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Because the symptoms experienced by each person during awakening are different, using painkillers may have the opposite effect. Therefore, participants in the awakening experiment could not use painkillers or similar medications.
The Ability Stabilization Agent is less of a medicine and more of a concentrated source of active energy; it only nourishes the body and does not worsen injuries.
This year's base defense battle also saw the participation of seven new superhumans.
Considering their lack of proficiency in using their supernatural abilities, Lou Quan did not arrange for them to confront the enemy head-on, but instead to provide support and launch surprise attacks from the sidelines.
It goes without saying that with their help, Lou Yu and Zhao Tao found dealing with intermediate-level mutated monsters much easier.
Perhaps this is why Lou Quan insisted on conducting the awakening experiment.
At this moment, inside the Lou Family Research Institute at the Central Base.
In early spring, the temperature was so low that it made people shiver when they woke up and went to bed late, but Bai Yan, who was in the laboratory, was sweating profusely.
But it wasn't because of the heat, it was because of fear.
Ever since discovering that active energy in the seeds, Bai Yan has been trying to restore and stabilize it.
After countless attempts, Bai Yan finally found a solution.
Soaking seeds in a solution made from a rare plant for three days, followed by germination, reveals stable active energy in slices of the young shoots.
At first, Bai Yan was simply amazed by the vibrant life force within this energy, but after applying it to reality, she developed a sense of fear.
After extracting the active energy, she incorporated it into medicine and fertilizer. She injected the medicine into the severely injured and dying experimental rabbits and fertilized the plants that were growing slowly.
As a result, the rabbit's condition stabilized after just one night, and a week later it was lively and energetic again, with its injuries gradually healing.
And the plants that had stopped growing are now growing day by day.
At first, Bai Yan was delighted, because this was exactly what she had been dreaming of. She wanted to strengthen the human body and extend human lifespan, and this energy might help her realize her dream.
But Bai Yan quickly realized that if this miraculous active energy were discovered by the families, Tao Qiu would definitely not be able to escape their clutches.
Tao Qiu is Lou Yu's lover and the father of her three grandchildren. Her son, Lou Yu, has finally achieved his current peaceful and stable life, and he absolutely cannot let it be destroyed by those greedy people from the major families.
Once she had thought it through, Bai Yan deleted all the experimental data and destroyed all the evidence, including the data on the rabbits and plants, as if she had never obtained those seeds.
After erasing all traces, she calmly walked out of the laboratory, ending her long stretch of overtime work.
In early June, as harvest time approached, several families, including the Shen Family, discovered that the second-generation seeds they had bought from the Lou Family had a significantly lower yield when planted a second time, and the taste and aroma were also very similar to ordinary grains.
This crop definitely won't fetch a good price, and the seeds are wasted; we'll have to buy new seeds from the Lou Family.
But not only are new seeds expensive, the feeling of being at the mercy of others also makes everyone very uncomfortable.
The other companies had no other choice, mainly because they couldn't replicate the Lou Family's seeds, and the Lou Family might sell new crop seeds. They didn't want to break ties with the Lou Family at this time, so they could only endure it.
But the Shen Family is different; they have another path to take.
Shen Family person in charge of the project to cultivate the same grain seeds as the Lou Family is Seventh Young Lady Shen. She is the youngest child born to the current head of the Shen Family and his first wife, but she is already twenty-six years old this year.
Several years ago, after her older brother Fourth Young Master Shen, was assassinated by Lou Yu, she and her brother were left to depend on each other in the Shen Family.
Their father, the Shen Family Head, only cared about interests and not about family ties. Even though the two siblings were born to his first wife, he had no extra affection for them and often watched them fight amongst themselves with the other illegitimate children who had been brought back to the Shen Family.
Raising children in this way, which is akin to raising poisonous insects, means that those who are still alive and in the Shen Family today are naturally not good people.
The Shen Family Head was getting old and couldn't bear to part with the power he held, nor could he bear to die. Therefore, he had a particular fondness for the premium rice and noodles sold by the Lou Family.
But he also felt that this behavior was like entrusting their lives to others, and he was afraid that one day the Lou Family would threaten them with food.
Therefore, he hoped that his family could also cultivate similar superior breeds. After all, the Shen Family was the first family to develop the Awakening Reagent, and he had great confidence in his family's strength.
In order to save face in front of the Shen Family Head, Seventh Young Lady Shen pulled many strings with Eldest Young Master Shen, and finally managed to snag the job of cultivating seeds, only to find it turned out to be a hot potato.
To date, the project team hasn't even produced a single result. Seventh Young Lady Shen has been summoned and criticized by the Shen Family Head many times, and today was no exception. The Shen Family Head told her with a fierce expression that if she couldn't produce any results, he would send her off to get married, at least that would bring some influence to the Shen Family.
Seventh Young Lady Shen and her elder brother's goal is the position of head of the Shen Family. Marrying is simply the ultimate insult to her.
She was both angry and panicked, because she knew that people and things that were useless in the eyes of the Shen Family Head would only end up being thrown into the trash heap.
Her mother was injured during childbirth and doctors determined that she would have difficulty conceiving again. The Shen Family Head made her leave the main family and go to a so-called sanatorium to recuperate, where she eventually died in depression.
Her brother, Fourth Young Master Shen, was killed by Lou Yu. Not only did the Shen Family Head show no regret, but he also scolded him for being useless in front of her, her brother, and their many illegitimate children.
The reason for hunting down Lou Yu was simply because the Shen Family's higher-ups felt they had lost face.
As a result, Seventh Young Lady Shen and Eldest Young Master Shen were neglected for a period of time.
The brother and sister vowed that one day they would take over the Shen Family Head from the head of the Shen Family and make him experience what it's Shen Family Head own family.
"Seventh Sister, did you just come out of Father's study?"
Second Young Master Shen stood at the corner of the stairs, glanced at the third floor, and then fixed his gaze on Seventh Young Lady Shen's face.
"You don't look too good. Did Father scold you? Sigh, trying to cultivate grain seeds like the Lou Family's superior variety is indeed very troublesome. You've really worked hard, little sister."
Hearing these sarcastic words, Seventh Young Lady Shen smiled slightly and said, "Second Brother, you still have time to wander around here? It's been years. Have you caught that opposition member who escaped with the mutated spider sample? I have a suggestion for you, you'd better listen to it: check your subordinates more often when you have nothing to do, lest another opposition member infiltrate your ranks. Otherwise, if Father slaps you again, your face will sting a lot."
Not only were there several dissidents infiltrated into the research institute previously managed by the Second Young Master Shen, but one of them even held a high-ranking position and completely destroyed the White Spider Project, which was highly valued by the Shen Family Head at the time.
Was the white spider sample stolen by the opposition? Was the experimental data destroyed? To this day, the research institute has not been able to develop a high-level mutated monster like the white spider—fast-growing, stupid, and not hostile to humans.
After learning what had happened, the Shen Family Head, in front of several high-ranking members of the Shen Family and Seventh Young Lady Shen, slapped the Second Young Master Shen twice, making his face swell up.
Second Young Master Shen was originally the strongest rival of Seventh Young Lady Shen and Eldest Young Master Shen. Because of this accident, he remained silent for a long time. Last year, he accomplished a major task and received commendation from the Shen Family Head, which allowed him to return to the forefront of the competition for the position of family head.
At this moment, the two looked at each other with smiles on their faces, but every word they uttered was meant to expose each other's shortcomings. If it weren't for the fact that the Shen Family Head was still upstairs, they might have even started a fight.
Aside from rolling their eyes at each other, they didn't bother to even glance at one another. Seeing that the exchange had ended in a draw, they exchanged insincere farewells and went their separate ways.
After leaving the villa Shen Family Head lived, Seventh Young Lady Shen immediately went to find her own brother, Eldest Young Master Shen.
"Brother, I need to see that person. Can you arrange it for me? That old man said if we can't produce a seed, he'll force me into an arranged marriage."
In order to gain the attention of the Shen Family Head, Seventh Young Lady Shen's mother had a very short pregnancy interval, at most one year, so the age gap between the three siblings was not large.
This was also one of the reasons why Madam Shen's health deteriorated and she died young.
Seventh Young Lady Shen is only four years younger than Eldest Young Master Shen has always been very protective of this younger sister.
When his sister first suggested meeting that person, his initial reaction was to refuse. But after hearing the reasons that followed, Eldest Young Master Shen wavered.
He asked his sister, "Why do you want to see that person?"
Seventh Young Lady Shen: "The old man wants grain seeds like the Lou Family's. I think with that person's extensive knowledge, he might know how to cultivate them. Besides, grain is a plant, so that person should know more about it."
After a moment's hesitation, Eldest Young Master Shen said, "Although I have the authority to enter that person's residence, the old man is very opposed to us meeting with him. If he finds out, he'll probably be furious."
"Tch, isn't he just afraid we'll be more favored than him? Would he force him to give up the position of family head to us?" Seventh Young Lady Shen curled her lips in disdain.
Then, she suddenly thought of something and happily said to Eldest Young Master Shen, "Let's go secretly. That person has the kindest personality. Even if we can't find out the method to cultivate superior seeds, if we ask, that person won't reveal that we went there."
The Shen Family was able to develop the Awakening Reagent, and ninety percent of that was thanks to that person. Because of the warning from the Shen Family Head, even though Eldest Young Master Shen had the authority, he had only seen that person a handful of times over the years.
Even though they had only met a few times, that tall and kind figure remained deeply rooted in Eldest Young Master Shen's heart.
My sister is right. If they ask, that person should help keep it a secret.
"Alright, tomorrow night it is. I've seen the old man's schedule; he'll be spending the night at his mistress's." A flicker of disgust crossed Eldest Young Master Shen's eyes as he finished speaking.
The Shen Family Head is quite old, but he hasn't given up on the idea of having more children.