Genius Chapter 214: Extra- Afterwards (Part 2)

Chapter 214: Extra- Afterwards (Part 2)

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

 

It was indeed on the way. Chen sat in Yu Zhen’s hovercar, watching as Yu Zhen skillfully parked the car in the hovercar lane at the research institute and registered it on the nearby smart machine.

Chen glanced at the smart machine with some curiosity. “Mr. Yu, do you come here often?”

Yu Zhen replied, “Yes, I come here often.”

The Firmament Group had a close collaboration with the Capital Planet First Research Institute, and Chen had heard that Yu Zhen was even an external consultant for the institute. He had thought that Yu Zhen’s role was merely nominal, but he hadn’t expected that Yu Zhen frequently came here. No wonder the hovercar was able to enter so conveniently. If he had taken a taxi himself, he probably would have spent a long time handling the procedures at the gate.

“This is where you register your biological information,” Yu Zhen reminded him.

Chen quickly went over to register. When he turned around, he noticed Yu Zhen had gone back to the hovercar lane. He quickly returned, this time with the bubble tea he had left in the car.

Yu Zhen casually said, “The office building is over here. I’ll take you there.”

Noticing Chen’s gaze on the bubble tea, Yu Zhen explained, “My partner works here. I brought you over, and I’m picking them up from work on the way.”

Chen suddenly understood, but he didn’t pry into others’ privacy. He followed Yu Zhen to the office building’s vicinity. Just a short while after they arrived, he saw a familiar figure walking out of the office building, accompanied by a researcher.

The two people walked toward them, and only then did Chen recognize their faces. He was surprised and said, “You’re the one from the break room at noon…”

“Hello, Professor Chen, it’s good to see you again,” the young man said with a modest smile.

Yu Zhen spoke up, “Professor Chen is here to confirm the collaboration details. I’ve contacted Director Zhu; he should be in his office, right?”

The young man replied, “Yes, he’s there. We just came from his office.”

“Shall I take Professor Chen to him?” Yu Zhen asked. “Has all the registration been done?”

Professor Chen answered, “It’s been done.”

“Then I’ll take Professor Chen up,” another young man said. “Su Mo, aren’t you off work now? The entry verification is a hassle. I’ll take Professor Chen up.”

Su Mo replied, “Thanks for the trouble, Senior Brother.”

Senior Brother Zhou said, “Professor Chen, I’ll take you there.”

As Chen followed the young man into the office building, he suddenly remembered something. The young man’s name was Su Mo…? He tried to recall where he had heard that name before. A few years ago, Capital Planet had repeatedly invited a genius from Capital University, a young prodigy who became famous early. Within just two years of joining the research institute, Su Mo had achieved numerous accomplishments. Due to his impressive resume, many industry bigwigs often mentioned his name.

The reason why Professor Chen was familiar with this name was also because Su Mo had published a paper on the reconstruction of the v-type intelligent foundational framework when he first entered university. The paper was so well written that, although it was only theoretical, it had inspired Chen to solve a bottleneck problem he had encountered at the time. That’s why the name left a deep impression on him.

As he thought about this, he couldn’t help but glance back at Su Mo, and that was when he saw an unexpected scene.

The setting sun cast its last rays on the horizon, and the sound of wind rustled through the air, accompanied by a few fallen autumn leaves.

A tall man unsealed a cup of milk tea in his hand and handed one to the young man, not forgetting to pinch his cheek. The gesture was affectionate as he casually draped his arm over the young man’s shoulder, laughing and talking, both of them heading toward the parking lot.

“Professor Chen?” Senior Brother Zhou glanced back at him.

Professor Chen recalled the young man he had seen in the break room at noon. So it was like this.

He snapped back to reality and said, “Thank you.”

The collaboration with the research institute was long-term, so Professor Chen had to extend his stay in Capital Planet. He was constantly running between the two projects, which meant he spent more time at the First Research Institute. Over time, he often saw Su Mo in the laboratory. The day after that, he got Su Mo’s contact number and learned that Su Mo was also involved in the research institute’s collaboration.

This young man had officially been working for less than two years, but he had already interned at the research institute multiple times during his university years. In fact, his experience far surpassed that of his peers.

As he frequented the research institute more, Professor Chen heard a lot of rumors about Su Mo. His skills were far beyond the public gossip. It was said that during his university years, due to his physical condition, he had hardly attended any machine operation courses. After joining the research institute for internships, he became familiar with the basics of machinery and, in just two years, caught up with the research staff at the institute. He had worked under several prominent figures and had developed exceptional adaptability.

In this tripartite collaboration, Su Mo had become the main researcher for the project’s data calculations due to his outstanding performance. Most of the data at the research institute had passed through his hands, and colleagues who had worked with him spoke highly of his abilities. However, Professor Chen believed that basic calculations were just one facet of Su Mo’s brilliance. Given a few more years of growth, the young man was sure to achieve even greater and more remarkable accomplishments.

Besides that, he often saw the decisive Yu Zhen waiting for people at the research institute’s parking lot. Yu Zhen had access to the research institute, but he rarely interrupted Su Mo’s work and would often wait in the parking lot or outside the experimental building’s break room.

The first time, Professor Chen had thought that Yu Zhen coming to pick someone up was just a whim, but after seeing it happen more often, he realized that Yu Zhen only occasionally skipped his visits.

The research institute’s working hours ended earlier than those at the Firmament Group. However, when Su Mo got caught up in his experiments, he would often lose track of time, and his delayed working hours coincided with Yu Zhen’s rhythm. Unless Yu Zhen had to work overtime or go on a business trip, he would always come over. Occasionally, the roles were reversed: when Su Mo finished work early, he would go to the Firmament Group to wait for someone…

And these things were no longer secrets at the research institute.

“Then, Professor Chen, we can finalize the remaining matters once your project team arrives at Capital Planet,” Director Zhu said kindly.

“Alright, no problem.”

Professor Chen said, “Then we’ll discuss the other details on StarNet…”

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly noticed a conversation nearby.

A young voice continued—

“I’ll take a vacation, probably for about half a month. After that, I might be busy for the next six months straight.”

“Isn’t your project also going to get busy by the end of the year?”

“I’ve already told ScarletFruit and the others. First, we’re going to Blue Star, then Purple Water Star. We’ve been saying we’d go to Purple Water Star but never got around to it. This time, ClearWind has made plans. They said Apple and Watermelon will be on a business trip there in the vicinity, so we might be able to meet up.”

Someone replied,

“I have vacation time too. I haven’t used my annual leave yet, and I’m not busy in the second half of the month.”

“How about adding another stop? A new tourist system has been developed near Purple Water Star, and it takes less than half a day to travel back and forth. We could visit that as well.

…

Director Zhu said, “Professor Chen?”

Professor Chen pulled his gaze back, suppressing his surprise. “Let’s continue.”

…

At the bottom of the stairs, the two were heading out after work.

Su Mo looked down at his terminal. “I’ll forward the schedule to you.”

“Watch where you’re going, you almost bumped into something,” Yu Zhen guided him gently to avoid hitting a decorative object on the side of the path.

Su Mo slightly pulled on Yu Zhen’s arm while continuing to focus on his terminal.

Yu Zhen said, “Don’t play with the terminal while walking.”

Su Mo replied, “The group just sent an update, I want to check it.”

Yu Zhen responded, “You can check it in the car.”

“I’ll take a quick look,” Su Mo said while walking. “We could bring the loader with us for the trip. I haven’t played the game in almost half a month. I wonder if ScarletFruit has been feeding my rabbit… There’s a new weapon light effect material. Want to see it? This ink wash color is perfect for an array master.”

Yu Zhen glanced at his terminal, “What’s the light effect for the summoner?”

Su Mo happily showed it to him, “It’s this one, cool, right?”

***

On the way home from work, Su Mo kept chatting with Yu Zhen about the game. They started from discussing game effects, then moved on to tech modifications. After dinner at the restaurant, the topic changed once again. By the time they got home, Su Mo was chatting with people from the exploration group.

The game Celestial Horizon had been rapidly updating and evolving in recent years. Some players in the group had already quit the game but hadn’t left the group. During their free time, they still mingled with the others, either playing the game or just chatting.

“Has the luck stream been nerfed?”

“The luck stream was too strong. Didn’t you see how it was overpowered this year, with assassins and healers in the luck stream? It’s normal for it to get nerfed. Everyone stacking luck made it unplayable.”

“Watermelon’s been complaining on the forum all afternoon.”

“ChatMasterWu’s lucky gear is only halfway done, and he’s also complaining.”

Watermelon couldn’t help but say, “Wouldn’t you be complaining if you got nerfed? Why hasn’t a physical swordsman been nerfed if it’s so strong?”

“Our physical swordsman isn’t suffering enough?” ClearWind replied. “Did you see the recent weapon iterations? Why do the weapon effects for a physical swordsman look worse than for a magical swordsman? Are there not enough players in our class? Why is the light on the weapon green?”

“Green looks nice. Green is natural and environmentally friendly,” Bitter Melon lamented. “Our defense stream also got changed. I run slower now.”

CloudTraveller said, “Warrior’s playstyle has been called outdated. Now there are a lot of players in the forum showcasing new combos. Celestial Horizon is probably making some new moves again.”

FireworksAndLanterns replied, “Isn’t the worst case for us summoners? Black Tortoise’s damage reduction line got nerfed. We got nerfed, which is basically the same as warriors being nerfed. A nerf hits both classes.”

Haitang said, “It was about time they were nerfed. Have you seen how summoners are everywhere in the arena these past couple of years, all of them running around with Black Tortoise? Many people in our guild instantly leave when they see a summoner.”

Su Mo chimed in just in time, “Summoners aren’t unplayable. Black Tortoise’s damage reduction line got nerfed, but the shield was buffed. If damage reduction flow isn’t viable, you can still go for a tanky control build. It can tank even better than a half-buffed array master.”

BrokenOracle replied, “…What new idea do you have now? I’m afraid next season’s arena will be full of tanky summoners.”

“We could consider fast-assassin, defensive healer, or a tanky warrior build. Poison healer is also playable… The next version will buff attack-based array masters… Summoners might be better off going defensive or physical. The magic build was hit too hard, it’s getting tough to play.”

When Yu Zhen entered the study, he saw Su Mo slumped on the sofa, chatting with others, all about troublesome and bizarre ideas. He said, “Go take a shower.”

“Wait a minute,” Su Mo quickly put down his terminal and rushed off to the bathroom.

The chat in the group continued, and along with it, there were several forum posts being shared. Yu Zhen placed Su Mo’s terminal on the desk, casually opened his electronic board, and began to handle the remaining work. The lively sounds continued to play from the terminal, with the volume turned down.

“Watermelon, how did you get roasted on the forum?” ScarletFruit asked.

Apple replied, “He started insulting others, then dragged other sects down with him, and ended up fighting with ChatMasterWu on the forum, not even distinguishing between enemies and allies, just insulting everyone.”

HealsFor25000 commented, “This has gone beyond ridiculous.”

“These people are crazy. They just keep insulting, and when they can’t win, they start bringing up age?” Watermelon couldn’t help but complain in the group, “So what if I’m 31? 31 is still a prime age, right? I’m still the second-best assassin at 31.”

ChatMasterWu added, “Being 32 is also strong, you know? I’m a 32-year-old player, and I’m still ranked first.”

Apple responded, “Do you assassin players really need to rank yourselves by age too?!”

“Most people can’t play assassin,” ClearWind said. “The fast hand speed isn’t without reason.”

ZenSlasher added, “You guys are generalizing a bit.”

ScarletFruit agreed, “True, we’re all golden bachelors.”

HealsFor25000 joked, “I understand the bachelor part, but how did you guys manage to get so ‘golden’?”

FireworksAndLanterns remarked, “That fast? You guys are all in your 30s? So, the boss must be over 40?”

Watermelon replied, “The ‘many’ in your statement is a bit excessive.”

Bitter Melon laughed lightly, “No worries, when the new year comes, I’ll buy a guild name change card and rename us to ‘Sunset Fruits.'”

Cantaloupe chimed in, “Boss, I know you’ve always wanted to create a sunset guild, but we still have a lot of young people in the guild!! I’m only 26!!! Not everyone is approaching 30.”

Watermelon quipped, “26 is close enough to 30.”

The others were speechless.

“Is the focus really on turning thirty? Do you guys think you’re old just because you’re in your thirties?”

HealsFor25000 asked, “What about Momo? Why hasn’t he said anything?”

ClearWind replied, “He seemed to have stepped out for a moment. His mic is still on, but he’s not here, right?”

“Looking for him?” Yu Zhen, while handling his work, responded, “He’s taking a shower. He’ll be out soon.”

HealsFor25000 said, “Come on, could you at least tell us if you two are sharing a terminal?”

Yu Zhen kept his eyes on his work panel, speaking casually, “Is that something I need to announce in advance?”

The others were speechless.

When Su Mo came out of the bathroom, he was wrapped in the warmth of the steam. He gave the person who was working a small reward, then, disregarding the playful consequences, grabbed his terminal and book and left. He settled into the sofa directly opposite Yu Zhen’s desk and started chatting with ClearWind and the others about their travel plans for next month.

During the conversation, he glanced at the man who was working and, while discussing the route with ClearWind, added a small additional destination. Earlier in the year, after visiting the Yu family, he had received a route map from Jiang Yu. He had already planned to follow the route Yu Zhen had adventured through as a young boy.

Su Mo then asked, “Is Watermelon not coming next month?”

“…He is,” Watermelon replied. “I’ll ask my boss for time off. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

HealsFor25000 said, “Poor thing, a 31-year-old worker.”

ScarletFruit commented, “I’m different. I’m my own boss.”

ClearWind added, “Livestreamers never give up.”

Watermelon grumbled, “…Come on, I’m not the only worker in the group!”

***

The lively chatter was muffled, with the speaker turned off, leaving only Su Mo’s quieter voice.

Yu Zhen finished handling his work and entered the group chat to look through the previous messages. As he was scrolling, he accidentally clicked into the forum. The forum was in an uproar due to the new version, though there were occasionally a few normal discussion threads. Just as he was about to exit, he saw a post with the id “oo” at the top and couldn’t help but click into it.

-[Is Momo going to quit the game?]

[This must be an old post, right?]

[Hahaha, every year someone asks if Archdemon is quitting the game.]

[Indeed, he’s so famous that whenever there’s no news, everyone starts watching.]

[I still remember when he led a team to clear the ten-star ssS-class challenge. That score still holds as the highest in the Celestial Horizon quest challenge, and no one has beaten it in two years.]

[But he really hasn’t appeared much lately. The last time the strategy post was updated was three months ago.]

[But this time, he even lost the top spot. The rankings at Capital changed, and his score hasn’t changed.]

[Sigh, just get used to it. After he reached the top spot, he’s dropped several times.]

[With the speed of updates in Celestial Horizon, he’s not online 24/7, so it’s strange if he doesn’t drop.]

[Don’t worry about his top spot. He usually reclaims it within a month after dropping.]

[Every time he drops from the top spot, people ask if he’s quitting the game.]

[Last year, he and UnchainedWanderer kept swapping the top spot. It’s just a fun little thing between them, their couple’s routine. Get used to it.]

[Rather than him chasing the top spot, I’m more curious about how he’s going to play the arena at the end of this year. The summoner and warrior combo has been nerfed by the main system. Will the big shot come up with a new strategy?]

[Hahaha, I’m curious about that too. These past two years, I’ve been using his strategies to rank up. Archdemon’s strategy posts have been incredibly useful.]

[Can the PvE players get a guide for the Heavenly Temple clearance? The big shot’s PvE guide hasn’t been updated in four months! (Excitedly)]

[So, did he open the ten-star treasure chest in ssS-class or not? I’ve been wondering about that, and no one has said anything yet!]

[I heard he got a spirit pet!]

[I thought it was god-tier materials!?]

[Wasn’t it equipment?]

…

[To be honest, Momo was really a newbie.]

[How did we end up talking about this?]

[Archdemon was indeed a newbie. I joined the game later, and from the moment I knew him, it seemed like he could do everything—PVP, PVE… he was even better at raising pets than anyone else!]

[You could tell from his forum followers, many people kept an eye on his strategy posts.]

[He was like a god-tier player. A long time ago, I kept wondering how he was able to think so well and why he was naturally so good at gaming.]

By the time Yu Zhen finished reading the posts, the voices around him had faded away.

He looked up and saw Su Mo fast asleep on the sofa opposite him. The terminal had fallen to the ground, and the book in his arms had its pages bent. He was sleeping soundly and in complete disarray.

A god-tier player, huh? After staring for a while, Yu Zhen didn’t see any magic, but he did notice a bit of laziness.

But it had been a busy few days. It seemed like he was completely exhausted.

Yu Zhen carefully walked over, and as he embraced Su Mo, he heard a muffled sound. Immediately, Su Mo’s hands draped over his shoulders like they had no bones, and his cheek brushed against Yu Zhen’s neck. “Are you done with work?”

“Not behaving.” Yu Zhen’s voice was hoarse. “Don’t want to sleep?”

Su Mo chuckled softly. “I want to sleep… but I don’t want to move.”

Terminal group chat—

Apple: “Can these two really flirt this much?”

ClearWind: “I can’t believe it!”

Watermelon: “Does anyone know if Momo’s voice is still on?”

ScarletFruit: “A 31-year-old worker, care to share your thoughts?”

Watermelon: “Then let’s go with a 32-year-old golden bachelor.”

ChatMasterWu: “…Wait, shouldn’t he be a 40-year-old married man?”

Bitter Melon: “?”

FireworksAndLanterns: “You guys are too loud, I can’t hear anything!!”

Just as everyone quieted down, eager to hear more, the quiet chat suddenly lit up with Momo’s voice: “What do you want to hear?”

Everyone: “…!”

[Momo has left the intelligent chat]

In the study, Su Mo threw his terminal to the side and tilted his head back, continuing to kiss Yu Zhen.

The warm light created an intimate atmosphere, and all the affection was in the moment, completely unrestrained.