Chapter 56
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Chapter 56: Synthetic Gene Segments
Ji Shu’s genetic medicine research institute is located in the jungle north of Di Qiu. Luo Yu, Zhu Huai, and Ying Zhao followed the navigation and arrived at this seemingly endless primeval forest. According to the instructions on the aircraft’s windshield, they spotted the institute from a distance; it was a flat-topped rock in the middle of the jungle.
At first glance, it looked like a small mountain among the trees, but as they approached, they realized it was actually a massive, standalone rock. The surrounding rock was bare, with only some vines creeping up from the jungle below, stopping short of reaching the top. The upper half of the rock showed signs of wind and sand erosion, and several ibex stood on the cliffs, licking the mineral salts on the rock face.
This giant stone stood quietly deep in the forest as if it had fallen from the sky, creating a unique natural landscape.
They soon reached directly above the flat-topped rock and saw some stone buildings that matched the rock’s color. To the right of the rock’s summit was a natural shallow pool, where the clear water revealed fish swimming inside. Some ground animals frolicked by the pond.
Before long, they landed on the helipad, where a hangar robot came forward to greet them and then moved their aircraft into the hangar. At that moment, a guiding robot approached, inviting them to follow it into the research institute.
Luo Yu had previously visited this place to ask Ji Shu for help with pharmaceuticals, while Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao were here for the first time. Thus, as soon as they got off the aircraft, they began looking around. The rock top platform was filled with colorful flowers and shrubs growing from the cracks, butterflies fluttering about, and little animals running around, creating a dazzling scene that felt like a genuine paradise.
They followed the guiding robot forward, and when they passed the shallow pool, a large lynx walked past them, accompanied by three young cubs. They quickly stopped to make way for the animals.
Coincidentally, one of the lynx cubs stumbled over a rock and fell onto Zhu Huai’s foot. She looked down at the little one, which was perhaps only a few days old and the size of her foot, covered in gray fur with some black spots.
Zhu Huai smiled, “This little guy looks like a tiny kitten; it’s so cute!”
She initially wanted to crouch down and pet the cub but quickly remembered the last time she had tried to pick up a baby monkey and had been swatted by its mother. So, she pulled her hand back, rubbed it against her pants, and glanced at the large lynx’s powerful paw, wondering if she received a slap from it, would her face swell up to twice its size?
The three of them looked down at the cub, too afraid to move. The adult lynx noticed that one cub had fallen behind and calmly walked over. It gently picked up the cub from Zhu Huai’s foot, cast a sharp glance at them, flicked its ears, and wiggled its thick, short tail as if to say hello before ambling away.
Once the lynx and its cubs had walked far enough, they turned back to continue following the guiding robot towards the research institute.
The construction of the genetic medicine research institute was made from the local materials, using the rock beneath their feet with no additional decoration. From a distance, it almost blended seamlessly with the large stone. As they approached, they saw a shimmering green laser barrier, the entrance to the research institute.
The three of them walked through the laser barrier into a spacious hall illuminated by hidden refractor lights that emitted a soft, warm glow.
They turned through two corridors and arrived at a large door. The guiding robot opened it, revealing an office lush with plants and flowers, carpeted with moss, and a faint smell of fresh grass wafted in.
Ji Shu sat at a long table, and next to her sat Ao Ci and Wanhua, who had arrived earlier.
Wanhua smiled and waved to them, “Come over and sit!”
They greeted Ao Ci and Ji Shu before joining Wanhua at her side. The serving robot approached with a drink menu.
Once they placed their orders, Wanhua eagerly asked about their experiences from yesterday’s visit to the discontinuity point, clearly having heard about it in advance.
They briefly recounted the events from the previous day; just as they finished describing the scenes they observed at the second discontinuity point, the office door opened again to reveal Mo Chuan and Ti Ran, along with several experts from the time investigation team.
Everyone greeted each other, seated themselves, and ordered drinks. Once the serving robot brought them their beverages, Ji Shu pressed a button on the table panel, dimming the lights slightly. A 3D display screen appeared in front of everyone, showing the last two pieces of footage sent back from the exploration team, from thirty thousand and twenty-seven thousand years ago.
These two segments of footage followed the patterns of civilization development from the past millennium, showcasing scenes of ancient agriculture and primitive tribes, as well as various strange beasts that appeared in the subsequent millennium.
After everyone finished watching the footage, they fell into silence for a moment. Ti Ran then updated them on the latest situation regarding the exploration team’s return that morning.
This exploration team had covered a distance of thirty thousand years through six time observation points. At each time period, they had to enter the atmosphere to conduct various observations and recordings.
Given the short amount of time in which they accomplished such a large amount of work, they needed ample rest after landing. Therefore, after the successful return of the time capsule, the time travel center took over data organization, allowing the team to go home and rest.
Ao Ci took a sip of water, “From the diverse information we’ve gathered so far, the cycle of human civilization being every ten thousand years is basically confirmed.” She looked towards Ji Shu, “Regarding the relationship between this cycle and evolution, as well as the prerequisites for the different outcomes at the cycle’s end, we should analyze these together by combining the latest developments from the genetic research institute.”
Ji Shu nodded, scanning the assembled group, then manipulated the display panel to bring up a 3D gene model. “I believe we should first reach a consensus that humans are not an indigenous species evolved on this planet.”
Luo Yu and her companions exchanged glances. In their world, the theory of evolution had been debunked decades ago, but discussions about the origin of life remained divided, with no coherent new theories emerging.
They had heard of a relatively popular viewpoint suggesting that humans were not native to the planet but rather introduced from outer space, which aligned with Ji Shu’s statement.
The three of them straightened up a bit, attentively listening as Ji Shu continued.
Seeing that no one raised an objection, Ji Shu pressed another button on her panel, breaking down the gene model in the projection according to time and space for demonstration. She continued, “I have conducted a more in-depth comparative analysis of our genes with those from thirty thousand years in the future, also referencing air analysis data from ten thousand and twenty thousand years ago to supplement the corresponding speculation models.”
As she spoke, the model in the center of the office lit up correspondingly. Ji Shu pointed to the human gene models from these four time periods and summarized the notable external differences. “From the data available, humans from the four time periods exhibit differing physiques. I believe this is resulting from variations in the oxygen content and density of the air, which, of course, also relates to gravity differences. Based on this data, each recurrence of civilization has involved some environmental adjustments specifically designed for evolution.”
Ying Zhao listened intently, clasping her hands and focusing her gaze on the gene models. From the information collected, it could be established that the cycle was indeed deliberately set, leading to the inference that a creator must also exist.
“But regardless of how the external environment changes, humans display distinct characteristics that set them apart from most primitive animals,” Ji Shu continued. “Firstly, in terms of posture, humans are the only species that walk upright on the ground, which is mismatched with environmental gravity, leading to a higher incidence of spinal diseases. Secondly, human skin lacks the thick fur protective layer seen in other terrestrial mammals, rendering it overly fragile compared to primitive animals. Lastly, in terms of childbirth, human infants develop at a much slower rate in the womb than primitive animals, resulting in a higher degree of dependency on their mothers post-birth.”
After making these points, Ji Shu discussed the additional genetic material and traits that humans possess compared to other species. She pinpointed two instances on the panel, bringing up models of the X chromosome. “After conducting a series of tracing experiments and various comparisons, I believe human genes were synthetically created before being introduced onto this planet. Most of the gene segments were extracted from the planet’s primitive animals, allowing us to adapt to the natural environment here.”
Wanhua listened, intrigued, and asked, “What percentage is ‘most’? From where did the additional gene segments originate?”
Ji Shu smiled at her, “Both of these questions are crucial. Based on current experiments, the gene segments from primitive animals account for ninety-seven percent of human genes, while the remaining three percent possess traits independent of this planet. I believe this portion originates from the creators of civilization cycles.”
“Creators?” Ying Zhao leaned forward.
“Yes, or we could temporarily refer to them as gods.” Ji Shu continued, pulling up two more chromosome models. “The gods extracted part of their genetic fragments and synthesized them with selected primate genes to create the initial humans with XX chromosomes. They then extracted the initial humans’ genes for further editing, resulting in the secondary beings with Xv chromosomes to assist reproduction.”
As she finished her explanation, everyone in the office fell silent, pondering her words. Luo Yu also lowered her head, reflecting on this. At first glance, her statements seemed absurd, but the more she thought about them, the more sense they made.
After a moment, Ao Ci slowly spoke up, “The setup of the ten-thousand-year cycle aligns with the decline period of the v chromosome. It appears that the mission of the secondary beings is to assist humans in completing periodic reproduction within each cycle until the decline period ends and the secondary beings fade away, leading the initial humans to the endpoint of the cycle.”
“I think the same,” Ji Shu replied. “The series of footage Ti Ran sent yesterday also supports my hypothesis.” She glanced at Luo Yu and her companions before looking at Ti Ran. “There are two possible outcomes for the endpoint of the cycle: one is confirmed as ascension, and the other currently seems to be a reset of the planet’s environment. These two different outcomes likely depend on whether humans can survive without reproductive assistance after the secondary beings exit.”
Ying Zhao had sensed this point vaguely before arriving. After hearing Ji Shu’s insights, she pondered for a moment before asking, “What kind of result do the creators ultimately seek in these successive cycles of civilization?”
Zhu Huai thoughtfully asked, “Are the creators conducting experiments on life propagation?”
Ji Shu smiled slightly, “From the dimension of the gods, there’s no need to create life through sexual reproduction methods.”
She paused, “Thus, I believe humans are actually a transitional form.”
Ji Shu surveyed the room, her expression turning serious. “This repeated cycle of civilization is to observe whether we can continually make the leap from animalistic nature to divinity amidst various harsh environments.”
