Xie Zhe, Dongfang Zhi

The visitor, clad in a white lab coat, had their face completely wrapped in bandages, leaving only a breathing hole.

They even wore sunglasses, their attire exceptionally mysterious.

Yan Anqing closed the room door and looked at the other person's appearance, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly, "Xie Zhe, what are you up to?"

This man in bizarre attire was named Xie Zhe, Yan Anqing's childhood friend, a typical genius with high intelligence but low emotional quotient.

Back when Yan Anqing was still doing clinical undergraduate internships, this fellow was already a visiting professor in neurosurgery at a university affiliated with a top-tier hospital.

"This is a really big deal this time!"

Xie Zhe took off his sunglasses and said at an extremely fast pace, "My eyes suddenly turned golden!"

"Do you know what this means?"

"My value as an experimental subject has surpassed my value as a researcher!"

"If Shang Yin and Crazy Jiang and their group find out about this, they'll definitely slice me up!"

"Wait! You're leaning your left side forward while listening to me, your rational cerebral hemisphere is thinking... You're not planning to sell me out, are you?"

Yan Anqing was long accustomed to his friend's intermittent bouts of craziness, he just looked at the other person with half-closed eyes, "What you're saying makes you sound more like a pseudo-scientist than a visiting professor at Capital Medical University."

He had never met "Shang Yin" or "Crazy Jiang," but Xie Zhe often mentioned them.

Birds of a feather flock together.

In Yan Anqing's mind, those two had already been labeled "mentally unstable" and "mad scientists."

Xie Zhe completely ignored Yan Anqing's words and continued on his own, "I'm quitting tomorrow, going back to the village to raise sheep, and by the way, I'll research what exactly happened to me."

"Also, don't use me as a character prototype in your new book!"

"The Information Department has already updated the 'XieZhi System' to version 2.5. Once the big data analysis of online text compares it, I'll immediately be put on the list of suspects!"

XieZhi, an ancient mythical beast, could distinguish right from wrong and recognize good from evil.

The "XieZhi 2.5" mentioned by Xie Zhe was a nationwide super data information analysis and integration system specifically used to screen criminal suspects.

"If you don't trust me, why tell me all this?" Yan Anqing asked deliberately, expecting his childhood friend to say something touching.

However, Xie Zhe just widened his eyes and looked self-righteous, "Are you kidding me? You're the only friend I have, who else would I tell if not you?"

Yan Anqing sized him up from head to toe, his tone languid, "Don't you have an option called 'shut up' in your brain?"

As soon as he said this, Xie Zhe looked as if he had been struck by lightning.

After a long silence, he replied, "I'd suffocate myself if I did that."

Knock, knock, knock!

The door was knocked again.

Yan Anqing looked at Xie Zhe with a "good luck to yourself" expression.

A pleasant, melodious female voice came from outside the door, "Dr. Xie, please cooperate with our work."

Xie Zhe hid behind Yan Anqing, poked his head out, and in a high-pitched, disguised voice said, "Xie Zhe isn't here! You've got the wrong place!"

"Dr. Xie, please rest assured, the country will not easily treat a research talent of your caliber as experimental material; we have better options."

After a bit of a farce, Yan Anqing opened the door.

A young woman wearing white stockings and silver-rimmed glasses appeared before them.

Two women in military uniforms, looking valiant and heroic, flanked her, carrying guns.

"Dongfang Zhi, Level 2 Researcher at the National Academy of Sciences."

The young woman in white stockings introduced herself briefly and began her persuasion.

After a while.

She concluded her speech, "...In summary, centrally managing 'golden-eyed individuals' and preventing external influence is beneficial for maintaining social stability."

"Furthermore, golden-eyed individuals receive a special national grant of twenty thousand yuan every month."

"If you are willing to provide research samples such as hair, urine, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid, you can also enjoy additional nutritional subsidies of varying levels. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Yan Anqing looked at Xie Zhe with sympathy, smiling strangely, "You can't be Hawking anyway, nor can you become Einstein. Maybe stepping back will open up a wider sky, and perhaps you'll even make history for your identity as an experimental subject..."

He pondered for a moment and teased, "Dolly the sheep, HeLa cell line, Xie Zhe's pay-to-win eye?"

Xie Zhe's face turned ashen, his lips purplish, and the light in his golden eyes dimmed, looking like he could die on the spot at any moment.

Watching the two bicker, Dongfang Zhi chuckled, covering her mouth.

Handing the struggling Xie Zhe over to the two female soldiers beside her, she looked at Yan Anqing with a half-smile, "Dr. Xie's only friend? Hello."

"I've reviewed your resume and personal information. Brave and resourceful, with broad thinking. The country is in great need of talent like you right now. If you're interested, you can add this WeChat."

Yan Anqing raised an eyebrow.

"WeChat?"

He had expected them to leave some kind of disposable SIM card, or perhaps give him an internal secure phone.

That would have been more mysterious and certainly more impressive.

Dongfang Zhi's eyes, clear as water, fixed on Yan Anqing's phoenix eyes as if they could speak. "This is a public account, hidden in plain sight..."

Xie Zhe, standing beside her, stared blankly at her for a moment, his brilliant golden eyes darting around in their sockets.

A look of sudden realization dawned on his face, and he impudently interrupted Dongfang Zhi's speech. "If you don't mind me saying, your progesterone and estrogen seem to be secreted in excess. Are you looking for a mate right now?"

"Based on my years of observation, Yan Anqing isn't suitable as your prospective sperm donor. You have no hope."

The smile on the white-stockinged young woman's face gradually froze. Enraged, she shot Xie Zhe a glare.

Leaving her contact information with Yan Anqing wasn't solely because she found him attractive, but because...

Yan Anqing's height data didn't match his profile!

Although Yan Anqing wasn't a golden-eyed individual, his change in height was something to note.

According to intelligence Dongfang Zhi had gleaned from her best friend, for non-golden-eyed individuals, significant physical changes occurring in a short period had been happening globally since the Blood Moon.

Her best friend insisted this was the work of "Latent Qualified" individuals from the Scarlet Moon Incident.

Unfortunately, the overlooked, timid female scientist had little say in the matter. The authorities currently only paid attention to golden-eyed individuals.

She wanted to establish a connection with Yan Anqing first.

Taking a deep breath, she quickly adjusted her facial expression and offered Yan Anqing an apologetic smile. "Sorry to bother you!"

With that, she waved her hand, and two female soldiers dragged Xie Zhe out the door.

Xie Zhe wore the despair of a bankrupt Wall Street investor as he shouted, "Remember to save me!"

Yan Anqing made a pinky promise gesture and mouthed, "It won't be long."

After receiving his promise, Xie Zhe finally stopped wailing and was led away obediently.

Yan Anqing was left alone in the room.

He rummaged through drawers and cabinets.

After a long while, he finally found the long-forgotten microscope