The panic brought about by the Zebra virus finally subsided. From the time the virus spread to the time when the drug was developed and the disease was brought under control, it did not take long, but it left a deep impression on many people. Be it the government officials who were as busy as a spinning top, the researchers who were infected during their research, or the people on the planet who were severely infected and almost wiped out, it felt like centuries of suffering.
Silin dropped his disguise after the third generation medicine appeared. The black and white stripes on his body faded, and after learning that the Firehawk Queen and Black Viper's stubborn people were safe and sound, Silin and Huimao left the eleventh star region with Huimao. Everything had been arranged, so he didn't need to stay and supervise anymore.
On the planet Cillin once led, the woman and her younger sister began to rebuild their home together. The pet dog that had been saved was now able to run freely. It walked around the two of them, and from time to time, it would pick up a construction material and deliver it to them. It wagged its tail happily and looked very energetic. It wasn't just humans. Even animals seemed to have become a lot more enlightened after the disaster.
During this time, the infected people who were brought into the basement came to thank the woman one after another. Those who could afford to leave the planet were planning to migrate to other planets where they had relatives to help them. They didn't want to stay on this planet that had given them gray memories any longer. Before they left, they asked for the woman's opinion. If she was willing, they would help her leave. But the woman refused. Her home was here, and she would rebuild it with her own hands even if it was destroyed.
While they were busy, a rescue robot sent by the empire delivered a notice to them. It was a notice from the best medical school in the eleventh star region. It was one of the top ten medical schools in the entire Mist Bodhisattva Empire. Moreover, the notice stated that "tuition is free", and family members were allowed to come with them.
Medical schools were all about qualifications, and the woman's future was guaranteed to be bright after she went to this school.
Everyone looked at the woman enviously. They were all wondering what kind of background she had to have received this notice. Everyone knew that to enter such a good school, one had to have extraordinary qualifications or a strong background. Women were not people with extraordinary qualifications. If that was the case, they would not be where they were now, staying on this small planet that was not developing well.
So she had a background. But if they had any background, they would have been sent out like the people from the planetary government. Before the emergence of the virus potion, the woman was also in a very difficult situation, almost like everyone else waiting for death, it was not right to say that she had a background.
The woman pulled out the notice. There was a note under the notice.
"I said it would be fine. Thank you for your help, and please keep the faith in your heart. "
There was no signature, but the woman already knew who it was. Besides, there was a cat's paw print on the back of the note.
If the person with the cat had such a strong background, why would he stay on this small planet that was almost abandoned at such a critical time? The woman couldn't understand.
What the woman didn't understand was that the person with the cat was currently on his way back to the Empire's Star Sector. As long as the signal reception was normal, Silin would have to face many people's questions and reprimands, such as Genya.
Genya was very angry, very angry. If he hadn't seen the media report, he still wouldn't have known that Silin had been infected with the Zebra virus. This little bastard actually went to the eleventh star region that everyone avoided! More importantly, he didn't even tell him that he had been infected! If there really was an accident … Genya didn't dare think about it. His brothers Gen Liao and Silin were the two people he valued the most in the Empire. He didn't want any accidents to happen to either of them.
Because of this, the usually gentle Genya gave Guan Feng a good scolding. Gen Liao was drinking tea at the side, and Guan Feng was quite amused to see the sullen look on Genya's face.
Therefore, not only did Cillin have to endure Genya's scolding, but he also had to endure Guan Feng's scolding as well. This time, Guan Feng was seriously scared out of his wits, or he wouldn't have slammed the table in the RAS conference room without any scruples.
However, Guan Feng also brought a piece of news after Genya and Gen Liao's scolding: Silin had been invited by the RAS.
Therefore, when Silin returned to the capital star region to visit Genya at the Gen Family and arrived at the affiliated school, Silin received an invitation from the RAS.
The RAS's invitation basically meant one thing: Silin will be accepted into the RAS as an exception.
Why was it an exception? According to the RAS's standards, one needed qualifications, great research contributions, and a smooth graduation. If one couldn't even graduate, the RAS wouldn't accept them easily.
Therefore, many people were shocked when they heard that Silin had received an invitation from the RAS while he was still at AFI. But when they thought about Silin's great contributions this time, it was understandable that he would receive an invitation like this.
However, there was a small argument during the invitation process. Silin's outstanding contributions to the Zebra Virus incident should've been awarded the title of Honorary Scholar of the Institute of Virology. However, some people objected the moment the question was raised. After all, Silin was Guan Feng's student, and Guan Feng wasn't a virologist. Silin's acceptance should've taken Guan Feng's situation into consideration. Otherwise, it wouldn't look good.
It was true that a non-virologist mentor had taught a virologist student. That would've created a bad impression.
However, when they asked Guan Feng about it, he didn't really care. Who said he couldn't teach a virologist student when he was practically illiterate about viruses? Plus, what Guan Feng cared about the most wasn't which department Silin would end up in, but whether he could enter the RAS or not. How could the great leader of Black Viper's academic department not be qualified to enter the RAS? Guan Feng didn't expect this day to come so soon. How gratifying.
Since his mentor had agreed, it wasn't appropriate for anyone else to voice their opinions. Since his mentor had expressed his opinion, it meant that he would shoulder all responsibility for the future.
Therefore, Silin was awarded the title of Honorary Scholar of the RAS's Institute of Virology on the day he entered the RAS.
Becoming an honorary scholar was just a part of the process. As long as Cillin didn't step out of line too much during this period of time, it was only a matter of time before he became an academician. From an outsider's point of view, Cillin's backer was Guan Feng, and no one in the RAS could disrespect Guan Feng just like that.
Right now, Guan Feng's popularity in the empire was so great that he was practically a role model for all teachers. Of course, the higher-ups of the RAS wouldn't do anything stupid. Even if Guan Feng's behavior in the meeting room was embarrassing, it was still a special time. They couldn't use normal standards to judge people during special times. Therefore, not only could they not give Silin and Guan Feng a hard time, they had to greet them with a smile.
Now that he had accepted the title and officially entered the RAS, it was time to follow the RAS's standards.
Those who had their own ideas could apply for projects and funding, and those who didn't or those who had similar projects to the other academicians could apply to join the big project. After all, a big project like this would bring great benefits to everyone involved. Be it the academic glory or the money they would earn at the end of the project, they were all things that outsiders would be jealous of.
Of course, you could also choose not to apply for or participate in any projects, but that would mean you wouldn't have wealth or a higher reputation. Generally speaking, newcomers to the Royal Academy of Sciences would apply for projects or recommend themselves to academicians with big projects in order to get a place in the Academy.
But Silin didn't choose either. He didn't have a big project yet, and he didn't want to join one either. Plus, he was still a student at AF1, and he had to complete the basic tasks Guan Feng had assigned him. He also had to deal with some unexpected incidents at Black Viper's place. People like Neo would always start conflicts of one kind or another, and they wouldn't settle them with violence. Instead, they would settle them with the results of their research. If they didn't control it well, another incident like the Zebra Virus might happen again. After all, artificial viruses could cause a lot of harm.
Therefore, Silin didn't have the time to care about the RAS's projects at all.
Even though Silin wasn't participating in the projects, there were some things he had to do. Even Guan Feng couldn't say anything about it. That was, he had to send them to famous academies in different star regions to give presentations.
Of course, it was left to the honorary scholars. How could the academicians have the time to travel all over the star regions to give presentations? Everyone was busy with their own things, and they were supervising their subordinates' projects. Usually, the honorary scholars under their projects would be the ones doing the presentations. These honorary scholars were labeled as academicians, so they would be mentioned many times during the presentations. Not only did this save time, but it also spread the influence of the Royal Academy of Sciences. It also allowed the academicians of the Royal Academy of Sciences to maintain a sense of mystery.
This time, it was Guan Feng's turn to give a presentation. However, Guan Feng preferred to complete his own projects on his own, so he never allowed the honorary scholars to participate. Moreover, Guan Feng was always busy, and he was a member of the management. Therefore, every time it was Guan Feng's turn, he would skip it and let the next academician take over. Many people always complained about this, and it just so happened that Silin's appearance this time meant that Guan Feng couldn't escape. Although Silin and Guan Feng didn't belong to the same department, they were still teacher and student. If a teacher wanted to give a presentation, his student could do it for him.
There were a lot of people in the RAS who didn't get along with him in the first place, so Guan Feng couldn't refuse this time. Therefore, he called Silin over and gave him this "honorable but difficult task".
Guan Feng pointed at some of the school introductions flashing on the screen and said to Silin, "These are all schools that need a presentation outside of the time limit. Choose one of them. You don't have many classes right now anyway, and I don't have much to do here. This is the only thing you need to do. If you complete it, I'll give you bonus points and guarantee that you'll receive a huge scholarship from the affiliated schools this year. "
Silin shot Guan Feng a sideways glance before walking up to the screen and flipping through it.
Silin's hand suddenly paused. "This one then."
Guan Feng looked at the school information on the screen and came to a sudden realization. "Oh, this one then. I'll give you the relevant documents, and all you need to do is wear the RAS Honorary Scholar emblem. The people over there will welcome you on their own."
Silin chose a school in the twenty-third star region. Silin thought that he might as well pay Old Chang and the others a visit since he was only doing a report.
When he returned to the dormitory, Silin was packing his things. Huimao was crouching on top of a cabinet, rolling left and right instead of helping. Moreover, he was still within Silin's field of vision.
Silin closed the bag and looked at Huimao. "Speak. What do you need?"
Seeing that Silin had finally spoken, Huimao rolled to his feet and complained, "Silin, didn't you say that you'd find a way to go back after that thing is over?"
Silin sighed and picked up Huimao to stroke its fur. "I'm going to visit Xi Kai and ask about Sigma's master before I go to the twenty-third star region. I'm sure they'll have a way."
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Then let's go now!"
Huimao jumped over to the storage cabinet and started grabbing things. They were all his favorite food, and he had to bring them with him when he went on a long journey.
Silin didn't have much to pack. The main thing he needed to do was bring some relevant documents and a trustworthy ID. It would be a waste of time and trouble if someone questioned his identity.
Cillin didn't wait for the RAS guards to escort him. He drove Guan Feng's new spaceplane straight away. Guan Feng didn't feel bad about the self-destruction of his previous spaceplane on the heavily infected planet, so he asked the RAS engineering department to build him a new spaceplane. Maybe it was because the previous incident had affected Guan Feng too much, but the spaceplane was equipped with multiple sterilization rooms and some medical equipment. It could be used as a temporary laboratory. It would be a lot more convenient for Silin if he ran into a similar situation again.
Aside from the new equipment, the spaceplane was also equipped with an enhanced AI processing system to prevent another self-destruction.
The spaceplane didn't look very big, but it was as expensive as a starship used by some nobles. Moreover, Silin didn't need to spend a single cent on it. Huimao did some calculations on Silin's shoulder before patting Silin with its paw. "Can we buy more fish biscuits with the money we've saved?"
"Don't you have a lot of them in your cabinet?"
"We can buy some when we see a new flavor!"
"..."
After leaving the capital star region, Silin contacted Xi Kai. As one of the three true leaders of Black Viper, Silin naturally knew how to contact Xi Kai.
Xi Kai wasn't surprised by Silin's message. He said, "I think I would've gone to you even if you hadn't come looking for me. Let's find a place to talk. "
"Sure, where do you want to go?"
Xi Kai sent Silin a star map with a location marked on it. It wasn't far from Silin's current location, so it was convenient for Silin. It was obvious that Xi Kai had thought about Silin before.
"I have a space fortress here. It's my personal property."
This meant that Silin didn't need to worry about it. It was well-hidden.
"Alright, I'll head over right now."
He calculated the time and noted that there was still some time before the scheduled report time. It was enough time for Silin and Xi Kai to chat.
Most of the people on Xi Kai's space fortress were robots, so Xi Kai was already waiting for them by the time Silin and Huimao arrived.
Neither of them liked to beat around the bush, so Silin didn't explain his true intentions. He didn't know much about Xi Kai yet, and the information Black Viper had given him was limited. Guan Feng had told him that he would have to ask the man himself if he wanted to know more about Xi Kai.
Xi Kai didn't mind either. He told Guan Feng about his family's situation in Black Viper first.
Xi Kai's family had a very special status in Black Viper, or rather, his ancestors had always had a special status in Black Viper. They didn't participate in Black Viper's management, but almost all of them shared power with Black Viper's people. It was because they provided highly intelligent robots, and more than half of the missions that happened in secret or those that the government couldn't interfere with were done by them.
However, there had never been any betrayal. Xi Kai said that his ancestor had signed a contract with the founder of Black Viper, the Mist Bodhisattva Emperor at the time. Black Viper would provide the Xi Family with a place to live and the production of robots in exchange for not betraying Black Viper.
"According to the family's records, that ancestor was a good friend of Sir Freeman. If it wasn't for Sir Freeman, the Xi Family and these robots wouldn't exist today. That's why the Xi Family abides by the contract and never betrays Black Viper. It's like a program that we can't break. "
"What happened back then? What happened back then? "Silin asked.
"I'm not sure myself. Many generations of Xi Family members have searched for the truth, but to no avail. All we know is that Sir Freeman saved the Xi Family, and we cannot betray Black Viper."
"Even the royal family doesn't know?"
"They don't know. Neither the Mist Bodhisattva Emperor nor Sir Freeman told anyone else."
"What about Black Viper?"
"Someone tried to find it in the past, but Black Viper didn't have much intelligence back then, and it didn't have any important memories of the Xi Family. All it remembers is His Excellency Freeman. As for the others, perhaps they are not important to it. "
The more Xi Kai said, the more Huimao's ears drooped. It felt like its chances of returning were getting slimmer and slimmer.
A moment of silence later, Silin asked, "Do you have any sentient robots in your possession? Hmm, like … "
"I know what you're talking about," Xi Kai said before Celine could finish explaining.
Rubbing his forehead, Xi Kai continued, "In the history of the Xi family, they have created five such robots. Other than their mechanical bodies, they are almost the same as humans. They have their own thoughts, personalities, emotions, and their own views. Later on, we called them the 'Original' robots. The 'Original' project was something the Xi Family had been working on for a long time, but not a single qualified Original robot has ever appeared. No one knows how the ancestors of the Xi Family created those five Original robots, and there are no records of it. That's why we've been searching for the truth all this time. Maybe the 'Original' method was hidden during that time. "
"Where are the five Original robots now? What are they called? "
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