Alien Creature Specimens

"Its characteristics include the following!" Lu Geng marveled. "Its logic is rigorous. Its appearance wasn't randomly generated; there's theoretical support behind it. Let me read it to everyone!"

"Its gene chain has a triple-helix structure. In an environment with an average annual radiation dose of 4,600 millisieverts, its triple-stranded genetic structure can reduce radiation mutations by over 99.9% compared to human DNA's double helix. At the same time, radioactive isotope marker sites have appeared, allowing the gene chains to correct one another's errors based on radioactive isotopes!"

"Its jellyfish-like tentacles can glide through shallow water and also root themselves into swamp mud like a plant's roots, absorbing nutrients! It's similar to tumbleweeds in a flowing-water environment: rooting down to feed in suitable locations, then retracting and drifting with the current in unsuitable ones until it finds the next suitable spot!"

"Its rattlesnake-like multilayered tail has two major functions. The first is sound-based communication, and the other is genetic storage!"

Lu Geng turned the specimen jar in his hand and filmed a close-up of the alien creature's tail inside.

"The sound-based communication setting is really interesting. By our usual way of thinking, animals generally make sounds when they encounter natural enemies—either to warn predators to stay away, or to remind nearby members of their species to stay alert."

"But according to the description, after a nuclear war, the vast majority of species went extinct, and no proper predators had emerged yet. The No. 1 Radiation Symbiote's sound-based communication mainly serves to warn others about radiation!"

"It has organs similar to Geiger counters inside its body. The moment it enters an area with high residual radiation, it violently shakes its tail to alert all nearby members of its species that radiation levels are extremely high in that direction!"

"Some creatures capable of using nuclear radiation to generate energy will be drawn by the sound, while creatures that fear nuclear radiation can carefully avoid the noisy area!"

"The genetic storage function is even more interesting. As a triple-stranded genetic organism, the possibility of its own genes mutating is extremely low. While that stability keeps it from mutating every day in swamps filled with Cesium-137 and Plutonium-239, unchanging genes also mean evolutionary stagnation. Even a slight environmental change could easily wipe it out completely!"

"So a diseased tail that stores pathogens emerged. The inside of the tail is formed from abnormalities in its Immune System. Every time it is infected by pathogens in the environment, it stores some of those pathogens' genes in its tail and uses them to form some new cells. In the tail's inner layers, it tests whether those new cells can survive in the outside environment. New cells that can survive have a chance of gradually replacing its main body and completing its evolution!"

"Interesting!" Lu Geng exclaimed in amazement. "Extremely interesting! What a brilliant design!"

The viewers in the Livestream Room were left stunned. Moments later, the comments exploded.

"This gets terrifying the more you think about it. Is the Former University of Science and Technology doing nuclear war research?"

"Holy shit, is this what the Extraterrestrial Life Major studies? Using observed planetary information to deduce what kinds of creatures might exist there?"

"Awesome! This feels like it could be made into a movie!"

"Isn't this classified? God Lu, can you really broadcast this?"

"Is this real or fake? What are the odds of creatures like this appearing? Can we really predict alien life now?"

"Scary. As expected, the academy Song He created isn't messing around. The research topics are seriously advanced! But then again, how do research topics like this make money? Where will students with alien life filling their heads find jobs after graduation?"

Lu Geng continued reading a long series of Instruction Manuals for alien creature specimens, growing more excited with every word.

"Interesting! Studying this stuff in class would be so fascinating! Now I need to verify something!"

"I want to know whether my specimen is one of a kind, or whether every new student received the exact same specimen."

With that, he picked up his specimen jar and headed outside. By pure coincidence, people from several neighboring dormitories also happened to come out carrying specimen jars.

The new students tacitly gathered around the Male Senior and placed their specimen jars together for comparison.

Alien creatures of every kind were sealed inside the jars: colorful filamentous fungi, bizarre plants with lush leaves, metal lifeforms the size of rats, transparent creatures floating in mist like manta rays...

The new students marveled endlessly, exchanging specimen jars and Instruction Manuals to inspect each other's collections. Every specimen was exquisitely crafted and lifelike, as though a real Space Ship had gone to the far side of the Milky Way Galaxy to capture tiny living creatures. They looked so real that they seemed ready to run out the moment the jars were opened!

Exchanging specimen jars wasn't enough for them, so everyone ran back to retrieve their planet models. Celestial bodies of all sizes and colors—red, orange, yellow, green, and more—gathered together, passing from hand to hand amid repeated cries of "Holy shit!"

"Looks like everyone received different planets and creatures!" Lu Geng sighed. "If these are limited editions, I bet they'll be worth a fortune!"

"The livestream is ending for now. Tonight, when the Dean holds the Q&A Lecture, I'll livestream again if I'm allowed to. Friends who haven't followed yet, remember to hit follow. I'll bring you the latest updates from the Former University of Science and Technology's Interstellar Exploration Academy as soon as possible!"

Lu Geng's Livestream Room closed, but quite a few new students soon started streaming themselves.

Song He and Xiang Xiaotong kept sending messages, replying to staff messages in various group chats. They were so busy that they had no time to watch the livestreams.

New student registration had entered its peak period. Flights and trains brought in batches of new students from all corners of the country—hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands. Once they entered campus, all sorts of problems emerged: students getting lost because the school was too large, outsiders sneaking in, documents being lost or forged, dormitory appliances malfunctioning, conflicts with Teacher Bai...

Most situations could be handled by faculty and student volunteers from the various schools, but The Couple feared that matters might be mishandled. For anything even slightly significant, they required reports on the situation and proposed solutions, then personally reviewed and approved them.

Occasionally, there were matters that required Song He to personally issue an order.

"Dean! A man in his twenties is causing trouble at the South Gate. He drove an unregistered Supercar and insists on entering campus. The Security Guards wouldn't raise the barrier, so the owner started yelling and cursing. He says his car cost eighteen million after registration, and nobody dares stop him anywhere. He's blocking the entrance and refusing to leave. His entire car is parked sideways across the South Gate, seriously obstructing traffic."

"Some flashy rich second-generation brat trying to get in and pick up female students?" Song He replied. "Ignore him. I'll send someone over to deal with it."

He quickly typed out a string of orders and pulled up the surveillance feed for the school's South Gate.

Sure enough, a fiery red sports car was parked sideways across the entrance. The South Gate was the narrowest entrance to the Interstellar Exploration Academy, with only two lanes. The sports car took up both lanes, displaying outrageous arrogance. The young man inside could vaguely be seen pointing at the distant Security Guards and shouting insults. The guards stood there stupidly, hesitating uneasily. The school had a strict order forbidding any unregistered vehicles from entering, but the sight of a Supercar still made them nervous.

Quite a few parents driving their children to school had no choice but to get out and walk onto campus with them. As they passed by, they looked into the car in surprise. For many of them, it was the first time in their lives they had seen something like this.

Suddenly, a team of six Teacher Bais appeared and charged toward the school gate at full speed!