Homo Sapiens

Inside the airplane restroom.

Tian Nanxing and the man with the squinty eyes, who had entered one after another, both lowered their voices in unison.

”Did he say anything?”

”No.”

”If he does anything unusual, text me immediately. I sent you my American phone number.”

”Got it. What about the money?”

”I’ll wire it to you when we get to San Francisco.”

”Goodbye.”

With that, the two quickly left the restroom.

Golden Hair, who had been watching the area around the restroom the whole time, saw the two come out and pretended to be casual as he went in to relieve himself.

A few minutes later.

Tian Nanxing returned to his seat. He glanced at Li Qingye, who was resting with his eyes closed, then pulled out his phone and opened his text messages.

[Taotao Network—Ding-Dang Bookstore New Release! Copy and paste the code: 372****** to receive a 30% discount...]

He casually copied the numbers from the code, then added them to his contacts under the name ”Ding-Dang Cat.”

Beside him, Li Qingye, even without opening his eyes, could tell from the scent and sounds that Tian Nanxing’s heart was racing and his body temperature had risen slightly.

’So, betrayal is just a matter of price,’ he thought.

’As long as the price is right, so-called classmates, even one you’ve helped out before, will sell you out in a heartbeat. This is human nature!’

’It really was the right choice not to blindly return to Peng City.’

After a series of blows, Li Qingye had chosen to integrate a significant portion of his ancestral memories, and his personality had been profoundly influenced by them.

Whether it was Du Shuping and Yang Haibo, who now controlled Xinxin Group; Wu Heguang, who seemed like a kind old man; or Su Ruoyu, who had always been loyal to his father—he found it hard to trust any of them now.

While the group on the plane were each preoccupied with their own thoughts...

「Yangcheng.」

Within a villa district in Panyu.

Inside a secluded villa, an energetic old man stood before a wooden dummy, practicing Wing Chun with meticulous, deliberate movements.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed in the Martial Arts Hall.

”Father, are you just going to stand by and watch that kid leave the country?”

The old man stopped, picked up a nearby towel, and waved his hand. Two house servants hastily retreated.

Tossing the towel onto a table, the old man drank a sip of green tea. His sharp gaze made the young man who had just spoken feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

”You’re so rash and clumsy. How will you ever accomplish anything great? Learn from your younger brother. Otherwise, you can go to Malaysia and oversee the palm oil plantations!”

GULP. Hearing his father’s reprimand, Yang Tiancheng quickly explained, ”Father, I was just worried that kid would cause trouble.”

The old man slammed his teacup down on the table, his gaze as fierce as a tiger descending a mountain. ”Hmph. You’ve been used as a pawn and you don’t even know it. Get the hell out of my sight and go to Malaysia! Don’t you dare come back without my permission.”

”Ah...” Yang Tiancheng’s face fell in shock.

He was about to explain further, but seeing the increasingly harsh expression on his father’s face, he could only scramble out of the room in a panic.

A moment later.

Another young man appeared before the old man.

”Father, Big Brother meant well.”

”Enough. With his intelligence, he’ll be sold off sooner or later, and he’ll still be busy counting the money for the person who sold him,” the old man snorted coldly.

This young man was the old man’s second son, Yang Tianci, the president of the New Nanyang Company. The old man himself was Yang Haibo, one of the founders of Xinxin Group and its current vice president.

Yang Tianci didn’t continue the previous topic, instead raising another matter. ”Father, that stubborn old ox refuses to let us acquire Xinxin’s supermarket and commercial business. It’s getting a bit difficult.”

”Tianci, you are still too young,” Yang Haibo said calmly.

”Huh?” Yang Tianci hesitated. ”Father, I’ve talked to that old fellow. He’s unmoved by money or shares.”

Yang Haibo shook his head. ”Why are you approaching him? His son’s little company is the one we should be partnering with. To deal with someone who’s completely intractable, you have to be strategic. You need to know how to take an indirect approach, understand?”

After hearing this, Yang Tianci had an epiphany. ”You truly are my father. I really am still too young.”

Yang Haibo continued to guide him, ”Also, don’t go alone. Bring the people from those other families with you. Since we agreed to advance and retreat together, we must see it through to the end.”

”Yes, I understand, Father.”

”As for that kid’s business, stay out of it. We can’t be the only ones doing the dirty work. They’ve taken a much bigger bite than us. Even if that kid wants revenge, he’ll go after them first.”

Yang Tianci nodded.

Elsewhere, in Peng City, Du Shuping, Wu Heguang, Su Ruoyu, and the others were also caught in a swirling undercurrent of intrigue.

The internal strife within Xinxin Group, coupled with external pressure, had many people at their wits’ end.

As for Li Qingye, who was crossing the ocean, no one paid him any mind. After all, he didn’t even dare to return to Peng City. His flight, like a stray dog with its tail between its legs, only made people look down on him more.

Seeing that Li Qingye knew his place, these people had no desire to make things too ugly at this critical juncture.

Right now, they were busy carving up the flesh and blood of Xinxin Group and dealing with various other forces, so they had no plans to move against Li Qingye for the time being.

...

「On the plane.」

Li Qingye had already shut down his extrasensory perception and begun to rest, even letting out audible snores.

Of course, only his primary personality had gone dormant. At this moment, another, secondary personality remained vigilant.

This secondary personality was actually a byproduct, something he was forced to develop to cope with the side effects of actively integrating his ancestral memories.

For instance, the secondary personality currently on guard was [Blood Blade], a persona derived from the core of his grandfather’s memories.

The Blood Blade personality was geared toward combat, while Li Qingye’s own primary personality leaned toward scientific research.

In reality, the ancestors within his genetic memory were a vast treasure trove for Li Qingye, as they compensated for his own shortcomings in other areas.

For example, his father’s business experience, his mother’s management skills, his grandfather’s combat techniques, his grandmother’s knowledge of metallurgy...

And for someone able to pass down their genes, their ancestors must have been prosperous at some point. His family was a branch of the Longxi Li Family.

According to the memory fragments passed down through his genes:

A Western Zhou ancestor followed King Wu of Zhou to crusade against Shang Tang; a Spring and Autumn ancestor served as an Upper Minister in the Jin State; a Warring States ancestor defended Hedong for King Wei;

A Western Han ancestor rode on the Northern Border; a Three Kingdoms ancestor survived in Han Zhong; a Southern and Northern Dynasties ancestor had a love-hate relationship with the Xianbei People;

A Tang Dynasty ancestor became part of a powerful aristocratic clan; a Song Dynasty ancestor migrated near Dongting Lake; a Ming Dynasty ancestor was passionate about the imperial examinations...

The occupations of these ancestors were weird and varied. Perhaps modern people have a broader range of knowledge than these ancient forebears, but that doesn’t mean a modern person could dominate an ancient one.

For example, in terms of strategy, scheming, and social maneuvering, an ordinary modern person would have a hard time competing against the Confucian scholar-elites produced by the ancient imperial examinations.

As for why Li Qingye’s ancestors were so impressive, this is actually a common blind spot in many people’s thinking.

Because for modern people in the East Asia Region, everyone’s ancestors were prosperous at some point.

You have to understand, over several thousand years and through all the dynasties, the people most likely to survive weren’t just the great aristocratic clans or the imperial nobility, but at the very least, wealthy landowners.

You say your ancestors were always poor peasants? Who are you kidding?

Do you know the saying ”poverty doesn’t last more than three generations”? It means that if a family is poor for three generations, they are very likely to have their line die out. And if their line dies out, how can their genes be passed down?

Ancient poor peasants could barely afford a wife. When faced with natural disasters and man-made calamities, they died in droves. Does that sound like someone who could pass down their genes?

Look at the population statistics for surnames in the country. Where did so many people with the names Li, Liu, Zhao, and Wang come from? Three are surnames of imperial families from feudal dynasties, and the Wang Family was one of the great aristocratic clans.

Anyone who managed to pass down their genes must have had ancestors who were far from ordinary. If they’re a commoner in the modern era, it’s likely because their family’s fortunes have declined.

That’s why Li Qingye has such rich ancestral memories.