1: Chapter 1 Biochemistry, Environmental Science, and Materials Science: The Four Major Pitfalls?

In September at Z University, the summer heat had yet to fade.

The air was thick, carrying the sweltering humidity unique to the south, weighing heavily on the shoulders of every student entering the school gates.

The school entrance was bustling, as freshmen and parents dragging suitcases of all colors merged into a slow-moving tide, surging toward the rows of freshman reception desks under sunshades.

Chen Youhua was part of this tide.

He was of average height, wearing a simple white T-shirt and faded jeans, dragging a semi-worn large dark blue suitcase.

The wheels made a continuous, soft clicking sound on the uneven concrete ground.

His gaze swept past the vibrant department signs reading "Computer Science and Technology," "Finance," and "Electronic Information Engineering," finally landing on a relatively plain blue tent in the corner.

"School of Life Sciences."

There weren't many people in front of the tent, forming a sharp contrast with the long, winding queue at the School of Computer Science next door.

A few upperclassmen wearing volunteer vests seemed rather idle.

Chen Youhua took a deep breath and walked over.

"Hello, classmate! Welcome to the School of Life Sciences. Please show your admission notice."

An upperclassman wearing black-rimmed glasses, who looked quite refined, looked up with a formulaic, enthusiastic smile.

Chen Youhua took out a thin envelope from his backpack and handed it over.

The upperclassman took it, opened it skillfully, and his gaze fell on the major column.

"Oh, Biological Sciences major..."

The smile on the upperclassman's face seemed to pause subtly before returning to normal, but his gaze changed imperceptibly.

It wasn't pure welcome, nor was it contempt; it was more like a complex look mixed with understanding, regret, and even a faint trace of pity.

Chen Youhua was no stranger to this look.

From the moment he received his admission notice and excitedly told his relatives and friends about his choice of major, this look had appeared, either subtly or directly.

When he was filling out his preferences, his Class Advisor had earnestly analyzed the employment reports of the "Four Great Pitfalls" with him.

"Bio-Chem-Enviro-Mat" refers to Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Materials Science.

Under the reputation passed down through generations of upperclassmen...

...these four majors had all become subjects that others shunned, and anyone involved with them would surely weep.

Because the work environment for students graduating from these four majors left them wanting to cry but having no tears.

Low wages, heavy workloads, poor working environments, and a certain level of risk.

During the summer break, the neighbor's older brother, who studied computer science, had also patted his shoulder and jokingly said, "You've got guts."

But for Chen Youhua, these four disciplines happened to have a ceiling that others couldn't imagine.

In this era of slow theoretical development, disciplines that can quickly climb the technology tree and rapidly apply theory to practice—Biology, Chemistry, and Materials—are all indispensable.

Now, at the university gates, at the starting point of truly entering this professional field, that look was once again accurately projected onto him.

While looking down to register the information, the upperclassman asked seemingly casually.

"Classmate, did you choose this yourself? Or... were you reassigned?"

"I chose it myself."

Chen Youhua's voice was very calm, showing no ripples of emotion.

He met the upperclassman's gaze, which was now filled with a more obvious sense of inquiry, and nodded calmly.

The upperclassman said nothing more, but the pity in his eyes seemed to deepen slightly, as if saying silently:

"Another young man who doesn't know how deep the pitfall is."

He quickly completed the procedures, handed over an envelope containing freshman materials and keys, and pointed the way.

"The dormitories are over there, Building 3, Area B. Good luck, junior."

"Thank you, senior."

Chen Youhua took the envelope, thanked him politely, and then dragged his suitcase, turning to merge into the crowd and head toward the dormitory area.

The sunlight was a bit dazzling, feeling slightly hot on his exposed skin.

The sound of the suitcase wheels was drowned out by the surrounding noise.

There was no particular expression on Chen Youhua's face; he was neither extremely excited about entering university nor depressed or resentful from being affected by that look of pity.

Because, he wasn't afraid.

It wasn't blind optimism, nor was it youthful arrogance.

His confidence came from a secret that only he knew.

He had a "System."

The name sounded fantastical, but its existence was exceptionally simple.

It wasn't like the descriptions in novels where it could instantly instill Peerless Divine Skills or conjure up artifacts of wealth out of thin air.

It was more like a silent and powerful auxiliary tool, deeply rooted in the depths of his mind.

This System brought him two things.

The first was "extremely powerful memory."

It wasn't as exaggerated as photographic memory, but for any text, images, or data he encountered, as long as he focused his attention on receiving them, they could be stored clearly and firmly in his brain, just like using a high-precision scanner to input into a hard drive.

When needed, retrieval and invocation were also exceptionally fast and precise.

During the three years of high school, the vast sea of textbook knowledge, complex formulas and theorems, and lengthy historical timelines were all organized neatly by him, ready at any moment.

This laid an incredibly solid foundation for him.

The second thing was even more crucial.

When encountering particularly difficult problems, it would provide him with inspiration prompts.

These prompts didn't give the answer directly; they were more like a sudden glimmer of light in his mind when he was deep in thought and unable to find a solution, an unthought-of angle of approach, or a seemingly unrelated piece of knowledge being instantly linked.

It didn't guarantee success, but it could always point out a possible direction for him amidst the fog of thought.

In the later stages of high school, those tricky competition questions and complex final problems were conquered many times under such flashes of inspiration.

It was precisely this ability that allowed him to steadily claim the crown of Provincial Top Scorer amidst the thousands of candidates in the Gaokao.

Biological Sciences, a major mockingly called a "pitfall" by the outside world, appeared to others as full of unknown risks and difficult prospects.

But in Chen Youhua's eyes, it was more like a primeval forest containing infinite mysteries, waiting for him to explore.

Complex life phenomena, exquisite molecular mechanisms, unknown genetic codes... these challenges were exactly the best fuel to stimulate his System's abilities.

His powerful memory allowed him to efficiently accumulate vast professional knowledge, while the crucial inspiration prompts might illuminate those deep, unknown fields on his future scientific research path.

Pitying looks?

He understood, but he didn't care.

The path beneath his feet was, after all, forged by himself.

He had the confidence and this unique assistance to walk the path he had chosen well.

He looked up at the lush, tree-lined campus road ahead; sunlight filtered through the gaps in the sycamore leaves, casting dancing spots of light on his suitcase.

Chen Youhua gripped the handle tightly and walked forward with steady steps.

The clicking sound of the suitcase wheels seemed to carry a determined rhythm.

The first day of university had begun.