Chapter 9.6 – Taking Root
Within the central biological laboratories under the Black Parliament, the main director Dr. Connor’s chief assistant, the man close to middle age, was leaning over his desk, his attention completely concentrated on the light screen’s giant several hundred variables formula. His eyes were completely bloodshot, and his lips, due to excessive anxiety, had a deep gash that seemed like it hadn’t closed for many days. He had already wrestled with this formula for close to a month, and now, he finally reached some elementary results. If he could have some type of breakthrough, then that was an extremely important step. Even though this step, within the laboratory’s enormous, ambitious, and core plan, was just a tiny step, and it didn’t even directly affect the core project, only providing some supplementary roundabout uses, for him personally, it was incomparably important.
That night, his heart was currently rapidly beating, his mental state completely taut. He was incredibly nervous, as if something was about to happen, and he had a premonition that this thing was the result he had yearned for in his dreams. As soon as he was about to touch upon some faint trace of pattern within the endless sea of data, the enormous light screen suddenly released a shrill sound. This sound was especially ear-splitting during this quiet night. He was immediately given a fright. When he recovered, his back was covered in cold sweat, and all of the insights he had gained naturally disappeared without a trace in that instant.
Bang! The middle-aged man’s fists slammed heavily down on his work station. Only then did he turn around and hatefully stare at that light screen that disturbed his important burst of inspiration, his most important experiment. If he didn’t receive a satisfactory answer, he didn’t mind immediately smashing apart that light screen. As Dr. Connor’s chief assistant, forget about smashing a trifling light screen, even if he killed an assistant researcher or two, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.
The image that light screen displayed immediately turned him into a statue!
Under his very eyes, the gene lock that had remained unmoving for so long slowly moved in a circle, releasing genetic fragments that contained a sea of information! Moreover, this process didn’t quickly come to an end, instead continuing for several minutes!
Only when the gene lock’s activity stopped for an entire half hour did he wake up from his shock. His eyes shifted over to a number at the corner of the light screen. Degree of release: 11%.
11%! This number was like a powerful strike of lightning, one that made the middle-aged man’s entire mental world blindingly white!
Another period of time had passed, the now completely recovered middle-aged assistant began to calculate a few numbers in his brain at lightning speed. He immediately dashed out of his office, rushing out madly towards Dr. Connor’s residential region while screaming like a child. After running past three intersections at record speed, he finally arrived in front of Dr. Connor’s room. However, no matter how agitated he was, the electronic doors of the residential area were still ice-cold and ruthless. Other than a direct order from Dr. Connor himself, no one else had the authority to pass through these large doors. The worst part was that due to the doctor’s limited sleep time, the locked entrance did not allow voice communication. After all, the doctor only slept one or two hours a day. If he didn’t get proper rest, his energy for the day couldn’t be guaranteed.
The middle-aged man couldn’t be bothered to worry about the doctor’s habits and potential anger, heavily kicking his foot on the metal gates. This kick naturally didn’t make these doors move in the slightest. Even after trying a few more times, it was still the same result. Even if a seventh level ability user was here, without suitable equipment, that person should forget about blasting open these thirty centimeter thick heavy alloy doors.
Unknown as to what it was with him today, the middle-aged man was bursting with inspiration tonight. Without even thinking, he took off the jacket, stuck it to the large gate, and then set it aflame. Several seconds later, an alarm sound immediately rang through the entire laboratory. The walls at both sides of the ceiling all opened, revealing rows after rows of nozzles. Under the ice-cold shower, the middle-aged assistant was thoroughly soaked. However, his round face was full of excitement and suffused with color. His thick lips twitched about. It was because he knew that the same situation would inevitably happen inside Dr. Connor’s room.
In under a minute, the heavy alloy doors already opened. Dr. Connor who was wrapped in his sleepwear rushed out. He was similarly completely drenched, his gray grizzled hair tightly stuck to his scalp. The sleepwear made out of precious materials completely absorbed all of the ice-cold water. Right now, it was as uncomfortable as uncomfortable could be.
The alarm system was still ear-piercing screaming. Dr Connor only discovered after rushing out that there was no fire outside at all, but the entire long corridor was filled with watery mist, still spraying out ice-cold water. He decided that he might as well give up on getting anywhere, since moving forward would still leave him completely soaked. The doctor’s eyes turned, noticing the coat that had been half burnt. It seemed like it was precisely this item that triggered the fire alarm, moreover triggering the automatic sprinkling measures.
“Doctor, you finally woke up!” An excited and somewhat trembling voice sounded from the side. Dr. Connor turned his head, and only then did he notice that his assistant was standing by the wall, similarly soaked from head to feet.
In that instant, the doctor’s mental computing strength that was comparable to that of a supercomputer already linked up everything in his surroundings. With a cold smile, he said, “You are the one that created the fire?!”
“If I didn’t create the fire, you wouldn’t have woken up.” The middle-aged assistant spoke as if that was proper and to be expected.
“You know that I don’t like to be disturbed when I am sleeping…” Dr. Connor spoke through clenched teeth, but before he finished his sentence, he was cut off by the assistant.
“Doctor, key… we have the key!” When the assistant spoke these words, not only was his voice trembling, even his body was.
“Key! Why didn’t you say so earlier!” Dr. Connor immediately released a world shaking roar! His slim figure erupted with shocking power and then ran frantically towards the end of the hallway!
Dr. Connor displayed speed far surpassing his limit. The weaker bodied assistant displayed all of his potential, unexpectedly keeping up with the doctor!
Several minutes later, the doctor and his assistant already arrived on the central laboratory platform. While leaning against the railing, they looked down onto the enormous space over fifty meters below. As the screen’s light reflected off of the doctor and assistant’s bodies, they were like small fish made from mottled light, ones that were continuously swimming about.
When they observed the other side of the platform, there were unexpectedly ten fifty meter tall, and ten meter diameter metal cylinders! In front of these ten enormous pillars that rested side by side, the doctor and assistant looked as insignificant as ants! The pillars were covered in diagrams formed from countless dots, chunks, and lines. Right now, these diagrams all lit up. Blinding light continuously flowed about the surface of these pillars, and low rumbling sounds groaned like thunder, filling this entire place. It was as if no other sounds could be heard anymore!
Every single one of these ten metal pillars were the Blood Parliament’s newest and most powerful ‘stellar stream’ computing backbones. Right now, all ten were resting side by side and operating at full speed. Along with their crazy calculating speed, the genetic fragments that floated within the light screen began to grow faint one after another, moreover gradually decreasing in number. Each time one fragment disappeared, that was equivalent to the information within that piece being deciphered.
As he watched these ten computing backbones operate at full force, Dr. Connor’s mind became unsteady. He had long forgotten about the wet, ice-cold pajamas covering his body, as well as his naked feet that were stepping on the ice-cold metal ground.
“This is simply a miracle…” Dr. Connor’s face was intoxicated. His eyes erupted with endless thirst and yearning. His mouth was mumbling, and his hands were subconsciously tightly gripping the railing. If he didn’t do this, he might fall over at any moment.
Dr. Connor’s face suddenly flushed with an abnormal wave of color, and his breathing became hurried as well. With a trembling voice, he said, “Correct! With this data, we can create the first key, a key that can open the great gates of the ‘Apostle’s Project’!”
