The continuously evolving intelligent fungi in the old pond remained largely inactive.
Their daily alcohol consumption was still substantial.
The intelligent fungi were also constantly acquiring various pieces of information and learning a great deal.
However, the so-called super-intelligent stage was still a distant prospect.
Jiang Ye wasn't in a hurry; the income generated by the intelligent fungi had already far exceeded his expectations.
After waiting for more than ten days, the first batch of staff for the stellar observation base finally arrived.
A large number of spacecraft descended at midnight.
Jiang Ye had long prepared a high-profile welcome ceremony, complete with a red carpet, an orchestra, reporters, and dedicated transport.
A total of eight hundred staff members arrived in the first batch, including Yue Qiaoyun.
Jiang Ye sat in a dedicated car outside the star station, waiting quietly.
A moment later, a guard's voice filtered in from outside the car:
"Report, Commander! Ms. Yue has been brought!"
Jiang Ye pulled open the car door. "Please, get in."
A tall woman squeezed in, wearing white trousers and a blue shirt, her hair tied up, with a touch of makeup. She was quite flustered, even a bit bewildered. Among this batch of staff, she was far from an elite, her academic level being only average. Why was she being brought directly to the Commander?
"Hello," Jiang Ye said with a smile, examining her closely.
He had initially thought there might be some difference between the photograph and the actual person, perhaps she would look less like Tian Rao when seen face-to-face.
But after carefully observing her face, Jiang Ye's heart stirred. In person, she resembled Tian Rao even more than in the photograph!
The similarity was to a shocking degree.
"Hello," Yue Qiaoyun sat up straight to show respect.
"I apologize, but I hope to take you to meet someone," Jiang Ye said.
"Meet someone?" Yue Qiaoyun blinked. "Who?"
"Tian Rao, do you know her?" Jiang Ye stared at her face.
Yue Qiaoyun's expression was blank. She shook her head. "I'm very sorry, I'm from an alien planet and truly don't know this Ms. Tian. Why do you want to meet her?"
"You'll know when we get there," Jiang Ye said no more.
She didn't seem to be faking it; she likely genuinely didn't know Tian Rao, or at least hadn't heard the name. If her recent confusion was an act, she was far too professional an actress.
The spacecraft took off automatically.
Soon, they arrived at the White Ant Real Estate building.
Jiang Ye got out of the car, leading Yue Qiaoyun upstairs, straight to the boss's office.
Xu Yan was waiting at the door. She first nodded at Jiang Ye, then shifted her gaze to Yue Qiaoyun behind him.
Xu Yan paused, clearly astonished by the high degree of similarity.
Yue Qiaoyun saw her expression and felt very bewildered, a strange premonition enveloping her, as if something extraordinary lay behind the door.
Xu Yan pressed her hand against the door, completing the identity verification instantly, and pushed both doors open forcefully.
The slender, petite girl was standing by the window, looking out. She wore a black tracksuit, revealing a good figure, her hair dyed a strawberry ice cream pink.
She heard the sound and turned around.
She and Yue Qiaoyun met eyes from a distance.
Both of them froze.
Although she had seen photos before, Tian Rao still held onto the slim hope that they were photoshopped. Seeing the real person now, all doubt was laid to rest.
Yue Qiaoyun was even more shocked, her face a picture of disbelief. After all, it was natural to be stunned upon suddenly seeing someone who looked exactly like oneself.
Jiang Ye observed the two of them carefully.
The only difference was their height.
Yue Qiaoyun was half a head taller than Tian Rao, a significant height difference.
"Do you... know me?" Tian Rao was the first to recover.
Yue Qiaoyun shook her head vigorously. "Why do we look the same?"
"That's the question," Jiang Ye said. "Do you have any familial relationship?"
"Ms. Yue, do you have any sisters or... daughters?" Xu Yan asked from the side.
"I have an older sister, but she doesn't look like me. I don't have any daughters," Yue Qiaoyun said, utterly confused. "It's really too similar. Should we do a genetic test?"
"What do you think?" Jiang Ye looked at Tian Rao.
Tian Rao hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"The sampling kits are ready," Xu Yan took out two plastic tubes from her pocket, handing one each to Tian Rao and Yue Qiaoyun. "Pull out a strand of your hair and put it in, then spit into it."
Tian Rao reached up and touched her head. "Um... will dyed hair work?"
"No problem," Xu Yan nodded.
Yue Qiaoyun tugged at her own hair.
Several hair extensions were pulled out, and her previously thick hair immediately became much sparser.
After all, she was middle-aged and a researcher; hair loss was normal.
Both women pulled out their hair, collected saliva, sealed the plastic tubes, and handed them back to Xu Yan.
"The results should be ready in about an hour. Please wait a moment, ladies. I'll be back as soon as I have them," Xu Yan left in a hurry.
Jiang Ye walked to the water dispenser in the corner and poured two cups of water for them.
Tian Rao and Yue Qiaoyun sat on the sofa, close together, looking at each other.
They started chatting, asking about each other's work, health, personal preferences, and so on.
Jiang Ye listened quietly from the side.
An hour passed, and the two women seemed to be forming a bond of friendship, even exchanging contact information.
The office door was pushed open, and Xu Yan rushed in, holding a folder.
Everyone stood up, looking at her anxiously.
"What are the results?" Jiang Ye asked first.
"No results..." Xu Yan's expression was very strange.
Jiang Ye blinked, took the folder from her hand, and opened it.
He expected to see two very detailed genetic testing reports, plus a comparison report. But to his surprise, there was only a thin sheet of paper, filled with bright red text.
[TOP SECRET INFORMATION WARNING]
[Unreadable information detected. The content of this information violates the Galactic Empire's Biological Forces Secrecy Act, the Galactic Empire's Top Secret Information Circulation Regulations, and the Galactic Empire's Air Force Important Information Protocol. It contains information that may pose a danger to humans, hence it will not be displayed.]
[Do not attempt to obtain this information through any means without authorization, or you will be held legally responsible.]
[If there is a definite need, please provide feedback through military channels.]
[This information interception warning is issued based on the Galactic Empire's Macro Data Keyword Detection Technology and complies with the Galactic Empire's Top Secret Information Circulation Regulations, the Galactic Empire's Important Information Protocol, and the Galactic Empire's Citizen Privacy Law. If you have any questions, please provide feedback through military channels.]
Jiang Ye was shocked.
He was just doing a routine genetic test, and it had triggered such a red-text warning!
He was shocked, firstly, that the daily operations of a small medical device on his little planet were being constantly monitored by the Galactic Empire. He had no prior indication of this.
Secondly, he was shocked that Tian Rao and Yue Qiaoyun's genetic information was classified as top secret!
His own genetic analysis hadn't triggered anything like this.
The information level of these two individuals was higher than his own as Commander!
A chill ran down Jiang Ye's spine. He felt he had unintentionally stumbled upon a massive secret.