Chapter 20: A Strange Sound in the Cubicle

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Aside from the thousands of buses that were sending students to the respective colleges, several thousand escort vehicles also set off along with Xu Tui and the rest of the students.

Those were escort vehicles with heavy weapons attached to their roofs.

The modes of transportation in the 22nd century were naturally more advanced than those during the 21st century because of the advancement in technology.

However, the changes to the environment also made traveling during the 22nd century more complicated. It was not as convenient during the 21st century.

Humans stepped into the Great Genetic Age from the year 2037.

However, humans were not the only creatures that stepped into the Great Genetic Age.

There were also the animals and plants of the Blue Star.

Animals and plants had a longer history than humans on the Blue Star.

Some people may ask: Humans entered the Great Genetic Age because they had the Genetic Liberation Elixir. What do plants and animals have?

The Blue Star was a large ecosphere.

On the micro-scale, the excrement of the humans who had been administered the Genetic Liberation Elixir were the sources of genetic evolution within plants and animals.

On the macro scale, the genetic products that were produced during humanity’s Great Genetic Age, from large-scale experiments on animals and plants to minuscule movements of atoms, were the sources of genetic evolution within plants and animals. These included other factors such as the changes in a human’s scent and their abilities.

Furthermore, plants and animals had an advantage that humanity could never rival. This was the greatest difference between the types of evolution between humans and other living things.

Current genetic evolution research classified genetic evolution into two major groups.

The first was an evolution through the passing down of genes.

The second was a sudden mutation of genes.

Judging from the efficiency of genetic evolution within the population, genetic evolution through the passing down of genes was the most cost-effective way of genetic evolution.

The mutation-type method of genetic evolution that humans were using now was too inefficient.

However, the reproduction period of humans was too long.

Even if the Blue Star encouraged or even rewarded humans for reproducing, humans required 20 to 30 years to nurture the next generation. The average reproduction period was 24 years.

Humans could only pass their genes down once every 24 years.

However, for many species of plants and animals, 24 years was enough to pass their genes down upward of 20 times. Those that have a low reproduction period could even accomplish genetic evolution more than 500 times.

Humans had only passed their genes down four to five generations since the start of the Great Genetic Era.

According to the data generated during the Great Genetic Age, an individual’s fundamental attributes would be enhanced by 1% to 3% with every generation, with the average being 1.9%.

Having their genes passed down four to five generations, the enhancement rate of humans merely sat between 7% to 10%.

But what about plants and animals?

Within a period of 100 years, they had successfully passed their genes down 100 times or more.

These living creatures would receive an enhancement of 0.1% to 5% to their fundamental attributes every time they passed their genes down, depending on their species.

The average value for their attribute enhancement was 0.008, which was 0.8%.

The enhancement they obtained after passing their genes down 100 generations was terrifying.

This percentage was not additive. Instead, it was compounded.

Furthermore, some species of enemies passed down their genes far more than 100 times during the 100 years of the Great Genetic Era.

The most representative of that were the mosquitoes of this day and age.

The Blue Star had tried to make mosquitoes genetically extinct on at least five occasions. However, the mosquitoes had survived them all.

The mosquitoes that survived became much more terrifying.

They were no longer afraid of harsh colds and high temperatures. They even had a certain level of resistance to electric shocks. They flew faster, were quieter, and had sharper stingers. The smaller mosquitoes got smaller, while the bigger ones got larger.

In this day and age, if an individual was unprotected in the wilderness, it would only be a matter of hours before they were bitten to death by mosquitoes.

Of course, being bitten to death by mosquitoes in the wilderness was the luckiest way to die.

Mosquitoes had a strong numbing effect on their stingers and could allow an individual to die without pain.

However, mosquitoes were not the only creature out to kill a person in the wilderness.

Over the years, because of all kinds of mutations, humanity had had to step back time and time again from nature.

Wild plants and animals reproduced at a rapid rate, which caused the wilderness to become extremely dangerous.

In this day and age, traveling long distances became extremely dangerous and cost a large amount of money.

Planes had become the most accident-prone form of transportation in this world.

That was even when humans spent a great deal of money to escort those planes with fighter jets.

There were too many birds in the sky. Furthermore, all of them had extremely hard heads.

The more common modes of transportation in this era were trains, low-altitude flights, maglev, and high-grade protected highways.

Planes were only used for ultra-long distance travel.

Of course, planes had their advantages.

For example, it would be quicker if a plane was used to transport the students from Jincheng Prefecture to the Huaxia Genetic Evolution College situated at the capital. They would be able to arrive in the capital in less than two hours.

Furthermore, if they were supported by the full force of the government, officials could mobilize a larger number of fighter jets to protect the fleet. At the same time, they could activate a high-frequency infrasonic transmitter to reduce the risk to a minimum.

However, in this world, some creatures were more dangerous than wild animals: humans.

In the past 100 years, during the school-opening season after the genetic exams, there were a total of 41 plane disasters caused by various traitor organizations in the Blue Star.

An entire group of students died during each plane disaster.

The chances of survival were little.

They suffered heavy losses in the form of talented students from various regions.

Many regions even lost all of their students with potential.

After all, the passenger load of a commercial plane was between 200 people to 800 people.

After that, the government of various countries gradually switched to a different way to transport the students to their colleges.

They made use of maglev, low-altitude flights, and protected highways.

These modes of transport were used to reduce casualty and prevent the possibility of being wiped out.

That was because by using this method, they would not be wiped out even if one or two cars were destroyed by a traitor organization.

Even if every student in the vehicle was killed, they would only lose 20 to 30 students.

Furthermore, under such a mode of transportation, the goals of the various traitor organizations led by the Dawn Salvation Traitor Organization was no longer to kill these students who had just been administered the Genetic Liberation Elixir.

They wanted to abduct them.

That was because the Blue Star had implemented the genetic exams. The exams posed a huge problem to the various traitor organizations. They no longer had a source of geniuses who have activated a large number of genetic base points.

They might occasionally pick up one or two from the students who failed to meet the genetic admission score, but the probability of that was pitifully low.

They needed to take action during the annual school opening to replenish their number of talented individuals, be it for their experiments, testing out new technology, or nurturing the next generation of their forces.

Of course, if the situation took a drastic turn from the worse, abduction could also become murder.

That outcome could allow them to obtain more rewards from the extraterrestrial invaders, such as higher levels of technology or elixirs.

Governments had high levels of jurisdiction within most of the cities around the world. At least, the level of control they had was similar to the situation in Huaxia.

However, as they left the borders of the city, the level of control governments had would decrease drastically according to how far away they got.

This was especially so for places far away in between cities, where there were not many people. The danger there increased exponentially.

Jincheng Prefecture was like that.

“Students, we would be in a high-risk area before we arrive at Xi’an Prefecture. According to the plan, it would take eight and a half hours. Actually, other than a set time for rest and one meal, you would only have two opportunities to head to a washroom during the journey. Please pay attention to your food and water intake during this time.

“In the high-risk zone, other than a set supply point, we would not stop anywhere else. If you really have any problems, we have prepared adult diapers for you. Students who are really urgent to go can get one from me.”

Cha Yifeng fulfilled his responsibilities as best as possible.

What made Xu Tui a little dejected was that Cha Yifeng’s last sentence was directed in his direction.

He must have said it to Cheng Mo, who had already started his continuous intake of food.

Xu Tui could not help but shiver when he thought about the fact that they might have to use adult diapers.

“Mozi, would there be a problem if you continue eating like that?” Xu Tui gently asked. “We’ll only be stopping twice during the journey.”

“Don’t worry. I eat a lot, but I don’t sh*t a lot. I think it’s because I absorb it well.”

Xu Tui was speechless.

The bus they were on must be a special vehicle. It could levitate magnetically and achieve his speeds. It could also traverse through the wilderness.

The glass was also a special kind of reinforced glass.

When he was boarding the bus, Xu Tui noticed that he could not see into the vehicle from the outside.

Fortunately, they could see what was happening outside the bus.

Even though he had brought a book, Xu Tui, who had stepped out of Jincheng for the first time, wanted to see the outside world.

Thousands of identical buses departed from Jincheng Prefecture one after the other. They then formed groups and left through various tunnels.

Xu Tui had seen the map. Xi’an Prefecture was located southeast of Jincheng Prefecture, more south than east.

However, their fleet of buses was traveling northeast, seemingly toward Ningyin Prefecture.

This planned route should have been for considerations of their safety.

Based on what Xu Tui understood and from what was written in the brochure, the number one target of the traitor organizations should be them, geniuses who had activated 10 or more genetic base points.

That meant that Xu Tui and this bus of students were in the most danger.

However, Xu Tui felt safe just based on how the fleet of buses had set off from Jincheng as well as the route they were taking.

There were thousands of buses, all with activated Super Miniature Radiation Atomic Releasing Devices. How would the traitor organizations be able to find the two to three buses that were transporting the genius students?

That level of difficulty felt terrifying just thinking about it.

Furthermore, the shortest route to the capital was passing through Xi’an Prefecture into Nanzheng Prefecture before entering the capital.

However, based on this planned route, they were going to turn into Ningyin Prefecture first. What if they took another detour along the way?

It would be too difficult for the traitor organizations to find out where they were traveling to next.

Xu Tui felt that the security precautions for this escort mission were very well done. He felt extremely safe.

He could relax.

After easing his worries, Xu Tui happily started to admire the scenery outside.

There were towering trees as well as thick bushes.

He would occasionally see a crawling creature pounce toward them from the bushes.

The speed at which those creatures approached made Xu Tui worry if the glass would break.

However, in the end, the glass did not break. Neither did the head of the animal.

Instead, there were startled cries on the bus.

Of course, that was also a crunching sound. That was the sound of Cheng Mo eating.

Occasionally, there would be palm-sized birds dive-bombing the advancing bus at high speeds.

The students did not pay the birds any regard.

However, with a thud, the beak of the palm-sized bird pierced through the windshield and poked into the interior of the bus.

More alarmingly, the bird did not die from the impact. It was still struggling.

The driver did not move.

The security officer sitting behind the driver pushed the bird out with a tool he carried around. He then sprayed the windshield with water to clean it before stuffing a piece of glue into the opening. He then sprayed the stuff with a certain chemical and stuck a special stabilizing pad.

The glue melted and fused into the broken windshield.

A few seconds later, the windshield was as good as new.

The security officer returned to his seat.

Xu Tui thought that the entire incident was amusing.

Along the way, Xu Tui saw many things outside the window that he had only seen on the Internet in the past.

Xu Tui suddenly thought, ‘Would I be able to set foot here in the future?’

‘I think so…’

Halfway into the journey, the fleet changed directions twice but was ultimately still heading toward the northwest.

It looked like they were going to Ningyin Prefecture instead of Xi’an Prefecture.

The sounds of the students’ chatter became louder.

They could not use their electronic devices, nor did they have Gong Ling’s foresight. They could not do anything besides chat.

Fortunately, they reached the first supply stop three hours later.

“Students, those who need to can visit the washroom. My suggestion is that those who don’t need to should also go. That is because the next supply stop is also roughly three hours away,” Cha Yifeng said. He was the first to get off the bus.

There were many armed guards at the supply stop. Many drones were flying around the perimeter of the area on patrol.

Xu Tui and Cheng Mo got off the bus and went to pee in the washroom.

After he released all he had to release, Xu Tui was about to leave when he suddenly heard a soft sound coming from the cubicle behind him.

The sound was incredibly soft. It was like the sound of pressing a button, or the sound of a leather shoe gently stepping onto the ground.

A thought occurred to Xu Tui. He instantly gathered his concentration. Using his mental perception, the image in the cubicle appeared in Xu Tui’s mind.