You Reap What You Sow!

"Damn."

"That title's kind of terrifying."

"Did something huge happen?"

Everyone opened it curiously, then froze in shock.

The post told the story of a Gene Producer who had started by consulting Professor Tao about the Third Gene, only to be angrily rebuked. Later, he had listed a gene on the Virtual Community to prove his innocence, only for Professor Tao to shamelessly publish it as his own achievement. At the end, it even marked the gene he had just consigned for sale and directly declared war—

"Professor Tao, one million. Can you still afford it?"

The post went viral!

Wildly viral!

Even the Academic Forum did not dare delete it.

With so many replies, the million-dollar gene on the Virtual Community, and that shocking title, the post became popular beyond imagination.

"So this really happened?"

"Damn, Professor Tao really screwed up this time."

"Although the content isn't wrong, I don't know why, but I really want to punch this guy. Isn't that post title way too terrifying?"

"Want to punch him +1."

Countless people discussed it heatedly.

However, Professor Tao quickly struck back.

He might have been greedy, but he was not stupid. He quickly found a point to attack. "Certain people got lucky and produced a mutated reagent, then tried to smear me to ride my popularity. Pricing it at one million is just a marketing stunt. This is blatant hype! Please do not buy his Gene Reagent and let him profit from it."

Countless people immediately liked the post.

After all, Professor Tao's reputation on the Academic Forum was not something some random alt account could tarnish.

"Any random person can open an alt and slander a professor now?"

"Exactly. It's obviously just someone trying to ride his popularity."

"With Professor Tao's understanding of the Wood Bear Gene, would he need to steal someone else's work? What a joke."

"Support Professor Tao."

However, before that message could gain much traction, another post appeared—"A Second Wood Bear Mutation Gene Appears in the Trading Department, Still Priced at the Sky-High Price of One Million"!

Those who had been praising Professor Tao instantly fell silent.

Luck?

Could it still be luck after happening twice in a row?

After all, Professor Tao's guide had stated—one-in-a-hundred-million odds.

In response to this, Professor Tao reacted quickly.

He directly posted his own four bottles of Gene Reagent and attached their evaluation data. "One in a hundred million was only my preliminary research result. As the research progresses, that result will certainly change. What does it prove that two Gene Reagents are listed in the Trading Department? I have four more here!"

"Perhaps some friends used my research paper to produce mutated genes, but that does not mean you can slander me."

Professor Tao finished writing with righteous conviction.

Public opinion shifted again.

"Is it settled?"

Professor Tao was already drenched in sweat.

This matter should finally be over.

With those words, no matter how many Gene Reagents the other side produced, they would not be able to change the outcome. Still, after all this commotion, he had ultimately been left with plenty of blemishes and regrets.

That counted as a blessing amid misfortune, didn't it?

Professor Tao smiled bitterly.

But the calm did not last long. The Academic Forum suddenly erupted with activity, and Professor Tao's communicator rang nonstop. He glanced at it instinctively, and his face immediately went pale.

Something had happened!

For some reason, people who had participated in Chen Feng's original question-and-answer discussion suddenly emerged. "This is actually very simple. Why doesn't the Academic Forum just release the post it deleted back then?"

"Exactly. How hard is that?"

"I answered the question back then, and the Academic Forum really did delete it!"

"+1! Professor Tao clearly said it was impossible at the time!"

"Why does the Academic Forum get to delete posts?"

"The Academic Forum can protect the rights of producers, but that doesn't mean it can aid a tyrant in doing evil! The deleted post must be made public to prove the truth."

"Back then, it was deleted because Professor Tao reported it. Now that Professor Tao is the one infringing on someone else's rights, shouldn't Professor Tao's post be deleted to clear the other party's name?"

Many people protested on the Academic Forum.

Countless lurkers surfaced to express their concern over the matter, including many genuine masters! Stealing research results? This had become a very serious issue.

It was over!

Professor Tao was drenched in sweat.

He knew that if that post was exposed, he would be completely finished!

What could he do?

Oh, right—his son!

"Li Jun."

Professor Tao hurriedly called Tao Li Jun over. "Your identity carries some influence on the Academic Forum. We absolutely have to suppress this matter!"

"As long as the Academic Forum doesn't expose it, there won't be a problem!"

"At most, those people will curse online for a while. Once this blows over, it'll all be forgotten."

Professor Tao was sweating profusely.

"Understood."

Tao Li Jun nodded slightly.

Yet an unseen shadow lingered in his heart.

The assassin he had sent out had vanished, and now he could not even find anyone capable of tracking that person down. Was the person his father had offended really just an ordinary person?

He was somewhat worried.

"We have to keep this under control!"

Professor Tao wiped away his sweat. "Since that person was able to develop the formula, I can develop it too. As long as I can produce the formula within the next few days..."

"I'll be able to restore my reputation!"

"I have four bottles of Mutated Gene Reagent. Comparing them with ordinary reagents will definitely yield results."

Professor Tao swiftly began his research.

However.

Before he could make any progress, an even more explosive piece of news detonated across the internet.

Wind Pavilion.

The owner of that little gene shop had actually shown up!

He had no choice. The commissions from two consecutive one-million gene consignments had startled him awake. Only after logging in did he learn what had happened.

After looking through the transaction records, he quickly made the most correct choice.

He released the transaction records!

The four bottles of gene reagent sold by Professor Tao had all been purchased from this very shop!

Everyone was stunned.

"Holy shit!"

"So it really was..."

"66666666 Professor Tao really played a brilliant hand."

"All four were bought from here? Doesn't that mean Professor Tao didn't make a single one himself? Everything was made by someone else?"

"That's terrifying!"

"A dignified genetics professor, an Advanced Producer, actually..."

The entire Academic Forum exploded.

No one had expected that Professor Tao, who had received endless praise just days ago, had stolen every one of his achievements! And had done something so horrifying!

At that point, the Academic Forum could finally no longer suppress it.

What kind of joke was this?!

It would have been one thing if the transaction records had not been released, but now that they had been made public, who could possibly keep it suppressed?

"Request to restore the deleted post."

"We want to see the truth of what happened back then."

Under the demands of countless people, the Academic Forum finally restored the original post—"Is There a Third Possible Mutation for the Wood Bear Gene?"

As soon as the post appeared, countless people rushed over to watch.

Professor Tao's righteous and indignant reply inside truly shocked everyone. He had harshly berated the student and angrily declared that a third possible mutation simply could not exist.

Then the very next day, he deleted the post and published the results himself?

Compared against the transaction record timestamps, the entire truth was exposed at that moment!

Very soon.

Major media outlets all published the news, shocking the entire academic world.

"Professor Tao—a wolf in sheep's clothing!" "The disgrace of academia!" "A loathsome hypocrite!" "An outrage to gods and men! He stole his students' research results!" And so on. Everything Professor Tao had done over the past few days was exposed, drawing condemnation from everyone on the Academic Forum and throughout academia.

Just two days ago, Professor Tao had returned in glory. Today, he had become a rat everyone wanted to beat to death.

Before long, a certain Gene University announced Professor Tao's expulsion. The Gene Production Association initiated arbitration over his actions, confiscated all his awards, and permanently struck him from its rolls.

Professor Tao was truly finished.

His reputation was utterly ruined!

"Why..."

"Why did this happen?!"

Professor Tao stared blankly ahead as he smashed everything in the house.

He refused to accept it!

How had everyone suddenly turned against him? That little gene shop—why couldn't it just make its money? Why did it have to come out and stir things up? And the Academic Forum—whenever he reported infringement in the past, it would delete the post instantly. Yet now, at a time like this, it was Adding Insult to Injury?

Sure enough, not a single one of them was any good.

Professor Tao cursed furiously.

Yet he had never considered that the Academic Forum's support for him had come from his lofty reputation and recognition of his status. Once those very foundations proved questionable...

All that support became a joke.

"Dad."

Tao Li Jun sighed, wanting to offer a few words of comfort.

"And you!"

Professor Tao roared, "Didn't you say you'd handle it for me?! Didn't I tell you to suppress it?! If I just had a few more days, I definitely would've developed the formula!"

"You useless trash!"

Professor Tao erupted into a torrent of abuse.

"Dad."

Tao Li Jun gave a bitter smile. This matter had blown up far too much.

"Get out, get out, get out!"

"Get the hell out, all of you!"

Professor Tao cursed as he drove everyone away.

"...Sigh."

Tao Li Jun sighed and walked out of the room. The helplessness on his face turned icy the moment he stepped outside. "Whoever you are, this isn't over!"