Life's Genetic Code

On the day of the freshmen's opening ceremony, Xilin and the other three sat in the back rows of the grand auditorium.

Xilin leaned back in his chair and slept. Knight fiddled with the model tank in his hands, Ci Jincheng read a book, and Long looked around for pretty girls. In short, not one of the four paid any attention to the freshman representative or Seven Radiance's senior officials speaking onstage. In fact, many students were just like them.

But while Xilin was asleep, he suddenly heard a familiar voice. He woke up, opened his eyes, and looked toward the stage.

Sure enough, it was someone he knew.

The speaker was Mo Heng, one of Seven Radiance's vice principals and head of the Science and Research Department. He was also the old man Xilin had met at the Train Station in the Trade Zone.

As Xilin looked his way, Mo Heng, who had been speaking, suddenly seemed to sense him and turned to look in his direction. After a moment of surprise, a knowing smile appeared on his face.

Vice Principal An Ting, sitting beside Mo Heng and wondering what to have for lunch, suddenly jolted. He looked up and saw Mo Heng's strange smile. To anyone who didn't know Mo Heng, it looked kind and amiable. But those who did know him knew the old rascal was definitely cooking up another scheme!

Xilin suddenly felt a chill. What exactly was this vice principal up to?

At long last, the opening ceremony ended, and the four hurried to leave. Sitting there had been mind-numbingly boring.

After the opening ceremony, classes officially began.

Seven Radiance offered many courses, divided into broad fields: literature, economics and trade, theory, engineering, military studies, and several others. Students could choose courses from any field, subject only to level restrictions; there were no other limitations. But if they took a course and failed the final assessment, tough luck—they wouldn't earn the credits, and the corresponding credits would be deducted instead.

So, generally speaking, students chose courses in fields they were familiar with. They could advance once they earned enough credits. Those who failed to meet the minimum requirement would have to repeat the year and extend their studies. Anyone who failed to advance within three years would be forcibly expelled. However, students who earned enough credits could apply for early advancement.

Military studies was the field male students most wanted to pursue, but it was also the hardest in which to earn credits. Anyone considering it had better think carefully first, or they might end up regretting it after getting themselves in too deep.

Of course, the academy couldn't just stamp out students' enthusiasm. Each field also offered elective courses. Anyone interested in a field but unsure they could earn all the credits could take electives instead. Electives were worth only a tenth of the credits awarded by regular courses, but they were easy to pass, and the instructors weren't strict, so they were quite popular with the students.

Ci Jincheng chose several courses in literature. As a Special Recruit, he had different requirements. Long mainly chose economics and trade, but he also took some literature electives because there were more pretty girls over there. As he put it, "I'm going to feast my eyes." Knight, without a doubt, chose military studies. He had no interest in anything else.

As for Xilin, he chose several courses from every field, and none of them were electives. As long as the times didn't conflict and the courses were held during class hours, he signed up for them. His schedule was packed almost every day, though weekends didn't count. Those were for rest and recovery.

Since they had chosen different courses, the four had far fewer chances to see each other during the day. Xilin bought another Flying Skateboard; he couldn't keep relying on Long's car, and their class schedules didn't always match. Special Recruits like Ci Jincheng often stayed overnight at the Science and Research Department, while Knight often stayed at the Training Department since it was more convenient. After class each day, Long drove his car to the Trade Zone to "flirt" with upperclassmen, until people of all ages and genders there eventually wanted to kick him away whenever they saw him.

So, by that measure, Xilin was the only regular resident of the dormitory. That worked out well, though; it made it easier for him to take care of certain things.

The Giant Foot Climbing Tiger wrapped in Ecological Film would be done for if he didn't deal with it soon.

On the first weekend after classes began, Xilin was alone in the dormitory.

In his room, Xilin took out a clean tray and peeled away the Ecological Film, placing the vine on it. The Nutrient Solution around it didn't seem to help at all. Its leaves were dull green and looked terribly weak.

Xilin placed a finger on one of the leaves, closed his eyes, and sensed the information coming through his fingertip.

The arrangement of every cell in the leaf, the different components within each cell, the interpretation of its genetic information...

Related information and data flashed through his mind. The Biochip integrated into the chromosomes in Xilin's body analyzed everything he touched like a precision instrument. He felt something strange. Unlike lifeless objects, this thing was pulsing with vitality, making him want to communicate with it...

Xilin seemed to have found the vine's genetic code. Once he deciphered it, he would understand what the plant needed to survive—or, more precisely, what it needed most right now.

Xilin could clearly sense what the vine was yearning for, along with its weakness and unease.

Thoughts?

Yes, those were its thoughts.

Xilin clearly remembered what Yuanye had said. Back then, Yuanye had sat beneath a Fuji Tree and told him, "Few people truly care about the lives of plants. But in fact, they long for communication even more. The resonance of life is more likely to win their affection than a rigid machine."

Of course, Yuanye's words had actually been based on the Fuji Tree. Among plants, the Fuji Tree was considered high-ranking; otherwise, it couldn't have been hailed as the Shangshu Fuji. Yuanye had also said that the more advanced they were, the clearer their thoughts. They were like a species halfway between plants and animals: the form of a plant, the mind of an animal.

By that reasoning, this mutated Giant Foot Climbing Tiger was actually an evolved variety. Its thoughts were clear enough for Xilin to connect with them precisely.

The Biochip in his body translated his thoughts and conveyed them to the leaf. Xilin sent it his goodwill.

The vine was like a child who had just left its mother. When it sensed Xilin's goodwill, its long-lost sense of security returned, and it sent its thoughts to him.

Xilin lifted the tray and looked silently at the vine inside. Don't worry. I'm right here, beside you.

Before going out, Xilin had installed a button. Ci Jincheng had set it up; once activated, anyone outside would see only the preset scene, not what was really happening in the courtyard.

Beneath the window of Xilin's bedroom, he broke through the top layer of the building's foundation to expose the soil underneath, then placed the vine in the ground and poured on ordinary Nutrient Solution. The vine began to change at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The leaves regained their vibrant color, and the vine started growing and spreading. It climbed upward, one "foot" at a time, and once it reached a certain height, branches began growing out on both sides. More and more appeared.

Xilin sat on the lawn and watched it grow, as it gradually spread outward.

They were actually easy to care for and didn't require much from their environment. It wasn't that they hadn't absorbed the nutrients before. The problem was that this child, separated from its mother, was too wary. Unless its wariness eased, it would rather wither and return to dust than accept the help offered to it.

The instruments at the Botanical Research Institute in the Seven Radiance Research Area could thoroughly analyze the plant's genetic code and related traits, but they couldn't communicate with it. That was the difference between a machine and a living thing.

The wonder of life was that it couldn't be explained in words, and yet its living presence could be felt so clearly.

By dusk, Xilin smiled as he looked at the plant, which now covered most of the dormitory's surface. When those three came back, they'd be in for quite a surprise.