Chapter 44: The Yan Huang Academy and the Picoscale Robots

Yan Xia wasn't always in hibernation.

In fact, he would wake up at specific times, not just to chat but to learn and improve.

As the saying goes, you're never too old to learn, and he needed to keep up with the pace of technological progress to avoid being left behind.

"Yan Xia, are you trying to act young?" Ella's voice entered Yan Xia's ear through a tiny earpiece.

He was a student, and a Kaitian professor was lecturing in the classroom.

In most of humanity's history, students yearned for the money-making opportunities of the real world.

But once they entered society, they often longed for the carefree days of their student life.

The pressures of society—economic, marital, and professional—were far greater than those of student life.

Yan Xia was no exception, perhaps even more nostalgic due to the passage of time.

After attentively listening to the lecture, Yan Xia collected his materials and left the classroom.

"It's not about acting young; I just feel nostalgic."

"And isn't school the best environment for learning?"

"You often say that knowledge is like a foreign language to you."

Ella's annoyed voice came through the earpiece.

"I've dedicated a significant amount of computing power to perfectly analyze various technologies for you. Humph, it's your own intelligence that's lacking!"

At some point, Ella had learned to talk back.

And Yan Xia had gotten used to her retorts.

Like a father observing his child, their banter was a daily delight.

After putting away the materials, Yan Xia started running on the school track, a habit he had developed over the years.

The track offered a view of the school gate, which bore a crooked sign.

Yan Huang Civilization Special Administrative Region First Academy

This name might have seemed old-fashioned and cliché back on Earth, but now, these two characters carried much more weight.

"Yan Xia, I don't quite understand. If you miss Earth's culture and history so much, why did you oppose including history as a major in the Yan Huang Academy?"

Before the Yan Huang Academy was established, Yan Xia had already planned the majors, and the first one he vetoed was history.

"History is a manifestation of confidence for me, and for anyone from Earth."

"In the 21st century, after the great wars of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, humanity needed to explore history to find something that would boost national confidence and help us move beyond the shadows of war."

"The longer the history of the Chinese civilization, the richer its cultural heritage."

"History is the assignment given by the times, but for the new humans, they have never experienced it, nor have they heard about it from their parents. They only believe that they are a higher civilization in the Federation of Civilizations."

"The story of a primitive civilization is like dross, a fantasy, and an unreachable dream."

"It's fine as entertainment, but as a systematic field of study, it's a waste of their time and talent."

"Humans need to move forward, focusing all their attention on the future."

"We're not yet at a stage where we can be as nonchalant as we were on Earth. If we don't move forward, we'll eventually be destroyed by other civilizations."

Yan Xia paused to catch his breath; his body was covered in sweat.

Although he denied the Dark Forest theory, he didn't assume that other civilizations were as "benevolent" as he was. Many civilizations would choose to destroy others directly.

The Light Civilization and the third civilization in the Alpha Centauri system had revealed only a glimpse of their power, and it was terrifying.

Reflecting on the past was a luxury of peaceful times.

Yan Xia sat under the shade of a tree by the track.

"Yan Xia, would you like some water?"

A young man with white hair down to his jawline, wearing a white t-shirt, handed him a bottle of water.

Yan Xia took it without hesitation and drank it.

"It's a shame you're not on the track team; you're a great runner."

The young man, named Bai Ning, had been trying to recruit Yan Xia since he noticed his excellent pacing during runs.

Bai Ning was one of the few people Yan Xia interacted with at school.

"But it's true; you're not as popular as us, so you might as well use running to attract girls."

"Although you have an ordinary appearance, you have an inexplicable charm. I've heard that many girls secretly like you."

Yan Xia's current appearance wasn't his original one; it was a simulated skin created by Ella, only one micrometer thick, which could only be detected under a microscope.

The two of them chatted about typical male topics: fitness, games, wild ideas, and girls.

After a casual conversation, Bai Ning had to leave for something.

"Sometimes, it's nice to have a few friends."

Talking to people made Yan Xia feel more relaxed, especially humans.

"Don't forget, they are your descendants."

Ella's words were often inappropriate, making Yan Xia want to punch her.

"Including you..."

Enough of this!

...

School life was relatively relaxed.

This time, when Yan Xia woke up, he had another task in mind.

"Have the robots been produced in sufficient quantities?"

Ella's voice came through the earpiece, "Almost!"

"Don't worry; I've been studying the technology of the third civilization's quark-sized energy conversion device, and I'm on top of this."

Ella had been researching the third civilization's technology and had begun replicating it, applying it to another field.

Picoscale Robots: These robots weren't characterized by biological features but by their ability to enter biological bodies.

Finally, after 20 years of research, a breakthrough was made, and the technology was ready for application.

These robots were picoscale, 1000 times smaller than the nanorobots of the 21st century.

The only drawback was that the smaller the robots, the more difficult and resource-intensive their production became.

"The number of picoscale robots has reached 100 billion, which should be sufficient."

"Ideally, we'd need around 1 trillion robots for optimal results."

"These robots are also medical robots, capable of repairing minor injuries, regulating hormones, and even designing genetic modifications at the molecular level."

"After injecting these robots, your lifespan will significantly increase, from 600 years to around 850 years."

Ella already possessed more advanced genetic technology that could further extend Yan Xia's lifespan.

However, Yan Xia refused, as he didn't want to spend a day unconscious on the operating table. His current lifespan was sufficient.

Today, he was only 107 years old in physical age.

As they spoke, a robot entered the school grounds and approached Yan Xia.

It carried a box, which Yan Xia took and opened.

Inside was a syringe containing a transparent liquid; it was impossible to tell what it was.

Yan Xia took the syringe and injected its contents into his vein, immediately feeling a refreshing sensation spreading throughout his body.

Within 10 seconds, he felt invigorated; the effect was instantaneous.

He returned the empty syringe to the box and handed it back to the robot, which turned and left.

All of this happened within a minute, unnoticed by anyone.

"Not bad."

"Let's accelerate the distribution. Start with humans, then move on to the Kaitian and Chasing Light Civilizations."

Humans always came first.

"Okay!"

"But it seems like it's time for your afternoon classes, Yan Xia!"

Ella reminded him.

"Okay!"

Yan Xia stood up and walked towards the classroom.

A gust of wind blew, rustling the dense foliage, and light flickered through the shadows of the trees.

Students made their way to the teaching building, and Yan Xia blended in, humming a tune called "Childhood" and enjoying this rare campus experience.