Gu Jianbo told Meng Chao and Ma Hong that at that time, he had just joined the university to teach. He was full of energy and showed off his abilities, just like Griffin Li Yingzi.
Zong Ye had died not long ago, but his fame still remained. Many of the new students came because of his fame and were willing to join Project 1024.
The new students were fearless, and they brought with them unique ideas. They gave Gu Jianbo a lot of inspiration, and by accident, they came up with a brand new formula that could increase the speed at which branch meridians absorbed spirit energy by 300%.
Gu Jianbo tested it a few times, and when he was certain that there were no problems, he was delighted and believed that he had achieved a major breakthrough in the project.
Under his guidance, the students cultivated, and their improvement was very clear. They won against a few students who practiced the Beast Soul Style.
But just when Gu Jianbo organized the experimental data and was prepared to publish an article to comfort Zong Ye's soul in heaven, an accident happened.
Three students who took the medicine and used a brand new cultivation method went through spirit energy deviation. Their cultivation levels plummeted, and they were nearly crippled.
One of them suffered from the most serious injuries, and his life was in danger. He could only use a large number of metal joints and machines to replace his normal limbs and organs. Most of his martial arts cultivation path collapsed.
After the tragedy happened, the students researched it repeatedly and learned that the side effects of the medicine were very strange. It would slowly accumulate a unique poison in the body. The first few times they cultivated, nothing abnormal would happen, but when the poison reached a certain level, it would erupt.
The cultivation and fights of superhumans were filled with unexpected dangers. All the people who became superhumans, regardless of whether they were students or soldiers, had the resolve to face death with equanimity.
Not only did the national college examination have a quota for the number of disabled students and deaths, the universities also had a certain quota for the number of disabled students and deaths.
Hence, the university did not punish Gu Jianbo severely. They only transferred him to the refresher course so that he could focus on polishing himself for a few years.
But Gu Jianbo could not forgive himself. He believed that he had made a mistake in his research, which was why his three students' futures were cut off.
He was plagued by self-blame and self-doubt. Disheartened, he ended Project 1024 and placed all his work papers and experimental data aside to focus on teaching the refresher course.
"Xu Fang, Zhou Tianrui, and Li Feiy are all outstanding youths just like you. They joined Project 1024 because they were passionate about exploring the limits of martial arts and trusted me, but I let them down."
Gu Jianbo smiled wanly. "I'm sorry, Meng Chao. I'm not a martial arts genius who appeared out of nowhere like Zong Ye. I'm just a normal person with an undeserved reputation. Even if Project 1024 has the slightest possibility of success, it's impossible for it to become reality in my hands.
"You don't have to feed me chicken soup and boost my morale. You don't have to say things like 'God rewards those who help themselves'. I once overestimated myself and tried to walk on the path that Zong Ye established, but this is the result."
He opened another lab record.
The first thing that came into view was a badly mutilated photo.
The left half of the person in the photo looked like it had been torn apart by a meat grinder and hit by a high-voltage electric current. It was almost cooked.
Even if her face and body were censored, Meng Chao's heart still raced when he saw it.
"This is the one with the worst injuries among the three students. His name is Zhou Tianrui."
The fat on Gu Jianbo's face jiggled, and he said hoarsely, "Sometimes, I really hope that I'm the one who goes through spirit energy deviation. Why does it have to be Zong Ye, Xu Fang, Li Feiy, and Zhou Tianrui? They're all geniuses with limitless futures.
"Did you know, Meng Chao? Just now, when you danced and your face lit up, you looked exactly the same as Xu Fang, Li Feiy, and Zhou Tianrui. When I saw you, I thought of them. I don't doubt that you're a genius like them. In fact, you might even have the chance to reach Zong Ye's height.
"It's precisely because of this that I won't become your personal tutor. I won't restart Project 1024 and let the tragedy repeat itself so that you end up like them!"
Meng Chao's expression changed.
The path of exploring the ultimate truth of martial arts was the same as the battlefield where monsters roared in the wild. Countless pioneers had to sacrifice themselves in exchange for the final victory.
Zong Ye, Xu Fang, Li Feiy, and Zhou Tianrui were all pioneers of the Ultimate Style, and they deserved to be remembered.
In his previous life, Gu Jianbo had also stepped on the path of these pioneers. With his life as fuel, he used his burning flames to illuminate the direction of the development of martial arts.
But how did all of this happen?
Meng Chao was puzzled. He sniffed, and suddenly, he smelled something unusual in the air.
His fingertips slid across the seemingly flat surface of the table. He rubbed them and brought them under his nose to sniff them. A strange light shone in his eyes. "I see. Mr. Gu, is that why this lab hasn't been activated for a long time?"
"I told you not to call me Mr. Gu. I don't have the right to be your tutor," Gu Jianbo said in anguish.
Gu Jianbo said in anguish, "Ever since that accident, Project 1024 has been completely abandoned. I only occasionally come down to clean it up and remember my old friends and students.
"Even if you want to continue researching, you don't have the resources, funds, and manpower. The cultivation machines have been in disrepair for years, and the experiment data is from a few years ago. There's no way I can restart it. You should just give up on it!"
"Is that so?"
Meng Chao fell into deep thought. "Then why do I smell a very faint scent of Bronze Light Flower, Bluesilver Grass, and Mystifying Scorpion's poison in the air?
"These are the raw materials for powerful painkillers and stimulants. Someone should have taken them or injected them when they were conducting experiments here.
"Senior Zhou's medical record is from five years ago. If the project was stopped a long time ago, there's no way that the residue of the drugs wouldn't have evaporated even after five years, right?"
Gu Jianbo was stunned.
He averted his gaze.
"Also, these cultivation machines don't have any signs of corrosion or rust. Looks like someone has been cleaning them often, which is why they're as bright as new."
Meng Chao crouched down in front of the terrifying cultivation machine that looked like an electric chair and carefully examined the belts tied to the back and armrests of the chair.
The belts were made of the sturdiest monster tendons, and they could even tie up an Iron-armored Rhinoceros.
They were covered in fine cracks, and the pungent smell of sweat and blood came from them.
"What's going on with these belts? The smell of sweat and blood on them is very fresh. It's clear that someone has been sitting on them recently and conducting incredibly painful experiments. To prevent himself from jumping around, he tied himself up tightly. As he struggled violently, his sweat and blood seeped out and seeped into the belts. "
Meng Chao stared at Gu Jianbo. "Also, I found some granular powder on the desk just now. If my senses are correct, it should be the bone powder of superbeasts, and they're above Grade Three. The bone powder of Hell Beasts isn't cheap.
"If this place has really been closed for a few years and you often come here to clean it, why would there be these things on the desk?"
Gu Jianbo found himself speechless. His chubby face alternated between shades of red and red.
"Wait …"
Meng Chao suddenly thought of a possibility, and he said in disbelief, "Big Brother Bo, could it be that you've stopped such a dangerous project on the surface and chased away all the students, but in the dark, you personally went to train in an incredibly frenzied manner?"
Gu Jianbo slowly sat down on the cultivation machine that looked like an electric chair, as if he had lost all his disguise and strength.
"No wonder."
Ma Hong, who had been listening to their conversation quietly by the side, suddenly said, "Big Brother Bo, sometimes, you'll suddenly disappear for a few days and even ask us to cover for you. When you reappear, you'll be exhausted and look like you've no energy left." We thought that you went to have sex with a woman, so we tried to persuade you a few times to control yourself and not do whatever you wanted just because you have supernatural abilities, but you never listened to us. Every few days, you'll become weak. Could it be that you didn't go out to look for a woman and have been training madly here?
"Also, you're usually so greedy that you can't stop thinking about money. You use us to form connections with people from all over the place, and you're eager to ride the coattails of the leaders of the industry. But even after you get so much money and buy so many cultivation resources, you don't seem to increase your cultivation realm or buy yourself a luxurious car or mansion.
"Did you throw all your money into Project 1024?"
"No, I didn't! Don't spout nonsense! What do you mean by training madly? I just went to look for a woman. As for the money, I saved it all. Can't I be a miser? "Gu Jianbo refused to admit it.
But a thought flashed in Meng Chao's mind.
Gu Jianbo's statement, the furnishings in the lab, Ma Hong's words, and the future from his previous life's memory fragments were four pieces of the puzzle that allowed him to understand everything.
As he stared at the seemingly greasy fatty, he sighed with emotion.
So, this was the truth.
He suspected that he was not strong enough and was worried that he would hurt more students, so he shouldered his old friend's dying wish and moved forward quietly in the darkness. In the end, before his life was burned away, he shone with the most brilliant light. This was the grandmaster of the Ultimate Style, Gu Jianbo!
Perhaps it was just as he said. He was not a brilliant genius like Zong Ye.
He was just a normal person with mediocre talent but perseverance.
But dripping water could wear through stone, and rope could cut through wood. It was his silent perseverance that turned the genius of the pioneers into reality.
Meng Chao's eyes became wet.
"Big Brother Bo, I didn't expect that you'd be such a good man who values relationships and loyalty. Even if you have to die, you'll persevere to the end!"
Meng Chao said firmly. "Coincidentally, I'm also an amazing man who doesn't care about fame and only loves to contribute. Let's work together and turn Senior Zong Ye's dying wish into the most brilliant future!"
Gu Jianbo felt troubled. "You're all mad! I really didn't!"
"If you insist on not agreeing to it, I can only go to Ms. Li and tell her what I discovered here," Meng Chao said.
"I don't think Ms. Li knows about these things, or else she would have stopped you. Am I right, Big Brother Bo?"
Even though it was going overboard …
If he did not hurry up and join it, even if Gu Jianbo successfully developed the Ultimate Style, he would die soon.
Meng Chao believed that even if Gu Jianbo was not a heroic citizen like Principal Sun, he would not be too far away from him.
There was no way he could watch Big Brother Bo walk down the path of self-destruction just like Zong Ye.
= = =
'It's the end of the month. Let's see whether I can last until the end!'
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