Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 81: Mentoring him

Cody was working on his new book manuscript while looking at the projector screen.

The time was 12:30 PM, just as the press conference held by the Biological Research Institute concluded.

The press conference was broadcasted live globally, with both presidential candidates delivering speeches.

In a presidential campaign, speeches are extremely frequent. Historically, there was once a day with twenty-three speeches.

Now, with the final election approaching, this short period has become increasingly critical.

This time, the evidence, including the “Neural Network Program,” was sufficient to make those wavering between the two factions abandon the conservatives and support the reformists.

Although Cody was born into an upper-class family, he did not grow up within it.

His dad, who was neglectful of his proper duties, chose to move to the lower tiers to do the dull biological research favored by males. In upper-class society, most family heads are females with outdated thinking. Cody’s grandfather considered his dad’s work embarrassing and beneath their family’s status, and in frustration, severed ties with his dad.

His dad was stubborn and vowed to make significant achievements.

Historically, his dad became a leading figure in biological research, publishing numerous works that still have a significant impact on today’s studies.

By the standards of society, his dad clearly did not qualify as a virtuous husband and good dad.

Coming from high society, Cody was rarely influenced by the male-dominated lower tiers, similar to how many males are “married into” prestigious families each year.

Females in high society also liked to play recklessly and without regard for consequences, and his dad had the same character.

Cody never knew who his biological father was. Whenever the topic came up, his dad would make up wild stories.

He claimed he was impregnated through artificial insemination, had a one-night stand, was carrying a deceased husband’s posthumous child, and once even said he was a surrogate for someone who ran away without paying, leaving him no choice but to raise Cody.

Regarding this topic, there was never a single true word.

Even his name was randomly chosen. When it was time to name him, his dad looked out the window at a fruit store called Cody’s Fruit House and wrote “Cody” on his birth certificate.

From Cody’s current perspective, his dad was just a child who never grew up.

Cody inherited his dad’s attitude towards life: playful, carefree, and living life as a game.

As long as he enjoyed himself, that was enough.

Until he was fifteen, Cody’s last name was different. It wasn’t until his uncle took him back into the family that he discovered his dad’s real last name was “Polly.” “Ryan” was a made-up name his dad used when he ran away.

To this day, Cody believes his unreliable dad faked his death and ran off to have fun somewhere else.

Speaking of names, his age also deserves mention.

His identity records show he’s sixty this year, but he’s actually fifty. This mistake was due to a clerical error when his records were first created thirty-five years ago.

Miraculously, no one noticed, and he used this incorrect age all the way through college.

His life was full of such oddities!

After all, back then, information technology wasn’t widely used for personal records.

Since females retain a youthful appearance before aging, it didn’t affect his daily life, so he just went along with it.

Sometimes, he even joked about his age.

Maybe because he was getting older, he increasingly reminisced about the past and regretted missed opportunities.

Living alone for so long, he sometimes wanted someone to care for.

Xi Tian appeared just at that time, coincidentally bearing some resemblance to his first love—though after so many years, his memories of his first love had faded, he subconsciously felt they were similar.

He had complex feelings towards Xi Tian. Xi Tian was like a junior to him but also represented some of his ideal aspirations.

Xi Tian was like a kitten, initially always on guard. Once he truly got to know someone and let go of his prejudices, he would become very trusting and clingy.

He maintained good personal boundaries in social interactions, never overstepping and never troubling others with matters he could handle himself.

Living alone, he could manage his life neatly and contentedly.

Cody, influenced by his dad, chose biological research only to fulfill what he believed were his dad’s wishes for him.

Xi Tian, on the other hand, followed his own desires and made choices based on his own wishes.

This was also what Cody hoped for.

Even though Xi Tian faced financial difficulties, he never asked for help. If Xi Tian had asked, Cody was fully capable and willing to support him without expecting anything in return.

However, Xi Tian refused to do so.

It wasn’t that no one had hinted that Cody had romantic feelings for Xi Tian.

Cody had never considered such a thing. In his eyes, only uncultured animals would constantly think about sex and reproduction.

Xi Tian needed a mentor, and Cody needed a junior; it was merely a mutually beneficial exchange of affection.

After all, people, when too lonely, always hope to have some connection with the world.

He opened his terminal’s memo to record a reminder for Xi Tian to get a medical checkup.

Xi Tian was the child of Xi Qisi, who was himself a clone.

Even with today’s advanced technology, cloning is still far from perfect, let alone the fifty-year-old “Neural Network Plan.”

Clones not only face moral dilemmas but also insurmountable physiological challenges.

No recorded clone on the Zerg Star has ever lived past the age of 23.

Theoretically, clones should have the same lifespan as normal people.

However, according to the data left by his dad, the mortality rate of clones increases significantly with age.

Only 20% survived past childhood, less than 5% past adolescence, and virtually none reached adulthood.

Currently, the only known clone who has lived to adulthood and possesses reproductive ability is Xi Qisi.

When he met Xi Qisi, he was already suffering from numerous ailments.

He had severe depression, PTSD from the Neural Network Program incident, serious arrhythmias, and other chronic illnesses. Despite his youthful and beautiful appearance, his body was already on the verge of collapse.

This is why Cody doubted they had any blood relation; Xi Tian’s physical and mental health were remarkably good.

Because he was concerned about Xi Tian’s health, he reviewed all his past medical records and found his body as strong as an ox (by male standards).

He could only assume Xi Tian had inherited his dad’s robust constitution.

Nevertheless, Cody knew he had to keep a close eye on Xi Tian, ensure regular health checkups, and eliminate any potential health issues early on.

Reflecting on these past years, Cody couldn’t help but think of the interesting time he spent recently in Morissan.

Having someone to care about at home felt genuinely wonderful.

However, it was a bit of a mix-up at the time.

For example, on the day Xi Tian first arrived, Cody had just tried a local popular tobacco substitute. It made people feel energized and relaxed, but because it had mild hallucinogenic effects, it also caused people to talk nonsense.

That was exactly why Cody behaved so bizarrely when he first met Ellis.

When Xi Tian questioned him about it, Cody, embarrassed after the hallucinations wore off and his mind cleared, made up an excuse about having different personalities with and without glasses.

Unexpectedly, Xi Tian actually believed it.

Cody couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.

Thinking of Xi Tian, Cody’s memories were filled with endless joy.

He just wanted to protect that purity and simply watch Xi Tian be happy.

Although Cody was part of the reformist camp, the conservatives also tried to win him over, albeit using a foolish eavesdropping scheme to catch him in some wrongdoing.

Life was incredibly dull, so he treated it as a source of amusement for himself.

After this press conference, the presidential candidate was as good as confirmed. And that foolish family would likely be thrown under the bus by the conservative elders as scapegoats.

To the old upper class, the middle class were just uncultured nouveau riche, not worthy even if they ingratiated themselves. It was predictable that with the new president in office, that family would be the first to be sacrificed.

Zerg Star was about to undergo a new transformation.

Now, everything was changing.