated mix of "deliberation," "conflict," "difficulty," and "reluctance" on his face, he suddenly pointed at Chen Jixian. "It's a deal, but with one additional condition: the Bureau will cover all resources for his next advancement."

Chen Jixian didn't expect to be brought up again. He had already been figuratively shot while lying down, and now he was hit by a golden pie while still down.

Indeed, Aviloya had once promised Chen Jixian this condition, but Chen Jixian had never agreed. Now that Chen Gu suddenly brought it up, she almost suspected that this father and son were colluding to trick her.

But she quickly realized that was impossible. Chen Gu was under strict control and couldn't possibly have secretly contacted Chen Jixian.

What Chen Gu didn't know was how expensive this condition he proposed was! It wasn't a matter of just eight hundred million or a billion...

Of course, the majority of such resources were in the hands of the Bureau of Mystic Security. If the Bureau had to choose between these resources and tens of billions of Starshields, they would definitely choose to give up the Starshields.

Aviloya looked meaningfully at Chen Jixian, then said to Chen Gu, "Do you know how many resources his next advancement will require? Even selling Chen's Biotech might not cover it."

Chen Gu was startled. He knew about Chen's Biotech; its value had recently risen, getting close to one hundred billion.

He internally yelled: Just great, Chen Jixian, you can't even be honest with your own father! You told me last time you were at the Second Energy Level! Can the Second Energy Level be so powerful as to easily obliterate an Angel Envoy of the True Knowledge Sin? Could an advancement at the Second Energy Level really burn through over a hundred billion? You're trying to bankrupt your father!

But what could he do? This was his own son, after all.

Alright, although that's undeniable, saying it like this still doesn't make me feel very confident...

However, to Chen Gu's surprise, Aviloya agreed to his condition with a nod. "There's no more funding for research. You will fully cooperate with Dr. Meng Ji's research, and the Bureau will bear all expenses for Director Chen's next advancement."

Chen Gu paused, not knowing this was a condition Aviloya had originally offered to Chen Jixian.

For the Bureau of Mystic Security, coming up with a billion in cash could be tight, but producing resources worth ten billion was not a problem.

Those rare materials were all controlled by the Star Nation, so it would be incredibly costly for others to acquire them—the price difference could be tenfold, even a hundredfold on the market! For the Bureau, it was just a matter of using some of their yearly quota.

If Chen Gu could be kept content within the Bureau, then it was all worth it.

"Deal," Chen Gu agreed after a moment's thought. He admitted he had become somewhat conceited; after all, there were still several hundred million in cash in his account, so he could do without the Bureau's thirty million.

As long as his adult son could advance.

However, after this matter was settled, he definitely needed to have a talk with that crafty son of his, Chen Jixian, about what his profession really entailed.

「Outside the laboratory.」

Dr. Meng Ji's research assistants were sitting in small groups, each holding various kinds of drinks. Dr. Meng Ji, however, was by himself, approached by no one. In his hand, he held a cup of "Energy Potion."

It was a concoction of his own making that could greatly stimulate brain activity.

Its effect was almost equivalent to... a stimulant. Despite Dr. Meng Ji's strong promotion, no one in the entire lab dared drink it except for himself.

Dr. Meng Ji kept checking the time, almost every second, growing very impatient. Aviloya had actually made him wait outside for two minutes and forty seconds!

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