Chapter 147 – Fire Seed (17)
◎ The little dog at home is upset ◎
Grandpa’s photo?
Song Ke shook her head honestly, “No.”
“Not a single one?” Zhuang Qingyan was slightly surprised.
Song Ke counted on her fingers, “Grandpa doesn’t take photos, doesn’t play ‘Vu Le Gè,’ and doesn’t have a phone.” As for terminals? There’s no such thing in District F.
Zhuang Qingyan cleared his throat and couldn’t help but correct her pronunciation: “v—l—o—g.”
Song Ke pouted, “Oh.” She learned the Alliance language late, and it’s not her fault if she doesn’t speak well.
Zhuang Qingyan continued, “Do you still remember what your grandpa looks like?”
Song Ke nodded, “Of course.”
“Then you describe, and I’ll draw.” Zhuang Qingyan took a pen, crossed his long legs and leaned against the window, starting to sketch.
“Grandpa and Old Fang are about the same height, round forehead, a nose that is straight at the top and a little curved at the bottom… here and here, there are wrinkles, and he has little hair,” Song Ke tried to describe in simple words, “He likes to wear hats, his health is not good, always coughing.”
After more than ten minutes, Zhuang Qingyan put down the pen and turned the screen to Song Ke, “Take a look, does it look similar?”
“Um!” Song Ke gave him a thumbs up, “Very much!”
Zhuang Qingyan looked helpless, “Is it really similar or not? I’m not seeking praise from you; I want the truth.”
“Really like,” Song Ke said confidently.
Getting the answer, Zhuang Qingyan’s brow slowly furrowed, and he looked down at the sketch on the screen.
According to Song Ke’s description, what he drew was a sickly old man, with tired eyes, slightly hunched back, looking around seventy years old, but far less spirited than ninety-year-old Ye Zheng.
“Song Keke,” Zhuang Qingyan sat down close to her, and the screen was switched to projection mode, “Did you have a serious illness when you were a child? Have you been to the hospital?”
“I don’t get sick.” Song Ke shook her head; her body was very strong, and she rarely had even a cold or fever.
“You see, this is your genetic report. I’ve marked several DNA deletions with nitrogen-containing bases, peptide chain fragments with breaks and losses, significantly affecting both copies. Currently, we don’t rule out the possibility of meiosis or translocation, but this unknown sequence is different…”
Song Ke, listening, began to stare blankly, pulling a cereal bar from her pocket and mechanically stuffing it into her mouth.
“Crunch—” The crisp sound of chewing interrupted Zhuang Qingyan’s analysis.
He abruptly turned his head, meeting Song Ke’s puffed-up cheeks.
The two stared at each other for a second. Song Ke desperately swallowed, like an unlucky student caught daydreaming in class, honestly saying, “Sorry, I don’t understand.”
Zhuang Qingyan: “No, it’s my fault.”
He immediately changed his approach, tailoring his words to her: “In short, there are some issues with your genetic composition. I suspect…”
—I suspect your grandfather may have had you undergo genetic modification.
He couldn’t bring himself to say this sentence. Song Ke was an orphan, dependent on her grandfather from childhood to adulthood. She had only one relative, so saying such a thing was like stabbing a knife into her heart.
Zhuang Qingyan raised his palm, paused on Song Ke’s cheek for two seconds, and finally patted her head. “Genetic problems are like hidden thunder. Just because it hasn’t erupted in your past nineteen years doesn’t mean you can safely pass in the future. Shall we investigate it thoroughly? Don’t worry, there won’t be any more radiation tests like today. I’ll accompany you for every future checkup.”
It would take a few more days to rebuild Ning Rong’s laboratory. The research and equipment foundations there were top-notch in District B. The only concern was his deal with He Qiuhong and the possibility of leaks. However, he could use other chips to exchange for it.
For Song Ke’s subsequent examinations, he must personally handle them, controlling every step of the process.
Zhuang Qingyan’s handsome profile sank into contemplation. The character “川” on his brow remained tight for a long time. Song Ke extended a finger, slowly helping him smooth it out.
Although she didn’t feel she had any “genetic defects,” she still nodded, “Okay.”
…
In the next room, Lin Youyou was searching for information about “Ning Rong” on the Star Network.
Indeed, the terminal privileges in District B were high. With just a refresh, densely packed pages popped up.
Lin Youyou flipped through two pages and then exclaimed unbelievably, “This Ning Rong is actually a renowned genetic engineer, on par with Vincent, and officially joined the Qinglan Research Institute in the year 19 of the New Calendar.”
She pulled out the light screen, lightly tapping it twice, and said, “Hey, Lin Xiu, come out quickly.”
A holographic projection flashed, and Lin Xiu, wrapped in a blanket, sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily and murmuring, “Why are you calling me? I stayed up late watching dramas yesterday, so tired.”
“Don’t joke. You, an AI, can get tired?” Lin Youyou suddenly found it amusing.
“I call this simulated sleep, creating an atmosphere, you understand or not!” Lin Xiu immediately retorted.
“I don’t understand, I don’t understand,” Lin Youyou rolled her eyes, gossipingly asking, “Hey, do you know Ning Rong?”
“Dr. Ning? I’ve heard of him but haven’t met him. What’s up?”
“He seems to know Zhuang Qingyan.” Lin Youyou revealed an intrigued expression.
“The Zhuang Qingyan you’re talking about, Vincent or Brother Yan?” Lin Xiu squinted at her sister.
“Uh…” Lin Youyou stuttered for a moment. She still hadn’t figured out the relationship between these two people.
“If you’re talking about Vincent, they’re colleagues, so it’s not strange if they know each other. However…”
Lin Xiu, seemingly thinking of something, chuckled, “Dr. Ning’s life perfectly confirms a saying, called ‘If you’re born with jade, why bother with brilliance.'”
Lin Youyou became interested, “What do you mean?”
“He has a nickname, ‘Eternal Second.’ As long as Vincent is around, everything can only be second best. He joined Qinglan a year later, became a professor a step slower, published one less paper in a top journal, even got married and had a child later. Haha, by the time I shut down, he was still a bachelor!”
“What?! Zhuang Qingyan, I mean, Vincent, got married?”
“Yeah, his marriage was quite sensational at the time. The news was all about ‘Golden Boy and Jade Girl, crossing boundaries,’ and the background of the woman was very profound. In the end, nothing about her name or pictures was revealed…”
After Lin Xiu finished talking, she yawned and continued her “simulated sleep.”
Lin Youyou held the terminal and murmured, “Now I’m sure, the man in our team is truly a mysterious one.”
Onlooker Su Cha asked, “Why do you suddenly want to know all this?”
Lin Youyou, puzzled, replied, “Why? Of course, out of curiosity.”
“I thought…” Su Cha hesitated for a while and stuttered, “He and the captain, that, it’s not good for you to do this.”
“Pfft! Hahaha!” Lin Youyou laughed without any restraint, “You don’t think I’m interested in him, do you?”
Su Cha was speechless, and Lin Youyou continued, “How could that be? I clearly like pure little puppies. I thought you knew.”
Su Cha’s actions of tapping his fingertips suddenly stopped, and he looked at her silently, lips tightly pursed.
Lin Youyou’s lips curled slightly. After teasing, she ran away, comfortably nestled in the rocking chair, opened the projection and started remote work.
There was a piercing gaze behind her, but she pretended not to notice, humming a light tune: “I like~ the smile of a puppy, like a gentle rain~ sprinkling into my heart.” Anyway, it’s her own song, so she can change the lyrics as she pleases.
The chat box beeped, and Jennifer sent a heart emoji along with a staged photo of a table covered in rose petals, accompanied by a sweet voice message: “Darling~ I’ve booked the Galaxy Restaurant. Would you honor me with your presence for a starlit dinner tonight?”
Lin Youyou glanced at Su Cha, and indeed, he saw the chat content. His brows furrowed, and his ears were almost standing up.
Lin Youyou intentionally typed loudly: “Why suddenly invite me to dinner?”
Jennifer quickly replied, “Because you’re my lifesaver~ Dad always said, a drop of water should be repaid with a bucket of water.”
Lin Youyou smiled, “It’s ‘repaying a drop of water with a gushing spring,’ but we’re friends, no need to be so formal.”
Jennifer’s melodious tone paused, and her tone returned to normal, “Oh, actually, the words just now were taught by Yin Xiao, that illiterate. I’m very cultured myself. Because we’re friends, I want to see you, I want to be your best girlfriend.”
The high chair made a harsh noise on the floor, and Su Cha stood up abruptly, “I’m going to train.”
He clenched his shoulders, lowered his head, and walked out of the room in large strides.
Lin Youyou casually sent a voice message, “Sorry, Jennifer, I can’t have dinner with you alone. My little dog at home is upset, and I have to comfort him.”
Jennifer sent a “crying” emoji, “Let’s talk about business then. Have you seen the group tasks today? The pinned task released today, is your team interested in participating together?”
…
In the living room, Xu Xing was focused on painting. Fang Zhixu casually glanced over and commented, “Wow, you’re a master of abstract art.”
Xu Xing drew a distorted face of a female monster, resembling the white-boned demon from a storybook, being beaten by a group of awakeners. One big man unleashed a fierce snowstorm with both hands, and colorful text next to it was deliberately labeled— “Height three meters, Hero Xu.”
As Xu Xing colored, he explained with annoyance, “This is the old witch, and this! The most powerful one is my sister, and then the tallest is me! We teamed up to kill the old witch!”
Fang Zhixu, rubbing his chin, seriously observed for a while, “There’s a problem with your painting.”
Xu Xing immediately turned to him, “What’s the problem?”
“Me,” Fang Zhixu pointed at himself, “You even drew Taotao, but where am I?”
Xu Xing blinked his eyes, jumped off the bar stool, and grabbed the drawing board as he ran to the room, muttering, “You don’t know how to fight anyway.”
Fang Zhixu rolled up his sleeves and threatened him, “You little brat, feeling itchy, huh? Who says I can’t fight? I picked up all the crystals!”
As the two were playfully wrestling in the crowded living room, Su Cha came out from Lin Youyou’s room and silently sat on the sofa.
With expressive big eyes, Xu Xing asked him what happened.
Fang Zhixu, panting from the pursuit, shook his head, indicating he had no idea.
After a while, Song Ke and Zhuang Qingyan also came out.
Zhuang Qingyan casually asked, “Where’s Lu Xiaoyu?”
Fang Zhixu replied, “He went out, said he wanted to…dye his hair?”
Coincidentally, the apartment door opened at that moment. The familiar wheelchair glided in, but the person sitting on it looked unusually unfamiliar.
Jet-black hair fell smoothly on the neck side. The young man’s pupils changed to a clear brown, and a pair of old-fashioned black-framed glasses sat on his nose. Due to prolonged indoor stays, his face had a pale, delicate complexion.
He calmly looked at the stunned crowd and said, “I’m back.”
Song Ke looked at his empty legs, then at his face, and finally reacted, “Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Xiaoyu!”
Lu Xiaoyu pushed his glasses and responded with a touch of arrogance, “Hmm.”
Song Ke, shocked, blurted out in a local dialect, “Why did you change like this?!”
Lu Xiaoyu glanced at Zhuang Qingyan, raised his chin, and said, “Because I invaded the terminal in District B and caused a little, very little trouble. Of course, I wiped out all traces, confident that I did it seamlessly. But for safety reasons, and considering someone’s past experience, I decided to do some disguise.”
“Oh…” Song Ke expressed understanding. She stole a glance at Zhuang Qingyan and couldn’t help but think, “You two have quite similar hobbies, huh.”
Lin Youyou came out of the room holding the terminal, found everyone gathered in the living room, and walked over. Upon seeing them, she laughed:
“Oh, you two difficult brothers, sitting in wheelchairs together, and now playing cosplay together with glasses?”
Zhuang Qingyan and Lu Xiaoyu exchanged a glance, then turned their eyes away in mutual disdain.
Lin Youyou waved, “Song Ke’er, come over and take a look at this task. Should we take it?”
Song Ke ran over quickly.
After people dispersed, Zhuang Qingyan stood next to Lu Xiaoyu and asked seriously, “Did you find any clues about that anonymous IP?”
He handed over the sender’s address he got from Lucia to Lu Xiaoyu for investigation.
Lu Xiaoyu replied, “That person is quite cautious, using his own layer of encryption, but it’s all in vain. I cracked it in less than five minutes. Based on the last signal source location, he should be in the eastern part of the Alliance.”
“But there’s something strange. He didn’t use a terminal to connect; instead, it’s the lowest-level local area network. Isn’t this kind of antique outdated long ago? And his outer IP is fixed, but the inner one keeps changing. I estimate he has at least 1500 devices.”
Lu Xiaoyu’s glasses were a bit big, and as he spoke, they slid down. He adjusted them uncomfortably and casually said, “If it weren’t for the network level being too low, I would suspect it’s someone from your side doing ‘garbage network testing.’ Besides the research institute, where else would you need so many devices?”
“No,” Zhuang Qingyan suddenly spoke, “there’s another possibility.”
“He’s in an Internet cafe.”
Lu Xiaoyu looked puzzled, “??”
Being from District B8 Erjia, he had been exposed to the most cutting-edge computer technology since childhood and was completely unfamiliar with this unfamiliar term. However, Lu Xiaoyu wouldn’t casually reveal his ignorance. He subtly moved his fingertips and quickly opened the terminal to search.
“1500 devices would already be considered a large-scale Internet cafe, making it easier to hide oneself.”
“In some backward D or F districts, there are many people who use this method to sneak into the Star Network…”
Zhuang Qingyan paused as he spoke, and the anonymous sender… Ming… District F… Internet cafe…
In a flash, all the clues in his mind connected, leading to an unimaginable thought.
…
Song Ke saw the mission mentioned by Lin Youyou in the “District B10 High-level Awakeners Matching Conference” channel.
Dozens of large rehabilitation, nursing, and dietary suppliers in District B jointly initiated an S-level commission: “As of 23:00 yesterday, the Foreign Trade Department of the Elderly People’s Nation in District A5 has been out of contact for twenty-one days. Special line communication is unavailable, and all related cooperation has been completely suspended. A-level or above awakener teams are requested to go to District A5 to confirm the situation. Accepting the mission will grant the team 48 hours of supplier access permission.”
Song Ke was momentarily stunned. This was her first mission related to District A!
She quickly gathered everyone for a meeting and expressed her gratitude, “Thank you all.”
Today was the most chaotic day in Song Ke’s nineteen years of life. From being kidnapped in the early morning, undergoing radiation testing, losing control, falling into a state of killing, to being rescued by her companions, with Ye Zheng mediating, meeting at the government mansion, everything unfolded in the midst of chaos.
Fortunately, she had returned to normal, and V587 was unharmed.
“Starting tomorrow, let’s continue to climb the rankings,” Song Ke said seriously. “We’ll settle the score with He Qiuhong sooner or later.”
“I agree,” Fang Zhixu said. “He Qiuhong dared to move against you today because she holds immense power in District B10 and is accustomed to controlling S-level individuals. Secondly, she looks down on us. We, the A-levels, are insignificant in her eyes, and we’re even lower in the rankings. We’re not worth a second glance.”
Lin Youyou sneered, “Let her see that, apart from Song Ke being S7, V587 also have us.”
Xu Xing banged on the table, “Charge to the first place in the Northern Base and defeat the old witch.”
Su Cha silently nodded, expressing his support.
“No, that’s not right,” Song Ke shook her head, her eyes filled with a determined resolve.
“Not just in the Northern Base, but the first place in the entire Alliance.”
