Chapter 14: Eden

Over the following days, as usual, Derek Zhong pretentiously tore into Kai S. Gao’s thesis with severe criticism.

Kai S. Gao watched like a spectator observing a clown, witnessing Derek Zhong’s clumsy acting in this farcical performance—Kai merely played along.

Kai S. Gao even continued having meals with Miomi Guo, laughing and chatting as before, but he no longer made any physical contact with her. The thought repulsed him.

He didn’t know how he managed it. At times, he considered pretending ignorance, merging fully into this hypocritical and tainted world like the others. But most days, he imprisoned himself in the lab, keeping company only with slime molds. They wouldn’t deceive or manipulate him. He hoped this would either grant him inner peace or numb him entirely.

One day, while slicing slime mold samples, he was suddenly struck by an unusual reluctance—as if the blade were cutting into his own flesh.

He couldn’t explain the subtle, twisted psychology driving him to pity the slime molds. They had sacrificed so much of their bodies, endured so many incisions, only for their hard-won results to be stolen by two filthy individuals.

This world should not be like this.

Kai S. Gao set down his tools, left the lab, and marched straight to the director’s office.

On the way, he glimpsed Miomi Guo and Derek Zhong in an office, still masquerading as mentor and student. But he could now see through their hypocritical facade to the reeking, fluid-stained flesh beneath.

Moments later, he entered the director’s office and closed the door behind him.

After listening to Kai S. Gao’s accusation about Derek Zhong plagiarizing his research, Chrome Chimp lit a cigarette, this time disregarding Kai’s feelings entirely.

He took a few silent drags, flicked the ash from the cigarette tip, and remarked flatly, "This is a good thing."

Kai S. Gao’s heart chilled instantly, his expression turning icy. "A good thing?"

Chrome Chimp tapped the table with his finger, as if itemizing benefits one by one. "Think about it—your girlfriend can graduate now, Dr. Zhong’s bid for academician is secured, and the entire institute leaps forward. With your position here, doesn’t that promise a bright future for you too? All you need to do is make a small sacrifice."

"Director… you knew all along, didn’t you?"

"Ah, this is just how the world works," Chrome Chimp replied, then adopted a reproachful tone. "If you want to achieve anything in the future, you need to develop a broader perspective!"

"A ‘broader perspective’? Bullshit!" Kai S. Gao’s voice grew desolate, his gaze unfocused as he stared at Chrome Chimp. "I’ll file a formal complaint."

"You—you’re impossible!" Chrome Chimp stood up in agitation. "Dr. Zhong is the face of this institute! By tearing him down, you’re not just ruining our reputation—you’re destroying your own career!"

Chrome Chimp jabbed the air with his cigarette-clutching fingers, his voice sharp. "And you handed over all the detailed lab records to him! No matter how they investigate, the blame won’t touch Dr. Zhong. In the end, the filth will land squarely on you—and soon, there’ll be no place for you in academia at all!"

Kai S. Gao lifted his gaze, eyes blazing with ferocity, veins of red creeping across his whites.

Chrome Chimp seemed to sense the danger. Switching to a coaxing tone, he soothed, "Here’s a solution: I’ll personally approve your new project as an exception and increase your funding by twenty percent…"

He pulled a pre-signed research grant application from his desk drawer, stamped with his own name.

"Just sign here, and it’s done. Everything else is already arranged. This is your final chance…"

Kai S. Gao stared at the document, his vision blurring as he froze in place. Chrome Chimp’s subsequent words faded into background noise, like the buzzing of flies.

Abruptly, his eyes refocused. Gritting his teeth, he hissed, "I agree."

After leaving Chrome Chimp’s office, Kai S. Gao felt the world shift. He scrutinized everyone he passed, peeling back their veneer of civility to expose the rot beneath.

A single thought burned in his mind: he wanted to tear open this hypocrisy with bloodied hands and drag the foulness of human hearts into the light.

Tao Hsu walked toward him, spotted Kai S. Gao, and grinned. "Kai, went to see the director? About your new research project?"

For some reason, Kai S. Gao forced a smile onto his face. "Yes. He approved it—even added twenty percent more funding!"

Only after speaking did he realize he might make a decent actor.

"What kind of project could make Chrome Chimp, that iron rooster, pluck his feathers?!"

Kai S. Gao handed over the project proposal.

Tao Hsu read the title aloud, syllable by syllable. "Mechanisms of Exogenous Gene Acquisition in Slime Molds. Can you add me as a researcher?"

"No," Kai S. Gao replied coldly.

Later, he felt grateful he had chosen to sign. The ample funding allowed him to conduct full gene sequencing of the slime molds and pursue exhaustive research.

As for Miomi Guo, she never returned to the institute after that day.

A month later, the paper was published. Derek Zhong was elected as an academician, and Kai S. Gao chose to leave.

At the airport, Kai S. Gao stood in a crisp suit, scrolling through the latest issue of Nature on his phone.

"Hmph. An academician, after all. The edits to the paper are seamless," he muttered.

A flight announcement echoed—boarding for Marai had begun. He rose from his seat, grabbed his briefcase, and noticed the bright red sachet dangling from it. The sachet’s vibrant folk style clashed starkly with the briefcase’s corporate sleekness.

Miomi Guo had made that sachet for him. Now, it felt like pure mockery.

He swiftly checked in. At security, a staff member eyed the sachet and joked, "Your lover gave this to you? You must be very close."

"Yes, thank you," Kai S. Gao replied with a polite smile.

The flight to Marai took ten hours. After landing, he transferred to a ferry for another ten-hour journey. By the time he arrived at his final destination—Eden Archipelago—he had endured a full day of nonstop travel.

The next morning, Kai S. Gao awoke in the ferry’s cabin. Over ten hours of turbulence had robbed him of sleep, leaving him dizzy and nauseous. Even his robust physique couldn’t withstand the alternating waves of vomiting and vertigo.

Stepping out of the cabin, the glaring sunlight forced him to squint for several moments before his eyes fully adjusted.

He stopped a sailor and asked in English, "Excuse me, how far are we from Eden Archipelago?"

"Sir, we’re already there. Look to the port side!"

Following the sailor’s gesture, Kai S. Gao turned to the starboard side. Across the endless cerulean sea, scattered emerald-green islands dotted the horizon.

He couldn’t count them all—at least five larger ones stood out, with countless smaller islets and reefs peppered among them.

"How can I get there?"

"No, sir. You wouldn’t want to go. This ferry only passes by. First, the reefs here are treacherous—our ship can’t navigate through. Second, Eden Archipelago is sacred to the Marai seafolk. In their tongue, it’s called ‘the place where life was born.’ Westerners later named it Eden Archipelago."

"There was a group of reckless Western explorers who once landed on Eden Archipelago. When the seafolk discovered them… let’s just say the outcome was gruesome. You don’t want to know the details."

"Oh, thanks. By the way, is it true that Eden Archipelago has blood-red soil?" Kai S. Gao pressed.

"Absolutely. Otherwise, why would it be called ‘the place where life was born’?"

The sailor walked off to work. Moments later, Kai heard shouts erupt behind him.

"Oh my God! That man stole our lifeboat!"

All the sailors rushed over, stunned to see a red kayak already floating on the azure waves.

Kai S. Gao secured the paddle and began rowing toward Eden Archipelago.

The captain immediately bellowed, "What are you waiting for?! Get him back!"

"With the ship?"

"Idiot! Use the other lifeboats! Do you want us to run aground?!"

Soon, more kayaks were lowered. But Kai S. Gao’s relentless rowing machine training hadn’t been in vain. His kayak sliced through the waves at a speed the sailors couldn’t match, racing toward the largest island of Eden Archipelago.

Not long after, the kayak surged onto the beach—strangely, the sand here was also blood-red, evidence of the island’s iron-rich rocks.

He tore off his tie, gauged the wind direction, and checked his phone’s compass. A southeasterly wind blew directly toward the dense, verdant forest ahead.

He removed the sachet from his briefcase, untied its cord, and a plume of crimson smoke billowed out with the wind, resembling a distress signal lit by a castaway.

But this smoke was actually spores of slime molds.