Chapter 254: Why didn't you say this earlier?

"Little Undead." Fang Zhiyan suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

"Are you interested in being my student?"

Fang Zhiyan's crimson eyes fixed on Ying Duo.

"Not Bai Mu Yun's half-baked guidance, nor the Mitra Academy's rote lectures—I can teach you anything you want to learn."

Ying Duo fell silent for a few seconds before speaking: "What can you teach me?"

"A lot."

Fang Zhiyan stepped forward, closing the distance; an invisible pressure followed, though it couldn't be conveyed through the screen.

"Like this." He raised a hand, pointing at Ying Duo's fluorescent green short hair.

"A stable mutation source, with no deep influence or separation phenomenon...... Did those Mitra Academy professors tell you you need to control, purify, or even find a way to detach it?"

Ying Duo did not deny it; Professor Luo De'an had mentioned many suppression plans, even researching eradication.

But saying this, his mutation source was far from stable—Ying Duo had never seen his mutation value spike because of this hair.

If it weren't for the game invading reality, Yang Yixie would have thought those plots were just Easter eggs for the protagonist's unique hair color.

Fang Zhiyan chuckled softly, his laughter undisguisedly contemptuous of the Church and Mitra Academy.

"Control? Purify? Detach?"

He shook his head, a sneer flashing in his crimson eyes.

"It's sheer waste—this isn't a curse, but a gift, a key to a higher level."

"Why think about detaching or opposing it? Why not understand, accept, and then...... master it? Let it become part of your power, as natural as breathing."

He extended his hand; a smooth, powerful tentacle tip quietly emerged from his cuff, flexed in front of Ying Duo, then retracted.

"Did you see those tentacles just now? They enhance my perception, operational precision, and even combat."

Fang Zhiyan's voice was low and magnetic, looking no different from a MLM head.

He didn't know what label Yang Yixie had already slapped on himself, merely indulging in his own world.

"I am the only person in this world who truly grasps how to keep Aberrant Species sane and control their own mutation forms."

For example, Bai Mu Yun can still mingle in Tianmian City as a human designer—thanks to him.

Lu Mu can actually revert to a normal human appearance, but compared to his human identity, the Aberrant form makes him feel more comfortable.

Ying Duo's gaze followed Fang Zhiyan's tentacle, while Yang Yixie, behind the screen, fell into thought.

Controllable mutation?

Gaining extra abilities?

This sounds like a brand-new power system; if it were just a pure game before, he would have agreed without hesitation.

The key is mutation—this thing can truly be brought from the game world into reality.

"Can you teach me this method?" Ying Duo asked.

"Of course." Fang Zhiyan smiled, that smile elegant yet unfathomable.

"As my student, you naturally qualify to study my research."

This is exactly Yang Yixie's most urgent need right now.

Besides wanting to strengthen himself, he also wants further research and mastery of mutation.

The medicines and holy water in the game cannot be brought to reality; once contaminated with mutation in reality, it's irreversible.

Rather than regretting after disaster strikes, it's better to choose early.

But there's no free lunch in the world.

Fang Zhiyan, this high-risk NPC, proactively threw out an olive branch—his motives are certainly not small.

Fang Zhiyan's interest in Ying Duo is indeed not just his "learning ability," but also his value as "research material."

"What's the price?" Ying Duo asked the crucial question, "What do you need me to give?"

Fang Zhiyan appreciated Ying Duo's frankness and vigilance, but also knew his words had moved those behind Yang Yixie; he simply spoke slowly.

"There is a price—I need you to regularly cooperate with some of my research."

"Don't worry, the one who needs to participate in my research is Ying Duo, not you." Fang Zhiyan saw through Yang Yixie's concerns.

"My interest mainly lies in the symbiotic mechanism between your 'doll' and the mutation source; I won't do anything strange—just need to regularly collect blood samples and energy fluctuation records."

He spread his hands, tone relaxed.

"These are just routine checks; after all, a constantly growing sample is far more valuable than a fixed specimen, right?"

Gamble, or not?

Yang Yixie fell into silence, the crux being he doesn't know how the game actually runs; if Ying Duo dies, will it affect him?

Fang Zhiyan didn't urge him, just patiently waited.

After a few seconds, Ying Duo gave his answer.

"Sure," he said calmly, "I agree."

Fang Zhiyan's smile gained a hint of satisfaction, "Wise choice—you won't regret this decision."

He reached forward, like an ancient ritual gesture.

"Then let me formally reintroduce myself: I am Fang Zhiyan, head of the Dome Aberration Department, currently mainly researching 'The feasibility of mutation as a new path for human evolution'."

"From this moment on, you are my student."

Ying Duo also extended his hand, lightly shaking Fang Zhiyan's.

"Ying Duo." He simply gave his name.

Suddenly, he seemed to think of something, tilting his head.

"Are you Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu's superior?"

"To be precise, all the sane Aberrant Species you see fall under my jurisdiction." Fang Zhiyan nodded slightly.

"Then I'm your student; is my status higher than those two?" Ying Duo continued to ask.

Fang Zhiyan explained to him quite patiently:

"Simply put, aside from a few other ministers at my level in the Dome, within the Dome you can indeed… hmm, 'walk sideways'?"

He used a slightly teasing expression.

"Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu are your seniors, but regarding permissions and resource allocation they will fully cooperate with you, because you are my 'student'; your orders will have a very high priority."

Ying Duo's golden pupils widened slightly.

After listening, Ying Duo was silent for two seconds.

Then he lifted his head, looked at Fang Zhiyan, his tone still a bit plaintive.

"Why didn't you say this earlier?"

Fang Zhiyan: "......?"

"If you'd said early that being your student gave such a high status, I would have agreed long ago."

Having a status higher than Bai Mu Yun's and being able to allocate more resources—how is that any different from telling Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu that he can command them at will, that any material the Dome has belongs to him?

Leaving aside how many conveniences the Dome will later bring, he would also agree to just grabbing Dome resources at will, right?