The icy touch made Haotian shudder. He stiffly turned around, only to find no one behind him.
The laboratory held nothing but flickering lights and the faint clink of bottles and jars.
He took a deep breath and returned the test tube in his hand to the rack.
"Probably just exhaustion." He gave a self-mocking smile and rubbed his sore eyes.
Three days had passed. He had almost locked himself away in this shabby laboratory, tirelessly studying White Zetsu Cells without sleep.
Scalpels, tweezers, and microscopes—these crude tools fell far short of his needs. Still, he persevered, using astonishing determination to peel back the secrets of White Zetsu bit by bit.
First, he extracted some cells from his own body and compared them with White Zetsu Cells.
Under the crude microscope, the differences between the two types of cells were immediately apparent.
His own cells were orderly and full of vitality, while White Zetsu's cells looked bizarre. Their vitality was excessive, as if they might devour everything around them at any moment.
"As expected, White Zetsu is different from ordinary people," Haotian murmured, excitement glimmering in his eyes.
"To don Ghidorah's outer shell, I first have to awaken it. And awakening it requires a massive, stable Chakra generator. White Zetsu—or rather, the God Tree—with its vigorous life force, is exactly what I need, isn't it?" He clenched his fist.
He began studying White Zetsu Cells with even greater focus, analyzing their structure and properties, as well as how they drew in energy.
Calmly, he recorded every measurement and every detail, like an experienced surgeon.
The laboratory reeked of formalin, but Haotian barely noticed.
His eyes were fixed on the cells wriggling beneath the microscope. They seemed to hold endless secrets, drawing him ever deeper into his research.
Suddenly, his gaze settled on White Zetsu's corpse. "Perhaps..." he murmured, picking up a scalpel and walking over to the cold body.
Holding his breath, Haotian drew the sharp scalpel across White Zetsu's cold body. A strange resistance met the blade, as if he were cutting through something incredibly tough.
No blood spurted from the cut. Instead, a slightly viscous white fluid slowly seeped out. A faint, sweetish, fishy smell filled the air, mingling with the formalin to form a strange, nauseating stench.
He cut off a small piece of tissue and carefully placed it in a petri dish.
He leaned against the cold wall and tiredly rubbed his temples.
During the combat exercise a few days ago, his Nuclear Release clone had performed well, but it still fell far short of Morino Iruki's Wood Release clone.
The Nuclear Release clone's endurance and stability were both woefully inadequate. More often than not, it crumbled on its own before the battle was over.
The problem had been troubling him constantly, leaving him unable to eat or sleep in peace.
Placing the petri dish beneath the microscope, Haotian carefully examined the White Zetsu Cells.
To his shock, despite White Zetsu having been dead for some time, the cells were still remarkably active. They wriggled slowly in the petri dish, like a swarm of tireless worker ants.
Even his own cells couldn't match this vigorous life force.
He felt something stir deep within him, and a strange excitement welled up.
"This life force... If only I could put it to use..." he murmured, a peculiar light glimmering in his eyes.
"But how can I control this nearly uncontrollable life force?" He reached out and touched the cold microscope, his fingertips trembling slightly.
"Perhaps..."
Haotian's gaze fell on his experiment notes. A line of messy handwriting caught his eye: "Cancer cells—unlimited proliferation."
He jerked his head up. "Cancer cells cause enormous harm to living organisms, but their terrifying capacity to proliferate and their vitality..." he murmured. The image of Morino Iruki controlling his Wood Release clone in battle came to mind, followed by the fleeting existence of his own Nuclear Release clone.
"My Nuclear Release clone can't rely solely on White Zetsu Cells. That would only be imitation; I'd never surpass them. The Wood Release clone is so powerful because it has nearly limitless vitality. But White Zetsu Cells, in the end, still can't withstand nuclear radiation for long." He furrowed his brow, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the desk with a crisp sound.
A bold idea gradually took shape in his mind.
He picked up a scalpel and drew its sharp blade across his arm. Pain stabbed through him, and crimson blood slowly trickled from the wound.
Suppressing the pain, he placed a small piece of flesh he had cut away into the petri dish. "Let's try it with this!"
The cells in the petri dish began to change. The orderly cells gradually twisted and warped, spreading wildly like rapidly growing vines.
Haotian repeated the experiment again and again. Sweat soaked through his clothes, and exhaustion surged over him like a tide, but he showed no sign of stopping.
Before you continue