"Cloning?"
Ye Shuang was taken aback for a moment, not quite understanding why the old man would suddenly bring this up.
So-called cloning is the use of biotechnology to asexually reproduce offspring with an identical genetic makeup to the original individual.
In simple terms, it's replication.
The next second, Ye Shuang seemed to realize something, looking at the old man before him with disbelief. "Wait, don't tell me those two An Shiyus aren't twins?!"
"It is as you think. I hope you can keep this matter confidential, not telling anyone... Of course, I also trust your character." Anshi Yilang slowly let out a breath, as if finally revealing a secret he had suppressed for years.
"That child with hyperthymesia is the most successful one among our many finished products..."
"You said 'many finished products'." Ye Shuang keenly picked up on something, frowning.
Anshi Yilang pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Experiments naturally require repeated attempts, inevitably resulting in various failures..."
Ye Shuang's throat tightened, and he couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine.
Each failure meant the death of a test subject?
"Xiao Yu's body has an extreme rejection reaction, making an ordinary heart transplant impossible... The only solution we could think of was to clone a Xiao Yu for the heart transplant, so my granddaughter could survive."
"Isn't your approach a bit too extreme?!" Ye Shuang said.
"I know, of course I know..." Anshi Yilang murmured, explaining that back then, he was almost driven mad in his desperation to save his granddaughter, all for a heart that wouldn't be rejected.
"So, that Xiao Yu was born." With that single word 'so,' Anshi Yilang seemed to have left much unsaid, yet it made Ye Shuang feel the terror of this old man.
"She grew up very quickly, was in excellent health, and was a perfect match."
"But later I discovered that this child had developed a rare case of hyperthymesia, and... her physical development rate far exceeded that of an ordinary person." Anshi Yilang said, "After all, she was born in a foreign laboratory ten years ago."
"Ten years..."
Wait, so her current age must be...
Ye Shuang found it unbelievable.
"This is the consequence of trespassing into humanity's forbidden zone... The short lifespan of cloned life has always been a major problem." By saying this, Anshi Yilang made everything quite clear.
Physical deterioration was inevitable, and it was even more unsolvable than An Shiyu's heart condition.
This was brought by genetics, not something treatable with medicine or surgery.
"As for the outcome, it was that Xiao Yu was unwilling to accept the death of someone identical to herself... One night, she stole the test subject away."
"Stole her away?"
"Yes, stole her away." Anshi Yilang himself didn't understand how An Shiyu managed it. "They hid outside and never returned home, only occasionally sending back some short messages."
"And then, it should be what you already know. The two Xiao Yus share one identity, temporarily living their lives at Yinshan Academy."
Although Anshi Yilang omitted many details, it still left Ye Shuang utterly shocked.
"You can cure Xiao Yu's heart condition. I beg of you, could you..."
"Also try your best to save that child?"
"Because she is also a granddaughter I hold dear in my heart."
This always-proud old man lowered his head to Ye Shuang.
Ye Shuang was lost in thought for a long time.
Even after leaving the office, his mind remained in a daze.
"How to save her..." Ye Shuang truly couldn't think of a way. If An Shiyu's heart condition was something with a possible lead, then Hyperthymestic Yu's physical deterioration problem was almost science-fiction, completely uncharted territory.
Extending lifespan? Anti-aging?
Is it possible?
No one can live forever.
"Old man, you think too highly of me." Ye Shuang couldn't help but utter a bitter laugh. He wasn't a deity, after all.
No wonder when he suggested Hyperthymestic Yu go to the hospital for a check-up, she acted so indifferent and unconcerned. It seems it wasn't that she didn't care, but that there really was no solution.
"System, do you have a way?" Ye Shuang placed his last shred of hope on the system, this unreliable system.
But this time, the system unusually gave a response.
[Are you willing to pay the price?]
Price...
"What is the price?"
The system fell silent, just as it had appeared, quietly and without a sound. Even when Ye Shuang repeatedly asked, even saying he was willing, there was no further reaction.
"As unreliable as ever." Ye Shuang pinched the bridge of his nose, deciding to first set aside his chaotic thoughts and take a breather.
Let's take a walk.
Ye Shuang chose to go to the sports field for some fresh air, as his mood had been too heavy just moments before.
And looking on the bright side, although that child's body would deteriorate, there shouldn't be any immediate major problems.
"Perhaps her frantically experiencing all sorts of things is because she realizes her time is limited?" As if thinking of something, Ye Shuang's mood suddenly grew heavy again.
Walking on the track, there weren't many students around at the moment, though some senior students, seemingly without classes, were also strolling on the track like Ye Shuang.
"It's gotten so cold, yet some people are still wearing short skirts..." Ye Shuang noticed a few girls in short skirts with only thin tights, appearing completely unfazed by the cold.
Truly a case of 'beauty knows no cold.'
Only when you're young can you afford to be so reckless.
Thinking of Bai Yuyou, whom he dressed up like the Michelin Man every day, Ye Shuang's mood improved a little.
In such cold weather, looking warm is the most comfortable.
For some reason, that child Yuyou always had a way of comforting him.
"Let me go find Yuyou." Ye Shuang checked the time and saw it was almost the end of class.
Not knowing which classroom the girl was in, Ye Shuang decided to ask Bai Yuyou in advance.
Ye Shuang: I'm at the academy. Which classroom are you having class in?
Bai Yuyou: (。•ω•。)♡ P.E. class.
As she said this, Bai Yuyou also sent a selfie. The girl had her hair in a ponytail and was wearing a tracksuit. Next to her was Tang Keke stretching and yawning, her mouth wide open.
Also nearby were An Shiyu and Taozi, though the two of them were chatting about something.
Bai Yuyou: Where are you?
P.E. class?
This location, could it be the gymnasium?
Ye Shuang looked around from the track. Yinshan Academy had two or three gymnasiums, and he wasn't sure if the nearest one was the right one.
"Aren't you cold?" Ye Shuang asked with concern.
Bai Yuyou: Very warm, we all have jackets.
Indeed, just as in the photo, everyone was wearing dark green jackets, but for some reason, only the jacket on An Shiyu had the large characters 【China】 written on it.
It seemed to be free activity time now. After asking again and learning the child was in the gymnasium not far away, Ye Shuang headed in that direction.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
