This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 226 - 128 Prelude Assassination?

Chapter 226: Chapter 128 Prelude Assassination?

Glancing at the time, it was nearing six in the morning; it was time to go out.

Before leaving, Li Ming first ensured there was no one around through external surveillance, then he took out the sound wave absorber. After opening the door, he swiftly dashed out.

Upon returning to his room, he hadn’t attracted anyone’s attention. After repeatedly making sure he hadn’t missed anything, he finally felt somewhat relieved.

"Prince Bai Jiang’s goal must be to find a way to obtain the method for fusing sublimation particles the day after tomorrow, but he can’t do anything to Princess Asmara; that’s why he turned to target Wu Yanqing," he speculated.

Li Ming continued to guess after returning to his room, yet he was puzzled.

Logically speaking, since Princess Asmara possessed this technology, it was the same as the Yitelan Civilization having control over it.

So what was the role of that clown, Prince Bai Jiang?

Either Princess Asmara wasn’t truly aligned with the Yitelan Civilization and hadn’t shared this technology,

or Prince Bai Jiang had been excluded by the Yitelan Civilization from the entire Ascender Civilization Relics exploration plan, which is why he had to use such methods to squeeze in.

His eyes flickered as he recalled that Princess Asmara had already arranged a marriage engagement.

The first possibility seemed more likely; if she were really in cahoots with the Yitelan Civilization, she wouldn’t need to seek external support in this manner.

And Old Wu, I’m afraid, might just be bait.

If there was a way to obtain this technology at a smaller cost, Prince Bai Jiang would definitely not want to confront Princess Asmara.

This woman had been stringing everyone along with Old Wu while providing assistance to prevent him from truly falling into trouble, giving everyone a glimmer of hope, while she herself remained solitary outside.

He mulled over how ruthlessly clever she was and wondered how Old Wu and Old Chen had come to know this venomous woman.

However, based on this speculation, with Princess Asmara around, Old Wu was unlikely to encounter major trouble,

apart from a few small fries possibly overreaching, but nothing too hazardous.

He pondered late into the night, carefully reviewing all the information found in the subterranean lab.

As expected, Old Wu hadn’t delved deeply into those objects, not even postulating a speculative conclusion.

There was just a bit of record regarding that special material—

"...Occasionally, I recall that relic, its radiant brilliance, the golden symbols on the walls seeming to narrate their once glorious past..."

Symbols on the walls?

The whole room was made of this material? At least one entire wall.

Swallowing hard, Li Ming realized the amount of metal energy required was immense, tens of millions, perhaps even billions?

That image lingered in his mind.

Unknowingly, dawn had broken.

Around eight o’clock, he received a communication link from Chen Jinglong. Suited up and with a solemn expression, Chen informed him that his request to establish a small laboratory had been approved.

He was also given a link to select the site for the small laboratory and, if he had no design model, a conventional design plan was available for him to choose from.

Li Ming submitted the model he had designed and, after filling out the form, a contact appeared.

Upon adding the contact as a friend, he learned the other party was the construction team from the University of Science and Technology, asking when they could carry out a site survey.

"Quite efficient..." Li Ming muttered, setting the appointment for two hours later.

After a meal in the cafeteria, the other party had arrived; a middle-aged man named Tan Jun, who looked quite lean and was dressed in a standard work uniform, accompanied by a number of people.

"Quite the young achiever. When I received the instructions, I thought there was a system error. I didn’t expect it to be you," Tan Jun said, with no shortage of flattery in his voice.

Li Ming smiled, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then got straight to the point, leading him to the chosen location.

Tan Jun waved his hand, and the workers beside him dispersed to begin preliminary explorations.

The two chatted sporadically.

"Tan, how long will it take to complete this laboratory?" Li Ming asked.

"Based on the design you gave me, it should take slightly over a month," Tan Jun estimated.

"Over a month?" Li Ming frowned, "Is it really going to take that long?"

Even for a primitive civilization, the time spent on such construction had already been significantly reduced, with various engineering machinery operating day and night without stopping.

"That’s already factoring in not having to connect energy from far away," Tan Jun replied with a wry smile, glancing at Li Ming before hesitantly adding, "Actually, there’s a way to shorten the time frame."

"Oh? Let’s hear it," Li Ming said, perking up. He wouldn’t be able to apply for experimental funding until the laboratory was completed. Though a little over a month wasn’t long, it would be best if it could be shortened.

"Well, we have modular construction here, all with pre-built metal capsules. All you need to do is lay the foundation, then connect them, make some minor adjustments to the settings, and that’s it," Tan Jun explained.

He opened his smart terminal, pinched out an image, expanded it, and rotated it into a 3D style.

Square or rectangular silver-white metal capsules without any special features. The surface featured raised metallic stripes that could be linked to each other.

"If we use this modular construction method, it should be completed in just over half a month," Tan Jun concluded.

"Just over half a month?" Without pondering for too long, Li Ming quickly responded, "Cancel the previous plan; let’s use this one. You take care of it as you see fit—the faster, the better."

"Alright," Tan Jun nodded. His workers had also roughly finished surveying, and the soil within the coverage area didn’t present any particular challenges, so there was no need to spend time on additional plans.

Their crew could start as early as that afternoon, and Li Ming had already given a heads up to security.

By the afternoon, various construction machinery had moved in—concrete casting machines, large cranes, and numerous smaller auxiliary tools, as well as track-laying pouring robots. The efficiency was indeed very high.