Chapter 58: Golden Finger Revealed
The student who stood up was tall and wore a light yellow brooch on his school uniform.
He promptly introduced himself. "Teacher, my name is Gao Yu, and my student ID is D-1235."
"Yes, very good." Teacher Hu nodded, looking at the student with satisfaction.
Shen Gu knew the number of Jian Yu’s Cloned Egg.
After the eggs were distributed, he had made a point to check the number. When the signal in the nursery went out and Jian Yu still hadn’t returned, he ran out to inform Senior Lin Yu.
When he returned, the egg was gone. He asked a few classmates, but they all said they had been too busy fiddling with their Incubation Chambers to notice where the egg went. They only mentioned that Lin Yu had come by.
Seeing the forum post about Chief Ling carrying Jian Yu away, he had assumed the egg was with Lin Yu.
No longer wanting to be the one who was too afraid to speak up, Shen Gu glanced at the brooch on his chest—the one bearing Executive Director Xi Yu’s mark—and shot his hand into the air.
Then, someone pushed it down.
Jian Yu’s eyes looked frail, hinting at a sickly disposition.
"Let’s just listen for now." She held his hand down and shook her head.
’Hatching a Cloned Egg in half an hour... No one can do that.’
’The teacher started by saying the class’s incubation results were unsatisfactory, and then he immediately singled out No. 733.’
’That means egg No. 733 most likely hatched successfully.’
’This egg was the one that disappeared back in Xuzhou, on the day I was targeted.’
’In other words, the egg was in my hands for no more than half an hour.’
’So, the question is, was the one who hatched the egg me, or the student who took it?’
’And how did the egg get into that person’s hands in the first place? Is someone targeting me again?’
’Most importantly, is this a good thing or a bad thing for me?’
After silently running through her analysis, Jian Yu concluded the situation was too unclear. Unable to determine the pros and cons, she decided to wait and see.
To be honest, a lot had happened recently. Getting locked in a small, dark room had been cold, bleak, and deeply unsettling. In comparison, a missing egg was the least of her worries.
Teacher Hu’s voice continued, "Its activity level is stable, with minimal defects at the genetic level. Hereditary side effects and various genetic flaws are all within the standard range."
The Alliance had run numerous experiments. Star Ridge Beast Cloned Eggs had a medium hatch rate, with an incubation period typically lasting between three and thirty days.
He used this as a benchmark for his praise.
"As the first student to succeed, not only did you hatch the Cloned Egg within four days, but you also surpassed the highest benchmark set by the Alliance. Excellent, truly excellent."
’Four days,’ Jian Yu thought, propping her cheek on one hand, her eyes downcast.
’When the teacher suddenly asked about No. 733, I knew this egg had to be special.’
’But judging by the teacher’s appreciative yet not overly amazed expression, even if it was special, it couldn’t be *that* special.’
’Sure enough, even if the Cloned Egg hatched, the inherent side effects were still present.’
’The incubation time was just remarkably short.’
From what she understood, the Alliance’s three-day incubation period was achieved only with precision instruments, high-level incubation specialists, and specialized medicines.
Shen Gu had shared a lot with her in their recent chats, and a theory suddenly formed in Jian Yu’s mind.
In the early days, Soul Beast genes were so powerful that they could commonly manifest a physical form. They and Mutated Beasts were collectively known as Alien Beasts.
Later, due to issues with genetic lineage, some humans’ Beast Souls could no longer manifest a physical form. The terms ’Alien Beast’ and ’Soul Beast’ gradually came to distinguish humans from Mutated Beasts.
’My Fierce Beast genes... the unique scent of my body... Because of my influence, Xi Yu and the others’ Threshold Devouring Periods no longer activate.’
’The Threshold Devouring Period is a key feature of a Soul Beast’s Awakening.’
’Even though a Star Ridge Beast is a Low-level Mutant Beast, would a Cloned Egg containing its genes also be affected by me?’
Jian Yu mused.
’Assuming it was me... if I managed to hatch it after just a short period of contact, wouldn’t that be a bit too absurd?’
’What would other people think of me? Would this even be to my advantage?’
’Just being able to suppress an Awakener’s Threshold Devouring Period is enough to put a target on my back.’
In just a few seconds, a flurry of thoughts raced through Jian Yu’s mind.
She turned to the side, tilting her head slightly to look at Gao Yu, secretly observing his expression.
Her gaze unconsciously grew distant, her eyes seeming to glaze over with a layer of mist, radiating a weary apathy toward her surroundings, as if she couldn’t even be bothered to look up.
Shen Gu started to turn to whisper something to her, but he shrank back the moment he met her gaze.
Gao Yu remained standing, but he unconsciously straightened his posture.
Teacher Hu gave him a strange look. "Why are you blushing?"
"Teacher, there’s something I feel I need to clarify." Gao Yu’s gaze drifted toward Jian Yu.
Her soft, chestnut-colored hair was pulled into a low ponytail, tied with a pale pink silk ribbon shaped like a butterfly.
A few stray strands escaped, draping alongside her fair neck.
Her slender fingertips gently supported her pale chin.
As she glanced his way, her elbow rested on an open textbook, her expression a mix of faint melancholy and world-weariness.
Gao Yu’s face flushed red under Jian Yu’s gaze.
Remembering Xi Yu’s instructions, Shen Gu tensed his face, feigning a cool aloofness.
He discreetly signaled the teacher with his eyes.
Teacher Hu was quick on the uptake. Getting the hint, he walked over and blocked Jian Yu’s line of sight.
A black beard, baggy clothes, drab colors.
He hadn’t even gotten a proper look at the Little Fairy he’d been thinking about before she was blocked from view.
As Gao Yu looked at Teacher Hu, the blush on his face vanished almost instantly.
"Sir, Teacher Xu gave me egg No. 733. When he handed it to me, its shell was already cracked."
As lazy people always seem to have urgent business, he had run off to the restroom that day right after Jian Yu left with Xuzhou.
On his way back, he happened to see Xuzhou taking Jian Yu’s assignment egg.
Xuzhou had looked awful, his face twisted in pain, and he’d simply handed the egg to Gao Yu as he passed by.
Gao Yu said, his face expressionless, "Over these four days, I only did one thing: put the egg in the Incubation Chamber and diligently record the process."
Someone stifled a laugh.
He paused, a wronged look in his eyes. "The book says they’re supposed to be affectionate toward whoever hatches them. But when that Star Ridge Beast saw me, it seemed pretty unhappy. It even bared its fangs at me."
At his words, Jian Yu’s eyelashes fluttered.
’Xi Yu and Ling Yanzhi being so busy made her feel terribly insecure.’
’She craved a suffocating kind of love, the kind that would completely envelop her and never let go, no matter how much she pushed it away.’
’The orphanage director always used to say that you can’t rely on a man.’
’If I don’t want to just give up and off myself, I have to become strong on my own.’
’So exhausting. Even in a novel, you have to work this hard just to survive.’
’The passion to fight on lasted all of three seconds.’
Jian Yu tilted her head, resting it on her desk for a moment.
Shen Gu looked at her anxiously. "Yu, the teacher’s calling you."
A light rap of knuckles sounded on her desk.
"Jian Yu?" Teacher Hu had suddenly appeared in front of her.
"I’m sorry, Teacher." Jian Yu sat up straight, widening her eyes to look as alert as possible.
But her drowsiness was impossible to hide. Her eyes were glassy, shimmering as if holding back tears. Even though her pupils were clear, they held a softness she herself was unaware of.
Teacher Hu hadn’t dared to get angry in the first place, and seeing her like this, his voice softened instinctively.
"Every incubation assignment rewards EV value based on your score. However, I looked, and your name isn’t in the registry. So, I wanted to ask, have you run into some kind of trouble?"