William jumped out of the car and ran off toward the other companions. He was in Thomson's arms, and so was the cat.

"Thank God you're free at last!" Said Thomson in a loud and excited voice, as he looked about him and surveyed the animals.

"Yes, we are free at last." Said the sika deer, "You cannot imagine what we have been through these days! Every day we face only hunger, abuse, and the occasional news of the loss of our compatriots... I really do not want to think of those bad days any more!"

"They keep my child in captivity," Added the owl that Photon and Black Ghost had met, "trying to take away his special genes."

"They've got a lot of genes already!" Another sheep complained.

"But it's still a long way from a biological weapon." Said William.

"Yet we can't let him do it anyway!" Ranran said firmly.

"Calm down, all of you." Said Thomson, "Now, come to my house." There was a long line at the foot of the tree, while Thomson left, saying he wanted to find something in the tree.

He came down in a few minutes, carrying a heavy, green-bound book with a red ribbon between the cover page and Page 1.

"Guys, I really sympathize with you and hate the scientist." Thomson cleared his throat, "It was a very difficult thing for you to be born. You can imagine how much effort your founders put into finding and creating specific genes, and how many failed preliminary experiments they did. They can only apply them to you if they get steady results! I'm the cat's creator, so I can relate."

The animals were talking about how they had been born.

"Unfortunately, destiny doesn't seem to be kind to you." He went on, "You've been caught for various reasons, which is beyond doubt. From the details William has just given me, the man must have started this project a long time ago. Hundreds of lives have long since been taken from us forever. Their laughter, their pulses, and everything is history.

"But what can we do about those poor creatures? Their cells are dead and lifeless, aren't they?"

At this, some of the animals began to sob.

"My friends, it's normal that we don't want to look back. But remember that none of your suffering happened to you for no reason. We say we don't want to look back because we don't think we can find comfort in the blood, tears and pain! But we have to, because all the blood, tears and pain have made us stronger.

"Maybe you thought about giving up running away, thought about sacrificing your lives, but you finally escaped. Because in your hearts the flames of hope live on; because you believe that someone will come and save you.

"Well, now you are free, and you can once again smell the earth that comes with the spring breeze, hear the bright voice of the thrush in the jungle, and watch the white snow melt quietly on your hands. You are back in the embrace of nature again, back to the place you long to be.

"But I don't think that's enough. People have to remember something. I want them to understand that science is for research, not destruction; it is used to explain and use nature, not to conquer it. So I propose that you write a memoir of your experiences called The Dark Capsule. I also think that a memorial should be built where the now razed Capsule Laboratory existed, and it will show the full truth of the past darkness. Such dangerous plan must not be forgotten, otherwise we won't know how many more will follow!"

Thundering applause broke out from the animals. "I agree!" Shouted one of the animals. "Me too!" Said an owl.

"What you said cannot be more correct, Mr Thomson. Science is for research, not destruction; it is used to explain and use nature, not to conquer it." Another cat stepped forward and said, "According to my very limited knowledge, some of us seem to be turning away from the spirit of science and making it serve their own interests. In the future, I sincerely hope that everyone on this planet will learn from this lesson and always have a good attitude toward science. Otherwise, no matter how great our achievements, if we do not apply them properly, we will only invite endless disasters for ourselves."

"I hope so," Thomson said softly, looking up at the sinking mother star.

"You must hurry home." Added Thomson, "Your relatives must be very anxious for your safety. Go and be together, and mourn no more for the pain of the past."

But the animals did not leave at once; instead, they crowded round Thomson. "See you soon, Mr Thomson!" They said wistfully. William could see the tears glistening brightly in their eyes.

"Good luck... Go and enjoy your dinner!" He could say no more and turned away.

The animals, eager to return, flew away and were soon far away, each heading for his own home.

Only William, Ranran, Photon, Natalie, Black Ghost, the spider robot, Thomson and his gene-edited cat were left standing under the tree.

"Poor fellows," William sighed, looking in the direction where the animals disappeared.

"We will never know their pains." Ranran took William's hand and whispered.

"Write, let them write. Only words can warn people." Said Thomson.

"I have a question, Sir. Will you continue to work on gene editing?" Photon asked.

"You bet," He blurted out, "but I'm going to limit my research very strictly. First of all, I won't study any technology that could be misused. Secondly, I will also suggest to the government to improve the laws and regulations on the use of science and technology as soon as possible. You have to deepen the idea that science and technology need to be used properly."

"You're right." Ranran replied, "At a lot of times the technology itself has no obvious interest. The nature of them depends on our own opinions and choices."

"Indeed. This time it is so dangerous that I must make people remember that we should treat science properly and use science and technology properly. We must not let the crisis spread again!"

"Sir, we cannot rest. The energy core is not yet fully charged, and there are still two planets to explore. We must leave as soon as possible. Sorry." Said William, bowing.

"It doesn't matter. But I don't know what's going to happen there, so please be safe!"

"No problem, thank you for asking! Please do not let this crisis happen again!"

"I will!" Replied Thomson firmly, "Bon voyage and wish you an early return to your universe!"

The party waved goodbye to the shorthair cat. The two cats stood quietly under the tree, looking in the direction of the disappearing figures until they were out of sight.

"Go up, boy." Thomson took the gene-edited cat and entered the tree.

"We're going back to Uncle Sam's, too. Farewell, gentlemen." Said the spider robot reluctantly to the others. Then he got on Black Ghost 1. The engines roared, hauling two great eagles over the trees.

"Well, let's go and find the spaceship." Ranran said.

With the help of the computer, William and his party could easily see the huge white shadow. But when everyone was aboard the spaceship, ready to start the engine to fly away from the planet, William suddenly noticed that the atmosphere around was extremely unusual.

"It's so quiet here," Ranran whispered in his ear in surprise.

A deep voice surrounded the ship. "No... A third of my plan failed just like this! No, it can't be, It can't be! Now I swear to you that you won't escape again, you won't!"

William was about to reply, but the voice died away in an instant. The only sound left was the rustling of leaves in the breeze.

"We will be in danger," He said, "and I feel it is coming nearer and nearer. So we have to be constantly vigilant. I should like to see if there really is a You-Know-Who who wouldn't want me to escape."

He pressed the start button and gradually stepped on the gas. The spaceship glided a few hundred meters before soaring into the air. The surrounding mountains were fading rapidly, and the violets and tulips in the fields were too small to be noticed.

In a few minutes they were out of the atmosphere. "This is the planet we're going to." Natalie said, pointing to a large blue-purple planet on the computer screen, "There are going to be lots of checkpoints here, too."

"How far is it?" William asked.

"About 150 light years."

"Then let's be quick!" William turned on the "curvature-driving" mode. The engine gave off a brilliant light, and in an instant the ship disappeared into a sea of stars. There was nothing in the dark, deep space but faint, erratic stars in the distance...