Chapter 36

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Chapter 36: The Stars in the Sky Rotate

"Of course, you should see whose ancestor it is…"

Before Zhu Huai could finish her sentence, they heard Wanhua calling from ahead, “What are you three still dawdling for? Let’s go!”

The three quickly picked up their pace, following Mo Chuan and Wanhua up the elevator to the main hall, returning to the demonstration room they had just left.

Everyone was still sitting inside, waiting for them. Wanhua, walking ahead, didn’t hesitate at all. She went straight up to the old expert and Ao Ci to greet them, and was introduced to everyone by the old expert.

It turned out that Wanhua came to visit this time because the old expert was a long-time acquaintance of her ancestor. During a family gathering last year, seeing how interested Wanhua was in biology and genetic research, despite her young age, the expert specially invited her to join the ten-year-old student group this year.

The student group had visited several research institutions, and besides the Genetic Research Institute, Wanhua would also go to the geological monitoring station on the other side of the mountain tomorrow.

The activities of the student group would end the next day, but since Wanhua had traveled all the way from the distant West Continent, she hoped to visit a few more places. The old expert had also contacted her family to let them know. After participating in the activities at Qingqiu Mountain, she would go with Ao Ci to Di Qiu and then visit the Biological Research Station.

Ao Ci had initially not thought much of this arrangement despite agreeing to the old expert out of old friendship, but after meeting Wanhua today, she found her demeanor open and confident, with an intelligent look on her face. She immediately liked her, beckoning her over to sit next to her and calling a robot to bring her some snacks and drinks.

Luo Yu and the other two also sat down beside Ti Ran, listening as the old expert talked about the origins of genetic science and some application scenarios. These topics were not areas they encountered in their daily work lives, and even someone like Ying Zhao, who absorbed knowledge from various fields, didn’t know much about genetic science. With the old expert’s concise and clear explanations, all three of them and the others in the room listened with great interest.

From the discovery of human genes to the classification of all genes, he continued discussing gene retrieval. Wanhua displayed her impressive talent; not only was she attentive, but she also asked thoughtful questions, earning several compliments from the old expert.

Zhu Huai sat nearby, feeling proud of her ancestor, reflecting a look of “I am proud of my ancestor.”

The discussion continued until they talked about the mitochondrial tracing model they had seen today and the two test subjects that couldn’t match with this world. Wanhua furrowed her brow and thought for a moment, saying, “Only the main genes are inherited; the associated genes should have existed in certain periods to facilitate the main reproductive process, which is why they appear phase by phase.”

Once she spoke, everyone in the demonstration room fell silent. They were astonished that such a young girl could offer such insightful analysis, and her statement opened a new line of thought for the geneticists present.

“This is indeed a direction worth studying. Wanhua, you are truly impressive.” Ji Shu praised her sincerely.

Wanhua graciously accepted the compliment, “Thank you, Professor. I think I’m quite impressive, too.”

The group continued to discuss this topic in a lighthearted manner. Ji Shu expressed that she would conduct further research following this line of thought. Seeing that it was getting late, everyone left the demonstration room together.

At this time, it was the afternoon relaxation hour, and most researchers at the institute had finished their work for the day, while a small number of those who preferred to work in the evening had yet to arrive.

Thus, as they walked out from the demonstration room, the entire research institute was quiet.

The leader of the student group sent a robot from the camp to pick up Wanhua, who was waiting for her in the lobby on the first floor of the research institute.

Everyone accompanied them as they exited the research institute. Seeing Wanhua and the robot head toward the campsite, they exchanged a few words at the entrance. Ao Ci informed everyone to take some time to rest before dinner later.

Then Mo Chuan and Ti Ran led Luo Yu and the others to their cave villa at Qingqiu Mountain. Just like the day before at the visitor center, Mo Chuan requested five rooms at the front desk of the cave villa, and after obtaining the accommodation permissions, they all went to the long corridor of the cave villa.

“These past few days have been quite busy; let’s all take a break. Tonight, we’ll have dinner at the mountaintop,” Ti Ran said with a smile outside their doors, “From there, you can see the Milky Way, and according to the astronomical observation station, there will also be a meteor shower tonight.”

After they returned to their rooms, Luo Yu first washed her face in the bathroom and changed into the provided loungewear, then wandered around the cave villa.

This place was a cool underground cave they reached after going down two long flights of stairs after leaving the research institute. The deeper they went, the cooler it became, a truly lovely place that was warm in winter and cool in summer.

Although this cave villa was built underground, it was not completely closed off; there were skylights in each room, allowing them to see the outside scenery.

Luo Yu casually strolled around the room and sat down on a lounge chair. Leaning back, she gazed up at the blue sky and white clouds outside the skylight, watching the occasional birds fly by along with the branches and leaves of the bushes swaying gently in the breeze. Some branches even had small flowers blooming, creating a serene summer scene combined with the beauty of the sky.

Having spent enough time here, the three of them gradually adapted to the style of life, efficiently completing tasks when it was time to work and fully enjoying their leisure time afterward. So now, leaning back, she no longer repeatedly thought about the return journey, which could cause anxiety, but focused instead on enjoying the beautiful scenery before her.

While Luo Yu and Ying Zhao were peacefully resting in their respective rooms, Zhu Huai in the adjacent room did not lie down but paced under the skylight, reciting all she had learned throughout her life. The reason was that she felt she hadn’t performed well when meeting Wanhua today, leaving her a bit dissatisfied. Therefore, she prepared to impress her ancestor from thirty thousand years ago during tonight’s dinner.

As night gradually fell, robots came to softly knock on their doors, inviting them to the mountaintop restaurant.

When Luo Yu stepped out of her room, Mo Chuan and Ti Ran were already waiting outside, and Ying Zhao had just come out as well. They knocked on Zhu Huai’s door and called her out, then exited the cave villa and boarded the aircraft parked in front to ascend to the mountain peak of Qingqiu Mountain.

The group from the demonstration room had also arrived one after another, and when the robots led them to their seats, Wanhua’s place was notably missing from the seating arrangement.

It turned out that tonight the student group had arranged a music party by the spring at the foot of the mountain, and Wanhua was one of the musicians who would play with her classmates, so she couldn’t come over.

Zhu Huai felt very disappointed upon hearing this; after preparing all afternoon, she sat down and sipped her appetizer drink gloomily.

The restaurant at the mountain peak was a fully transparent dome made of the same soft glass material as the large windows of the cave villa. It filtered the wind and was breathable, without affecting the view of the stars.

Not long after they were seated, Ao Ci and the old expert arrived at the mountaintop by aircraft, and everyone went to the door to welcome them.

Once everyone had arrived and taken their seats along the long table, they began to chat about the recent weather at Qingqiu Mountain. After a while, the restaurant’s service system notified them that the dishes were about to be served.

The surrounding lights dimmed slightly, and the dishes that everyone had ordered rose from beneath the table to each person’s front, starting with the appetizer.

As they leisurely enjoyed the various courses, the starlight overhead started to shine brighter and brighter, and by the time they reached the dessert course, the Milky Way also appeared above them.

Luo Yu raised her glass and looked up at the starry sky. She had seen similar scenery in the time capsule before, at that time feeling incredibly small, but now, seeing it from the ground, she felt that even the planet beneath her feet had become immensely insignificant.

“So, where is the farthest place you’ve ever been?” Ying Zhao, sitting next to Luo Yu, had been chatting with Ti Ran about the world’s exploration of the universe.

“We once dispatched an unmanned fleet to 10,000 light-years away because we wanted to see what lies beyond the universe,” Ti Ran replied, taking a sip of her drink and gazing at the night sky. “Our space technology here has been developing for about three hundred years. That fleet sends back a set of signals every ten years, including the star systems they observe and other planets that might harbor life. However, from all the information received so far, the universe is even more desolate than we imagined. Besides us, no other carbon-based life forms have been discovered.”

“That’s terrifying,” Ying Zhao said, setting her cup down. “If a body of water only has one type of fish, it can only mean that…”

“It means we live in a fishbowl that is being observed,” Ao Ci added from across the long table, “and we ‘fish’ could very well be ‘artificial.’”

After saying this, Ao Ci gazed up at the sky. “Human genes have many illogical aspects compared to the genes of other species discovered in this world. This is also one of the main research topics currently being collaborated on between our Biological Research Station and the Genetic Research Institute.”

The old expert sitting next to Ao Ci raised his glass to clink with hers, then pointed to Luo Yu and her friends, smiling, “I believe that the arrival of these visitors from external time-space will help us unravel many unknown mysteries.”

Luo Yu turned to exchange glances with Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao. “We hope so too, but it seems that the mysteries are only increasing now.”

The old expert took a sip of his drink, set his cup down, and looked at Ji Shu sitting beside him with a smile, “The moments when confusion increases often bring us closest to the truth.”

As soon as he finished speaking, countless stars suddenly twinkled in the night sky, and hundreds of meteors streaked across above them. Meanwhile, the edges of the Milky Way started to display colorful glows, turning into a dazzling star mist.

Everyone sat quietly in the restaurant, watching this grand cosmic display, and after chatting lightly about the plans for the next day, they eventually stood up and dispersed as the night grew late.

Luo Yu and her friends followed Mo Chuan and Ti Ran back to the cave villa where they had rested in the afternoon. Tonight was the second night since they had left Di Qiu, and they would return to Di Qiu tomorrow afternoon. The communication time they had arranged with Zhu Long was set for the day after tomorrow.

Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao didn’t rush back to their rooms to rest; instead, they came to Luo Yu’s suite, and the three of them sat in the lounge under the starry sky visible through the skylight.

“Day after tomorrow, we will be waiting for news from Zhu Long, and then contacting the space station. Are you ready?” Zhu Huai asked Luo Yu seriously.

Contacting the space station meant officially reporting the status of Shan Hai Jing to the Bureau. If they later wanted to change their mind and stay, it would become more troublesome.

Luo Yu showed no hesitation, “There’s nothing to hesitate about. I’m always ready to return.” After she spoke, she looked at the two of them, “As for you two, don’t worry. I will report the decrease in personnel to Zhu Long. Since she has a way for me to go back, she will surely find a way to cover up your situations as well.”

Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao exchanged glances. Ying Zhao added, “What exactly happened at the Bureau, we still don’t know. Though Zhu Long wouldn’t harm you, she might not tell us the whole story in detail. So let’s wait and see how things go the day after tomorrow; before everything is clear, we shouldn’t rashly request to return.”

“Okay, I understand.” Luo Yu lowered her eyes in thought, “I’m not worried about Zhu Long. What she mentioned will definitely be taken care of, and besides, we have Hu Jiao with us. I will clarify the recent happenings at the Bureau with her before I return.”

“Ha—choo!”

At that moment, Hu Jiao was perched on the edge of a high-rise building, suddenly sneezing. “Who’s whispering about me behind my back?”

After muttering, she rubbed her nose with her hand and then glanced at the bottomless abyss beneath her. Although it was a summer night, she felt a chill creeping down her back. Thinking about her task for the night, she sighed softly, “Zhu Long, you truly are a tough person.”