Lü Yongchang fell silent for a moment before speaking softly.
"Mao, I need a large number of lab mice!"
Mao Zhengzhi froze at Lü Yongchang's words.
A few seconds later, he realized what Lü Yongchang meant.
His expression changed drastically. He stepped closer to Lü Yongchang and lowered his voice. "You're not planning to make the mice produce antibodies against this protein themselves, are you?!"
Lü Yongchang said nothing, but through his protective visor, Mao Zhengzhi found the answer on his face.
"Damn it..." A flicker of horror crossed Mao Zhengzhi's eyes. "Do you have any idea how serious the consequences could be?!"
"That's an extraterrestrial lifeform!"
"We have no idea what kind of reactions it could trigger in Earth's organisms!"
"Do you know what could happen if a sample escapes containment?!"
A bitter look crossed Lü Yongchang's face.
He nodded gently.
"Of course. Of course I know what the consequences could be!"
"But this is the only method that can produce results quickly right now."
"Mao, do you know how long sequencing the human genome took?"
"From the first discussions of the project to its full completion, it took nearly forty years!"
"The United States first proposed the sequencing project in 1984, and it officially began in 1990."
"In April 2003, the genome sequencing project was declared complete. But that only meant they had finished sequencing the genome's [euchromatin] regions, which accounted for roughly 92% of the entire genome. The remaining 8%, the so-called [heterochromatin] regions, held humanity up for a full nineteen years!"
Mao Zhengzhi fell silent.
After a long while, he said hoarsely, "But our current biotechnology has already..."
Lü Yongchang cut him off.
"It's not enough!"
"This is an extraterrestrial lifeform. Neither of us knows how difficult analyzing its genes will be."
"I can't gamble on