Closer to Revealing My True Self-Chapter 358 - 261: The Overbearing Ancestral Gene_2

"Where’s its food?" Feng Yi asked.

The zoo director hurriedly instructed someone to prepare the food and bring it over; their zoo did not feed live animals to snakes. Moreover, with the recent suspicion of the "Little Koi" carrying poison, the scrutiny on the food was even stricter.

Using a pair of tongs, Feng Yi grasped the food and suspended it just above the "Little Koi."

The "Little Koi" flicked its tongue out, its black eyes fixated on the direction of the food, and then it struck fiercely, coiling around it.

Feng Yi released the tongs as soon as it lunged for the food.

"Not bad."

The way the small python had just pounced on the food was quite ferocious.

A look of delight covered the zoo director’s face.

"It’s so energetic, it looks like there’s nothing wrong!"

Feng Yi closed the door of the glass enclosure, handed the tongs back to the staff, and went to wash his hands.

Hearing the zoo director’s words, Feng Yi said, "It has almost recovered, as long as it doesn’t get frightened again."

The zoo director hurriedly agreed, "Yes! I’ll make sure someone watches over it!"

This was a treasure of their zoo; they couldn’t have another theft or scare!

As he dried his hands, Feng Yi looked toward the glass enclosure where the small python was vigorously eating.

Snakes don’t have such rich emotions; judging by the vigor with which it ate, Feng Yi guessed it had probably already forgotten the previous unpleasantness.

When Feng Yi returned from a tour of other parts of the Reptile House, the "Little Koi" had already found a spot to space out and sleep.

That’s just how snakes are; if there’s no need to hunt, they don’t require much space for roaming and spend most of their time spacing out or sleeping.

Seeing how the zoo treated the "Little Koi," Feng Yi could almost picture its future as a well-fed pet.

In a captive breeding environment, the chances of becoming overweight are too high. Even the king snake can gain a lot of weight, let alone large pythons, whose weight most people can’t handle.

After leaving the zoo, Feng Yi didn’t go straight home but headed to a hospital.

The hospital affiliated with the Ancestral Factory.

The equipment for the underground laboratory that Wu had listed on the sheet had mostly been purchased. The remaining equipment that hadn’t been set up was not due to lack of funds, but rather because the equipment was out of stock or still awaiting delivery and installation.

However, some equipment could only be used at the hospital.

They couldn’t fit in the underground laboratory, the usage rate was not high, and maintenance was inconvenient; there was no need to move everything to the underground laboratory.

Wu conducted some of his own complex examinations and research at the Ancestral Factory’s hospital.

The one conducting examinations on Feng Yi was not a doctor from here. It was still Wu.

They were just using the place and equipment here.

The reason Feng Yi proactively proposed to have a check-up also had to do with the "Little Koi" incident.

Feng Yi surmised that the "Little Koi" poisoning someone this time was likely induced by active factors.

To enhance its life signal, Feng Yi had transferred active factors to it.

Compared to those that dispersed into the surroundings during shedding, the concentration of active factors that Feng Yi transferred to the small python was much higher.

In a short period, the excessive active factors not only enhanced the life signal of the small python but also induced the mutation of otherwise ordinary bacteria.

It seems that one cannot use these active factors carelessly.

If too many are introduced in a short time, they can lead to some uncontrollable mutations.

Active factors can affect all life forms.

Bacteria are prokaryotic organisms, a type of life form.

Viruses can also be considered a non-cellular form of life and can likewise be affected.

If his thoughts were correct, after this incident, Feng Yi could understand why his ancestors went to the rock islands to "transcend tribulation."

Don’t rashly disrupt the balance of normal human living conditions.

To Feng Yi, humans were too fragile, already sufficiently self-destructive. If he were to push them further, it could lead to outright eradication.

Wu was also looking forward to the combination of microbes that Feng Yi carried.

This expectation was similar to when he was a child watching movies about dragons, wondering what kind of mites were on the dragon’s body.

With great anticipation, he checked the microbial colonies in Feng Yi’s mouth, nasopharynx, and esophagus, among other areas.

When the results came back, Doctor Wu stared at them for a good while.

When Doctor Wu returned from the hospital, Feng Yi was at home writing a report. Seeing Wu, he asked, "How is it?"

Wu’s gaze turned towards Feng Yi as if he were looking at an alien.

He did not directly answer Feng Yi’s question, but instead said:

"You know that in the human body, microbes, specifically bacteria, account for over 99%. The resident microbiota and the human host depend on each other, benefiting mutually."

"These resident microbiota have significant impacts on human development, immune function, nutrient absorption, energy metabolism, and so on. Under a state of healthy balance, there’s nothing to worry about, but once imbalance sets in, sickness follows."

"I am someone with a strong sense of cleanliness, but even so, I have to admit that my body indeed harbors many, many bacteria, which are vital for survival, especially in the gut. Without them, I might easily perish."

Feng Yi nodded, "This is common knowledge."

"Yes, common knowledge!" Doctor Wu’s gaze carried a hint of surprise.

"There’s a study called the ’Human Microbiome Project’ that involves sequencing the microbiota from all parts of the human body to decode their full genomes, researching their relationship with human health."

"The genome of the resident microbiota that coexists with the human body is referred to in some fields as the human ’second genome’, whereas the genes we normally speak of, the ones you inherit, are the ’first genome’."

"The first and second genomes together determine whether the state of the human body is healthy or diseased."

"But..."

Doctor Wu adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and looked straight at Feng Yi:

"In your case, there might be no second genome! Or to put it another way, it’s so negligible that it might as well not exist!"

Feng Yi was full of incredulity, "None?"

Normal people have it, yet I don’t?

Doctor Wu nodded, "The test results we got show that the few places we checked indeed have none, or the presence is so weak that it disappears completely within minutes. The effect is akin to spraying disinfectant."

"Your immune system is not the same as that of ordinary people."

Strictly speaking, it’s different from all the lifeforms Doctor Wu knows!

"Perhaps your first genome is too strong and dominant, simply not allowing the second genome to exist."

In a state of health, Feng Yi’s body does not offer enough room for a second genome to thrive!

If a second genome were to emerge on him, that would really spell trouble!

Doctor Wu said, "All the food, before it enters your stomach, has most of its microbial life annihilated, and probably a good many are eradicated during the chewing process. Whatever manages to escape the cleansing meets its end in the stomach."

Feng Yi: "Oh."

Doctor Wu: "However, the data is not yet complete, we haven’t tested the crucial parts, so we can’t conclude anything yet. Would you like to have your intestines tested?"

Feng Yi: "No, let’s not."

Doctor Wu expressed regret: "It’s actually quite simple to test, typically all you need is a fresh..."

Feng Yi: "That’s enough!"

"Alright. Next time we’ll only test the oropharyngeal and esophageal microbiota, no need to go to the Ancestral Factory hospital, the equipment in the underground lab is sufficient. Or we could simply do a nasal and throat swab, no need for such complex genetic analyzers. Anyway, it’s highly probable that we won’t detect the second genome."

Doctor Wu returned to the underground laboratory full of regret. He, a stickler for cleanliness, wasn’t bothered by it, yet his boss was somewhat too image-conscious.

He had wanted to research the genes on Feng Yi that could demonstrate broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and anti-inflammatory potency.

Now, finding there might be no room for a second genome in Feng Yi, lacking a direction, there was a sense of not knowing where to start, or as if every direction was an option.

Yet, he was not discouraged, but rather more excited.

It’s only interesting when there are difficulties and challenges!

Ah, my choice was certainly not wrong!

What a wondrous creature!

As Doctor Wu looked at the results of this microbial test, he sighed softly, turned on his office computer, and opened a folder.

Inside were densely packed journal papers—

"Differences and Similarities in Microbiota Related to Reptiles and Humans"

"Comparison of Dominant Gut Microbiota in Mammals and Reptiles"

"Sources of Pathogenic Microorganisms in Snakes and Protective Measures"

"Study on the Diversity of Upper Gastrointestinal Microbiota in Snakes"

"Interactions Between Immune Genes and Microorganisms"

"Effects of Captivity and Diet on Microbial Communities"

...

He sighed again, "No relevance any longer."

Doctor Wu deleted the folder.

He couldn’t let the boss see it!