“You mean the phenomenon where Dark Matter fuses with my cells and causes changes?”
Lu Yao already knew about that.
Though when it was first discovered, the process had barely begun.
He didn’t know how far integration had progressed now.
“So you call your ability Dark Matter?”
Genus nodded.
“And yes. You’ve already noticed your body is continuously changing.”
At present, Lu Yao only knew about two major areas.
Bones.
And skin.
But the human body was complicated.
Lu Yao didn’t possess the internal vision abilities found in cultivation novels.
So he couldn’t easily tell exactly what had changed.
“The details are all here.”
Genus handed him the report.
“Most of it is just numbers.”
“At present, nearly every region of your body has fused with Dark Matter to varying degrees.”
“No abnormalities have appeared.”
“Overall, your physical ability has probably already reached the limit achievable through conventional training.”
He raised a finger.
“But that is not your true limit.”
“And you don’t need to obsess over improving through ordinary exercise.”
“Methods designed for normal humans don’t suit you.”
“At present, waiting is probably the best thing you can do.”
Lu Yao flipped through the report.
He understood very little.
He had studied some science and engineering concepts with Yumemi, but medicine and biology weren’t among them.
Genus watched him for a moment.
“Lu, do you know what a biological computer is?”
Lu Yao didn’t answer.
Genus explained anyway.
“You understand the concept of a computer, correct?”
“An electronic device capable of numerical calculation, logical processing, memory storage, and related functions.”
“But so long as those functions can be realized, the physical form of the machine is irrelevant.”
“If biological cells replace silicon to construct computational structures, you obtain a biological computer.”
Genus tapped his keyboard.
A conceptual diagram appeared on the screen.
“The technology began with the realization that DNA can represent states containing or lacking information.”
“That naturally resembles how computers operate.”
“At its core, a DNA molecule already behaves like a mathematical expression.”
“So using it to express information presents no fundamental problem.”
“More accurately, DNA itself resembles a computer.”
“It continuously receives and outputs genetic information.”
“The human body is simply one expression of that information.”
So far, his explanation remained easy enough to understand.
Genus didn’t intend to go deeper.
There was no need to waste time drowning Lu Yao in unnecessary detail.
He only needed to present the general direction and explain its functions.
In Genus’s view, this was one of the most suitable development routes for Lu Yao’s ability.
From his perspective, Lu Yao was basically a fascinating experimental subject.
“You can treat this merely as a suggestion.”
Genus continued.
“The material I’m giving you includes detailed academic work on the subject.”
“You could try integrating Dark Matter with your nervous system and forming a biological computer inside your brain.”
He smiled.
“With your level of control over Dark Matter, that shouldn’t be particularly difficult.”
“In theory, biological computers can surpass current electronic computers in energy efficiency, physical density, and computational speed.”
“Imagine it.”
“A supercomputer inside your brain.”
“How absurdly powerful would that be?”
The concept seemed to excite him.
“Everything in existence follows rules of motion.”
“Even humans who appear to possess independent consciousness are no exception.”
“If rules exist, prediction becomes possible.”
“If every relevant factor within the Solar System could be included in a sufficiently powerful simulation, predicting the future would be trivial.”
“Even restricting it to Earth, prediction accuracy could exceed ninety-nine percent.”
“With a sufficiently powerful biological computer, such a thing is possible.”
He paused.
“Furthermore, it functions as an intelligence amplifier.”
“It can store far more information than the human brain.”
“Knowledge.”
“Technology.”
“Aesthetics.”
“Art.”
“Music.”
“Whatever things humanity has created, you could absorb them all.”
He shrugged.
“You could call it super education.”
Lu Yao seriously considered Genus’s proposal.
It genuinely made sense.
If the human brain was already viewed as a kind of DNA computer—
Then what he needed now was simply an upgrade.
“Human evolution isn’t about becoming stronger or faster.”
Genus continued.
“Those are comparatively trivial.”
“What separated humanity from apes?”
“The freeing of the hands.”
“Tool use.”
“And—”
He pointed toward his head.
“Intelligence.”
“Genetically, humans and chimpanzees are more than ninety-eight percent similar.”
“But nobody thinks they’re the same species.”
“Lu, you possess the right to autonomous selective evolution.”
“That makes you a genuine example of the new humanity I once pursued.”
“Infinite intellectual evolution should be the optimal path.”
“Otherwise, you’re merely becoming a stronger barbarian.”
Genus almost wanted to point at Lu Yao and accuse him of wasting a divine gift.
But he couldn’t beat Lu Yao.
“Since other espers gain psychic abilities because their brains undergo structural changes, after finishing your biological computer you can also experiment with that.”
Genus pointed toward the approximate position of the pineal gland.
“The pineal gland has historically been called the third eye or heavenly eye.”
“I’ve never dissected an esper, but I suspect the emission and reception point of psychic power lies here.”
“If not precisely there, then close.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
He sighed.
“That’s also why I think using innate gifts merely for destruction is idiotic.”
“There are so many more interesting applications.”
Lu Yao didn’t share Genus’s resentment toward espers who failed to develop their abilities properly.
But he accepted the suggestion.
“Thanks.”
“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I might never have noticed this direction.”
“Given the current behavior of your Dark Matter, it probably would’ve happened naturally eventually.”
Genus shrugged.
“But forcing the brain to evolve first would benefit everything that follows.”
“Because the brain manages most bodily functions?”
“Not only that.”
Genus shook his head.
“As I said before, DNA itself already possesses computer-like properties.”
“Genetic information is the output.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“Suppose your conscious mind could directly control that input and output.”
“What do you think would happen?”
“I see.”
Lu Yao understood immediately.
“That’s why you called it autonomous selective evolution.”
“Exactly.”
“Merely fusing Dark Matter with your cells shouldn’t technically be called evolution.”
“That’s self-modification.”
“Your genome doesn’t record the result, so each modified cell is a one-time product.”
“But if you gain conscious control over the process, then you can rewrite the information itself.”
“That qualifies as evolution.”
Genus held up a hand.
“Of course, your current brain could never perform the enormous amount of calculation and precision control required.”
“That’s why you first need the appropriate hardware.”
“I understand.”
“The human genome contains roughly several billion base pairs and tens of thousands of genes.”
Genus crossed his arms.
“Control over expression would mean you could input far more genetic information into your DNA.”
“You may already possess some ability to do this.”
“But using it carelessly would be extremely dangerous.”
“You could become a monster instantly.”
“Worst-case scenario, your genetic chains might collapse and cause complete biological disintegration.”
He smiled faintly.
“But with a machine capable of decoding that information, everything becomes considerably easier.”
Imagine it—
The ability to freely control gene expression.
There would no longer be any need to remain trapped in a fixed biological form.
One organism could adapt to almost any environment.
“Let’s call this project the Gene Lock.”
Genus placed a flash drive in Lu Yao’s palm.
“What you do from here is up to you.”
“If you need help, call me.”
The flash drive contained all the research Genus had organized for him.
Then Genus turned away to pack his own belongings.
Lu Yao put away the drive.
He didn’t remain any longer.
This trip had produced an enormous harvest.