Study Monster Cultivation System

Chapter 139 - 138 The Most Anticipated Experiment (Single Big Update)

Shen Yiyun, despite her wild claim that she would tutor Li Zheng and Shi Yang,

lost her enthusiasm quite quickly.

And soon regretted it.

She started around 5:30 in the afternoon, leading the two of them separately through hands-on explanations of graduate-level, exceptionally difficult experiments.

She went on until half-past eleven, conducting three complex mock experiments.

Throughout the whole process, there was no food to eat, no bathroom to use.

This environment and workload were probably equal to twice that of a project laboratory...

In the end, Shen Yiyun just wanted to cry.

Men, they’re all monsters.

I really should’ve listened to my mom.

Why does a girl bother with chemistry!

Finally, at 11:45, under Shen Yiyun’s teary eyes, Li Zheng and Shi Yang were prepared to let her off the hook—temporarily.

Then the three of them ate the stir-fried flat noodles and pulled noodles brought from noon together.

Shen Yiyun tearfully ate the weird stuff she didn’t want to eat.

Only then did she realize.

Li Zheng was not as simple as he looked.

He had anticipated this and, shockingly, had packed these bizarre foods as early as lunchtime.

All of it, all within his calculations.

Compared to these two monsters,

Senior brothers are still better...

Those with sparse hair, who speak even less than the amount of their hair, so simple to the point of being dull—my senior brothers...

Somehow have become adorable.

Come midnight, Li Zheng and Shi Yang had finished their own stir-fried noodles, but Shen Yiyun had only eaten half a box of pulled noodles.

She was sad, had no appetite, and she divided the remaining noodles between the two men.

Yet both of them gave a devilishly charming smile, carrying their pulled noodles back to the experiment bench.

"Heh heh, brother, now we’ve got the material," Shi Yang said, rubbing his hands excitedly, "Our most anticipated experiment can begin—first, add some acidic substance, simulating stomach reactions..."

"Naturally that’s simple..." Li Zheng pondered, "But digestive reactions largely rely on microorganisms, right? It needs a large number of bacteria involved and also time to ferment."

"No worries, biology is just a small branch of chemistry," Shi Yang looked around and suggested, "Given the raw materials here aren’t quite enough, let’s forget the process and strive for the end result, let’s brainstorm, how to use the reagents we have at hand to quickly turn these noodles soft and into a brownish color."

"I could do that, got a bit of inspiration already..." Li Zheng had just replied but then frowned, "But that way, it’s just form without soul."

"Easy to handle." Shi Yang chuckled mischievously, "We can synthesize some hydrogen sulfide, indole, and skatole."

Li Zheng exclaimed, "Skatole? There’s such a thing?"

"I specifically researched it; it is actually 3-methylindole, C9H9N, which can be created through Fischer indole synthesis," Shi Yang looked up and asked, "Senior sister, we need some aldehydes, ketones, and anhydrides."

"..." Shen Yiyun was already staring at the two with bloodshot eyes, "Why don’t you go to Prague to synthesize this stuff, let the foreigners get a good look at your skills!"

"That doesn’t seem appropriate..." Shi Yang stroked his chin thoughtfully, "I heard foreigners have a heavier taste than us. Wouldn’t that be showing off?"

Li Zheng protested, "No no, Brother Shi, only you are worthy of the ’class’ level."

"Enough talk!" Shen Yiyun smacked the lighting control panel, "Lights out! Everyone go home!"

...

Even after leaving the laboratory, Li Zheng and Shi Yang were still chatting away; though they couldn’t perform any experiments, they reveled in mentally simulating synthetic routes.

In the deserted courtyard, Shen Yiyun trudged behind the two, full of bitterness.

Even though she vehemently opposed their distasteful humor,

she had to admit, their eyes were alight.

Despite the darkness of night, it was as if they lit up the entire yard.

Having studied for so many years, Shen Yiyun prided herself on having seen all kinds of academic overachievers.

But such pure aberrations like these two were a first for her.

Together, they only had eyes for chemistry itself.

Whereas the senior brothers in the laboratory, including herself, were all thinking about whether to stay at school or find a job, whether to go abroad or further studies, whether to switch to a more lucrative industry.

Under the moonlight, Shen Yiyun sighed softly.

We, these research cattle, if we could return to our teenage years, there would probably also be one or two youths like Li Zheng and Shi Yang.

Only, this period of pure idealism, free from anything but ideals, passes faster than a shooting star.

Gone in the blink of an eye.

Now, all I can do is follow you from a distance, with envy, jealousy, and hatred, with resignation and sorrow, with longing and numbness, secretly feeling our ideals that will eventually fade away, yet were once eternal.

Lost in these emotions, the three of them reached the gate.

Shi Yang was still discussing "Fischer indole synthesis."

Thankfully, Li Zheng was gradually snapping out of his chemical fervor and timely interrupted Shi Yang, nodding to Shen Yiyun, "Senior sister, we’ve delayed your leaving work.

"Anyway, it’s not for many more days." Shen Yiyun waved her hand hastily, "You guys... go for it, cherish this time."

"We will." Li Zheng looked around and added, "For that reason, I’m planning to find a budget hotel to stay in."

"..." Shen Yiyun immediately became flustered again, "You... don’t need to value it that much."

"My home is far, it’s a two-hour trip back and forth," Li Zheng said with a wry smile, "I really can’t bear the waste; I want to experiment, do more experiments, make up for all the happiness owed to me by chemistry."

"Did you tell your family?" Shi Yang immediately took out his phone, eyebrows raised, "Staying alone in a double room, isn’t that a waste?"

"You can do it too?" Li Zheng was surprised, "That’s perfect, I’ll pay for the room, you’ll cover the meals."

"Fair enough."

Watching their enthusiastic exchange, Shen Yiyun hefted her backpack strap, "Well... I’ll be going then..."

Shi Yang, truly a pure soul, blurted out without thinking, "That’s okay, senior sister, together..."

Li Zheng quickly stepped on him.

It was only then that Shi Yang reacted, chuckling with his head down, "I mean... I’ve just gotten used to the three of us doing experiments together, hehe."

Shen Yiyun just smiled lightly.

It was clear that the kid didn’t do it on purpose; all his brain circuits were dedicated to the periodic table, leaving any remaining IQ in the toilet.

"Alright, you two, keep at it," Shen Yiyun said, lifting her fist in encouragement, "In the future, you have to aim higher and farther than me, to experience the true essence of chemistry for us lab animals."

Scratching his head, Shi Yang grinned, "Don’t worry, I’m definitely going to go further than the average grad student."

God damn it, this guy is doing this on purpose!

Luckily, Li Zheng was sensible and walked quickly up to Shen Yiyun with a tender smile on his face.

Shen Yiyun bit her lip, ready for what was to come.

The kid was about to say something that would make one feel all tingly and numb again.

He’s probably going to forcibly send me back to the dorm ~

I don’t mind that at all ~

Lost in thought, Li Zheng looked intently at Shen Yiyun and said softly with a smile, "So, it’s up to you to open the door at seven in the morning tomorrow."

"..."

"Wait!" Shi Yang suddenly raised his hand, "It’s so late, shouldn’t we escort our senior back to her dorm?"

"Yeah," Li Zheng also reacted.

But Shen Yiyun had already crossed the road as if fleeing from a nightmare, shouting, "Don’t come over! I live inside the school. You guys go, just go!"

Shen Yiyun’s nightmare of three days had officially begun.

Meanwhile, although the senior was resistant, Li Zheng and Shi Yang still made sure she entered Ji University East Gate before they left at ease.

...

That night, after Li Zheng and Shi Yang had washed up and retired to their own beds, it was already past one in the morning.

They should have fallen asleep quickly, but they were both still too excited, tossing and turning.

What’s scarier, Shi Yang had eaten too much garlic, his luck was very strong.

Li Zheng was starting to regret inviting him.

After tossing and turning for five or six minutes, Shi Yang could no longer hold back.

It was like military training or some camp.

In a boys’ dorm, after the lights are out, it’s impossible to fall asleep immediately.

An eternal topic is bound to emerge—

And that is girls.

Shi Yang whispered, "Li Zheng, that Lin Yujing, is she pretty?"

"... Go to sleep, Brother Shi," Li Zheng gently reminded, "And stop flapping the blanket."

"Eh, just airing it out, airing it out..." Shi Yang turned over, calling from across the divider, "We finally have a chemistry girl, is she pretty or not?"

"... Pretty, I guess."

"Is she prettier than the senior?"

"Well... They’re different types."

"Quick, quick, tell me what kind of types."

"It’s like... that kind of wildness. Have you ever seen a stray cat? You want to pet it, but it runs away. When you leave, it follows you back."

"Ah... that does sound interesting," Shi Yang sighed while hugging his blanket, "This is a genuine chemistry girl... why can’t I ever meet one... "

"You’re thinking too much, she hates chemistry."

"Shut up, don’t ruin my fantasy!" Shi Yang persisted, "One more question, is Lin Yujing better looking than Wu Shu?"

"Brother Shi, as someone in chemistry, you should realize that a person’s appearance is merely a combination of proteins and bones, there’s no need to judge others by the shape of their proteins, right?"

"Now that you mention it... why do I suddenly feel like everything is so dull..."

"That’s the spirit. Go to sleep."

...

The next morning, Li Zheng had even more regrets.

It was as if they were ill-fated. The timing for him and Shi Yang to use the toilet was overly synchronized.

When men fight over the bathroom, brotherly love goes out the window.

The one who gets there first enjoys it; the one who goes later not only has to hold it but also has to endure the ’luck’ left by the former.

Fortunately, in the lab, Shi Yang was an open book.

With the guidance of Shen Yiyun and the boost of academic fortune, Li Zheng’s experimental skills had improved rapidly.

As for Shi Yang, while guiding Li Zheng, he also occupied two experimental tables— one for the high-difficulty experiments with Shen Yiyun, and the other for his own amusement (80% of the time producing stench substances), occasionally consulting Shen Yiyun with some questions, he too made quite a progress.

Shen Yiyun, unsurprisingly, spent a lot of time catching up on sleep.

The days usually passed by happily like this.

But the nights were always tough.

Apart from "luck," Shi Yang had to pester Li Zheng every night to talk about girls, no less than half an hour each time.

Li Zheng wanted to kick him into a roadside massage parlor.

But upon reflection, he couldn’t mention this to Shi Yang.

He couldn’t let him know that massage parlors existed in this world.

On Thursday night, the three-day experimental blitz finally ended.

Shen Yiyun was a mess, on the verge of seeing the four o’clock morning sun in Jijing.

But in the end, she still treated Li Zheng and Shi Yang to a hotpot buffet.

After all, they hadn’t eaten properly for a few days.

Li Zheng, usually eating plain and simple at home, had gotten used to a bland diet, and was doing fine these days.

But Shi Yang was truly bursting at the seams with all the food he ate at the buffet, non-stop from the beginning to the end, for a solid two hours, which was probably equivalent to two or three times the amount that Li Zheng and Shen Yiyun had eaten combined.

When it was time to part ways...

Actually, nobody really felt like they were saying goodbye.

Because they would see each other again on Saturday for the training camp, not only Li Zheng and Shi Yang, but Shen Yiyun was also one of the coaching staff.

Even so, Li Zheng and Shi Yang still made a vow to each other—

They must successfully synthesize enough skatole at the national winter training camp.

...

Three days later, Li Zheng finally returned home, and managed to sleep a sound sleep without any talk of girls or "luck".

In his dreams, he prayed that he wouldn’t have to share a room with Shi Yang during the camp.

The next morning, Li Zheng didn’t wake up until after nine o’clock, and without any teachers to manage him at that moment, he decided to take another day off and study at home.

After getting things in order, it was time for a routine check.

It must be said, experiments had opened up a whole new door for learning chemistry.

After three days of intense immersion, his chemistry score had reached an alarming 286.

Even more delightful was that experiments could only be done at a regular pace, so he had accumulated over two hundred hours of vitality value during these days.

With the residual heat from the experiment breakthrough,

It was time to tackle the national decision-making materials.

With the talents of "Chemical Meditation" and "Chemical Frenzy", he faced books that involved complex experiments and some tricky ones, like "Analytical Chemistry", "The Art of Writing Organic Reaction Mechanisms", "ORGANIC", and "Organic Synthesis—Segmentation Method".

Li Zheng only hoped...

That he could take his time getting through them, to savor the challenge a bit more.

Unfortunately, wishes don’t always come true.

He chewed through them all in just two hours.

With the remaining time, he could only go at a normal pace, working through a few sets of theoretical questions from past national decisions.

That night, Li Zheng went to bed early, as the provincial team training was starting the next day, and being in good spirits was important.

Unlike before, this training coincided with the Golden Autumn Camp, and the location remained the Ji University Chemistry Institute.

If one were to register for the Golden Autumn Camp, their performance at the training would also count as part of the evaluation for the camp.

Which is to say, those who placed at the top in the training would not only be included in the provincial team roster, they also had a great chance of signing with Ji University ahead of time.

With this opportunity, many fellow students and teachers sent their blessings ahead of time.

[Tang Zhifei: Sleep early, good luck, and make a great impression, it’s not like I want to mentor a Ji University student on my first time as a class teacher!]

[Li Zheng: Drink more hot water, and wash your feet often.]

[Tang Zhifei: You’ve grown bold, huh! Daring to joke with the principal now, are we!]

...

[Yu Hong: Li Zheng, I normally don’t advocate putting pressure on you, but the principal keeps pressuring me. As the sole hope of Lake Ying, I wish you keep your word and succeed rapidly.]

[Yu Hong: By the way, the head of the training camp is Teacher Zhou Yi, the vice-dean of the Ji University Chemistry Institute. He’s one of the best teachers in the country when it comes to teaching, particularly pay attention to his questions about organic ring formation reactions.]

[Li Zheng: Ok, thank you, Teacher Yu. Also, I have some receipts here.]

[Yu Hong: It’s getting late, rest well.]

...

[Zhang Xiaoke: Master... when you’re not here, it’s like the classroom has no soul, and I’m so bored...]

[Li Zheng: You must be hoping for a chance to relax, right?]

[Zhang Xiaoke: No, I want to study, I feel I can get into a better school.]

[Li Zheng: Then wait a moment, I’ll send you a few sets of exercises.]

[Zhang Xiaoke: Ok, I’ll finish them and give them to you on Monday.]

[Li Zheng: This behavior of yours, I’m not used to it...]

[Zhang Xiaoke: Afraid of being surpassed, huh?]

[Li Zheng: You’re thinking too much, there’s at least a gap of 50 Jiang Qinghuas between us.]

...

[Jiang Qinghua: Well, everyone is encouraging you, let me say something disappointing. There’s always someone better; setbacks are inevitable, so adjust your mindset quickly. Don’t linger in low spirits for too long. The concept of detachment is hard, just maintain a normal heart.]

[Li Zheng: Thanks for caring, I’m very happy. By the way, how has Lin Yujing been these past few days?]

[Jiang Qinghua: ...Why must you ask me?]

[Li Zheng: You’re trustworthy.]

[Jiang Qinghua: ...Alright then, she also took leave, seems like she’s studying college-level physics at home.]

[Li Zheng: Good, then I’ll give her another month.]

...

[Xu Mengxi: I wanted to cheer you on in person, but since you’re not here, then—Fight on>_<!]

[Li Zheng: Thank you, Teacher Mengxi, I’m liking chemistry more and more.]

[Xu Mengxi: Ha! Isn’t thinking about reaction processes fun?]

[Li Zheng: Yes, especially organic, the ring formation is just too exhilarating.]

[Xu Mengxi: Ah... ah that’s what you mean... right, right, right...]

[Li Zheng: Like 3-methylindole, it’s really troublesome to synthesize, you know phenylhydrazine, right?]

[Xu Mengxi: Aargh... don’t let sleep be disturbed, keep fighting>_<!]

...

Besides these, Qiao Bixia, Liu Xin, Qiao Sheng, and Hu Chunmei also sent their wishes for success.

Of course, the truly lively place was the study sharing group Li Zheng had set up when selling textbooks before.

Now, there were nearly 200 alumni in there, and even the junior high section was getting involved.

The group name had been changed to something like "Worshipping Li Zheng Base".

Everyone’s group nickname also started to take on a demonic nature.

[I’ve completely lost it: Tomorrow God Li heads out to the provincial team, if anyone has something to say, speak now!]

Li Zheng’s eyes widened at the sight of the husky avatar. Wasn’t that Zhang Xiaoke?

Responses quickly flooded in.

[God Li is awesome!]

[If you make it to the national finals I’ll buy 20 more textbooks!]

[It’s been days since God Li posted a question, I’m suffering.]

[Sigh, addicted to chemistry and ignoring us.]

This made Li Zheng itch to do something.

[Li Zheng: It’s the first time I’ve seen such a request, I’ll oblige.]

[Li Zheng: "Complete Solutions to Middle School Textbooks" (29 volumes), "High School Entrance Exam Review Lecture Notes Universal Use Book", "5.3 Problem King", "High School Entrance Exam Aid for Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology", "High School Physics Essential Problem Types 1000 Examples"...]

[I was wrong, God Li... I won’t dare again...]

[I’ve completely lost it: Master, if you snatch a national gold... Come back as top ten in the country, and I’ll buy everything you mentioned above!]

[Holy shit... worthy of Xiaoke’s Grandma...]

[Can’t afford to mess with that...]

[Li Zheng: I didn’t have such high goals originally, but for you, I’m willing to fight for it.]

[I’ve completely lost it: What about... top five, can we?]

[Li Zheng: Start saving up. If you buy all the stuff mentioned above, you might be able to buy a car.]

[I’ve completely lost it: Let’s negotiate some more ah(;´?????`)]

Meanwhile, the Dragon Pearl Group was also brimming with anticipation.

However, their discussion was more utilitarian, mainly guessing how many contracts would be offered this time for the training camp. The group owner, Ou Xingzhuo, was showing off his experience from previous years, and Shi Yang mentioned in the middle that he had a stomachache and couldn’t chat anymore, ending the conversation there.

Li Zheng then put his phone down and started to toss and turn.

He continued to do so until around ten o’clock and still hadn’t fallen asleep.

His mind wasn’t very calm...

Even though he wasn’t nervous at all, it was strange.

While tossing and turning, he kept picking up his phone to check if he had missed any well-wishes.

During this time, Wang Cai kept jumping on the bed and wandering around, probably because he hadn’t been petted for several days and was getting itchy.

Li Zheng thus fell into a cycle of turning over ? going to the bathroom ? petting the cat.

Until 11 o’clock, he was still holding Wang Cai and spacing out.

Thump thump thump~

Suddenly, his phone rang.

Li Zheng instantly threw Wang Cai five meters away and grabbed his phone.

[Lin Yujing: ~]

Li Zheng’s mouth twitched upward.

Then he took three minutes and forty seconds before replying.

[Li Zheng: You woke me up.]

[Li Zheng: Why are you bothering me so late, trying to jinx my chance at making the provincial team?]

[Lin Yujing: ~]

[Li Zheng: I know you’ve been taking leave for the past few days to self-study physics at home.]

[Lin Yujing: (fierce)]

[Lin Yujing: I heard there might be a chance to sign with the Chemistry Institute.]

[Li Zheng: Yeah.]

[Lin Yujing: ~]

[Li Zheng: What, are you jealous? If you want to come, just say it. It might still be possible.]

[Lin Yujing: Hate chemistry (covers face crying)]

[Lin Yujing: If you could sign, would you?]

[Li Zheng: Hm, Ji University is indeed a good school, and chemistry is a leading subject there.]

[Lin Yujing: To sign, or not to sign? (fierce)]

[Li Zheng: Why, do you care about this a lot?]

[Lin Yujing: (whistling)]

[Lin Yujing: Just asking.]

[Li Zheng: I’ll decide when the time comes. I’m going to sleep now, don’t disturb me.]

[Lin Yujing: Didn’t you dislike chemistry?]

[Li Zheng: Suddenly I kind of like it.]

[Lin Yujing: You big pig trotter! Trash trash trash!]

[Lin Yujing: I hope you score zero on the experiments!]

[Lin Yujing: Go to sleep!]

After bantering with Lin Yujing, Li Zheng put down his phone and finally felt comfortable enough to start feeling sleepy.

Should he go to Ji University or Jinghua in the end?

Should he go to the School of Physics or the Chemistry Institute?

Ah, what a headache.