Today, they too are going to their deaths.

The Royal Society of Sciences has undergone several relocations and expansions, and has also established many districts. The current seventh district, where the president is located, is situated on a mountain about 50 kilometers outside of Dunlin, according to the map.

But for those who have actually seen the new 7th district of the Royal Society, the description "on the mountain" might not be entirely accurate. After all, the mountain that was originally there has been completely hollowed out to become part of the new school district.

Cui Xun even suspected that the people of this world were inherently addicted to wonders and colossal objects, and that every research area they built had to be a spectacle. But he had to admit that from the outside, those mechanical structures that blended perfectly with the mountains did have a unique kind of beauty, and once you stepped inside, it was even more so…

"Help! Someone come quick! Does anyone have a proper prosthetic leg? Please help me set it! My buddy's dying!"

Students, encased in exoskeletons and equipped with six auxiliary robotic arms on their shoulders and back, pushed makeshift stretchers at high speed through a passageway wide enough for vehicles to pass through.

Strapped to a stretcher, the student, bleeding profusely from his severed limb, let out a piercing scream: "Stop howling! Can't you fucking give me some first aid?! I'm going to bleed to death! You could at least burn my wound!"

"At this speed... Ugh! I can't take it anymore, I'm experiencing blackouts!"

Tessa, who was brought to the school, watched in astonishment as the two senior students hurried through the corridor. Alice, standing beside her, tried her best to keep a straight face and calmly explained, "The seventh new district of the Royal Academy of Sciences is an 'Academy City' that integrates industry, academia, and research, created by the Dean to explore new directions for the future."

"This place is where the most intelligent people in the entire Kingdom of Albion gather. Those geniuses who might be considered crazy elsewhere can thrive here and freely use their extraordinary minds."

"Unfortunately, even with good preparation, not every experiment can proceed as planned, and problems often arise."

"Fortunately, the Royal Society's medical technology is just as awe-inspiring as their mechanical technology."

A colossal robot, over 4 meters tall, suddenly emerged from the side passage, grabbed the racing students, and began to berate them: "You dare to use this new device on yourselves without any testing? Have your brains been soaked in preservatives and forgotten to be put back in?!"

"Seeing someone with a proper prosthetic limb not bleeding makes me think how incredibly clever prosthetics are to have a built-in hemostatic function! And thinking of using fire to stop bleeding from a severed arm wound—that's what makes him such a tough guy!"

"Two idiots, deduct 10 points for regular performance!"

Amidst the angry shouts, the robot extended numerous intricate devices, grabbed the still-bleeding student, and performed a series of operations, healing him in a short time.

A fresh, pink, but muscular arm grew out of the severed arm.

The student with the missing arm looked at his novice, then exchanged a glance with the student pushing the cart, and nodded in perfect unison. The student then said to the robot somewhat sheepishly, "Professor, could you please cut off my hand again? I feel it's hindering my future improvements to the prosthetic."

The student with the missing arm was met with a long silence. The three bystanders, Cui Xun and his companions, were also amazed by the academic atmosphere of the Royal Academy of Sciences.

"Hoo..." The professor inside the robot let out a long exhale, and the hatch on the robot's chest slowly opened.

Immediately afterwards, a girl who looked like she was still losing her baby teeth suddenly jumped out of the robot and kicked the one-armed student, sending him flying into the wall and making him scream.

"Oh my god, it felt so good to get kicked by that cute professor!"

The student pushing the cart turned his head and decisively said, "Professor, I don't know this person."

"So annoying, so annoying, so annoying!" The petite professor's face contorted with rage as she stomped repeatedly on the face of the student who had collapsed limply. "You don't even respect your own body! What right do you have to be in the Royal Academy of Sciences! If it weren't for this damn performance-based system, an idiot like you would have been fired long ago!"

To better pilot the robot, the young professor wore only a bodysuit that was as smooth and delicate as skin, and he didn't even wear shoes.

The student with the missing arm commented, "That's fantastic!"

"Tsk!" The young professor stopped, took a few steps back, and stood back at the entrance to the cockpit, looking at the one-armed student with disgust.

After a few seconds, her gaze shifted and focused on Cui Xun, who was watching the commotion from the side, and she suddenly became enthusiastic.

"You must be the legendary Mr. Cui Xun! May I ask what commission you have come to the Royal Academy of Sciences? As long as the funding is sufficient, even the most outlandish project can be started immediately, though we cannot guarantee the outcome."

"Forging weapons, curing terminal illnesses, and increasing productivity are all within my capabilities."

"Designate me, Greta Daimler, to enjoy the finest designs, the most outstanding creativity, and the best value for money from the entire Royal Academy of Sciences!"

Cui Xun asked curiously, "Judging from your name, you seem to be related to the dean? So, between you and the dean, who is more capable?"

The enthusiastic professor immediately deflated, saying weakly, "It's him. No one in the Royal Academy of Sciences is more capable than him. So, you're all counting on him to invent everything by himself?"

Cui Xun shook his head: "I don't know what others think, but I probably have more ideas than he could possibly complete by himself. Besides, most of these ideas already have sketches, so it's not necessary for him to do the actual work. If you're capable, I don't mind commissioning you, but before that, I have something to discuss with the dean. Also, are you short of money?"

The student with the missing arm, whose head had just been stepped on, straightened up and said first, "Of course! Except for some slackers, no one in the research institute is short of money."

"Every research project requires funding, but the results don't necessarily translate into immediate financial returns. There are various conditions that need to be met to secure more funding from research institutes."

Alice continued, "The Royal Academy of Sciences operates on a performance-based system, where credits and achievements determine the amount of funding received. Therefore, even if a student does something outrageous, as long as it doesn't reach the point of causing public outrage, professors have no right to expel them or deduct more than ten points from their participation credits at once."

"In other words, those who fall behind, perform poorly, and fail to produce results will be directly removed. Some researchers who lack results for a long time can only take on the role of 'professor' to retain their status in the Royal Society."

The young professor quickly replied, "My personality upload project is actually just one step away from true success. However, before completing this crucial step, it cannot be converted into research points according to the current scoring system."

Cui Xun never imagined that the technological development of this world could have gone so awry. The idea of ​​uploading one's personality to another person was something straight out of a science fiction movie in his original world; he never expected that in this world, people would actually be researching such a thing.

He couldn't help but ask curiously, "So what exactly is this crucial thing you're missing?"

The young professor said somewhat embarrassedly, "I haven't yet confirmed what the human soul really is, nor have I figured out the relationship between personality and soul."

Tessa scoffed, "This is practically starting! If a project like this can swindle funding, I could write a 'On the Role of the Spirit Across Worlds' right now."

The young professor became anxious: "How can you say this isn't even the beginning! Do you know how much research I've done in biological neural etched circuits, integrative personality models, and bionic brains?"

The student with the missing arm, standing nearby, remarked, "Speaking of which, if such a lovable professor also had outstanding achievements, I couldn't possibly be unfamiliar with him. In my memory, the best among these disciplines should be Professor Dick, who created the mechanical horse."

"Professor Ge Li, how many of your well-known papers do you have as the second author?"

The young professor roared in fury, "How dare you question me with just a severed arm!"

The amputee student confidently stated, "I am, in my humble opinion, the author of 'Activated Mechanical Neural Applications' and 'Prosthetics - The Future of Humanity.' I dare not claim to have uploaded my personality, but in terms of establishing a connection between living people and machines, completely overcoming 'phantom pain,' and ensuring that prosthetics are no weaker than native limbs, I am confident that I can rank among the top ten in the Academy of Sciences."

"Damn it!" the young professor gritted his teeth, making a grinding sound. "If it's not... never mind, there's no point in talking to you about that stuff."

The young professor turned to Cui Xun and suggested, "I'll take you to the dean. Then, whatever requests you have, just send them to me directly through the dean. How about that? Some papers can't prove my abilities at all. Only real results can let you experience what it means to get more than your money's worth."

As he spoke, the young professor sat back in the cockpit, restarted the machine, and lowered several seats that looked like they were for transferring personnel.

"Would you like to sit down? I think these added seats are quite comfortable. You can also take this opportunity to experience my modification skills for the first time."

Cui Xun took his seat first, followed closely by Alice, while Tessa, not wanting to be left behind, struggled to climb onto her own seat. Then, the robot began to glide rapidly through the complex passageways.

The amputee student, who originally wanted to stop outsiders from being scammed, realized that the professor had run away before officially deducting his credits, so he didn't have to worry about losing credits. He suppressed the urge to chase after him and watched the two leave. Then, he was punched in the face by his friend.

"Are you really going to ask to have your hand chopped off? Are you stupid?!"

Cui Xun ignored the two so-called geniuses fighting in the distance; his attention was entirely focused on the robot. He asked curiously, "Speaking of which, what's this robot for? I don't think I've seen a similar model outside."

So far, Cui Xun has seen machines on factory production lines, steam behemoths used in war, and large robots used in engineering construction, but he has never seen a medium-sized robot like this before.

Alice explained, "Because of the difficulty of operation, many things that cannot be made convenient or automated simply cannot leave the Royal Academy of Sciences. They are simply uncontrollable for ordinary people."

The young professor corrected, "My robot doesn't use the old-fashioned control panel, but a more advanced force feedback system. With a little training, even workers who have been stuck on the assembly line their whole lives can use it."

"The reason it cannot be sold to the public is simply because it has not yet achieved mass production; it is a custom-built machine that I personally crafted."

"The precision of its parts is too high. It will take at least another six months before our next-generation production line can mass-produce it."

Cui Xun nodded knowingly, then pressed on, "Speaking of which, do you know anything about supernatural powers? And what are your thoughts on the upcoming Ice Age?"

The young professor casually replied, "Extraordinary power? You mean advanced semiotics, consciousness guidance, or the recently added ritual studies? I remember these things are completely forbidden knowledge outside, and only royal agents and a small number of military personnel are allowed to master them."

"In recent years, this knowledge has only been made available in the Seventh New District."

"This knowledge is indeed useful, even too useful, and it can directly disrupt researchers' way of thinking, leading them to focus on developing new technologies based on these disciplines. Some old scholars hate it and feel that they must first have their own set of rules that are not easily changed before they are qualified to learn this knowledge."

"But now that the Ice Age is only three to five years away, there's absolutely no time for us to consolidate ourselves."

As they spoke, the young professor boarded a device similar to the elevator in Cui Xunyuan's world and ascended to the top floor of the Seventh New District.

"As for the Ice Age?" the young professor said casually, "It was so-so."

"According to our calculations, even if the temperature drops to -70 degrees Celsius worldwide, we are confident that we can protect at least 90% of the population. Based on the extraordinary technology of perpetual motion furnace cores and self-replicating robots, we can completely replace the current production system within three years by spreading it throughout the country."

Tessa blinked, unsure, and said, "Wait, are you guys talking about some kind of apocalyptic novel? What do you mean by the world temperature dropping to minus seventy degrees Celsius, and perpetually replicating robots completely replacing human production?!"

The professor's voice became lighter: "Oh dear, you're actually a commoner who doesn't know about the Ice Age."

"Simply put, we are about to enter the aphelion, and the temperature will drop rapidly. However, a variety of unique new technologies will make our productivity leap forward, and we will soon realize the great wealth that only existed in our imagination."

"By then, even the poorest beggar will be able to command robots. Everyone will either be learning or creating purely out of personal interest. If someone really doesn't want to work, they can be a useless person, enjoying themselves and waiting to die every day."

Tessa questioned, "Then, in that situation, what were the nobles?"

Alice had a vague idea of ​​the answer, and Cui Xun had long harbored the intention to carry out a major purge. After Tessa's mention, Cui Xun recalled Charlemagne's earlier discussion of ruling machines and philosopher-led governance.

Cui Xun asked curiously, "Speaking of which, didn't some of you want to create a ruling machine?"

The young professor lowered his voice and said seriously, "Be careful what you say. I don't know anything about this. If you really want to know, you can talk to the dean; he's up ahead."

The robot glided forward a short distance, passed through several passages, and arrived at the area marked "Dean's Exclusive Research Area," where it opened the door with its robotic arm.

Then, a loud bang was heard.

Cui Xun jumped off the external chair and rushed into the research area, where he saw the dean, who was "spread all over the place."

He might be a little dead.