In the library, there was silence.

Rows and rows of bookshelves formed a dazzling sea in the interplay of sunlight.

On the table, there was a thick book titled "Logic Research on Electronic Physics Constants". It was flipped halfway, and a pair of glasses stood on the pages, with the chain acting as a bookmark.

A gray suit jacket was draped over the chair at its original position.

The owner of the jacket stood in front of the huge bookshelf, basking in the tranquil sunlight.

The Deep Sea connected the whole world, sharing data.

There were not many people coming to the paper book reading room anymore.

Cui Zhongcheng took two books that were connected on the bookshelf.

He paused for a moment.

After taking the books, the empty space on the bookshelf revealed a pair of mischievous eyes with a hidden smile.

"It is said that the library of Da Teng Academy has 1.5 million books. If you read one book every day, it would take 4,000 years to finish. But Deep Sea only took three seconds to input the library." On the other side of the bookshelf, the old man's voice was very low, as if talking to himself, "It's ironic, isn't it? The culture that humans have worked hard to develop for thousands of years can be digested by machines in just a few seconds."

Speaking of this, he looked up and smiled, "There are not many people coming to the library anymore. In order to maintain order and give humans the last bit of dignity, AI is only responsible for inputting, not guiding... It should not be easy to find a book you want in a place like this, right?"

"Mr. Zhou, you probably don't read books often."

Cui Zhongcheng said lightly, "Each book is well categorized, so it's easy to find a book by following the pictures."

"Oh, I see. I really don't read books often."

Zhou JiRen smiled apologetically, "But in this era, Deep Sea is enough. Except for stubborn people who cling to the remnants of the old era, who would come to a place like this to read paper books, right... Mr. Cui?"

Cui Zhongcheng glanced at his wristwatch.

He calmly asked, "Do you have something to find me for?"

"Not really..." Mr. Zhou smiled sincerely, "Gu Shen's review has started, and as a member of the accompanying team, I have nothing to do and nowhere to go, so I thought I'd take a stroll in the academy... It's quite a coincidence to meet you here."

Both of them addressed each other with respect.

They both used "您" to address each other.

"This is my alma mater. It's been a long time since I came back, so I came back to take a look." Cui Zhongcheng said softly, "A long time ago, it was quiet here... but it's different from the quietness now."

"That was twenty years ago, right? At that time, Deep Sea had not connected the five continents yet, and the technology was not as advanced..." Mr. Zhou did not hide his sarcasm, smiling, "We are becoming stronger and stronger, which is a good thing. In terms of the development of the East Continents in recent years... Senator Zhao has made great contributions. He has made Da Du a city as glorious as Nagano."

Cui Zhongcheng frowned.

"To be honest, I didn't expect him to agree to issue a pardon for an unknown teenager." Mr. Zhou chuckled softly, "Originally, I wanted to use my connections for this matter... It doesn't matter if he doesn't agree, I will go to the important figures in Nagano."

"Isn't it a good thing that someone agreed?" Cui Zhongcheng sighed and said, "It's embarrassing to ask for help from Nagano. It's hard to quench thirst with distant water, whether we can get help is another matter."

"At my age, why do I care about face?"

Mr. Zhou's smile gradually disappeared, and he stared at the other person, saying, "Since he agreed to the pardon, why send an audit team... This is a person who I don't even care about my own face, but I want to protect him. Let me make it clear, regardless of the final audit result, I will protect Gu Shen completely."

Cui Zhongcheng rubbed the pages of the book with his fingers.

"Don't you understand yet?"

He looked at the old man and spoke seriously, "It's because Senator Zhao saw your position... that's why he made such a decisive decision, issued the pardon, and sent the audit team..."

"The last person you were so determined to take away was Nanjin from the Da Du District, right? Compared to her, Gu Shen is just an ordinary child with no parents and an ordinary background." Mr. Cui said softly, "Senator Zhao believes in your judgment, so he gave the pardon immediately. At the same time, he also wants to see who this child named Gu Shen really is, so he sent the audit team."

He showed a humble and gentle smile.

"I think... you should understand Senator Zhao's intentions, right?"

"Now everyone in the council is struggling with the Awakening Act, and at this point, it seems that no one can accept the price of their own failure... This tug-of-war is about to reach its conclusion."

"At this time, even the slightest deviation can cause a huge distortion." Cui Zhongcheng extended two fingers and slowly rubbed them together, "A butterfly flapping its wings in the West Continents can cause a storm in Da Du."

"Perhaps this butterfly is not in the West Continents, but in the Central Continent, or the Northern Fortress..." Mr. Cui paused and said seriously, "But no matter what, Da Du cannot withstand a bigger storm."

Zhou JiRen's expression became serious, and he had nothing more to say.

He just silently stared at Cui Zhongcheng across the bookshelf. The sunlight should have reflected the brilliance of noon on him, but for some reason, it looked like a faint shadow covered him.

"By the way..."

"The proposal to issue a pardon and send an audit team... were both made by me." Cui Zhongcheng said softly, "Senator Zhao agreed immediately, so I came to Da Teng this time... it was also me."

He stared at Zhou JiRen.

"...I have nothing more to say."The old man maintained his serious demeanor, saying nonchalantly, "Without Mr. Cui, there would be others. As long as there is a pardon, there will be a review committee. I understand this principle."

Cui Zhongcheng nodded.

He no longer paid attention to Zhou JiRen, but held his book and walked back in the direction he came from. The sunlight had shifted at an angle, and the original seat was no longer bathed in light, but was immersed in a slightly darker shade.

After taking a few steps.

"There's one more thing..."

Mr. Shu spoke again, stopping Cui Zhongcheng.

"Hmm?"

He frowned slightly, tilting half of his face, his features obscured by the book.

"It's about the topic we just casually discussed."

Mr. Shu's voice was very soft and slow, "You mentioned following the map to find the horse, indeed it's a simple and efficient method. But some books... have been severely damaged, or for reasons such as missing titles, they have not been entered into the AI library. Is there a way to find such books?"

"..."

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".

Cui Zhongcheng was silent for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.

"It's all down to luck."

Mr. Cui gently said, "You have to believe, as long as the book still exists, it will be found one day."