C18 Brain Recharging

Lately, Situ Yu had been preoccupied with nurturing plants and the pursuit of profit, giving little thought to the enigma of the Devouring Gene. How exactly did one go about devouring it? Was it necessary to consume the entirety, or would a simple blood sample suffice?

What purpose did the Devouring Gene serve after all? Questions abounded. It seemed a consultation with the diminutive Ke Lianna was in order.

"Ke Lianna, you awake? If you don't get up, you're going to wet the bed," Situ Yu teased mentally, a mischievous lilt to his thoughts.

"You're the one who wets the bed! Your whole family wets the bed! You're driving me nuts!" After taking a couple of deep breaths to regain her composure, she retorted, "What do you want? It's the middle of the night. Unlike you, I need my sleep."

Situ Yu couldn't help but find the little loli's indignant expression utterly adorable. But how could she, a mere projection, exhibit such vivid emotions? It was a delightful mystery. Daily interactions with this pint-sized being brought a sense of joy to his life.

"I've got a slew of questions for you. Got a moment? Though I'm not quite sure what keeps you busy," he inquired.

"Go ahead and ask your questions, Situ Yu," Ke Lianna replied, swiftly donning her teacher's attire. Her ability to change outfits so rapidly was astonishing; it would be a travesty if she didn't take first place in a speed-dressing contest.

"My first question: What exactly is this Devouring Gene? Is total consumption required, or is drawing a blood sample enough?" Situ Yu politely raised his hand to ask.

"It varies with the situation. If the organism is particularly small, complete devouring is necessary, and it may even require consuming several of the same species. Gene analysis can result in some loss, so multiple gene cells or organisms are needed for repeated verification to achieve 100% accuracy. There's no room for error; we must prevent any mistakes from occurring.

Life on this planet is in constant flux, adapting to the world's environment. This is what causes genes to undergo minute mutations," explained Teacher Ke Lianna. After delivering this extensive explanation, she conjured a small cup of tea and took a sip. Following a couple of sips, she resumed her discourse.

"You might label this change as evolution, but in reality, it's merely a process of adapting to the environment. It has absolutely nothing to do with actual evolution. Otherwise, consider your reptilian kind—after all these years, have you shown any real progress?"

"It seems the theory of evolution is nothing more than a deceptive concept."

"That sort of rhetoric can only deceive your reptilian ilk. True evolution requires a creature to undergo a qualitative leap. Only then can it be considered evolution. Essentially, it's like having two entirely different species. To put it simply, when comparing the two, the evolved species would completely dominate its predecessor."

"Take the evolution of intelligence, for example. If intelligence were to evolve, the thought processes of those individuals would be utterly incomprehensible to the average person. Their neural pathways would operate on an entirely different level."

"It's like comparing an old computer to a new one. One difference lies in speed, the other in circuitry. That's what evolution is—a complete upgrade. They're utterly incompatible."

"You might argue that some computer processors remain compatible across different models, but that's not evolution. It's merely a different stage within a biological evolutionary process."

"A designer creates a circuit pattern, and through constant tweaking, achieves incremental improvements. But there's always a ceiling. Surpassing that ceiling—that's evolution. Because then, they're no longer the same circuit."

"If we're talking about the evolution of strength, an adult punching with a force of 50 kilograms, or even 100 kilograms, is within the realm of acceptance. But if someone punches with a force of 500 or 1,000 kilograms, would you still consider them normal?"

"I see. But we seem to have strayed from the topic."

"Pfft!" The little girl, who had been drinking water, was now fuming. "You're the one who asked! I'm trying to explain, and you're telling me to stay on topic!" With that, she hurled one cup after another in projection.

Situ Yu remained unfazed, accustomed as he was to grand spectacles. These little cups were merely a drizzle to him.

Once Ke Lianna had cooled down, she got back to business. "In short, we need more samples, particularly smaller ones. Let's use the mosquitoes in the yard as a benchmark. Gather a few that are smaller, and just one that's larger."

Situ Yu nodded in understanding and posed another question, "My second concern is about the implications of this devouring for the future. I recall the main brain advising me to choose with caution."

This is a rather complex issue. Think of it this way: by absorbing the genes of that bird, we could potentially create flying and scouting soldiers in the future, thanks to their exceptional vision and flight capabilities.

However, the scouting ability is limited to visual detection. It's ineffective for infrared and olfactory tracking. The vision is primarily dynamic, so moving targets are easily spotted, but if someone is hiding, it becomes much more challenging to detect them.

Got it, Situ Yu?" After pondering for a moment, Situ Yu nodded in understanding. "I've got it. There shouldn't be any side effects from absorbing these genes, right? And what exactly does this soldier production entail?"

Ke Lianna gave a mischievously sinister smile, just for Situ Yu to see. Feeling a chill at her grin, Situ Yu nervously said, "Don't get any wicked ideas."

The little loli was just having a bit of fun scaring him. Seeing that he wasn't too rattled, she didn't push further and explained, "There won't be any particular side effects for you. At most, you'll gain the ability to see dynamically. But flying is out of the question—you lack the wings. Unless you fancy becoming a birdman? I could assist with that." In an instant, she produced a scalpel and donned a nurse's outfit, though her grasp on the medical profession seemed a tad hazy.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Situ Yu protested, "Don't start with me; I'm still a virgin."

The pair had a good rapport, playfully ribbing each other.

"Enough fooling around, back to the lesson," she said, switching back into her teacher's attire.

"So, about producing these soldiers—how do we control them? What's needed for their creation? And how many can we produce?" Situ Yu fired off three questions in quick succession.

"Can't you ask fewer questions at a time? I'm just a kid, you know—this feels like child labor."

"Hmph!" The little loli pouted, clearly displeased.

"To answer your first question, the soldiers I produce are, of course, under my control. Otherwise, why would I be called the Queen Mother?" She struck a haughty pose as she spoke. "They'll also be under your command since you're my host. Controlling them is simple—just use your thoughts."

"I see," Situ Yu acknowledged.

"As for your second question, creating these soldiers definitely requires materials and energy. The various metals and energy you've been gathering are for evolving the star core and producing soldiers. Once you reach a higher level, you'll be unstoppable in this universe," she boasted, her pride swelling once again.

"Your mother is still..." Situ Yu blurted out without thinking.

The little loli immediately crouched down, her eyes brimming with tears as she hugged her knees, the picture of misery.

Realizing his mistake, Situ Yu quickly offered words of comfort. It took half an hour of self-reproach and the signing of several one-sided agreements before Ke Lianna's spirits lifted.

'Trouble really does start with the tongue,' Situ Yu lamented inwardly.

"So, does the sequence of the Devouring Gene matter? Will it have any future impact?"

"The sequence doesn't affect the stored data in the database post-devouring. However, the order of devouring directly influences the abilities of the resulting soldiers. For instance, if you devour a hawk first, the initial soldier type will be adept at flying and dynamic tracking."

"If you switch to a mouse, they'll gain the ability to dig. Comparing the two, digging is significantly less useful. I mean, who digs holes for fun? But with the hawk's abilities, imagine having a scout circling overhead, keeping an eye on your surroundings. That would be incredibly useful, significantly enhancing security."

"Got it. It looks like I need to be careful with the first two devouring choices. Any recommendations?"

"Hold on, let me check." Situ Yu sprouted several tendrils from his body and began furiously typing and searching on the keyboard.

Hours passed, and Situ Yu nearly dozed off from boredom.

"Okay, hey! Don't fall asleep, wake up! You're making me furious. Here I am working hard for you, and you have the nerve to sleep! Don't think just because I'm young I don't deserve the respect due to a Queen Mother!"

The little loli had started to master the art of snark.

Her commotion fully roused Situ Yu.

"So, what's your advice, my Queen Mother?"

Huffing, Ke Lianna responded, "There are two that seem fitting. Given the scarcity of early resources, we can produce only a limited number of soldier types. To compensate for the shortage, I recommend we choose a species known for its prolific breeding. I've done some research on this species.

On this planet, there are several species that exhibit a hive consciousness, much like ants and bees. They're governed by a queen, which is akin to my role. After some consideration, I've decided on the ant for its remarkable ability to significantly enhance its strength—an ability that will prove quite beneficial to you. Ultimately, I settled on a species known as the Bullet Ant."

"Moving on to the second species, considering the future need to harvest a wealth of genes, I propose we go with mosquitoes for convenience. These tiny creatures are quite effective; they draw blood from various sources, making it easy to collect and consume genes without the hassle of scouring for them. Plus, they possess a modest capacity for flight, which, though limited, is sufficient for short distances. Combining these two sets of genes, we can engineer a new breed of short-range flying combatants with the added capability of gene collection."

He paused to take a brief rest, sipped some water, and then resumed speaking.