Department

Gao Gong walked over to the glass cabinet. The small, pale, plump things packed densely inside were none other than the maggots of the civilized era.

Their full classification was housefly larvae, insects of the genus Musca in the family Muscidae of the order Diptera—in other words, fly maggots among maggots. They were rich in nutrients, palatable, contained various amino acids and fatty acids essential to animal bodies, and were also packed with vitamins and trace elements, making them a high-quality source of protein.

In an age when animals had nearly gone extinct and irradiated beasts could not be eaten, roasted maggots and deep-fried maggots counted as some of the few available meat dishes.

"Mr. Yi certainly has varied tastes. I never thought you'd raise these at home."

Yi Yun seemed not to hear Gao Gong's teasing. He likewise walked over to the glass cabinet.

"Mr. Gao, did you know that human cells need ten to twenty-two hours to complete one cycle in tissue culture, while artificially synthesized cells only need half that time? Their rate of cell division is also twice that of human cells. In other words, a bionic human generally has only a quarter of a human's lifespan."

"I've heard that."

Gao Gong thought back. Sister Rose seemed to have reached such a juncture as well, but she was a fake bionic human. Perhaps her lifespan could not be calculated that way.

"Then have you heard this, Mr. Gao? No matter how realistic a bionic human's appearance is, we're still called fake animals. One important reason is that animals don't feel close to us."

Yi Yun gave a self-mocking smile. "That's true. Whose cat or dog would treat a moving toy as its owner?"

Gao Gong turned to look at him in surprise.

"Mr. Yi, you don't