This time, it wasn't just Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er whose legs felt glued to the floor; even I was struck dumb. Creatures that are genuinely born, how could they actually lay eggs to incubate?

Elena, curious yet fearful, gripped my arm tightly. "Zhao Qian, how—how is she laying an egg? I've never heard of such a thing. This era is so chaotic."

My composure slowly returned. After considering it, I told Elena, "Reports of this have appeared in print even six thousand years from now. I remember years ago, a journalist named Cao ventured deep into a remote African tribe and witnessed primitive people giving birth to eggs and hatching them. Logically, this is beyond the scope of human comprehension, but it's nothing much. When you have centaurs and snake-women, what's so shocking about laying an egg?"

Elena laughed, "Then if I dare lay an egg for you in the future, would you be scared?"

I stroked Elena's belly. "If you dare lay an egg for me, I'll toss you back six thousand years to stay with the prehistoric civilization you admire so much."

Elena gasped and clung to me. "I won't! It's so backward here. I’m never coming back. If I miss prehistoric life, I'll just stay at your remote countryside place for a couple of days; I guarantee it'll be more real than this."

As we spoke, we saw that Xue's egg was growing larger and larger, making it unbelievable that it emerged from her body. I had paid close attention to her abdomen just moments ago, and there was absolutely no swelling. Was this egg conjured out of thin air? But how could something so large be passed through such a narrow opening? It was truly bizarre.

I asked the Dragon Girl, "Does this happen often here, people laying eggs?"

The Dragon Girl shook her head. "This is the first time I've seen it myself. Dragon Envoy, you are worldly and wise—do you know what's going on?"

I replied, "I don't know the exact process, but six thousand years from now, I will have adopted Xue's child here. Her name is Xiao Xue, although that name was given by us; it has nothing to do with her mother being named Xue."

The Dragon Girl smiled. "Fate, this is destiny. But it only blossoms in five thousand years and bears fruit in ten thousand. What does Xiao Xue look like? How is she neither human nor beast, neither animal nor plant?" The Dragon Envoy, please tell me everything."

I explained, "Normally, she appears as a completely normal little girl, very fair-skinned and adorable. But she can transform. She can turn into something resembling a normal plant, sprouting thick, long branches and leaves. Most importantly, she blooms with massive, deep crimson flowers. Those flowers can revive the dead, let alone kill something minor like a virus."

The Dragon Girl looked at Xue, who was still tending to the egg in the pool. "I wonder if we will live to see five thousand years pass."

I took the Dragon Girl's hand. "Don't worry. I will find a way to take you six thousand years into the future. Xiao Xue listens to her Godmother. You will be fine."

The Dragon Girl asked curiously, "Xiao Xue has a Godmother?"

"Yes. Although Qingqing and I brought her back into civilized society, she refused to communicate with us. Later, she happened to meet my classmate, Su Xue, and unexpectedly, she listened to her. She does whatever Su Xue tells her to do—it's very strange."

"It's fate, just as I said. Su Xue? Another Xue. Of course, they would feel close to each other."

By this time, Xue had completed the egg-laying process. A white egg, almost as thick as the Dragon Girl's small waist, stood in the pool. Xue hugged it tightly, clearly reluctant to part, but finally climbed out of the pool and embraced Bai. Bai comforted her with a few words.

Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er chattered, "This egg is thicker than a person and so tall! There's no way it came out of a human body—I won't believe it even if you beat me! No, we must examine Xue's body."

Elena kicked Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er. "Are you trying to act like perverts? Even if Xue doesn't mind your inspection, we can't stand by and watch you do such shameless things."

Zhu Da looked at Xue's body and chuckled, "We only dare to talk about it. If she actually pounced on us, we'd run for it."

I turned to the Dragon Girl. "Hurry and ask them what happens after this egg is laid. Can they extract something from inside it to cure your illness?"

The Dragon Girl conferred with Bai for a moment, then translated for me: "No one can touch this egg for now. It will only take root and sprout after several hundred years of natural incubation."

I asked the Dragon Girl, "Then ask them if they have that clear, bright substance—the essence that this Seed of All Things will carry in the future. If we have that, everything will be OK."

The Dragon Girl turned and spoke to Bai again. Bai looked very surprised and came over personally to talk to me, with the Dragon Girl translating between us. It turned out Bai wanted to know how I knew so much about this genetic species and why the excavated house was exactly as they had envisioned.

These two were renowned scientists, not people who spoke carelessly. More importantly, they were Xiao Xue's 'parents'—though this parenthood differed greatly from the ordinary kind. So, I decided not to hide anything and told Bai about meeting Xiao Xue six thousand years in the future.

When Xue heard that I knew her child from six thousand years hence, she was overjoyed, rushing over to hug and kiss me, laughing. Keep in mind she wasn't wearing any clothes after laying the egg! Elena rushed up with Xue's clothes to intervene; it seemed this free-spirited American girl had suddenly become the most conservative among us.

Given this connection, coupled with my status as Dragon Envoy, Bai and Xue told us everything they knew. The flower Xiao Xue blossoms in five thousand years is a super-genetic substance capable of repairing all cellular damage, even bringing back cells that have died without dehydration. Moreover, they had found a way to counter the mutated virus developed by the rebels. When this egg naturally cracks and Xiao Xue is born, the fluid secreted from within will become the bright, transparent substance I saw in the future. After she blossoms, Xiao Xue herself can also produce this essence. This essence is the perfect medicine to kill the mutated virus controlled by the rebels without any adverse effects on the human body. If Xiao Xue were to deal with the virus herself, the substance in her blood-flower would kill the host along with it!

I wiped a cold sweat from my brow. It was a good thing I had communicated with Bai beforehand. Otherwise, if I had impulsively brought Xiao Xue here, in her frenzied state upon encountering that virus, she might have killed the Dragon Girl.

I recounted to them Xiao Xue's frantic state when she killed the live virus in the test tube six thousand years later. Bai looked at Xue with affection and told me, "This is probably because the seed was developing in Xue's body while being influenced by her emotions. Because those rebels often forced her to do things against her will, Xue's resentment toward them reached an extreme—she wished she could eat their flesh and drink their blood. This intense will affected the genetic species' development through nutrient transfer, making her instantly eliminate anyone carrying the mutated virus."

I asked Bai, "Xiao Xue should be considered a living cell, right? According to our tests, that clear, bright essence shows no signs of life." I asked this because bringing that substance over would be difficult, but perhaps bringing Xiao Xue could generate it—though it seemed Xiao Xue needed a little bit of that essence as a primer to produce it.

Bai replied, "No, this point will likely surprise the Dragon Envoy. Although Xiao Xue is a genetic product, and based on your description, she has flesh and blood and all things real, and you have verified signs of her life—all of that should not be her true form. Because she should be composed of a substance that cannot be called life, that is why we say she is neither human nor beast, neither plant nor animal."

I nodded. Even if I didn't fully believe Bai, I dared not take the risk, lest I harm Xiao Xue. Now, it seemed there was only one path left to save the Dragon Girl: bringing her back to six thousand years in the future.

I said to Bai, "You need to assign people to protect such a large egg. What if wild beasts find and eat it? Even if they don't eat it, bumps and scrapes aren't good. Besides, there is a group of primitive people here."

Bai assured me, "Please rest assured, Dragon Envoy. She has passed the most difficult awakening period and will soon be able to protect herself. As for how she protects herself, we are not entirely clear, only knowing this from fragmented records left by the ancestors who created this genetic species."

Could those giant stone figures be Xiao Xue's self-defense mechanisms? Their lack of life signs did align with a certain aspect of this genetic species' nature. Anxious to return and verify the feasibility of ancient people from six thousand years ago traveling to the future, I stopped asking questions.

Xue glanced at the egg in the pool and then volunteered, "Everyone, please don't disturb her. The quieter the environment, the better for her growth. This place has abundant water, which is essential for her development. We can leave with peace of mind now."

I looked at Bai's massive egg and said, "Farewell. We will meet again in the future. Now I know the mystery of your origins, and why you hate the mutated virus so much. I trust that in six thousand years, we will wipe out all those wicked people."

Exiting the waterfall, Zhu Da reported, "Commander Zhao, we've sealed the secret passage beneath the pyramid and returned all treasures to their original positions. However, we didn't release the poison gas. Qingqing's death shouldn't be our responsibility."

I replied, "Perhaps the gas was naturally generated. In any case, this misfortune turned into a blessing; Qingqing's constitution is now better than ever. Let's go; we shouldn't interfere with the development here. Oh yes, find a chance to frighten those primitives and ensure they guard this place well, preventing others from easily entering."

Cai Bao'er chimed in, "Of course, Commander! Otherwise, if others dig up our treasures, it would be a huge loss. Besides, your brother-in-law bestowed that scepter upon you within; if you lose it, it would be an act of high treason."