Chapter Three: Quantum Toxin

“What experiment?”

Although Li Fengyin didn’t sense any ill intent from the other party, he still harbored some psychological shadows when it came to experiments.

“It’s about quantum theory.”

Shen Liangxin smiled faintly, opened a can of cola, then paused thoughtfully, as if contemplating how to explain it as simply as possible.

“The double-slit interference one?”

Though an outsider, Li Fengyin remembered that experiment well—it was too famous and deeply thought-provoking, even terrifying in its implications.

“About the double-slit interference…”

Shen Liangxin pursed her lips, then said, “Isn’t it possible that this kind of foresight-like property actually means the entire universe operates according to certain laws? Since everything is completely governed by those laws, it wouldn’t be true foresight, but simply something that was predetermined all along.”

“Wouldn’t that be rather dull then?”

Li Fengyin asked, and in Shen Liangxin’s eyes, a flicker of light appeared. She set down her half-drunk cola and said, “You seem to be a thoughtful person.”

“Not really.”

At that moment, both understood that the other was someone with a keen intellect.

The notion of dullness lay in everything being fixed—consciousness like a program, the world’s development predetermined, all events unfolding according to a meticulous script.

“By the way, what game are you playing?”

Shen Liangxin logged onto the Penguin messaging app, then glanced at Li Fengyin beside her. “Looks pretty good!”

“...”

Li Fengyin fell silent for a moment. The other seemed to rarely play games, since this game was well-known: “Naraka: Bladepoint.”

“Then, can you teach me how to play?”

Looking into the eyes behind her purple-framed glasses, Li Fengyin said, “You seem very devoted to your research, without much time for leisure.”

This was not a question, and at that very moment, Shen Liangxin was certain: quantum entanglement had connected her and this boy before her.

“My goal is to become the top scientist in China!”

Shen Liangxin raised her head slightly, speaking word by word, “Do you have a goal?”

She asked this not only out of curiosity but with a private purpose—to achieve mutual resonance, to deepen the quantum entanglement further, thereby sensing the other’s emotions and even thoughts.

Li Fengyin felt something was off, yet the beautiful girl genuinely sat beside him, discussing goals and such.

“I’ll teach you the game first.”

“Emmm... okay!”

Shen Liangxin seemed a bit disappointed. Suddenly, she recalled something: if she directly revealed the experiment’s details, the quantum entanglement might very well dissipate. Having painstakingly created the medium to induce entanglement, losing the experimental material would be disastrous.

“Then I won’t tell him—just occasionally interact with him!”

...

Outside the Sunshine Internet Cafe, Zheng Chao wore black headphones and listened to music. He loved European and American rock music most—there was no other way; the rock scene in China lacked the feeling he desired.

Although he wanted to complete his mission quickly, sometimes haste wouldn’t help.

“Shen Liangxin, heir to the Shen family of the capital.”

Zheng Chao sat cross-legged by a flowerbed, a laptop resting on his knees. He had already uncovered information about his target.

Though the rules forbade him from knowing the identities of employer and target, prudence dictated that at least the target’s situation be known.

“Ah, another perilous mission as always,” Zheng Chao sighed helplessly. “My luck never seems to be good.”

Of course, the reward was substantial—so much so that the Imperial Tower itself had contributed funds. Zheng Chao didn’t need to know this, but even Zhang Feng was unaware.

What could a professor possibly be worth?

Compared to merchants or politicians?

His value lay in knowledge and experience. Moreover, once this international professor had records here, he would be easier to control under Imperial Tower’s influence in the future.

Time passed; the sky darkened, but the streets brightened. Prosperous Shangbei City, one of China’s three megacities with over ten million residents, though this spot was on the outskirts, still bustled with crowds and vibrant life.

Li Fengyin guided Shen Liangxin through the game, dodging the shrinking safe zone. One was skillful and experienced; the other, as if entering a new world, was curious and fully engaged. Both were in good spirits, especially Li Fengyin.

Though Shen Liangxin immersed herself wholeheartedly in the game, her initial intent was to strengthen their resonance.

...

For her research, she would give anything!

Even as the world’s foremost scholar in quantum entanglement, Shen Liangxin did not know what would happen if the entanglement deepened further. Yet, great breakthroughs always came from repeated ventures into the unknown—even at the cost of self-destruction, she would press onward!

Having added Li Fengyin as a friend on Penguin, Shen Liangxin descended the internet cafe’s external stairs step by step. Li Fengyin accompanied her. Though he didn’t understand why she approached him, an instinctual impulse stirred within him.

“If I miss her this time, perhaps there will never be a next chance!”

Sitting by the flowerbed below, a defiant young man wearing black headphones appeared focused on his laptop screen. But in truth, he had fixed his gaze on the targets the moment they appeared at the stairway exit.

“Two people?”

Zheng Chao thought: “If I go straight to Huaqing University, my chances might be slim.”

After all, this was the city’s bustling center.

With a wrist flick, he released a small spherical metallic tracker with silver wings. It flew off inconspicuously. Neither Li Fengyin nor Shen Liangxin noticed; neither sensed any threat.

Shen Liangxin was frustrated when they reached the main gate of Huaqing University only to find it closed.

“Got too caught up in the game…”

She groaned, rubbing her forehead. “I can’t believe I encountered this kind of bug.”

Indeed, Shen Liangxin called anything beyond her control a “bug.”

Li Fengyin stood silently nearby, awaiting her decision.

“All-nighter tonight, then!”

Ultimately, the girl decided this, much to Li Fengyin’s expectations.

Looking at the time—already past 11 p.m.—as the university closed, the street vendors near the back gate slowly dispersed, and the road leading to the internet cafe grew quiet, with only a few shops still open.

The silver-winged spherical tracker had locked onto its target. For Zheng Chao, the opportunity was here.

In a corner beneath the internet cafe, as the two walked there, a gentle evening breeze swept by—leisurely and cool. Nearby, Zheng Chao hid in the shadows, raising a concealed weapon in his hand.