Chapter Seven: 52 Mutants
The principal immediately tapped on the disk continuously, causing the holographic projection to disappear, with one symbol after another appearing and vanishing, repeating this for nearly five minutes! In today's era of highly efficient searching and retrieval, such occurrences are almost impossible!
"I can't think of anything." A coarse voice first broke the tranquility of the room
Kang Lai hesitated for a moment before saying: "No one has found anything. No one has ever seen him mutate or use his abilities."
The principal tapped the projector, and the image paused on the figure of the young man
The middle-aged woman coughed lightly and said, "I know this child, Shu Yu, a student in Class 8 of the second grade. His academic performance is outstanding; apart from Class 2, he has maintained the top position in the entire grade for two consecutive years. Unfortunately, this child comes from a non-evolved family; it has been found that there have been no evolved individuals in his family for eight generations..."
Today, technology has made significant advancements, and mutations, or rather evolution, have provided humanity with entirely different physical structures, allowing for an extension of life. Currently, human lifespan is largely determined by the manner and degree of mutation. Some individuals classified as S-level or above show no signs of aging since their emergence, while others, akin to burning through their lives, fall within a mere ten to twenty years.
In a normal evolutionary process, the highest level can only reach level 9. This means that if a person evolves into a level 9 evolved being at some point before the age of 18, there is a possibility of successfully breaking through to level S or above by crossing a certain threshold through a specific opportunity
The principal pondered and asked: "There are fifty-three boarding students, and fifty-two have undergone evolution. What about the remaining one?"
The interior remains eerily calm, and this strange situation seems to have shattered everyone's common sense. Although they are all evolutionaries of level seven or above, the backbone of this intermediate academy, none of them have encountered such a scenario! In just one night, an entire building of weaklings has transformed into geniuses!
Level 9! Another Level 9! Aside from the principal, who can maintain a certain degree of composure, the others in the office collectively gasped in shock.
It is important to note that, apart from the few individuals who stand at the very top, existing almost like gods, the evolvers of the Milky Way are categorized into eleven levels: SS level, S level, and levels 1 to 9. Among these, those at S level and above are exceedingly rare, constituting almost one in a billion of all evolvers
The dormitory administrator is also an employee of the school, and logically speaking, the principal should be familiar with them. However, the Zero Dormitory truly lives up to its reputation, as it seems to be nonexistent among the school's higher-ups, and the dormitory administrator goes completely unnoticed.
The principal's fingers tapped unconsciously on the desk as he murmured, "A person whose origins cannot be traced has stayed in my academy for three hundred seventy-five years, and then mysteriously disappeared..." After a while, he decisively said, "Expand the search area! Pay special attention to collecting this person's visual information, and be wary of the use of aliases!"
A peculiar atmosphere pervades the room
He spoke again in that slow yet firm tone: "Chi Chuanle, an eighth-level evolver, is rare even throughout the entire galaxy. This child is only seventeen years old, and he still has a year to achieve complete stability. Who knows what will happen in that year..." He smiled gently, and this smile appeared somewhat strange on his long, knife-like serious face. "Who could imagine that just before last night, he was still a non-evolver? From the primary academy to the intermediate academy, eleven years, sixty-four impact experiments, and he had never shown a hint of evolutionary potential?" This smile appeared somewhat strange on his long, knife-like serious face. "Who could imagine that just before last night, he was still a non-evolver? From the primary academy to the intermediate academy, eleven years, sixty-four impact experiments, and he had never shown a hint of evolutionary potential?"
"I am too." Another middle-aged woman's voice echoed.
Kang Lai stood up with a "pop" from the sofa—indeed, he had been sitting upright on the soft sofa, fully embodying the demeanor of a soldier—he saluted everyone around him and meticulously repeated the report he had already given upon entering:
30% of individuals have the opportunity to mention some enhancement of abilities during the initial strengthening phase, but it is extremely rare to leap up a level. Particularly from level 8 to level 9, there exists a threshold! Many people get stuck at level 8 and may never advance further in their lifetime! Upon reaching level 9, one is regarded as "quasi-S" and may potentially break through the barriers of ordinary evolvers, reaching a superior realm! A 17-year-old at level 9 can be called a prodigy; previously, in their entire academy, there was only one person, Vagli, who could already look down upon most of their peers across the globe! Upon reaching level 9, one is regarded as "quasi-S" and may potentially break through the barriers of ordinary evolvers, reaching a superior realm! A 17-year-old at level 9 can be called a prodigy; previously, in their entire academy, there was only one person, Vagli, who could already look down upon most of their peers across the globe!
Yuan Fei nodded absentmindedly, yet a hint of seriousness flashed across his face
... ...
Morn Star, Seventh Intermediate Academy, Principal's Office
Kang Lai stood up and strode to the door, which opened automatically with a swish.
She expressed some regret in her words, clearly showing that she genuinely cared for Shu Yu, which made her feel even more pity for his background and experiences. However, everyone present also understood the reason why this student had not undergone evolution. There had not been an evolved individual in his family for eight generations; what kind of bloodline could that be? ... It is very likely that he does not possess any mutated factors within him ...
Kang Lai said: "No one has seen him since after 3 PM yesterday."
No one spoke with the books. The principal cast a dissatisfied glance at them, pointed to one of the tall individuals with dark skin, and said in a deep voice: "Kang Lai, please recount everything that happened last night."
Everyone declared failure one after another. Finally, the principal looked around and slowly spoke: "In other words, no one can come up with such a precedent—where a region has 52 youths who have never evolved simultaneously evolving, with the lowest level being three and the highest astonishingly reaching eight!" He already had a serious face, but at this moment, it bore an even more complex expression mixed with gloom, and his gaze was particularly sharp.
375 years
Thus, every innate level eight and above evolver is a precious existence, representing a potential stock, symbolizing the glory of over one million people
Kang Lai is the chief security officer of the school. Yesterday, he happened to lead the patrol himself, and he was also the first to arrive at the scene. He calmed the emotions of everyone present, preventing the situation from deteriorating beyond control. Therefore, the principal's tone is noticeably softer when mentioning his name now
The holographic projection perfectly displayed a young boy, whose mutated form was indistinguishable from that of a human. The first line of the accompanying description prominently marked the term "Level 8".
The person was slender, resembling a bamboo pole, and his clothes swayed loosely on him, appearing quite ill-fitting. However, the gazes of everyone in the room towards him were filled with respect. He walked over to the sofa and casually slumped into the seat that Kang Lai had just occupied, nonchalantly stating: "The preliminary enhancement has been completed! The eighth-level student named Chi Chuanle stabilized at the ninth level after the enhancement, and other students also experienced varying degrees of improvement"
The principal gazed at the person who had just entered, furrowing his brow as he asked, "Yuan Fei, how is it? Any results?"
But in the end, at www.hetushu.com, he stopped, stared at the projection, and said in a daze: "Cannot find ... ... "
The principal was stunned for a while before continuing to ask: "What is his level?"
Kang Lai said: "The administrator is named Ding Hongwei, and he has served as the administrator of the Zero Dormitory for three hundred seventy-five years"
The lifespan of an evolutionary being, from the lowest level to the foundational apex of the ninth level, primarily depends on the method of mutation, making it fundamentally impossible to determine specifically. Conversely, many beings that undergo mutations but essentially regress to a category lower than humans, referred to as "evolutionaries," can possess a significantly longer lifespan. However, even so, what kind of concept does three hundred fifty-seven years represent? Ninety-nine percent of humans do not have such a long absolute lifespan. Yet, even so, what kind of concept does three hundred fifty-seven years represent? Ninety-nine percent of humans do not have such a long absolute lifespan.
Regardless of age, when evolutionary traits first appear, everyone has the right to receive a free opportunity for enhancement, commonly referred to as "initial enhancement." Initial enhancement is conducted through a combination of pharmacological and physical methods, similar in approach and principle to the bi-monthly stimulation guidance, employing various means to stabilize and promote the energy of mutation
Oh! A startled exclamation came from the doorway, just as someone was about to enter, nearly colliding with Conley. Conley stepped aside, the person walked in, and Conley nodded slightly before striding away.
Another ninth-grade student! Everyone turned to look at the principal, whose expression was quite peculiar, leaving one unsure whether it was joy or concern. Noticing the gazes of the crowd, he sighed and said: "The mutation of 52 students together must have a reason. For now... let's observe a bit longer. Yuan Fei, please pay extra attention to this!"
It is precisely for this reason that Vagrily is always respectfully referred to as "Princess". This not only signifies her illustrious lineage but also represents her own strength—she is a Level 9 Evolver, just one step away from Level S
Everyone was shocked by the items and books in the principal's office
Above the circular disk on the table, various images of figures are continuously changing, all of which are adolescents aged fifteen to eighteen. Next to each projected figure, there is a brief descriptive text. Each image consists of three parts: the human form, the mutated shape, and an explanation. A series of bizarre and strange forms appear in succession, and it is utterly unimaginable how humans could mutate into such peculiar shapes
... ...
He paused awkwardly for a moment and let out a soft "hmph": "Who could have imagined that there were 52 cases of such evolution last night?"
The principal furrowed his brow, pondered for a while, and asked: "What is this person's background?"
The principal nodded and asked, "What about the dormitory administrator?"
At 10:13 PM last night, I was patrolling the campus with a team of five when I heard a large number of exclamations coming from the Zero Dormitory, suspecting that an accident had occurred. At 10:18 PM, I arrived at the scene, which was in complete disarray. There were fifty-three students registered as residents in the dormitory, all classified as non-evolved. Among them, fifty-two exhibited varying degrees of evolutionary phenomena, and at that time, most were still in the process of evolving. The dormitory administrator was not present at the scene and has yet to be located.
Six people, both men and women, are seated on the sofa beside the round table. The majority of them are elderly, and even the youngest among them has a face full of wrinkles. Their gazes are all fixed on the holographic projection, yet their expressions are vacant, suggesting a sense of contemplation.
Everyone avoided the principal's gaze, daring only to focus on the holographic projection on the table, not uttering a word.
Just a moment ago, he not only searched the school's database but also connected to the Galactic Public Archives and the Earth Federation Archives. There are seven hundred eighty-one individuals named Ding Hongwei, all of whom have been located, and none of them have any connection to the Seventh Intermediate Academy