Chapter 4 - 3 The Girl

After leaving school, Ding Huan immediately quickened his pace toward a road he seldom took before, remembering something crucial. It was on this very day in his past life that he felt dejected for having not been able to remain at Heluo Shangwu University as a mentor. The feeling of loss was even more profound than when Ding Jie had kicked him out of the Baiyu Group heirship, so he had gone to a nearby small restaurant to drown his sorrows in alcohol. Just after he had left the small eatery, a car struck him, and he heard someone shout, "Quick, take him to the hospital." However, when he woke up, he found himself not in a hospital but next to a heap of trash. At that time, his legs had been broken, but that wasn't the worst part—the most horrific aspect was that his eyes had been gouged out. Had it not been for the garbage-picking old man, that day might have been the end of Ding Huan. On Earth, ravaged by gene mutations and Fierce Beasts, the death of a trivial student, or even an entire town slaughtered by Fierce Beasts, would only gloss over a few minutes on the evening news. After picking him up, the old man had taken him somewhere unknown. Ding Huan remembered the old man saying only one sentence, "This kid is one of the rare Allogeneic Affinity Bodies, with an affinity definitely over eighty percent. If you take him, it will cost a thousand Alliance currency." At that moment, Ding Huan couldn't speak, but he heard the old man's words clearly and knew he was not an Allogeneic Affinity Body. The so-called Allogeneic Affinity Body is not only able to integrate most Genetic Potions. It also exhibits only temporary non-integration symptoms when merging with some incorrect Genetic Potions, making the probability of death much lower than normal people. In plain terms, it's suitable to be a drug trial machine. This was incredibly valuable as various Genetic Potions swamped the market, but truly excellent Genetic Potions were few. Major gene research institutions, upon developing a new Genetic Potion, must conduct trials. Each valuable Genetic Medicine Liquid that hits the market is a real money-printing machine. Testing of Genetic Potions, naturally, works best with Allogeneic Affinity Bodies. Allogeneic Affinity Bodies can quickly pinpoint the problems with Genetic Potions, aiding researchers to revise the potions in the shortest time and thus shorten the research and development period for qualified Genetic Potions. A thousand Alliance currency to purchase a true Genetic Affinity Body is a pipe dream. So even if his legs and eyes were gone, he was swiftly taken away by someone from the old man. Ding Huan suddenly thought of that old man, realizing that the garbage-collecting old man was definitely not ordinary, because later he found out that he indeed was an Allogeneic Affinity Body. A taxi was approaching from afar, and Ding Huan hailed it. No matter who wanted to kill him, no matter who the old man was, he had to leave immediately. "Where to?" asked the driver. "Qianjiang Gate," Ding Huan replied. From where he got on to Qianjiang Gate Restaurant would take twenty minutes, and just as the taxi was about to arrive at Qianjiang Gate, Ding Huan suddenly said, "Master, stop here, I'll walk the rest of the way, I need to buy something first." Considering it was his life at stake, Ding Huan had to be cautious. He got out of the taxi and quickly moved into a fairly crowded street, and an hour and a half later, Ding Huan arrived at Yujiang University. ... "Are you here to report?" the personnel woman at Yujiang University stared blankly at Ding Huan, completely puzzled by this individual who seemed from another planet. Yujiang University was now genuinely on the brink of closure, unable even to pay salaries, and someone was still coming to report? Ding Huan placed his identity information and placement papers in front of the middle-aged woman, smiling, "Sister, can I report with this placement letter?" The middle-aged woman instinctively touched her own face—sister? Being called sister by this charming, young man was quite flattering to her. She glanced at the papers Ding Huan had presented and said, "Do you need placement papers to join Yujiang University now? You have a graduation certificate from Heluo Shangwu University, so you can definitely become a mentor here. However, just to be clear, young man, the school is currently a bit tight on funds, and you won't be receiving a salary for now." It wasn't just Ding Huan; she herself wasn't getting paid either. The teachers and staff staying at Yujiang University were there either due to sentiment or because they had nowhere else to go. More people were waiting for the day Yujiang University would merge with another college, then naturally becoming part of the other college's staff. "Do you have a place to stay?" Ding Huan knew that there was definitely no salary to be had here. "There are plenty of places to stay, and you can also eat in the cafeteria, but it's not free," the woman said as she pulled out hiring forms to hand to Ding Huan. The registration went smoothly, given that even though Yujiang University was highly sought after, it was unlikely for anyone to come to sign up right after leaving. Because Yujiang University had many unoccupied houses, Ding Huan could even move into a terraced courtyard. Of course, these courtyards comprised dozens of houses each. Though ranking last in various disciplines, Yujiang University could rank within the top ten nationwide in terms of area. That was because Yujiang University was located in the suburbs of Heluo City, not too far from Qianluo Mountain, and could expand towards Qianluo Mountain at will if it chose to. That's exactly what Yujiang University did, building a large patch toward Qianluo Mountain nearly every few years while the financial budget could still meet standards. Rows of terraced villas and independent courtyards were built to attract talent from various fields. Regrettably, Earth had undergone environmental anomalies; various animal and plant genes had mutated, and Fierce Beasts roamed freely, causing Yujiang University's bright prospects to collapse suddenly. Throughout the world, countless villages were destroyed by the Fierce Beasts, leading humans to congregate. No matter the size of the city, so long as it still existed, Protection Walls must be established. In smaller cities, the Protection Walls might actually be real walls, but middle to large cities like Heluo City built protection with laser nets and cutting ray types. Yujiang University had become part of the city's outskirts. Although it was protected by the Protection Wall, in the event of a Fierce Beast Tide, it would certainly be the first to be struck. Added to the poor management of Yujiang University, talents that had been hard-won were leaving one after another, leading to a large number of vacant houses. After the middle-aged woman who brought Ding Huan to the small courtyard left, Ding Huan finally surveyed his small courtyard, which indeed was small, with an area of at most twenty square meters. Upon entering the house, he found a structure with one living room, one bedroom, one kitchen, and one bathroom. There were a bed and blankets, and the kitchen even had pots and pans used by others. For Ding Huan, this was enough. Sitting on the bed, Ding Huan finally heaved a sigh of relief. At least today, he wouldn't experience the tragedy of his previous life, where he had been crippled and blinded—his tense nerves finally relaxed. As soon as his mind relaxed, Ding Huan couldn't help but wonder who had wanted to kill him in his past life? At first, Ding Huan always thought it was Ding Jie, but after much reflection, he felt that Ding Jie had no reason to kill him. Ding Jie was adopted by his father, and after his father disappeared, Ding Jie had apparently taken over Baiyu Group by legal means. Whether he killed him or not didn't seem to matter much. But who was that scavenger? In this era, expecting a stranger to save an unfamiliar person from the trash was a fool's dream. Of course, the old man didn't save him but sold him to an unknown organization. What was the organization that bought him from the scavenger? Why had he woken up in a branch of the Genetic Alliance? Had that organization bought him and then sold him to the Genetic Alliance? And how did the old man know he was an Alien Gene Affinity Body? A multitude of long-troubling questions swirled in his mind, leaving Ding Huan's thoughts somewhat chaotic. He would not be thankful to the Genetic Alliance; they saved him because of the Alien Gene Affinity Body. After being saved, he was always at risk of an even more tragic death. In his past life, at the Genetic Alliance, Ding Huan had seen too many experimenters meet gruesome ends due to failed gene fusion: bodies bursting open, skulls exploding, bodies decomposing... For a gene body tester, a peaceful death was perhaps the best outcome. Ding Huan's thoughts suddenly stopped here, and his mind lingered on a voice he could never forget... "Please donate my eyes to him after my death; he's still so young. Let him see the beauty of the world with my eyes..." Ding Huan clenched his fists subconsciously. He didn't even know her name, her background, or what she looked like. Yet that voice, desperate yet filled with hope, was forever etched deep in his memory. It had been half a year since he was sent to the Genetic Alliance, and he had recovered somewhat from his leg amputation surgery. At that time, he was still lying in the Genetic Alliance's laboratory, undergoing gene fusion trials periodically even though his legs had not fully recovered, and he was still blind. Despite undergoing numerous gene fusion experiments, Ding Huan's body hadn't failed yet, but his heart was already dead. During this time, almost every day, people died tragically due to failed gene fusion. Perhaps the next one would be him, Ding Huan. One day, after half a year, Ding Huan heard several people enter the laboratory. Ding Huan was used to this, aside from his tough fate, most people involved in gene fusion experiments here rarely lasted a month. People coming meant new individuals were here for gene fusion. Among the newcomers was apparently a woman. Upon seeing his condition, her voice even carried a sob, "Why so cruel? Not only did they break his legs, but they also gouged out his eyes. He is still so young..." No one answered her, and she never even considered that she too was a tragic victim of fate, likely to be sacrificed by the lab at any moment. Even though she herself was in a dreadful state, she could not bear to see others suffer. Perhaps thinking of her own tragic fate upon seeing Ding Huan, she felt a connection. For Ding Huan, whose heart had long been numb, this was the first time someone had touched his heart. Before this, he only knew classmates and friends who were all after his family's status. Apart from his mother, whom he never knew, the only people in this world who truly cared about him were his father, Ding Baishan. Today, he realized there was also a stranger in the world who cried for him. Ding Huan only hoped that the girl who came for the gene trial, just like him, could be fortunate enough to survive. Sadly, fate did not favor her. Like many others who failed in their first gene fusion, her trial ended in failure. Ding Huan didn't know which gene she had tested, but he could vividly feel her despair and pain before death. Still, her trembling voice said, "Please donate my eyes to him after my death; he's still so young. Let him see the beauty of the world with my eyes..." Everyone understood that she was referring to Ding Huan, and although Ding Huan had never seen her face, based on her voice, he knew she was also very young. Ding Huan's empty eyes grew slightly sore. Was there a stranger in this world who would offer him her eyes? From that moment, that voice was forever etched deep in Ding Huan's soul, the most precious voice in his lifetime. And from that moment, Ding Huan decided to survive, not just for himself but also for that girl whose face he had never seen, whose name he did not know. He would carry her eyes into this ugly world to seek the beauty she spoke of. (Please give a recommendation ticket in support! Thanks, old friend Yingyuan Di Liming, the Alliance Hierarch, who also supports our abandoned universe silver alliance.)