The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 156 Underground Vault

Its value has increased entirely due to the contrast with its peers.

His "painful yet joyful" appearance left Lei Qingya both amused and exasperated. He could only wave his hand helplessly: "Fine, fine, if you're willing to endure it like this, then so be it. I'll keep an eye on your biological father's condition for you; you don't need to bother dealing with him. With his shameless antics and that good-for-nothing youngest son 'helping' him, the Shen family will eventually ruin themselves."

Shen Zhaoming gave a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth.

He really hasn't had time to pay attention to the Shen family's situation lately.

Every day, I plunge into the laboratory as soon as I open my eyes in the early morning, and I can only catch my breath late at night. All my energy is drained by the high-intensity work, so I have no time to pay attention to what farces are happening in the enemy camp.

In the midst of this somewhat somber atmosphere, a clear, youthful voice, as melodious as a bird's song in early spring, brimming with vitality, suddenly burst forth from behind them:
Hi! I'm here!

Everyone turned around at the sound and saw Su Ninglong, sporting her signature cute bun hairstyle, bouncing and skipping into view like a cheerful little deer.

Shen Zhaoming's eyes, which had been suppressing a hint of hostility due to the high pressure of the past few days, softened completely in an instant, like ice melting in the warm sun, radiating a genuine warmth.

He naturally opened his arms, bent down slightly, and steadily caught the little girl who was running towards him. With a little effort, he easily lifted her up and let her sit comfortably in his strong arms.

Somewhat surprisingly, despite Shen Zhaoming spending almost all his time in the laboratory, the arm that was supporting Su Ninglong appeared exceptionally strong and powerful, with the muscle lines subtly taut during the movement, clearly indicating that he had not neglected his daily basic physical training.

Sitting high up with a wide view, Su Ninglong immediately looked around curiously, her bright and mischievous eyes blinking as if they could speak.

She turned her little head around, seemingly unable to find her target, and finally couldn't help but speak, her voice tinged with doubt and inquiry: "Huh? Where's Yun Fei? Hasn't he arrived yet?"

"He's waiting for you at the school gate." Lei Qingya casually picked up Su Ninglong's signature Dingding Mouse backpack and weighed it in his hand. This time the backpack wasn't particularly heavy, but he wondered if there were any newly concocted sacred artifacts hidden inside.

She couldn't help but recall the giant sword-shaped holy artifact from last time, which was incredibly cool.

Qingya sighed inwardly. Her mental strength was far inferior to Su Ninglong's. Just trying to split her mind into two and control them was enough to give her a headache for half a day, let alone being able to easily control hundreds of sacred artifacts and perform precise operations like Su Ninglong. When would she be able to be like her?

"Free bodyguards are just like that...incompetent."

Hearing Su Ninglong's inward complaints, Xingyuan couldn't help but smile and teased, "You know you got it for free? Yun Fei is already a great philanthropist for taking the time to protect you; his hourly wage is at least 20,000."

"I will earn more per hour than him in the future, so he will definitely not lose out." This can be seen as Yun Fei's initial investment in her.

Shen Zhaoming didn't hold Su Ninglong for long; after a while, he gently put her back on the ground.

As soon as Su Ninglong's feet touched the ground, she sighed in an old-fashioned manner, as if lamenting, "Alas, I've finally grown up. The days of being carried around and being a carefree boss are getting further and further away."

Lazy Old Ancestor Su resignedly took out her hoverboard.

I sold my mechanical mount for star coins and exchanged them for five hoverboards. I made a profit.

It makes it convenient for people to enter and exit the school, and is especially suitable for Ge Wei who travels between the two places.

Xingyuan bid farewell to everyone at Xinghang Tower. He needed to return to the tavern and could not go to the bank with them.

Ms. Zou Shuyi had specifically summoned him for two important matters.

Firstly, she wanted to learn more about her goddaughter Su Ninglong's recent studies, life, and health. Although she is only a godmother, she has been in the role of a mother for several years and is always concerned about her daughter.

Secondly, because recently, many people have been contacting her through various channels, all asking about Su Ninglong's mysterious "Master Su".

This left Zou Shuyi utterly perplexed.

Faced with questions from others, she felt both embarrassed and helpless, unable to answer at all and could only give vague replies.

She had no idea who this "master" was; she had previously thought he was one of Su Ninglong's mentors.

As more people asked, she learned that "Master Su" could make sacred artifacts. Coupled with Su Ninglong's abnormal account transactions, Ms. Zou had no choice but to learn more about Master Su.

Considering that the identity of the "master" must involve sensitive information, it is obviously inappropriate to communicate online, as the risk is too great. It would be safest to have a detailed discussion with Xingyuan, who knows the inside story, in person.

In fact, Xingyuan had previously told him that all he knew was that Su Ninglong's skills came from her master, and he couldn't answer any more questions.

Since Ms. Zou has asked, she should at least provide a detailed account of their daily interactions with the fish-lipped robot.

On the other side, Yun Fei drove a hovercar, carrying Shen Zhaoming, Su Ninglong, and Lei Qingya to the main star region.

During the journey, Yun Fei glanced at Su Ninglong in the back seat through the rearview mirror and asked with a hint of invitation, "Little one, are you interested in going on a mission with me during this long holiday?"

"I'll consider it after I turn ten." Su Ninglong had a clear understanding of her current strength and felt that she was still a bit short of being ready for a mission.

Although she doesn't mind serving the Star Alliance in the future, right now, she believes her most important identity is that of a student who has only been in school for a year and needs more systematic learning and a more solid foundation of knowledge.

Yun Fei clicked his tongue. What a pity.

Their destination was the Star Merchant Bank, a state-owned bank directly controlled by the interstellar government, with an excellent reputation and branches throughout the interstellar region.

When Ziyue's maternal grandfather deposited his belongings, it was the second year after the completion and opening of this magnificent Xingshang Bank building, which has a strong historical feel.

Upon entering the bank's spacious and bright lobby, a virtual bank employee (artificial intelligence) with a dignified appearance, generated by holographic projection, greets you.

Su Ninglong revealed the physical key that symbolized the safe's access.

After a quick scan and identification by the virtual employee, it confirmed that she was there to withdraw her insurance policy and immediately arranged for a suited account manager to come and serve her through the internal system. The AI's service was impeccable, but the atmosphere was completely different when a human manager was on the scene.

His face clearly showed a hint of impatience. He glanced at the key in Su Ninglong's hand and subconsciously wanted to reach out and take it to examine it carefully.

"Wait!" Yun Fei reacted quickly, blocking the manager's outstretched hands with his arm. His voice was deep but carried an undeniable authority, "The insurance key is the exclusive property of the holder. You have no right to handle it."

The manager was stopped, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face. He glanced at Yun Fei, his tone deliberately questioning: "I haven't personally checked or verified it. How do I know if her key is for our bank's safe deposit box? What if it's fake?"

Yun Fei remained unyielding, stating clearly, "Since the customer has come in person with the correct insurance key and has already specified in the system which specific safe to open, does she still need to prove her identity? Please note that the type of safe is one that can be opened directly by the holder of the corresponding key! The authenticity of the key should be verified by the smart terminal specifically responsible for verification in front of the vault door. This is not within your scope of responsibility, much less your place as an ordinary bank employee."

He emphasized the common sense of interstellar society: in critical matters, the credibility and procedural fairness of artificial intelligence are often higher than those of humans, who are more easily influenced by emotions.

The bank manager's eyes flickered slightly, realizing that Yun Fei was quite familiar with the bank's procedures, probably a regular customer.

He subtly changed tactics, adopting a businesslike demeanor: "Well, it's like this. Your particular safe deposit box has a special agreement at the time of opening, requiring an adult to handle the withdrawal procedures."

Upon hearing this, Lei Qingya immediately let out an undisguised sneer.

She realized that the manager was trying to intimidate them with the so-called "rules," especially Su Ninglong, who looked the youngest.

Before coming, Su Ninglong had already anticipated that it would be difficult to take out Ziyue's grandfather's things, so she asked Lei Qingya to prepare a strategy.

Fortunately, before coming, Su Ninglong had anticipated that it might not be easy to retrieve the things that Ziyue's grandfather had stored, so she specifically instructed Lei Qingya to find out the relevant bank regulations and the difficulties they might encounter.

Lei Qingya, now brimming with confidence, stepped forward and questioned sarcastically, "As a full-time employee of Xing Shang Bank, is this all the business acumen you have? Are you a new intern, or did you get to this position through connections? Don't you even know the basic regulations? The bank's clear policy states that for these types of safe deposit boxes, the person holding the key, regardless of age, has the right to retrieve the items at any time within the last three days of the lease's expiration. Are you deliberately making things difficult for a customer?"

The manager's expression changed slightly as he was confronted by Lei Qingya's reasoned, pointed, and barbed words, and a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He glanced at his bracelet, clearly checking the time.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he put on a slightly embarrassed and apologetic expression: "I'm sorry, miss. My attitude was wrong just now. Actually, I didn't mean to make things difficult. It's just that our bank requires us to be extra careful with safes that involve inheritance. The process needs to be checked several times. Please understand."

Lei Qingya rolled her eyes without any politeness.

Caution? What a joke! If you were really being cautious, why didn't you even ask the most basic questions like "Are they a relative of the deceased?" and "Do they have authorization?"
All they did was try to make things difficult and shirk responsibility.

His attitude and questioning manner were enough to make customers seriously question the service quality of this bank that claims to have national credibility.

The manager quickly checked the location of the safe corresponding to Su Ninglong's key on the holographic control panel in front of him before turning to look at the small figure preparing to enter the vault. He asked routinely, "You can only enter the vault area for ten minutes at a time. Do you know the password to open the safe?" His gaze fell on Su Ninglong, with a hint of formulaic scrutiny.

“I have the password. I’ll be out in ten minutes.” Su Ninglong’s answer was concise and certain.

The manager immediately put on a professional fake smile and stepped aside to lead the way: "Okay, then please follow me this way."

The path to the bank vault is downwards.

The elevator descended smoothly and quickly, taking them deep underground.

The vault of Xingshang Bank is buried deep beneath the city's foundation, protected by special alloys and force field barriers. Its depth and high level of protection make it virtually immune to conventional technological detection and excavation methods, making it a veritable "vault within a vault".

Su Ninglong and Yun Fei stepped into the spacious elevator together, while Lei Qingya and Shen Zhaoming went to another vault.

The moment the elevator doors opened, a sleek, silver-gray robot in the corner, its head lens slightly lit, turned towards Suninglong and emitted a clear and polite synthesized electronic voice: "Dear customer, hello."

Su Ninglong was very curious and looked up to ask, "What use are you here?"

The robot smoothly responded: "I am a dedicated guardian robot for the vault. In the event of any unexpected emergencies in the vault area, my primary responsibility is to protect the lives of guests entering the area."

Its explanation highlights another side of deep vaults: although the security factor is extremely high, no environment can guarantee absolute zero risk.

Whether it's a sudden energy outage, unpredictable minor changes in crustal stress, or even a pipeline rupture leading to water seepage in extreme situations.

In the event of an accident, the built-in emergency system and powerful physical protection capabilities of this guard robot can intervene immediately, maximizing time to protect customer safety and increase the chances of survival.

The elevator ran smoothly and did not stop when it reached the second basement level. Instead, it turned a corner and began to move laterally, following a brightly lit alloy passageway straight into the interior of the vast vault.

Finally, it stopped precisely at the entrance to the area marked "Vault No. 1".

The futuristic, silver-white gate slid silently open to both sides, revealing a second gate behind it with a cold, hard metallic sheen.

Upon arriving at this point, Yun Fei and the manager, who were accompanying them, had no choice but to stop.

Su Ninglong stepped inside alone, and the silver-white door immediately closed silently, temporarily isolating her from the outside world.

A specialized vault robot, different in design from the one in the elevator and with more advanced functionality, was already waiting inside the door.

It glided smoothly to Su Ninglong, extended its sophisticated scanning arm, and quickly and comprehensively identified the key in Su Ninglong's hand.

"Key verification successful, access confirmed. Dear customer, please enter." The robot emitted a clear electronic voice, while stepping aside to make way.

The second gate opened, and as she looked up, she saw layers upon layers of densely packed, seemingly endless metal safes.

They are like silent soldiers, neatly arranged on the huge space wall that is tens of meters high and stretches as far as the eye can see. There are probably hundreds of thousands of them. How can we find the one that belongs to Ziyue's maternal grandfather?