Chapter 109: The All-Encompassing Human

"It was as if a blind spot had appeared; I couldn't feel anything at all," the little girl said. "But that blind spot only lasted for a fleeting moment, so I kept thinking it was just my imagination. If you hadn't come to ask me or look for me today, I wouldn't have even remembered it."

"Oh, I see." Li Qingshui nodded, as if he had found the source of his unease. "What was that blind spot like? Was it the same as the day you encountered the giant willow tree?"

"No. The day I met the willow tree, there were no blind spots within my perception. It was just that even though the giant willow stood right before me, I couldn't sense it at all." When the little girl spoke of the willow, her eyes held not fear, but confusion and bewilderment. "It was such a strange feeling. It was clearly right there, yet it didn't emit a single trace of life force."

"Perhaps its life has evolved into another form."

Li Qingshui nodded, pondered for a moment, and then looked up again. "Well, now that I know the source of my unease, I won't disturb you any longer. I've been busy lately, so I'll be off. Liu Chang, take care of your injuries, and Xiao Jing, make sure you eat well."

"If you ever have any needs or requests, don't hesitate to ask me. I will do everything within my power to fulfill them," Li Qingshui said, patting Liu Chang on the shoulder once more. "And as for your parents and relatives, I will help you find them. I have even sent people to contact Kaifeng, so rest assured."

"Yes, thank you." Liu Chang nodded, and just as he was about to see Li Qingshui off, he suddenly remembered something. "Wait, don't go yet. I want to ask you something."

As he spoke, Liu Chang took a vial from his inner pocket. "What is this serum you gave me last time?"

"Oh, this? It's a DNA Recessive Genetic Manifestation Serum." Li Qingshui looked at the vial and smiled. "It's my greatest research achievement. Keep it safe. I was planning to tell you about it in a month, but since you're asking now, I'll explain it briefly. This is a serum that can trigger the manifestation of recessive DNA factors."

"What 'recessive DNA manifestation'?" Liu Chang tried to frown, but finding his facial muscles somewhat stiff, he gave up. "Just give me the general function; the simpler, the better."

"Well, to put it simply, it's a serum that brings out the instincts from the very beginning of your evolution," Li Qingshui explained in the most concise terms. "The progression of human life—from single-celled to multi-celled, to fish, to amphibians, and finally to the primates we are today—shows that in the distant past, we shared the same ancestors as all other life, because everyone started from single-celled organisms."

"Yes, I know that." Liu Chang nodded.

"This means that in the remote past, humans were fish, amphibians, and even cnidarians. We have done everything that lower species have done..." Li Qingshui continued, "Don't be disgusted, but to put it bluntly, we share the same ancestors as maggots. We are all just participants in the journey of life evolution; we simply embarked on a different path."

"Okay, and then?" Liu Chang asked.

"As humans reached the present, although we have become highly advanced in certain areas, such as our brains and hands, we have regressed significantly in others," Li Qingshui continued. "We were once fish, but now our swimming ability is far inferior to theirs. We were amphibians, but our survival skills are far inferior to theirs. We were cnidarians, but our ability to heal wounds is far inferior to theirs."

"Because evolution is selective; no one can be perfect. If you want to become a giraffe, you lose the advantage of hiding in the grass. This is the result of natural selection and the principle of use and disuse. In the natural world, there is no such thing as perfect evolution." Li Qingshui smiled suddenly. "So, throughout the constant process of use and disuse, only about one to two percent of the useful or accessible segments of human DNA and RNA have remained active. Those ancient, discarded genetic fragments are deeply hidden within our genes."

"These segments that are used and constantly refined—like our language ability and our capacity to make tools—are called dominant DNA genetic factors. Those that are left unused—such as the ability to breathe underwater, the capacity for bodily regeneration, or extreme resistance to cold and heat—are the recessive DNA genetic factors."

"The serum I gave you is intended to allow those discarded, hidden functions within the human body to slowly manifest, giving us the abilities of our ancestors without losing our current functions." Li Qingshui smiled. "That's why I call it the DNA Recessive Genetic Information Manifestation Serum. The name is a bit long, but once you know its function, it's easy to remember."

"That sounds incredible!" Liu Chang's heart skipped a beat as he listened to the explanation. "Doesn't that mean after injecting this, one could fly in the sky, run underwater, have immense strength, and survive being shot a hundred times?"

Animal abilities were so vast. If humans could dominate nature with only one percent of their dominant factors active, Liu Chang couldn't imagine what humans would become if the other ninety-nine percent were unleashed.

More importantly, this wasn't crude genetic synthesis or modification; it was a disciplined way to let one's own innate abilities manifest. Even Liu Chang knew that this was far more precise than simple gene splicing and would have no side effects, because these things were not forced upon you by someone else—they were already yours.

"Is there any danger in injecting this?" Liu Chang shook the vial in his hand.

"Theoretically, no, but I haven't tested it in practice." Li Qingshui took the serum back. "The synthesis and preparation of this are too complex. Even for me, it took nearly all my energy to produce this one dose while under Zhao Zhuo's supervision."

"Keep it for now. I'm still conducting research in this area. Only when the test samples are ready and I can confirm it's safe will I use it."

"Understood." Hearing how precious the serum was, Liu Chang tucked it back into his bag.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. I'll send someone to notify you once it's confirmed safe."

"All right." Liu Chang nodded, not wanting to waste any more of the time of the number-one man in Zhengzhou, and saw him to the door. "In that case, you should go. You're very busy right now."

Li Qingshui took one final look at Liu Chang and Xiao Jing, then turned and left the room.

This time, Li Qingshui was gone for a very long period.

During this time, Liu Chang and Xiao Jing had nothing else to do. Liu Chang spent his days exercising his body, and Xiao Jing spent most of her time with him. The two of them became a unique sight in the experimental zone; no matter how high-ranking the officials were, they treated the pair as honored guests. Anything they wanted was approved instantly, they could go anywhere without obstruction, and their food, water, and lodging were the best the zone had to offer—except for one place they were forbidden from entering: Li Qingshui's experimental area, the former Experimental Group One.

Li Qingshui never told Liu Chang or Xiao Jing why they couldn't go there, but there were two occasions when Liu Chang tried to find him, only to be turned away by the guards.

Since the soldiers usually didn't dare offend him, Liu Chang knew this was Li Qingshui's instruction. Although he was a bit puzzled by the restriction, he didn't dwell on it. After all, Li Qingshui's status was different now, and the experimental area was a restricted military zone. As an "outsider," he really had no need to go in. After being turned away the second time, he wisely stopped trying.

Thus, Liu Chang lived a very peaceful life during this period. Within the chaos of the world, the research facility was like an isolated safe zone. All dangers from the outside world were blocked by the formidable presence of Li Qingshui, allowing Liu Chang to live a life unlike anyone else's.

Until a soldier found him.

"You are Mr. Liu Chang, right?" The soldier who found him was a junior officer who looked less than thirty. When he approached Liu Chang, who was working out in the gym, his expression was very respectful.

"Yes, who are you?" Liu Chang set down his gym equipment and looked at the stranger, whom he didn't recognize at all.

"I'm just a platoon leader in the military district, in charge of the Chief's food supplies," the man said with a smile.

"Oh, is there something you need?" Liu Chang looked at the man's hesitant expression, carefully scrutinized his face, and then asked, puzzled, "Have we met before?"

"We met once, but you probably don't remember. We just passed each other a few days ago." The man nodded at him.

"Oh, then what can I do for you today?" Liu Chang sat down next to the gym equipment and patted the spot beside him. "Sit. Just tell me what's on your mind."

"Well... here..." The man looked around at the other people nearby. "It's a bit inconvenient."

"What exactly is it?" Seeing the man acting so furtively, Liu Chang grew impatient. He didn't want to move just because of someone else's word.

After all, this was the apocalypse, and the entire world was in chaos. Even here, there were still many bloody incidents every day. So, even though Liu Chang had lived peacefully for a while, his basic sense of caution had not diminished. He knew that Li Qingshui was both his wings and his burden—once people knew you were connected to a powerful figure, they wouldn't easily target you, but if they did, it wouldn't be something he could easily handle.