Qin Siyang frowned.
'What does that mean?'
'Does Old Qian also have secrets I am not aware of?'
Qian Wenzhao's triangular eyes curved slightly.
"I didn't expect Professor Li to be so meticulous. You caught that slip of the tongue. Yes, I do have some past experiences that I'd rather not bring up, which is why I know about Harrison's matter."
Li Tianming continued staring at Qian Wenzhao, "Since you know about Harrison, then I assume you've also heard of me?"
Qian Wenzhao nodded, "Your name is legendary."
"But you acted as if you didn't recognize me."
"Because, as I said, my past isn't something worth showing off, and naturally, I don't want others to know about it either."
Li Tianming looked at Qin Siyang, "Director Qian, can he be trusted?"
Qian Wenzhao also turned to look at Qin Siyang.
Qin Siyang thought for a moment before speaking, "I think whether a person is trustworthy shouldn't be based on how many secrets they keep but on how much they've done."
"Everyone has secrets. Old Li and I have been through life-and-death situations together, and I've collaborated with Old Qian multiple times. But neither of you have pried into things I didn't want to talk about."
"Likewise, Old Li, I've never questioned your secrets. Not being overly curious is the foundation of our smooth cooperation."
"Before, I didn't know if Old Qian had any secrets. Now that I do, it doesn't matter. Why overthink it?"
"As for whether Old Qian was placed among us by another force, Old Li, you can put that worry to rest."
"Last time, he almost got killed by Feng Shouben and Pan Youguang working together, and no one stepped in to save him."
"Besides, Old Qian has been in this area longer than you. How could he be someone sent to spy on us?"
Qian Wenzhao added, "Professor Li, if you don't trust me, you can use a polygraph, then conduct a memory continuity test."
Li Tianming snorted, "A polygraph, sure. But how would you conduct a memory continuity test?"
"You were able to read the memories inside Zhou Xing's head, but you can't give me a memory continuity test?"
Hearing this, Li Tianming and Qin Siyang both became alert.
'How does Qian Wenzhao know we killed Zhou Xing?'
Qian Wenzhao casually glanced at them, "Don't look at me like that. If I wanted to report you, you two would already be in prison. You wouldn't even have the chance to get the Vine Core in Zone 7."
Qin Siyang relaxed slightly after hearing that, since he had always trusted Qian Wenzhao.
But Li Tianming still wore a stern expression.
"Director Qian, don't speak recklessly!"
Qian Wenzhao sipped the hot tea Li Tianming had poured for him.
"That night, I was also in the alley."
"Because Zhou Xing had arranged to meet me there to discuss falsifying a sequence for someone."
"And I arrived earlier than both of you."
Hearing this, Qin Siyang and Li Tianming were even more shocked.
'Qian Wenzhao was there too?'
'But why couldn't we sense his presence at all?'
Li Tianming narrowed his eyes, "Is your sequence ability [Deciever]?"
Qian Wenzhao didn't answer Li Tianming but instead looked at Qin Siyang, "Xiao Qin, your corpse disposal skills are terrible. I didn't even follow you, yet I still found it."
"Throwing it into a mine shaft and covering it with a few rocks—is that really enough to evade a determined search?"
"Uh…"
"Don't worry. I already cleaned it up. Even Olov won't find any clues."
"Thank you, Director Qian."
"No need to thank me. It was just a minor matter. Honestly, if it weren't for your help, I would've been completely screwed by Feng Shouben and Pan Youguang."
Qian Wenzhao chuckled, "Now, you know more about me than my own nephew. Makes you wonder who my real family is."
Thinking of Shen Shisong, Qin Siyang couldn't help but shake his head.
A nephew like that really shouldn't be told too many secrets.
Li Tianming pondered for a moment, still looking doubtful.
He took out his phone and made a call.
"Hello, it's me, Old Li. Remember that thing I asked you to look into the other day? Right. Do you have any impressions of someone named Qian Wenzhao?"
"Got it, thanks. Yeah, I wouldn't contact you unless it was important. Hanging up now."
Li Tianming's expression softened, "Director Qian is telling the truth. Zhou Xing did arrange to meet him there."
"I told you, Xiao Qin helped me out a great deal. There's no way I'd betray him, nor do I have any reason to lie to you."
Qin Siyang laughed.
"We're all on the same side! Right, Old Li? Think about it—if Old Qian could find the body, then Olov definitely could too. And that guy is like a damn leech. If he found out, both of us would be in trouble."
"Just for that alone, Old Qian can't be our enemy."
Li Tianming finally believed him.
If Qian Wenzhao had intended to harm them, he would have stopped them from taking Zhou Xing's head.
If he wanted to harm Qin Siyang, he would have reported it or directly used it to threaten him.
But not only did he not intervene, he even helped clean up the mess.
If someone like that was still an enemy, then Li Tianming wished every single person in the safe zone was his enemy.
He smiled and extended his hand, "Director Qian, I was being overly cautious earlier. Hope you don't mind."
Qian Wenzhao also reached out and shook his hand, "Being careful is the key to survival. I completely understand."
Qin Siyang placed his hand over both of theirs, "So, shall we continue discussing how to handle the Vine Core?"
"Sure."
"Agreed."
A minor episode had caused a slight detour in their conversation.
But thankfully, they hadn't crashed, and in the end, they were back on track—closer than before.
However, thinking about how to distribute the Vine Core, Qin Siyang felt another headache coming on.
He had assumed that researchers in this world were just decorative pillows—fancy on the outside but weak inside. That the strongest people were still the sequence users who hunted gods.
But now, he realized that the ones who spent all day in labs were the real threats.
Only an idiot would provoke a bunch of big shots.
Qin Siyang looked at Li Tianming with respect.
'If Harrison's god-hunting weapon is that terrifying, then what kind of hidden cards does Li Tianming, whom Florence said as Harrison's equal, have?'
'No wonder in their circle, people fight and win but never take lives.'
Having shared secrets, they couldn't afford to kill each other and risk mutual destruction.
But more importantly, Qin Siyang suspected that they simply didn't have the confidence to guarantee a clean kill.
If the odds of killing someone were low, why go all out?
Might as well stop before things got too serious—just wave their toy guns around and call it a day.
No need to bring out the real weapons.
All this time, Li Tianming had never really shown his "true strength" as a researcher, leading Qin Siyang to underestimate him over and over again.
It seemed that the reason Chen Fenghe admired him must have been because of his real capabilities.
Qin Siyang thought for a while but came up empty. So he said, "You two know more about this than I do. I'll just suggest a bidding-style negotiation—how you handle it is up to you.
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