"Beep~"
"Chirp~"
The ward doors opened, and an elderly man in a white uniform with graying hair walked out of the Level One Special Ward.
"How is he?"
The people anxiously waiting outside quickly surrounded him.
The doctor paused at the question, then shook his head helplessly. "I have never seen this kind of condition. The cells in his body have nearly been completely destroyed by the virus. If you had not brought him in promptly and used a special medicine to neutralize it along the way, he should have died long ago."
"Then what do you mean?" The weight in Lenoya and the others' hearts quietly lifted.
Lenoya had nearly been scared to death when she learned that Noer had taken Gene Potion No. 4.
Gene Potion No. 4.
It was the fourth generation developed by the January Colony laboratory.
Its destructive power was the strongest among all thirteen versions. Of all the animals tested so far, none had survived. Even the one that lasted the longest had only held on for five hours.
And that was with a small injection.
As for Noer, based on their examination of Anna's bottle, he had likely consumed more than three times the experimental injection dose.
"But that only let him linger a little longer. We do not have the ability to repair his genes here." The doctor shook his head as he explained.
"Then doesn't that mean Noer..." Asya did not say the last few words. She merely stared blankly toward the ward.
The doctor did not answer. He only silently shook his head.
In truth, this was like a human consuming paraquat. No matter how quickly they were sent to the hospital, the devastating damage it caused to the body could not be repaired normally.
"Thud~"
Sister Aya's legs gave out, and she sank back into her seat in disbelief. This was practically a death sentence.
"I understand. Thank you, Doctor!" Although Lenoya had been prepared for this, still...
"You are too polite, Dr. Lenoya. If there is nothing else, I will be going back now." The doctor naturally recognized her.
Or rather, if not for Lenoya, how could Noer have been admitted to a Level One Special Ward the moment he arrived?
"Whew~"
Lenoya took a deep breath, pulled out her communicator, and made a call.
"Ma'am."
"How are the preparations for the shuttle going?"
"It has basically been dismantled. It can be launched in around half an hour!"
"I understand. Once it is ready, have the shuttle start up and stand by. I will bring him over immediately!"
"Yes!"
"Aunt Lenoya?" Asya looked at Lenoya.
"Gene Potion No. 4 is extremely destructive to the human body. He must undergo a second round of genetic repair and adjustment as soon as possible."
Seeing the confusion on their faces, Lenoya continued, "I only brought Noer here to use the equipment and stabilize his condition temporarily. I had already ordered them to dismantle the shuttle earlier. In a little while, it will be able to take off directly."
"You mean?" Sister Aya seemed to understand what Lenoya meant.
"I contacted the January Colony in advance. In half an hour, the shuttle will take Noer directly there for surgery," Lenoya replied.
About two minutes after learning that Noer had taken the Gene Potion, she had thought of this solution.
In fact, the research institute had proposed using criminals for human experimentation long ago, but Senator Siegel Clyne had stopped every such proposal.
Because it was too inhumane, and too many people had died for the First Generation Coordinators back then. They could not repeat those mistakes.
But now, all they could say was that it was fate. A test subject had happened to deliver himself right to their door.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Sister Aya was usually very strict with Noer and the others, but that did not mean she did not care about them.
Or rather, it was precisely because she cared so much about Noer and the others that she was so strict.
"You're welcome. Oh, and I hope this matter will not affect Anna! No matter the outcome, I hope everyone will keep it confidential and stick to the same story!" Remembering Anna's expression when she saw Noer collapse, Lenoya could not help feeling worried.
"All right." Sister Aya was not stupid. She quickly understood Lenoya's meaning.
"Then what should we say?" Asya asked.
"Say that Noer was sent to Colony One for treatment. In a few days, I will contact the researchers there and have them cooperate with us," Lenoya replied.
"Can Noer... make it through?"
After hearing Lenoya's words, Asya felt deeply uncomfortable.
Why was her first reaction to ask about cooperation?
Thinking back to Aunt Lenoya's terrified shock when she learned Noer had taken the Gene Potion...
"He can!" Lenoya took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"I hope so..."
Looking at Aunt Lenoya's expression, Asya grew even more worried.
Time rewind~
The morning of February 5, C.E. 70!
PLANT, Senator Siegel Clyne's residence.
"Hello, hello~"
"Lacus?" Just as Siegel Clyne was about to leave, he suddenly heard Hello's voice behind him and stopped to look back.
"Father, may your journey go smoothly!"
She held a small pink machine in her arms. Her long, soft pink hair flowed lightly, while a pair of blue-violet eyes rested within skin as white and clear as snow. Her long skirt swayed like waves, and a smile that made all who saw it feel happy curved across her face. She was gorgeous and dreamlike.
She was Lacus Clyne, known as the Songstress.
"Hehe, thank you for your blessing!"
The thing Siegel Clyne was proudest of in his life was not developing PLANT alongside Patrick Zala, but this daughter before him, who had inherited his ideals.
"Chairman, it is time." Outside the door, the bodyguard responsible for Siegel Clyne's safety stepped forward and spoke.
"I understand."
After hearing this, Siegel Clyne turned to Lacus with a smile. "I will be leaving now. If everything goes smoothly, I will return tomorrow."
"Everything will go smoothly!"
Lacus Clyne nodded with a smile. Her dreamlike smile left the bodyguard outside momentarily dazed.
"Bang~"
The car door closed, and the vehicle carrying Siegel headed toward the shuttle under the escort of the bodyguards.
What Siegel did not know was that the moment he got into the car, one of the accompanying bodyguards silently pressed a certain button.
Outside Siegel's private shuttle, two men in military uniforms slowly entered carrying repair tools. At the same time, the airport surveillance briefly froze before returning to normal. However, the two men could no longer be found anywhere in the footage.
On the other side of the starry sky, Copernicus—the lunar city of Copernicus.
Today was the day the United Nations Secretary-General had convened a negotiation between PLANT and the council nations.
Representatives from all sides had already gathered here.
"Who is representing PLANT this time?"
"It should be Siegel Clyne."
"It is good that it is him. Hopefully, this matter can be resolved quickly."
"Exactly. Whether Coordinators or Naturals, everyone came from the same source. Why fight each other to the death?"
"Unfortunately, some people do not think that way."
"You mean..."
However, Siegel Clyne, whom the attendees were discussing, was currently sitting inside the shuttle with a grim expression.
"How much longer until we can take off normally?"
Watching the hands ticking across his watch, Siegel Clyne could not suppress the irritation rising within him.
Today was the agreed date for discussing how to resolve the conflict between PLANT and the Earth Federation on the moon. Yet after arriving, he discovered that the shuttle had malfunctioned and could not take off smoothly.
And because of the PLANT strategic deployment passed at yesterday's meeting, there were temporarily no other available shuttles here...
If one were dispatched from elsewhere, it would take at least two hours!
"Reporting to the Chairman, it will probably take around half an hour."
A man in military uniform stepped forward and answered.
"Half an hour? Tell them to repair it as quickly as possible!" Though Siegel Clyne was anxious beyond measure, he could only remain inside the shuttle and wait.
Half an hour was still within acceptable limits.
Working part-time, running two series at once!
Feels like I'm going to die!
I spent the whole night writing outlines~~~
By the way, what should I do about the female lead?!
What if I can't find a suitable female lead~~~
Or should I... build a harem too?
I'm going crazy, I'm going crazy!!!
Before you continue