Dual Gene Sequence

Cheng Qi caught three transport crates in midair with precise movements.

Then he landed and carefully set the crates down.

After that, he leaped up again, repeating the process to catch the remaining transport crates.

On his final jump.

Cheng Qi spotted a bizarre scene on the ground in the distance.

Amid the turbulent air currents and thick gray dust, something was crawling along the ground.

It looked like half a person!

To be precise, it was not even half. There was only a head, a small section of shoulder, and one arm.

Its arm kept reaching forward, gripping protruding pieces of garbage as it crawled slowly and laboriously.

Judging by its build, it did not look like a robot.

Was that a person?

Could someone still be alive with their body in that state?

Cheng Qi narrowed his eyes, but a cloud of gray metallic dust drifted past, and that quarter of a person suddenly disappeared, as though it had never existed.

He hesitated briefly.

In the end, Cheng Qi gathered all the transport crates and returned to the underground shelter.

With so many valuables in his hands, he could not afford to let curiosity dictate his actions.

Inside the underground shelter.

The enormous Iron Mom extended its precision mechanical arms, neatly arranged the twenty biomaterial crates, and opened them one by one.

It lined up all eighty-two failed Black-Market Gene Serums in a straight row, with spacing deviations of less than 0.1 millimeters. Its precision was downright outrageous.

Rattle, rattle.

Because the shelter floor was curved, one vial rolled slightly.

Iron Mom immediately straightened it.

Cheng Qi examined the serums. Judging by their materials and appearance, there was nothing wrong with them.

The merchant Mo had once again proved his honesty.

Cheng Qi turned his attention to the black biotech transport crates.

The same reasoning still applied.

I bought so much stuff. Throwing in a few "shopping bags" isn't asking too much, right?

"Of course it isn't."

Cheng Qi nodded to himself. "With these crates, Iron Mom can upgrade again. I just hope its compulsive tendencies don't get any worse."

His gaze returned to the Genetic Serum.

Although Cheng Qi was already a C-Level gene bearer, his arms trembled slightly.

Even he understood that his potential for growth was terrifying beyond compare!

His heart raced, his hands shook-even Wang Zilü would be reduced to a lapdog before him!

Cheng Qi swallowed. "Begin synthesis!"

[Breaking down original units]

[Synthesis successful]

[High-Quality Black-Market Gene Serum] ×41!

Cheng Qi's eyes gleamed. "That's right. The same raw materials follow the same synthesis path!"

[Breaking down original units]

[Synthesis successful]

[Premium Black-Market Gene Serum] ×20!

[Breaking down original units]

[Synthesis successful]

[Valente Gene Drug] ×10!

[Breaking down original units]

[Synthesis successful]

[Valente Fantasy Drug] ×5!

Cheng Qi paused.

This was the stage he had reached last time. With no more materials available for synthesis, he had taken the Valente Fantasy Drug.

That very drug had made him evolve three times in succession, becoming a C-Level gene bearer!

Cheng Qi's lips trembled slightly.

What would I get if I kept synthesizing?

Could it advance me to the legendary S-Level gene?

In the years before this.

Cheng Qi had only heard a few unofficial tales from the interstellar radio his grandfather had left behind, which worked only intermittently.

Those with S-Level gene combinations had offspring everywhere.

No matter which planet they visited, all sorts of stunning beauties would pounce like starving tigers, turning into human vacuum cleaners... no, all sorts of beauties would eagerly throw themselves into their arms, hoping to mate with a Higher-Grade Gene Bearer and produce superior babies.

Of course.

These were only unofficial tales.

Cheng Qi believed that people with genuine S-Level gene combinations had no such vulgar urges. Even if they really did have offspring everywhere, it must have been out of some spirit of service.

As for the abilities of S-Level gene bearers, unofficial tales were still just unofficial tales. Those details were mostly glossed over.

After all, their main selling points were titillation and sex.

So Cheng Qi did not know what sort of realm the legendary S-Level gene bearers truly occupied.

At this very moment.

Cheng Qi's anticipation skyrocketed.

"Begin synthesis."

[Breaking down into original substances]

[Synthesis successful]

[Life Sprout - Gene Sequence Liberation Drug] ×2!

[Humans are carbon-based lifeforms. Regardless of how their genes improve, their framework remains founded on carbon-based biology]

[Carbon-based lifeforms are organisms based on the element carbon]

[The construction of essential biological molecules in the human body, including proteins, sugars, and carbohydrates, is based on carbon's chemical properties. The human respiratory and circulatory systems also depend on carbon]

[Even DNA, the essential macromolecule that carries genetic information, is composed of carbon-based nucleotides]

[Due to Earth's environmental conditions, naturally occurring life can only be carbon-based]

[Humans owe their existence to carbon, but are also constrained by it]

Cheng Qi stared at the Standard Template Construct's virtual screen.

He had no idea why this explanatory note had appeared.

Still, he did his best to digest it.

Simply put, being born on Earth meant humanity was destined to have a carbon-based structure.

Breathing depended on carbon, breaking down food depended on carbon, and even heredity depended on carbon!

Without carbon, humanity as it existed today would not exist.

And without carbon, humans would collapse at the molecular level, leaving not even scraps behind.

That was what carbon-based life meant.

At that moment.

Cheng Qi's gaze sharpened slightly. A sentence at the very bottom of the Standard Template Construct's light screen caught his attention.

[Life Sprout - Gene Sequence Liberation Drug: this technology originates from a Level-5 Plant Civilization. It has a certain probability of completely altering the fundamental system of a carbon-based lifeform, allowing it to evolve into an entirely new gene sequence]

[For example, a silicon-based lifeform]

Cheng Qi sucked in a sharp breath.

A silicon-based lifeform?!

This drug had gone beyond humanity's understanding of "genetic enhancement." It had flipped the whole table!

Its ambition was to evolve humans into silicon-based lifeforms!

A sequence...

It jumped straight across an entire sequence!

Cheng Qi could hardly believe it. You could actually do that?

But what was this "Plant Civilization"?

There were other kinds of civilizations in the universe besides technological ones?

A Plant Civilization... could it be a society made up of tree people?

Just then.

The Standard Template Construct's notes moved to the next page, revealing another line of text.

[Special note]

[This Gene Sequence Liberation Drug has a success rate of only 7.7%. If liberation fails, the user's original genes will also suffer irreversible damage, directly causing genetic dissolution and instant death]

[If liberation succeeds]

[The user will transform into a lifeform with an entirely new elemental foundation. However, environmental factors may leave the user unable to breathe properly or convert energy within their body]

[For example, if the user transforms into a silicon-based lifeform but happens to be on Earth, where silicon is scarce in the surrounding environment, their life cycle will suffer catastrophic disruption, resulting in instant death]

Two consecutive instances of "instant death" left Cheng Qi utterly stunned.

Fine, fine, fine.

So I was screwed either way?

What use was this drug to me?

I might as well smash the glass vial and stab myself to death. No need to trouble you!

Complaints aside.

Cheng Qi had not reached the final step yet.

He now had two Gene Sequence Liberation Drugs in his hands, enough for one final synthesis!

[Breaking down into original substances]

[Synthesis successful]

[Tree of Life - Balanced Sequence Liberation Drug] ×1!

[Building upon the Life Sprout, this drug's effects have been greatly enhanced, while its efficacy and side effects have been balanced]

[The success rate of gene liberation has risen to 67.7%. The side effect of genetic dissolution has been eliminated, and the direction of liberation has been fixed, with silicon-based lifeform as the target transformation]

[Furthermore, successful liberation will preserve the user's original gene sequence. During subsequent evolution, the user will transform into a dual gene sequence organism, possessing the advantages of both gene sequences, with each compensating for the other's weaknesses]

Cheng Qi felt as though five thunderbolts had struck him at once.

A dual gene sequence!?

And the kind that wouldn't kill me on the spot, at that!