Chapter Seven: Only Two Years Left!

Lin Qiye knew he could not afford to relax.

If he failed to survive past eighteen, everything would dissolve into nothingness. No matter that he had cleverly avoided the poisoned baby formula at age two, nor that he had become a doctoral candidate at ten—he had yet to complete the task of breaking his limits. If he did not endure the calamity of his eighteenth year, it would not count as success.

And so,

Lin Qiye spent a year mastering all the knowledge of life sciences in this world. Then, he set his sights on tackling problems that had remained unsolved for decades, even centuries.

When Professor Yuan saw the topics Lin Qiye had chosen, he was filled with anxiety. “Lin Qiye, don’t reach too high. You’re only ten—there’s no need to focus on such special subjects. I’m afraid you’ll be crushed by disappointment and unable to recover,” Professor Yuan advised earnestly, believing Lin Qiye was moving too fast. Why rush into problems even top scientists hadn’t solved in decades or centuries? If he failed, it could be disastrous.

But—

Lin Qiye’s gaze was unwavering. “I can do this. I want to try!”

Seeing Lin Qiye’s resolute, fearless determination, Professor Yuan was deeply moved. He patted Lin Qiye’s shoulder hard. “The way you pursue truth, undaunted, reminds me of Copernicus, who risked everything for his beliefs. You are a pure seeker of knowledge. I see the light in your eyes, the innocence in your heart.”

His voice choked with emotion, Professor Yuan took off his glasses, wiping away the mist as he sighed, “You are my most outstanding student. I wish you smooth sailing! Even if you meet setbacks, keep an open mind—never let one failure break you. Remember, research is like God casting dice—don’t get stuck in a dead end!”

He entrusted Lin Qiye with these heartfelt words, having long regarded the boy as his own son.

Lin Qiye, deeply moved, hugged Professor Yuan tightly, then plunged headlong into a research project with no promise of reward.

As Lin Qiye had foreseen, the problems that had troubled humanity for decades were truly formidable. Even with the wisdom bestowed by his Nobel laureate’s intellect card, he found himself struggling, as if moving through a quagmire.

However, Lin Qiye had his own advantage. His “Genesis Simulation”—even when inactive—bestowed upon him a kind of intuition. With this astonishing instinct, he could instantly grasp breakthroughs, overcoming challenge after challenge.

In just one year, Lin Qiye published five milestone papers. Two of them were accepted by the journal Science. With five groundbreaking papers, his status in the country soared. Professor Yuan, tears of pride in his eyes, approved Lin Qiye’s graduation as a doctor.

At the same time, the National University of Science and Technology appointed him as a professor. With Professor Yuan’s strong support, Lin Qiye established his own laboratory and could recruit his own research assistants.

Over the next five years, Lin Qiye maintained a relentless pace, publishing five milestone papers every year without fail. Countless other minor papers poured forth as well. Even his peers in research often added his name to their papers, for his suggestions were always precise and effective.

Lin Qiye became a publishing phenomenon, a legend in the field. His fame spread far and wide.

A popular science article went viral online: “The Prodigy of Our Nation, Lin Qiye: Twenty Breakthroughs in Cancer Research in the Past Century—Twelve Accomplished by One Man! The True ‘Cancer Killer’!” The article detailed Lin Qiye’s achievements, painting his miraculous results with vivid, accessible language. At the end, it confidently declared: Lin Qiye would lead humanity in conquering cancer! Cancer would forever become an ordinary disease. The Nobel Prize would be honored to have Lin Qiye as its recipient, not the other way around.

The article exploded across countless platforms, sparking heated discussion among millions:

“From a professional’s view, Lin Qiye is truly extraordinary. His research skills are invincible.”

“No exaggeration—Lin Qiye is the living myth of life sciences. What’s even scarier is that he’s only fifteen!”

“Haha, he’s our senior! I once met him outside his lab—fifteen years old, six feet tall, handsome and talented, completely unbeatable. I wanted to work as his assistant but wasn’t good enough and failed the interview.”

“Oh please, that’s just local hype. If he’s that great, why hasn’t he won international recognition? Not a single award?”

“True, honestly his research isn’t worth mentioning, but people act like he’s the best in the world. Hilarious. The West will make you study for another hundred years!”

“Useless! If he’s so amazing, why haven’t we seen medical costs go down? Better to spend that money helping ordinary people get treatment.”

With fame came the inevitable internet oddities. They thought mere flies could tarnish a warrior.

But Lin Qiye paid no heed to the clamor outside. He had only one goal—to conquer the terminal illness within his own body.

Time was running out for him...

The spring of his sixteenth year arrived.

In the lab, Lin Qiye looked up at the landscape tree outside, its branches bursting with new green buds, and exhaled softly.

Outside the lab door, his father and mother stood flushed with excitement, voices ringing out as if they’d been overtaken by a fever.

“Son, something big has happened! Really big news!”

Lin Qiye, helpless, opened the door and stretched lazily, seeing his parents standing there with the equally exuberant Professor Yuan.

“What is it?” he asked.

His mother grabbed his arm. “Son, you’ve been awarded the Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award! The organizers have invited you abroad to accept it! This is the highest honor in life sciences—it’s a precursor to the Nobel Prize. Winning this means you have a ninety percent chance of winning the Nobel!”

Lin Qiye remained unmoved, waving his hand dismissively. “No time. I’m not going.”

Professor Yuan was dumbfounded. “How could you not accept the prize? I’ve dreamed of this moment! Go—get ready to accept your award.”

Lin Qiye’s expression was cold. “Not interested. I’d rather do experiments.”

With righteous determination, Lin Qiye refused.

When the news spread that he couldn’t be bothered to collect the award, the entire faculty of the university was left sighing with regret, wishing they could take his place. The university administration repeatedly tried to persuade him, but to no avail. Lin Qiye’s stance was unshakable; whoever came was turned away.

Nonetheless, even though he did not attend the ceremony, the award was still given to him. The judges all understood: Lin Qiye did not need the Lasker Award to prove his worth—the Lasker Award needed Lin Qiye to prove its own prestige!

After all, his research was truly extraordinary.

Lin Qiye’s indifference to the Lasker Award, and the award’s almost fawning pursuit of him, became a widespread internet meme. In one cartoon, the award was personified as a coquettish woman in white stockings, clinging to Lin Qiye’s arm, while he pushed her away in annoyance. The memes spread like wildfire, amusing countless netizens.

But the laughter belonged to the online masses. Lin Qiye himself was anxious.

“Sixteen has come—can the outbreak of my illness be far behind? Ten years of sharpening the sword; it’s time to draw it and strike!”

He drew a deep breath.

At that moment, a prompt he had not heard in seven years finally sounded in his mind.