Silver-Eyed! Prepare Yourselves!

Dongfang Zhi's beautiful eyes went wide as she watched Shang Yin's pupils shift from brown-black to silver-white, bit by bit.

What made her heart tremble even more was...

Shang Yin's graying hair turned jet-black and flawless in the blink of an eye!

Dongfang Zhi's cheeks flushed with excitement as she clenched her fists.

A Major Merit! A Major Achievement! A Major Story!

The [Latent Qualified] from the Crimson Moon Incident truly possessed something special!

White hair turning black was no small matter—her first thought went straight to the concept of "rejuvenation"...

Of course, Shang Yin wasn't old.

He'd had premature white hair since childhood; now he was merely restoring the youthful appearance he should have had all along.

But that wouldn't stop people from making that connection!

What should she call him?

Silver-Eyed?

That seemed like a fitting title.

More than half a month ago, Dongfang Zhi had already submitted a related paper, and now she was bound to reap some benefit from this incident.

But then came the question.

Why had the Latent Qualified undergone this change?

Emotional fluctuation? Or some other factor?

An excellent research topic—it could spawn at least fifty projects!

"Ah!"

Shang Yin suddenly let out a scream.

Dongfang Zhi followed the sound and saw him clutching his arm.

Not far away, Jiang Xinyue held a syringe filled with over a dozen milliliters of blood, laughing like a mad girl.

Clutching that tube of blood, she scanned her surroundings with the vigilance of a feline guarding its food.

The highly research-worthy blood of a Silver-Eyed—secured!

"World stage? Lead role?"

Yan Anqing chewed over Shang Yin's words, silent for a long moment before speaking in a tone tinged with mystery: "The world dances in my hands; occasionally guest-starring as Not Bad is enough. The lead role is better left for others."

A double entendre.

Everyone present had vivid imaginations, but even racking their brains, they couldn't connect Yan Anqing to the recent mutations in the world.

"Senior is right!"

After hiding her first sample of Silver-Eyed blood, Jiang Xinyue instantly transformed into an excellent hype-woman.

"We study mutations, see through the surface to the essence. Uncover truth, welcome a new era! We're the directors, the scriptwriters! Why fight over being the lead?"

A faint light flickered in her beautiful eyes as her gaze landed on Yan Anqing. Her expression shifted seamlessly, her tone brimming with reverence: "This is the awakening of a researcher!"

Yan Anqing smiled faintly, calm and composed.

The culprit behind Shang Yin's transformation was, naturally, him.

Whether it was the height change or the brown-to-silver pupils, it was all just timely modification.

As for Jiang Xinyue's bandit-like behavior, Shang Yin didn't seem to take it to heart. After adapting to the pain, he appeared ready to say something more to Yan Anqing.

Just then, a group of Internal Investigation Department personnel in isolation suits arrived uninvited, cutting off his words.

"Dr. Shang, Doctor Jiang, Dr. Dongfang, Mr. Yan."

"Please come with us for a routine investigation."

The Internal Investigation Department staff were impeccably polite.

After all, everyone worked in the same base—they saw each other every day, and even in isolation suits, they could recognize each other by voice.

In such a situation, stepping out of line even slightly would earn resentment.

The Internal Investigation Department did the kind of work that invited hatred; they were long used to it.

Still, these four people before them were all blazing stars of unparalleled prominence—none of them could be provoked.

"Of course. This is our duty."

Yan Anqing was the first to state his stance.

Five hours later.

The four of them filled in each other's gaps regarding the details of Shang Yin's transformation, reconstructing the full picture.

"...In the end, the mutation occurred when Shang Yin said to Yan Anqing, 'The world focuses on you.'"

"12:05:37. My memory doesn't make mistakes."

Jiang Xinyue delivered her concluding statement.

The Internal Investigation Department's lead on the "First Silver-Eyed" incident was a middle-aged man with a square face named Qian Wusuan.

After jotting down the final punctuation mark in his notebook, Qian Wusuan looked up and stiffly twitched the corners of his mouth, which passed for a smile.

"You did well."

As he said this, Qian Wusuan's gaze settled on Yan Anqing.

Compared to the three science fanatics—Shang Yin, Jiang Xinyue, and Dongfang Zhi—he preferred researchers with a strong sense of responsibility like Yan Anqing.

"It's getting late. Go eat."

Qian Wusuan began ushering them out.

The witnesses' testimony was only supplementary.

Yan Anqing and his group could rest now, but his own work was just beginning.

At the cafeteria counter.

"One serving of multigrain porridge, three fried dough sticks, two bowls of oil-slicked noodles, two boiled eggs, and half a carrot. Thank you."

Yan Anqing's tone was mild as he ordered a dinner packed with carbs.

The canteen Auntie froze.

Big eaters weren't rare, but she hadn't seen such a polite young man in a long time.

She couldn't help stealing a second glance.

"Hold on!"

The Auntie recognized him: "You're Dr. Yan, right? The discoverer of the 'Fuxi Cell'? My daughter absolutely idolizes you!"

Yan Anqing didn't actually hold a doctorate. He just smiled at this moment, not dwelling on the point: "The Fuxi Cell was always there. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

The Auntie looked at him with the fondness of a mother-in-law sizing up a son-in-law, finding him more agreeable by the second.

A modest gentleman, warm and smooth as jade...

"Xiao Yan, lately some folks have been suffering from red-eyed sickness, saying you were just lucky and stumbled onto it," the Auntie said as she served the food. "Listen to your auntie—wasn't it the same for Hawking, who wrote A Brief History of Time, and Albert Einstein, who wrote the Theory of Relativity? Luck is a kind of ability too!"

"Being humble and cautious is fine, but a young man needs some drive!"

"You made achievements—that's impressive! That's awesome!"

"Show a bit of that 'I won't yield,' 'Who else but me' attitude. Be a little domineering! A little arrogant! Then no one will dare talk behind your back."

Yan Anqing gave a slight nod, looking like he was listening intently.

Sure enough, this was an official secret department of China.

Even a canteen Auntie could talk with such eloquence.

After finishing his cooperation with the Internal Investigation Department, Yan Anqing was alone again. He silently took his tray and found a quiet spot to eat.

Earlier, Shang Yin, believing that becoming a Silver-Eyed granted him higher clearance, had gone to apply for research permissions on the Fuxi Cell.

The Fuxi Cell's life form was bizarre and extremely difficult to clone. It could only grow at an excruciatingly slow rate when hosted in a mouse's body.

Fortunately, staining the Fuxi Cell didn't suppress its activity, so with some manual assistance, its proliferation efficiency could be marginally improved.

Now, researchers from every department were anxiously waiting for their applications to be approved.

Too many monks, too little gruel—Shang Yin had never had a chance to touch it before.

As for Dongfang Zhi, she was trying to leverage the "Silver-Eyed Incident" to network and gain advantages. In her manic state, she had no appetite at all.

Her roommate Jiang Xinyue had obtained first-hand research material—how could she be bothered to eat? She'd dashed straight back to the lab to do research.

Now, Yan Anqing ate alone.

In silence.

After finishing, before he could even put away his tray, the cleaning staff came over to tidy up the messy table.

"Good work."

With that, Yan Anqing walked unhurriedly toward Mojuke.

At table 025 in the cafeteria, Ma Ran stared blankly in the direction he'd gone. His brilliant golden eyes blinked, his expression full of emotion.

Throughout history, how many people, upon achieving success, turned arrogant?

Yet Yan Anqing, famous at a young age, could maintain a calm mindset, treating others with courtesy, without a trace of pride or haughtiness.

"Maybe this is what a true big shot looks like..."

In Ma Ran's eyes, a resplendent golden light shimmered.