A Genius Behind Bars

Yuan Dongzhi arrived in less than half a minute.

The way it made its entrance was simple and straightforward: it simply floated down slowly from high above.

It landed beside Shen Qinghan.

She flew here.

Flying through the air.

High-level beings can control objects remotely using their powerful Mental Power.

If the object being controlled is oneself, then it is flying through the air.

"What happened?"

Yuan Dongzhi looked at Shen Qinghan and asked.

Shen Qinghan told her on WeChat that she had something urgent to deal with and hoped she could come quickly.

As for what it was about, Shen Qinghan didn't know; she was just a messenger.

"Principal Yuan, these two people asked me for help and gave me a bag of Spirit Fruit. Inside was a strange-looking red seed. I suspect this is a method used by the Divine Plant Cult to force students to join the cult."

Lin Zichen looked at Yuan Dongzhi in front of him and briefly summarized the events and his own guesses to her.

Before Yuan Dongzhi could finish listening to what he was saying, her brows furrowed immediately when she saw the red seed in his hand.

It's Tree Demon Gu Seed!

Moreover, it's Advanced Tree Demon Gu Seed that's as big as an egg!

Such a large Gu Seed could probably be controlled even by Advanced Being!

The Divine Plant Cult was actually used to control a freshman?

Thinking it over, Yuan Dongzhi raised her hand and sucked the red seed from Lin Zichen's hand.

After examining it closely and confirming that it was indeed Tree Demon Gu Seed,

Yuan Dongzhi said to Lin Zichen, "The red seed in your hand is the seed of a strange tree. After eating it, you will be controlled by the tree and become powerless. It is one of the common methods used by the Divine Plant Cult to force people to join the cult."

Will I be controlled after eating it?

Is this Tree Demon Gu Seed that poisonous?

Lu Gang and Wang Shujie are real scoundrels!

Lin Zichen cursed inwardly.

Then he remembered that when the class was riding back to school together after the Combat Assessment, Lu Gang and Wang Shujie on the bus looked very strange.

Looking back now, these two must have just been controlled by the Human Traitor of the Divine Plant Cult and were somewhat at a loss.

Thinking about it, Lin Zichen told Yuan Dongzhi about it.

Yuan Dongzhi nodded after hearing this, then lightly tapped the ground with her foot, and her whole body flew into the air, hovering in mid-air.

Lu Gang and Wang Shujie also floated up.

It was Yuan Dongzhi who used his Mental Power to levitate both of them.

"Principal Yuan, we were forced!"

"Principal Yuan, I... um!"

The two had barely opened their mouths to explain when Yuan Dongzhi used her Mental Power to sew their mouths shut, rendering them unable to utter a sound.

The two men turned pale and their eyes were filled with panic.

At that moment, they all knew they were finished, and their fate would certainly not be good.

Yuan Dongzhi ignored the two and said to Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan below, "Actually, the situation inside humanity is much worse than what you two see on the surface."

"Heretic Cult is ubiquitous; there are lurking Heretic Cult in many places."

"When you interact with people in your daily lives, you need to learn to be discerning. You can't completely trust even your advisors and school leaders."

In short, one should always be wary of others.

Yuan Dongzhi looked at Lin Zichen and said in a nonchalant voice, "I'll take these two back for investigation first. I'll let you know as soon as I have the results."

Without pausing for a moment, she unleashed her Mental Power and carried Lu Gang and Wang Shujie to the Administration Building.

It's so great to be able to fly...

Lin Zichen watched Yuan Dongzhi fly away, his eyes filled with envy.

"Xiao Chen, Lu Gang and Wang Shujie are so wicked! You wanted to help them, but they're plotting to harm you!"

Shen Qinghan said with a face full of indignation.

Lin Zichen thought about it and realized it was dangerous; he felt a bit scared afterward.

If Lu Gang and Wang Shujie were targeting Shen Qinghan and planned to murder her while she was alone, they might very well succeed.

Thinking it over, he instructed Shen Qinghan, "Those two are really scoundrels. We must be careful in the future; we can never be too careful."

"Yes, we must be careful."

Shen Qinghan nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Lin Zichen remained silent, lost in thought.

Being too dazzling is indeed dangerous.

They were immediately targeted by the Divine Plant Cult.

Fortunately, I had [Danger Perception] and [Survival of the Fittest] to alert me, and I discovered Lu Gang and Wang Shujie's conspiracy in time.

Otherwise, I might get infected...

After calming himself down a bit, Lin Zichen quickly threw away the bag of Spirit Fruit he was carrying.

The Spirit Fruit in the bag are probably fine.

But just to be on the safe side, it's best to throw them all away.

There's no need to be greedy for such a small gain.

Seeing him throw all the Spirit Fruit into the trash can, Shen Qinghan felt a pang of heartache.

It's heartbreaking to see such a waste.

This huge bag of Spirit Fruit must be worth a lot of money; it's such a waste to just throw it away.

She knew this bag of Spirit Fruit couldn't be kept; if she were in her shoes, she would have thrown it away too.

But I just felt so sorry for it, like watching money being burned in a fire.

"That Spirit Fruit is inedible, so just throw it away. There's nothing to regret. Stop staring at the trash can."

Lin Zichen poked Shen Qinghan's cheek and said with a smile, "If you want to eat some, I'll buy some for you to try later from the Credit Mall."

Shen Qinghan shook her head and said, "No need, I don't particularly want to eat it, I'm just a little curious."

The Spirit Fruit was too expensive; she didn't want Lin Zichen to waste his Credit buying it.

I need to save my Credit to buy Exotic Beast Meat.

After all, Lin Zichen can gain abilities by devouring the Exotic Beast Meat, so buying Exotic Beast Meat is more cost-effective.

A mature and sensible woman should think of her man in this way.

Although she is not very mature yet, and her relationship with Lin Zichen has not progressed to the point of adulthood.

But at this moment, that's what she was thinking.

Deep down, she already considered Lin Zichen as the man she was married to.

Lin Zichen knew what she was thinking, and he knew she was reluctant to spend her Credit.

So he smiled and said, "You don't particularly want to eat it, but I really want to eat it."

After finishing speaking, seeing that it was almost time, he added:

"Alright, hurry up and go to class, or you'll be late. When you get back to the dorm after class, you'll be able to eat the fruit platter I made."

"Okay, I'll look forward to it."

Shen Qinghan smiled sweetly.

After saying that, she glanced down at the time on her phone, and her expression changed slightly.

Oops!

Class starts in 5 minutes!

I'm going to be late!

"Xiao Chen, I'm going to class, bye-bye!" Shen Qinghan hurriedly waved goodbye to Lin Zichen and ran quickly towards the Teaching Building of the Evolution Academy.

Lin Zichen called out to her retreating figure, "Slow down! Being late is no big deal!"

Shen Qinghan ignored the advice and ran faster and faster.

She is a model student and cannot be late.

Lin Zichen smiled helplessly, then turned and walked towards the research institute.

On his way to the research institute, he opened the Credit Mall and spent 5 Credit to order several kinds of highly nutritious Spirit Fruit.

Pure Human Research Institute.

As soon as Lin Zichen arrived, he told Liu Chuanwu and Song Yuyan that he had been targeted by the Divine Plant Cult.

Liu Chuanwu and Song Yuyan were not surprised by this.

Song Yuyan stated, "It's normal for there to be Heretic Cult in universities, but these Heretic Cult usually don't show up during their university years. They grow up step by step, gradually infiltrating the upper echelons of humanity in the future."

"Then, in the field of education, or some other field, gradually expand your influence and subtly affect all of humanity."

"These Heretic Cult are impossible to guard against; they're simply impossible to detect."

"Because on the surface they are perfectly normal people, and they even kill Heretic Cult in their spare time, talking passionately about protecting all mankind, but deep down they have the blood of Human Traitor flowing through their veins."

"Some time ago, a long-serving head of the teaching department in Capital City was exposed as Heretic Cult had mixed his own ideas into the teaching materials, and I don't know how many students were poisoned by it."

Song Yuyan continued, "What you encountered today is a rather low-level approach, with a low success rate and an easy chance of exposing yourself."

"This practice of sacrificing cannon fodder is usually used by leaders of Heretic Cult who feel that their subordinates are not worth training, so they make use of them by sending them on high-risk, high-reward missions with extremely low success rates."

"If it works out, great; if not, consider it a layoff."

Layoffs?

Lin Zichen was somewhat surprised to hear those two words.

Lu Gang and Wang Shujie, both students from two top universities, were actually used as cannon fodder.

It seems the threshold for this Divine Plant Cult is very high...

Thinking about it, he asked curiously, "Sister Yan, have you ever been targeted by Heretic Cult?"

Of course.

Song Yuyan laughed and said, "Back in the day, your Sister Yan was the second-highest scorer in the Capital City, a renowned genius. Which Heretic Cult wouldn't want to recruit me?"

After saying that, she added with a wry smile, "However, ever since I joined the Heavenly Human Pavilion and became just another face in the crowd, no Heretic Cult has ever looked up to me. This is truly a sad piece of good news."

Yes, Pure-Blood Human Path looked down upon even by Heretic Cult; even dogs would shake their heads at them.

That's just how unpopular they are.

As for why Lin Zichen was being targeted, it was simply because he had only recently joined the Pure-Blood Human Path and still had a chance to turn back.

In addition, he was the Newcomer King, and his performance in the Opening Trial was so amazing that he attracted a lot of attention.

"Zichen, there's really no need to worry too much about the Heretic Cult sects."

Liu Chuanwu smiled and continued, "Actually, many Heretic Cult are lured in; very few are truly forced into it. As long as you have a strong will, you'll be fine."

"Furthermore, even if you do get infected, you can ask Yuan Dongzhi for help; she can help you anytime."

"Those two high school classmates who wanted to harm you probably couldn't resist the temptation of the resources offered by the Divine Plant Cult, which is why they willingly became Heretic Cult, rather than being forcibly controlled."

After saying that, Liu Chuanwu clapped his hands and said, "Alright, let's stop talking about these unimportant things and start researching how to open the Aperture."

The three of them then gathered in the Research Lab to study and discuss the topic.

The research project didn't end until 11 a. m., when Liu Chuanwu was invited out by his old flame.

The research yielded no results.

Opening Aperture is quite difficult; it's not something that can be done overnight, but rather takes years.

However, Lin Zichen did gain something from this research, absorbing a lot of the failures of Liu Chuanwu and Song Yuyan.

Having learned from the failures of these two individuals, he was able to avoid many detours when conducting his own research later on.

"By the way, Zichen, don't forget I still owe you a secret. Do you have any secrets you want to ask me today?"

Song Yuyan smiled and offered a reminder.

Lin Zichen: "Not at the moment."

Song Yuyan: "Alright, I'll remind you again tomorrow, so you don't forget later."

Good grief, do I have to remind you again tomorrow?

Are you an alarm clock?

Lin Zichen found it quite annoying to be reminded by her every day, so he thought for a moment and said, "Sister Yan, I suddenly have a secret I want to ask."

"What secret?"

"You look like you're of mixed race. Where are your parents from?"

"That's all you're asking?"

Song Yuyan was speechless and couldn't help but complain, "Little Brother Zichen, you're an eighteen-year-old boy, and you finally get to ask a beautiful girl like me a secret. Can't you be a little more lewd and ask about my measurements?"

Hearing her say that, Lin Zichen was even more speechless than she was.

Sexual harassment, is it?

It seems that men and women are the same; they all want to flirt with good-looking people.

To put it simply, those who are unattractive will never know how proactive women can be.

Lin Zichen has deeply understood this principle.

"Haha, Sister Yan was just teasing you. Don't take it seriously, you innocent little boy."

Song Yuyan laughed heartily.

Then, she stopped smiling and said, "You might not believe it, but I was actually an abandoned child and have no idea who my biological parents are."

"But don't get me wrong, I had a very happy childhood."

"My adoptive parents not only loved me, but they were also very wealthy, owning several martial arts schools in Capital City."

"Thanks to this, I never had to worry about food or clothing from a young age. I spent every day practicing martial arts at the martial arts school, and eventually, I became the runner-up in the Capital City college entrance examination."

"Unfortunately, my adoptive parents suffered from many health problems due to their fighting spirit in their youth. They both passed away when I was in my second year of high school, before they could see me become the Top Scholar of College Entrance Exam."

"To be honest, the reason I chose the Pure-Blood Human Path was all due to the influence of my adoptive parents."

"Both husband and wife are members of the Heavenly Human Pavilion and have been friends of the Dean for many years. They firmly believe that the Pure-Blood Human Path is the future of humanity. I chose the Pure-Blood Human Path to fulfill their wishes."

As she spoke, she said self-deprecatingly, "It's a pity I'm so useless. I've been on the path of Pure-Blood Human Path ten years, and I haven't made a ripple at all. I'm even ridiculed for being just another face in the crowd."

Lin Zichen didn't speak, but listened attentively, nodding in response from time to time.

He was not interested in Song Yuyan's background.

It was just a casual question.

However, since others are speaking so earnestly, I should still listen politely.

"By the way Zichen, with your extraordinary talent, what do your parents do?"

After recounting her background, Song Yuyan asked curiously.

Lin Zichen smiled and said in the same sentence she had just used, "You might not believe it, but my parents are ordinary people who write novels online."

"Are your parents ordinary people?"

Song Yuyan looked on incredulously.

How did two ordinary people manage to have such a genius son?

Gene mutation?

The next day.

Yuan Dongzhi convened a morning meeting with all the new students.

Like a fire drill from a past life, she talked about Heretic Cult at the meeting.

To introduce new students to Heretic Cult and the dangers Heretic Cult.

Teach them how to identify Heretic Cult and avoid being persecuted by Heretic Cult.

She said that if anyone is ever coerced by Heretic Cult, they can come to her anytime for a solution, and they should never associate with Heretic Cult.

Otherwise, once she gets her hands dirty, she will no longer treat the coerced students as students.

Instead, they viewed them as Heretic Cult Human Traitor.

It must be handled exactly as it is to be; there is absolutely no room for maneuver.

About an hour later.

The morning meeting is over.

Yuan Dongzhi found Lin Zichen and informed him of the investigation results regarding Lu Gang and Wang Shujie, as well as the punishments they would receive.

The survey results are as follows:

Both individuals have been confirmed to be members of the Divine Plant Cult.

During the Combat Assessment of the college entrance examination, he was forced by a safety officer to consume the Demon Seed.

Then, under duress and enticement, they chose to join the Divine Plant Cult.

The punishment result is:

Both were expelled from Shanhai University and will bear corresponding criminal responsibility; their lives are essentially ruined.

In addition, Yuan Dongzhi also mentioned that the teaching department of Nanjiang Province has begun to investigate this year's Combat Assessment and has initiated accountability procedures, and the results should be available soon.

Lin Zichen couldn't help but feel a little sad after hearing this.

Back when they first entered high school, Lu Gang and Wang Shujie were hailed as geniuses of Nanguan City, dominating the Elite Class at Shanhai High School with arrogance and boundless glory.

However, just three years later, the two were imprisoned.

P. S.: I'm setting up the bowls, please vote with your monthly tickets and recommendations!