Mountain City, deep underground, the newly built Seventh Biological Laboratory.
The air was filled with the scent of disinfectant and the faint ozone smell unique to precision instruments in operation.
Across the massive circular wall of screens, torrents of data streamed silently downward. Dozens of split screens displayed, in real time, the vital signs, energy fluctuations, and genetic sequence changes of subjects in different experimental chambers.
Lin Zhiwei stood before the main control console, the sleeves of her white lab coat rolled up to her elbows, exposing her toned forearms. She pushed up the rimless glasses on her nose, her gaze behind the lenses sharp as a blade as it swept over the flickering parameters on the screens.
"Subject A-07, peak cellular activity has surpassed the theoretical threshold by 137%. Energy conversion efficiency remains stable at 89%..."
Beside her, a slightly gray-haired scientist spoke with an uncontrollable tremble in his voice, equal parts excitement and disbelief.
"This... this can no longer be described as a breakthrough! This is a complete overturning! An overturning!"
"This completely overturns every physiological and energy model we had before!"
Another, somewhat younger researcher stared at a different screen, his fingers tapping against the edge of the console.
"Subject C-03's neural synapse connection speed..."
"...is nearly fifty times faster than the sixth-generation baseline! And there are no signs whatsoever of overload or disorder. This adaptability..."
"More than that."
A third genetics expert involved in the observation added, pointing at a shifting section of the simulation chart.
"Look here. The self-repair and extension mechanisms of the telomeres have been activated, and they're operating autonomously without any external induction! This is simply... it's as though life itself is actively evolving to adapt to the catalyst we injected!"
The "subjects" they spoke of were volunteers who had undergone compatibility