Omnipotent √, Powerless ×

"Alright, that should do it."

After tucking Blanca in, who was restless even in her sleep, Blanca turned to Xu Ziling and said, "Thank you for helping out at the research institute... For now, let's let Mobius Doctor sleep here. She hasn't closed her eyes for days since the moment we discovered you..."

"Is that so..."

Xu Ziling nodded thoughtfully, then suggested, "Senior Blanca, while Miss Elysia is making food, how about we go out and chat for a bit? I imagine you still have many questions for me. And I have questions for you too, so we can consider it a simple introduction."

"Mmm... Okay, follow me then."

Blanca gathered the notebook she had been holding since Mobius fainted and said to Xu Ziling, "After the Doctor fainted... there are some things only I can ask you. Some topics might be a bit private, please bear with me."

"No problem."

Xu Ziling smiled and shrugged, saying, "Let's just call it an exchange of information."

Hearing this, Blanca let out a long sigh of relief, feeling fortunate in her heart that the person who emerged from the meteorite was someone she could communicate with normally, not some monstrous beast... Otherwise, with Mobius unconscious, Blanca truly wouldn't have known what to do.

And it seemed Xu Ziling was quite easy to talk to, a discovery that undoubtedly put Blanca more at ease.

However, when Blanca arrived at the main laboratory and scanned the messy, disorganized instruments, along with the experimental reports scattered everywhere from the previous struggle between Mobius and Elysia, she couldn't find a single spot suitable for a conversation.

"Uh..."

Blanca looked at Xu Ziling with some embarrassment and said, "Sorry, but this is actually how Doctor Mobius and I have always lived at headquarters... Our funding here is extremely limited, and we couldn't rent a larger research institute... I've made a fool of myself."

"It's fine."

Xu Ziling pushed up his non-existent glasses. Compared to his cramped apartment before he transmigrated, this place was actually quite clean.

At the very least, not having the time to tidy up was different from being too lazy to do so.

"In the novels and manga I've read... aren't the laboratories of genius scientists always like this?"

Like a certain Doctor with lobster-like hair who wished to remain anonymous.

Hearing Xu Ziling's words, Blanca was surprised and asked, "You know about manga and novels?"

"Isn't that normal?"

Xu Ziling shrugged and said, "Did the Doctor tell you about my identity? In the era I lived in... novels and manga were everywhere, and I even wrote some myself. Though after signing the contract and publishing, my first-day subscription was only 12... Cough cough, let's not talk about sad things. Do you have any questions, Senior Blanca?"

Regarding the "pre-pre-civilization" identity Xu Ziling had fabricated for himself... it couldn't entirely be considered random fabrication. After all, the great Mr. Lu Xun once said that as long as you can't prove something is false, then it's true.

Xu Ziling applied this principle, creating an identity for himself after transmigrating that, despite numerous doubts, was nearly irrefutable.

Blanca blinked, holding her notebook. The information Xu Ziling had just revealed was significant, and she quickly jotted it down, intending to submit it to Mobius once she woke up.

"Mmm... Since you know about novels and manga, our conversation will be much easier."

Blanca tapped her notebook with her pen and pointed a finger at Xu Ziling, saying, "Ziling... Mmm, I'll call you that then. From your initial exchange with the Doctor, you should know that the current time period is not the same as your era, right? Hmm... Although you haven't shown any strong emotions about it, I'll assume for now that you've accepted this concept.

I'm going to ask some questions about your era, and you must also have many questions about ours. Do you want to ask me first, or should I ask you?"

"You're the senior, so you go first. I like to be proactive."

Xu Ziling smiled and moved two small stools from a pile of messy instruments, gesturing for Blanca to sit down.

"Mmm... After we've exchanged our questions, let's clean this place up together."

Blanca nodded and said, "Then I'll ask first... How many years ago was your era?"

"Sorry, I don't know that either."

Xu Ziling shook his head helplessly, following the script he had prepared in his mind.

"When I woke up, I saw you. The hibernation pod that was supposed to awaken me in the future malfunctioned somehow, and it didn't wake me up on time. I remained asleep until you found me."

"Mmm... If we compare the hibernation pod to Mu's medical pods... it would take at least a hundred thousand years for it to completely decompose naturally..."

Blanca thought for a moment and said, "It seems you're at least from a hundred thousand years ago... Of course, it's also possible that you separated from the hibernation pod at some point... but neither Doctor Mobius nor I are archaeology scholars. Compared to that, I'd rather you answer how you managed to survive down there for so long without any nutritional support from the hibernation pod?"

"Mmm..."

Xu Ziling thought for a moment and said, "Senior Blanca, if you ask me this question... I might not be able to give you an accurate answer, but I can give you my guess."

Blanca nodded, signaling for Xu Ziling to continue.

"Senior Blanca, have you heard of tardigrades?"

Xu Ziling thought for a moment and said, "They're creatures that can survive for a very, very long time without eating or drinking... My body, after the cryo-pod was damaged, must have autonomously altered its DNA to resemble a tardigrade, thereby greatly extending my survival time.

My useless brain's thinking processes were also reduced, which is why I was disoriented when I first woke up, only knowing to follow instinct to replenish energy... If I scared you back then, please allow me to offer a late apology, Senior Blanca."

As he spoke, Xu Ziling bowed deeply to Blanca. The sincerity of his feelings and the precision of his movements were so professional that even a true London gentleman would have praised him.

Regarding this, Xu Ziling commented that if you also had a dog of a boss who was bound to be hanged eventually, you'd also develop the same passive skills as him. Even the famous American General MacArthur... cough, sorry, wrong show.

But back to the point, Blanca felt a bit awkward being treated with such respect by Xu Ziling. However, she didn't forget her main task. Pushing up the glasses on her nose to hide her fluster, she said:

"Mr. Xu Ziling, I understand what you're saying, but... it seems you've omitted the most crucial point?

That is, how exactly did you alter your biological DNA while in deep hibernation and completely passive? Furthermore, how were you able to maintain your human form after the change? Both Senior Mobius and I have degrees in biology, but your theory seems to completely violate the foundations of biology..."

Xu Ziling, who had long expected Blanca to ask this, smiled mysteriously and said, "Senior Blanca, have you heard of... ( ) being all-powerful, and ( ) being weak and powerless?"