Hui Xin's fall swept through New Star Valley like a bitter winter cold snap.
The research department's morale was hit especially hard.
Their leader, who had guided them in exploring the mysteries of life's evolution, had ultimately been consumed by the very power she pursued. This left every researcher lost and questioning themselves.
After grieving, Lie Zhao showed the responsibility expected of a leader.
He did not use the opportunity to suppress the research department. Instead, he took the initiative to stabilize the remnants of the Starfire Project, which had been teetering on the brink of collapse after losing its central figure. He understood that Hui Xin's path might have been extreme, but the importance of exploring the essence of life to the race's future had already been proven. They could not give up eating for fear of choking.
With Tu Hu's support, a young scholar named Jing Si was brought to the forefront after a rigorous screening and assessment. She had once been one of Hui Xin's assistants, but her temperament was entirely different from her mentor's.
Jing Si was steady and cautious, even somewhat conservative.
But she was no less hungry for knowledge than Hui Xin, and placed greater importance on theoretical rigor.
Having witnessed Hui Xin lose control with her own eyes, she had developed a deep reverence for power.
Jing Si took over a dismal mess: a project on the verge of dissolution, filled with pessimism. Tu Hu gave her one piece of advice:
"Remember the lesson Hui Xin taught us. We want to go further, but we mustn't fall along the way."
Jing Si did not immediately restart the radical genetic research.
The first thing she did was lead the research team in working through the night to organize and then seal away Hui Xin's