Astonishment in the Laboratory, Research into Monsters

Immediately afterwards, a red light appeared on a certain part of the building's surface, seemingly indicating that a scanning and detection process was underway.

The red light shone on the crystal for a moment before slowly extinguishing, and then a door-shaped structure protruded from the surface of the giant egg.

The Red Garment gestured for him to enter.

"Please follow me, Master." With that, the Red Garment took the lead and stepped into the protruding doorway.

Zhang Mingzhen behind. The moment he stepped in, he vaguely felt some invisible force sweep over his entire body, bringing a slight discomfort.

As if sensing something, the Red Garment quickly explained, "I wasn't used to it when I first came in either. It felt like I was completely seen through, like countless eyes were on me."

This analogy is really not quite appropriate... Zhang Mingzhen remained silent.

He regretted it a little; he shouldn't have rashly stepped into someone else's territory.

Gao Linzhi shook his head upon seeing this.

This piece is too erratic.

Just like Han Xin back then, he believed that Liu Bang had a deep friendship with him and would not kill him. He thought that after handing over his Military Authority, he could live out his days in peace.

What's the result?

Liu Bang didn't kill him, Lü Laomao did.

Of course, Lü Laomao did not have a good ending either; after his death, his entire clan was sacrificed to Heaven.

Unfortunately, later generations fail to learn from these lessons and instead repeat the same mistakes, because they all believe they are different from their predecessors.

They are actually the same.

Just like now, if I weren't the one keeping things under control behind the scenes, this pawn would be rendered useless if those above even considered it.

After all, this is no longer a game world.

"Please come with me; I'll take you to the Level-One Security Zone first."

"There are many novel and interesting things displayed there."

Meanwhile, the Red Garment was leading Zhang Mingzhen through a maze of passages.

Upon entering, he was greeted by countless passageways made of Platinum, the material of which appeared exceptionally hard.

With numerous intersections, those who wander in will inevitably lose their way without someone familiar with the route to guide them.

After walking for nearly ten minutes, the two still hadn't reached the so-called Level-One Security Zone, Zhang Mingzhen once again marveled at the heavy security measures in the area.

And this is such a rip-off! There isn't even an internal shuttle bus; everyone has to walk slowly step by step to get there.

Isn't that nonsense?

He sensed a malice in him: that he wanted to make things difficult for him and cause him trouble.

This is a common tactic used by managers: if the process of doing something is incredibly troublesome, it means they don't want you to do it.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the structure of the passage ahead finally changed.

The Red Garment led him through a large door that required scanning to open, and his view suddenly opened up.

Although the area was still a silvery white, the space was as spacious as a shopping mall lobby.

Transparent light domes are displayed like exhibition stands, each containing various props, waiting to be viewed.

The scene in the laboratory was different from what he had expected; it was not as busy as he had imagined.

The spacious hall was mostly empty, with only a few researchers scattered around.

Their reactions confirmed the isolation of this place—when new faces appeared, several people looked up simultaneously, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

A researcher wearing a white lab coat with a name tag that read "Little Tadpole" quickly approached; he was clearly the person in charge here.

"Red Garment? What a rare guest. And who is this...?"

"Little Tadpole, this is Mr. Chongxing. He's here for a visit with approval from his superiors," the Red Garment, clearly familiar with him.

"Chongxing the Great God? That legendary master player?" Little Tadpole's eyes widened suddenly, as if he had seen some idol.

He couldn't help but pace around the visitor, his gaze intense, muttering to himself as if recording observation data.

"Hey, tone it down!" The Red Garment quickly stepped between the two, secretly cursing the reckless guy who probably didn't realize he was walking on the edge of danger.

"Idol! Can you reveal your current Intelligence and Spirit stats? And what kind of talent skill has your newly acquired Dragonborn battle pet awakened...?" The Little Tadpole's questions came out like a machine gun.

The Red Garment interrupted him impatiently, "Don't be offensive, that's enough."

"You're here today to inspect the project; please showcase your recent achievements."

"Yes, yes, look how excited I am!" Little Tadpole suddenly slapped his forehead, leading the two towards the display area. His eagerness was like that of a person who had been suppressing their emotions and suddenly encountered a celebrity.

This is understandable—all researchers entering this place have signed a lifetime agreement, and cannot step out the door without permission. How could it not be oppressive?

In a closed environment, Little Tadpole, with their lively nature, are bound to get excited by the arrival of outsiders.

"Look at this." He pointed to a metal sphere in a transparent display case.

The surface of the sphere has two lens-like structures embedded in it, covered with a special alloy film.

"I call it the 'Tadpole Probe,' and it can accompany the player's movements in real time."

"It serves as both a reconnaissance assistant, capable of analyzing various data about the target; and it also has a recording function, allowing it to preserve images of the incident if the user encounters any mishap."

"Its defenses are virtually impenetrable, making it extremely difficult to destroy. It's like a black box."

"Of course, detection capabilities have a threshold; they will fail when faced with certain attributes that exceed specifications."

As he said this, he glanced at Chongxing almost imperceptibly.

The fact that the creator named it after his own game ID demonstrates the researcher's confidence in it.

Zhang Mingzhen thought to himself that the so-called threshold must be unattainable for Ordinary Player.

The other party's earlier probing of attribute values was probably because the probe failed to obtain useful data from him.

"What's displayed in front are various modified versions of pharmaceuticals."

"I've heard that you possess quite a few special potions. To be honest, we've conducted reverse engineering on some of them."

The Little Tadpole walked towards the display stand showcasing the colorful reagents and said, "Some of the refining techniques are so ingenious that they are beyond imagination, and there are still aspects of them that remain unsolved."

Does this imply that some of the copies have already been successfully reproduced?

A hint of interest flashed in Zhang Mingzhen's eyes.

These researchers, capable of deciphering the Golden Toad's scheme, are certainly no ordinary individuals.

"Next comes the main event— Imitation Spirit Talisman."

The crimson gold talisman floated Jingjing in the display case, its intricate patterns shimmering with a dark light.

"You should have seen the 'Mirror Image' item that the Starlight Merchant Guild previously displayed."

"This talisman is a replica inspired by it."

"Although the reproduction rate is not as high as the original, it has been able to consistently reach 10%."

"Both skill characteristics and basic attributes can be copied according to this ratio."

"The most crucial thing is--"

The Little Tadpole raised its voice, "The talisman allows the user to directly absorb the attribute boosts of the copied object, which are superimposed on their own combat power!"

"Compared to the afterimages that can only summon temporary player mirror images, its flexibility is incomparable."

"There must be some constraints here," Zhang Mingzhen said calmly.

Upon hearing this, the Little Tadpole' excited expressions were tinged with a hint of regret:

"Indeed, the equipment and items produced in the God's Domain are very difficult for us to completely replicate with our current technology, especially high-level items."

"Our newly developed Copy Talisman, while more flexible in its applicability, has a limitation in its duration—only thirty seconds."

Thirty seconds... Zhang Mingzhen suddenly understood.

He had anticipated that things wouldn't be so simple and that there would inevitably be limitations.

However, if used properly, these thirty seconds can play a crucial role.

"We certainly don't dare to hope that it can be compared to the original 'mirror image' effect."

Our goal is to achieve large-scale production.

"As long as the quantity accumulates to a certain number of weeks, it may well trigger a qualitative change."

What do you think?

It seems the military has figured out the best way to use the Copy Talisman.

If used on a well-organized team, this thirty-second boost could be enough to turn the tide of a battle.

"The next item—please allow me to say—is a testament to the pinnacle of human ingenuity!"

The Little Tadpole then showed them an object that resembled a doll.

"Substitute Doll can take the fatal blows from boss-level monsters in the player's place."

"When the Doll is destroyed, it will also cause considerable rebound damage to the monster."

The Little Tadpole was clearly enamored with its creation, its words brimming with undisguised pride.

Currently, there are only two Swordsman have mastered the Two-Handed Sword Technique: besides Dragon Diagram Frenzy, the other is in our guild.

"Back then, we cleared that extremely difficult dungeon entirely by having multiple Substitute Doll take turns absorbing the damage."

"Of course, Qin Xiao also gave it his all... and finally the Skill Book dropped, allowing him to give the guild an explanation."

Dragon Diagram Frenzy ultimately failed to maintain his title as the "only Two-Handed Sword Swordsman" for long.

Not long ago, the second exclusive Skill Book was successfully obtained by a player team—a team under the command of the military.

The long-dormant trading market has become active again due to this newly appeared Skill Book, and many guilds have begun to prepare resources and plan to challenge high-difficulty dungeons.

Many people speculate that the drop rate of Skill Book is related to the difficulty of the dungeon.

Zhang Mingzhen declined to comment on this.

He continued to tackle the hellish dungeons every week as usual, but never saw a second Skill Book appear.

For a while afterward, the Little Tadpole enthusiastically accompanied the two of them as they explored the entire protected area.

He had clearly been kept quiet for too long, and his rapid-fire talking made Zhang Mingzhen almost want to end the conversation prematurely.

"We've pretty much seen this area."

"Are there any other areas? I remember there should be a department that specializes in researching Summoned Beast."

The Red Garment immediately replied, "That falls under the jurisdiction of the Level-Two Evolution Zone, not this level."

"If you're interested, I'll take you there right away."

"Tadpole, we'll take our leave now."

The Little Tadpole was still a little reluctant to leave. "Are we leaving already? I still have so many results to share... Let's stay a little longer."

The Red Garment glanced at Chongxing's reluctant expression and decisively replied, "Next time, time's tight, we'll head out now."

After saying that, he led Zhang Mingzhen away from the Level-One Security Zone and turned towards the passage on another level.

During the journey, Zhang Mingzhen asked, "Can't they leave the protection zone at will?"

The Red Garment quickly explained, "We're only limiting the frequency of researchers going out, not prohibiting it."

"However, researchers on each floor are limited to their own designated area; for example, Little Tadpole cannot enter other research floors."

After several detours, the two finally arrived at the elevator leading to the next floor, which also required crystal scanning authentication.

"What is this verification crystal?" Zhang Mingzhen asked casually.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that."

"This is one of the security measures developed by the research institute earlier; the material is mixed with seashell powder unique to a certain area of God's Domain."

Crystals made from the same mother-of-pearl can sense each other.

The Red Garment took out her crystal and gestured to him.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, a completely different atmosphere from the security area rushed out.

Unlike the tranquility of the protected area, the Evolution Zone was filled with a cold and rusty atmosphere.

"This is the Evolution Zone, mainly for research on life forms." The woman in Red Garment's expression became serious, and her demeanor became more cautious.

"Great master, we meet again." The person who came to greet him was none other than Wang Chaoming, whom Zhang Mingzhen had previously collaborated with.

I never expected him to be a researcher in the Evolution Zone.

"I was notified beforehand that you were coming to visit, so I specifically volunteered to be your guide."

"I heard you're quite interested in our Summoned Beast research project? Please come with me."

Zhang Mingzhen nodded, his attitude nonchalant.

Wang Chaoming had worked with Chongxing before and had a general understanding of his temperament, so he didn't mind the other party's cold attitude and started the introduction directly.

Wang Chaoming led everyone to a transparent barrier. Through the light screen, Zhang Mingzhen realized that he was already inside the research institute.

Behind the barrier were countless sealed cabins, each containing a Warcraft of various shapes and sizes.

He could recognize some species, but most were alien creatures he had never seen before.

The surface of the cabin shimmered with an intermittent, flickering light, like a device monitoring vital signs.

"Are these all experimental materials?" Zhang Mingzhen had no pity for the Warcraft —as a player who spent his days fighting wild monsters, he had long been accustomed to viewing them as consumable resources.

This pattern, however, is very much like that of a villain.

After all, the good guys in movies never do this; they only collect and utilize the villains' spoils afterward.

What piqued his interest, however, was the nature of their research: what mysteries were these people exploring? Were they seeking methods to enhance the potential of Summoned Beast, or analyzing the origins of Warcraft beast talents and skills?

"The animals held here are mostly common species."

"You should know that the vast majority of Warcraft possess innate special abilities, some of which are so sophisticated that they far surpass what players can achieve."

Wang Chaoming explained, "Our recent research project is to try to extract these innate skills and transform them into skill books that can be learned by Summoned Beast."

These words reminded Zhang Mingzhen of the various monsters he had encountered in the past.

Some Warcraft may have mediocre attributes, but they possess formidable skills—such as the mind-controlling magic of the Hornless Demon, or the maddening poisonous miasma spread by the walking corpses.

There are also some resurrection talents.

If such control skills were used by players, they would undoubtedly become a powerful tool in battle.

"Any results?"

"Not yet fully successful, but initial signs of success are already visible."

Wang Chaoming pointed to the cultivation pond on the other side, which had a deep green hue.

Several embryo-like life forms floated in the pool, and a number of researchers were engrossed in recording data.

"Those are hybrid embryos cultivated through special methods—selecting two different monsters and fusing them together. If successful, there is a very high probability that they can inherit the skill systems of both parents, and retain the possibility of being tamed by players."