After a moment of thought, I asked again, "Has that little snake run away recently?" Nie Qilan shook her head, saying no. Only then did I stop asking, pulling my cousin, and returning to my second uncle's car.

The group arrived back at my second uncle's house, and a symposium immediately began, naturally revolving around the recent events concerning Grandpa. I assumed Grandpa would be the most afraid of this, because with so many children and grandchildren gathered around, if it were me, I would have said everything out of concern for saving face. However, Grandpa didn't seem to care much; his entire strategy could be summed up in two words: silence. The group bombarded him with questions for a long time, yet Grandpa didn't utter a single word. His composure was truly remarkable.

So, my second uncle had to resort to a kill move. He handed Grandpa a document and said, "Old Man, Mom died of stomach cancer too early; you're the only close relative we have left. Now that you're this old, you're still engaging in such dangerous work. Others will think we, your children, are unfilial. I’ve already discussed it with the Academy of Sciences; they want you to retire. Here are your retirement contract and pension plan. Take a look first." Grandpa sat in the head seat at the dining table, eyes closed as if meditating. Hearing this, his eyelids fluttered slightly. He glanced at my second uncle beside him and said, "Er Wazi, you’re trying to force me to my death. I am getting old, but if you stop me from doing research, what else can I do at this age?" "You could tend to your flowers at home or something, wouldn't that be nice?" my father interjected. At this point, my second aunt also chimed in, "Old Man, some things need to be let go. Leave them to our generation now." Grandpa snorted and replied, "Just you few?" He then pointed at me and said, "And this little brat who doesn't know right from wrong?" He let out a long sigh and said, "Forget it..." I thought to myself, what did I do? Telling me to forget it—what Grandpa is doing is inherently wrong, yet instead of self-reflection, he's blaming me. He's truly muddled. But in front of so many people, I couldn't voice it, offering only an awkward smile.

My eldest uncle was a straightforward man and stepped forward. "I think Chuanwazi is quite good. Since childhood, I’ve always thought this kid was obedient and well-behaved. If he hadn't risked his life to bring you back, we might never have seen you again. Why don't you listen to us this once? Retire peacefully and stop causing more trouble for the family." "Obedient... well-behaved... Hmph!" Grandpa rose from his seat and slowly ambled toward his room. As he walked, he muttered, "Don't anyone bother me... Let me rest properly for a couple of days." After Grandpa shut his door with a creak, all of us let out a sigh. My second uncle said, "Ever since Mom passed away, this old man’s temper has gotten weirder and weirder. If he doesn't sign this paper, it’s just a useless piece of trash." My dad patted my second uncle's shoulder. "Second Brother, it’s alright. It was a good thing Chuanwazi brought him back this time. Even if he refuses to retire, the Academy of Sciences has learned its lesson from last time and won't send him to any dangerous places again." My second uncle sighed. "Let's hope so. I’ll hire a caretaker in the next few days to keep an eye on the old man and stop him from running around." As soon as I heard that, I felt it was inappropriate; wasn't this tantamount to monitoring Grandpa? After all, he was still an elder. So, I volunteered myself, "I don't have much going on at school anyway. Leave the job of looking after Grandpa to me. I guarantee I’ll guide him properly." Everyone agreed immediately, as having one of their own handle the situation was naturally the best option.

At noon, our whole extended family booked a private room at a restaurant and had a lively meal, concluding the matter for the time being. During the meal, I falsely claimed I'd eaten too much that morning and didn't touch my chopsticks, when in reality, my right hand was inconvenient. I had specifically gone home to change into a long-sleeved shirt and put on gloves so that nothing would be revealed. The first thing I did after dinner was rush to hail a cab to the hospital. I thought, no matter how powerful the mutation, modern medicine should be able to solve it. The result, however, was beyond my imagination. The doctor glanced at it and let out a gasp of shock. He said this was a condition called ossification of the joints. A similar case had occurred in rural Sichuan where the bones throughout the entire body would grow rapidly, piercing the skin. The emerging bone and skin would slowly harden and become brittle, eventually looking exactly like wood. I knew the person the doctor was referring to because it had been broadcast on the news back then; that person's entire right foot had turned into a tree-like material. But I knew for a fact that I didn't have that disease, because that person's right foot was immobile, whereas my right hand still had sensation and was extremely flexible. Most importantly, my condition had occurred acutely, whereas that person’s was a chronic illness. I asked the doctor if there was any way to treat it. He said the only option was amputation, and it couldn't be delayed, or my entire body would turn the same way. I firmly refused, stating that my hand was still usable, just inconvenient. The doctor, utterly bored, finally injected me with anesthetic and began scraping off the splinters on my hand. By the time I left the hospital, the anesthetic had worn off, and my hand started burning fiercely, feeling as if countless knives were slicing it. I gritted my teeth and endured the pain, but inwardly, I wasn't that distressed, because at least I could wipe my own backside now.

Once I was back home, I started worrying over the pile of specimens. Since Grandpa was no longer going to the Academy of Sciences, I had no access to their precision instruments. Coupled with the fact that Mu Yun had vanished into thin air, I couldn't find anyone to help me. I thought my only source of aid would be Liang Qian; after all, her father was a Tsinghua professor and surely had the equipment. But when she left, she hadn't even left me a phone number, so I couldn't track her down. Having no choice, I could only freeze these specimens in my home freezer for now. Actually, thinking back, researching these specimens might not even hold much significance. It was almost certain they contained that Substance 00017; otherwise, the insects within those tree galls wouldn't have undergone such massive mutations. Besides this Substance 00017, what other valuable things could I possibly find? I truly couldn't think of anything.

Over the next few days, some strange things continued to happen. Specifically, ever since I put the specimens in the refrigerator, vegetables like eggplant and cucumbers bought back by my second aunt would slowly continue to grow when placed inside, which made our whole family afraid to eat them. Having no other option, I had to dispose of most of the specimens. Only the glowing substance that seeped out of the giant praying mantis wing did I manage to collect in a test tube. Since I had already sworn off any further expeditions, I needed to settle down and focus on my Ph.D. graduation thesis; otherwise, failing to graduate would be disastrous. So, I bought several books on public speaking from the bookstore and dedicated myself to reading them at home. To my surprise, during the days I stayed home reading, Grandpa also didn't clamor to return to the Academy of Sciences but stayed home diligently reading as well. Several times during meals, I could see Grandpa smiling and laughing, appearing quite happy. The only difference from before was that Grandpa still refused to speak to me. Although seeing him ignore me still stung a little, seeing him happy put my mind at ease.

About two weeks later, Da Xiong called me from Harbin. He said the treasures he acquired from the underground cavern had been exchanged for over 500,000 yuan, and he had transferred 200,000 of it into my account. I asked how his parents were doing, and he replied that everything was fine at home and he would return to Chengdu in a few months to drink with me. Suddenly having over 200,000 yuan appear in my account, I didn't know how to spend it. Moreover, if the police investigated and found this sudden influx of cash, it would certainly lead to serious trouble, so I decided not to use it for the time being. Another half a month of peaceful days passed until one evening, while I was reading at home, Nie Qilan ran back hurriedly after school to inform me that the off-road vehicles that had been monitoring me previously had reappeared in front of my house. I was startled, quickly climbed the stairs, and pulled back the curtain to look. Indeed, several SUVs were parked in front of my second uncle’s house again, their interior lights off. I couldn't tell how many people were inside. Seeing such a sight, I instantly became furious, cursing under my breath, "What the hell do these people want? Don't push me too far!"