Chapter 33 Mutant Traits

Chapter 33: Mutant Traits

As carnivores, they inherently possess...

After Gu Ze was pulled away, Oliver's attention returned to the lesson. His knowledge of White Robins far surpassed Chen Yi's, and he quickly spotted an inconsistency: "I recall White Robins can't fly that high, can they?"

Not just White Robins—only a handful of bird species worldwide can reach altitudes close to helicopter flight levels. Even among those capable, few actively challenge such extreme heights, as the low temperatures and strong winds at high altitudes demand immense energy. In the biosphere, apart from humans, who are known for pushing boundaries (or, frankly, asking for trouble), no species would engage in such strenuous and risky behavior, often at the cost of their lives. Survival is their ultimate creed.

Bai Suizhi affirmed Oliver’s point: "Ordinary White Robins certainly can't fly that high."

Chen Yi naturally interjected: "But the mutated White Robins can."

Oliver: "So they've not only evolved sharp beaks and powerful claws but also gradually developed specialized lung structures adapted for high-altitude flight?"

Chen Yi found this version of Oliver, so articulate and logical, quite unfamiliar. Indeed, when people delve into their areas of expertise (like Grayson), they become remarkably engaging.

He looked at Oliver with admiration and posed a question: "But why would they evolve the ability to fly at high altitudes? Based on our previous logic, they should evolve traits that aid hunting. Wouldn't terrestrial resources be more abundant than those in the sky?"

Oliver, in turn, found this inquisitive Chen Yi equally unfamiliar. It seemed that when faced with someone more capable, people could unleash a strong competitive spirit and untapped potential.

Bai Suizhi was pleased to see the two so actively engaged in the discussion. Had he known earlier, he would have invited them to join the bird-watching group.

Still, he didn't mind taking the time and shared their earlier speculations with the two: "Do you remember the mutant ants we discussed before?"

Chen Yi eagerly replied: "Yes! They grew larger after mutation, but the White Robins don’t seem to have changed much in size, do they?" Although he hadn’t initially recognized the White Robin, as a native of City B, he was familiar with its general appearance. After all, City B is one of the White Robin’s common habitats, and their silhouettes occasionally dart across the sky.

Chen Yi had paid attention to the earlier discussion but clearly only grasped half of it. Oliver, having gone through the same topic twice, easily pinpointed the key issue: "That’s because the mutant ants’ hunting needs drove the evolution of their mouthparts, and their larger size was to accommodate these enlarged structures. But White Robins are different—they are natural carnivores, already equipped with strong hunting abilities and well-developed beaks."

Bai Suizhi added: "Exactly. The White Robin’s beak and claws are already well-adapted, so compared to the ants, their changes in beak, claws, and size are less pronounced."

At this point, the two found themselves at a dead end. All the information tangled together like a mess of black threads, and they couldn’t even locate the starting point.

Oliver said uncertainly: "So, because the White Robin’s *talent points* weren’t fully allocated to its beak and claws, they were redirected to its lungs?" He lacked confidence even as he spoke.

Bai Suizhi: "That’s a rather novel way of thinking."

Chen Yi chuckled: "Are there first and second choice majors here? Did they have to fill out a reassignment form when they got infected? Haha."

The corner of Gu Ze’s eye twitched at Chen Yi’s oddly infectious laughter, and Kahn couldn’t help but smile too.

Oliver said awkwardly: "I was joking."

Chen Yi retorted mercilessly: "You looked pretty serious to me."

Oliver, flustered and annoyed, slapped Chen Yi’s back: "Then you tell me why, despite being infected the same way, the ants and White Robins evolved differently."

Prompted by Oliver’s challenge, Chen Yi actually pondered something: "Is it because they’re different species? The zombies we encountered before were all transformed from humans, so there weren’t major differences among them. But ants, White Robins, and humans—the gaps between these three species are enormous. So, is it..."

Chen Yi trailed off abruptly, but Oliver was clearly intrigued. Seeing Chen Yi pause, he urged him: "So, is it what? Finish your sentence."

Chen Yi hesitated: "I initially thought that since the three species are fundamentally different, their divergent evolutionary paths after mutation made sense. But on second thought, that doesn’t hold up. Ants and humans still resemble each other after mutation, but the White Robins developed an extra lung structure." They had circled back to the starting point.

Oliver frowned deeply. After hearing Chen Yi’s logically tight reasoning, he had prepared to be mocked, only for Chen Yi to dialectically argue against his own point. But Oliver had no time to ridicule him—he was already lost in thought.

Bai Suizhi interjected at the right moment: "Chen Yi, your reasoning is correct. We just overlooked some details in our earlier deductions, which created conflicts with the new information."

Chen Yi relaxed and leaned back: "Ah, so the constraints were holding me back!"

He then smugly glanced at Oliver: "See? I was right~" Oliver rolled his eyes so hard they nearly left orbit: "Could you be a little more humble?"

Chen Yi spread his hands: "What can I say? Skills speak for themselves."

Oliver ignored him and turned to Bai Suizhi: "Bai, please continue."

Seeing his companion still working hard, Chen Yi felt competitive pressure and quickly straightened up to rejoin the class.

Bai Suizhi was used to their occasional distractions and picked right back up on the previous topic: "What did we say was the most obvious characteristic of the mutant ants?"

They had reviewed this point countless times, so both answered fluently: "Their mouthparts and size."

But that wasn't the answer Bai Suizhi was looking for: "What else?"

It seemed this was the detail they had overlooked. Both racked their brains, and Oliver, determined to save face, was the first to figure it out: "They move really fast!"

Bai Suizhi nodded in affirmation. Chen Yi clenched his fist in regret—he was so close!

Oliver had a sudden realization: "So the mutant ants' evolution focused on movement speed! They didn't just mutate in basic areas as we previously thought."

Chen Yi's thoughts also clicked into place: "This aligns with my earlier idea that different species lead to different evolutionary directions after mutation!"

Bai Suizhi's problem-oriented teaching method worked perfectly. He concluded: "Exactly. We mentioned before that the driving force behind mutated animals' actions is hunger, which leads them to prioritize strengthening their mouthparts and claws. This is more evident in humans and ants, but less so in natural predators like the White Robin."

Bai Suizhi: "And the differences between species lead to different evolutionary paths. For example, tiny ants originally had fast movement speeds to evade larger predators, and mutation further enhanced this ability. Meanwhile, the White Robin hunts primarily in the air, so mutation improved their lung structure, effectively expanding their hunting grounds."

Chen Yi was puzzled: "What about humans? Why didn't humans evolve other abilities after mutation?"

Oliver also raised a doubt: "Didn't we say earlier that the virus has weaker effects on animals than on humans? That's why their attack power is weaker than zombies'. But now it seems the virus actually compensates for their natural limitations and enhances their inherent advantages."

Bai Suizhi didn’t answer them but instead turned the question back on them: "Do you really think humans won’t evolve other abilities after mutation?"

Hearing this, the two looked like they had been struck hard on the back of their heads, their expressions horrified: "Are you saying zombies will get an upgraded version in the future? How are we supposed to fight that?!"

Bai Suizhi sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead: "Why does even something like this have to be said so... flippantly."

Gu Ze thought to himself, *As expected, these two can’t stay serious for three seconds.*

Bai Suizhi continued, "To answer this question, we need to go back to the very beginning."

Oliver: "The White Robin?"

Chen Yi: "The ants?"

Bai Suizhi: "The virus."

Oliver and Chen Yi: "..." *We miscalculated.*

Bai Suizhi: "Well, I’ve been wondering how this virus actually spread to begin with."

Chen Yi: "I read online that it was probably created by some mad scientist in Country S, wasn’t it?"

Oliver, who had faced discrimination because of this matter, lowered his head and blinked, staring at his shoes.

Kahn noticed his mood and walked over, patting his shoulder.

Oliver looked up and gave Kahn a weak smile.

Gu Ze also noticed he was upset and blurted out bluntly, "What’s wrong with you? Why do you look so upset?"

Bai Suizhi, who had heard the same phrase three times in one day, swiftly turned to look. *Phew, you scared me. So it was Oliver... Wait, no!*

Now all eyes were on Oliver, whose face flushed bright red as he stammered, unable to get a word out. Feeling a pang of guilt, Bai Suizhi stepped in to smooth things over: "It's fine, let's continue our discussion."

Gu Ze kept pushing: "What's wrong with you?"

Chen Yi also asked with concern: "Did I upset you because my mind works faster than yours?"

Oliver, stung by Chen Yi's words, decided to just lay it all out: "I'm half S-countryian."

After saying this, he dropped his head, waiting for their reactions. But after a moment of silence, he lifted his head again.

Gu Ze looked at him, baffled: "So what?"

Chen Yi eyed him suspiciously: "Are you showing off that you're mixed-race?"

Oliver: "..." *What was he even being so sensitive and insecure about?!*

Oliver spoke up as if nothing had happened, his tone natural: "Bai Ge, what did you mean earlier by 'the source'?"

Chen Yi’s thought process finally connected the dots. He slipped his arm around Oliver’s neck and laughed heartily: "Were you just getting all sensitive, thinking we’d judge you for being from S Country? What kind of person would think that, hahahaha."

Kahn said: "He was abandoned by the people he escaped with because of this."

Chen Yi’s laughter died on his face, and Gu Ze’s expression darkened.

Chen Yi released Oliver and said apologetically, "Sorry, I didn’t know..."

Oliver sighed: "It's fine, it's all in the past."

Chen Yi felt even worse: "I was really wrong, I shouldn’t have been shooting my mouth off."

Oliver buried his face in his hands, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Chen Yi was so startled he almost fell, patting Oliver’s shoulder anxiously: "Don’t cry, I didn’t mean it."

Oliver’s shoulders shook even more violently. Panicked, Chen Yi pushed Gu Ze: "Quick, help me comfort him."

Gu Ze said flatly: "He’s faking it."

Seeing he’d been caught, Oliver dropped the act. Lifting his head, he pointed at Chen Yi and let out a pig-like squeal of laughter: "Hahaha, I’m laughing so hard I’m crying. You actually believed it..."

Before he could finish, Chen Yi had him in a headlock again: "Funny? You think this is funny?"

Oliver patted Chen Yi’s forearm in surrender: "I’m sorry, I’ll stop messing around."

Chen Yi let go and said seriously: "Don’t take what I said earlier to heart."

Oliver: "I won’t. I’m not that thin-skinned."

Chen Yi raised his hands in surrender: "Alright, alright, I’m the oversensitive one, okay?"

Gu Ze cut in: "Don’t go apologizing for everything. You’re already short enough as it is."

Oliver shot back: "I’m 180 cm tall!"

Gu Ze: "I’m 182 cm."

Then he added: "For now."

Oliver: "..."