That person was Beau Milton, the visiting professor in City University's engineering department. Sienna had heard from Mr. Brown that Professor Milton was initially hired on a temporary contract, but his exceptional achievements led to continuous extensions over the years.
He was also notable for another identity - being Edward Milton's uncle. Sienna speculated that Edward's audacity to behave tyrannically on campus stemmed from the understanding that his uncle's influence shielded him from repercussions. Intermediate professors and teachers might feel compelled to curry favor with him just to gain proximity to Professor Milton.
In a way, Sienna couldn't help but feel that her own uncle, Mr. Brown, never garnered such respect and widespread recognition. Despite holding the title of Vice Principal, his authority was limited as all decisions had to be reported to the Principal. Moreover, his position was entirely replaceable, unlike Professor Milton, whose unparalleled skills set him apart from others.
But at this very moment, the problem that remained was - how could they negotiate with someone of his stature? The No.1 Lab was open to everyone with a reservation, and Professor Milton had every right to be there.
As they remained silent, Professor Milton swung the door open wide himself. He had been bent over, peering through the crack, and when he straightened up, his towering height was striking, easily surpassing Brandon's by at least half a head.
Possibly taken aback by Professor Milton's sudden appearance and the peculiar way his eyes darted back and forth, Sienna lowered her head and spoke in a softened voice, "Sorry to interrupt, Professor Milton, we... we are leaving."
"Hang... on," Professor Milton suddenly interjected, his voice carrying a hint of hoarseness reminiscent of someone who had undergone throat surgery or was a heavy smoker.
"Huh?" Sienna instinctively uttered the sound, looking up at Professor Milton. It was the first time she had locked eyes with him directly. She noticed a healed scar running across his forehead, quite prominent and likely deep. However, due to the small pupils and the large amount of white in his eyes, she wasn't entirely certain if he was addressing her.
"A minute, and you can have it," Professor Milton said, throwing a quick glance at the silent Brandon before shutting the door again.
"Well..." Sienna offered Brandon an embarrassed smile, "That's Professor Milton. He's..."
"I know who he is," Brandon interrupted flatly, his gaze still fixed on the door that Milton had closed. Sienna couldn't help but notice that his eyes seemed several degrees colder.
She was about to inquire further about the situation when the door opened again, and Milton emerged with a sizable suitcase, striding away. However, as Milton passed by Brandon, he suddenly halted and cast a perplexing look at him, which Brandon reciprocated with coldness before they went their separate ways.
Observing this interaction, Sienna became even more convinced that there was an unspoken animosity between these two individuals.
They entered the lab in silence, retrieving the robot model and setting it on the table. Sienna stole glances at Brandon, who wore a solemn expression, his mind appearing burdened.
As he unpacked the tool case and donned gloves, Sienna spoke softly, "If you're not feeling up to it, we can discuss this later."
Brandon paused, seemingly contemplating for a brief moment, before continuing, "I am in the right state."
"Are you sure?" Sienna inquired.
Brandon took a deep breath, locking eyes with Sienna in a gaze so intense that she had to avert her gaze to avoid unsettling herself.
Then he said, "He stole Jason's achievement and claimed it as his own."
"Professor Jason Marks?" Sienna exclaimed in disbelief. "When? What?"
"It's a long story," Brandon began, "and one I haven't unraveled yet."
"Is that why you don't like him?" Sienna pressed.
"Most likely," Brandon replied softly, "but there may be other reasons."
"Oh, like what?" Sienna inquired curiously.
Brandon seemed about to say something but ultimately held back. "Personal magnetic field, perhaps."
Sienna couldn't help but chuckle. "You even study that? I never believed there's such a thing between people. You either like or dislike someone because of their characteristics, not because of some magical feelings. Especially when it comes to physics theory, it doesn't make sense."
Brandon regarded her with interest. "So, you don't believe there's any physics connection between people?"
"Not that I'm aware of, and not something I'd like to believe," Sienna grinned. "It all depends on interpersonal relationships. Close people can become closer no matter what, and the opposite works as well."
Hearing that, Brandon shot a glance at his insulation gloves, which Sienna noticed. "Ha, why are you wearing insulation gloves? Trying to keep our contradictory magnetic fields away from each other? Haha!" she exclaimed, amused.
"Yes, that's exactly it," Brandon thought inwardly, though outwardly he adopted an air of arrogance. "In case your so-called new idea gives me an electric shock."
"Then I should put on a pair as well, just in case your solution causes an electrical leak!" Sienna countered defensively, bending down to search for another pair of insulation gloves.
"If you're so confident your idea is brilliant, why waste time stalling the demonstration?" Brandon interrupted, putting forward the request. He wore the gloves, because he was not planning to lose any more battery. Was there any use for Sienna to get a pair? She didn't seem like she would touch him physically anyway.
"Bah, what are you thinking," Brandon chastised himself, "she even messed up your breakfast! How could she even offer to get any closer?"
"So, what do you think, Mr. Computer Genius?" Sienna suddenly asked.
"What?" Brandon had just snapped back to attention, sounding confused.
"Good, you weren't listening," Sienna snapped ironically.
"I was..."
"There," Sienna pointed at a small, new button-sized chip on the robot placed upside down, explaining once again, "It's a function I think I can add to our model. The auto-charging chip.
Brandon remained silent as Sienna continued, "I've delved into the archives of past robot contests, and it seems that one of the most common issues, according to the statistics, is that the models exhaust their power prematurely, preventing them from performing their best acts on time. Unfortunately, the rules stipulate that there's only one chance for performance, and the robot can't return to the stage even after being charged. So, in case that happens to us, I suggest installing an auto-charging chip into the model."
Brandon remained silent, not because he lacked comments, but because he had too many thoughts swirling in his mind. He found himself caught in a cluster of mixed emotions—amazement, curiosity, and interest.
Amazement, because Sienna had conceived this idea within such a short time.
Curiosity, because he wondered what had prompted her to have this idea and why he himself had never had thought of this?
Interest, because he couldn't help but wonder if this chip could work for himself, as his chip-heart had lost some battery.
So he eventually spoke, his voice vibrating with slight excitement, "How did you come up with this idea?"
"Well," Sienna replied with a half-smile and a hint of amusement, "I was inspired by the meter from yesterday. I'm sure you've studied why it can overcharge you so much? It must have a device inside that repeats the unit recording multiple times, causing the total amount to accumulate much more than necessary."
"That's why I never thought of this," Brandon mused inwardly. He had been too preoccupied with collecting evidence of hustling to understand how the hustling actually worked.
"Do you think it can work on the robot?" Brandon asked.
"It can only work on steel and iron that have electric and power currents, like robot models, batteries, and so on," Sienna replied cheerfully. "And interestingly, as I make the measurements to decide where to put the chip so it can work to its maximum strength, guess what..."
"The position of the heart," Brandon replied flatly.
"Exactly!" Sienna exclaimed. "You really get it well. Thank goodness I'm not working with some incomprehensible idiot."
"What did you just call me?" Brandon arched his eyebrow.
"Mr. Computer Genius?" Sienna forced an awkward grin, revealing two rows of teeth with some food residue still stuck between them. Brandon found it amusing and chuckled a little, which quickly turned into a throat-clearing.
But when he set his eyes on this chip, he couldn't help but conjure up a fantastical image: using this chip to keep charging himself, ensuring he never had to worry about running out of battery. Essentially, it meant he never had to worry about getting physical with Serena...
"Damn!" Sienna abruptly let out a heavy exclamation, drawing Brandon's attention back to her. Sensing its impropriety, she quickly covered her mouth and apologized, "Sorry, just a text Joe sent me. We've lost our target again."
"Target?" Brandon inquired.
"Yeah," Sienna hesitated for a moment, debating whether she should divulge the details to Brandon. However, recalling how Brandon had shared about Milton and Marks, she decided it was only fair to share some information with him.
"We're investigating Allan Batman and his love interest. We had a source who said he was meeting that girl at the pavilion this morning for breakfast delivery, but we lost track of them due to a distraction."
"You were investigating Allan Batman this morning, with Joe Sullivan?" Brandon asked incredulously.
"Yeah, oh, don't tell anyone about this," Sienna said seriously. "It's our top secret now!"
Brandon felt incredulous. So, the text Sienna sent him this morning about being late for the exam was just a false excuse? In reality, she was on a task with Sullivan? And there was a distraction at the pavilion?
What else was the distraction besides him, then?