GAMMT - Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Flight
The previous insect-type gene was a collateral one, a talent that had sprouted from her Gene Tree after being lured by the Insect Marrow Crystal. This only proved that her own body's Gene Tree had the ability to control, fuse with, and devour such genes.
"Although it's only the lowest-grade insect gene, the rule for normal collateral genes is that same-species genes can be absorbed if they are two tiers lower, while different-species genes can be absorbed if they are one tier lower. This is because, within the same point grade, genes of the same species tend to repel each other, whereas those of different species are more easily integrated."
It was like how humans eating the flesh… or brains of their own kind could easily lead to… certain problems.
There was an invisible barrier in place.
Fu Chuan estimated that the Steel Transformation talent was likely rated as a mid-tier Bronze insect gene. After adding the poison stinger, it became a high-tier Bronze. Yet, her Gene Tree had managed to control them both, which meant her own innate gene talent had to be at least one tier higher.
That meant it was Green tier at a minimum.
"The Xie Clan is a Green Blood noble family. People with high aptitude like Xie Qingyan and Xie Hezhou have their gene talents awaken at one hundred percent. So they don't have to do anything; just by consuming family resources or clearing a few small dungeons, their level rises slightly. They might even just need to soak in this pool once they come of age, and their family gene talent will awaken. And judging by how many times they've been here, their talents are constantly being strengthened… Who can say for sure that they only have one talent?"
A family talent was innate, or in simpler terms, a bloodline talent—a primary talent. Right now, Fu Chuan wasn't concerned with how strong the two young men whose naked bodies she had just seen were. She was concerned with her own innate talent.
"But this is a bit of a headache. My own mental power talent seems pretty good, but that's a gene tied to my soul. However, even my current body isn't my own. In terms of talent, the original Fu Chuan's bloodline would surely dominate… but that girl's family had no bloodline genes to speak of."
This was her most awkward predicament, because she had later learned a little about the original Fu Chuan's family situation.
Normally, a commoner's crime wouldn't warrant a punishment as cruel as exile to a garbage star. What's more, she had been exiled with her blood relatives since she was a child, and she was the only one left alive.
"A scholarly family, involved in economic crimes plus smuggling and murder. Not an Arcanist family, so they had no background in this area."
So when someone in the family lost their mind and committed crimes, once they crossed the line of "collective punishment" and were designated as criminals, the family members of these essentially ordinary criminals found themselves in an especially difficult position, because they had no chance to turn their lives around.
Of course, Fu Chuan wasn't contemplating the judicial problems of this world, but rather surmising that the original Fu Chuan's family background offered no gene talent.
In that case… it was all up to luck.
"Still, to drag the entire family to a garbage star to die, I wonder just how much her father embezzled."
Fu Chuan sighed, feeling a mix of apprehension and unease as she felt the thread-like streams from the Gene Pool coursing through her body. She could feel her Gene Tree being nourished and saw the little locust, that glutton, eagerly devouring these streams. But still… she saw no sign of her own body's talent awakening.
It definitely existed, because the one-tier-higher theory guaranteed a Green Blood talent at the very least.
But even a Green Blood talent should give some kind of sensation, right? Was the Xie Clan's Gene Pool just that useless?
Fu Chuan was highly suspicious, but after half an hour, she saw the little locust on her Gene Tree roll over, its belly twitching as its body began to glow with a green light…
It had advanced.
The talent had advanced from Bronze to Green tier. Both Steel Transformation and the poison stinger were significantly enhanced, and it had gained a new ability: Resilience.
Resilience and Steel Transformation seemed contradictory, but they weren't. She could use Resilience first and then Steel Transformation, or vice versa. The effect would be… NICE!
The effect of the Green tier was a pleasant surprise.
Fu Chuan was a bit stunned, but then it dawned on her. "It's Green tier now, which means this body's gene talent is most likely high-tier Green, or even… Blue? After all, only a Blue-tier talent would be this difficult to awaken, so much so that this Gene Pool isn't enough to feed it and trigger it."
Could it be? If it was Blue tier, that would be like winning the lottery.
Did she deserve it?
Fu Chuan was only human, after all, and she felt a small spark of joy. Even though it hadn't awakened, this was even better than it awakening.
"I'll probably need to soak a few more times, but the Xie Clan only does this once every six months, and they won't open a back door for me."
Suddenly, knock, knock, knock.
The back door didn't open, but this door was being knocked on.
"Xie Keli, are you done? Hurry up and come out, don't waste time."
A knock suddenly came from outside. There had been no sound before, just this sudden… Xie Hezhou had arrived.
"If you don't answer, I'm coming in."
The door suddenly opened. Behind it, Fu Chuan stood holding her things, looking at him with displeasure. "What's the rush? It's not like I'm trying to hog the time. You really think I plan on spending New Year's in here?"
It seemed that with Xie Qingyan not around, he had become more assertive, even a bit arrogant, as if looking down on him, a member of a branch family.
This also fit Xie Keli's reputation for bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
But, did she look like a pushover in his eyes?
Xie Hezhou sneered but said nothing more.
They returned to the bathing area. Just as Fu Chuan was taking off her robe, her communicator rang. She glanced at it—an unknown number—and answered casually.
"Is it convenient to talk?"
A light, gentle, yet resilient voice entered her ear. Fu Chuan didn't need to be familiar with it; she knew who it was instantly. She was a little surprised but immediately became more polite, lowering her voice and putting her robe back on to step outside to take the call…
"One moment, I'll be right…"
A soft tone, a humble posture. Who could it be?
It was hard to tell, but it sounded like a woman.
Xie Qingyan raised an eyebrow. Xie Hezhou assumed it was some woman Xie Keli had hooked up with, a glint in his eyes.
Fu Chuan was about to push the door open.
"Keli, why are you putting your clothes back on? Look, you dropped your underwear."
Fu Chuan, hand on the doorknob: "?"
On the other end of the communicator, Zhou Linlang, who was flipping through documents in her bedroom, paused. She held the device and lowered her gaze slightly, pushing up her glasses with a finger. She leaned back in her chair, lightly crossing her long legs, and said nothing.
Fu Chuan's face had frozen. She turned to glare furiously at Xie Hezhou and pushed the door with force… it wouldn't open.
Some bastard had sealed the door with Arcane, and this bastard even said deliberately, "Look, and your soap too. Don't drop it this time."
Fu Chuan couldn't just hang up, so she could only say to Xie Hezhou, "It's fine, I just dropped it on purpose for my two brothers to see."
When she called him "brother," her voice was crisp and clear, even carrying a hint of reliance and intimacy.
Xie Hezhou was stunned, and suddenly felt very unwell.
Xie Qingyan pressed his temples. "Don't include me. I didn't look."
Fu Chuan: "You did. I saw you look."
Xie Qingyan: "…"
Fighting fire with fire, it seemed.
Not talking anymore? If you're not talking, then I'm leaving.
Only then did Fu Chuan push the door open and step out. But her little hooligan demeanor from just now vanished, and she spoke to Zhou Linlang with utmost courtesy. "Inspector Zhou, that was just the three of us brothers showering together and joking around. Please don't overthink it."
Zhou Linlang hadn't been thinking anything, but after hearing that, she actually pictured the scene, and her expression turned a little strange. "No, it's a hobby of your Xie Clan. As long as you all enjoy it. But I called to remind you of something."
Fu Chuan: "Please, go on."
Zhou Linlang: "You're taking the high school entrance exam?"
Fu Chuan: "Yes, I am. I'm a bit older, by two years, but I have no choice."
Only a fool would try to take the university entrance exam now. That would be like voluntarily shortening her time for legal education and competing with elites in their early twenties ahead of schedule. She needed to muddle through high school for two or three years first.
It wasn't like she was eager to get beaten down by society.
"In that case, do you have academic diplomas for elementary and middle school?"
Fu Chuan paused. "I… I should have attended, though my grades weren't good."
Even her tone lacked confidence.
Zhou Linlang continued, "I know you attended school on X5 Star, but those academic records cannot be entered into the main star's education system. It only proves you attended elementary and middle school, but without corresponding subject grades. When you decide to apply for high school, even if the system allows you to register based on the principle of educational equity, after the first theory exam, your score will be multiplied by the comprehensive coefficient rating from your elementary and middle school years. If your rating is zero… then even if you get a perfect score on theory exam, you will still fall far behind others."
Fu Chuan was shocked.
There was such a rule?
Wait, that wasn't necessary in the game… Right, she had slipped into game mode again. In the real world, everyone had their own background and educational environment. Players were outsiders, so of course the game wouldn't set their elementary and middle school grades, let alone a comprehensive coefficient. But now, it was necessary.
At this moment, Fu Chuan was not feeling well at all. This news was too critical, completely unexpected.
"So what should I do now?"
"Log into the education network and apply for makeup exams."
Hearing there was a solution, Fu Chuan immediately calmed down. "Thank goodness, there's a way to fix it. Thank you so much, Inspector Zhou. You're such a good person… saving the people from fire and water… truly fair and just…"
She seemed calm, but her brow was more furrowed than ever, because she would have preferred if the person reminding her tonight wasn't Zhou Linlang.
It shouldn't have been Zhou Linlang.
She was too difficult to deal with.
"Are you testing me, wondering why I'm helping you now when I previously identified you as a sex offender?"
Her question was so abrupt that Fu Chuan fell silent.
This prosecutor, given her profession, should be an expert at investigation and interrogation. Now that she had brought it up and caught a hint of Fu Chuan's probing, she should have pressed her advantage.
But she didn't.
Instead, she said, "Education is a right that everyone deserves. Including you."
It was a simple statement, yet it was somewhat deafening.
Fu Chuan looked up at the art painting on the wall, a bit lost in thought, so her words came out almost unconsciously. "So if it were someone else, you would have come to remind them personally as well?"
"Not necessarily."
Zhou Linlang seemed to be flipping through papers; a soft rustling sound came through the communicator, accompanied by her slow, leisurely voice.
"…"
Sister, you're making things very difficult for me.
Fu Chuan sensed that the other party must have discovered something to warrant such special treatment. Did Xie Keli deserve it? No.
But the terrifying thing was that this person wasn't playing straight with her. She had thrown out a line but didn't follow up, deliberately letting Fu Chuan's mind race, making her panic and doubt, until she eventually exposed herself.
After all, if she guessed that she wasn't Xie Keli but Fu Chuan, then given her identity and situation, being honest with an upright yet not inflexible prosecutor wasn't a very difficult choice. And they were both women; the other party might be more understanding, right?
However… what then?
How would she explain her ability to create the Devouring Scroll and her series of other skills?
Once a single thread was pulled, all the fish and shrimp attached to it would come out too. What Fu Chuan feared most was having the mismatch between her soul and body discovered.
Fu Chuan let out a breath and said politely, "Inspector Zhou, are you reviewing documents now? It's so late."
"Yes."
"Then do you know what I'm doing right now?"
"Picking up the soap?"
"…"
Fu Chuan was speechless. After a moment, she said, "I'm looking at a painting."
"An angel is trying to pull a person up, but that person's lower half is being held back by a crowd of people engaged in brutal slaughter down below in the mortal world."
Zhou Linlang's fingers pressed down on a small, one-inch photo on a document. She didn't offer her own thoughts, but instead asked, "What moves you about it?"
Was it the angel's salvation of humanity, or humanity's self-destruction? Or the instinct for self-preservation?
Then, she received the other party's answer…
"They're all naked."
Zhou Linlang: "?"
Fu Chuan: "Including the angel."
In that moment, she was Xie Keli, and she was a scoundrel.
She had no intention of confessing.
Zhou Linlang was silent for a moment, then chuckled and hung up. As she did, she released her fingers, which had been pressing down on a photo of the young girl, Fu Chuan, who had died a tragic death.
The document contained the DNA results from the autopsy report.
Why was she looking at it again? Because when she saw the two DNA profiles, one male and one female… her first instinct was to deny their existence, but then she suddenly remembered.
Ah, she had seen the chain structure of that female DNA before.
She had a photographic memory since childhood.
Zhou Linlang was extremely curious about what was going on, so she retrieved the file for comparison. It was a match.
The DNA matched, but what about the person?
In truth, this was already ironclad evidence, but Zhou Linlang did nothing. She simply picked up the document… and silently, it burst into flames.
The faint light of the fire cast a warm, orange glow.
"That was probably the only flaw. I forgot that someone who could become a prosecutor in the Economic Department at such a young age must be a super-genius with an excellent memory. She might have already gotten the DNA comparison results."
"Instead of confronting me directly, she's testing me so vaguely… Is she planning to use this to threaten me later, to make me do things for her?"
"But it's also possible she'll choose to ignore it, because first, my actions qualified as self-defense; second, it doesn't harm her work or objectives; and third, she seems like a good person who isn't inflexible. If she confirms I'm Fu Chuan, there's no need to make things difficult for me."
Fu Chuan didn't know if she was judging a noble person by her own petty standards, but she and Zhou Linlang didn't have much of a relationship, after all.
Weighing both sides, she figured that if Zhou Linlang really wanted to make a move, it was too late for her to run. Her ID was registered, and the other party was a public official who could track her down with a simple search.
Makeup exams ahead of her, an unpredictable Zhou Linlang behind her.
Fu Chuan had no choice but to wait and see. She returned to the bathroom with a heavy heart, and then her hand slipped… and the soap fell to the floor with a clatter.
This time, the way Xie Qingyan and the other man looked at Fu Chuan truly changed. They quickly finished rinsing off, changed their clothes, and left, just short of using Arcane to flee.
Seriously, couldn't they just use body wash?
Would the Xie Clan really skimp on that little bit of money?
Despite having easily swindled a billion, Fu Chuan was in a bad mood. After returning to her room, she logged into the education network to check on the makeup exams.
To be fair, Zhou Linlang was reliable. There really was a channel for makeup exams. She clicked on it and entered a separate assessment space. It was monitored by cameras the entire time, making cheating impossible.
Good, as long as it could be done. The problem was… she had to take the midterm and final exams for every grade, starting from the first year of elementary school…
Let's see.
Seven years of elementary school, two exams per year. Three years of middle school, three exams per year. A total of 23 exams. Each exam had seven subjects, and each subject test was one hour long.
Fu Chuan turned to look at the clock. It was 7:30 PM.
At 7:30 tomorrow morning, she had to be at the Jingyang City Education Center for the exam…
So, she had 12 hours to complete makeup exams that should have taken 161 hours.
Fu Chuan faced the computer with a polite and elegant smile, but in her mind, she was thinking: How many people know about this? Did Xie An know? Of course he did. That's why he wasn't very resistant to her applying for the exam later on, even raising her family benefits, making everyone think she had been accepted. But that wasn't it.
That old fox was very cunning.
Because he knew very well that in her current state, she would be ranked at the very bottom of all candidates in Jingyang City after the first round of theory exams.
However, Fu Chuan didn't hold much resentment over it. After all, it wasn't like he owed her anything…
"No matter what, there's no way to cheat on this."
Fu Chuan sighed and began the assessment.
At dawn the next day, a line of Xie Clan disciples waited in front of the main gate to go to school, with a line of airships waiting for them.
It had to be said that even the black sheep of a wealthy family looked quite presentable after spending some money on them, especially with Xie Qingyan leading the way… The family elders didn't appear, maintaining their status. It wasn't like an ordinary family where everyone would show up; everything that needed to be said had been said last night.
Both Xie Qingyan and Xie Hezhou had to take the college entrance exam. They were going to different places, and the importance varied. Their airships were one after the other, and just as they were about to board…
The second brother of the family arrived.
Xie Hezhou looked back, one foot on the airship door, and sized her up. He said faintly, "You've worked hard, little brother Keli."
Then, a group of branch and main family members all laughed.
Fu Chuan saw that Xie Lin and others were among them.
Brothers and cousins, all of them were laughing. It was clear that every single one of them knew what she was about to face today.
You want to study?
Go take the exam, then. We're not stopping you. But are you worthy?
Your past determines your future.
Fu Chuan's gaze swept over them and returned. She rubbed her dry, dark-ringed eyes, said nothing, and boarded the airship directly.
"Second Young Master, you don't look well. Would you like some breakfast? We should have time to buy something on the way. You have an exam today, you need to eat to have strength."
"No need. We'll see when we get to the education center."
She was too tired and had no appetite.
Although Jingyang City was considered a less-than-stellar city in this world's setting, in terms of scale, it was comparable to a super-first-tier city in the real world.
Airship tracks crisscrossed everywhere, and skyscrapers seemed to surround them from all directions.
Fu Chuan sat in the back, rubbing her aching eyes while half-liddedly observing the city… She saw ordinary people rushing to work, flying Arcanists, other airships, and also… whoosh! A flying pet that streaked past.
The eagle came so fast that the airflow from its wingtip disrupted the airship's fixed flight path. The control panel immediately flashed red. The pilot's face changed, and he hurriedly gripped the controls… but another airship suddenly appeared in front of them.
Not good!
The pilot had no choice but to dive the airship downward…
"Second Young Master, be careful!"
Fu Chuan braced herself, but the airship continued to descend…
There were too many airships below. The pilot made emergency evasive maneuvers, weaving through two in three seconds, but in the end, there was a loud bang.
The airship swayed and crashed onto the plaza beside the city's central lake.
A wing was broken, its nose and belly hitting the ground.
Steel and equipment buckled and shattered…
People on the ground screamed in terror, but thankfully, no one was here. The airship was a two-seater and not large, so the impact area was small, but it was frightening enough.
Personnel from the nearby buildings all looked over.
Bang!
The rear cabin door was kicked open. Fu Chuan had already retracted the transparent spider silk she had released at the last moment, but she was still covered in blood as she went to the pilot's cabin door and forcibly pulled open the deformed hatch…
The door was thrown to the ground. Inside, the pilot was motionless, his head bleeding profusely. Fu Chuan assessed the situation, pulled him out, and was about to check his injuries when… a large shadow fell over her. She turned and looked up.
The person riding the eagle above looked down on her from a commanding height.
A blue robe, a cold clan emblem, an indifferent gaze. The young man said nothing, simply raising his hand and flicking it.
Dozens of copper bills fluttered down like joss paper… twisting in the wind, drifting towards her and the pilot. The people who had been running over to help all stopped when they saw this.
Nobles.
"It's a noble… their clan emblem."
"Don't go over there."
In the silence, the young man said nothing more and departed. But behind him were several other airships. A window opened, and Lan Chenguang raised his hand, giving her the middle finger, then… a thumbs-down, and a grin.
After a monetary transaction, there is no crime. Then, one is free to settle the score.
Fu Chuan watched them leave. She said nothing, didn't even look at the copper bills on the ground. She walked directly over to a salaryman in a suit and, as he looked on in terror, asked, "Do you have an airship?"
"Yes, yes, a small one, very small." The salaryman thought she was going to hijack his airship to get to the exam.
Fu Chuan directly took out the copper bills and stuffed them into his pocket.
"Here's five million. Bring it over!"
The airship arrived, but Fu Chuan didn't get on. Instead, she placed the pilot inside, then with a flick of her wrist, pulled the cabin door shut.
"Take him to the hospital, now! He's not dead, and you'll get a reward. Understand?"
The salaryman was stunned, but he quickly realized that the nearest hospital and the education center were in opposite directions.
She could only choose one.
But Fu Chuan said nothing, just watched the airship fly away.
The wind from the airship billowed her clothes. She lowered her head, rubbing her brow, her expression unreadable.
What did that pilot look like again?
She had forgotten to even ask his name.
Right, how was she going to get to the education center now?
Fu Chuan's emotions were quickly reined in. She checked her watch and was about to turn around to "borrow" another airship when she found that no one dared to lend her one.
Oh, she understood.
She looked at the nearby buildings.
Many of the companies… were named Lan and Teng.
And that eagle had been on its designated flight path, not violating any traffic rules for flying pets. The problem was the airship that had suddenly rushed towards them from the opposite direction; it had deviated from its lane and was flying against traffic, directly causing Fu Chuan's airship to make a forced landing…
In other words, the pilot of the other airship was responsible.
It had nothing to do with the Lan and Teng Families.
As for the price that pilot would have to pay, his family would naturally be well compensated.
Was it really necessary?
It was common knowledge within the Xie Clan that she couldn't possibly achieve anything significant in the exam. Her future was already set. Why did the Lan and Teng Families need to intervene?
Why not?
How could they let someone like her tarnish their reputation and swindle them like that? A lesson had to be taught.
They couldn't actually kill her; the Xie Clan wouldn't let them get away with it.
So, a small setup like today's was enough. The Lan and Teng Families could regain their face, and the Xie Clan would smooth things over later.
That was all.
These were the social tactics of the nobility.
In silence, Fu Chuan turned and left the area.
This was their territory.
Fu Chuan walked alone through the bustling crowd, which was noisy from the commotion. She took off her jacket to wipe the blood from her hands. When she reached the intersection outside…
She was about to try and hail a ground taxi, but the traffic whizzed by without stopping. Even private cars were few and far between.
This was beyond the influence of the noble families. It was both bad luck and the fact that it was exam day; almost everyone was taking their children.
Fu Chuan was at a loss. She didn't even bother contacting the Xie Clan. Just as she was about to call the police for help, a hand gently tugged at her sleeve.
Fu Chuan turned and saw a short woman.
Weather-beaten, a simple commoner, both frightened and timid.
"Boss… I have a vehicle over there. I don't need much money, just a little will do. Ten thousand, is ten thousand okay?"
Considering how long it would take for a police car to arrive, Fu Chuan followed her. Then she saw an electric tricycle used for selling savory crepes.
"I'll drive. Boss, you should disguise yourself. It wouldn't be good if you were spotted."
She had probably seen what happened and had followed her.
Fu Chuan knew she had been followed but hadn't paid it much mind, seeing that she wasn't from the Lan or Teng Family. She understood the woman's caution; she was afraid of retaliation.
She also didn't mention that no one was following her on the road. Whether she made it to the exam or not was of little consequence; all the Lan and Teng Families wanted today was to save face. They didn't even see her as a threat.
"Alright."
Fu Chuan hid in the back of the cart, putting on a rustic-looking sun hat, and sat as the little electric motor puttered along.
Only after they had left that area did the woman dare to speak. Fu Chuan had already guessed that she needed the money, otherwise she wouldn't have mustered the courage to approach her.
Near the education center, the vehicle stopped. She was still afraid of being discovered.
But Fu Chuan handed over a copper bill at once and turned to leave.
The woman thanked her profusely, carefully wiping the grease from her hands before looking down at the bill.
A two-million-dollar denomination.
But after walking a few steps, Fu Chuan received a call on her communicator and suddenly came back. The woman grew nervous, thinking she had changed her mind, and quickly offered the bill back.
"No, make me a crepe. I'm hungry."
A moment later, Fu Chuan was eating the crepe, thinking about the call she had just received.
The salaryman had called from the hospital. The emergency treatment was over.
The man was dead.
Fu Chuan lowered her head, silent.
A butterfly flaps its wings, causing a storm, and the fish and shrimp are crushed.
The butterfly is guilty, the storm is guilty, and so is this world.
Before walking into the crowded education center, Fu Chuan casually tossed the empty crepe bag into a trash can, then used the blood-stained jacket to wipe the grease from the corner of her mouth, concealing the pain in her eyes along with it.
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