Genius Chapter 134: Physical Examination Report

Chapter 134: Physical Examination Report

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

***

The next day, when Su Mo and Yu Zhen logged in, they were met with a round of curious looks from their teammates, but Su Mo didn’t pay it any mind. They quickly moved on to their next quest.

The difficulty for the first stage of the Grand Debate of the Realm Tournament was relatively balanced. From the known information, they knew that among the randomly assigned quest challenges, there would be 2 four-star quests and 1 five-star or six-star quest. This setup provided both high difficulty and lower-level quests to increase the chances of completion.

Their first quest was the five-star [Senro Tower]. The next two quests they received over the following days were four-star, with difficulty comparable to the Pear Blossom Hollow. They spent some time exploring the mechanics, but they completed the quests fairly quickly. After finishing three quests, they earned their tickets to the second stage, with new quest information set to be revealed after the week’s competition ended and the second round began.

With their swift progress through the quests, they found themselves with some free time. Su Mo decided to focus on researching weapons.

After searching through various material databases of Celestial Horizon and some quest-related storylines, Su Mo unexpectedly discovered information about the newly introduced [Forged Items] type of materials. This information was somewhat scattered, mentioned in a few side quests. Su Mo found this while browsing the official Celestial Horizon guides uploaded to the database, but since the database did not provide detailed information, he had to spend time replaying these quests to gather the necessary details.

“In simple terms, these material details appear in certain side quests within Celestial Horizon. By completing these quests and reviewing the storylines, I can determine the attributes corresponding to these materials,” Su Mo explained. He opened the material database, noting that Celestial Horizon materials had corresponding attributes. The range of attributes that could be refined from each material was usually specified. However, the newly introduced [Lunar Charm] and [Tooth of the Thunderwolf] materials were not annotated in the database, requiring players to complete side quests and interpret the storylines to determine their attribute ranges.

Yu Zhen understood his point, “These materials are outside the material database, right?”

“Exactly,” Su Mo replied. “So they should have specific attribute effects. For instance, if the formula from the material database indicates that a material can create a weapon with 750 attack power, and if it’s an attack-type material, it could potentially increase that power to a new level, like 850. If I’m not mistaken, as long as we find the right materials, we can enhance the attributes based on the original values.”

This discovery opened up a new perspective for Su Mo. In his calculations, he already had an idea of the attributes his dual weapons would have. To forge the weapons to perfection, he would need to gather the required attribute materials for forging, which would elevate the expected attributes to another level.

Fortunately, [Lunar Charm] was a skill-effect material, while [Tooth of the Thunderwolf] was an attack-type material. He could use both materials, so now he just needed to gather speed-type and status-type materials to start forging the dual-skill weapons.

Yu Zhen said, “The [Grand Debate of the Realm] event is a great opportunity. The likelihood of high-level materials appearing is higher, which is more advantageous for us.”

“Exactly, and the probability of getting materials this time is very high,” Su Mo said with a hint of excitement. “Let’s see what quests come up in the second phase. It would be great if we get a five-star quest to get more materials.”

ScarletFruit was setting up a stall nearby, listening to the two experts discuss materials in front of the forge, his gaze occasionally drifting between them.

If one were to suspect some sort of secret, there was indeed a little something—sometimes they would switch channels to whisper to each other. But if you looked more closely, you’d notice that their discussions, apart from the game, were still about the game: yesterday they talked about a quest mechanism, and today it was about how to forge weapons. Their exchanges seemed rather complex, and if you didn’t understand, you wouldn’t grasp much of it.

If there was truly a secret, wouldn’t they be constantly entwined? Why did their focus seem different?

ScarletFruit, who prided himself on being well-read and knowledgeable about various tactics, was now less certain. The one thing he was sure of was that his two older brothers’ relationship was much steadier than the scheming of any childhood friend like ReturnToSimplicity.

While ScarletFruit was still pondering, UnchainedWanderer had already logged off.

He realized and asked, “Huh? Why did Brother Wanderer log off suddenly?”

Su Mo, still focused on the forge, replied briefly, “He had something to attend to and will be back later tonight.”

ScarletFruit suddenly remembered and asked, “Brother, has your Flower Spirit reached max level?”

Su Mo paused for a moment and said, “Yes. You can sell the materials you have from before at your stall; I forgot to mention it to you.”

After saying that, he suddenly remembered something. “There’s a new materials list. If you have time in the next few days, help me collect the materials. You can set the prices as you see fit.”

ScarletFruit was puzzled.

He saw that Momo had been busy for a while and quickly sent him a document via in-game mail. When he opened it, it was filled with forging-related materials, clearly for weapon crafting.

“But wait, Brother, aren’t there some materials here that you’ve already collected before?” ScarletFruit, being a game merchant with a sharp memory for materials, immediately noticed several items that momo had previously collected. Moreover, some of these materials didn’t match up with what the summoner needed. “And these materials don’t even fit the forge.”

“Oh.” Su Mo responded briefly, “Those aren’t the materials I need.”

ScarletFruit was confused. “???”

If they weren’t for you, then why are you collecting them? Are you stockpiling them?

“The materials are for array master forging. If you come across any high-level materials, please keep an eye out for them too.”

Su Mo, calculating the formulas, added, “If you need more money, just come to me.”

Yu Zhen had opened a new quest weapon in the Senro Tower, and the formula Su Mo had originally given him was suitable only for all-rounder weapons. The new weapon also needed upgrading and would eventually be crafted into a dual-skill weapon, so the previous formula was somewhat limited. Over the past few days, while searching for materials, Su Mo had revised the formula and developed a new one for attack-type array weapons. Su Mo thought for a moment and then sent another list to ScarletFruit. “Please keep an eye out for these materials as well and help me collect them if you find any.”

ScarletFruit, feeling conflicted, received both lists and silently opened a private chat with ClearWind.

He really couldn’t make sense of it!!

***

Su Mo had been attending classes at school that week and would visit the laboratory after his theory lessons. Their experiment was nearing its end, and Senior Brother Zhou had been working efficiently recently. Some of the data had already been processed, and Senior Zhou had sent the statistical documents to Su Mo. Su Mo was responsible for organizing and categorizing the data, filling out the phase tables, and sending them to their advisor. Barring any unforeseen issues, their project would likely be completed in a few weeks, with only the defense and participation notifications from their advisor left to wait for.

On this Thursday, Senior Zhou invited Su Mo out for a meal.

Since the start of the school year, they had been holed up in the laboratory and hadn’t gone out much. They chose a restaurant that suited Su Mo’s taste and talked about recent events as they ate.

“Tomorrow’s Friday, and you don’t have any classes. What do you think?” Senior Zhou said. “I have something to take care of and won’t be at the lab. The data will probably be ready by Saturday.”

Su Mo, who was replying to messages on his terminal, responded, “It’s fine. I’ll just head home.”

When it came to going home, Senior Zhou was quite surprised. In the past, whenever Su Mo was busy with a project, he would often stay in the lab for a week or two at a time. Not only would he rarely go home, but he would occasionally forget to eat or take his medication. However, this semester, Su Mo seemed different. He talked more, occasionally joked around, and appeared much more cheerful.

It wasn’t that Su Mo had been unfriendly or unapproachable before, but Senior Zhou felt that he had been overly reserved and modest. Now, he seemed to have changed a bit, and this change was positive.

Senior Zhou was pleased with the transformation. Having been Su Mo’s partner for so long and having watched him from his first days at school, Senior Zhou naturally hoped Su Mo would continue to improve. “It’s good that you’re heading home. I should visit your place sometime. I heard you changed Lele’s exterior? I haven’t seen it yet.”

After finishing their meal, Zhou offered to pay the bill and went to settle it, planning to call for a hovercar when he returned.

“You don’t need to; someone is picking me up,” Su Mo said.

Zhou was momentarily taken aback. “Huh?”

When they stepped outside, a discreet black hovercar was parked in the restaurant’s parking area.

The KK825 hovercar… Senior Zhou’s gaze lingered on the model of the hovercar, but his attention quickly shifted when a man stepped out of the vehicle. His eyes widened in recognition. He had seen this man at his older cousin’s shop a while back. He had intended to ask Su Mo about him but had forgotten in the midst of his busyness. Now, this prominent figure was appearing right in front of him, and it was clear that the man was there to pick up Su Mo.

It was winter, and the wind was strong outside.

Yu Zhen nodded slightly towards Senior Zhou and then invited them both to get into the car.

Su Mo took the passenger seat and said, “We were initially planning to return to the school first, but we might need to drop off my senior.”

Yu Zhen had originally planned to come to the school in the evening to pick Su Mo up. However, earlier that day, the medical station had informed him to pick up last week’s medical report. Su Mo had messaged Yu Zhen to say he didn’t need to come over, as he would go straight back to the school after picking up the report.

Yu Zhen had asked for his location and said he was out and would swing by to drop Su Mo off at the medical station on his way.

Su Mo had sent him the location, mentioning they were dining out and would return to the school later.

To his surprise, Yu Zhen had arrived at the restaurant just after they finished eating.

“Alright,” Yu Zhen said.

Senior Zhou was both curious and puzzled, but he didn’t dare to ask more questions. Previously, when he saw the photos on the research institute’s wall, he had assumed that Yu Zhen was the kind of person who was hard to approach, given his imposing presence. However, in reality, he found that while Yu Zhen spoke little, he was not cold or dismissive.

Surprisingly easy to get along with.

What puzzled Senior Zhou was why he had never noticed before how close Su Mo and Yu Zhen were. With Yu Zhen personally coming to pick Su Mo up, their relationship clearly wasn’t ordinary. Could Yu Zhen and Su Mo be relatives?

Senior Zhou pondered for a long time but had never heard Su Mo mention any relatives, and since Su Mo’s parents had passed away years ago, there was only a robot at home.

After dropping Senior Zhou off at the school, Su Mo and Yu Zhen changed direction to the medical station to pick up the report.

The wind grew even stronger as they got out of the car.

“You go in first. I’ll park the car and find you later,” Yu Zhen said, handing his coat to Su Mo. “Put this on.”

The coat was quite large on Su Mo. After Yu Zhen drove away, Su Mo walked into the medical station, replied to a few of Senior Zhou’s messages, and soon followed the medical assistant to Dr. Wu’s office.

Su Mo was the only one there to pick up the report today. When he entered, Dr. Wu greeted him with a smile and said, “It’s cold outside. I forgot to remind you that it might get colder today.”

“I know,” Su Mo replied.

Dr. Wu gestured for Su Mo to sit down and handed him a paper report. “Su Mo, it’s good news.”

“After your examination, our expert team immediately conducted a System analysis. This is the most complete examination you’ve had in some time, and the report data is of very high reference value to us.” Dr. Wu used a holographic screen to display some of the data and explained, “From the current data, we can see a very significant improvement in your endurance, resilience, and resistance. This is partly due to your consistent exercise, but it is also likely influenced by the holographic loading technology. The human brain is a fascinating place. Previously, I mentioned that emotional release benefits your mental and physical health, but holographic technology is also impacting your brain development. We’ve identified a potential for further growth.”

“Your mental strength is very high, and with this guidance, your brain’s development might be entering a new level.”

Dr. Wu explained, “I had found something quite contradictory before. Generally speaking, a person with high mental strength would not have poor physical health, yet your physical health was at an F- level, which couldn’t be supported by medical data. However, now that your brain is undergoing a process of re-adaptation, the brain’s directives are affecting the hormonal and other regulatory adjustments in your body. This may be a long-term process, but your physical condition is indeed showing a positive growth trend.”

Su Mo paused slightly, catching the key point in Dr. Wu’s words, and asked, “So you mean that my physical condition will keep improving?”

“Yes,” Dr. Wu confirmed. “The fact that your physical condition has improved from F- to F already indicates that you are in a recovery process. We had considered influencing low physical health through the brain, but all experiments failed, and patients’ bodies might not withstand external interventions. Your case gives us a new perspective. Active versus passive is a different concept, and the patient’s subjective intent is crucial. Of course, this is an unknown field. The F-class loading technology is still not perfect, and corresponding medical instruments have not been developed yet.”

“The recovery of your physical condition might be a long process, but if you maintain this positive growth, you will get better and better.”

Dr. Wu looked at the young man in front of him and smiled. “Su Mo, you can rest assured.”

The process of physical recovery might be long, but the improvement from F- to F had given him new hope. Now, this hope was confirmed; he would be healthy.

“Recovery can continue, but it doesn’t mean you can neglect your health. Don’t forget, you are still F-class. You need to take your medication as prescribed and manage your condition carefully,” Dr. Wu said, looking at the young man in front of him. Over the past ten years, he had watched this child grow up, and he understood how hard-won today’s progress was. “To use a phrase your robot at home often says, Su Mo, today is also a healthy day.”

Su Mo blinked, feeling a sudden warmth in his eyes for some reason. He replied, “Thank you, Dr. Wu.”

***

After parking the hovercar in the medical station’s parking lot, Yu Zhen waited at the door of the examination room.

The corridor of the Special Diseases Department was empty, with very few medical robots passing by.

The last time Yu Zhen had come for a check-up, he had noticed the desolation of the Special Diseases Department. The sterile, white environment seemed to symbolize a bleak, uncertain future. Before meeting Su Mo, Yu Zhen had known that Su Mo visited this place regularly for check-ups and reports. With no family and only a robot for company, Su Mo lived independently and resiliently, likely arriving and leaving alone each time.

During the most vulnerable years, Su Mo had endured the harshest winter alone.

Yu Zhen had wandered across the interstellar realms in his youth and had faced life-and-death situations, coming close to dying at one point. Even though he had settled into a peaceful life for a long time and his experiences were now distant memories, he could still vividly recall the sensations of facing death and felt no fear.

But now, as he sat waiting here, he experienced a profound sense of fear of loss.

Soon, the door of the examination room opened. Su Mo walked out, and upon seeing the man waiting outside the room, his eyes momentarily paused.

Yu Zhen stood up and asked gently, “What’s wrong? Was the result not good?”

“No,” Su Mo slightly lowered his head, “It was a good result.”

The area outside the examination room was very quiet; the deserted corridor contained only the two of them.

Su Mo held the report in his hand. “Brother, can I ask you a question?”

Yu Zhen looked at Su Mo, noticing the change in the young man’s demeanor. “Go ahead.”

“Why did you insist on developing the F-class loader back then…?” Su Mo asked. “You’re a businessman. There was no need to invest so much financial and human resources into a channel that might not yield any feedback.”

Yu Zhen adjusted Su Mo’s collar and replied, “As a businessman, I am driven by profit, but I am also the project’s leader. The decisions I make impact the entire project’s output and operations. Connecting to StarNet F-class could be developed, but the difficulty in achieving it was immense. The data flow of the loader was something users themselves couldn’t bear, and the investment required was substantial.”

“But connecting to the holographic game loader was different. Given that it was feasible, it was just about adding an additional channel on top of the existing one. It could be done and achieved.”

“Then why not do it?” Yu Zhen asked again. “Do you think the game is fun?”

Su Mo was slightly taken aback. “Yes, it is.”

“Then that is the greatest feedback.”

Yu Zhen adjusted Su Mo’s hat and spoke softly, “Su Mo, I am very grateful, grateful for the decision made back then.”

The young man remained silent, quietly standing in front of Yu Zhen.

His clear eyes simply gazed at him.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Zhen asked. “Did the doctor say anything?”

“No,” Su Mo said, pulling down his hood and looking down. “I just suddenly realized…”

“I think I like you even more.”

 

Author’s note: 

Lele: Mr. Yu Zhen is truly a good person!