Chapter 84: The Finest Genes

After finishing his sentence, Zhao Zhuo immediately pulled the trigger of his rifle. The rapid bursts of gunfire echoed throughout the testing ground; propelled by gunpowder, the metal bullets shot from his barrel and rained down upon the hairless freak.

Thud, thud, thud!

Each bullet buried itself in the creature’s skin with a muffled sound. As the gunfire faded, Zhao Zhuo lowered his weapon, and Li Qingshui stepped forward to observe the strange, bald figure.

“Mmm!” The creature emitted a peculiar sound upon seeing Li Qingshui approach. He slowly dug out the bullets lodged in the folds of his skin or those that had barely pierced through.

“Well?” Zhao Zhuo laughed loudly, “Armor-like skin that even rifle bullets can’t penetrate—yet it doesn’t hinder his mobility at all.”

“Here, let’s continue!” Zhao Zhuo said, tossing the military rifle to the freak, commanding, “Tear it apart!”

“Mmm!” Following the order, the creature caught the rifle in midair, grasped the barrel with one hand and the stock with the other, and snapped it effortlessly. With another powerful pull, parts and splinters flew everywhere, leaving what was once a pristine steel rifle in ruins, scattered across the floor.

“That’s real strength!” Zhao Zhuo declared, then roared, “Come, let Mr. Li see your speed and reflexes.”

Upon hearing this, the wrinkled-skinned creature immediately started running in place within the testing ground, moving at astonishing speed. Every stride left a footprint in the hard laboratory tiles. Meanwhile, Zhao Zhuo walked over to Li Qingshui, picked up the scattered parts, and hurled them at the creature from different angles.

Given the various angles, each part followed its own unique trajectory and, after some time in flight, became separated by several meters as they approached the runner. Yet the creature, unfazed by these distances, displayed remarkable neural reflexes and coordination. He darted back and forth at lightning speed, seamlessly switching between stillness and movement, and caught every part before it hit the ground.

“Come back!” Zhao Zhuo commanded. The creature obediently returned and handed the parts back just as they were.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Zhao Zhuo grinned with unrestrained pride, pleased that his scientific creation had not let him down.

“It is impressive. Unless a field army company is extremely lucky, they’d never subdue him,” Li Qingshui admitted, stepping closer to inspect the synthetic monster’s head and pupils. “But his intelligence seems terribly low—far below that of a normal person.”

“Yes, we combined animal genetic fragments,” Zhao Zhuo said without reservation. “While we gained their powerful physiques, their intellect dragged us down a bit.”

“That’s unavoidable. Though we say we extract gene fragments, it’s never that pure. Still, it doesn’t matter.” Zhao Zhuo patted the creature’s tough wrinkled skin and laughed. “As an experimental product, he understands human speech and follows orders. Why do I need high intelligence? Too much intelligence would only be a burden for me. Right, monster?”

Zhao Zhuo smiled at the creature.

“Mmm!” The freak nodded, half understanding.

“Besides, he’ll never undergo natural evolution again,” Li Qingshui continued, observing the creature. “Artificial genes are, after all, broken products—a harsh gene chain, incapable of further change.”

“Yes—infertile, low intelligence, and unable to evolve further,” Zhao Zhuo replied. “These are defects, but except for the last one, the other two don’t matter to me. All I need is combat ability. And though they can’t evolve, these are just first-generation products. With better genes in the future, I can replace these defective ones by artificial means.”

“Haha, the slow pace of natural evolution… Well, it’s not so slow anymore. But even at its fastest, how can it match the speed of artificial synthesis?” A hint of madness flickered in Zhao Zhuo’s eyes. “Whenever nature produces superior animal genes, I can extract and inject them into the human body. What could be simpler and more direct? Humanity already stands at the pinnacle of Earth’s organisms—those inferior species, no matter how quickly they evolve, can never rival thousands of years of human scientific progress.”

“Thank God for giving us science enthusiasts such an era—an era of global evolution, an era of chaos. Researches that were impossible before now yield results. Is there a more wonderful time than this? Join me…” Zhao Zhuo extended his hand to Li Qingshui. “Join me; in these studies, only you can truly help. Between us, there is no hierarchy—only science. The future belongs to us!”

“Let those stupid pigs die; humanity needs only elites like you and me to perpetuate the finest genes, don’t you agree?” As he spoke, Zhao Zhuo’s eyes grew wild with bloodlust. “Well, Mr. Li, have you made your decision? I want only one answer!”

“Hmm.” Li Qingshui nodded, smiling as well. “My answer is yes! Even if I could refuse you, could I resist the temptation of science?”

“So you mean—?”

“I’ll join!” Li Qingshui looked at Zhao Zhuo and the creature beside him, smiling. “Besides, do I really have the right to refuse?”

“Haha, I have no intention of threatening you. My invitation is sincere, Mr. Li.” Zhao Zhuo waved to send the creature away, then earnestly extended his right hand to Li Qingshui. “Welcome to the elite team!”

“It’s my honor!” Two young but strong hands clasped together.

Sixteen days later.

Special forces arrived at the training ground.

“Professor Li said he was going to do some research a couple weeks ago and disappeared. Haven’t seen him since.” In the temporary training ground next to the science park, Liu Chang complained to Shen Mingyi, “Not a trace of him, I wonder if something’s happened.”

“Mr. Li is so smart—what could possibly happen?” Shen Mingyi, dressed in military uniform, fiddled with his sidearm. “Everyone has food and drink, it’s peaceful outside, and we’re all preparing for urban reconstruction. What could go wrong? And didn’t he use the research institute’s connections to bring you here?”

“Yes, but I haven’t seen him since. It makes me uneasy.” Liu Chang looked at the military pistol he was gradually mastering, and said, “He brought me here, but didn’t even say hello. Told me to learn how to use all the individual weapons, but with so many, how can I possibly master them all?”

“No one expects you to master them, just know how to use them. Isn’t that easy?” Shen Mingyi laughed. “Like pistols and grenades—being skilled and accurate is tough, but pulling a trigger or yanking a pin is simple enough. Just a few tries and you’ll get it.”

“That’s true.” Liu Chang continued fiddling with his pistol.

Thus, Liu Chang and Shen Mingyi trained at the ground until nightfall. Exhausted, Liu Chang returned to his room, and naturally found the little girl who had waited for him all day.

“I’m back.” Liu Chang entered, closed the door, and looked at the only person who had stayed by his side these past days.

“You’re back.” Xiao Jing greeted him warmly, but this time with an unusual expression.

“Professor Li came by just now,” the girl whispered, “He seemed anxious, as if he were hiding from something. He stayed only a few seconds, gave a brief instruction, and left.”

“What did he say?” Liu Chang sensed the tension.

“He told you to meet him at Laboratory Area Three, where he used to work, at exactly midnight tonight.”

“Did he say what for?”

“No, only to be careful not to let anyone see you,” the girl replied. “But with me here, don’t worry—I won’t let you be discovered.”

“Alright.” Liu Chang nodded and waited with the girl until true nightfall.

With worry weighing on their hearts, they checked the time repeatedly, and waited precisely until 11:50.

“Let’s go.” After confirming the time a third time, Liu Chang carried the girl out.

Leaving his room and heading toward the refuge, Liu Chang, with the girl’s help, avoided the patrolling soldiers from afar. They crossed the dormitory area and science park, arriving at Laboratory Area Three right on time, and found Li Qingshui already waiting inside.

Entering Li Qingshui’s office, Liu Chang saw his former teacher again for the first time in sixteen days.

“You look like you haven’t slept for three or four days straight.” Liu Chang looked up and saw that Li Qingshui was still the same, but his spirits were poor, his calm eyes bloodshot.

“Pretty much. I came out today especially to ask you something.” Li Qingshui, his eyes red, looked at Liu Chang. “Are you willing to become me? Or rather, possess the best part of me?”

“Become you? Possess what part?” Liu Chang asked, puzzled.

“Possess my genetic fragment!” Li Qingshui said, taking out two small bottles—one blue, one red—from his lab coat, pointing to the red one. “This is my extracted gene—the best part, of course!”

“And this one,” Li Qingshui pointed to the blue bottle, “is a repair component I separated from the Red Mist—a special substance Zhao Zhuo hasn’t discovered. It greatly increases the success rate of gene synthesis and leaves no aftereffects for those who undergo the procedure. Of course, given the uniqueness and fragility of genes, each person can only undergo this surgery once, and even with this agent, there’s still a risk of failure.”

“What happens if it fails?” Liu Chang asked.

“Death, for sure,” Li Qingshui answered. “So I’m here today to ask if you’re willing to possess my gene.”

“What are the odds?”

“Seventy to ninety percent, I can’t say for sure,” Li Qingshui replied. (To be continued)