Chapter 117 - 87: Unexpected Meeting with the Parents

Watching the two security guards flank and surround him, Chen Jue knew there was no escape this time.

He thought about reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes to hand out, hoping to get on the guards’ good side so they’d let him go.

But then he remembered he’d mostly quit smoking. Aside from the occasional nice cigarette he got from Jiang Zhe, he didn’t really carry them anymore.

He had no choice but to show his student ID and explain his status as an auditing student.

"An auditing student?"

"Let me see that student ID!"

The tall lead guard didn’t quite believe him, suspecting Chen Jue was a habitual petty thief.

On the surveillance footage, Chen Jue’s movements as he climbed the wall were just too smooth.

There was no way he could have developed that kind of wall-scaling, roof-leaping skill—clearing the wall in three seconds—without at least a decade of experience as a cat burglar.

Moreover, Chen Jue had specifically chosen the most remote and secluded section of the wall to climb.

If a distant security camera hadn’t caught a blurry figure, they wouldn’t have spent a few days tracking him to figure out his schedule. And if they hadn’t done that, the main control room wouldn’t have sent these two guards to lie in wait and nab him in one fell swoop.

...

When Chen Jue actually produced a student ID, the two guards radioed the main security office. They had a colleague on the other end check the intranet to confirm his identity. Only then did they put away their batons and soften their tone. "Since you’re an auditing student, you don’t have a homeroom teacher to answer to. We’ll give you a verbal warning this time. Don’t let it happen again!"

"First, come with us to write a statement!"

"If you do it again, we’ll report you to the Academic Affairs Office and issue a school-wide public reprimand."

The two guards led Chen Jue to the nearest security booth at the school gate. They first had him fill out an entry log, then pointed to the wall covered in monitors, warning him to be more careful next time and not do something as stupid as climbing the wall just to save a few minutes.

Although Jiang University’s campus was semi-open and seemed to have lax security, it was actually filled with surveillance cameras.

In particular, there were dedicated high-definition cameras aimed at the several unmanned sections of the perimeter wall.

The surveillance system was even linked to the local police station’s alert network. Any suspicious individuals would be reported immediately, all for the sake of protecting the scholars and academics on campus.

After all, this was one of Huaxia’s top universities, filled with the brightest minds. Any incident would be a loss for the nation’s future, and the security guards couldn’t possibly take the blame for something like that.

That’s why the team leader, a captain surnamed Liu, had spoken to him a bit harshly. He criticized Chen Jue and had him sign the written statement before finally letting him go.

However, not long after Chen Jue left, a few guards in the main control room who were changing shifts heard about the incident and couldn’t help but discuss it amongst themselves. "It was really one of our students who did that?"

"Duh! Brother Sun and I saw the kid fly... no, I mean, climb over with our own eyes."

"Damn it! That wall is so high, yet he just went *thump, thump* and was over it in two seconds, like he was performing Qinggong on wires for a martial arts movie."

"So badass! Jiang University really produces some talented people! I could’ve done that before I left the army. It’d probably take a bit more effort now." The guards joked and laughed as if they’d found a great source of entertainment.

...

’Damn it! I’m never climbing that wall again!’

Chen Jue grumbled inwardly, admonishing himself not to pull stunts like that in this country.

After seeing the wall covered in surveillance cameras, he was completely dumbfounded.

So all those times he’d been so proud of himself for climbing the wall to get to school, he’d been doing it right under the security guards’ noses. It was the epitome of social suicide.

Fortunately, he had only received a verbal warning and wasn’t immediately expelled. Otherwise, Chen Jue truly had no idea where he would get another letter of recommendation.

...

Because he was caught in the act, he was delayed and ended up missing his first class of the morning, Biological Sciences.

Thankfully, the second period went off without a hitch, and Chen Jue smoothly entered the classroom and found an empty seat.

Unexpectedly, in this "Genetics and Lab" class, Chen Jue saw a familiar face.

Zheng Yuan, who was supposed to be a junior, had actually shown up in the classroom with a middle-aged professor.

"Brother Jue! You’re here for the lecture?"

After taking roll call for the entire class, Zheng Yuan sat down next to Chen Jue with a cheeky grin.

"What are you doing in a freshman class? Aren’t you a junior?" Chen Jue asked, a little puzzled.

"Heh! I’m just taking over as my uncle’s teaching assistant!"

"I handle all the miscellaneous tasks for this freshman Biological Sciences class," Zheng Yuan explained, incidentally revealing the identity of the middle-aged male professor on the stage.

"Uncle?!"

"Isn’t that Wu Fang’s dad?"

Hearing this, Chen Jue immediately sat bolt upright. ’Like a mouse meeting a cat,’ he thought, growing nervous. He cautiously sized up the middle-aged professor on the stage.

Wu Fang’s father had an upright posture; you could tell he exercised regularly.

Although he wasn’t wearing glasses, he had the gentle and refined air of a university professor.

’A family of academic superstars, as expected. They’re all so brilliant!’ Chen Jue sighed to himself, feeling inadequate. He then spotted Mr. Wu’s name, Wu Yingxue, on his textbook.

The textbook for this "Genetics and Lab" course was published by Jiang University, and Mr. Wu’s name was listed in the author section.

As for the "class assistant" Zheng Yuan mentioned, Chen Jue had encountered them before during his school days.

Every homeroom teacher or advisor would pick an outstanding upperclassman to be a class assistant for the freshmen, helping the new students adapt to campus life more quickly.

Wu Yingxue must have noticed the unfamiliar face in the back row whispering with his nephew. It was a small class, and Wu Yingxue knew all his students by sight.

Recalling some family gossip, he narrowed his eyes and sized Chen Jue up. ’This couldn’t be the young man who’s been pursuing Fangfang at the park, could it?’ he wondered.

’He looks so ordinary. Is this really the type of guy Fangfang would fall for?’

Even in broad daylight, Chen Jue felt a sudden, inexplicable chill. He grew nervous, the soles of his feet began to sweat, and he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

’It must be because I’ve been eyeing his daughter for so long, planning to run off with his precious girl, that Mr. Wu put me on his watchlist from the very first glance.’

Probably sensing the strange atmosphere between his future brother-in-law and his uncle, the adjacent Zheng Yuan stealthily pulled out his phone. He secretly recorded a video of the two during class and sent it to the younger generation’s family group chat: "Sis! Look who our uncle is teaching! (smirk) @Wu Fang"

Wu Fang: "Zheng Yuan!!! You have 5 seconds to retract that, or else... (cracks knuckles, looking for someone to beat up)"

Zheng Yuan shivered in fear: "(This message has been retracted)"

Zheng Xiaojun: "What’s going on? I just saw a video get posted, why was it retracted so fast!"

Wu Zhiwei: "Thanks, cousin, I was fast enough to save it. Anyone who wants the gossip, just Venmo me 50. (eating popcorn)"

Wu Lingling: "Cousin Zhiwei, hurry up and post the video so we can all take a ’critical look.’ I’ll pay for everyone! (sent a 200-yuan lucky draw red envelope)"

Wu Fang: "(collapses in defeat)"

Wu Fang was at home recovering from an illness and already had a fever. The gossip in the group chat made her flush beet-red, alarming Nanny Wu, who was at her side. "Fangfang, what’s wrong? Is your temperature rising again?"

"Mom! I’m fine!" Knowing it was impossible to explain, Wu Fang pulled the blanket over her head and played ostrich.

...

Meanwhile, Chen Jue was listening to Mr. Wu’s lecture with a perfectly serious expression.

"Last class, we discussed the heredity and evolution of the brain."

"To put it in a more vivid way, the human brain is a biological computer that science does not yet fully understand—one with ultra-low power consumption and incredibly powerful processing capabilities."

"The battery, or energy source, for this biological computer comes from the synergistic effect of our body’s digestive, circulatory, metabolic, and endocrine systems."

"Furthermore, just like the PCs we use every day, this biological computer—the human brain—has an incredibly sophisticated underlying logic program: the genetic information within our bodies, our DNA."

"DNA allows this computer-and-battery set (the brain and body) to accurately self-replicate before its lifespan ends, passing on genetic information to the next generation through normal reproduction."

"Of course, not all DNA is preserved. It’s like when our computer systems develop loopholes and bugs, causing their operating efficiency to drop. They need updates, patches, or even hardware replacements."

"This genetic logic within our bodies also conforms to the Theory of Evolution mentioned in Darwin’s *On the Origin of Species*, as well as the fundamental laws of Nature—the logic of survival of the fittest, where natural competition determines which traits are eliminated and which thrive."

"Superior DNA, DNA adapted to the environment, will be passed down through generations of active selection..."

As the bell rang, Wu Yingxue ignored the two whispering in the back row and fell into the rhythm of his lecture.

Chen Jue, for his part, was completely engrossed. Combining what he was hearing with his prior knowledge of the human body and the hints from his panel, he gradually came to his own understanding of the phrase Mr. Wu had used: "survival of the fittest."

’Humans have continuously degenerated over the long river of history. The improvement in material living standards has allowed the body to slowly adapt to a comfortable environment.’

’And the panel exists to make my body evolve in a rational direction—toward a more perfect state, one better adapted to its environment!’

’In that case, the [Hunting Throwing] Skill is for capturing prey, [Climbing] is for escaping predators or gathering food, and [Stone Skimming] is for catching prey in the water.’

’The [Eye Health Exercises] and [Ear Health Exercises] are for enhancing sight and hearing to adapt to the environment.’

’No... what about Skills like Tai Chi and Hidden Weapon Throwing... Wait! Those Skills were invented to deal with our own kind!’

’Humans don’t just hunt other animals or gather plants. They also compete with each other for survival!’

’It’s just like how my own pervy self wants to connect and exchange DNA with Teacher Wu the moment I see her. That’s a primal instinct, the reproductive urge engraved in human DNA...’

Lost in his intense train of thought, Chen Jue found that the class period had passed by in a flash.

His eyes, which had been pensive and confused at the beginning of the genetics lecture, gradually became clear and bright.

Because just as the bell rang to signal the end of class, a new type of notification, one he had never seen before, popped up on his panel:

——————

[Ding~]

[You have completed a systematic study of biological evolution and genetics. You have begun to realize the series of "survival of the fittest" efforts made by human ancestors during the process of evolution.]

[Your brain has entered a temporary overclocked state. The metabolic rate of your brain cells has increased, and your thinking speed has been slightly enhanced.]

[Constitution Attribute +0.01]

[Spirit Attribute +0.01]

[The underlying logic of the Attribute panel has begun to update.]

[Estimated update countdown: 24:00:00]