Chen Feng Got Angry

That night.

Chen Feng paid the 100-yuan course fee and entered the Virtual Classroom. It was already packed with a bustling crowd, easily a hundred people.

That was the advantage of a Virtual Classroom: no matter how many people attended, it never felt crowded.

At exactly eight o'clock.

A flash of light passed, and Professor Tao appeared.

He was an elderly man with graying hair. Although everyone in the Gene Era looked considerably younger, Professor Tao was still well into his fifties or sixties.

"Students, let me talk to you about the Wood Bear Gene..."

Professor Tao began without wasting words.

However, these topics were no different from what Chen Feng had read online. He had not come all this way just to watch Professor Tao recite a textbook.

With that thought, Chen Feng instinctively raised his hand.

"This student, do you have a question?"

Professor Tao smiled.

"Professor Tao, I'd like to ask whether there might be a third possibility for Wood Bear mutations?"

Chen Feng asked directly.

"A third?"

Professor Tao frowned slightly.

"Yes."

Chen Feng nodded and said gravely, "Wood Bear's Fury increases Strength by 10 points for 10 seconds, with a 60-second cooldown. There are three key values here. Since the duration and cooldown can both mutate, could the 10-point Strength increase mutate as well?"

"Impossible."

Professor Tao rejected it decisively.

"Why?"

Chen Feng was somewhat puzzled. Was it because of the Wood Bear Gene's internal structure?

Yet to his surprise, Professor Tao did not answer directly. Instead, he said impatiently, "Impossible means impossible. I've produced more Wood Bear Mutation Genes than you've probably ever seen, yet I've never once encountered a case where the Strength increase mutated as you described."

"Uh."

Chen Feng paused. "I'm only talking about the possibility."

"There is no such possibility! Student, you came here to attend class! There are a thousand students listening here. If you waste one second, that's a thousand seconds wasted! If you waste ten seconds, this entire Virtual Classroom session might as well be over. What right do you have to waste everyone's time and money?"

Professor Tao spoke with righteous indignation.

"..."

Chen Feng wore an expression like he had stepped in dog shit.

For no other reason than that this guy's logic was exactly the same as his high school homeroom teacher's in his previous life! Since when was time calculated like that? To twist concepts to such a degree was truly one of a kind.

But—

Professor Tao still had not answered Chen Feng's question.

"Sit down."

Someone beside him suddenly pulled Chen Feng back down.

"Hm?"

Chen Feng looked at the man in confusion.

"Don't ask anymore. You won't get anything out of him."

The man chuckled. "Professor Tao rode the Wood Bear Gene to fame for his entire life. His only achievement was that Wood Bear Gene guide he wrote back then, and it clearly stated that the Wood Bear Gene only had two possible mutations! Asking him this now? Aren't you trying to overturn his only accomplishment?"

"How could he possibly answer you?"

The man smiled. "Though I don't believe the Wood Bear Gene has any other mutation possibilities either, I do approve of your earnest attitude toward learning."

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Mu Yuan, a Beginner Gene Producer."

The man introduced himself.

"Chen Feng, Beginner Gene Producer."

Chen Feng nodded in greeting. "I understand what you mean, but Professor Tao has studied the Wood Bear Gene for a lifetime. At the very least, he should know more than others."

"A lifetime?"

Mu Yuan laughed silently and lowered his voice. "Hehe, from what I know, after spending a year researching it without making any progress, he gave up on the Wood Bear Gene. But he never accomplished anything in other areas either, so he holds a class every so often to earn some extra money."

"Oh, right. Everything he teaches is publicly available online. If my course assignment didn't require me to attend, I wouldn't have bothered coming here."

Mu Yuan sneered.

Chen Feng: "..."

Was that really the case?

He felt somewhat disappointed. He had thought he might be able to uncover the source of the Wood Bear Mutation Gene.

Just then, Chen Feng suddenly noticed many people looking over with strange expressions, followed by Professor Tao's voice.

"Young people these days, don't get ahead of yourselves! You've only just entered the field, yet you're already talking about impossible mutations. What could a working gene like the Wood Bear possibly mutate into? Since you're so capable, why don't you mutate the Wood Bear Gene to grow wings and carry you into the sky?"

Professor Tao said blandly.

The crowd burst into laughter.

After a long while.

Only when Professor Tao resumed his lecture did they stop looking this way.

This man...

Chen Feng frowned slightly.

A cold gleam flashed through Mu Yuan's eyes. "Sure enough, he's still the same."

"You know him?"

Chen Feng caught something in his tone.

"When the Wood Bear Gene first came out, my grandfather also wrote a set of research materials on it. But to ensure the accuracy of the material, my grandfather conducted repeated research and verification, so he was a little late. Meanwhile, this guy published a research result riddled with flaws and snatched the title of first publication."

"When my grandfather published his work afterward, no one paid any attention to it."

"That would have been one thing, but the most infuriating part was that this Bastard later used my grandfather's research materials, directly plagiarized the data for revisions, and published it again. That was how the current complete guide came about. Eighty percent of the data in it was produced by my grandfather!"

"Unfortunately, my grandfather was only an obscure Gene Producer at the time..."

Mu Yuan said bitterly.

"I see."

Chen Feng finally understood.

At the same time, he felt somewhat disappointed. Not only had he failed to find the source of the Wood Bear Gene's mutation, but he had also seen the true character of a master.

"But..."

"Want to slap him in the face right here?"

Mu Yuan suddenly grew excited. "Honestly, I thought you were just asking casually at first. But judging by the way you handle things, I suspect you've already created a third mutant gene. Hehe... If you asked a question or revealed your mutant gene right now, that would be interesting!"

"Heh."

Chen Feng laughed helplessly.

"You're overthinking it."

Chen Feng refused calmly.

"Fine."

Mu Yuan shrugged, completely unconcerned. "Leave me your contact information. I think we can get along pretty well. Oh, right—if you have questions about academic discussions, I suggest you visit the Academic Forum in the Virtual Community. There are plenty of masters there."

The Academic Forum...

Chen Feng made a note of it.

The lesson went on for a long time. Chen Feng listened attentively afterward as well, but there was nothing particularly useful. Only after class did he switch to the Academic Forum section of the Virtual Community.

"Research and Production of xx Gene," "Brainhole: New Possibilities for the Mutation Probability of xx Gene," and so on. Every thread he saw contained all kinds of discussions. Even through the Light Screen, Chen Feng could sense the fervent atmosphere of debate. A smile appeared on his lips. This was what he wanted.

"Is There a Third Possible Mutation for the Wood Bear Gene?"

Chen Feng quickly posted his question.

The Academic Forum was quite lively. Before long, several people replied below. Chen Feng read every response carefully, and many people contributed their own Brainholes.

Gene mutations...

Gene derivatives...

And so on. Many people began exploring the issue from multiple angles.

Chen Feng studied them seriously as well.

Meanwhile, Professor Tao had only just finished dinner after returning home. During the meal, he had been berating today's students in front of his family—how rude they were, how immature, how overly ambitious, how they wanted to mutate wings and fly into the sky—without even noticing the impatience on his own son's face.

"Dad, how long have you been outdated already?"

Tao Li Jun said irritably.

"Outdated, my ass!"

Professor Tao snapped angrily. "I'm still very popular!"

"Bzzz—"

His wrist vibrated, interrupting Professor Tao.

Professor Tao opened it and immediately smiled. In the Academic Forum of the Virtual Community, many people had tagged @ his name. "See? I've only been gone for a moment, and so many people are already inviting me to answer their questions. The Academic Forum still can't do without me. Your old man still has some reputation."

"Let me see."

Tao Li Jun curiously leaned over.

Whoosh!

The Academic Forum notification opened, and the Light Screen appeared.

"Is there a third possible mutation for the Wood Bear Gene?"

Tao Li Jun froze for a moment, his expression immediately turning strange. "Isn't that the thing you just said could never possibly appear? They're discussing this?"

Professor Tao's face darkened at once.

A third possible mutation?

He vaguely guessed something and opened it. Sure enough, it was that very question!

"Bastard."

Professor Tao immediately cursed, "Outrageous! Students these days are truly neglecting their proper work! I clearly told him that a third Mutant Gene could never appear, yet he didn't believe me. He even asked such a question on the Academic Forum—he's obviously just trying to attract attention."

"Dad."

Tao Li Jun was speechless. "Maybe he just wants to research it."

"Research my ass!"

"That gene needs research?"

Professor Tao snapped, "Wasn't the guide I wrote on the Wood Bear Gene clear enough? Students these days have gone mad trying to become famous."

"Fine, he wants fame, does he?"

Professor Tao sneered.

Meanwhile, Chen Feng was carefully reading everyone's answers.

Though they had not solved his fundamental problem, the netizens' Brainholes had indeed given Chen Feng many different ideas.

He had gained a great deal.

However, because the question concerned the Wood Bear Gene, many people began @-mentioning Professor Tao. Chen Feng's brows furrowed slightly, but he still paid it no mind. Given Professor Tao's status and position, surely he would not be bored enough to come here and cause trouble, right?

However.

Very soon, one answer was suddenly upvoted to the very top. Chen Feng glanced at it, and the smile on his face immediately vanished. A faint, almost imperceptible cold gleam appeared in his usually calm eyes.

PS: A new week! Please vote and bookmark!