The young researcher was so excited that the veins on his forehead bulged as he glared at the "jealous person" he had berated as though looking at a mortal enemy.
"Don't casually attack someone greater than yourself based on mere speculation! If you don't understand, ask more questions!"
"If you don't understand, I can explain it to you."
The hotheaded young man paid no heed to his colleague's dignity and loudly declared, "The era of Greatness Returns to the Individual is about to arrive!"
His voice rose and fell dramatically, making it seem as though he had trained in recitation classes.
"Tear Down Tanks Barehanded is no longer a fantasy or empty talk. It is something that can truly happen!"
Hearing this, several researchers nearby could not help but join the conversation.
"Limitless Cell... it sounds pretty badass, but I still prefer the naming convention of Fuxi Cell."
"What does it matter what you prefer? Yan God is the discoverer!"
"I wonder if you could fly after every cell in your body was infused with and strengthened by Limitless Cells?"
As the group of nerdy men and women chatted, they gradually veered off topic.
They began discussing the possibility of flying through the air in the flesh, without relying on external tools.
After exchanging a few words with the others, the hotheaded researcher grew even more excited.
He suddenly jumped onto the table, his face flushed as he proclaimed passionately, "We are witnessing the beginning of an era!"
"It is an honor to be part of this!"
"I used to feel sorry for myself, thinking that I had been born too early."
"If I had been born in the Interstellar Era, perhaps the average lifespan would have reached two hundred years. With my own talents, I could have produced more results, perhaps even glimpsed the hope of immortality."
"But now, I no longer think that way!"
"Being alive in this era is the greatest fortune of my life!"
"Thank you, Yan God! You have allowed me to see the dawn of miracles in an ordinary era ahead of time!"
After saying this, the ordinary-looking, ill-tempered fellow bowed to Yan Anqing.
The researchers around him immediately began whispering among themselves.
"The Superman Era?"
"I thought he was going to call it Spiritual Energy Resurgence..."
"That interpretation isn't wrong either, but this is a man-made era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence! Our era!"
"Right! Yan Anqing is a pioneer, so we can't fall behind either!"
In truth, Fu Wuji Cells and Superpower Cavities had their limits as well. However, these researchers with lower security clearances had no way of obtaining detailed information. They could only piece together scraps of rumor and let their imaginations run wild.
Yan Anqing noticed a relatively unfamiliar young man in the crowd. He looked awkward, his face bright red.
This person was probably the unlucky fellow whom the hotheaded young man standing on the table had just viciously berated, calling him "jealous" and "shameless."
Yan Anqing remembered that he seemed to be one of the researchers who had flown over from Modu Yanjike with Academician Liu Shijun.
His name seemed to be Huang Zhaolan?
He appeared to be a Level 3 Researcher, two levels above Yan Anqing.
Poor Huang Zhaolan had only just arrived in the capital and was still unaccustomed to the way things were done here.
Out of habit, he had brought the nasty customs of his former small circle with him. One tentative jab of mockery had sent him straight into an iron wall, and the ill-tempered fellow had even slapped him with the label of red-eyed sickness.
Yan Anqing could not be bothered with such trivial matters. He merely nodded at the hotheaded researcher before turning and leaving.
As he watched Yan Anqing's retreating figure, Huang Zhaolan, who had just wanted to burrow into a crack in the ground, revealed a venomous look.
Some people's thought processes were simply that bizarre.
Yan Anqing had neither provoked nor offended him. In fact, he had not even said a single word to him, yet Huang Zhaolan bore such a grudge against him.
All one could say was...
The taller the tree, the more wind it caught; the more famous a person became, the more trouble followed.
After Yan Anqing returned to his dormitory, he found a brand-new set of academic robes and its corresponding badge on his bed.
Jiang Xinyue had helped pad out the "Optimal Proliferation Plan for Superpower Cells" he had written into more than a dozen papers. These were the rewards he had earned.
The title of Level 4 Researcher meant that Yan Anqing had truly entered the upper-middle ranks among young researchers.
Although "Special Grade" and "Academician" existed above the Digital Sequence, China had never produced a researcher under thirty-five who had earned either of those titles since its founding.
In Yan Anqing's view, the most formidable people were probably Shang Yin, Xie Zhe, Qu Li, and Luo Jiashi, the "Star of Modu."
Each of them had flaws in their character, but they all possessed genuine talent. At present, all of them were officially certified Level 1 Researchers.
"The research community is relatively much simpler."
A faint smile appeared on Yan Anqing's face.
In any other profession, Qu Li, who disliked him, would probably have long used his prestige, seniority, and authority as an old hand to suppress him. How could he be like this now, able only to speak through research results and stubbornly confront Yan Anqing head-on?
He was a smart man too, knowing to grasp the fundamentals.
"Congratulations, Senior."
Jiang Xinyue wriggled around beside Yan Anqing like a child with ADHD. "You're a Level 4 Researcher now!"
She had spent so many years in Mojuke before becoming a Level 4 Researcher. She had originally thought she would be the one to set the record for the fastest promotion, but Yan Anqing had appeared out of nowhere and instantly shattered every established notion.
In Jiang Xinyue's eyes, this senior of hers was the textbook example of a future academician. Sooner or later, he would stand at the pinnacle of this field.
He was simply someone Old Heaven had chosen to feed.
Even if his major did not match, he could still stumble onto this path through a twist of fate. There was nothing to envy, resent, or hate.
Therefore, she did not feel bitter about Yan Anqing's current achievements.
His phone rang...
"Mountain top, come along with me, nothing can stand in the way of the future..."
Jiang Xinyue answered at lightning speed.
"Huh? Wait... are you serious?"
"Alright, understood."
The smile gradually faded from Jiang Xinyue's face. Her delicate brows curved slightly, as though bent beneath some bad news.
Seeing her expression, Yan Anqing asked, "Dongfang Zhi? Zhao Jiaqian?"
After all, they were roommates. They knew at least a little about each other's personal networks.
Jiang Xinyue and Dongfang Zhi had not originally been close, but their best friends were both a girl named Zhao Jiaqian, so they had been in contact more frequently lately.
"It's Zhao Jiaqian."
Jiang Xinyue sighed. Gloom hid between her brows. "Jibei Province, Jiangsu Province, Minnan Province, and Eastern Guangdong Province won't receive any rain for the next few months. The disaster level is relatively high..."
Zhao Jiaqian was an employee of the Information Section and a maintenance worker for the XieZhi System, so she could always obtain firsthand information.
Jibei Province happened to be Jiang Xinyue's hometown.
Yan Anqing gradually realized the severity of the situation.
With Modern Era technology, if there was too little rainfall somewhere, they could simply fly over and create artificial rain.
Judging by Jiang Xinyue's worried expression, things were clearly not that simple.
Artificial rain sounded impressive, but its principle was actually quite simple.
It merely involved using aircraft to scatter dry ice, silver iodide, and salt into clouds to encourage water droplets to condense and cause rainfall.
Now, the only problem was...
The current situation did not conform to the objective laws governing weather patterns!
After all, Jibei Province and Eastern Guangdong Province were both coastal provinces. It was almost impossible for them to go nearly half a year without rain.
Yet over the next few months, the skies above Jibei, Jiangsu, Minnan, and Eastern Guangdong might all lack rain-bearing clouds.
The Information Section had connected to Qingxiang Section's data. It would not make mistakes on an issue like this!
Methods of artificial rainfall would have only negligible effects.
Modern transportation was well developed, so people would not lack water for daily use.
But a prolonged drought would affect far more than the livelihoods of agricultural and livestock workers...
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