Chapter 39

Mark still had one way for verification.

That is, traversing the multiverse once again!

Mark tried to sense the temporal power within his body. From the feedback during the meal, it seemed that the power was already in a state of unsaturation.

But it was still far from reaching the point of "hunger."

So, traveling once again was completely feasible!

However, he couldn't do it here.

Because he couldn't determine the time flow speed between the two worlds.

If he were to stay there for a while and in the meantime, ten days, half a month, or even a year or more passed here, his secret would be exposed!

The safest method was to temporarily leave this base.

Coincidentally, he was confined here due to an accident.

Although theoretically, he needed to stay within this base, unable to go outside or return to the research institute, if he could have a proper communication with his mentor, Dr. Harper, perhaps he could ask for a relatively long leave.

Of course, some might wonder, why not just resign directly?

The answer was, of course, that resigning was not a good option.

Not to mention that Dr. Harper was his research supervisor, and this job at the research institute was directly related to his academic degree. Even some things closely related to him couldn't be separated from here.

The spider that bit him and the stone tablet with traces of artificial carving, they were all here in this base.

If he left here, he would never have the chance to come into contact with them again.

And he might lose the opportunity to discover the secrets within himself completely.

Thinking about it, he decided to act.

Mark took out his notebook and pen, and neatly wrote down the words "Application":

"I, Mark, an intern researcher, recently caused severe sample contamination due to improper operation. I hereby hope to temporarily leave the base for a period of one month. I request approval."

As an excellent and well-behaved student, he rarely had to write leave applications. It took Mark a while before he managed to write it decently.

After finishing it, Mark tore the page out and decided to give it to Dr. Harper when he returned from the research institute in the evening.

Mark was seventy percent sure that Dr. Harper would agree to his leave.

There were still five or six hours until Dr. Harper returned in the evening.

Except for a few specific devices, most of the equipment in this base couldn't be connected to the internet.

So during this time, Mark decided to rewatch all the Spider-Man movies downloaded on his hard drive.

With a playback speed of 1.5x, Mark's enhanced brain processing could easily keep up with the pace.

His thinking had become noticeably more agile than before.

In the afternoon, Mark finished watching Tobey Maguire's "Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man 3" and Andrew Garfield's "The Amazing Spider-Man 1."

After that, he closed the computer, opened the door, and waited for Dr. Harper to return.

Dr. Harper's room was diagonally opposite Mark's.

Despite Dr. Harper's high prestige and status as an elder figure in the domestic astronomy community, the older man was known for enduring hardships.

His living conditions weren't much better than Mark's, who was just an intern researcher.

At most, considering the climate here, they slightly improved the comfort for the elderly.

However, Mark had to wait for several more hours.

It was around 11 PM when Dr. Harper and a group of researchers returned to the accommodation area.

"This time, we are sure to make a major discovery!" said a middle-aged researcher.

"Yes, I can't believe the composition of the soil on Mars is so similar to Earth's! There might have truly been..." another researcher was speculating.

However, when they saw Mark standing at the door, everyone fell silent.

Dr. Harper glanced at Mark, gestured for the others to go back to their rooms, and then motioned for Mark to come in.

After entering Dr. Harper's room and closing the door, Mark handed over his application and leave request.

Dr. Harper took it, glanced at it a few times, then put it on the table with a voice that was old but firm, "Is this because of what happened?"

Mark shook his head, "I know you're doing this for my own good, but staying in the base during this period is too boring. I just wanted to go out and relax."

Mark's words sounded feeble, and Dr. Harper couldn't help but feel that his highly favored student was actually upset with him.

Due to Mark's outstanding performance and his proactive attitude, Dr. Harper had always held him in high regard.

For example, it was rare for leaders like Dr. Harper to accept graduate students.

Among Dr. Harper's students, besides Mark, who was in his twenties and pursuing a master's degree, the others were already in their thirties and had all obtained their Ph.D. degrees.

The bond between a mentor and a student is similar to that of a boss and an employee in the workplace.

Mentors hold the power to decide whether a student can graduate or not, so sometimes you may come across news where mentors ask their students to run errands, walk their dogs, or do other tasks.

However, in return, if you are outstanding enough, the mentor will naturally favor you.

From a perspective of benefits, if you have value and can create enough benefits for your mentor, there will be no conflicts of interest.

From an emotional standpoint, which would you prefer, a competent subordinate or a mediocre one?

Moreover, if the boss's enterprise is in a high-tech field, and the employees lack knowledge and skills, they won't be of much use. Why would they be hired?

Mark happened to be that "competent subordinate," and moreover, Dr. Harper saw him as a "promising subordinate."

He had always regarded Mark as his successor, valuing him even more than those disciples who had been with him for many years and were now independent and successful.

That's why he was extra tolerant.

Even when Mark accidentally broke the precious Mars soil sample, Dr. Harper personally suppressed the matter.

Two weeks of confinement was already a trivial consequence compared to the impact of that incident.

But Mark is now choosing to escape?

Dr. Harper's chest heaved with emotion.

Mark quickly supported him, helping him sit on the edge of the bed.

"Dr. Harper, please have some water."

Dr. Harper took the water cup and drank it all at once. He looked at Mark's obedient appearance and said with deep emotion, "Is this little setback enough to defeat you? Do you think I haven't gone through anything in my past? I've been dismissed and sent to the countryside to raise cattle, and I stayed there for over a year!"

Mark remained silent.

"Aren't you curious why my left hand is like this?" Dr. Harper raised his left hand, where the ring finger and thumb were both missing a part, "It was bitten off by a cow back then!"

Mark looked at Dr. Harper's maimed hand but still didn't say anything.

Dr. Harper's tone softened, and he spoke with a meaningful tone, "As researchers, not only should we have the spirit of seeking truth and knowledge in science, but we also must be perseverant ourselves. Only then can we go far on the path of research. Do you understand?"

°°°

A/N: Apologies for not being able to post yesterday. Some stuff came up so I had to deal with it. Give me your stones though.

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