Card maker? No, I'm a mechanic!

Jiang Zhe naturally reached out and took it.

"Buzz..."

Just as the atmosphere was gradually heating up.

A sudden, untimely vibration rang out.

Jiang Zhe paused involuntarily, his brows furrowing slightly.

Who sends a message so late at night?

He put down the carving knife and took out a communication card.

It is the spiritual imprint of Chen Ming.

"Hey? What's wrong, Brother Chen?"

Jiang Zhe connected the communication card, his tone relaxed.

"Where are you slacking off again? Be careful not to get caught."

But this time, instead of Chen Ming's usual witty banter, there was only silence on the other end of the communication.

Several seconds later, Chen Ming's voice came softly.

You can't tell what emotion he's feeling, but there's an indescribable weariness about him.

"Jiang Zhe... I've been transferred too."

"Hmm?" Jiang Zhe felt a chill run down his spine, and a bad premonition welled up in his heart.

"Where to transfer to?"

"It's that new project at the company."

Chen Ming paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"The notice just came down, telling me to report for duty the day after tomorrow, and it's mandatory. Meanwhile, my old colleagues... I still haven't heard from them."

He took a deep breath, feeling somewhat helpless but not wanting the atmosphere to become too tense, so he pretended to be relaxed and said.

"Although I think he'll probably be sent to some closed base to do hard labor, these days you always have to have a backup plan."

"There's a hidden compartment under my bed in the processing station; there's some savings in there."

"If... I mean if, after I went there this time, there was no news for a long time."

"Or if one day you can't contact me anymore, those things will be yours."

"It's not much, but please don't mind. It's a small token of our appreciation."

"But if I come back, you can't keep it for yourself!"

"Brother Chen...you..." Jiang Zhe frowned upon hearing this.

It sounds like an old general covered in flags.

"Alright, don't overthink it. I'm just habitually planning ahead," Chen Ming interrupted him.

"I still need to inform the others as well, so let's leave it at that for now. Take care."

"Buzz..."

The connection was lost, and the light from the communication card gradually dimmed.

Jiang Zhe stared at the communication card in his hand, his brows furrowed.

Chen Ming has also been transferred. What on earth is this company doing?

Could that new project really be the KK Park?

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Su Man, who was standing next to Jiang Zhe, noticed the change in his emotions and asked softly, her eyes showing concern.

"It's nothing, a friend might be in a bit of trouble."

Putting away the SIM card, Jiang Zhe took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the gloom in his heart.

It seems we need to speed up the production of core cards and upgrade them to level 2.

He glanced at the pile of finished water blade cards on the table, which had already formed a small mountain, and then looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

That's all for today.

He stood up and stretched his stiff neck.

"Today's progress is pretty fast. I still have more than twenty cards to go, so I can finish the rest tomorrow."

"Come on, since you're here to help, I should at least treat you to a meal."

"Okay," Su Man nodded.

Although she was curious about Jiang Zhe's earlier communication, she was a smart woman and knew her limits, so she didn't ask any further questions.

After tidying up the lab briefly, the two walked out of the lab building side by side.

It was evening, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the tree-lined avenue of the college.

The academy was bustling with activity.

However, the two had only walked a short distance.

They ran right into a group of students in matching uniforms.

These were the members of the exploration department who had been summoned to launch the fierce attack.

Li Kai walked at the front of the group looking exhausted, his uniform still covered in mud.

At that moment, he was chatting casually with a few other students who were also covered in dust.

However, when Li Kai casually turned his head, his gaze swept over Su Man in the crowd.

His previously lifeless expression vanished instantly.

"Suman?!"

Li Kai's eyes lit up, as if he had been injected with chicken blood, and he immediately straightened his messy collar.

He strode forward, completely ignoring his brothers behind him.

"Senior Su Man! What a coincidence!"

The remaining boys reacted quickly; seeing that Li Kai had jumped the gun, they rushed forward without hesitation.

"Senior, look what I brought you!" Li Kai proudly pulled out a slightly wilted little flower, his face full of flattery.

"This is a luminous flower; it has a calming effect."

"Get out of the way, it's just a broken flower," a boy next to him immediately interrupted, pulling out a piece of ore that shimmered slightly.

"Look at this, senior! This is a by-product crystal; it would make a really beautiful pendant..."

The group of people who were just calling each other brothers are now trying to impress the goddess.

They argued heatedly, their faces flushed, wishing they could kick their companions back into the ruins.

But soon, when they finally managed to tear their gaze away from Su Man.

When they noticed the silent man standing too close to Su Man, everyone froze.

"That's...that teaching assistant?"

Li Kai was the first to react, and the smile on his face instantly froze, replaced by deep vigilance.

"What are you doing here! And with Su Man?"

Seeing this, the others immediately turned their guns on Jiang Zhe, some even glaring at him with a shared sense of righteous indignation.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"That's right, stay away from your senior, don't interfere with her important business."

Looking at this group of inexplicable protectors, Jiang Zhe frowned helplessly.

Is she already hoarding her food? It's a shame she's not learning Sichuan opera with that kind of change of expression.

"Li Kai! And all of you, shut up!"

Before Jiang Zhe could speak, Su Man exploded, her originally gentle expression turning completely cold.

"I'm Professor Lin's student, and Jiang Zhe is his teaching assistant. Is there any problem with us working together?"

"Also, you can keep your things for yourselves, I don't need them."

She glanced around coldly, her tone tinged with impatience.

"Besides, this is my private matter. When did it become your place to interfere?"

"This..." Everyone was speechless and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although he was unwilling, he dared not say anything more in the face of the goddess's anger, and could only glare fiercely at Jiang Zhe.

"Alright, stop making a fool of yourself here."

Just as everyone was in an awkward silence, a deep, resonant voice suddenly rang out.

The crowd parted automatically, and a very burly young man stepped out.

He stepped forward, patted Li Kai on the shoulder to signal him to step back, and then his gaze fell on Jiang Zhe.

"This must be Teaching Assistant Jiang. I've heard so much about you."

"I admire Assistant Instructor Jiang's ability to pass such a difficult test and obtain the Relic Core."

Upon hearing this, the boys who had been looking indignant suddenly widened their eyes, as if they had heard something unbelievable.

"What? He's the one who made us work overtime?"

"Really, Minister? He doesn't look that strong..."

Even Li Kai was stunned, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

He simply couldn't reconcile the image of this frail fellow with that of the top scorer in the assessment.

"Just lucky," Jiang Zhe smiled modestly, without denying it.

"Luck is also a part of strength."

The minister shrugged noncommittally, then his expression turned serious.

"I received a notification as soon as I came out that the college planned to organize a trip to the Triangle Relics Cluster ahead of schedule."

"I heard Professor Lin recommended you? If that's true, then I'll need your help when I get into the Forbidden City."