A higher-dimensional incarnation, starting by leveraging the stars.

Chapter 120 Not everyone is a protagonist.

In an ordinary world like Earth, devoid of magic, if some remarkable extraordinary phenomena suddenly appear, it will inevitably cause a huge uproar.

Yes, everyone must think that way.

But what if you actually run into one?

That's not necessarily true.

Yes, when something this big happens, everyone will be filled with anxiety, but what else can be done besides being anxious?

Stop what you're doing and investigate? Or just stand around and watch?

Living in constant fear and anxiety?

Come on, not everyone is the protagonist in an online novel.

For the average person, there might be initial fear, surprise, and even a lot of wild thoughts. But when hunger strikes, they still need to eat; office workers still need to go to work; beasts of burden remain beasts of burden; and students remain students.

So when Hu Biao returned to school the next day, apart from the campus being a bit more lively, there was nothing else unusual. After all, the monster had appeared once a few months ago, and people gradually got used to it.

The campus was still bustling with people, just like usual. Everyone was holding their phones, screens lit up, scrolling as they walked. It just seemed like there were more people looking at their phones and talking about them.

"Holy crap, did you guys see that video? When that centipede burst out from underground, the whole building collapsed!"

"I saw it, it's terrifying! What if this happened here—"

"Don't worry, we have property management here—no, I mean the government. How can it be the same?"

"Too----"

Similar conversations echoed throughout the cafeteria. Someone projected a video onto the wall, and a group of people gathered around to watch, occasionally letting out gasps of surprise.

In the cafeteria, Hu Biao took a bite of a steamed bun and chewed it slowly.

My phone is still vibrating, with news notifications coming one after another.

[Self-Defense Forces confirm: Giant beast burrowed underground and disappeared; search continues]

[Uesugi Group's stock price plummets to zero, wiping out trillions in market value overnight]

[Experts: It cannot be ruled out that unknown deep-sea creatures have surfaced due to geological activity]

[Online Discussion: Why Isn't Ultraman Appearing? Official Response: Please Do Not Spread False Information]

Looking at the online discussions, Hu Biao smiled, finished his soy milk, and got up to leave the cafeteria.

I have classes in the morning.

No matter how much the internet explodes, classes still have to be attended.

Is it because Japanese monsters have appeared that Jiangda University has stopped holding classes?

Is it even close?

The world on your phone may change dramatically, but the road beneath your feet remains the same.

this is life!

this is the truth!

After leaving the cafeteria and entering the classroom, the long lecture ended, and before I even left the classroom, my phone vibrated.

Shen Moxuan's WeChat message: "Come to my office immediately."

Hu Biao raised an eyebrow and laughed.

In the administration building of the School of Bioinformatics, on the desk in front of Shen Moxuan, the vice dean, lay the latest issue of the journal "Cell".

The cover features a beautifully designed 3D structural diagram, labeled "A New Generation of Multiple Sequence Alignment Algorithms: A Deep Fusion Framework Based on Dynamic Programming and Information Entropy." The author's bibliography clearly states: Hu Biao, Affiliation: School of Bioinformatics, Jiangcheng University.

There is no second author.

There is no mentor.

There was only Hu Biao.

Shen Moxuan stared at that name, his feelings a complex mix that defied description.

He recalled that just last semester, he had considered taking Hu Biao under his wing and having him pursue graduate studies. At that time, he felt that a freshman who could publish in the "Chinese Journal of Biotechnology" was already a very promising talent, and with proper training, his future was bright.

The results of it?

Now they've published in *Cell*.

Cell!

Cell is a top journal in the field of biology, a journal that many professors never manage to publish a single paper in their entire lives!

A first-year university student, an independent author, published in Cell.

He then thought of the phone call he had received earlier.

The phone call from Academician Zhou Huanan was brief; he requested that Hu Biao be given special consideration so that he could graduate early and apply for his master's program, pursuing a combined master's and doctoral degree.

Although I was mentally prepared, it still felt a bit strange to suddenly turn this student into a fellow disciple.

dong dong dong ——

A knock came at the door.

"Enter!"

Hu Biao walked into the office. "Dean Shen, you wanted to see me?"

"Please sit down!"

Shen Moxuan pointed to the paper on the table and said, "Explain it."

"Explanation?" Hu Biao asked, looking puzzled. He glanced at the magazine on the table and said, "I just wrote a paper, submitted it, and it was accepted."

"A paper? Submitted? Accepted?" Shen Moxuan repeated his words, his tone unreadable. "Do you know what level of journal CeII is? Do you know how many professors in China never publish a single paper in CeII in their entire lives?"

"Do you even know what it means for a freshman like you to publish in CeII?"

Hu Biao thought for a moment, then answered sincerely, "I'm a genius!"

Shen Moxuan was speechless.

He stared at Hu Biao for a full ten seconds, then let out a long sigh, leaned back, and sank into the chair.

"Do you know how many people called me this morning?"

"Do you know you're famous now?"

Hu Biao chuckled and said, "What's so famous about this? It's not like I'm a little monster."

"Little monsters!" Shen Moxuan was slightly taken aback, then became interested. "What do you think of these suddenly appearing monsters?"

"What else can I do but look at it on my phone?"

"You're a biology student too, don't you have any opinions of your own?"

"A mysterious resurgence?!"

"Do you really think so?"

"It's not a matter of whether I want to or not, it's a matter of common sense. The two giant beasts that appeared in the sea are one thing; the vast volume and buoyancy of the ocean can barely explain their survival. But these creatures that came out of the land can't be explained. They're too big; there couldn't possibly be enough resources on land to sustain them. Luckily, this time they were insects. If they were reptiles or mammals, I would be almost certain that the Mysterious Beast has resurfaced, because their skeletal structure simply couldn't support such a massive size. Of course, this is based on modern biological theories—"

"You're not exactly naive; you shouldn't be trying to explain these suddenly appearing monsters with modern biological theories!"

"Perhaps, who knows? Based on the spirit of modern science, I can't possibly make a judgment based on a video—besides, with my knowledge, it's not a big deal to draw a conclusion about a mysterious resurgence, after all—"

"Alright, alright, stop talking, or we'll spoil the secret." Shen Moxuan waved his hand and said, "I didn't call you here for this."

"It's just a paper, is there really any need to make such a fuss?"

"I know you've seen the world and look down on these school awards. You're also familiar with Academician Zhou Huanan; he wants to take you on as his disciple. What are your thoughts?"

"That's great! I really admire Academician Zhou's knowledge. I learned a lot from his research group this time."

.

"That's good." Shen Moxuan nodded. "The teacher's idea is that you should finish your undergraduate studies as soon as possible and then take the postgraduate entrance exam. I will arrange things at the school. All you need to do is prepare a paper carefully, preferably published in Cell or a journal of the same level, which would be more convincing."

"Okay, I happen to have a good idea," Hu Biao nodded and smiled.