Female Doctor Li Wei

Lu Zhiyu entered the Painting Space and immediately discovered that the original first Insect Queen had died. She had been besieged and exterminated by several Insect Queens that appeared later. The other Zerg Race colonies had dragged her out of her nest, and she had died a horrific death.

At the exact moment that Insect Queen died, the Source Substance scale in Lu Zhiyu's mind immediately rose by a notch. He instantly spread his awareness through the Painting Space and gradually realized that the scale did not increase only when an Insect Queen died. Whenever any life died, the Source Substance scale changed slightly.

However, compared to an Insect Queen, ordinary Zerg Race creatures were worth tens of thousands of times less. The changes were so slight that Lu Zhiyu had not noticed them before. Only when an Insect Queen died did the scale jump noticeably, drawing his attention.

The entire Painting Space had completely become an ocean of the Zerg Race. These insects no longer seemed to have any connection to the ants Lu Zhiyu had originally placed inside. All kinds of bizarre Zerg Race creatures, creatures that could never be seen in the real world, kept emerging. They filled the skies, the earth, and the oceans. There were dozens of Insect Queens alone, each possessing intelligence and psychic power.

The Zerg Race's development far exceeded Lu Zhiyu's expectations. The internal structure of every colony continued to evolve, growing from a dozen or so unit types into hundreds, even thousands. Their intelligence also grew higher and higher. They began communicating, cooperating, annexing one another, developing, and creating all kinds of biological weapons. Lu Zhiyu realized they could already be called a Zerg Race civilization.

Lu Zhiyu could see insect-like creatures resembling airships sailing through the sky, hurling acid at enemy nests and instantly igniting vast sheets of flame. Beetles like armored vehicles fired missiles into the air. The fighting and coordination between these insects actually carried a distinctly modern feel.

Lu Zhiyu found it somewhat frightening. If the Painting Space's small size and limitations had not restrained the upper limit of these Zerg Race creatures, then if they entered human society, they would undoubtedly bring about a catastrophic disaster for humanity.

An ant queen's lifespan had originally been around twenty years, which translated to less than a day in the real world. Yet twenty-seven days had passed since the first Insect Queen was born. In other words, this Insect Queen had lived for nearly seven hundred years. And she had not even died naturally—she had been killed by an enemy colony after losing a war!

Lu Zhiyu found it unbelievable. How had this Insect Queen broken through the limits of her lifespan? He took out his observation journal again and recorded information on these Insect Queens. Sure enough, he discovered that once their psychic power reached a certain level, it began undergoing further refinement, allowing them to observe and control their own genes.

These Insect Queens were actually altering their own genes, unlocking the secrets hidden deep within them. When it came to genetics, these Zerg Race creatures had surpassed humanity.

"If one unit on the scale represents when psychic power first awakens, then after meditating for so long, I should currently be at six units. I need to reach seven units to break through the psychic barrier and attain the Insect Queens' state, where psychic power can be freely projected outward and affect reality!"

Lu Zhiyu calculated that if he went all out, he could make the breakthrough in around five days. He also wanted to see what psychic power capable of observing the genetic level was actually like.

Besides his medical courses, Lu Zhiyu had recently obtained a course schedule from River City University's biology department. He attended classes punctually every day and bought quite a few professional biology books, hoping to make up for his lack of expertise in the field.

As an auditor, Lu Zhiyu naturally sat at the back of the classroom so as not to disturb the teacher or other students. Yet even such a low profile could not withstand the enthusiasm of the female college students. Lu Zhiyu got to enjoy treatment he had never received during his own university days.

From the moment he entered the classroom, everyone's eyes were fixed on Lu Zhiyu. Quite a few girls even screamed, while the boys stared at him with open hostility, leaving Lu Zhiyu rather awkward.

"Hello, are you from the biology department too? How come I've never seen you before?" The moment Lu Zhiyu sat down, opened his book, and turned to where his bookmark had been, several girls immediately came over and surrounded him. They were all fairly pretty and looked quite confident; otherwise, they would not have dared approach Lu Zhiyu.

"No, I'm an auditor. I'm just interested in the subject."

A flock of sweet female voices surrounded Lu Zhiyu, while he endured the death rays from every male student in the classroom. Only after class began did the girls disperse. Even during the lecture, though, notes kept getting passed to him indirectly, containing either phone numbers or WeChat IDs.

That afternoon, Lu Zhiyu went to the hospital again to collect his physical examination report. He waited at the counter for ages, but the female staff member kept stalling and refused to give it to him. Only when Doctor Li Wei, the same doctor from last time, came downstairs did he finally receive it.

Before he left, Li Wei grabbed Lu Zhiyu and said she was off work and happened to want to treat him to dinner. Before he could even refuse, Li Wei forcibly dragged him to a distinctive Hunan restaurant.

"Boss, this one, this one, and this one. Make them all spicy!"

Li Wei said it as if it were routine after picking up the menu, then immediately looked at Lu Zhiyu. "Do you like spicy food?"

Lu Zhiyu nodded. "No problem. I like things a little spicy too. But shouldn't doctors be more particular about healthy living? How do you like such spicy food as well?"

Li Wei immediately replied, "I do. And who says spicy food is bad for your health?"

"Don't doctors always say to watch what you eat and avoid spicy, greasy food?"

"That's when you're sick. It's fine normally!"

Talking with Li Wei was quite interesting. She was a girl who spoke forcefully and directly, two years older than Lu Zhiyu. She was bold in conversation and simple and straightforward in her thoughts, so one did not have to think too much around her. Lu Zhiyu felt very relaxed.

She was the complete opposite of someone like Cai Jiajia, reserved and gentle with a faint air of bourgeois refinement. Lu Zhiyu had taken the initiative with Cai Jiajia, but now he was the one being pursued. The feeling was completely different, but however one put it, Lu Zhiyu enjoyed it.

"Boss, two more beers!"

"Another round!"

Lu Zhiyu understood Li Wei's intentions perfectly. Yet in the end, it was Lu Zhiyu who supported Li Wei as they left the restaurant. After taking off her white coat, she did not have Cai Jiajia's athletic beauty from years of exercise, but she possessed a mature, fiery charm. When she pressed herself against Lu Zhiyu, he felt as though his entire body were burning in flames!

"Where do you live? I'll take you home!"

"No need. There's a hotel nearby. Just get me a room!"

Well, after getting the room, Lu Zhiyu never came back out. It was not until the next morning that he and Li Wei emerged from the hotel entrance, all affectionate with each other. Dating a female doctor two years older than him—just thinking about it, Lu Zhiyu found it quite thrilling.