Chapter 77: This Thing Isn

Teacher Li Ya still held the Detection Device with her hand frozen in midair, staring intently at the scarlet reading on the screen, then slowly looking up, gazing at the source that was causing the device to scream out warnings.

Ying Duo's hair, ever dutiful, constantly emitted an eerie green glow.

She looked up at Ying Duo's fragmented Ying Guang Lu hair, then glanced at the alarming red number on the Detection Device, and finally exchanged a stunned stare with the equally dumbfounded Luo Jinyou.

Luo Jinyou was also completely bewildered; he looked up blankly at Teacher Li Ya, as if asking:

Is… is it the way he imagined?

Teacher Li Ya's expression was extremely complicated, as if constipated, and she could only nod heavily.

———————————————

The phone screen was filled with various dismantled components, and Yang Yixie was adjusting several key nodes, soon successfully piecing together the blueprint of the portable testing device.

【Congratulations, you have obtained the blueprint: Portable Testing Device (Green) ×1】

【You have unlocked a new Rune, ready for Engraving】

【Modification proficiency +21】

At this moment the drawback of the small phone screen became evident; this was only a green‑quality blueprint, and Yang Yixie kept zooming in and out, adjusting it for ages.

If it were a higher‑quality, more complex blueprint, he had no idea how much time it would take to assemble.

While Yang Yixie was still pondering what to do next in the game and whether the developers would make adjustments, a harsh alarm blared in the background music; he immediately closed the 【Modification】 skill interface and looked puzzled at the NPC behind Ying Duo.

It was the instrument in the other's hand that kept ringing, emitting an annoying noise.

Hold on, is this thing about to blow up?

———————————————

【8】 Under the two's gaze, Ying Duo, who was devoted to his research, seemed disturbed by the harsh alarm; he turned his head to look at the instrument behind his head that was shrieking nonstop.

【9】 Teacher Li Ya's hand holding the Detection Device trembled slightly; she looked up at Ying Duo, then down at the Detection Device in her hand, then looked up again at Ying Duo's hair emitting green light.

【10】 So…

【11】 A long‑term exposure Mutation Source?

【12】 The Mutation they've been trying to find?

【13】 The culprit behind Luo Jinyou's fluctuating Mutation Value?

【14】 Li Ya felt that the ten‑plus years of Mutation studies and worldview she had learned were, at this moment, all fed to Ying Duo.

【15】 Mutation… could be so stable, so… flamboyant and arrogant, perched on a person's head?!

【16】 Or is it the Ying Guang Lu one?!

【17】 Luo Jinyou was also completely bewildered; he stared blankly at Ying Duo's head, which under the red flashing alarm of the Detection Device was no less impressive, even more dazzling with its Ying Guang Lu.

He recalled that last night he had been "illuminated" by that hair for an entire night…

Li Ya teacher's hand holding the detector was trembling slightly; she lifted her head to look at Ying Duo, then lowered her head to look at the detector in her own hand, then lifted her head again to look at Ying Duo's hair emitting green light.

Earlier he only thought the green light was a bit creepy, and at the time he kept reminding himself to respect others' hobbies and not discriminate because of it.

But now it seemed it was no longer just a slightly scary issue; it was truly a matter of life and death!

Teacher Li Ya propped her forehead and felt a wave of dizziness.

She needed to calm down and think carefully about how to report this… a bizarre enough finding to be filed with the Supervision Bureau.

"An Observation Report on How a Student with a Mutation atop his head Passed the Entrance Examination and, After Moving into the Dormitory, Caused Ongoing Mutation Effects on His Roommate, Leading to Adaptive Mutation,"?

Just thinking of that title gave her scalp goosebumps, and the most Mutation‑sensitive Luo Jinyou happened to be Ying Duo's roommate; if Ying Duo had any ill intent, who knows how many things he could silently cause.

It could only be said that, fortunately, Ying Duo, as the culprit, was completely unaware that he was the "walking Mutation Source."

He merely blinked in confusion, not understanding why this NPC was holding a noisy box up to his head.

Teacher Li Ya breathed a sigh of relief; at least Ying Duo wasn't an enemy with conspiratorial schemes entering the Academy—he was simply plain‑stupid.

She finally understood that the problem lay not in the object or the environment, but in this clueless guy with a Mutation Source perched on his head!

Now she just wanted to grab Ying Duo's shoulder and shake him wildly, demanding:

How on earth did you get your hair like that?! Using alien grafts?! Could it be luminous moss ripped from some S‑class contamination zone?!

While Teacher Li Ya was internally ranting and Luo Jinyou began to contemplate life, the harsh alarm continued to echo in the infirmary, desperately pulling the two who tried to escape reality back.

And Yang Yixie, continuously harassed by the noise, furrowed his brows even tighter.

In his gaming experience, such alarms usually herald explosions or monster attacks.

This thing is so noisy… it can't be about to blow up, can it?

That's absolutely unacceptable! At worst he can collect everything, but he still can't do a one‑life run?

Other missions and achievements can wait for a second playthrough, but the first attempt at a one‑life run must still be pursued.

While the two were still questioning their lives, Ying Duo had already taken action.

He suddenly stood up, and while Teacher Li Ya was still bewildered, he snatched the precision scanner from her hand.

"W‑wait! What are you doing?!"

Teacher Li Ya only then reacted, reaching out to stop him, but it was already too late.

After Ying Duo seized the scanner, the Ying Guang Lu energy strands instantly lit up, even far more than when he previously dismantled the portable testing device.

He ignored the warning label on the instrument's casing; the Ying Guang Lu lines immediately 'invaded' the interior, and because his purpose was merely disassembly, not blueprint analysis, the speed was extremely fast.

Removing the casing, cutting the energy, destroying the Rune…

The whole process flowed smoothly, with almost barbaric precision.

This absolutely won't do! At worst, he'll collect everything—can he still not clear a one-life run?

Accompanied by a series of heartbreaking tiny sounds, the instrument was completely dismembered in Ying Duo's hands, turning into a heap of countless tiny parts.

All parts were enveloped by Ying Guang Lu energy, floating in midair, and the entire disassembly took no more than five seconds.

Just then he suddenly stood up, and while Li Ya teacher was still in a daze, he directly snatched the precision scanner from her hand.

The world finally quieted down.

Li Ya teacher only then reacted, reaching out to try to stop, but it was already too late.

After Ying Duo snatched the scanner, the Ying Guang Lu energy threads lit up immediately, even far more than when he previously dismantled the portable detection device.

He ignored the warning label on the device's casing, and the Ying Guang Lu lines immediately 'invaded' the device's interior, because the goal was merely to disassemble, no need to analyze the blueprint, so the speed was extremely fast.

Remove the casing, cut off the energy, destroy the Rune......

The whole process was smooth and flowing, with a near‑barbaric precision.

Crack! Sizzle—Pop!

Accompanied by a series of heart‑breaking tiny sounds, the device in Ying Duo's hands was thoroughly torn apart, turning into a heap of numerous small parts.

All the parts were wrapped in Ying Guang Lu energy, floating in mid‑air, and the entire disassembly process took no more than five seconds.

The piercing alarm came to an abrupt halt.

The world, too, finally fell silent.

Ying Duo looked satisfied at the pile of various precision parts in his hand; although because the 【modification】 level was too low, many parts were scrapped, but these parts also belong to a relatively hard-to-obtain type.

He shoved all the parts into his backpack in one go, then nodded in satisfaction.

Li Ya: "......"

Her outstretched hand remained frozen in midair, her lips trembling nonstop, yet she could make no sound; only her chest rose and fell violently.

Li Ya looked at that pile of parts that instantly "returned to simplicity and truth", her vision went black, she almost fainted.

Her instrument!

This is the latest model! Worth over four hundred thousand!

Just then, amidst the utter chaos and Li Ya on the verge of collapse.

"Bang!"

The infirmary door was shoved open from outside.

A middle-aged man in the typical white coat of researchers hurried in—Professor Luo De'an, who had rushed over upon receiving the news.

His face showed urgency and worry; his gaze immediately fell on Luo Jinyou on the hospital bed.

"Little You! How's the situation? Li Ya, have the test results come out...?" His question trailed off mid-sentence, then he suddenly stopped.

Because he saw the scene inside the infirmary:

Luo Jinyou leaned against the bed with a dazed expression, as if he had suffered a massive mental shock.

Li Ya stood in the center of the room, one hand still frozen in midair, her face flushing red then white, her chest heaving violently, a look of being overcome with rage.

And that newcomer with a striking fluorescent-green head of hair, named Ying Duo, stood calmly aside, completely uninvolved.