Hearing Hong Qiming's words, Lü Yongchang sighed softly.
The timing could not have been more awkward.
If the lab mice could have been ready sooner, or the election could have been held earlier...
But there were no ifs in this world.
Time could only flow forward. It would never turn back.
"Yongchang, is there anything we can do?"
After a moment's hesitation, Hong Qiming asked in a low voice.
"You know Albert has had his eye on that position for a long time."
"If anything happens to the Head Councillor, I'm afraid Parliament..."
Lü Yongchang frowned and gently rubbed the space between his eyebrows. "There is a way."
"Mao Zhengzhi and I have been researching technology in this area lately."
Hong Qiming's eyes lit up, and his breathing quickened.
"Technology related to lifespan?"
"How much longer could someone live?"
Looking at Hong Qiming's hopeful gaze, Lü Yongchang shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Did it fail?" Hong Qiming's expression darkened.
"To be precise, we don't know yet." Lü Yongchang sighed again.
"I won't go into the details of the process. In short, we inserted some of the Proxima Centauri people's genes into E. coli."
"These E. coli can secrete a special protein we've named the longevity enzyme. It can repair worn-down telomere material in chromosomes."
"That would allow humans to surpass their original lifespan limit."
Hong Qiming: "???"
His eyes filled with confusion, and he said awkwardly, "Uh... could you make that a little simpler?"
"In theory, we've already succeeded." Lü Yongchang shrugged. "According to our preliminary calculations, the maximum human lifespan would increase to between six hundred and eight hundred years."
"Holy... holy shit?!" Hong Qiming trembled, exclaiming under his breath, "That long?"
He had imagined that extending the maximum lifespan by fifty years would already be the