Chapter Ninety-One: Genetic Testing

At ten in the morning, Shen Qingyi had already risen, finished her workout, and, as was her habit, taken her bath in the morning.

When she saw that it was Liu Shaoyu calling, Shen Qingyi, her hair still not yet dry, answered at once in eager haste, without the slightest awareness that she was wearing only a strapless top, with a towel wrapped around her waist.

That, too, was because of how much Liu Shaoyu now meant to her after the change in their relationship.

Liu Shaoyu hurriedly switched the display to a two-dimensional retinal view. Of course, this sort of image was better kept to oneself. How could he let anyone else see it?

“Yes, I just finished registering,” Liu Shaoyu replied with a foolish smile.

His expression made Shen Qingyi want to laugh, and she found herself thinking that at times, Liu Shaoyu really was quite cute.

“I see~ Are you still going to keep busy?” Shen Qingyi asked.

“There are still a few things to handle. I’m going to do a test and then head back.”

“Mm, all right. Then let’s have dinner together tonight. You go ahead and take care of your business.”

After that, the two ended the call.

There were no further sweet nothings; for some things, a simple conversation between them was enough for mutual understanding.

After ending the communication with Shen Qingyi, Liu Shaoyu sent a message to Monkey as well. It was connected quickly.

“Brother! You finally got back to me!” Monkey wailed the moment he picked up.

Liu Shaoyu felt a little awkward. He had asked the man to do him a favor, only to vanish for nearly half a month.

“Sorry... I couldn’t help it. Something came up too suddenly.”

Though their relationship was good, Liu Shaoyu genuinely felt he had been inconsiderate. Monkey was not the sort to fuss over such things, and knowing that Liu Shaoyu truly had matters to handle, and that Long Ruyuan had already told him as much beforehand, he did not waste words and went straight to the point.

“I’ve already gotten in touch with that person. As for your timing, it’s still uncertain. He happened to have a shipment in another star domain a while ago and will be coming to Earth in the next couple of days to take care of some matters. If it’s convenient for you, I’ll arrange a time.”

Hearing this, Liu Shaoyu answered at once.

“Set it for the earliest time that works for you. I’m ready on my end.”

“All right. I’ll confirm the exact time with him again, then let you know.”

After the two finished speaking, the communication ended.

Finding Monkey to locate that person was a fairly important part of Liu Shaoyu’s plan. He had to settle this matter first before moving on to the next step.

Otherwise... without money, how could he buy land?

When the call ended, Monkey also sent over a file. It contained information about the intermediary he had found.

Before meeting him, Liu Shaoyu still had plenty of preparation to do.

What he needed to do next was test his gene level. The badge on his chest was not merely decorative.

From the very first floor upward, the patterned badge contained a tiny special chip. This chip could be linked to a personal computer, and it recorded information about every floor.

So before going for the test, Liu Shaoyu had to connect to the chip and look up the details.

Just as he was about to connect, Thomas’s voice suddenly came through.

“A communication request from Long Ruyuan.”

Liu Shaoyu paused, then understood at once. This was his home territory, so naturally the information traveled fast.

“I just got word that you reached the tenth floor,” Long Ruyuan said first.

“Your information network is certainly impressive,” Liu Shaoyu joked with a smile.

Long Ruyuan knew what he was referring to and smiled faintly as well before continuing.

“How was it? I mean the training below.”

“Nothing special,” Liu Shaoyu said bluntly. In truth, even that was being generous. If he were honest, it was not merely uninteresting; it was a complete waste of life.

Long Ruyuan had clearly expected him to say as much, and the smile on his face remained.

“For you, it is indeed somewhat unnecessary, but those are the rules. No matter who it is, everyone has to climb up floor by floor.”

There was an explanatory note in his tone.

Liu Shaoyu understood that perfectly. What puzzled him was the requirement of reaching the tenth floor for the Dragon War Project. Since the people who arranged all this had already used his biological samples to create the Dragon War, it meant they had known from the beginning that he would definitely meet the standards for piloting. Otherwise, why would they have poured such a vast amount of funding into it?

Yet making him climb to the tenth floor seemed plainly redundant. Or was the true purpose for him to reach the tenth floor? Did arriving here hold some meaning he did not know about?

Liu Shaoyu shook his head, unable to make sense of it. Rather than force it, he decided not to think too deeply. Some things had to be taken one step at a time.

“Oh, right. I want to test my S gene. Your call came just as I was about to connect to the chip.”

“Perfect. I’m on the tenth floor too. I’ll take you there in a bit.”

With that, the two ended the communication.

Long Ruyuan told Liu Shaoyu to wait there for a moment. He was still in the training area, so it would take him a few minutes to arrive.

While waiting, Liu Shaoyu connected to the chip and began to familiarize himself with the surroundings.

“So testing an S gene is this troublesome,” Liu Shaoyu muttered after reading an introduction.

As a service unique to the tenth floor, gene testing was naturally in high demand. For that reason, testing here required not only an appointment but also a queue.

It was not because there were too many people, but because each test caused varying degrees of wear to the testing chamber.

This was due to the testing method itself. Since an S gene remained in a latent state unless deliberately used or activated, such testing required special means to stimulate it.

By virtue of the S gene’s nature, it would automatically activate under certain conditions and form a degree of protection for the body. That was also one of the S gene’s protective characteristics.

Using this trait, the gene could be induced to manifest itself through stimuli of different intensities. By recording data while it manifested, one could determine the type and level of the gene.

That was the reason Shen Qingyi’s laboratory had been damaged when she was revived. Fortunately, her ability was of the cerebral and mental type. If it had been a body-enhancement type... the laboratory would basically have needed rebuilding.

For that reason, testing could not be carried out continuously. No matter what kind of gene was being tested, the laboratory had to undergo repairs, which was why the waiting list was so long.

Still, from what Long Ruyuan had just said, he had no intention of making him wait. It seemed that... knowing the right people did have its advantages. At the very least, it could open some doors.

Not long after Liu Shaoyu closed the file, he spotted Long Ruyuan’s figure at the far end of the passageway.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s go?” Long Ruyuan said hurriedly once he had steadied himself.

“No need to queue? The file I just read said...” Liu Shaoyu asked, still somewhat puzzled.

Some things Long Ruyuan knew, while Liu Shaoyu did not. So his question was entirely within expectations.

“I’ll take you to the test first. As soon as you arrived on the tenth floor, they started preparing. We’ll talk after the test.”

With that, Long Ruyuan led Liu Shaoyu through layer upon layer of corridors and into a laboratory.

As soon as the door opened, an old man was already waiting at the entrance, dressed in a white uniform that made him look like an actor. Seeing the two of them, he said,

“You’re here? Then let’s begin.”