Murphy ran a fever for two days. When he woke, he felt as though his entire body had shed a layer of skin.
Still, he was in much better shape. The terrifying feeling that he might drop dead at any moment was gone, along with the dull aches and exhaustion. Even his appetite had improved considerably; ever since waking up, he kept feeling hungry.
The medical team took tissue samples for testing, and the results confirmed it. "The cellular aging in your body has eased. We tested your epithelial cells and found that their lifespan had been extended somewhat. They can still divide another four or five times."
"However, although the genetically engineered virus has repaired some of the cellular damage, your genetic defects mean that this damage is still accumulating. Some of it is difficult to repair with our current technology."
"Until we find a better solution, you should still avoid using transformation abilities or taking transformation potions as much as possible, so as not to accelerate the progression of your condition."
Murphy had never expected to solve the problem in one go anyway, so he was not particularly disappointed.
Over the next few days, he made further arrangements for the institute's work. He assigned more staff to the Vampire Gene Research Group and raised its priority to the highest level, putting it on par with the Transfiguration Research Group and the Spellcraft Research Group and giving it the greatest possible access to the institute's resources.
If they could achieve another major breakthrough—such as identifying the key anti-aging genes and improving the effectiveness of cellular repair technology by several orders of magnitude—he might not even need the Philosopher's Stone.
Meanwhile, Umbrella's recruitment of cancer cell labelers was also progressing steadily.
He had already laid down the rules for their