No matter how much he was freaking out inside, he still had to do what needed to be done.
Tang Xiao didn’t rush to organize his paper. Instead, he glanced at his current character status page.
Affection Gained: 150 (Click to view details)
...Wait, he’d gained 150 Affection points?
Tang Xiao froze for a moment, then clicked to view the details. Besides the little monster’s Affection having risen to 50, Rocky’s had climbed back up to 40, and Feng Shuyun’s was at 30. There were also all sorts of names he’d never even heard of.
Why had all these people given him Affection?
Tang Xiao was a little confused, but no matter how he looked at it, these Affection points had arrived just in time to solve his urgent problem. He quickly added the subject experience he’d earned, raising Biology directly to Level 2.
Biology: Lv. 2 (0/10,000)
As expected, another zero had been added to the end.
Tang Xiao’s scalp prickled. Ten thousand Affection points? How was that even possible? One person could give a maximum of one hundred. Did he have to win over a hundred people to max it out? Oh, except the little monster counted for one point, while everyone else only counted for 0.5. So that meant two hundred people.
Was subject experience really that hard to earn in this game? What was he supposed to do later on? Or would there be other quests that rewarded subject experience?
Tang Xiao’s thoughts wandered aimlessly. After hesitating for a moment, he decided not to put any more points into Biology. Instead, he chose to maximize their value and put the remaining points into interdisciplinary subjects.
He had 2,000 subject experience and 1,500 Affection points, for a total of 3,500. After spending 800 on upgrades, he put the remaining 2,700 into Biology. He allocated his five free attribute points to Intelligence/Insight.
Once he’d finished allocating all his points, Tang Xiao’s character status page looked like this:
[Name: Tang Xiao
Gender: Male
Occupation: Full-fledged Researcher
Faction: the Third Eye
Strength: 40 (Untrained)
Agility: 45 (Slacker)
Constitution: 38 (Fragile)
Intelligence/Insight: 71 (Barely entered the ranks of geniuses)
Luck: 70 (Lucky)
Charm: 69 (Watch out for talent scouts when walking down the street)
Primary Discipline:
Biology: Lv. 2 (2,700/10,000)
Interdisciplinary Subjects:
Biochemistry: Lv. 1 (0/1,000)
Biophysics: Lv. 1 (0/1,000)
... (Locked)
Faction Reputation: Indifferent (+10)
Affection Gained: 0]
After he’d finished allocating his points, Tang Xiao suddenly felt as though more knowledge had appeared in his mind. It was as if he’d memorized all of it, the information deeply imprinted in his memory. Even things he’d struggled to understand before now seemed clear.
While the feeling lasted, Tang Xiao went back to organizing his paper. He imagined which parts the scholars might ask about and went over his presentation again and again in his mind. Before he knew it, time had slipped away.
In the blink of an eye, night fell. When the staff came to hurry him along, Tang Xiao reluctantly lifted his head from the sea of knowledge. He washed up, tidied himself, changed into formal clothes, and followed the staff toward the banquet venue.
As they passed the laboratory building, Tang Xiao hesitated for a moment before asking the staff member, “Where is 428 now? Can I go see it?”
The staff member looked troubled. “428 has been moved to a different location, and it’s currently in a cocoon.”
“That’s all right. I just want to see it.”
“We’d need authorization...” The staff member had barely finished speaking when they saw Tang Xiao call up Feng Shuyun’s number on his wristband. “All right. If we take a detour to see it, we’ll have to move a little faster. The banquet starts in half an hour.”
“All right. Lead the way.”
The staff member hadn’t been lying. 428 was a long way away, and the farther in they went, the more patrols they encountered. They had to scan their authorization at every checkpoint and pass through all kinds of strict inspections and disinfection procedures. They seemed to have reached the core area. Without the proper clearance, it really would have been difficult to see 428 now.
Tang Xiao had a pretty good idea of what was going on. It looked like 428 had succeeded. With security this tight, there was no way they intended to dispose of it.
His main quest was safe for now.
Feng Shuyun had given Tang Xiao temporary authorization to pass through the last door. As soon as he entered, his gaze was drawn to the cocoon in the middle of the laboratory.
They hadn’t been wrong. 428 really was “cocooning.” At first glance, it looked like an enormous red chrysalis. Its surface was smooth and glossy, so much like a gigantic pigeon-blood ruby that it could be mistaken for one. Inside, something seemed to flow like blood, obscuring the view. All he could make out was a vague human-shaped silhouette.
That strange throb surfaced in Tang Xiao’s chest again, tugging at his attention until he couldn’t stop staring at the cocoon. Just then, the unknown liquid inside shifted, and a vague human figure became faintly visible.
“Xiao Xiao...”
The voice rose and fell as it suddenly sounded beside his ear—deep and magnetic. He’d never heard it before, yet it felt inexplicably familiar.
“Researcher Tang.”
Tang Xiao abruptly came back to himself and turned to see the staff member looking worried. “Are you all right? We’ve been here for five minutes. We’ll run out of time if we don’t leave soon.”
Five minutes? But to Tang Xiao, it had felt like only a few seconds at most.
He checked the game clock and saw that five minutes really had passed. “Mm. Let’s go, then.”
Before leaving, Tang Xiao turned to look at the door as it slowly closed. Just as the gap was about to disappear completely, the shadow inside the cocoon seemed to turn toward him.
***
“Oh, there you are! I thought you’d gotten lost. You’re cutting it pretty close.” Feng Shuyun paced around backstage at the banquet. She wore a black, qipao-style evening gown, similar to the traditional dress of an Eastern country in the real world. She’d been waiting for ages, and at last a tall young man came hurrying over.
When he drew closer, Feng Shuyun’s eyes lit up.
After seeing nothing but the same white lab coats in the laboratory, it was rare to see Tang Xiao dressed in a suit. He wore a sharply tailored black suit with a matching shirt and trousers; only his tie was white. People said a suit was a man’s second face. Feng Shuyun had thought Tang Xiao was too young to pull it off, but it suited him remarkably well.
“If I weren’t already over fifty, I’d probably fall in love with you at first sight,” Feng Shuyun teased with a laugh. “I wonder how many notes from girls you’ll get after tonight’s banquet.”
“It’s not as exaggerated as you make it sound.” Tang Xiao couldn’t keep a straight face around this kind old woman. He’d also taken off his glasses and styled his half-length bangs in a slicked-back look, giving him an air of refined elegance untouched by the world. “If I’d been born twenty years earlier, I’d be too shy to talk to you right now.”
Tang Xiao’s compliment sent the woman, who was nearly fifty, into a fit of delighted laughter. “What a charming young gentleman. Oh, and here’s a copy of your paper. I’ve got it ready. They’re about to announce you outside.”
Tang Xiao fell silent for a long time. Seeing this, Feng Shuyun asked, “What’s wrong? If there’s a problem, tell me. We can figure it out together.”
“...Am I really good enough?” Tang Xiao asked hesitantly. “Do my achievements truly deserve this honor?”
When Tang Xiao had first woken up, Feng Shuyun had mentioned the banquet and awards ceremony, but he hadn’t felt much of anything. He’d treated them as rewards for completing a quest. But the game was so immersive and realistic, and from backstage he could faintly hear the scholars outside talking.
They were discussing him. They were discussing his paper.
The young man, who hadn’t even blushed when he’d shoved his paper into people’s hands at the conference venue, now couldn’t stop his face from reddening. He was excited, but also embarrassed. He might have written the paper, but his assessment of 428’s potential was based entirely on how well he knew 428 and on the “King of Fungi” from the main quest.
Besides, he felt he had nowhere near the research credentials to deserve this award.
Hearing him doubt himself, Feng Shuyun looked astonished. “Why would you think that?”
“I think I was just lucky.”
“Maybe. But many important discoveries in the history of science have come from coincidences upon coincidences,” Feng Shuyun said. “If a spore hadn’t happened to land in Fleming’s culture dish, and if it hadn’t been a subspecies with an exceptionally powerful antibacterial effect, who knows how much longer it would have taken to discover penicillin?”
“If Schwann hadn’t met Schleiden, cell theory would never have been established when it was.”
“Do you think they didn’t deserve their achievements?”
Tang Xiao froze. “Of course not.” How could his situation possibly compare to those two great scientists?
“Exactly. New discoveries are certainly important in science, but many theories begin with the most basic observations and deductions. What matters is whether you choose to seize an opportunity without hesitation when it comes along.”
“Now”—Feng Shuyun gave Tang Xiao’s shoulder a firm slap—“go show everyone what you discovered about 428.”
The slap was hard enough to make Tang Xiao stumble two steps. Clutching his paper, he followed the force at his back and took a deep breath. Guided by the staff, he slowly made his way toward the stage.
***
Meanwhile, at the banquet.
The banquet was much like one in the real world. Two long tables stood in the hall, laden with cold dishes. Servers in tailcoats moved back and forth through the crowd, bringing champagne to the guests.
One small difference from the real world was that not everyone attending wore formal clothes. Some dressed casually; there were shirts, lab coats, and all sorts of outfits. They chatted at ease with those around them about academic topics full of specialized terminology.
“Holy crap, there are so many big names here! Harriman and Anthony, who came up with the classification of exotic beasts—and damn, even Lance is here. Isn’t he in seclusion studying PH28 protein? I thought this was going to be another get-together for us rookies.” A newcomer looked around and couldn’t help shaking his glass, nearly spilling champagne all over himself.
“You don’t know? This incident was so huge that the whole Third Eye heard about it. And after the mandatory lockdown and all those checks for moles over the past few days, even the big shots must be sick of being cooped up.”
“There’s also a small discussion session before the banquet. I’m telling you, those big shots are definitely here for the presentation.” Someone else lowered their voice. “428 has been a hot topic in academia lately. All those big names doing frontline research will want to come see it.”
“I heard the person who discovered it is a newcomer like us. They’ve really skyrocketed to success...” The researcher sounded envious as he looked toward that group.
How had he managed to get so many big names to pay attention to him?
“Oh, Anthony! Even you made it. I thought you were still studying that newly discovered protein from the exotic beasts.” Harriman had just entered the venue when he spotted his old friend and waved hello.
“With something this big happening, of course I had to come see for myself,” Anthony said.
“Hey, Harriman, over here!”
“McClay! Even you’re here. Did you come for Dr. Feng’s research?”
“More or less. But besides that lady’s research findings, there’s something else I’m interested in.” The scruffy, bearded scholar looked around. “Where’s Bard? With an achievement this big, shouldn’t he be here?”
His tone was dripping with sarcasm. Everyone knew that Bard was the one person who wouldn’t show up at an event like this.
“He’s probably busy figuring out how to get his rank back,” Lance said, his expression strange, with a hint of schadenfreude. “A Level Five project, an oversized allocation of resources, over a year of research with nothing to show for it, and a cloud of suspected academic fraud hanging over him. Then, after the project was finally confirmed to have failed, a newcomer overturned his conclusions... If I were him, I’d be too ashamed to stay in academia.”
A few sharp-eared researchers around them exchanged knowing smiles.
This had indeed been the biggest piece of gossip within the Third Eye lately. Scholars who’d had past grudges against Bard had come rushing over to mock him, infuriating him so badly he’d practically been seeing red. In the end, he’d claimed to be ill and stopped showing his face.
In high spirits at seeing his nemesis take a hit, McClay continued, “I heard the Best Newcomer Award is going to be quite the spectacle this time. Quite a few scholars rejected his paper, didn’t they?”
At that, the researchers who’d just been laughing all lost their smiles.
Right. It had certainly been a slap in Bard’s face, but it seemed to have slapped them in the face, too.
“It couldn’t be helped. Bard was still a Level Five Scholar back then. Did you expect them to offend him for some newcomer whose background they didn’t know? Or would you have firmly supported the paper if you’d been in their shoes at the time?”
“Of course I would have. The paper speaks for itself.”
“Sure. That’s rich, coming from a biologist. You’ve got quite a thick skin!”
The big shots traded barbs among themselves, completely unaware that the host had already stepped onto the stage and the staff had brought over a whiteboard. After a few routine remarks, the host finally announced:
“Now, please welcome this year’s Best Newcomer Award recipient, Researcher Tang Xiao!”
Tang Xiao took a deep breath. He didn’t need the staff to guide him; he walked straight to the whiteboard and into everyone’s gaze.
The noisy venue gradually fell silent. No one had to enforce order. People simply quieted of their own accord, turning curious, jealous, hostile, or admiring gazes on the impossibly young scholar.
At an event where you could toss a brick and hit one or two top biologists, every person here would have been someone Tang Xiao could never have easily met in the real world.
Yet he, a player, a lucky guy, a rookie researcher who thought his head was empty and his only worthwhile skill was playing games, was now standing here as the most anticipated newcomer in research.
He had once handed his paper to every scholar who passed by the entrance. Now everyone had fallen silent, waiting for him to speak.
Rocky looked at the dazzling young man onstage and pressed his lips together softly.
He felt a little resentment, and perhaps a little regret.
But even stronger and more overwhelming was an emotion called admiration.
Perhaps it was because he’d seen Tang Xiao at his lowest and had also witnessed his rise with his own eyes.
“Thank you all for giving me this award. Please hear me out as I present a result with little theoretical depth, achieved through luck and coincidence.”
As soon as he began, Tang Xiao had expected to be nervous. Instead, the words flowed remarkably smoothly, as if he’d already said them countless times in previous loops.
No. He really had.
Someone below gave a quiet chuckle, thinking Tang Xiao was joking, never realizing he was serious.
“I’m sure you’ve all read my paper over the past few days. So I’ll skip the more tedious parts and focus on the changes in 428’s data afterward, leaving most of the time for questions.”
Tang Xiao knew his paper wasn’t complicated. Most people here had probably already studied it thoroughly. They were leading experts in their fields; there was no need for a rookie like him to explain any more than necessary. What had mainly drawn them here was 428, so he decided to get straight to the details about it that interested them most.
“It’s now essentially a fact that fungi possess intelligence. Still, most people instinctively treat 428 as an animal with a certain degree of intelligence. My observations suggest otherwise. 428 learns extremely quickly. To verify this, I designed a series of learning and cognition experiments...”
Even though he knew how much the Third Eye valued 428, Tang Xiao still carefully described the experiments he’d asked 428 to participate in for his paper and the results he’d observed. He also compared them with Bard’s earlier experimental data.
He didn’t know that at the back entrance to the venue, a man wearing a mask and sunglasses was standing there. Bard was still unwilling to give up, so he’d secretly come to the event without telling anyone.
Now he watched the spirited young man standing before the whiteboard, his expression deeply conflicted.
He was quite familiar with the data the other man was using, because it had come from his own laboratory’s experiments at the time.
Bard had spent a year failing to develop 428’s potential and had already given up, preparing to destroy the experimental subject. Instead, a newcomer’s persistence had turned the situation around.
Biological research could be strange that way. All biological experiments were black boxes; biologists had no idea what was happening inside and could only draw conclusions from what they saw on the surface.
Even with exactly the same experimental procedures, changing the time and place could produce completely different results, and there was nothing you could do about it.
All you could say was that it came down to timing and fate.
“...Based on my previous conclusions, we can infer that 428 selectively retained genes that would help it ‘survive.’ The acidic substance it secreted when escaping the laboratory, as well as the ‘vocal cord’ structure that appeared later, are both pieces of evidence. In addition, 428 showed what might be an ability to control fungi during this recent incident. So it’s reasonable to question whether there might have been other reasons for the earlier experimental failures. In short, I believe the project should be restarted.”
“That concludes my presentation. Does anyone have any questions?”
As soon as Tang Xiao finished speaking, someone in the audience eagerly raised a hand.
Everyone here was a big shot, but unfortunately, they were game characters, and Tang Xiao didn’t know a single one of them. He could only steel himself and call on an older man.
Harriman stood up. “May I ask, Dr. Tang... Researcher Tang?”
He still wasn’t used to the idea that someone here might not have a PhD.
“Your paper lists many possible reasons for the earlier experimental failures. One of them is that 428 deliberately withheld the genes humans wanted to see. In other words, it had been pretending all along, with the goal of fooling the laboratory’s security so it could escape.”
“Yes.” Tang Xiao was a little nervous. He’d been unlucky; he’d drawn such a perceptive big shot.
“To do that, wouldn’t the experimental subject’s intelligence have to be close to human?”
“That’s possible.”
Harriman nodded thoughtfully. “Here’s something I’m unsure about. As I recall, 428 has lived in the laboratory ever since it became conscious. The researchers deliberately kept it isolated, so it shouldn’t have been able to learn anything. It also underwent intelligence tests at regular intervals. Developing intelligence requires a certain environment. It’s hard to imagine it developing the intelligence to fool humans from a blank slate.”
“That’s a good question. As I said in my paper, deliberate concealment is only one of my guesses. But regarding the concern you raised, I disagree with that premise. I think we’ve subconsciously approached our research on 428 as though it were a solitary organism, when it’s actually a modular organism.”
Tang Xiao steeled himself as he answered. His usually reliable save-and-load trick seemed unlikely to work in this setting, because no one here could give him a “standard answer.”
In fact, no one had a standard answer. That was science: it had always meant traveling a road no one had walked before.
Fortunately, Tang Xiao had given the matter a great deal of thought while writing his paper. He’d even anticipated how these people might question him. He slowly gathered his thoughts. “So far, humans have developed intelligence through specific forms of training, including language. A stable neural pathway needs to develop during childhood; otherwise, learning to speak after that stage is very difficult.”
“But can we apply that theory in the same way to modular organisms?”
“After all, humans are born with a single brain and one set of organs, all in fixed positions. As we age, the overall distribution of our organs doesn’t change. But modular organisms are different. A fertilized egg first develops into a complete body structure, or a set of modules, and then develops more modules. Each module has a growing point, so it can also be viewed as a relatively independent ‘individual.’ Each module is a subsystem of the larger organism, and it is self-similar to the whole.”
“So is it possible that the neurons in a modular organism’s brain only develop later? Unlike humans, which need to learn through social interaction and gradually improve, perhaps 428’s intelligence could make a huge leap between time period A and time period B.”
“Or perhaps they have other ways of acquiring knowledge that are completely different from the learning process humans need.”
Tang Xiao paused, remembering to hedge his claim. “Of course, this is just my personal guess.”
The audience fell completely silent. Most of the scholars had fallen into thought, considering Tang Xiao’s somewhat novel yet highly reasonable argument.
Harriman pondered for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. “I have no further questions.”
Tang Xiao silently breathed a sigh of relief. “Then, does anyone else have a question?”
As soon as he finished speaking, another hand went up. Tang Xiao thought, Thank goodness I put all my remaining points into Biology...
Whenever someone asked a question, Tang Xiao could only steel himself and answer. These questions usually had no definitive answers, so even reloading wouldn’t help much. He had no way to tell whether his answers were any good.
But no one laughed or looked down on him. Most people seemed thoughtful. Maybe... he’d done all right?
The brainstorming session went on for who knew how long, until a staff member finally stepped forward to remind them, “We have the Best Achievement Award presentation next. Please keep an eye on the time.”
Tang Xiao came back to himself and realized his mouth was dry and his head was spinning. Since Dr. Feng was speaking next, he nodded to the staff member. “Let’s stop here for today. If you have any further questions, you can send them to my email, or we can discuss them in person later.”
“That concludes my presentation. 428’s potential and importance will have a major impact on the fate of humanity as a whole. I ask everyone to reconsider how it should be handled.”
As he spoke, he bowed to the audience. The moment he raised his head, a faint breeze stirred through the venue.
At first, there were only a few crisp claps. Gradually, they gathered like raindrops into a shower.
In the end, every scholar raised their head, whether they’d been thinking, taking notes, or discussing something with an old friend. They gave the newcomer to the research world their applause without reservation.
They’d gotten the answers they wanted. From Tang Xiao’s expansive way of thinking, his solid scientific knowledge, and his discussion of the paper from the basics to the deeper points, they could tell he truly was the paper’s author.
Whether it was the favor of the goddess of luck, an explosion of accumulated effort, or a flash of genius.
At least at this moment, he was like that spore that had landed in Fleming’s culture dish.
He had gently shifted the course of the biological world and human history.
Even if no one yet knew what kind of storm those ripples might stir up.
The system notification sounded at that moment.
[Congratulations on completing the personal achievement quest: Making Your Mark
Description: You’ve officially made your debut in the research world and left an impression on your peers. Your paper will temporarily become an important reference in a certain field of research. But in the world of research, you either advance or fall behind. If you don’t want to be forgotten, keep producing results.
Reward: Faction Reputation +50. Your standing has changed from Indifferent to Neutral. Free Attribute Points +5. One lottery draw.]