Final Disciplinary Action and Additional Traits

The navigation app showed that Xu Tui was 15.7 kilometers from the Gene Research Institute.

The estimated driving time was about 21 minutes.

Xu Tui's first thought was to call a maglev taxi.

It might be a little expensive, but Xu Tui was a man who had just received a windfall of 550,000 yuan.

But after taking one look, Xu Tui silently climbed onto a public bicycle on campus. He had to scan a code to use it.

A maglev taxi would be fast, but the app showed that there were currently 42 people in the queue in his area, with an estimated wait of 42 to 63 minutes.

Fine, a bicycle it was.

The estimated cycling time was 70 minutes.

Not too bad.

It wouldn't waste time.

Most importantly, it would save money.

After that, Xu Tui did as Chai Xiao had and rode the bicycle at car speed.

About 35 minutes later, Xu Tui arrived at the entrance to the Gene Research Institute, as indicated by the navigation app.

Security was tight.

After wiping away his sweat, Xu Tui hurriedly called An Xiaoxue and told her where he was.

"You're at the main entrance? Why did you go to the main entrance?"

An Xiaoxue sounded surprised on the other end of the phone.

Xu Tui had a vague sense that something was wrong.

He panted heavily as he looked around for somewhere to buy water.

He didn't find anywhere selling water, but Xu Tui realized that he was... hungry!

After all that high-speed cycling, the braised pig's trotters he'd eaten earlier might as well have been nothing.

"Why did it take you so long? You..."

An Xiaoxue came out to meet Xu Tui. She was wearing a white lab coat and a light blue mask. Seeing him drenched in sweat, she looked both disgusted and puzzled.

"Teacher An, it's a bit far. It's 16 kilometers by bike."

An Xiaoxue stopped in her tracks and looked at Xu Tui as if he were an idiot.

"Didn't you check the walking directions?

The Gene Research Institute and our Mysterious Academy are separated by only one wall. It takes no more than ten minutes to walk."

Xu Tui: "..."

Xu Tui hurriedly checked the navigation app again and switched to walking mode. "Teacher An, this route you mentioned doesn't show up in the walking directions."

"That's impossible. Let me see."

An Xiaoxue leaned over to look, but before she could, she suddenly pressed a hand to her forehead. "I forgot. That passage between us is a temporary route applied for by some teachers at Huaxia Gene Evolution University.

It probably hasn't been added to the navigation app."

Xu Tui: "..."

Damn it. Xu Tui felt a toothache coming on, and he felt even sorrier for the braised pig's trotters that had vanished from sight.

Even with An Xiaoxue leading the way, security at the Gene Research Institute was extremely tight.

They checked and verified Xu Tui's identity multiple times. An Xiaoxue also had to sign as his guarantor. In the end, they took his photo and collected a drop of his blood to extract a DNA sample.

An Xiaoxue said it was so they could issue Xu Tui an access card for the Gene Research Institute.

"I spend quite a lot of time at the Gene Research Institute, so I'll get you an access card. It'll make things more convenient when I ask you to come over. Even if I'm not here, you can come by yourself if you need to." An Xiaoxue explained.

"Teacher An, I understand."

Xu Tui immediately figured it out.

A university research assistant—he got it.

The access card was to make it easier to order him around.

Even so, Xu Tui was still stunned by Research Institute No. 14, where An Xiaoxue worked.

Xu Tui had thought it might be just an office, a research room, and perhaps a lounge.

But he hadn't expected an entire floor!

The fourteenth basement level!

The entire fourteenth basement level belonged to Research Institute No. 14. Xu Tui estimated that he could see over a hundred rooms.

There was even a dedicated elevator.

This discovery once again broadened Xu Tui's horizons.

"If you come here by yourself in the future, remember this: don't swipe your access card at any room with a red, black, or yellow sign.

You don't have clearance. If you swipe in by mistake, you'll get a warning the first time. The second time, you'll trigger the security system, and you might be shot on the spot."

"You can enter rooms with white signs. Rooms with green signs are for recreation and daily living. You can use some of those."

As she walked, An Xiaoxue explained things to Xu Tui.

They eventually entered a large hall with a distinctly scientific atmosphere and a white sign.

"Drink."

An Xiaoxue first handed Xu Tui a large glass of water.

The gesture warmed his heart.

Teacher An wasn't just quick-tempered; she could be considerate, too.

"I called you here today for three things. Listen carefully."

An Xiaoxue casually sat down on a swivel chair, crossing her long legs. They stretched the jeans beneath her lab coat into an extremely alluring curve.

Xu Tui couldn't help taking a few extra glances. He was reminded of a line he'd seen online:

"Those long legs—could keep you entertained for years."

But when he saw the knowing, half-amused look at the corner of An Xiaoxue's mouth, he immediately remembered when she'd seen through his thoughts about x-ray vision.

His heart tightened, and he quickly focused his mind.

"Xu Tui, I could still sign the papers to transfer you to the X-Ray Vision class right now." An Xiaoxue's voice held a hint of anger.

Xu Tui wailed inwardly.

It was so hard dealing with a professor from the Wisdom Heart System.

"Teacher An, it's natural for a young man to admire beautiful women!

You're so beautiful and elegant. If I didn't even dare look at you, I'd probably need to go to the hospital!" Xu Tui hurriedly tried to save himself.

An Xiaoxue's eyes widened. After a long moment, she finally gave him a look that said, You make a good point.

She had no choice but to let it go.

Xu Tui secretly rejoiced.

Women, as expected...

"The first thing is that the Jincheng Prefecture Garrison Command sent you a letter of apology. They asked me to pass it on to you." An Xiaoxue said.

Xu Tui took the letter without even looking at it.

"I'm alive and well, so the apology doesn't matter. But those classmates who died, and the security guards who weren't much older than me..."

An Xiaoxue fell silent and handed Xu Tui another document, an internal notice.

"This is the Gene Committee's final disciplinary decision regarding Liu Tianhu."

Xu Tui glanced over it.

First, Liu Tianhu had been dismissed from his post as commander of the Jincheng Prefecture Garrison Command.

Second, the Gene Committee's review of the incident found no problems with Liu Tianhu's actions in terms of procedure.

Liu Tianhu had passed the matter to his intelligence staff officer, who had consolidated the various circumstances before deciding how to handle it. There had been no procedural issue.

However, as the military commander, Liu Tianhu had been negligent and bore primary responsibility for the incident. He was demoted three ranks to major and was expected to be transferred to a logistics unit or leave the military.

Third came Liu Tianhu's final disposition.

Unwilling to be transferred to a logistics unit or leave the military in such a humiliating manner, Liu Tianhu had voluntarily requested a demotion and service on the front lines of the extraterrestrial battlefield as a first lieutenant.

In the final decision, most of the people connected to Liu Tianhu, including his intelligence staff officer and his guards, were also assigned to serve with him on the extraterrestrial battlefield.

After reading the report, Xu Tui fell silent.

Did it feel satisfying?

No.

Quite a few people had died because Liu Tianhu had been careless and had failed to take the matter seriously.

His punishment was only a three-rank demotion.

Although military ranks were difficult to earn and every promotion required real merit,

the final outcome was that Liu Tianhu had voluntarily accepted a demotion and gone to fight on the front lines of the extraterrestrial battlefield.

Was that enough?

It didn't seem like it.

The death rate among front-line troops on the extraterrestrial battlefield was as high as twenty percent, or even more.

He'd be risking his life.

Paying with his life.

Was that enough?

It seemed like it was.

"The second thing is that Research Institute No. 14 at the Gene Research Institute belongs to my teacher, who is also the head of the Wisdom Heart System. He leads the research here.

But he's currently away, so I'm in charge for the time being.

Our Wisdom Heart System is a little different. We have quite a few people, but not many are qualified to take part in research.

You should just about qualify.

Well, when I'm busy or away on university business, I'll need you to help with some simple tasks.

Starting today, you're an intern assistant at Research Institute No. 14. Remember to pick up your access card before you leave.

It'll mainly be physical work: carrying research waste and raw materials into storage.

Occasionally, you'll also need to sort and file ordinary research documents. I'll give you a list later. Is that all right?" An Xiaoxue asked.

Xu Tui could only nod.

As expected, a research assistant!

And he only just about qualified for the job.

"As a perk, you'll get one E-grade Energy Supplement Potion per month, and you can ask me questions whenever you need to."

At An Xiaoxue's words, Xu Tui immediately perked up.

One E-grade Energy Supplement Potion a month was worth 5,000 yuan. That was a pretty good deal.

If possible, Xu Tui hoped he'd get more research-assistant jobs like this.

"The third thing is your study plan, or what you choose to focus on." An Xiaoxue's words immediately made Xu Tui perk up his ears. He even set down the glass in his hand.

Why had he come to Huaxia Gene Evolution University?

Why had he been so determined to join the Wisdom Heart System?

Why hadn't he switched to the Manifestation Sensing System?

It had all been for this moment.

For the chance to receive personalized guidance from An Xiaoxue.

"Do you know what matters most for New Gene Humans in the Mysterious System?" An Xiaoxue asked.

"What matters most for New Gene Humans in the Mysterious System?"

"Talent for gene abilities?"

An Xiaoxue shook her head.

"The number of Gene Points?"

An Xiaoxue shook her head again.

"Mental strength?"

This time, An Xiaoxue nodded.

"More precisely, it should be mental power. The use of any gene ability is based on mental power.

Moreover, mental power is a gene ability in its own right." An Xiaoxue explained.

Xu Tui didn't quite understand what she meant.

An Xiaoxue casually tossed out a handful of silver balls. Her bright eyes narrowed slightly, and the thirty-odd balls began moving unpredictably around the hall.

The sharp whistling of air filled the room.

But, incredibly, not one of the thirty-odd silver balls touched anything in the research hall as they moved about at random.

In the next instant, An Xiaoxue shifted her gaze. The thirty-odd balls converged from all directions in a flash, forming a small silver ball.

Xu Tui silently supplied a word in his mind—Gather!

"I didn't have a talent for gene abilities either. But once my mental power became strong enough, it turned into a mysterious ability no weaker than those of the Transcendent System."

"But mental power is invisible and intangible. Apart from the most primitive training methods, there's currently no way to improve it quickly.

There are too many Gene Points in the brain.

After years of research, humanity has developed countless cultivation methods for both the Limitless System and the Mysterious System.

But when it comes to mental power, the most widely circulated and used methods are still the most primitive training methods and techniques for activating Gene Points.

Many so-called techniques for activating mental-power Gene Points not only require special training conditions, but also aren't suitable for everyone.

For example, the technique for activating mental-power Gene Points in our system requires one to first achieve micro-sensing.

Micro-sensing has an additional trait, known by its academic name as 'inner vision.'"

The moment Xu Tui heard the words "inner vision," his heart skipped a beat.

Damn it.

The secret he'd been so anxious to hide for so long wasn't a secret to An Xiaoxue after all.

She'd known all along that he could use inner vision.

"Basically, anyone who can achieve micro-sensing can use inner vision.

And yet, only a very small number of Gene Evolvers could develop the ability to look within themselves, while a few Gene Transmuters could acquire it.

That was why there were so few of us in the Wisdom Heart System—and even fewer who met the requirements for training in our branch.

Now do you understand why I gave you a special admission slot?" An Xiaoxue asked.

Xu Tui nodded.

"When you look within yourself, every change inside your body becomes crystal clear, including the activity in your head caused by your mental processes.

It helps you identify the right mental-power Gene Points with greater accuracy and efficiency, allowing you to activate the relevant Gene Points quickly and increase your mental power.

It also gives you an enormous advantage later on, when you begin activating Gene Ability Chains."

Seeing Xu Tui's confusion, An Xiaoxue added, "Take Penetrating Vision, for example. That Gene Ability Chain requires eight specific Gene Points to activate.

But according to statistics, students who specialize in this ability in the Vision System need to activate an average of fifteen Gene Points before they can activate Penetrating Vision, even when they use the Vision System's unique training method. Their average accuracy rate is only fifty percent."

"What happens to the seven extra Gene Points?" Xu Tui asked in astonishment.

"They might be useful for other Gene Ability Chains later on. They might be useless. They might even hold you back.

Over millions of years of human evolution, countless genes have accumulated. Many of them may have been useful in the environment of the time.

But now, they can cause side effects—or even become a menace!"

"Isn't that just a gamble?" Xu Tui blurted out.

"More or less."

An Xiaoxue nodded. "For the first thirty years after the Gene Great Era began, activating Gene Points was called taking a gamble,

or playing roulette.

It took a century of firsthand experience from countless pioneers, along with countless experiments, to develop the relatively systematic and safe methods we use today to activate Gene Points."

"By comparison, the Limitless System has a much higher activation accuracy rate than our Mysterious System. Our Mysterious System's accuracy rate is a little lower," An Xiaoxue said.

"What about our branch, once we can look within ourselves?"

"That depends on the person. The accuracy rate can be at least seventy percent, and it can reach as high as ninety percent."

At this, An Xiaoxue turned serious. "Remember: activating a single Gene Point may bring about a slight change in your abilities.

But on its own, it's actually meaningless.

The further you progress, the less useful it becomes!

Only when Gene Points form a complete Gene Ability Chain can they offer enormous room for progress and potential.

But our time and resources are limited, so we should activate as few useless Gene Points as possible."

"I understand. By the way, Teacher, I have a question."

"Go ahead!"

"Besides letting us see even the tiniest changes in our bodies and helping us pinpoint the Gene Points we need to activate, can the ability to look within ourselves do anything else when activating Gene Points?" Xu Tui asked in particular.

He wanted to know whether An Xiaoxue and the others could see Gene Points directly when looking within themselves, the way he could with Illusory Internal Vision.

"There are many uses for looking within yourself, but as far as activating Gene Points goes, I don't think it has any other uses," An Xiaoxue said.

At that, Xu Tui's heart stirred.

It seemed his ability to look within himself was somewhat different from everyone else's.

"Any other questions?"

"Not for now. Teacher, what about the method for activating the mental-power Gene Points in our branch?" Xu Tui asked.

"It's all here."

An Xiaoxue tossed Xu Tui a projection card.

"The card's permissions are already set. Only your personal device can use it.

Take a good look when you get back. If anything confuses you or you can't make sense of it, come ask me.

If there are Gene Points you really can't locate, I can guide you directly."

"Thank you, Teacher An."

"Oh, and remember not to share this with anyone, no matter how close you are." An Xiaoxue suddenly looked at Xu Tui, her meaning clear.

"Teacher An, I understand."

"You don't understand!"

"I'm not warning you. I'm giving you a friendly reminder.

If you tell someone else about this activation method, they might try it without knowing what they're doing. The most likely result is that you'll harm them instead of helping them. Do you understand?" An Xiaoxue said seriously.

"Teacher, I really understand." Xu Tui nodded earnestly.

Some readers doubt that Zhu San is the supreme ruler at home. Zhu San really is the supreme ruler of his household—it's just that he has too much power and has to take care of a lot of things.