Life Game In Other World
Chapter 540: Student and Biological Gene Experiment (Super-sized - for Monthly Votes)

Chapter 540: Chapter 540: Student and Biological Gene Experiment (Super-sized Chapter for Monthly Votes)

He Ao turned his head and looked behind him.

A young woman with light brown short hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a pure white lab coat, stood behind him, looking at him with a face full of surprise.

"Salan?"

He Ao called out the name of the woman from his memories.

"Professor Jess, is it really you?"

The woman looked at He Ao as he turned around, excitedly walked over to him, circled around him half way, her face filled with disbelief, "I went back to the school before, and they said you hadn’t returned to the school for several years after your wife’s death, and also..."

Realizing she had said something out of line, she suddenly stopped.

"And also you were having some issues with your mental state, right?"

He Ao looked at Salan, smiling gently, and he gestured for Salan to sit beside him.

Salan was one of the students Professor Jess once mentored; those were the times when his wife, Tiny, was still alive, the last happy moments of his life.

"I’m sorry, Professor,"

Salan sat next to He Ao somewhat reservedly, looked at his gently smiling face, and for some reason felt a sense of calm settle within her.

Professor Jess was always so gentle yet strong, like the warmth brought by sunlight.

It was hard to imagine such a person having faced those terrible blows one after another and ultimately descending into mental instability.

"It’s alright," He Ao smiled, "I did indeed have some issues with my mental state before, but now they are mostly under control."

Then he looked at Salan and asked softly, "I remember you planned to go to Stars Pharma after graduation, so how did you end up at Welme?"

He Ao hadn’t expected to meet Salan here; although it was true that a few of Jess’s students worked at Welme, Salan wasn’t one of them.

Salan was one of the most talented among Professor Jess’s students; she had secured a research position at Stars Pharma before graduation, with a salary ranging from 150,000 to 200,000 federal coins per annum.

Even among the graduates of Vitland University, such positions were coveted, as the average salary for Vitland graduates was a weekly wage of 800 federal coins and, including bonuses, the annual salary was just barely close to 50,000 federal coins.

"You know, my mother’s health isn’t great, and it was you who always supported our family during my school years, buying insurance for my mother,"

Salan smiled shyly, "Later, Welme offered to cover both mine and my mother’s medical insurance, and the offer was a bit higher than Stars Pharma’s, so I stayed in Vitland."

"I remember I always had the foundation pay for your mother’s medical insurance,"

He Ao asked softly.

Jess and his wife, Tiny, had donated most of their inheritance and savings to set up a private charity foundation, which not only funded some disadvantaged children but also supported some students of modest means who were following Jess.

Salan was one of them.

Back then, Salan’s mother was seriously ill, and all the family’s money went into her treatment, almost forcing Salan to drop out due to unpaid tuition fees.

Jess had paid her tuition and covered part of her mother’s medical expenses, including buying health insurance to lessen the financial burden on her family.

After Jess’s private charity foundation was established, these expenditures were shifted onto the foundation.

However, while researching Gene Potion over the years, because of his mental state, Jess had not managed the foundation, and he wondered how it was now operating.

"Yes, that’s right,"

Salan nodded quickly, "But I thought that, since I could work normally going forward, your money could go to people more in need. I returned to the school a few times to find you, but without success. Later, I contacted the management of the foundation and requested them to halt the payments."

"Oh, by the way," at that moment, Salan suddenly realized something and activated her wristband, "My family is very grateful for your help. I’ve saved some money over the years; although it’s not as much as you spent for our family back then, but..."

"No need,"

He Ao said, waving his hand with a smile, "I’m not a bank doing student loans. If you can live well and help others when you have the means, that’s the best return I could ask for."

When Jess had helped Salan back then, he had never thought of a return.

For Jess, his and his wife’s expenses were low, and he had specific project funds for his experiments. Rather than keeping the surplus money in the bank to let the bank lend it out for a profit, it made more sense to help those in need while ensuring his own basic needs.

Purely from the perspective of good and ill, Jess was a purely kind, good person.

He wasn’t a perfect saint, sacrificing his own needs to help others, but he generously used his extra money to help those who needed it, without expecting anything in return.

And his help often indeed changed people’s lives.

For instance, Salan, if she had dropped out of Vitland University back then, even if she saved her mother, she would have lost her chance for advancement.

Now she would likely be working at a mobile breakfast cart or in some restaurant for less than 3 federal coins an hour, dependent on tips for living, and overwhelmed by her mother’s ongoing medical expenses.

"Professor Jess..."

Salan looked into He Ao’s eyes and finally, slowly, put down her hand.

Even after so many years of separation, the professor before her remained as he was at first sight, like a warm sun guiding the path of students.

"By the way, how come you’re attending this banquet?"

He Ao looked at her actions and steered the conversation elsewhere with a smile.

"I am here to give a presentation,"

Hearing He Ao’s question, Salan said somewhat reservedly,

"I work on children’s disease research within the Consortium and, influenced by you... I’ve done some research on the incidence of illness among homeless children and the diseases they may encounter.

"Yesterday, our research director told me there was a charity banquet by the Consortium’s Charity Foundation today, so he asked me to come and explain the issues that homeless children are currently facing."

"Well done."

He Ao said with a smile.

Jess’s privately established foundation also aimed to help homeless children.

In a sense, Salan had indeed taken up some of Jess’s mantle.

"Hehe."

Flattered by He Ao’s praise, Salan scratched her head.

At that moment, she felt as if she had returned to her carefree student days.

After a while, she remembered something and looked at He Ao with a puzzled expression, asking softly, "Professor, why are you here?"

She glanced at He Ao’s formal wear. "Are you here for the banquet?"

Jess seldom attended such flashy banquets in the past; he would typically just write a check when donations were needed, rather than waste time at such affairs.

Moreover, ’Jess’ had been ’missing’ for quite some time due to mental health issues.

Encountering her missing teacher at a charity banquet he never used to attend filled Salan with both confusion and surprise. This was also why, despite her familiarity, she was initially unsure when she saw He Ao.

"I’m here with my sister."

He Ao’s gaze swept across the bustling dance floor.

Unnoticed, Heish had disappeared from the dance floor, and another person who had been mingling there was also gone.

He Ao narrowed his eyes and redirected his gaze.

"You have a sister?"

Salan blinked.

She knew that Jess was an only child in his family.

"Not a biological sister."

He Ao said, shaking his head with a smile.

"Oh, oh, oh."

Salan nodded hastily.

"Right," He Ao’s eyes settled on Salan’s white lab coat, "does the Welme Consortium have many projects related to biological genetics?"

"Not very many,"

Salan looked at her teacher, momentarily puzzled as to why he was asking about this.

But she quickly realized that her teacher had been missing for so many years; the projects he was previously involved in were likely abandoned. Knowing Jess to be an academic zealot, he probably couldn’t stay idle for long.

Asking her about projects probably meant he was inquiring about the recent market situation and whether there were any new collaborative projects at the Welme Medical Consortium.

Jess’s academic talents and achievements were widely recognized. The deeper Salan delved into scientific research, the more she became aware of the frightening extent of her teacher’s abilities.

Salan and her fellow students under Jess’s tutelage unanimously believed that Jess had not become a full professor because only department heads could hold that title at Vitland University and Jess did not yet have the necessary seniority.

They also thought Jess was indifferent to such empty honors; even for the associate professorship evaluation, he casually let several opportunities pass before participating.

And even after missing for so many years, Vitland University still retained Jess’s title of associate professor and his laboratory—such was the testament to Jess’s academic strength.

With that in mind, Salan pondered seriously for a moment before continuing,

"Recently, the Consortium doesn’t have any major projects related to biological genetics. However, a few days ago, the Consortium transferred some researchers specializing in biological genetics. Some of my colleagues were reassigned, it seems to join some new projects.

"But this project appears to be confidential. Typically, for such secretive projects, the Consortium wouldn’t collaborate with universities unless they truly lack the capability to develop it."

At this point, Salan’s tone slowed down, as though she felt sorry for not being able to assist her teacher with more information.

"No problem, no problem,"

He Ao smiled shaking his head, "I was just asking. I probably won’t start any experiments in the short term."

"Oh!" Salan watched He Ao’s face and nodded, "You’ve just recovered, so you definitely need to recuperate."

At that moment, she seemed to remember something, "If you wait for a while, the consortium might need to trouble you because I heard from a senior in the project team that the consortium had also worked on a secret project related to biological genes, but it failed."

"Your senior told you? When did that happen?"

He Ao picked up a piece of apple, placed it in his mouth, and casually asked.

"It was over six years ago, I hadn’t graduated yet."

Salan blinked her eyes, recalling, "It’s said that they worked on it for two to three years without success and eventually had to disband the research team."

More than six years ago, that was roughly when the old professor was killed and Jess sold all the materials to the Mysterious Person.

"What are the two of you talking about?"

A female voice carrying a smile came from behind He Ao.

Heish, holding a crystal glass filled with orange-yellow liquid, walked out from behind He Ao and pulled up a chair to sit beside him.

Salan glanced at the slender and graceful Heish and suddenly became a bit constrained; she was most used to conducting experiments and giving academic presentations and seldom took part in such social interactions.

"This is my former student Salan,"

He Ao looked up, gestured towards Salan, and then towards Heish, introducing them to each other, "This is my sister Heish."

"Professor," Salan took a glance at He Ao and said softly, "Your sister is really pretty."

"Thank you."

Heish revealed a shallow smile from the side.

Such unembellished, sincere compliments were always pleasing to receive.

She looked at Salan, "You’re also pretty, little sister. If you dressed up, you’d be a great beauty too."

Salan was unaccustomed to such situations, her cheeks reddened slightly and she didn’t know how to respond.

Just then, her wristband vibrated, she glanced at it and quickly stood up, "Professor, Miss Heish, the banquet is about to start, I should go prepare my speech."

"Go ahead."

He Ao waved goodbye to her.

"She really is one of your students?"

Watching Salan hurry towards the podium in the hall, Heish sipped her drink and said with a smile, "Can you really meet your students here?"

"I also didn’t expect to run into her."

He Ao chuckled, chewing on the apple.

He had been prepared to see if he could find some time to step out during the event, to scope out the structure of the Welme Building, and to see if he could ’accidentally’ meet a certain student, but he had unexpectedly met Salan right at the banquet venue.

"Did she just call you ’Professor’?"

Heish looked around at the people returning to their tables, then smilingly turned to He Ao, "You’re not actually a professor at a university, are you?"

"Associate professor,"

He Ao replied softly.

"That’s still a professor. I didn’t expect I’d get to work with a professor,"

Heish gently bit the edge of her glass, pouring the orange-yellow liquid slowly into her mouth, "Aren’t you supposed to spend all day in a lab, or in some very nice and elaborate halls giving presentations?"

"Hmm..."

He Ao pondered for a moment and smiled, "There was a time like that, but most of the time is spent in the office or in the lab, looking at unfinished papers and losing hair."

"Would professors like yourself have worries too?"

Heish stopped a waiter and took two glasses of wine from their tray.

She handed one glass to He Ao, "Would you like a drink?"

He Ao accepted the wine.

Jess drank rarely, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t drink.

"Actually, as a child, I always thought I would go to university when I grew up."

Heish sat beside He Ao, looking at the host on stage, gently swirling his glass.

"And then?"

He Ao took a sip of his drink and asked in a low voice.

"After that, well, I opened up the Dense Forest Bar."

Heish drained the liquor in his glass in one gulp, leaned back in his chair, and watched the podium, "Dinner has started."

Waiters began to serve the main course to the guests seated at the dining tables.

The last of the guests lingering in the dance floor also returned to their tables.

He Ao too focused his gaze on the podium.

While people picked up their utensils, the podium began its presentation.

It started with the host saying a few pleasantries, and then the first segment was Salan’s report.

The young girl was initially nervous but, after seeing the encouraging look in He Ao’s eyes, she gathered her courage and delivered her report fluently.

She detailed various diseases common among children and presented the morbidity and mortality rates of street children without access to sufficient vaccines, food, and housing.

For these homeless kids, even a severe cold could easily claim their lives.

Under her narration, some of the elegantly dressed ladies in the banquet hall even started weeping behind covered faces.

Heish also leaned in and praised He Ao in a low voice, "Your student is impressive, she’s genuinely done her research."

After Salan finished her report, the charity auction began.

Compared to Salan’s passionate speech, the subsequent auction seemed somewhat perfunctory.

The items the Welme Medical Consortium put up for auction were simple, with no antiques or high-tech items, only some basic service products and a few modern crafts that clearly had issues even at first glance.

The oldest item in the auction was Welme Consortium’s hundred-year-old product "Twenty-Year Long-Term Medical Service", a service valued at 13,999 federal coins, which was eventually sold to a lady who had just been crying bitterly for 140,000 federal coins.

Heish also spent 100,000 federal coins on a dual-pass travel package to Yint City.

Yint City is a tourist city in the southern part of the Federation, with its entire economy revolving around tourism, featuring many amusement parks and diverse man-made landscapes.

Although the dual-pass was clearly not worth 100,000 federal coins, it was still one of the lower markups of the entire auction.

In the midst of the auction, He Ao left the banquet hall, excusing himself to smoke.

On the 39th floor of the Welme Medical Building, besides the giant banquet hall, there was also the company cafeteria.

He Ao encountered no obstructions, and after leaving the banquet hall, he effortlessly entered the company cafeteria and saw some employees having their meals.

However, his luck wasn’t as good as before; he didn’t "run into" any former students.

He noted the structure of the 39th floor and then moved to the elevator nearby.

The elevator had a clear access control system, requiring a specific employee badge to go to any floor other than the thirty-ninth or the underground parking levels -1 and -2, and obviously, He Ao did not have a badge.

So, he left the elevator and returned to the banquet scene.

Heish did not ask where he had gone, and by the time he returned, the auction had already reached its conclusion.

Fittingly, the host reiterated that all earnings from the banquet would be donated to the Welme Charity Foundation and used for the aid of street children, bringing the entire event to an end.

The dinner passed without any incident, leaving He Ao feeling unaccustomed to the peace.

In the end, He Ao and Heish blended into the crowd and left the banquet hall.

"How do you feel?"

On the way out, Heish smiled at He Ao.

"I can only hope they use the money where they claim they will."

He Ao shrugged his shoulders, walked to the storage locker, and retrieved the briefcase he had left there earlier.

"Then I can only hope your hope comes true," said Heish with a light laugh.

The two stepped into the elevator that had just arrived.

Heish pressed the button for the underground parking garage, the elevator doors slowly closed, and it began to descend.

Just then, outside the now fully closed elevator doors, a neatly dressed staff member approached, placed a ’Maintenance in Progress’ sign in front of the elevator, and cordoned off the entrance with a digital barrier tape.