Chapter 002: Memories

In the midst of her relentless research, Li Qingye suddenly had a burst of inspiration and took out the genetic samples she had previously collected (through free health check-ups in the surrounding towns) to analyze the 300 genetic samples at hand

He subconsciously prepared to clean up

The past is vividly present in my mind

Li Qingye is very interested in this matter. According to his analysis, this ancient human is very likely to be a Neanderthal.

However, Li Qingye, whose heart was as dead as ashes, had no thoughts of going abroad: "Boss, I plan to suspend my doctoral degree examination..."

From a young age, he lived under the protection of his parents, while at the same time, his elder brother was exceptionally capable. Originally, their parents hoped that he could attend Peking University to study law, with the intention of later taking the civil service examination, while his elder brother would continue to develop in business, allowing the two brothers to complement each other.

Unfortunately, Li Qingye is very opposed to this arrangement

The night is deep and quiet

The raindrops outside have ceased, and the north wind has also quieted down significantly

Only after losing something will one come to appreciate its value

If this enzyme can become more controllable and reduce side effects, then perhaps... he was internally assessing the value of this enzyme

The wilderness of the small mountain village is exceptionally tranquil

The mentor on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment before continuing: "How about this! Since you are still young, take this half year to rest and adjust your mindset, and then make a decision after six months"

... ...

Near Jiangcheng University, Li Qingye established a cosmetics company here with the support of over 20 million provided by her mother

Further testing and analysis revealed the presence of a new enzyme within the body of the lighthouse jellyfish

Just a second later, Li Qingye was taken aback, and then clicked on this news article

In order to improve this special enzyme, he even spent 17 New Years without returning to Pengcheng to see his parents, but instead continued to stay in the laboratory in Jiangcheng, dedicating himself to research day and night

One month later

Qingye, please accept my condolences. I am planning to go to America for an academic visit soon. Would you like to join me? It would be nice to change the mood a bit.

This unexpected discovery greatly excited Li Qingye, as he could finally prove himself to everyone

The Neanderthal gene fragments in these samples, after comparison and assembly, surprisingly show a significant overlap with the Neanderthal gene sequences sent by a classmate

Although assistance from my mother was helpful, talent and effort are also very important in achieving success in the field of science

During the analysis, he extracted all the gene fragments related to the Nuer people from the genetic samples

After that, he pursued his doctoral studies while conducting research on topics of personal interest in his own laboratory, until July 2016

In the bedroom on the second floor, Li Qingye, half-reclining on the bed, sat in contemplation beside the dim yellow lamp.

However, the difficulty of this gene editing experiment has exceeded my imagination, as the gene fragments of Neanderthals remaining in the modern human gene sequence are too fragmented and scarce

The mentor's phone began to ring. Li Qingye, with unshaven stubble and a vacant gaze, looked at the incessantly ringing phone and weakly pressed the answer button

This laboratory is the graduation gift from Li Qingye's mother, given 15 years ago

Hello

If it were only this, then Li Qingye might not be very interested in this enzyme; more importantly, this enzyme can also activate certain recessive genes

Li Qingye is conducting repetitive experiments while studying this enzyme

He previously studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Jiangcheng University, completing his master's degree in 2015, and then pursued a doctoral degree under the guidance of a mentor

As usual, the first thing I do every day upon waking is to observe the edited animal stem cells. I initially thought it would be another day of no results, until I looked into culture medium number 57

Li Qingye felt very excited about this. If it is possible to recombine these assembled Neanderthal gene fragments, could it not lead to the possibility of resurrecting Neanderthals?

Soon, the stem cells of the laboratory mice were completely depleted

In reality, this company is merely a facade; it is simply a means for Li Qingye to circumvent the issues related to private applications for a biochemical laboratory, utilizing the company's shell to facilitate the establishment of a research institute

Under the microscope

After all, in business, he may never surpass his father and elder brother in his lifetime, and the intrigues and deceptions of the political arena make him feel extremely disgusted and ill at ease

Like a walking corpse, Li Qingye returned to Pengcheng, only to see the cold bodies of his parents. Regret, despair, and sorrow took residence in his heart, leaving him as if he had lost his soul.

If possible, he would rather give up this achievement in exchange for the safety of his parents

Inside the iron cage, several domestic pigs are confined, all of which exhibit varying degrees of aging, organ degeneration, and genetic diseases

At that moment, his life turned into a shade of gray; all the world-shocking scientific achievements, all the milestones in human evolutionary history, and all the efforts to prove oneself to the world became utterly meaningless

The night deepens

During the continued in-depth research, Li Qingye utilized gene editing technology (third-generation technology: CRISPR-Cas9) to insert these gene fragments into the stem cells of mice, hoping to enable the combination of these genes

However, the laboratory of the cosmetics company spent approximately 22 million on the acquisition of numerous scientific instruments for biochemical laboratories

Li Qingye, plagued by relentless nightmares, slept until noon the next day in a state of utter exhaustion

Thank you, I will consider it. Li Qingye replied perfunctorily, and then hung up the phone, preparing to continue lying in bed

After watching the news, he was completely unsettled, his gaze flickering with an uncertain expression: "What is going on? Could it be... impossible..."

In fact, Li Qingye is quite a contradictory person when it comes to his passion for scientific research

The sound of raindrops ticking, along with the occasional north wind passing through the mountains and forests

Seeing the experiment making no progress, Li Qingye also felt that she had been indulging in fanciful thoughts

A former classmate who previously pursued a PhD at the University of Copenhagen sent him a genetic sequencing report, stating that it was derived from the remains of an ancient human excavated from a glacier in the Alps, with the genetic sequences obtained from the extracted samples

Mother

The overwhelming sorrow caused him to burst into tears

No, everything has lost its meaning

Somewhat incredulous, Li Qingye continued to search online for related news, and soon hundreds of news articles appeared on the phone screen

Without stem cell materials, we can only choose other materials as the matrix, and among dozens of animal stem cells, we are engaged in tedious and complex gene editing.

"What? Qingye, your talent is exceptional. To give it up like this would be a great pity, wouldn't it? You need to think it over carefully! Don't end up regretting it later," the mentor advised with concern.

until April 13 afternoon

For half a month, apart from a village aunt who brought him food, he did not see anyone and remained isolated in his room.

Father

On that day, a phone call brought shocking news.

After much contemplation, only the field of science remains as the choice.

Suddenly, a headline news alert popped up on the mobile browser

Perhaps this is how people are foolish

Figures one by one, fragments page by page, echoes one after another, fill his mind

The lantern jellyfish stem cells in medium No. 57 surprisingly redeveloped into the morphology of hydra, and even more unexpectedly, this hydra exhibited some changes

He defied his father's arrangements for the first time by enrolling in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program at Jiangcheng University, solely to prove himself

After reviewing each item, his expression grew increasingly somber, and at the same time, a terrifying thought began to surface in his mind

Observing the hundreds of genetically edited Aequorea victoria jellyfish swimming leisurely in the aquarium, along with the light blue liquid in the test tube in hand

Upon contemplating the immense potential of the substance in this test tube, Li Qingye was so excited that he could not sleep at night. He devoted himself to the continued research of this enzyme, while also beginning to attempt adjustments to the gene sequences involved in gene editing, to see if it was possible to synthesize new enzymes or compounds

Time has unknowingly arrived at October 2016

Elder brother

This thing can actually turn a portion of genes into pseudogenes, but..." Li Qingye looked in surprise and delight at several cages not far away.

Until ... ...