Chapter 53 Prestige

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Chu Zhu was startled. It should be, probably, maybe... impossible, right?

"Whatever, it’s all about investigating him anyway, even in dreams!" Chu Zhu shoved her phone back into her pocket, thoughts rushing like a tide. "In reality, maybe I can try to get in touch with him as well?"

...

Inside the office.

Professor Chen sipped his tea, his expression strange as he looked at Chu Zhu. "Are you saying you want Zhao Shao’s contact information?"

"Yes!" Chu Zhu replied calmly. "I have some interest in AI. After you spoke about it earlier, I looked up Senior Zhao online after class... I think I should seek his guidance more."

"Hmm... you?" Professor Chen tried to speak several times. If it were any other student, he probably would have approved. But you’re in sports, right? Now you want to study AI... If you really shift to AI, neglecting sports, the principal would nag you every day, wouldn’t he?

"Don’t worry, I’m just curious and asking," Chu Zhu paused briefly, then continued, "From what I saw online about Senior Zhao’s schedule... he seems very busy. I might not even be able to reach him. Even if I do, he might not want to share much."

Professor Chen thought for a long moment, then finally nodded. "Alright."

Professor Chen realized that AI wasn’t something you could just dive into and master! Letting Chu Zhu hit a wall and ultimately realize her talent lay in sports might be a good thing.

"Here’s his WeChat, and this is his phone number! Wait, I’ll tell him... At least adding him as a friend won’t be a problem!"

After getting the contact information, Chu Zhu left the professor’s office.

"Hmm?" Chu Zhu played with her phone while walking, sending a friend request and waiting for confirmation. Suddenly, her counselor sent her a message.

Counselor Qian: I have answers! Two of the items you provided are basically confirmed... However, those things are quite strange and rare, almost impossible to find on the market.

Counselor Qian: Honestly, if I sent you those things, you probably wouldn’t believe it! They really do exist.

Chu Zhu felt the same; it was hard to believe. But finding two? It seemed Counselor Qian, or the traditional Chinese medicine professor he contacted, was quite capable.

Glancing casually, Chu Zhu didn’t pay much attention. Since she already had the answer, she thanked Counselor Qian, put her phone away, and returned to her rented apartment off campus.

...

Chu Zhu slowly opened her eyes; the roar of the movie still filled her ears.

"Nuwa 17, report current time!"

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"It is now 6:01 AM, Imperial Capital Time."

"Very good." Hearing 'Imperial Capital' made Chu Zhu breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, she had been switched back!

However, she didn’t fully relax. As usual, she ordered Nuwa to close the movie, clear the records, and after opening the passage door, she stepped outside.

The familiar women's restroom!

Chu Zhu turned left upon exiting and went to the second floor.

"Officer, I’d like to use the landline phone," Chu Zhu said seriously to the guard.

Seeing the confusion and suspicion on the guard’s face, she quickly added, "I just started yesterday. I was hired by Captain Li Kang as a special operations consultant! My ID hasn’t been processed yet."

"Hmm? Oh!" The guard paused, thinking it seemed plausible, then nodded and stepped aside.

Chu Zhu skillfully dialed a number.

"What’s the emergency?" Li Kang’s serious voice came through the phone.

"It’s me," Chu Zhu answered calmly. Then she clearly sensed Li Kang’s breath hitch. "...What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"I feel like you see me as a jinx!" Chu Zhu rolled her eyes, then spoke gravely, "There’s been a major incident in the redevelopment zone! Zhou Ze and five senior officers were assassinated."

Li Kang: "?"

"Wait, hold on a moment!" Li Kang gathered his thoughts, his pupils dilating as a storm of emotions surged within.

"There’s no time to waste!" Chu Zhu said calmly. "Please inform everyone—no matter what happens next in the redevelopment zone, as long as the city center isn’t truly invaded, the authorities should avoid intervening if possible! Also, there may be some bloodshed... the factory owners’."

Li Kang: "...Are you kidding me?!"

Li Kang’s scalp tingled. Factory owners were among the city’s wealthy elite. Each owner had connections reaching the upper echelons of Jinghai City—

No connections? Want to run a factory? Don’t make me laugh!

Just the annual factory accidents alone were enough to suppress.

Under these circumstances...

"Contact Director Lu directly," Chu Zhu said slowly.

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"? Understood... but using connections right now... fine, since it’s your decision!" Li Kang opened his mouth several times, then sighed.

What a pity—Director Lu's influence was unimaginably vast, especially since he was still rising!

The earlier one to use this favor, the more costly it was!

"You’re mistaken," Chu Zhu smiled. "If I really manage to suppress this, he’ll owe me a bigger favor. Besides, favors are meant to be used; give and take—that’s what favors are for. Left unused, they’re just stagnant water."

"?"

Chu Zhu said no more and hung up.

Would she really say that Director Lu’s new policies were focused on redeveloping the zone and improving factory workers’ treatment?

Chu Zhu didn’t even have to think—The previous strike timeline had hurt Director Lu a lot—not directly threatening his position but damaging his prestige.

Was Chu Zhu just covering her own back?

Far from it!

She was helping Director Lu cover his back, helping the officials leading the redevelopment plan.

Calculating carefully, the other side owed her even more favors! Not just Lu, but a whole faction of his people...

Otherwise, with Chu Zhu’s numerous connections in Jinghai City, why bother using this newly established one?

Closing her eyes to ponder further, Chu Zhu left the phone booth and glanced at the clock at the corridor’s end.

"6:10! Just in time."

Taking a deep breath, Chu Zhu opened the window and leapt down.

The guard standing outside the phone booth stared in disbelief.

No way—this new special operations consultant could fight too?!

"No, no, the entire special ops team is full of martial arts experts! From that perspective, since she can become a consultant directly, she might even be a martial arts grandmaster! But she’s so young... Could she have mastered some youth-preserving technique from the novels? Or is she the heir of some sect?" Although the guard kept his posture straight, his mind raced with all sorts of novel scenarios.