Balancing Work and Life

It seems like an insignificant realization, but it is often this seemingly insignificant realization that can potentially save humanity from perishing due to ignorance.

"Doctor Yi, thank you for everything you've done for humanity!" Yue Yuan sincerely said, understanding the significance of it all. Then, he stood up and said, "By the way, Doctor Yi, if the Research Institute runs out of serum, just tell me directly. A few tubes of blood are nothing, my body can handle it."

"That would be great, but Doctor Lu drew a few tubes the other day, so we still have some," Yi Kai said, also standing up, seemingly intending to walk Yue Yuan to the door.

Yue Yuan knew the Doctor Lu he was talking about; she was a female doctor named Lu Xiaofen, a linguistics expert originally from Callisto, and also one of the people who had inhaled the Red Gas.

Because the other five had perished on Earth, Yue Yuan and Doctor Lu were now the only living subjects of the Red Gas. Naturally, the Research Institute used their serum for research.

It just so happened that they were a man and a woman, which could satisfy the requirements for gender-specific controlled experiments.

Yue Yuan stepped out of the door. "Alright."

"Almost forgot, regarding the serum research, if Chief Yue has time recently, please do a special physical examination. Send the results directly to our Life Genetics Research Institute," Yi Kai said, about to turn back, but suddenly stopped and called out to Yue Yuan.

"A special physical examination? What kind of examination?" Yue Yuan asked, straightening out his slightly wrinkled shirt and turning back with a puzzled expression.

"Uh, well..." Yi Kai scratched his itchy chin, drawing out his words, seemingly considering how to put it.

After a few seconds of pause, Yi Kai looked at Yue Yuan and continued, "I believe Chief Yue should have understood what I said earlier. The Red Gas 'deceived' the instinct of life's genetic factors. Of course, from another perspective, it means that aging genes were suppressed, but what I want to talk about now is not this..."

"Get to the point."

"Spit out the fart, I understand," Yi Kai smoothly took over Yue Yuan's words, and then said seriously, "Because of this, we came to a conclusion. Although this conclusion is normal for longevity research, I think it is necessary to tell the chief, after all, it concerns the chief's body."

Seeing Yue Yuan looking at him with raised eyebrows, Yi Kai coughed and said, "Let's put it this way, the chief should have a thorough examination of fertility..."

"Huh?" Yue Yuan looked confused.

"Literal meaning, a fertility examination," Yi Kai repeated.

After a moment of being stunned, Yue Yuan understood, so he quickly confirmed, "Doctor Yi means that the Red Gas will cause people to lose their fertility?"

"Yes, that's our conclusion. It will be lost, but not completely lost..." Yi Kai continued, as if talking to himself, "Because the genetic information of biological instincts is also suppressed, theoretically, the subject will lose fertility as a result. However, according to our prediction, this loss should recover after the suppression effect dissipates. Based on the extended lifespan that the chief has obtained, this time should be in five hundred years."

At this point, Yi Kai paused, and seeing that Yue Yuan didn't speak, he asked, "Does the chief understand what I mean?"

I'm not an idiot.

Yue Yuan rolled his eyes. "I understand. In about five hundred years, I will re-enter the normal growth stage, regain fertility, and at the same time slowly age, is that what you mean?"

"The chief is indeed quick-witted," Yi Kai gave Yue Yuan a big thumbs up.

Quick-witted my ass.

I'm just following your train of thought.

"I see, I'll go get checked later. It's a deep genetic test, right?" Yue Yuan confirmed. He thought it was something important, but it was just this.

Fertility is indeed a major issue for humans now, but it is not so unacceptable to him personally, and he did not care about his fertility issues.

On the contrary, he was more concerned about the impact of this thing on humans.

If longevity technology is successfully developed from the serum, will it also temporarily lose fertility like his current situation?

If so, then we really have to think about the policy of using this technology in advance. Although this matter is still far from certain, as long as humans continue to survive, Yue Yuan believes that this technology will be realized, and it must be realized.

Long life is not a necessary prerequisite for exploring the vast universe, but it is an important factor for success or failure.

Think about the voyages that take hundreds of years. If people have changed several generations before they reach their destination, then maybe there will be no sailing at all. Anyway, they can't reach it in this lifetime, so they might as well stay and enjoy it.

Of course, Yue Yuan also heard that Yi Kai said that it was predicted to recover in the future, but it was just a prediction, and it might not recover.

However, Yue Yuan didn't care too much. At most, if it is really determined that it cannot be recovered in the future, then formulate corresponding policies, such as stipulating that this technology can only be used after having a certain number of children, which is harmless.

"Why didn't I find this problem when I was tested in Jing?" Yue Yuan suddenly remembered the physical examination in Jing, and he said to Yi Kai, "I remember that the examination was also very comprehensive at that time, and almost all physical function items such as sperm activity and sexual function were tested, and no problem was found."

"You can't find the problem just by looking at the activity and other indicators. Some things must be truly tested to know. If Doctor Lu hadn't cooperated, I wouldn't have found this problem," Yi Kai shook his head and answered Yue Yuan's question.

???

"Doctor Lu cooperated? How did she cooperate?" Yue Yuan seemed to have heard some keywords.

Yi Kai pretended not to hear, then turned around and walked back, "Cough, it's nothing, Chief, it's always right to go get checked."

Damn it!

This old man wouldn't have slept with Doctor Lu, would he... Looking at Yi Kai turning away, the figure of Doctor Lu appeared in Yue Yuan's mind.

He remembered that Lu Xiaofen should only be thirty-five this year, while this old man Yi Kai seemed to be seventy-five years old. He couldn't tell that this old man was really something.

Not only did the old bull enjoy the young grass, but he also promoted the research at work while taking care of personal matters. This was truly a case of balancing life and work! For some reason, Yue Yuan suddenly remembered a line from a poem by Lu You more than a thousand years ago: "Do not say the old ox walks slowly and with hardship, for even at eighty, I still plow with strength."

To be honest, Yue Yuan knew that he had misunderstood the meaning of this poem, but for some reason, he found it quite fitting.

"Check it if you want, it's a good opportunity to see what the specific problem is." After muttering to himself, Yue Yuan turned and left.

There's definitely no problem with the function. Yue Yuan knew his own body well, and he also believed that Yi Kai wouldn't joke about such a thing.

After all, judging from what he just said, this old man should have tried it himself. Only seventy years old, in this era, that's not really considered near death.