320: I went shopping again.

Wei Ziqing stood there for a while longer, listening to the Researchers around him enthusiastically discussing professional terms like cell differentiation efficiency, neural signal thresholds, and future clinical transformation possibilities, feeling like an outsider who had accidentally stumbled into an academic conference.

Shen Mingyuan, however, was like a fish in water; at some point, he had picked up a piece of cake and was eating while chatting with another Researcher about the "application prospects of biosensors in trace detection," looking like he had no intention of leaving at all.

Wei Ziqing sighed inwardly and decided not to force himself to fit into this environment that was so incompatible with him. He found the middle-aged Researcher who had explained the situation to him earlier and nodded politely.

"Um... I'm leaving now."

"Leaving so soon?" The Researcher was a bit surprised and looked at Shen Mingyuan, who was still talking loudly not far away. "Lawyer Shen..."

"Yeah, Lawyer Shen... he'll probably be able to chat for a long time." Wei Ziqing glanced in that direction, his tone flat.

"Mainly, I'm really not suited for this kind of occasion. I don't know anyone here, and I don't understand what you're talking about, so I can't join in. It's quite boring. I'm not as... 'cheerful' as Lawyer Shen."

He used the word Shen Mingyuan occasionally used to describe himself, with a touch of helpless honesty.

The Researcher smiled understandingly and patted his shoulder. "Alright, I understand. Scientific gatherings are like this; they can be quite cliquey sometimes."

"Since you want to leave, I certainly won't stop you. Thank you for coming today, and thank you for... well, listening to me talk about the cat for so long. Goodbye, come by often when you're free; maybe next time there will be a project you can participate in!"

"Goodbye." Wei Ziqing nodded, turned, and left the slightly noisy core area, walking out along the corridor he had come in through.

Away from the atmosphere filled with technical jargon and excited discussions, the corridor suddenly became quiet. Wei Ziqing slowed his pace, thinking about what to do next.

'Go train?' he thought subconsciously. This was his most habitual and direct option. But the juice and cake he had just consumed seemed to make his body feel a bit sluggish, and after everything that had happened today, he was also mentally exhausted.

'How about going to see Brother Lu or the others?' The thought flashed by and was immediately dismissed. There was nothing special to discuss, and just dropping by seemed a bit strange.

He looked out the corridor window; the sky was already tinged with dusk, and it was indeed getting late.

'Forget it, I'll just go back to the dormitory first. Rest early and see tomorrow,' he decided. His nerves, which had been tense all day, also needed a quiet space to fully relax.

He returned to the dormitory and lay down after a quick wash. Physical fatigue soon pulled him into a deep sleep, and he had a dreamless night.

The next morning, his biological clock woke Wei Ziqing up on time. After a night of rest, his condition had recovered significantly. He changed into his training clothes and habitually walked toward the indoor training grounds at headquarters.

However, as soon as he reached the entrance of the training area, he was stopped by a prominent electronic notice board.

[Notice]

To improve the efficiency and safety of training facilities, Integrated Training Grounds A3 to A5 will undergo periodic maintenance and System upgrades starting today until Month X, Day X. Use is suspended during this period. We apologize for any inconvenience. It is recommended to go to the B-Zone Backup Training Grounds or use outdoor training facilities.

"Maintenance and upgrades?" Wei Ziqing looked at the notice, somewhat stunned. The few grounds he frequently used happened to be within the maintenance scope. Go to the B-Zone backup grounds? The equipment there was more basic, and it was usually more crowded. Outdoor training? The weather was nice, but he always felt it lacked the focus of being indoors.

He stood before the notice board, hesitant for a moment. His training plan had been disrupted.

'So now... what should I do?'

Staying in the dormitory seemed like a waste of this beautiful morning. Find someone? At this hour, Lu Jianchuan might already be on field duty or in another department, and Shen Mingyuan might be in some corner conducting his "Detective observations" or pestering Researchers. Golden Bone was surely tied up with work.

Standing in the busy corridor, he suddenly felt a rare sense of aimlessness, with nowhere to go. This kind of pure blank time, with no missions, no training plans, and no clear social arrangements, was somewhat unfamiliar to him.

After hesitating for a moment, he looked up at the bright sunlight outside the window and then at the outline of the city gradually waking up beyond the headquarters building.

An idea popped up.

'Maybe... go for a stroll?'

'It would be good to go for a walk. A change of mood.'

Having made his decision, he no longer hesitated. He turned toward the living area, changed into casual clothes, took his necessary ID card and communicator, and walked toward the headquarters' exit.

Stepping out of the slightly solemn architectural shadow of GUPA Headquarters and into the commercial streets that were gradually becoming lively in the morning, Wei Ziqing took a deep breath of air filled with the aroma of breakfast stalls and urban vitality.

What should he buy? This thought made his steps a bit lighter. He thought as he walked; those small wishes that had once been suppressed due to financial constraints or a focus on martial arts training now sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain.

'A game console!' A clear voice rang in his mind. That's right; in the past, when he passed the display windows of electronics malls and saw the latest game consoles and cool promotional screens, he would always take a few more looks and then walk away silently.

Now, he could have one! Not the serious equipment used for training simulations, but a game console purely for entertainment and relaxation.

'And snacks! Lots and lots of snacks!' another voice added excitedly. In the past, to maintain physical fitness and control his weight, he had been quite restrained with his diet.

But at this moment, images he had once craved surfaced in his mind: potato chips, chocolate, various flavors of carbonated drinks, exquisite cakes in windows that looked delicious... Even, 'I used to think how great it would be if I could eat pizza or burgers for all three meals a day!'

"Alright!" he said softly to himself, his eyes becoming bright and determined. "I'll give myself a good treat today!"

With a clear goal, his motivation was instantly maximized. He immediately pulled up the map app on his phone and searched for the largest integrated electronics mall nearby.

"The nearest 'Geek Paradise'... a fifteen-minute walk. Let's go!"

He put away his phone and set off toward his destination. His pace was light, carrying a pure, almost giddy expectation.

The sun was just right, the breeze was gentle, he had money in his pocket, and there were things he wanted to buy—to the current Wei Ziqing, this was the simplest and most genuine happiness.

He had even begun to calculate which tempting fast-food restaurant he would visit after buying the game console to achieve his "pizza and burger freedom," and which imported supermarket he should raid for those attractively packaged snacks.