The Concept of Immortality

"How can people extend their lifespans? How can they achieve immortality?"

Lu Zhiyu sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun. No matter how powerful he became, he felt he still couldn't withstand the ravages of time. Once his lifespan ran out, he would die all the same. Although he could add abilities to genes, he couldn't extend the lifespan limits they imposed. Or rather, it wasn't just the limits of genetic lifespan. The most common cause of death was organ failure.

To overcome the limitations of human lifespan, organ failure was the first obstacle. After that came the problems of cellular lifespan and metabolism. There were still countless hurdles to overcome before anyone could truly achieve immortality!

Although Lu Zhiyu already had a Sub-Brain, it only boosted his computing power. He had to provide a direction and a plan before it could perform targeted calculations, expand on them, and offer assistance. When Lu Zhiyu himself was completely at a loss, the Sub-Brain could do nothing to help.

Lu Zhiyu had done some research. Human DNA contained a gene called FOXO3A that could regulate human lifespan. Mutations in this gene could affect and extend people's lives, which was why it was also known as the longevity gene. But it could only extend human life to a reasonable limit—over a hundred years. Even that had its limits. Every species had genes in its DNA that governed its lifespan.

Besides that, by studying human genes, Lu Zhiyu had discovered dozens of gene segments that could regulate human lifespan. Each controlled a different aspect, but they all had limits and could only keep people within the normal range. Such longevity might be the stuff of dreams for ordinary people, but it meant nothing to Lu Zhiyu.

"Wait, how did that Insect Queen live for hundreds, even thousands of years?"

Lu Zhiyu began trying to recall how the Insect Queen had extended her lifespan—from a mere twenty years or so to a length he couldn't even see the end of. He had seen dead Insect Queens who had lived for more than seven hundred years. If they hadn't died in defeat on the battlefield, they likely would have lived far longer.

That meant extending their natural lifespan by dozens, even hundreds of times. This was no longer mere longevity within the normal range. It was a qualitative leap—a true means of achieving immortality. Just thinking about the Zerg Race was terrifying. Their research into genes had far surpassed anything Lu Zhiyu had imagined.

"How did they do it? Think, think. Sub-Brain, gather all the observation records on the Insect Queen!"

"Found them!"

"This is the structure of the Insect Queen's genes. It seems there are no gene segments that govern lifespan!"

The Wisdom Sub-Brain immediately pulled up all the memories Lu Zhiyu had recorded about the Insect Queen. He opened his eyes. "The key isn't extending lifespan. It's repairing and maintaining the genes, and transforming their very nature!"

Lu Zhiyu's memories gradually returned. The Wisdom Sub-Brain sifted through all the data over and over, checking and reviewing it carefully. At last, Lu Zhiyu found what he was looking for amid the vast amount of information.

"That's right. No matter how much you extend it, a gene's lifespan has a limit. Only by constantly repairing and maintaining it, keeping it permanently active, can you stay young forever and keep the body running like a machine. Otherwise, even if the genes could last forever, the body's organs would gradually fail, and death would still be inevitable. Only by continually repairing and maintaining the genes can you preserve youth and fix your lifespan in place!"

This was the first step the Zerg civilization had taken: extending the Insect Queen's lifespan. But the Insect Queen understood that this so-called immortality was still an illusion. No matter how carefully you repaired and maintained a machine, one day it would reach the end of its useful life. So the Insect Queen's solution was to change the very nature of the genes.

Exactly. Imagine the body as a machine. If it was originally built from wood that rotted easily, then you could replace it with iron, then steel, then alloys. You would change it at its very foundation, so that no matter how many years passed or how harsh the conditions became, it would never decay.

But the Zerg had only just begun experimenting. Although Lu Zhiyu had found traces of this in their genes, he knew they hadn't taken the crucial step. And he was still a long way from getting there himself.

For now, all Lu Zhiyu could work on was repairing and maintaining the genes. That alone could extend the lifespan limit to over a thousand years, which was more than enough. But so far, he had only come up with the idea. It would probably take a long time to achieve his goal. Still, now that he had a direction and a goal, time was like a toy in Lu Zhiyu's hands! ...

Recently, Lu Zhiyu and Li Wei had been practically inseparable. Their relationship had grown quite passionate, and Li Wei was thinking about moving into Lu Zhiyu's place. Needless to say, that suited Lu Zhiyu just fine. He had stashed almost all his little secrets in the Space Castle, so there was no chance Li Wei would discover anything.

As the saying went, a full stomach led to lustful thoughts. Lu Zhiyu had been in a good mood lately, eating and drinking his fill every day. He couldn't wait for Li Wei to move in with him. But it wasn't something that could happen right away. If Li Wei moved in, she would have to pack up her things, which would be a hassle. And Lu Zhiyu lived quite far from the hospital. Li Wei didn't have a driver's license, so if she moved in, Lu Zhiyu would have to drive her to and from work every day. There were other issues like that, too.

That day, Lu Zhiyu was busy at the shop, tending to the cats and dogs in the pet store, bathing the dogs and grooming their coats. He rather liked these little animals—or, more precisely, he liked the vitality they radiated. Every time he saw a living creature, he felt a sense of wonder at the miracle of life. The deeper his research into genetics and biology became, the more deeply he felt it.

But lately, the little witch Xia Fan had been coming to Lu Zhiyu's shop to bother him. Every visit left the place in an uproar. The cats and dogs in his store had suffered no shortage of unwanted groping from Xia Fan. She often acted inappropriately toward Lu Zhiyu right in front of Xiao Le, leaving him at a loss. But he couldn't say he minded or felt annoyed. On the contrary, he rather enjoyed it, which made Lu Zhiyu feel as if he had some sort of natural playboy streak!

At noon, a car pulled up outside Lu Zhiyu's shop. A man wearing glasses and a suit stepped out. As soon as he entered, he looked around until he spotted Lu Zhiyu. "Lao Lu, Lao Lu, get over here. Get in the car!"

"Wang Yi? What brings you here today?" It was Wang Yi, Lu Zhiyu's former elementary school classmate who worked at a research institute—the same man Lu Zhiyu had asked to buy equipment for him.