Chapter 209: Pregnancy Check Shock: Twin Anomaly·Bio Module Resolves Crisis

Zhao Jianguo stared at his phone screen, the countdown still ticking. Seven hundred twenty-nine days, twenty-three hours fifty-seven minutes. He had just left the laboratory, his clothes still carrying a hint of metal debris. Last night's reaction chamber had run well, crystals showing signs of precipitation, but the prompt about that external signal scan kept stuck in his mind.

He rubbed his face, turned and pushed open the door. Su Qing was sitting on the bed putting on her coat; seeing him return, she softly said, "It's time to go to the hospital."

He grunted, walked over and helped her adjust her scarf. The weather wasn't cold, but he always felt her hands and feet were cool lately. They didn't talk much, left together for the hospital. On the way Su Qing asked, "Did you stay up late again last night?"

"Not too long," he said. "Just wrapping up."

Arriving at obstetrics and gynecology, the doctor was a middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses, flipping through last exam record, tone steady: "According to the cycle, it's time for genetic screening this time. First do an ultrasound to check the fetal heartbeat."

Su Qing lay on the exam table, Zhao Jianguo stood beside her, his finger unconsciously touching the device on his wrist. It was an inconspicuous metal ring, usually unnoticed. He had just finished updating the system module the night before, never expecting to need it so soon.

The doctor applied gel to the probe and placed it on Su Qing's abdomen. The screen showed a blurry image, then three clusters of tiny flashing light points appeared simultaneously.

The examination room fell silent for a moment.

The doctor frowned, readjusted the angle, and pressed a few keys. The image cleared somewhat, three independent heartbeat curves displayed side by side, rhythm distinct.

"Wait..." he looked up at Zhao Jianguo, "Did you know beforehand it was triplets?"

Zhao Jianguo shook his head.

"First time seeing this." The doctor pushed up his glasses, "Twins aren't rare, but natural triplets are extremely unlikely. Moreover..." He enlarged the image, pointing at the chromosomal region of two fetuses, "There are some abnormal segments here, like a gene sequence misplacement."

Su Qing's hand trembled slightly, she turned to look at Zhao Jianguo. He immediately grasped her hand, his palm warm.

"How serious is it?" he asked.

"Hard to say." The doctor withdrew the probe, "It could be radiation effects, or drug residue causing splitting abnormalities. I recommend amniocentesis as soon as possible to confirm the specific risk."

Zhao Jianguo didn't respond. He knew where the problem lay. Since transmigrating, he'd been exposed to too many mixed materials—high-frequency equipment, nano reaction chambers, and that suddenly appearing projection—none of which should exist in the 1980s. His body might be protected by the system, but Su Qing's wasn't.

He lowered his gaze to his wrist. A green progress bar was loading: 【Biological Correction Module】 activating.

The doctor stood to write the medical record, turning his back to them. Zhao Jianguo took the opportunity to move closer to the bed, pretending to tidy the blanket corner, his other hand lightly covering Su Qing's lower abdomen. The metal ring trembled slightly, an invisible ripple spreading outward, slowly seeping into deep tissue like water waves.

Su Qing blinked, murmuring, "Just now I felt a bit warm."

"Don't be nervous." He replied softly, "Just relax."

The doctor turned around, holding the slip: "Come tomorrow morning for further tests; today's results won't be disclosed publicly until a diagnosis is confirmed."

The two left the exam room and sat on a hallway bench. Su Qing leaned on his shoulder, voice faint: "Won't... the babies not survive?"

"No." He said bluntly, "The data could be wrong, the machine could malfunction. We'll check again tomorrow."

She nodded, not asking further.

That night Zhao Jianguo didn't return to the laboratory, staying home to watch over Su Qing. In the middle of the night she woke for water, finding him still seated at the desk, several sheets of paper spread before him, the pen tip moving back and forth.

"You're not sleeping?"

"Waiting for a result." He didn't lift his head, "The system has feedback to collect."

Actually he was retrieving correction parameters. The backend showed the three embryos' gene chains had been realigned, cell division rate returned to normal, nervous system development advanced by six percent. He lowered the value a bit, changing it to "slight acceleration," to avoid tomorrow's recheck being too abnormal.

The next morning they came to the hospital again.

Still the same doctor, same examination room. He took the new ultrasound report, his gaze sweeping left to right, brow furrowing tighter. Then he rose and walked to another machine, inserted a USB drive to export raw data, repeatedly comparing the timestamps and image source files of the two examinations.

"Strange." He muttered to himself, "Completely normal? All three fetuses' heart rates are within the standard range, chromosome screening shows no abnormal markers, even umbilical cord blood flow is more stable than that of ordinary pregnant women."

Su Qing looked at him, saying nothing.

Zhao Jianguo spoke: "Could it have been a mistake last time?"

"Impossible." The doctor shook his head, "The day before yesterday's data clearly noted aneuploidy variation; I even screenshotted and saved it. But now... everything's gone, as if it never happened."

He lifted his head, eyes full of doubt: "I've never seen this in twenty years of practice."

"Maybe it's my special constitution?" Su Qing ventured.

The doctor didn't respond. He stared at the screen a while longer, then wrote on the diagnosis sheet: "Triplet pregnancy, developing well," signed and stamped.

Walking out of the outpatient building, the sunlight was just right. Su Qing carried the examination bag ahead, her steps noticeably lighter. Zhao Jianguo lagged half a step behind; the device on his wrist vibrated once.

System Prompt appeared:

【Reproductive Medicine Specialization unlocked】

【Reward: Embryo Imaging Technology (real-time observation + development prediction)】

He glanced at Su Qing's back, reaching to touch the tips of her hair.

"No need to run to the hospital every time from now on." He said, "I can see them anytime."

"You can?" She turned back smiling, "You're not a doctor."

"But I know more than a doctor." He said softly.

She didn't hear clearly, continued walking forward. The wind lifted a corner of her scarf, fluttering twice.

Zhao Jianguo finally glanced at the hospital gate, raised his hand to tap the sensing area behind his ear. A transparent interface instantly popped up in the corner of his vision, three tiny images floating within, slowly rotating, breathing in sync.

He closed his eyes, opened them again, and his expression had returned to normal.

Returning to the Siheyuan, He Yushui was debugging the newly installed signal booster in the courtyard. Seeing them return, she looked up and asked, "How did the checkup go?"

"Triplets." Zhao Jianguo said, "All good."

"Wow, this is great news!" She laughed, "The app just added a 'maternal and infant care' function; want to register? Nutrition advice and prenatal check reminders can be pushed to your phone."

"Not in a rush." He said, "Let's wait until things stabilize."

He helped Su Qing inside, casually closing the door. The indoor heating was on, temperature just right. She sat on the sofa, took off her coat, and absentmindedly rubbed her belly.

Zhao Jianguo squatted, ear pressed to her abdomen. Through the glove, he could hear three faint heartbeats, staggered yet harmonious.

He took off the glove, pressing his palm directly against her.

The moment skin made contact, the system automatically connected.

【Today's status: neural tube closure completed, heart structure intact】

【Estimated birth time: 287 days from now】

【Gender tendency: two males, one female (89% confidence)】

He exhaled, the corners of his mouth slightly rising.

Su Qing patted his shoulder: "What are you laughing foolishly about?"

"Nothing." He stood up, "I just feel... pretty amazing."

"You never believed these before." She leaned against the sofa, "How did you become so gentle now?"

"People always change." He said, "Especially when you have to take responsibility for three people."

She smiled, her eyes curving. He poured her a cup of warm water and placed it on the side table.

In the evening, Dong Xu knocked and entered, holding a tool kit. "I heard you didn't go to the laboratory? What happened?"

"There's something at home." Zhao Jianguo took the tool kit and opened it to look, "Does the reaction chamber still need to adjust the cooling valve once more?"

"Yes, last time the temperature fluctuated too much, I'm afraid it would affect subsequent experiments." Dong Xu sat down, "You don't look well, haven't you rested?"

"I accompanied Su Qing for a checkup." He briefly explained the situation.

Dong Xu listened and froze: "Triplets? And still genetic abnormality, yet it healed on its own?"

"The doctor said it was a misdiagnosis."

"You think I'm stupid?" Dong Xu lowered his voice, "You definitely used some method. Is it that the system has a new function again?"

Zhao Jianguo did not deny.

"Alright." Dong Xu stood up, "I won't ask for details. But remember, don't risk your life. Our business isn't over yet, the countdown is still ticking."

"I know." Zhao Jianguo nodded, "But I must first protect these people before me."

Dong Xu patted his shoulder once, then turned and left.

The room grew quiet. Zhao Jianguo sat at the desk, opened the encrypted terminal, and entered a set of commands.

【Mission Creation: Maternal-Infant Protection Plan】

【Priority: Highest】

【Resource Allocation: Biological Module Continuous Monitoring】【Environmental Scan Three Times Daily】

He pressed the confirm key.

The screen lit up with green light, then immediately dimmed.

Su Qing was asleep on the bed, breathing evenly. He walked over and tucked in the blanket corner for her, his finger unintentionally touching her wrist.

Pulse stable, temperature normal.

He stood by the bedside watching for a long time, until the streetlights outside went out one by one.

Early the next morning, he got up early and set up a small detection device in the courtyard. Its shape resembled a radio, with three indicator lights on the panel, each corresponding to the vital signs of one fetus.

Red light indicates danger, yellow light is a warning, green light indicates safety.

At this moment, all three lights are green, blinking steadily.

He breathed a sigh of relief, just about to dismantle the equipment, when he suddenly noticed that the green light on the far right flickered halfway, its color slightly dimmed.

He stopped his action, reconnected the power, and pulled up the backend log.

An abnormal record popped up:

【04:16, Fetus C briefly showed bradycardia (lasting 1.3 seconds)】

【Cause unknown】

He stared at that line of text, his fingers gradually tightening.