Chapter 164: Initial Gene Testing
Su Hao had a deep appreciation for A-Qiang due to his remarkable resilience. A-Qiang was clear about his goals, persistent in his efforts, and faced any challenges and problems bravely while seeking solutions. Although he might not be the smartest among this group, he was Su Hao’s favorite. If he introduced A-Qiang to Yashan, Yashan would undoubtedly like him.
After collecting their blood samples, Su Hao returned to his laboratory. He saved all the blood sample information and stored it in the Pinball Space. Then, he called A-Qiang into his lab.
Su Hao asked, “A-Qiang, you now have eight different Mutants sequences in front of you. Next, I will help you acquire the evolution of one of these sequences. So, which one do you like?”
A-Qiang widened his eyes in disbelief and said, “Mutants? Boss Wei brought us here to evolve into Mutants?”
Su Hao nodded and replied, “That’s right, but it’s not the same as the evolution you’re familiar with. You won’t need to devour blood and flesh.”
A-Qiang couldn’t describe his complex feelings. The events from two months ago were still fresh in his memory. He despised those reckless and destructive Mutants, but he was powerless against them. He also loathed his own weakness, which nearly cost him his life.
Now, he heard Boss Wei say that they could evolve into Mutants. He hated Mutants, but he also yearned for power. He wanted the strength to protect himself and his family.
A-Qiang nodded and remained silent, carefully examining the descriptions of each sequence. When he came across the “Prophet” sequence, he hesitated briefly. It wasn’t because “Prophet” had any special features, but rather because it had the note “effect not detailed” and no subsequent evolutionary levels, unlike the other sequences. Su Hao had mentioned the eight sequences, and the “Prophet” sequence seemed different. This unique sequence was extracted from the genes of the local population. Su Hao merely speculated that this particular gene sequence might have something to do with “Prophet” but with a high degree of uncertainty, even he didn’t know what abilities he would gain from transplanting this gene.
After attempting to transplant it into a small round mouse and finding no observable differences in the surviving mouse, Su Hao decided to leave this gene sequence for further research, assuming nothing unexpected happened.
After some contemplation, A-Qiang ultimately chose “Speed Human.” Su Hao smiled and confirmed his choice before allowing A-Qiang to leave.
In Su Hao’s perspective, there was no clear distinction between the strength of these sequences. Later on, each had its own advantages, and once Mutants reached the sixth level, they had a high chance of having a strong self-preservation capability, making them difficult to kill. Regarding the fact that Su Hao had seemingly easily defeated the “Heavenly King” Stan in the past, it appeared simple on the surface, but in reality, Su Hao had utilized unauthorized procedures. If “Heavenly Lord” Stan had discovered Su Hao beforehand, it would have been a different story.
Hence, from another perspective, most Mutants chose to remain concealed. It was an incredibly wise decision since no Mutant knew how they would meet their end.
“Next, I’ll help A-Qiang design the ‘Speed Human’ gene sequence and test its feasibility using the ‘Gene Simulated Transcription System.’”
Designing and simulating the genes took Su Hao five days. Afterward, he had successfully designed a complete “Speed Human” gene sequence based on A-Qiang’s genes, adding blood energy enhancement genes to ensure the success rate of A-Qiang’s future evolution.
Su Hao then spent a day cultivating some gene modification fluids for the pre-evolution tests. Su Hao called A-Qiang into the lab and, under his slightly nervous gaze, injected a small amount of gene modification fluid into A-Qiang’s hand back.
The amount of gene fluid was minimal, at most modifying a small area on the back of his hand. It was used to perform an adaptation test and posed no danger.
Soon, the skin on A-Qiang’s hand back changed, becoming withered and taut, visibly different from the surrounding skin. After patiently waiting for an hour, Su Hao cut a tiny piece of A-Qiang’s flesh from the modified area and repaired it with “Healing.”
Su Hao then said, “All done, A-Qiang, you can leave.”
A-Qiang nodded and silently walked out.
After A-Qiang left, Su Hao recorded the information of the modified flesh into the Pinball Space and entered it to observe. A while later, Su Hao exited the Pinball Space, his face filled with excitement, muttering, “It worked! A-Qiang’s flesh has transformed into the flesh of a ‘Speed Human’!”
Since it was confirmed that the experiment was feasible, Su Hao didn’t take a break. He immediately started cultivating a large quantity of gene modification fluid. To obtain enough of it, Su Hao needed to cultivate non-stop for about two days.
Intermittently, it continued for five days until Su Hao’s first “Speed Human” gene modification fluid was declared successful.
Su Hao called A-Qiang back into the laboratory and said, “Lie down on the table. This time, the experiment will take approximately three hours.”
A-Qiang nodded and lay down, closing his eyes.
Su Hao didn’t say a word. He injected all the prepared gene fluid into A-Qiang’s body all at once. The reason why the process of injecting gene modification fluid for evolution took longer compared to Mutants devouring blood and flesh was that the “transformation chamber” of Mutants could rapidly spray the gene modification fluid throughout their body, while Su Hao could only inject it, making it naturally slower.
After a while, drowsiness overcame A-Qiang, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Su Hao waited quietly for the results. He didn’t dare to claim that his experiment would definitely succeed until the results were available. However, Su Hao had made thorough preparations for this, and in his view, there was no reason for the evolution to fail.
It was only after three hours that Su Hao’s tense heart finally relaxed.
There were no signs of A-Qiang’s life force weakening. On the contrary, his vital signs became stronger. His muscles throughout his body, particularly his legs, visibly strengthened.
At this moment, Su Hao finally confirmed that his gene modification experiment was a success.
Unable to contain his excitement, Su Hao clenched his fist and waved it in the air. He had invested more than a decade of time and effort into the research of genetics in this world. Now, he finally saw the results, and how could he not be excited?
After about half an hour, A-Qiang woke up.
Upon awakening, A-Qiang immediately felt that his body was different, filled with strength.
Su Hao, with a smile, asked, “How do you feel?”
A-Qiang conveyed his most genuine feeling, saying, “I feel like I have inexhaustible strength all over my body. Also, I’m a bit hungry.”
Su Hao chuckled and said, “That’s expected. No need to rush about eating. Come with me first.”
Su Hao led A-Qiang to the foot of the mountain, and the other seven individuals from the laboratory followed, curious.
Su Hao said, “Try running a few laps in the open area ahead, run with all your might.”
A-Qiang nodded and, as if by instinct, pressed the mysterious button in his brain. He couldn’t suppress the desire to run. With a sudden movement, he disappeared from his original position.
“Swoosh!”
In an instant, A-Qiang had already run a hundred meters.
The seven people watching were all stunned, not expecting A-Qiang’s running speed to become this fast shortly after leaving the lab.
They… What on earth had he done inside?
For a moment, the eyes of everyone were filled with a burning curiosity about the secrets that might have unfolded.
(End of this chapter)
