Although learning the theory and practical application of the decay-rate algorithm was difficult for most people, it took Dilos less than a day, thanks to his extensive foundation in advanced biology. And after days of systematic study, he was finally able to understand the research notes in Richard Parker's notebook.
Before long, Dilos was fully involved in Dr. Connors's research.
Only... you never knew how miserable a task was until you tried it.
Even with Dilos's comprehensive knowledge, which was enough to understand most of the notes in Richard Parker's notebook, and all the equipment and materials they could need to develop a cross-species serum in minutes, they still had to enter the correct decay-rate algorithm into the simulator and run it on a digital model of a living organism.
That was the most troublesome part. The problems involved in cross-species gene transplants were endlessly varied. Even using a single hypothesized decay-rate algorithm, there were tens of thousands of possible gene-insertion pairings. Every time they came up with a new algorithm, they had to test every possible method based on it.
This was torture for Dilos. Facing hundreds of thousands of failures for three or four days straight was no picnic. Even with his seemingly boundless energy, the sheer number of failed attempts had nearly broken him.
Had I gotten arrogant because of my recent success? I can't believe I thought I could reverse-engineer Richard Parker's unbelievable decay-rate algorithm in such a short time.
Dilos thought with a touch of self-mockery. He looked over at Dr. Connors, who was still running simulations on the computer, and couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration. He was already struggling after just a few days, yet Dr. Connors had managed to keep at it for years.
No, I can't keep waiting. This is wasting too much time.
After thinking it over, Dilos gritted his teeth and gave up on his immature plan. He decided to use Richard Parker's algorithm first to create a serum tailored to himself.
That night, when Dr. Connors was getting ready to rest, Dilos began putting his plan into action. He told Dr. Connors he wanted to stay in the lab and do some more research. Dr. Connors didn't think much of it and agreed.
Once Dr. Connors had finally gone to rest, Dilos at last had the lab to himself. He eagerly entered the correct decay-rate algorithm into the simulator and, based on a few of his own ideas, set up more than a dozen gene-insertion pairings using the genetic data of other organisms.
He also used the virtual interface to adjust the priority of each gene insertion, so that after a successful transplant, the genes would claim proteins first and then trigger an immune response, preventing the experimental subject from developing unwanted mutations.
"System test ready." At the simulator's prompt, Dilos pressed the start button.
The test began almost immediately. Dilos sat in his chair, patiently watching as the simulator took the proposed insertion pairings and implanted them, along with the dozen or so genetic data sets he had prepared and several other sets, into a digital model of a spider.
That's right, a spider—not a lizard, a mouse, or anything else. Dr. Connors's main research here focused on cross-species lizard genetics, but there was also some of the genetic data Richard Parker had used to breed mutant spiders.
Dilos planned to use that data, along with some of the information he remembered from the notebook, to follow Richard Parker's example and create a super mutant spider with enhanced abilities in every respect. Then he would use its venomous serum to genetically alter himself!
The thought of how strong he would become if he succeeded brought a glimmer of hope to Dilos's eyes. In a future world filled with gods and metahumans, he was far too insignificant. What if he used Guoshu to develop his body's potential to its limits? That might be enough to deal with the early disasters on Earth, but later on, he'd be little more than a bit player.
So Dilos had to grow stronger. He would use this transformation to break through the limits of the human body and achieve a greater... evolution!
"Waiting. Experiment failed."
"Waiting. Experiment failed."
"Waiting. Experiment failed."
"Waiting. Experiment failed."
"Waiting. Experiment failed."
"Waiting. Experiment failed."
"Waiting. Experiment failed."
"Waiting. Experiment failed."
"Waiting. Experiment failed."
Every time he heard that the experiment had failed, Dilos felt a pang of anxiety. Still, he forced himself to keep it in check. The more tense things got, the more important it was to stay calm. The more impatient he became, the more likely something was to go wrong!
With his teeth clenched, Dilos stared fixedly at the biological simulation on the screen, waiting anxiously.
"Experiment successful. Accepting gene pairing number 1,231,641."
At the simulator's prompt, Dilos thought for the first time that the sound was so beautiful.
Waiting was always hard, especially now. Every minute and every second seemed to drag on forever. So when the simulator's electronic voice announced that the experiment had succeeded, Dilos was overjoyed.
"It worked!"
Dilos was so excited he nearly jumped up. To be honest, he hadn't been confident that the experiment would succeed. On top of the original genetic data, he had added gene-insertion groups from other species. He had separately paired and tested the genes of large felines in the natural world, such as Siberian Tigers, as well as ants.
The astonishing agility of these felines, their exceptionally strong bones, their terrifying explosive power and endurance, their incredible eyesight... and the ability of ants to lift objects weighing up to four hundred times their own body weight—all of it made Dilos green with envy.
He wanted those advantages. With them, he'd have the means to change the course of his future!
The thought made Dilos swallow excitedly, but he didn't rush to use the data to make a serum and inject it into an experimental spider. Instead, he recorded the successful gene-insertion pairing and continued waiting for the simulator to test the remaining proposed methods.
Dilos still hoped the decay-rate algorithm would yield more viable gene-insertion methods. After all, the ultimate goal of this research was to transform the human body, and more successful reference data would be better for the research.
In the end, the algorithm did not disappoint him. The simulation tests confirmed that although only two of the additional gene combinations were viable, those two combinations had more than twenty possible insertion methods!
"Next, based on some of Richard Parker's ideas from the movie, I'll combine the genetic data in my own blood with them. If I use the resulting mutant spiders to produce venomous serum and inject it into myself, the rejection response should theoretically be reduced to almost zero. Then my body can be gradually transformed, allowing me to gain these creatures' abilities without changing my appearance."
A smile of excitement on his face, Dilos took out a syringe and drew several tubes of his own blood. He put them in a machine for analysis, then recombined his genetic data with the more than twenty viable gene groups and ran another round of simulations...
The experiment continued until the next morning.
With dark circles under his eyes and his energy flagging, Dilos quietly slipped a sealed breeding container holding more than a dozen experimental spiders under his bed. He looked at the spiders in the dish, which had calmly begun to change after inhaling the pale yellow aerosolized serum, and let out a sigh of relief.
The results matched his expectations. He had succeeded!
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