645 Mortal Dust (IV)
A high school boy laid his head on the desk, deep in sleep. It was a period of self-study, and the teacher had not arrived, so the students could not contain their restlessness; they enjoyed every second of their freedom.
And despite the noise and chaos, the student sleeping next to the window did not wake up. Fatty Jun–his best friend–knew the teacher was fast approaching and he would get in trouble if caught sleeping. So, he walked to his best friend–Wang Wei–to try to wake him up.
Before he succeeded, the latter suddenly stood up from his desk with a look of shock followed by confusion.
“Fate Nexus…My death,” muttered Wang Wei before becoming even more confused; he did not know what these words meant. He just had a vivid dream that told him he would die at a very young age. Typically, he would ignore such a thing as nothing but a dream.
But for some reason, he believed in that dream.
“Are you alright?” asked Fatty Jun.
“I’m fine. Just drowsy from the nap.”
“Well, Teacher Long is on his way, so be presentable, especially since he doesn’t like you very much.”
Wang Wei nodded before removing a bottle of water from his backpack and washing his face. He did not want the teacher to use his appearance to cause trouble for him.
During the entire self-study class, Wang Wei pretended to be studying, but he was distracted, thinking about that dream. Luckily for him, this class was today’s last, and he rushed home as soon as school ended. He called his chauffeur to take him home.
And as soon as he arrived, his mother asked him why he did not stay for after-school activities or attend his Private Lessons.
“Mom, I think I’m dying.”
Yu Yan stopped cooking and looked up and down at his son. If he did not know his son was usually a good student, she would have used the spatula to teach him a lesson for saying something so ominous.
“Boy, what are you talking about?” After hearing her son’s explanation, she really wanted to beat him up.
“It’s just a dream,” she reassured him.
“But it’s not.”
Yu Yan wanted to rebut him, but she stopped herself when she saw the determination in his eyes. For some reason, she believed him–or at the very least, decided to indulge him.
“What do you want me to do?”
Wang Wei was shocked since he did not think that far. After pausing for a moment, “Let’s go to the hospital. Maybe there is something wrong with my body.”
“Fine,” replied Yu Yan as she contacted their primary physician. Their family can be considered wealthy elites, so it was not a big deal to use the most extensive and expansive medical tests to reassure his son.
An hour later, Yu Yan had already texted her husband about the situation while taking Wang Wei to the nearest hospital. Wang Wei asked the doctors to run all possible tests, and they acquiesced.
And when he saw Doctor Yan walk into the room with a serious look, he knew his hunch was correct.
“Doctor Yan, is something wrong with my son?” asked Yu Yan as she also felt something was odd. The doctor arranged her hair before answering; this was a habit she had when stressed or needed to deal with an anxiety-ridden situation.
“Madam Yu Yan, I don’t know how to tell you this,” said Doctor Yan in a plain but reassuring voice. “We have detected a genetic anomaly in your son.”
“What does that mean?” asked Yu Yan, trying hard to control herself.
“This anomaly has only recently been detected, and–”
“Be direct, Doctor,” said Wang Wei, making her sigh.
“You won’t live past 35 years of age.”
Yu Yan immediately wanted to break down. However, she knew it was not the time. “Is there anything you can do?”
“This anomaly has only been recently detected. And with our technology, there is nothing that can be done.”
“What about Genetic Warriors?” she hurriedly asked. “His father is one of the few Third Level Genetic Warriors in the world. Maybe he can do something.”
Doctor Yan was slightly surprised. Although she had these people as patients for quite some time, she did not expect them to be a family of Genetic Warriors–especially a Third Level one.
More than 20 years ago, an alien ship crashed on this planet. And from the remains, the people of Blue Ocean Planet were introduced to the Genetic Warrior, a method for humans to actively evolve and control the process. Unfortunately, most of the ship’s records could not be recuperated, and scientists only retrieved the first three levels.
And in these short 20 years, any individual who can become a Third Level Genetic Warrior is exceptionally talented.
“I don’t know much about the detail of Genetic Warriors,” continued Doctor Yan. “So, I can’t say for sure. But I know that he can’t reach the first level with his genetic mutation.”
Yu Yan could no longer control her tears. Meanwhile, Wang Wei was quiet, left to his thoughts. Yu Yan thought her son had difficulty processing this news, which further broke her heart. She took her cellphones and contacted her husband.
Less than five minutes later, everyone in the hospital heard a booming sound from outside before the entire building trembled for a brief moment. Then, Wang Tian came rushing inside the room.
“Let me see the result,” he asked directly while hugging his family. As a Genetic Warrior, he had an in-depth understanding of the gene. And after analyzing it, the light in his eyes faded a little. Luckily, he was prepared and hid it from his wife and son.
Back home, the family had a quiet dinner: no one knew what to say. That same night, Yu Yan convinced his son to sleep in the same bed as her. Meanwhile, Wang Tian went to use his contacts. He traveled all over the planet and met with the planet’s best doctors, scientists, and Genetic Warriors. He only returned home three days later.
“How did it go?” asked Yu Yan over the diner table. The quiet Wang Wei looked at his father, hoped deep in his eyes. Unfortunately, Wang Tian shook his head, sending the family into despair.
“Don’t give up yet,” he hurriedly said. “I will go to Prehistoric Continent to see if I can find something.”
Everyone became quiet. The alien spaceship did not only bring forth evolution for humans. In the continent it first landed, it released some unknown substance that forcefully accelerated the evolution of all lifeforms: animals, plants, and even some inorganic lifeforms appeared. As a result, the entire continent became inhabitable, forcing large-scale migration.
The Prehistoric Continent contained many creatures, many on par with Genetic Warriors. There are even rumors there are Fourth Level Creatures deep in the continent. Unfortunately, satellites cannot properly capture images or information on that continent.
The Blue Ocean Federation tried to drop numerous nuclear bombs on the continent to deal with these powerful creatures. Unfortunately, a powerful attack prevented these bombs from landing. Furthermore, the power of technology has drastically been reduced on the Prehistoric Continent.
“This is too dangerous,” argued Yu Yan.
“It’s worth it to save our son’s life.”
Yu Yan choked her counterargument; she could not disagree with this sentiment. “In that case, I’ll start training as well. If I become a Genetic Warrior, I can help you.”
“And who will stay with Xiao Wei?”
“I’ll be fine,” replied Wang Wei.
“No, you won’t,” cried Yu Yan as she knew her husband was correct. She also knew he wanted to undergo all the danger by himself.
After dinner, Wang Tian quickly left. Wang Wei asked his mother for some time alone to think. While sitting on his bed, Wang Wei thought about his life. He had a bright future ahead of him, a good brother in the shape of Fatty Jun, and he hoped to declare his love for the school’s flower, Wu Hong.
Unfortunately, everything changed after one nap.
“I must take matters into my hands,” he muttered before going to sleep. The next day, Wang Wei began to focus on his studies. He usually was in the top 5 of the school. But now, he turned into a study tyrant, always with a book in his hand.
He ignored all other after-school activities; he forwent socializing or even interacting with people; he only studied. In just one year, at 16, he graduated high school and scored in the top percentile on the planet during the college exam.
Wang Wei applied to Blue United University, the best university on the planet, sponsored by the Federation. His major was Biology, with a focus on Genetics. He completed a 6 years course in just three years, graduating at the young age of 19.
In a lab, Wang Wei looked at a recent blood test result.
‘I’ve already started to decline.’ The numbers looked slightly off, but he knew this was the beginning of his decline. Suddenly, his phone rang, and he answered:
“Xiao Wei, when are you coming home? I haven’t seen you in three years.”
“Mom, I also want to see you,” replied Wang Wei with a sigh. “But I don’t have time.”
Yu Yan became quiet on the other side; she could not blame her son for trying to save himself. But as a mother, she had to watch her family slowly fall apart as her husband kept adventuring in that dangerous place, and her son tried to beat the clock.
“How about I come live with you.”
“No,” replied Wang Wei. He did not want to be cold, but he already theorized how alarming his decline would be. And he did not want his mother to watch him slowly die.
“Where are the things I asked for?” he changed the topic.
“Your father has paid for a top-of-the-line research facility for you. However, according to him, you have to recruit personnel yourself.”
Wang Wei did not mind since he knew Geneticists are extremely valuable in this age of Genetic Warrior. Everyone–from the government to private corporations–will do anything to recuperate, even a mediocre one, because of the hope of finding a way to create a Fourth Level Genetic Warrior.
Wang Wei knew he would not have as much problem recruiting people since he had made a slight name for himself in the community with some of the papers he released in the past three years.