In just one day, the algae had completely filled the allotted Cube Space, a vibrant green mass churning within its boundaries, while the red nematodes had only doubled in number in their murky tanks.
"I have got to speed up the experiment," Jing Shu muttered to herself, her gaze fixed on the sluggish movement in the water. "Too bad the Cube Space is only this big. I can't even divide it into more testing zones for better control."
She looked frustrated, her lips thinning as she calculated her needs. If the Cube Space were a bit larger, she could have split it into dozens of small compartments and run multiple experiments at once. Unfortunately, the already-crammed space had no room left for expansion. That was the biggest drawback of the Cube Space in its current state. She could combine sections to make a larger one, but the smallest division was stuck at exactly one cubic meter.
Right now, half of those sections were filled with leftovers taking up half the total space—stuff like carp tofu soup and seafood porridge stored for a rainy day. Since a cubic meter couldn't be split any smaller, she couldn't make new zones for testing without wasting space. If the Cube Space didn't upgrade soon, she would have to find some plastic containers and pack up all this random food just to free up room for her research.
"Forget it," she sighed, letting the mental image fade. "Might as well deal with Hao Yunlai's case first."
She had originally wanted to wait until Hao Yunlai's family agreed to the risks before trying this risky method, which was why she had delayed for several days. But then Yang Yang told her Hao Yunlai's entire family had been cursed to death in a string of tragic events, and since no one in Wu City could do anything to wake him, she might as well treat a dead horse like a living one.
After preparing the necessary materials, she and Yang Yang agreed to meet the next day.
The following morning, Jing Shu was woken up by her noisy family chattering loudly in the RV. The weather outside was still gloomy and cold, a grey mist hanging over the land. She wondered if those people camping behind the hill had frozen stiff overnight in their thin tents. The temperature had dropped fast, forcing even the most fearless ones back indoors to seek warmth.
She left the bedroom and went down to the first floor, only to find everyone crowded in front of the TV, watching the screen excitedly.
Wu City's morning news was on. The female anchor looked fresh-faced as she reported the day's local developments.
"According to data submitted by Livestock Breeding Center Deputy Director Jing An, Wu City has now issued licenses for fifty thousand chickens, two thousand cows, and five thousand pigs. Sixty thousand residents have received chicken-farming permits after completing the mandatory training. Deputy Director Jing An stated..."
The screen cut to the farm, where Jing An appeared in his professional breeding suit, saying seriously as he looked into the camera,
"With just five virtual coins, you might draw a lucky number like 8888 or 9999, giving your chicken extra prestige when you take it for a walk through the district. Please, those who haven't registered yet, bring your chickens for health checks, vaccines, and licensing, and complete your training to earn your chicken permit.
Protect yourself and your beloved chickens, and help stop unlicensed breeding that spreads viruses through the population. This reminder is from Wu City's Livestock Breeding Center and Deputy Director Jing An: There are millions of chickens and ducks, but safety always comes first. Raise them properly, or your family will be crying in pairs."
The broadcast switched back to the anchor in the studio. "The rampant virus has infected large numbers of poultry across the region. Illegal traders are selling infected birds on the black market to unsuspecting buyers. Remember, everyone, 'Unlicensed chickens aren't good chickens.' Report violations to the authorities for a reward."
Jing Shu's mouth twitched at the absurdity of it. Her dad actually made it onto the news—and said that! She couldn't even finish the old saying that came to mind as she watched him.
"Clap clap clap!"
Her whole family applauded like crazy, cheering him on from the sofa. Jing An scratched the back of his head and laughed at the attention. "Guess it's time to license our Xiao Dou too. I'm not sure what category it falls under though. And those two little black chickens need one too. Oh, and the Lion Head geese—do they get licensed under Wu City or the capital? I heard it's tough to get capital permits; people are lining up for draws for months."
Jing Shu sat down at the table, scarfing down Grandma Jing's breakfast like she hadn't eaten in days—crystal shrimp dumplings that were soft and fragrant, springy siu mai, crisp egg tarts, and soup dumplings as big as her bowl. She poked a straw into one, slurped the hot crab-roe broth, and almost burned her tongue before asking, "So once a chicken is licensed, you can't eat it anymore?"
After all, in her past life's apocalypse, she had never raised chickens. All she knew was they were money-eating monsters that laid eggs only when they felt like it.
Xiao Dou, who had been happily pecking at the floor nearby, froze and stared at her in horror. What the hell did she just say? The hen had already started laying eggs to survive, yet she still wanted to kill it?
Jing An chuckled. "Of course you can't eat chickens bought from our official 4S stores. They have to go through annual inspections, fingerprint scans, and even color coding is banned for them. If you break too many rules, or if the chicken gets sick or loses weight, we will repossess it and cancel your license. But home-bred ones aren't regulated. You can eat those whenever you want."
Xiao Dou shuddered, her feathers ruffling.
Jing Shu nodded as she kept chewing the dumplings. "Alright, then go ahead and license Xiao Dou. As for the Lion Head geese, just register them in Wu City." Who knew if they would ever return to the capital anyway?
She finished eating and left the RV, ignoring Xiao Dou's pitiful, wide-eyed stare.
Cold wind swept through the night as she stood in the wilderness, wrapped in a thick cotton coat and heavy pants that blocked the chill.
"This is where Hao Yunlai lived?" she asked, staring at the creepy mansion surrounded by mounds of dark dirt. "Bah! You have got to be kidding me. This place is built on a damn graveyard."
Yang Yang exhaled a puff of white breath into the freezing air and adjusted his military cap, looking sharper than usual in the moonlight. "This used to be the Hao family's old estate, Hao Wangjiao Village. They were a famous pharmaceutical clan in Wu City, about a hundred or two hundred people in total. Hao Yunlai cursed them all to death. So yeah, those are the ancestral tombs buried right here under our feet."
"Second form, activate!"
A wave of air rippled out from her as her Cube Space expanded around her in a protective sphere. She heard the cows mooing and the bees buzzing inside the mental space, and her nerves finally settled a little bit.
Hao Yunlai really was terrifying to think about.
Yang Yang kicked at the frozen ground, his tight trousers creaking as his voice turned quiet and heavy. "You know, that family got rich making fake medicine, doing terrible things to people. Hao Yunlai was born cursed—he killed every relative one by one. When they realized he was a disaster star, they tried to kill him first, but none succeeded. So he lived on, carrying their hatred and the scorn of the entire world. No family, no sympathy for him."
Jing Shu went silent, thinking of the man. She hadn't expected that lazy, easygoing man to have such a tragic past hidden away. Still, back in America, she had only survived thanks to his unique abilities.
"Even so," she said softly, "it doesn't make up for this hospital bill."
Yang Yang chuckled, breaking the heavy mood that had settled over them. Jing Shu carried her medical case inside the front doors. The gloomy old house was full of expensive redwood furniture covered in a thick layer of dust and deathly stillness.
Hao Yunlai lay in bed wrapped in several thick quilts, still shivering and yet snoring faintly despite the cold. Yang Yang shook his head at the sight. He had been sleeping like that for over ten days.
An old, hunched, deaf-mute man was tending the small iron stove in the corner, completely ignoring Hao Yunlai's trembling body.
"This old man is Hao San'er," Yang Yang explained, pointing toward him. "The only one who didn't get cursed to death."
Jing Shu set down her medical kit and glanced curiously at the old man by the fire. "So he survived because his sins were the lightest?"