47: The reward in Chapter 47 is pretty hardcore.

Jiang Feng only wanted to eat lunch now.

Outside the door, Qian Li and Professor Sun stood straight.

Seeing Jiang Feng come out, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"Consultant Jiang, this way, please." Qian Li kept his posture very low, turning slightly to lead the way.

In a small private room in the base cafeteria, four dishes and a soup were laid out on the table, with a plate of braised pork belly right in the center.

Jiang Feng didn't stand on ceremony; he sat down and picked up his chopsticks.

Old Chen was by his side, serving rice and pouring water.

Jiang Feng picked up the largest piece of braised pork belly and stuffed it into his mouth, narrowing his eyes in satisfaction.

Just then, a mechanical voice rang out in his mind.

【Ding! Three-divination task completed!】

【Calculating rewards...】

Jiang Feng paused his chewing motion.

Finally. If it hadn't come, he would have finished digesting his lunch.

While eating, he distracted himself by looking at the virtual panel in front of him.

【Congratulations to the host, brain cancer cell activity reduced by 15%, remaining lifespan increased by 90 days!】

【Congratulations to the host, received a cash reward of 5 million!】

Longer life, more money—standard operation.

【Ding! Detected that the host's actions have had a significant positive impact on a national-level project; task evaluation increased; distributing additional rewards...】

Jiang Feng's chopsticks stopped in mid-air.

More additional rewards?

【Congratulations to the host, obtained new ability: Causal Vision.】

He almost choked on a piece of meat.

He put down his chopsticks and picked up his glass to take a sip of water.

On the panel, the introduction for the new ability appeared.

【Causal Vision: Removes task restrictions; the host can actively use it once per day.】

【After use, by touching a specific object, you can observe the strongest causal fragment related to that object.】

【Note: This ability is extremely mentally draining; please use with caution.】

Jiang Feng quickly scanned the description.

Removing task restrictions.

Active use.

Touching objects.

This meant he finally had the ability to take some initiative.

He was no longer a puppet who could only passively wait for the system to assign tasks, fortune-telling at specified times, specified locations, and in specified ways.

He now had a trump card he could decide when to play.

His mind was in turmoil, but his face remained expressionless.

He picked up his chopsticks again, picked up another piece of braised pork belly, and ate it slowly and methodically.

This ability is interesting.

The door to the private room was knocked on lightly twice.

Qian Li and Professor Sun were standing at the door, holding their meal trays, their postures reserved.

On their trays, there were only steamed buns and a bowl of cabbage.

"Consultant Jiang, we... we aren't interrupting your meal, are we?" Qian Li asked tentatively.

Jiang Feng lifted his eyelids and pointed his chin at the empty seat opposite him.

"Sit."

Qian Li and Professor Sun exchanged a look, as if granted amnesty, and pulled out chairs to sit down.

Both sat upright, hands resting on their knees.

Professor Sun watched Jiang Feng eating with grease all over his mouth; he opened his mouth several times to ask something, but swallowed it back.

In the end, he couldn't hold back.

"Consultant Jiang, you've worked hard." He personally picked up the kettle on the table and refilled Jiang Feng's cup.

"Regarding that bamboo slip, we would like to..."

Jiang Feng raised his chopsticks, interrupting him.

"We don't talk about work while eating."

The tip of his chopsticks pointed at the plate of braised pork belly on the table.

"That's the rule."

Professor Sun was so choked up that his face turned bright red, and the rest of his words were stuck in his throat.

"Sit down." Jiang Feng repeated.

Qian Li and Professor Sun had no choice but to smile bitterly and sit down, holding their own trays and watching Jiang Feng eat heartily.

Jiang Feng ate another piece of meat and smacked his lips.

"The braised pork belly in your cafeteria is not bad," he commented.

"It's just that there's not enough rock sugar. Next time, tell the cook to add a couple more pieces."

Qian Li and Professor Sun were stunned.

They had prepared a stomach full of questions—about information pollution, memory awakening, and follow-up treatment plans for the three researchers.

As it turned out, this Consultant Jiang was chatting with them about the sweetness and saltiness of braised pork belly.

Professor Sun was an honest man dedicated to scholarship, so he subconsciously replied.

"Consultant Jiang, the authentic way to make braised pork belly should be savory. You use soy sauce to enhance the flavor, and rock sugar is just for coloring and balancing the saltiness..."

"Stop." Jiang Feng interrupted him again.

"Professor Sun, you are an archaeology expert, not a gourmet."

Jiang Feng pointed at him with his chopsticks.

"I like sweet food."

Professor Sun's face turned even redder; he opened his mouth, not knowing how to respond.

Qian Li, who was on the side, quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Right, right, Consultant Jiang is correct. I'll go tell the kitchen right now that from now on, whenever they cook a special meal for Consultant Jiang, they must add more sugar!"

Consultant Jiang likes sweet food.

He likes it.

Qian Li repeated this sentence three times in his mind.

The meal was finished in this strange atmosphere.

Jiang Feng ate to his heart's content, while Qian Li and Professor Sun ate without tasting a thing.

After the meal.

Jiang Feng was "surrounded" by a group of experts as he returned to the alloy containment room.

He walked in the very center, hands in the pockets of his sweatpants, his posture leisurely.

Qian Li and Professor Sun were on his left and right, half a step behind him.

Behind them followed seven or eight experts and scholars from various fields.

The attitude of these people toward Jiang Feng had shifted from the scrutiny and suspicion of the morning to awe.

The alloy door slid open.

In the center of the room, the metal box covered by an explosion-proof glass case still sat there quietly.

Everyone stopped at the door; only Jiang Feng walked in alone.

Professor Sun stood at the door, adjusted his glasses, and stared fixedly at Jiang Feng's back.

"Consultant Jiang." He finally asked the question he had been holding back all afternoon.

"Now... can you read this thing directly?"

He pointed at the metal box.

"Without needing a patient as a medium, just... reading it directly."

In the observation room, everyone was staring at Jiang Feng through the one-way glass.

Everyone held their breath.

Jiang Feng stood in front of the metal box, looking at the black bamboo slip inside.

The twisted symbols in his field of vision were emanating an ominous black aura.

He rubbed his chin.

Perfect, time to try out his newly acquired ability.

He turned around and beckoned to Professor Sun and Qian Li at the door.

"You two, come in."

The two were stunned, then quickly walked in.

"Consultant Jiang, do you have any instructions?"

Jiang Feng pointed at the glass case.

"I want to touch it."

Both Professor Sun and Qian Li's expressions changed.

"No!" Professor Sun blurted out.

"Consultant Jiang, this is absolutely not allowed! Professor Liu was the first to make direct contact with the bamboo slip, and you saw what happened to him!"

Qian Li also looked grave.

"Mr. Jiang, we cannot risk your safety."

Jiang Feng looked at their nervous expressions and laughed.

"Are you misunderstanding something?"

He held up a finger and shook it.

"Right now, it is I who am solving problems for you."

"You only have two options: either listen to me, or I'll quit and leave, and you can hold onto this pile of broken bamboo slips and study them until the end of time."

His tone was very calm, but the meaning behind his words left the two old men, who were nearly 150 years old combined, speechless.

Professor Sun's lips quivered; he still wanted to argue.

Jiang Feng didn't give him the chance.

He slowly reached out his hand toward the explosion-proof glass case.

Professor Sun subconsciously wanted to step forward to stop him.

Jiang Feng's hand stopped one centimeter away from the glass case.

He didn't touch it.

His fingers stopped in the air, and then he looked up at Qian Li.

"My rule is that I must make direct contact with the object itself."

He had spoken a bit too fast and misspoken half a sentence, but he smoothed it over nonchalantly.

"With this layer of glass in between, it's like scratching an itch while wearing gloves—useless."

Qian Li and Professor Sun looked at each other.

There's such a rule?

"Open it." Jiang Feng's tone allowed no room for negotiation.

Thin beads of sweat broke out on Qian Li's forehead.

He didn't dare give this order.

If something went wrong, he couldn't bear the responsibility.

Jiang Feng saw his hesitation and pulled his hand back into his pocket.

"Forget it."

He turned and walked away.

"It seems you aren't ready yet."

"When you've figured it out, come find me."

He strolled to the door, making a show of leaving.

"Wait!" Qian Li was anxious.

He rushed in front of Jiang Feng and blocked him.

This old man, whose mere stomp could shake an entire region, now had a pleading look on his face.

"Mr. Jiang, it's not that we don't trust you."

He lowered his voice.

"It's just that... the danger of this thing exceeds our understanding."

"We must develop a foolproof plan."

Jiang Feng looked at him and suddenly laughed.

"Consultant Qian, do you think there is such a thing as a foolproof plan in this world?"

He patted Qian Li on the shoulder.

"I am your biggest 'what if'."

After saying that, he walked around Qian Li and continued toward the exit.

Old Chen was already waiting at the door; seeing Jiang Feng come out, he followed tacitly.

"Consultant Jiang!" Professor Sun was also anxious; he chased after him.

"Don't go! We can talk this over!"

Jiang Feng stopped and looked back at them.

"There's nothing to talk over."

His gaze swept over the group of experts and finally landed on Qian Li's face.

"Either open it now."

He extended a finger and tapped his temple.

"I'll go in, use my method, and give you an answer."

"Or, you continue using your methods—holding meetings, researching, writing reports."

"And when your next expert goes crazy, come and invite me again."

He smiled.

"Though, the price for my next visit will double."

No one spoke.

Qian Li stood there, his expression flickering between uncertainty and distress.

On one side was an immeasurable risk.

On the other side was the truth, within reach.

A full minute passed.

Qian Li squeezed two words out through his teeth.

"Open... the box!"