Gene Modification Agent

Qu Jianlei's difficulties did not sway the woman. She stated it plainly.

"This is betrayal. You understand the Scavenger rules... you should know them."

I'm not a Scavenger yet, am I? Qu Jianlei truly had no strength left to complain.

He had no choice but to say, "Mr. Sai gave me this order. It wasn't something I asked for."

"Since none of you agree, should I report this to them?"

When Mr. Sai had been here just now, none of these people had said anything. Now they were dragging things out with him. Who were they trying to bully?

Just then, someone could no longer stand it. It was the gaunt Hunter carrying a Laser Sniper Rifle.

He coughed lightly. "Don't bring up Mr. Sai at every turn. Once this is over, you'll still need to make a living here!"

He had seen plenty of people who used borrowed authority to throw their weight around, but few had so little awareness of their own place.

The lower class had its own rules. Don't think that climbing a high branch made you immune to them.

In the Gaunt Man's eyes, it would be difficult to say whether this fool could even survive until this matter was over.

There was no shortage of vicious bastards among Scavengers!

Qu Jianlei gave him a strange look. What business is this of yours?

Then he said, "These three weapons are enough for me. Go search the other bodies."

The Gaunt Man spoke coldly, "We don't touch Scavenger corpses, and you don't touch Hunters!"

The short, stout Scavenger immediately objected. "You didn't stop Greedy Wolf just now either!"

The Gaunt Man answered without hesitation, "You didn't dare stop him. What does that have to do with me? Hunters cannot have Internal Strife!"

He understood all the rules, but everyone had their own camp, and naturally their own loyalties.

Qu Jianlei watched coldly, offering no opinion on their conflict.

Just as he had expected, the other corpses did not hold much wealth. Mostly food, water, and ammunition.

While the others searched the bodies, Qu Jianlei stood there in a daze. Before long, he took out another tube of Nutrient Solution and consumed it.

A middle-aged Scavenger could not help speaking up. "Just how hungry are you?"

"It's because of the injection," Qu Jianlei answered without thinking. "Does anyone know what this injection is? I'll reward you handsomely!"

Everyone was stunned again. Just moments ago, he had been invoking "Mr. Sai" at every turn, and now he wanted to learn about the injection?

Still, this was not necessarily a bad thing. It proved this fool's loyalty had limits—at the very least, he cared more about himself.

"I... might have some idea," the gaunt Hunter said. "What can you offer?"

The middle-aged Scavenger had originally been watching with a smile. At this, he first froze, then coughed lightly.

"Little Qu, when it comes to identifying things, do you think Hunters... can compare with us Scavengers?"

That was not mere boasting. Being a Scavenger was truly not something just anyone could manage.

He had wanted to rely on his knowledge to secure better terms, which was why he had held his tongue for the moment.

But now that someone was trying to steal his business, he could no longer afford to hold back.

Yet Qu Jianlei had his own principles. "We should still observe first come, first served... Hunter brother, you speak first."

The gaunt Hunter glanced at the middle-aged Scavenger, shook his head, and turned to leave without saying a word.

But his attitude was already clear: someone else knew, so he would not say anything.

He had no interest in hearing their secret, either.

This was a true Wastelander. Though powerful, he never asked about things he should not know.

The middle-aged man looked at Qu Jianlei. "What reward can you offer?"

Qu Jianlei tilted his head and thought for a moment before answering, "You know I'm quite poor..."

"My reward is that I'll report your information truthfully. I absolutely won't make anything up. If—"

"Alright, that's enough!" The middle-aged man promptly cut him off. "I hope you won't spread this around."

He had taken the other man's words as a threat—If you don't tell me...

Something along those lines, anyway.

But Qu Jianlei was rather surprised. What he had wanted to say was, "If someone falsely accuses you, I can also..." and so on.

Still, since the other party was willing to talk, he naturally would not stop him. He nodded. "I guarantee I won't tell anyone else!"

It had to be said that although he had lived a miserable life these past few years, he had still built up a reputation.

He might have been a little foolish, but he had never harmed anyone.

Anything he promised, he would definitely fulfill. Anything he did not want to do, he would rather take a beating than do it.

Ordinary people would not believe a fool's promises, but to most Scavengers, this fool... was an exception!

So the middle-aged man pulled him aside and spoke in a low voice. "Strictly speaking, this injection isn't poison."

"It's a Gene Modification Agent for the human body, except... it had already failed before the Doomsday."

Qu Jianlei looked at him thoughtfully. "Failed?"

"Yes, because the side effects were too severe." The middle-aged man nodded readily. "This is an extremely violent energy."

Qu Jianlei nodded silently. This was more or less in line with what he knew. It truly was extremely violent energy.

The middle-aged man continued, "This energy lasts a very long time... and causes damage to the muscles, blood vessels, and nerves that cannot naturally heal."

"So artificial Restoration Fluid is needed to repair the damaged tissues."

"And I happen to know that the maximum window for artificial restoration is five days... after five days, it becomes very difficult to repair."

Qu Jianlei blinked, took out a tube of Nutrient Solution, consumed it, and licked it clean...

"I can roughly understand what you're saying, but why is there a second five-day period?"

"Because this energy lasts so long," the middle-aged man said, looking at him strangely. "Was I not clear enough?"

"Long-lasting... I like that." Qu Jianlei smiled faintly. What man could refuse something long-lasting?

However, he still had a question. "How long does it last?"

"About... one and a half to two months," the middle-aged man answered after some thought.

Then he added, "In fact, it's quite an effective body-enhancement agent. It can be considered a good thing."

Qu Jianlei nodded. "Alright, you don't need to say any more. Just tell me the 'but' that comes after that."

There had to be a "but." Otherwise, how could this agent possibly have failed?

"But..." The middle-aged man sighed. "Once the time limit is reached, a small number of people cannot withstand the modification and die..."

"Of course, a small number of deaths does not mean absolute failure. The key is that many people... are left permanently disabled."

"Only a very small number, probably less than five percent, gain some improvement in their physical constitution."

"But these improvements vary in strength, and there is no reliable pattern to them, so it was deemed a failure."

"Five percent." Qu Jianlei pondered this. He felt that this proportion... did not seem low.

For cultivating outstanding talents, such odds were entirely worth a gamble.

"The problem is, the Doomsday was about to arrive then. Shouldn't they have gathered their strength and taken a gamble?"

At those words, a trace of bewilderment appeared in the middle-aged man's eyes. "No one can clearly explain what the Doomsday really was..."

"My family had been physicians for generations. Later, one of my ancestors made a mistake and was exiled into the wilderness..."

"Some of our inheritance remained, but it was very limited. So I truly don't know what happened in those days!"

Qu Jianlei stood frozen for a long time before finally asking, "Is there any other proof?"

His question came out of nowhere, typical of high-functioning autism, but the middle-aged man across from him understood.

He raised a hand and pointed to his chest. "It's burning here. I can already feel it!"

No wonder he had been more confident than the gaunt Hunter. Aside from his family knowledge, the key was that he had been injected with the agent!

No matter how much the gaunt Hunter knew, he was merely an observer. How could he know the real reactions after injection?

That was why he could only turn and leave, because the other man was... someone who had experienced it himself!

The Xiphoid Process? Qu Jianlei thought about it briefly.

The main system he used to improve himself came from Taoist Sect scriptures, which had always emphasized things like Dantians and seas of Qi.

The Xiphoid Process was barely mentioned in Taoist Sect teachings.

The saying that "a punch to the heart can kill a person" most likely referred to the Xiphoid Process.

If a fractured Xiphoid Process pierced the heart and treatment was not given in time, the person would certainly die!

Moreover, the Xiphoid Process was extremely vulnerable. Unless deliberately trained, the muscles around it could not naturally become stronger.

It was located between the uppermost two sections of what people commonly called six-pack or eight-pack abs.

Those two abdominal muscles could only form through targeted training.

Therefore, Qu Jianlei felt that if the Gene Serum prioritized modifying the Xiphoid Process... it actually made a certain amount of sense.

Wait, wasn't the Xiphoid Process right next to the DanZhong Acupoint?

The DanZhong Acupoint... was the famous Middle Dantian!

Although cultivation generally began with the Lower Dantian, this was a Gene Modification Agent, not Taoist Sect cultivation.

They were fundamentally two different systems!

So it was not impossible for the Middle Dantian to be modified first.

However, Qu Jianlei was not entirely certain about the sensation the other man described.

That was because he had compressed most of the agent into his right arm.

Even though some of the medicinal effect had still seeped into his entire body, generally speaking, only his right arm felt burning hot.

As for anything unusual at the Xiphoid Process, he had not felt it distinctly.

But Asperger's Syndrome had another trait besides abnormal behavior—when it flared up, it made one recklessly bold!

He did not care much whether the other man was telling the truth. As long as the logic was sound, he was willing to believe it.

He could have asked other Scavengers to verify it, but he decided to be reckless!

He did not want others to know that his Xiphoid Process felt nothing unusual. That would expose his secret.

Qu Jianlei directly released the Qi and Blood he had kept sealed, allowing the violent energy to invade his entire body in an instant.

After roughly thirty or forty seconds, he let out a soft breath. This feeling was truly... wonderful!

At that moment, he felt strength flooding every inch of his body!

The area around the Xiphoid Process in his chest clearly began to burn, growing hotter and hotter.

And at that moment, his mind became exceptionally clear.