A higher-dimensional incarnation, starting by leveraging the stars.

Chapter 129 Even if he becomes emperor, you will still have to serve him.

"This is how I do things. If you're not happy, you can leave!"

After saying this, Hu Biao left the conference room, and the door closed gently behind him.

"What—what does he mean?" Wang Meng was the first to speak, her voice filled with disbelief. "He wants us to promote the game? To use research funds to promote the game?"

"You heard me right." Zhao Qingyang slammed the proposal document on the table, the metal surface making a crisp sound.

A budget of 100 million, a month's time, and our first task was to be game promoters. I studied for nineteen years, not to do this.

"The key is that I checked that game." Sun Zhe, wearing a plaid shirt, held up his phone; the screen showed the download page for *Alien Survival*. "Do you know what the game's rating is? 3.2. Less than two hundred reviews. I checked the download count; it's been online for over a month, and it's less than ten thousand downloads in total. A game like this, spending money on promotion? How much money would that take?"

"And that lunar environment module he mentioned..." Chen Rui pushed up his glasses, his expression complicated. "I just opened it and took a look. It's just a simple lunar surface scene with a few sketches of player-designed armor. Frankly, most of those sketches are amateurish doodles. Some designs turned spacesuits into mechs, with no joints even bending. What reference value can that have?"

"The most outrageous thing is the funding," Sun Zhe interjected, his tone growing increasingly agitated. "One hundred million yuan in funding, and he just says he'll use it to promote the game? What kind of behavior is this? This is blatant embezzlement! Even if he were the project leader, let alone the executive team leader, he couldn't do this!"

"But he is indeed the executive group leader." A tall, thin boy who had been sitting silently in the corner spoke up. He was a second-year graduate student in the School of Robotics named Li Wei. He was introverted and had a very low profile. "Professor Cheng said that he is the authority in this research group."

"Authority my ass!" Sun Zhe stood up abruptly. "What does he know? I know the papers a PhD student who just finished his undergraduate degree has published—they're certainly impressive, but that's theory. This is engineering, practice, and real-world funding! What gives him the right to act like he owns the reins? 'I'm doing the work?' Who does he think he is? The emperor? The Qing Dynasty is dead!"

"So what do you want to do?" Zhao Qingyang asked.

Sun Zhe took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, finally settling on Zhao Qingyang's face, then moving to Chen Rui and Wang Meng—

"Find Professor Cheng." He said, emphasizing each word. "This research group is led by Professor Cheng and Academician Zhou; they are the real leaders. Hu Biao is just the executive group leader; he has no right to act so recklessly. We'll report the situation to Professor Cheng and get him to intervene."

"But Professor Cheng just said—" Wang Meng hesitated.

"What did he say? That he's an authority? That's based on his technical expertise, not on his ability to act recklessly!" Sun Zhe interrupted her. "There are rules for how funds are used; it's not up to him to decide. Besides, we're reporting the situation, not trying to overthrow him, just to get him to follow the rules. What's wrong with that?"

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

"I'll go." Zhao Qingyang was the first to stand up. "I also think this is not right."

"I'll go too." Chen Rui closed the document in his hand.

Wang Meng glanced at the others, bit her lip, and said, "Then—then I'll go too."

Lu Yiran remained silent, not because she didn't want to go, but because she suddenly remembered that she seemed to have seen Hu Biao before. Yes, she had seen him a few months ago at the Beijing train station; Hu Biao had returned to Jiangcheng with her father.

It seems to have happened after he came to the capital and caused chaos at the Traditional Martial Arts Association.

Compared to then, although her appearance hasn't changed much, her temperament seems to have changed a lot. Back then, she looked like a refined scoundrel. Now, she still has a bit of a scoundrel's temperament, but more of a bastard's temperament.

Yes, he used to be a refined scoundrel, now he's a bastard and a refined scoundrel at the same time!

Yes, that's right.

Look at this guy's attitude just now, and the things he was going to do. Calling him a bastard is already too kind!

Thinking about his father's job and Hu Biao's identity as a martial artist, well, maybe this guy is even his father's subordinate. In that case, he might as well give his father some face!

Ten minutes later, at the Robotics Academy, on the ninth floor of the experimental building.

Cheng Jinsong's office was at the end of the corridor, with a simple sign that read "901".

Sun Zhe walked in front, followed by Zhao Qingyang, Chen Rui, and Wang Meng.

The four people stood in front of the door, and Sun Zhe raised his hand and knocked three times.

"Please come in."

When I pushed the door open, Cheng Jinsong was sitting behind his desk looking at something.

Upon seeing them, he put down the documents in his hand, took off his reading glasses, and looked calmly at the four people.

"What's up?"

Sun Zhe took a deep breath, organized his thoughts, and then began his presentation.

From Hu Biao asking them to download the game, to asking them to promote the game, to explicitly stating that research funds would be used for promotion, to Hu Biao's "I am doing this" attitude—he went through everything, big and small.

Finally, he concluded with one sentence: "Professor Cheng, it's not that we don't listen to him, but he went too far!"

Using 100 million yuan of funding to promote his own game is blatant embezzlement. Moreover, research projects are classics and cannot be altered arbitrarily; they require review. I'm worried about future problems. As the project leader, I hope you can intervene.

After he finished speaking, the office fell silent.

Cheng Jinsong did not answer immediately. He looked at Sun Zhe, then at the three people behind him, his gaze lingering on their faces before finally settling on his clasped hands.

silence.

A full ten seconds of silence.

Then, Cheng Jinsong raised his head.

"Are you done talking?"

Sun Zhe paused for a moment, then said, "Say it—you're done."

"Alright, I'll say three points." Cheng Jinsong's voice wasn't loud, but every word was crystal clear. "First, Academician Zhou and I have already granted Hu Biao full authority over how to use the research group's funds. He can use them however he wants; if he wants to promote the game, he can promote the game. It doesn't need to go through me, much less you."

Sun Zhe's expression changed.

"Secondly," Cheng Jinsong continued, his tone flat, "Hu Biao is the executive leader of this project. Within the project team, whatever he says goes. Even if he really became emperor, we'd let him have his way. You think his decisions are unreasonable because you're incompetent!"

Zhao Qingyang frowned.

"Third," Cheng Jinsong's gaze swept over the four people, "You have the right to come to me to report the situation, and I don't blame you. But now I've made myself clear. You have two choices. One is to go back and do as Hu Biao says. The other—"

He paused, his voice as calm as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather.

"The other option is to leave the research group. The procedures can be completed now, and I will sign."

You could hear a pin drop in the office.

Sun Zhe's face turned red.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but it felt like something was stuck in his throat.

Behind him, Zhao Qingyang clenched his fist, then relaxed it, then clenched it again.

"Professor Cheng," Chen Rui couldn't help but speak up, "but this is against the rules—"

"Rules?" Cheng Jinsong smiled for the first time, but the smile was cold. "The rules of this research group are set by Hu Biao. What I say, Academician Zhou agrees with. If you can't accept it, then leave. It's very simple."

"Okay, I'm quitting."

Sun Zhe finally said those words.

He stood ramrod straight, looking at Cheng Jinsong, and said, word by word, "I don't accept this way of working. I won't serve a team leader who isn't even willing to explain the basic principles, or a leader who treats the funds as his own personal money."

Cheng Jinsong nodded, opened the drawer, took out a blank form, and pushed it to the side of the table.

"Fill this out. You can leave after you sign it."

Sun Zhe was taken aback.

He didn't expect Cheng Jinsong to be so decisive, not even offering a single word of persuasion.

But the words had already been spoken, and there was no turning back.

He stepped forward, picked up the form, and quickly filled it out.

Name, college, grade, date of joining the research group — Finally, in the "reason for leaving" column, he hesitated for a moment, and then wrote a line: "Unable to accept the research group's management style".

Sign your name and hand it to Cheng Jinsong.

Cheng Jinsong took it, looked at it, nodded, picked up a pen, signed his name below, and then stamped it.

"Alright." He put the form in the drawer. "You can go now. Remember the contents of the confidentiality agreement: you can't disclose anything about the research group to anyone. Not even your advisor, not even your family."

Sun Zhe took a deep breath, turned around and left.

Produce