The Mutation Brought by "Red Moon"

The days that followed were uneventful. Lin Hai still went to school during the day on weekdays and helped out at his master's clinic and medicinal plant shop at night.

Three weeks later.

Harry brought good news: Osborn Group had approved the future heir's application, allowing Lin Hai and Harry to research the special plant they had mentioned before. However, there was one condition—they had to be together, and neither of them could stay alone in Osborn Laboratory.

Put plainly, Osborn Group still did not trust Lin Hai's abilities. Out of consideration for Harry, they were merely letting Lin Hai try his hand at it. Even so, Harry had to remain present throughout the process to prevent anything inappropriate from happening in the laboratory.

Lin Hai understood. As one of New York's few major corporations, it was only natural that Osborn Group did not take him seriously. He was not some crooked-mouthed Dragon King whom everyone would bow to at first sight.

So Lin Hai and Harry agreed to visit Osborn Group that weekend.

Saturday arrived soon enough. Lin Hai first went to the clinic and medicinal plant shop to finish the day's work. After explaining the situation to his master, he headed for Osborn Tower.

Lin Hai and Harry were already quite familiar with each other, so they skipped the unnecessary pleasantries. Harry led Lin Hai to a small private laboratory owned by Osborn Enterprises.

Only after Harry's introduction did Lin Hai learn that this was essentially Harry's personal laboratory. Osborn Enterprises' large laboratories were where the company's researchers worked.

This small laboratory had been built during the early days of Osborn Group's development. Due to its cramped space and incomplete equipment, it had been abandoned for a long time and was only maintained occasionally.

After Harry transferred back to New York from his boarding school in Switzerland, his father, Norman Osborn, gave him this small laboratory so he could conduct little experiments for fun in his spare time.

Harry opened the laboratory's coded door and invited Lin Hai inside. At a glance, Lin Hai saw the "Red Moon" from before, the plant that somewhat resembled a Blood Orchid.

Lin Hai quickly walked to the experiment table and stared through the specially made glass cover at the bewitching red flower inside.

The first time he had touched it, the flower called "Red Moon" had made the energy in his body feel something like hunger. Through contact with one of its leaves, it had also transmitted a thread of energy into his body.

Now, he had finally obtained Osborn Group's official permission to make further contact with it and study it.

"I still don't understand. With Osborn Enterprises' research capabilities, why haven't you managed to decipher this plant's composition after three years?" Lin Hai asked Harry beside him.

Harry adjusted his goggles. Under the laboratory's blue light, his hair glimmered with a metallic sheen. "We actually did decipher it. We extracted more than forty compounds from this type of special plant, twelve of which had never been recorded by the scientific community.

"But the most crucial problem is that once the active components leave the living plant, they break down into ordinary proteins within five seconds. We can't make effective use of them. In Huaxia terms, it's like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, but a shame to throw away." He pointed at a set of flickering molecular structures on the display.

Lin Hai fell into thought. This really was similar to the Blood Orchid.

Blood Orchids could not be preserved for long either. If they were not used within a short period, the substances inside them that could extend a person's lifespan would completely dissipate. Could all special plants rich in Life Energy be like this?

"Where did your father find it?" Lin Hai asked Harry. He cared about this point. If he knew where the plant grew, he should be able to make more discoveries.

Harry's expression was somewhat indifferent, yet slightly helpless. "In a deep forest in Missouri. The exact coordinates are considered a trade secret. I asked my father, but he wouldn't tell me."

As he spoke, he handed Lin Hai a pair of gloves. "Put these on. You only touched its leaves last time, so that was fine. But if you touch its pollen, your heart will stop beating within five minutes."

Lin Hai took the gloves but did not put them on immediately. Even through the glass, he could sense the plant's energy fluctuations. It was like a restrained flame—scorching and wild. It stood in stark contrast to the gentle, spring-water-like Life Energy within him, yet the two strangely attracted each other.

"I want to touch it directly," Lin Hai suddenly said.

Harry frowned. "Are you insane? You could die!"

But Lin Hai insisted, "I'll be careful. If only the pollen is poisonous, then it's not a big problem. I'll just touch the petals. Some plant traits require special methods for me to judge."

Harry hesitated for a moment before finally sighing. "Five minutes. Stop immediately if you feel any discomfort."

As he walked toward the control panel, he said, "I'll activate the emergency detoxification procedure. And if anything goes wrong, I'll pull you away."

The glass cover slowly rose. Lin Hai took a deep breath and slowly held his palm ten centimeters above the flower. The energy fluctuations coming from "Red Moon" and the craving rising from within his body continuously disrupted his senses.

The instant he made contact, a torrent of scorching energy surged straight up his arm. Lin Hai clenched his teeth, feeling that force violently collide with the gentle Life Energy and attribute-free energy in his dantian.

Unlike the thin thread from last time, this energy was like a burst dam. It washed from his arm to his dantian, then ultimately reached every meridian throughout his body.

"Lin! Your hand!" Harry cried out.

Lin Hai looked down and saw spiderweb-like red patterns emerge beneath the skin of his right hand. They spread toward his elbow at a visible speed. The agony felt like countless red-hot steel needles piercing his marrow, yet his fingers seemed glued to the flower, unable to pull away.

"Hang on! The antidote will be here soon!" Thinking Lin Hai had been poisoned, Harry immediately pressed the emergency button. A piercing alarm blared through the laboratory.

Lin Hai could no longer hear Harry's voice. His consciousness was pulled into a strange space—an endless sea of flowers swayed in the wind, every flower a beating life that released ancient, primal energy.

At the center of that sea of flowers stood an enormous bud like an emperor. Its roots plunged deep underground, seeming to connect to something even greater and more ancient.

"Lin!" Harry's voice pulled him back to reality. Two researchers in protective suits were trying to pull him away, but the "Red Moon" clung to his palm as if it were alive.

"Get back!" Lin Hai's voice seemed squeezed out through clenched teeth.

He closed his eyes and circulated the energy within his body with all his strength. Rather than resisting, he guided that violent life force through the meridians traveled by the attribute-free energy that arose from the depths of his mind whenever he practiced Tai Chi.

The red patterns slowed their spread and began intertwining with the green energy already in his body, forming a strange balance.

Five minutes later, the adhesive force suddenly vanished. Lin Hai staggered backward and was caught by Harry.

"Red Moon" looked no different on the outside, but he knew everything had changed. The plant's energy had transferred into his body.

"Are you all right? The medical team is outside," Harry asked worriedly.

Lin Hai waved a hand and looked down at his right arm. The red patterns were fading, but a faint glow flowed beneath his skin. He felt fuller and stronger than ever before, as though every cell had been infused with fresh vitality.

"Unbelievable! It contains more than just toxins. Its body is filled with pure Life Energy, thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of times greater than that of ordinary plants," Lin Hai muttered.

Harry had the others leave the laboratory, then lowered his voice. "Is this your 'special method'? Absorbing plant energy?"

After witnessing that scene in front of Harry, it was not strange that he had figured something out.

Since Harry had seen through it, Lin Hai had nothing to hide. Peter and his master already knew, and more people would know in the future. He did not mind familiar people knowing about his abilities.

So Lin Hai nodded. "You guessed part of it right. We can talk more later with Peter there. Right now, the urgent matter is..."

Lin Hai looked toward "Red Moon." "This 'Red Moon' should not exist within the evolutionary system of nature. Plants on Earth would never evolve into something like this under normal circumstances."

Harry's expression became complicated. "My father said something similar." After hesitating, he said, "Lin, if you can really interpret this plant, maybe you can help my father with something important."

Lin Hai sharply noticed the shadow that flashed through Harry's eyes when he said "father."

Norman Osborn—the popular Marvel villain known as the Green Goblin—the genius scientist driven mad by the enhancement serum he developed himself.

Although he was currently only the man at the helm of Osborn Enterprises, the seeds of tragedy had already been planted. It was not just the human enhancement serum that would turn Norman Osborn into the Green Goblin, but also the inherited strange illness in the Osborn family bloodline.

"I need more samples. Related plants, data on their growing environment, all relevant information," Lin Hai said.

Harry nodded. "Starting tomorrow, you'll have Level Two access to my private laboratory. But today..."

He pointed at Lin Hai's right arm. "Do you want to go to the medical department for a full examination first? I don't want to explain to Peter tomorrow why his friend is missing an arm."

Lin Hai smiled. "Don't forget that my master is a doctor. I can just go back and have him examine me."

He did not mind familiar friends knowing his secrets, but if he went to Osborn's medical department for a full-body examination, his physical information would be practically exposed to everyone.

At the same time, Lin Hai remained secretly vigilant. The increase in ability brought by contacting "Red Moon" was enormous, but the aura within that energy also unsettled him.

After resting briefly with Harry's company, Lin Hai left Osborn Tower and returned to the clinic.

"Master!" Lin Hai called out as soon as he entered the clinic.

Chen Bing sat behind his desk. Seeing how flustered Lin Hai looked, he rolled his eyes. "What? Did you turn into a monkey after one trip to Osborn Tower?"

"Hehe, my fault, my fault. I was in a hurry to come back because I needed your help." Lin Hai scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. What had happened today had indeed left him excited. Sixteen-year-old Lin Hai still could not keep his emotions from showing on his face.

"Tell me. What is it?"

"I want Master to examine my body. There was a small accident at Osborn Laboratory, but it shouldn't be a big problem. I just want you to confirm whether my physical condition is normal." Lin Hai composed himself and briefly explained what had happened to Chen Bing.

"Quick, quick, lie down! Why are you talking so much nonsense? Hurry up!" There was a trace of anxiety in Chen Bing's voice. Lin Hai was his eldest disciple, and after spending so much time together, Chen Bing regarded him as one of his own younger relatives.

Although Lin Hai swore that he was fine, everyone knew there was a kind of cold called Mom thinks you're cold, and a kind of hunger called Grandma thinks you're hungry. Chen Bing also thought something was wrong with Lin Hai.

Chen Bing used every skill he knew from traditional Chinese medicine on Lin Hai—observation, listening, questioning, pulse-taking, bone-setting examination, acupuncture, and more. Only after finally confirming that Lin Hai really had no problems did he slap him on the back in irritation. "Get up. There's really nothing wrong with you. Your body is even stronger than before. Stay away from dangerous things when you can. A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Protecting yourself is the proper way."

Lin Hai grimaced as he rubbed his back. "All right, all right, Master. Don't worry. I'll definitely stay far away from dangerous stuff from now on. Rest easy."