Chapter 10: Beast Gene Test
"It wasn’t for nothing that Instructor Cole argued with... Ahem." Thorne quickly cleared his throat after realizing he’d almost said too much. "He wasn’t wrong to offer you a scholarship."
Shani had already heard enough. So there had actually been an argument because of her.
"Where is Instructor Cole, sir?" she asked, hoping to thank him in person.
"He’s out of Lunarion today. That’s why I’m the one accompanying you."
Shani nodded, unable to hide a hint of disappointment.
"Oh, right. Let’s head to the second floor and check your Beast Gene."
Thorne walked ahead with noticeably lighter steps.
"I hope you end up in Avian Tower," he murmured, almost under his breath.
He knew Shani was one of the orphans Cedric had raised and that she knew nothing about her biological parents. There was no point bringing it up.
Shani smiled faintly. She hoped so too.
It wasn’t just because kind people like Cole, Thorne, and Nevie were part of Avian Tower.
Aster was also in Lunarion now. And it would be far easier to visit Rowan House if she was in the same kingdom.
...
When they arrived on the second floor, several admissions staff looked at Shani and Thorne with obvious displeasure.
In contrast, Thorne wore a bright smile.
"Mrs. Barlow, I’ve already sent you Shani Rowan’s Beast Energy Regulation results. We’d like to test her Beast Gene now."
He spoke to a short-haired woman wearing glasses, whose stern appearance matched her expression perfectly.
"Room One." Mrs. Barlow answered without even looking up.
Thorne turned to leave but suddenly stopped. He glanced back at her.
"You can also check the surveillance footage from the regulation room if you don’t believe the results. All right?"
Mrs. Barlow finally raised her head. A frown formed between her brows as her gaze landed on the silver-haired girl standing beside Thorne.
Surprisingly, even in plain clothes, the girl was remarkably beautiful.
Mrs. Barlow said nothing. She simply gave a curt nod.
Looking satisfied, Thorne smiled. "Come on, Shani."
Inside Room One, a technician was already waiting.
Shani was directed to sit beside a blood sampling machine while Thorne took the chair next to her.
Following the technician’s instructions, Shani placed her hand inside the machine. A tiny prick stung her fingertip.
"We’ll begin by checking compatibility with the Canine Beast Gene."
The technician pressed several buttons on the control panel. A small transparent tube filled with blood slid out of the machine.
He picked it up before retrieving a petri dish from an incubator labeled Canine. Both samples were inserted into the analyzer.
Five minutes later...
A large red X appeared on the display.
"Next, we’ll test for the Feline type."
Another quick prick. The technician repeated the procedure, this time taking a petri dish from the incubator labeled Feline.
Shani barely paid attention to the results. She already believed she knew the answer.
Instead, her eyes wandered toward another incubator farther down the fifth row. Avian.
’At this rate, I’m going to run out of blood before they reach it,’ she thought. Even so, she couldn’t suggest skipping ahead.
Right now, she was simply an orphan who knew nothing about her parents’ Beast Gene, let alone her own.
"The result is compatible. The specific Beast Gene will be listed on the certificate that..."
Hearing the technician’s announcement, Shani instinctively turned toward the analyzer. A bright green check mark glowed across the screen.
"Is... that really Feline?" she blurted out.
"What a shame. You won’t be joining Avian Tower, little Shani." Thorne sighed in disappointment.
Shani should have felt disappointed too.
Instead, she was genuinely shocked. In her previous life, she had been a Crimson Eagle. An avian beastman.
There was no way a machine used by Grand Novabeast Academy could make such a mistake.
She had also watched every step of the testing process herself, and nothing had gone wrong.
Her mind raced. Then a possibility suddenly surfaced.
Thorne was already by the door when Shani spoke. "Could you test me again? With an Avian sample?"
The technician gave her a look that clearly said absolutely not. Even Thorne had been about to refuse.
But seeing the pleading look in Shani’s eyes, Thorne remembered his old friend. He hadn’t done anything to help this girl, an orphan child Cedric had cherished as his own daughter.
In an instant, he changed his mind. "It’s only one more test. We’re already here. It won’t take much effort, will it?"
The young technician gritted his teeth before reluctantly nodding.
If Thorne weren’t one of the oldest and most senior instructors in Avian Tower, he would never have agreed.
He certainly didn’t have the courage Mrs. Barlow had when it came to arguing with people.
Shani sat down once more. Another blood sample was taken. The technician repeated the procedure with practiced efficiency.
Neither he nor Thorne expected anything. The result should obviously be another red X.
Ding! A green check mark illuminated the screen.
Its glow reflected across both of their stunned faces.
"Is... the machine malfunctioning?" the technician muttered.
"Maybe the sample was contaminated," Thorne suggested.
The two stared blankly at the screen.
Then the technician finally snapped out of it and hurried toward the door, intending to report the strange result.
Before he could leave, Mrs. Barlow walked into the room. Her eyes landed on Shani, who was still seated beside the blood sampling machine.
Then she turned to Thorne. "Instructor Thorne... Was it you who was tested?"
She asked with a serious tone, but anyone listening could hear the deep skepticism in her voice.
After seeing the new test results while preparing Shani’s Feline Gene certificate, she had assumed Thorne was playing some sort of prank.
To her surprise, Thorne shook his head. "Not me. The machine must be malfunctioning."
This time, Mrs. Barlow shook her head.
"Impossible. Right after the new students finished their Beast Gene tests, the engineers inspected every machine. Any faulty units were repaired or replaced."
"But possessing two beast genes makes no sense..." the technician muttered.
"Actually, it is possible," Thorne said, breaking their train of thought.
...