Scientific Evidence

However, the girl seemed to be shy. She did not respond to Xiang Kun. Professor Li explained, "She had explained to me before that there is no fixed way to differentiate between birds. Even if they are of the same species, each bird might be different. We have to judge based on the situation around us. If there are many birds that are chirping, we have to compare them. In the end, we can only judge their emotions through their voices. However, I have tried many times according to her words, but I could not tell anything from them. I guess it has something to do with her good hearing. She can hear more details and a wider range of sounds…"

After chatting about this topic for a while, "Little Apple" seemed to be less afraid of strangers and joined their discussion.

Li Yang said that his daughter's hearing was better than that of ordinary people and could hear more details, so it was difficult for him to learn. However, this question did not exist for Xiang Kun. He was sure that his hearing was much better than the girl's.

After conversing with the young girl for a while, he also grasped some of the tricks of distinguishing bird language. Moreover, he compared it with the various bird cries he had heard in the deep mountains during this period of time, confirming that what this young girl said was useful.

However, if he wanted to master it and be able to use it in practice, he would have to put in more practice.

As they chatted, Xiang Kun learned that Li Yang, the associate professor, was actually from the Life Sciences Academy. His main research field was "the relationship between the complex microbiota that had important functions in natural and artificial environments". From the perspective of improving the cultivation method and grasping the metabolic characteristics, it was not possible to cultivate microbiota that had important functions and applications.

Although Xiang Kun had consumed a lot of books on biology, medicine, cells, and genes, he was still confused when Li Yang talked about his profession. He could only ask Li Yang like a student.

Xiang Kun had always hoped to consult professionals about his situation. Professor Li Yang's expertise and knowledge base were undoubtedly "professionals".

Of course, he would not tell Li Yang about his situation directly. Instead, he would slowly steer the topic towards mutation and genetic mutation.

"…Professor Li, do you think that birds can mutate for some reason and become three or four times larger, or even five or six times larger?"

"Do you mean an individual or an entire race?"

"Individuals, like an owl… or vulture."

"It's almost impossible. You have to know that if the body becomes three or four times larger, the weight might increase by more than ten times. The bones and muscles will not be able to withstand it." Li Yang shook his head. "Even if it does appear, that kind of individual will not be able to survive. Unless its entire body structure and the strength of its tissues are reconstructed, but mutations that occur on an individual will not be so orderly and stable."

"…Professor Li, do you think it's possible for a person to mutate for some reason, such as the digestive system, and then change the way they absorb energy? The other organs and tissues of a person will also change, and their bodily functions will be improved…"

"Are you trying to say that you have a superpower after the mutation?" Li Yang could not help but laugh. "We often use a phrase to describe the characteristics of gene mutation: The frequency of mutation is low, and there is no fixed direction for more harm than benefit."

Li Yang continued to explain, "In other words, genetic mutations are common in the biological world. It can happen at any time and any part of a biological individual's development. It is random and the frequency of mutations is very low. Also, mutations are generally harmful to an individual and there are very few benefits. As for indeterminate nature, it refers to the possibility of producing more than one allele…

"…The human body is an intricate, complex, stable, and orderly system. Any change can have disastrous consequences. The usual external manifestation is illness or deformity. Brother Xiang, you are a programmer. What do you think if a large, intricate, and complex program, such as the operating system, were to produce a bug, would that bug be good or bad?"

Xiang Kun thought about it and said, "To programmers or administrators, bugs are definitely bad and need to be fixed. But sometimes, bugs can also bring benefits to users…"

Li Yang nodded. "See, that's how it is. In most cases, it's a disadvantage. Occasionally, under special circumstances, a minority will bring benefits, but there's also the risk of an overall collapse. Mutations are the same. If it's just a small mutation, it might have a very small impact on the entire human body, or it might bring about certain benefits and convenience. For example, lactose tolerance mutations, allowing adults to secrete lactose yeast, allowing them to enjoy dairy products more at ease. However, if the effects of the mutation are huge, the benefits are nothing compared to the disadvantages. There might even be a domino effect, causing the entire human system to collapse, and even death…

"…In the future, there might be people who would modify their genes and give birth to superhumans, but now… it's basically impossible to produce superheroes in movies or comics by chance."

Actually, Xiang Kun had read a lot of books on biology and genetics, so he knew what Li Yang was talking about. However, because of what had happened to him and the gigantic owl, he could not completely believe in textbooks.

"Professor Li, do you think there is such a possibility? The natural world actually has a set of mature mutation mechanisms, but they have always been hidden… hidden in the bodies of certain humans or other creatures. They will only be activated when certain conditions are met?"

Li Yang shook his head. "This is already in the category of mysticism. Art works, novels, movies, and so on can be directly fabricated. As long as the logic makes sense, it's fine. But science is about evidence. Without evidence, you can't just speculate."

Xiang Kun asked again, "What does Professor Li think of vampires?"

"If you ask me about rabies or porphyria, I can talk about it. After all, there are cases, pathological research, and all kinds of documents. But vampires and zombies are essentially the same as superheroes. They exist in literature, legends, and myths. There's no concrete evidence to prove that they've appeared in reality. Therefore, we can only talk about them from an artistic point of view. We can't look at them from a scientific point of view… Well, I prefer 'Visiting Vampires at Night' and 'Four Hundred Years of Frightening Love'…" Li Yang smiled.

Xiang Kun wanted to grab Li Yang's collar and shout, "I am a vampire! I am the evidence!"

However, it was just a thought. He definitely wouldn't reveal his secret to the first person he met.

In fact, they had already reached the foot of the mountain. However, Li Sheng saw that the three of them were discussing Xiang Kun and Li Yang. Therefore, he decided to take Xiang Kun to the bus station in the city. Since they were going back to the city, they could continue chatting along the way.

At the bus stop, Xiang Kun exchanged WeChat messages with Li Yang, Li Sheng, and Little Apple before getting off the bus to say goodbye.

As he watched Xiang Kun walk into the ticketing hall, Li Yang, who was in the car, shook his head and sighed. "I didn't expect Brother Xiang to be so obsessed with superheroes even though he's already 30 years old. By the way, Little Apple, what did you say previously? What 'two'?"

"Chunibyou." Little Apple shook her head. "Uncle Xiang is not called Chunibyou. He seems to want to hear about the superheroes and vampires theories from Dad."

"How is that possible…" Li Yang smiled.

Li Sheng, who was driving, suddenly said, "Brother Xiang's feet are very dirty." After a pause, he added, "Very dirty."

"Hmm?" Li Yang frowned in confusion. As they had chatted on the way, Li Sheng had given Xiang Kun's slippers to him. Li Sheng definitely did not mean that Xiang Kun's feet were dirty, but he meant something else.

Li Yang thought for a moment and understood. "You mean, Brother Xiang walked a long distance barefooted?"

Li Sheng nodded. "The thick layer of hard mud on his feet is definitely not from the mountain road. He must have taken quite a long journey in the mountains. Furthermore, I saw from the side when he was washing his feet that there weren't any wounds on his feet. This means that he walked very skillfully and knew how to avoid obstacles that would hurt his feet. I suspect that he entered the mountain barefooted on purpose and didn't wear shoes at all."

"You didn't wear shoes on purpose? Why?" Li Yang asked.

"He might really be an ascetic monk. Tsk, tsk. If he wore a monk robe, I would really think that he was a monk with real kung fu." As Li Sheng spoke, he laughed.

Li Yang shook his head. "Isn't he a programmer? What monk? Don't spout nonsense. He already said that he's bald because of his hair…"

At this moment, Little Apple suddenly said, "Uncle Xiang doesn't smell like anything."

These words stunned both of them. It was past two in the afternoon. The sun was so bright and it was such a hot day. Let alone walking on the mountain road, even if they stood still for ten minutes, they would be drenched in sweat.

But now that they thought about it, Xiang Kun's body seemed to be very dry. He did not sweat much at all. Even if his sweat had dried up later on, there must have been a lingering stench. Both of them knew very well that Little Apple not only had sharper ears than others, but her sense of smell was also the same. If she said that there was no smell, then she must not have been sweating much.

Li Sheng smiled and shook his head. "This Brother Xiang is interesting."