What Kingpin wanted to do, or what he might be thinking, was something Dilos didn't know. He had no interest in finding out, either. All he knew was that he had more important things to do.
Over the next three days, Dilos regularly showed Dr. Connors just how exceptional his learning ability was. And whenever he talked with Dr. Connors about cross-species genetic technology, he always "casually" brought up key points and ideas he'd seen in Richard Parker's little notebook.
It worked!
After three days of effort, Dr. Connors began to take Dilos's talent more and more seriously, paying increasingly close attention to him. Dilos took advantage of this to draw the two of them closer, until...
"Dilos, are you usually busy?" Dr. Connors asked, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't quite bring himself to.
I've been waiting for you to ask.
Guessing what Dr. Connors probably wanted to say, Dilos smiled inwardly. On the outside, though, he put on a puzzled look and said, "I don't usually have much to do. Mostly, I read. Is there something you need?"
"I see." Dr. Connors looked a little hesitant. After a long pause, he finally said, "I need an assistant for my own experiments. Would you be willing to come help me out when you're free?"
"Are you serious?!" Dilos asked, his face lit with disbelieving delight. "Of course I'd be willing, Dr. Connors. Should I start today?"
Some of the joy on Dilos's face was an act, but at least sixty percent of it was genuine. He had finally gotten what he'd been waiting for: this opportunity!
"Of course." Seeing the delight on Dilos's face, which didn't seem at all feigned, lifted Dr. Connors's spirits. He thought more and more highly of Dilos, almost treating him like his own student. In that mood, Dr. Connors added without thinking, "And if you'd like, you can move in here, too. This lab is also my private residence, and I've kept a few rooms vacant."
"Really?!"
Dilos exclaimed, and this time, not a trace of his expression was fake. Aside from worrying about how to learn the secrets of cross-species genetic technology, he'd also been worried about one other thing: time. Living in the lab would save him a great deal of time to study.
And with Dr. Connors, a towering expert, right there to guide him, he could make enormous progress on the serum in a short time!
Once he learned he could live in the lab, Dilos couldn't wait another moment. He hurried back to pack. He didn't have much luggage—a few changes of clothes and some toiletries, all packed into a single suitcase. Of course, given what had happened with the surveillance before, he didn't forget to use his ability as he left to sense whether anyone was following him.
Fortunately, no one was following him. Dilos didn't waste any more time. He quickly hailed a cab and moved straight into Dr. Connors's lab.
"Let me show you around. This lab has protein structure analysis, ribosomal DNA equipment, a chromatograph, a transgenic testing program, human gene sequencing..."
In the core lab where Dr. Connors conducted his own research, he began introducing Dilos to the lab's equipment and its functions.
There was no denying it: compared to the lab where Dilos had been conducting his experiments, this core lab was far more impressive.
To put it bluntly, they were worlds apart.
From then on, after Dilos's daily internship ended, he spent most of his remaining time assisting Dr. Connors. But throughout the process, Dr. Connors was also constantly passing on his knowledge to Dilos.
Honestly, Dilos's ability to learn astonished Dr. Connors. He learned quickly, could apply what he learned in new ways, and regularly came up with novel ideas. All of it made Dr. Connors feel as if he'd returned to the days when he and his close friend Richard Parker had worked tirelessly toward their dream of achieving cross-species genetic implantation.
As time passed, Dr. Connors came to regard Dilos as his student and taught him everything he knew.
A little over a month later, in the Goodheart Laboratory.
"Honestly, although animals have been created using cross-species genetic implantation, the technology used on them can't be applied to humans. And not every animal can undergo cross-species genetic implantation."
Pointing at several gene chains on the electronic screen, Dr. Connors continued, "We need to be bolder. This experiment isn't just about applying the technology to humans; we also need to make it broadly applicable to other organisms."
Dilos nodded. Over the past month or so, he'd learned a vast amount of advanced knowledge about cross-species genetics and had put it to good use through practice. Today, he was going to learn the most crucial step.
"The decay rate algorithm."
Dr. Connors pointed to a special symbol on the electronic screen. "This is the key. In theory, every species has a different decay rate algorithm for cross-species genetic technology. But there's one algorithm that works for most types of cross-species genetic technology. My friend Richard Parker once managed to work it out, but after he passed away, no one else has been able to."
As he said this, a hint of sadness crept into Dr. Connors's expression. It took him a while to recover before he went on:
"So this is the problem we need to overcome. We'll keep testing and exploring. Of course, if you're lucky, maybe you'll see us solve it before you finish your studies."
Dr. Connors smiled as he spoke, but there was a hint of bitterness in his heart. He'd studied this decay rate algorithm for far too long without ever figuring it out. He was only saying it for the sake of saying it; he didn't seriously expect to solve the problem in such a short time.
"Don't worry, Dr. Connors. You've worked so hard. I'm sure you'll overcome this problem." Dilos tried to reassure him. Dr. Connors simply smiled without saying anything, clearly taking Dilos's words as nothing more than ordinary encouragement.
What he didn't realize was that Dilos already knew the answer. Dilos just needed some time to master the knowledge behind the decay rate algorithm. Ideally, he'd be able to work backward from the correct algorithm in Richard Parker's notebook.
If he could do that, it would mean he'd essentially mastered cross-species genetic implantation.
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