Chapter 11: Colleagues, He Yin’s Wish, New Research…

Chapter 11: Colleagues and He Yin's Wish—A New Research...

The Velitas Research Institute is situated in the central district of the imperial capital, Aurora, very close to the central royal palace, highlighting its significant status within the empire. The institute's vicinity is heavily guarded, with several security teams from the military stationed nearby, armed with heavy weaponry and patrolling around the clock.

The vehicle carrying Qi Heyin came to a stop at the institute's entrance. After showing her pass to the gate guards, she was allowed in alone.

Walking down a path lined with camphor trees, Qi Heyin soon caught sight of the uniquely shaped massive structure at the end of the road.

The building's exterior was constructed from new materials—smooth, cold, and rigid gray-white panels, overlaid with AI-powered dynamic screens. These components formed enormous geometric blocks, stacked and interlocking across the open grounds, ultimately creating a visually striking geometric architectural complex.

Scattered around were splotches of green vegetation and water features. These touches of greenery served as rare accents amidst the sea of gray-white, adding a lively contrast that slightly softened the otherwise cold and rigid appearance of the buildings.

After a quick glance, Qi Heyin followed the directional signs and made her way toward the main lobby of the institute.

She let the institute know she’d arrived via her communicator. Soon, someone hurried over to greet her.

"You must be Researcher Qi?" The person stopped in front of her, pausing to catch her breath as she adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose. "I'm your colleague, Su Ying. Today, I'll be guiding you through the onboarding process and helping you get familiar with the work environment."

The newcomer was a petite girl, likely in her early twenties, dressed in the institute's white uniform. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and a dusting of freckles across her face.

"Hello, Senior Su," Qi Heyin greeted with a smile, extending her hand. "I’ve read your work."

Su Ying looked surprised. Her gaze lingered on Qi Heyin, first with a flicker of admiration, then, after a moment of thought, she clapped her forehead as if suddenly remembering. "Oh, right! I’ve seen your profile—I almost forgot you were my junior!"

Years ago, she had also studied Mimicry at Faro Academy.

Realizing this connection, Su Ying's demeanor grew even warmer. As they walked toward the office area, she kept up a lively conversation with Qi Heyin.

Passing by a large laboratory, she pointed to the intricate precision equipment inside. "You probably know this, Junior Qi—these devices train and develop psychic abilities."

"Another year has passed, and soon Faro Academy will send a new batch of youngsters here for Mimic Awakening," Su Ying mused nostalgically. "Takes me back... Back then, the teachers helped me awaken my Mimic."

Qi Heyin asked, "You were a special admit, Senior?"

Su Ying nodded. "I came from the lower districts of Hermes State back then."

Gina and Hermes—the two most impoverished and desperate states in the Philos Empire, where violence and unrest were everyday realities, requiring large military forces to maintain order. Compared to the glittering, prosperous imperial capital of Aurora, despite sharing the same country, they might as well have been different worlds.

The female lead, Jiang Yunxin, had also originally come from one of these two states—Gina.

For anyone to make it from such places to the imperial capital—whether the original novel's heroine or the senior before her—Qi Heyin sincerely admired their strength.

Yet, she couldn't help but recall the treatment special admission students often faced at Faro Academy. Concern flickered in her eyes as she glanced at Su Ying, wondering if she, too, had endured such experiences.

As if sensing Qi Heyin's mix of admiration and concern, Su Ying chuckled lightly. "Back at Faro, I did face some unpleasantness because of my special admit status. But compared to the violence and chaos of my hometown, those spoiled noble kids’ antics were... laughable."

"Should I call it luck? Dealing with FF attacks and being ostracized was still better than having a gun pressed to my head," she joked.

Qi Heyin shook her head seriously. "Even if the degree wasn't as severe, it was still harm."

Su Ying gave her a gentle look.

"Let’s not dwell on heavy topics," she said. "Anyway, those nobles who once looked down on me now have to treat me with respect."

"Though my school days weren’t exactly happy, for me, entering Faro was still a rebirth... and awakening my Mimic was another."

Hearing this, Qi Heyin lowered her gaze, thinking to herself that this was her reason for studying Mimicry, too.

Her influence was limited, unable to change the many injustices in this world.

But perhaps through her wisdom, she could create easier-to-use psychic development equipment in the future, spreading Mimic awakening and application as a new possibility beyond the capital...

They both fell quiet for a moment.

After a pause, Su Ying perked up and turned to Qi Heyin with a bright smile. "Why don’t we talk about the research report you sent to the institute?"

"Your five-tier psychic theory is truly insightful. I remember in that report, your subjects were yourself... and your attending physician?"

"Ah, that’s my junior for you! Even sick, you still had to do research—and even targeted your doctor. That’s such a Vilithas thing to do!"

"......"

On the way, Qi Heyin and Su Ying had a friendly chat about their research.

It wasn’t until they reached the office area of the Mimic Research Division that Su Ying finally stopped.

"Today, most of them are running experiments on the new Mimic awakening device, so the office is pretty empty," she explained.

In the spacious office, Su Ying quickly completed Qi Heyin’s paperwork. After showing her around, the two stopped in front of an office at the end of the hallway.

"Junior, your desk is in this office. I’m right next door!"

Su Ying said, "Go ahead and settle in. Later, I’ll take you to the main labs nearby. Our team leader will be back by noon—she mentioned having a research assignment for you."

"Truly befitting our brand-new S-rank, getting put to work immediately." She winked teasingly at Qi Heyin.

Qi Heyin chuckled, thanked her senior, and pushed open the office door.

Her eyes landed first on a massive floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. Beside it were two spacious desks facing each other, each equipped with a large curved display.

Qi Heyin’s spot was by the window—clean and tidy, as if someone had cleaned it specially. A few lush potted plants sat on the windowsill.

"Zhou Kuang? Why are you still here?" Su Ying, who hadn’t left yet, blurted out. She looked into the room, puzzled. "Weren’t you supposed to run the Mimic awakening device test today?"

Only then did Qi Heyin notice the young man seated at the opposite desk.

Black hair, green eyes, fine features—though his long bangs covered one eye, making him seem distant and a bit antisocial.

"Stomachache. Called in sick," the boy named Zhou Kuang muttered lazily, keeping his gaze lowered.

"I told you guys to stop with those weird food challenges," Su Ying said with an exasperated twitch of her lips. "Well, perfect timing. Come meet our new colleague."

"With both of you—one S-rank, one A-rank—joining our team, we’ve really hit the jackpot. We’ll probably outdo the other teams’ quotas next year."

At that, the boy’s brows twitched slightly. He slowly lifted his head and locked eyes with Qi Heyin.

Silence hung between them for a few seconds.

"New S-rank?" He nodded at her impassively. "Hello."

His voice was clear, carrying a hint of drowsiness.

Then, he let out a heavy yawn and slouched in his chair, clearly sleep-deprived. His black hair fell over his face, dark circles under his eyes.

"Looks like someone stayed up all night gaming again," Su Ying muttered under her breath.

She turned to Qi Heyin and introduced, "This is your senior, Zhou Kuang. He’s also a Faro scholarship student, just graduated this year and only just started at the institute."

"......Your senior is indeed a genius, but he's just too solitary," Su Ying whispered. "The definition of a shut-in—he can probably stay home for a whole month when he's not involved in research!"

Qi Heyin chuckled but didn’t comment, feeling she was quite the homebody herself.

Su Ying returned to her office, while Qi Heyin walked to her desk and began quietly organizing her things.

Once settled, she turned on the monitor, entered her researcher ID, and the vast Mimic research database of the Velitas Research Institute appeared before her.

Now that she had full access, she could freely browse the data.

Qi Heyin opened the sections that interested her and began reviewing.

Time always flew when absorbed in her work. It wasn’t until Su Ying knocked on her door again that Qi Heyin glanced at the clock and realized nearly two hours had flown by—it was almost noon.

"Junior Qi, I’ll take you to see the labs this afternoon," Su Ying said. "Our Leader returned early today and wants to meet you now."

Qi Heyin nodded and followed her out of the office area.

As she left, she noticed from the corner of her eye that the dozing young man at the opposite desk had woken up at some point. Now, his gaze was clear and focused, completely absorbed in the research data before him.

Arriving at the Leader’s office, they were greeted by a woman in her thirties seated behind the desk. She had wavy golden hair, thin silver-framed glasses perched on her nose, and a warm, intellectual demeanor.

"Researcher Qi, you’re here."

Upon seeing Qi Heyin, the woman stood and walked briskly forward, extending her hand with a smile. "I’m Xie Yunting, Leader of Mimic Research Group Two. Welcome to the Velitas Research Institute and to our team."

Qi Heyin shook her hand solemnly, her cheeks flushing with excitement as if meeting an idol. "Leader Xie, it’s an honor. I’ve long admired your reputation."

After a pause, she asked curiously, "Su Ying mentioned you have a task for me?"

"That’s correct," Leader Xie said, hesitating briefly. "Apologies for the short notice, but after reviewing the research reports and papers you previously submitted, the Institute believes you’re the best fit for this project."

"It’s a joint project between the Institute and the military," Leader Xie explained with a sigh. "About three weeks ago, the military conducted a new round of psychic enhancement on a group of Mimic Warriors. It was supposed to be routine, but unexpectedly, one warrior’s body underwent unusual transformations afterward."

"Preliminary observations suggest these changes... match perfectly with the fifth-tier mental theory you described in your paper," Leader Xie continued. "He might have, as you theorized, broken through the critical threshold by sheer chance, advancing his psychic power to a higher stage—along with his Mimic."

Qi Heyin hesitated. "So, that warrior has reached the highest level of mental power described in my paper?"

"Exactly..." Leader Xie said with a headache. "The military is eager to understand the cause of this transformation and its potential implications."

"Aside from you, Researcher Qi, this level of high-level psychic evolution is unprecedented in the Empire," Leader Xie said. "So, the Institute hopes to assign you to closely observe and study this Mimic Warrior’s changes."

"No problem," Qi Heyin agreed readily.

Her mental manifestation, the Snowy Owl, was of the intellectual type, while the warrior’s was likely combat-type. Though both had reached the fifth-tier evolution, she was curious about how their differences would manifest at this stage.

By the way...

Leader Xie hesitated, as if recalling something. "The Mimic Warrior you’ll be working with... his identity is somewhat special."

"If he or the military makes you uncomfortable, report it to the Institute immediately."

She emphasized carefully, "Though this is an official collaboration with the military, the Institute calls the shots. Velitas always prioritizes our researchers’ well-being—we won't stand for any mistreatment."

Moved, Qi Heyin nodded seriously. "Understood."

Just then, the comm unit on the desk chimed. Leader Xie picked up, her brow furrowing as she listened. "Understood, Director. I’ll handle it."

Hanging up, she turned to Qi Heyin. "The military visited the director again today, pushing to start the project sooner."

Qi Heyin said, "I’m fine with whatever. We could start today if needed."

Leader Xie considered for a moment before replying, "How about next week instead? Today is a bit too rushed—I still need to show you around the labs."

"However, the subject of your project... he’s at the institute today," she paused, then added, "You could meet him later—get familiar and see where he stands."

Qi Heyin: "The Mimic Warrior?"

Leader Xie: "That’s right... His name is Li Chen. He’s the current Marshal’s son."