Turning the corner, Brian Carter was lucky enough to catch a taxi, and twenty minutes later, Brian Carter was back at his own home.

Beijing has long been known for the saying: “the east is wealthy, the west is noble, the south is poor, and the north is lowly.” Brian Carter’s home was in the dormitory area of a leather factory in the southern part of the city.

This state-owned factory had been shut down for many years, and most of the residents were laid-off workers from the plant. The buildings themselves were old tube-shaped apartments built decades ago.

The stairwell was pitch black with no lighting, so Brian Carter had to feel his way up the stairs in the dark. After spending half a month on an alien planet, the only lighting device he had—his phone—had long since run out of battery.

Brian Carter climbed the stairs step by step, his footing steady, because the stairwell was cluttered with all sorts of unexpected obstacles: piles of coal briquettes, bicycles, beer bottles, and more.

This was life. Even though it was now the new era, today’s Earth was not much different from the past—especially in the slums where Brian Carter lived. At a glance, it still looked like something out of the last century.

Brian Carter’s home was on the top floor: one bedroom and one living room, with an area of no more than forty square meters. The room contained only a few simple, old-fashioned pieces of furniture, all left behind by the landlord.

The only things that truly belonged to Brian Carter, aside from his clothes, were the old computer in the bedroom and a Giant-brand road bicycle.

Gently closing the door, Brian Carter walked into the bedroom, sat down at the desk, and turned on the computer.

The old computer started up slowly. Brian Carter took a rectangular metal box from his pocket and carefully opened it.

Inside the box lay a bottle of purple liquid, quietly resting there. Its crystal-clear color glimmered with an indescribable air of mystery under the light.

The bottle was small, looking very much like a common nutritional oral solution. There was no manufacturer, no date, no instructions.

Brian Carter gently stroked the bottle with his finger, his heart full of excitement and anticipation.

Every year, the Pan-Human Alliance would send one hundred doses of gene optimization serum to the Earth Federation, to help the elite of Earth unlock the seventh brain region.

Seventy billion people, one hundred doses—the competition was unimaginably fierce. For an ordinary person like Brian Carter, it was something he wouldn’t even dare to dream of.

Brian Carter had once seen on the news that chubby federal president, in front of the global media, awarding the box containing the gene optimization serum to the one hundred most outstanding human elites.

The elites who received the gene optimization serum all wept with joy; some even fainted on the spot from sheer happiness.

Those who had no chance to obtain the serum could only gaze longingly at that tantalizing little bottle, their hearts filled with envy and jealousy.

Brian Carter remembered that the gene optimization serum was supposed to be green, but the one he had was a mysterious purple.

As he was thinking this, the computer finished booting up. Brian Carter resisted the urge to take the serum immediately, closed the box, and gently placed it in the drawer.

Since April 1, 2016, when aliens arrived on Earth, discussions about alien civilizations had never been as heated as they were now. Overnight, countless websites about alien civilizations sprang up, the most famous of which was Starry Sky Net.

Opening the Starry Sky Net homepage, Brian Carter began searching for information about the gene optimization serum.

“The brain is the most marvelous organ in the human body, bar none. The average person uses less than ten percent of their brain’s potential. Even a genius like Einstein only used thirty percent. Taking the gene optimization serum can greatly increase the brain’s development and utilization rate. Depending on each person’s physical condition, the degree of improvement varies, but it can reach over ninety percent at its highest!”

“In fact, there is a hidden special region in the brain called the seventh brain domain. Once this area is unlocked, many powerful superpowers can be awakened.”

Brian Carter’s eyes lit up. “Superpowers? Could I become Spider-Man?”

Becoming smarter was certainly a good thing, but gaining a superpower was even more exciting and sparked endless imagination.

“Different people develop different superpowers after taking the gene optimization serum. Even the most advanced alien civilizations can’t say for sure how many types of superpowers the seventh brain domain can activate.”

“Over seventy percent of those who take it become super-strong warriors. Others have become genius musicians, mathematicians, physicists, chemists, and so on.”

“Mathematician?” Brian Carter frowned. He had never been interested in things like math or physics in his life. “If I accidentally became a mathematician, that would really be a disaster.”

“According to incomplete statistics, less than one in ten thousand people fail to gain any superpower after taking the gene optimization serum. One in a hundred thousand dies as a result, and one in a million becomes a vegetable. This shows that, at this stage, none of the gene optimization serum formulas are perfect.”

After reading the article in one go, Brian Carter glanced at the desk. There was still half a pack of Soft Red Pagoda Mountain cigarettes. Brian Carter was a heavy smoker, and only smoked this cheapest brand. He took one out and lit it for himself. Wisps of blue smoke curled up, looking quite beautiful.

Taking the gene optimization serum did carry some risk, but those risks were far outweighed by the benefits it could bring.

In fact, aside from taking the gene optimization serum, humans could also achieve the goal of unlocking the seventh brain domain by cultivating the [Starlight Technique].