Although Di Yi Ye was a cautious person, he did not doubt Dr. Murong in the slightest, even if the latter was afraid of losing him as a research subject. This was because he knew very well that Dr. Murong was extremely cautious and even reverent towards 'science,' and such a person would naturally not lie by desecrating science.
Upon receiving a positive reply from Dr. Murong, Di Yi Ye was extremely excited. He hurriedly asked, "Old Man Murong, at the current rate I'm absorbing Qi, how long do you think it will take for me to successfully condense my soul?"
Without answering immediately, Dr. Murong counted on his fingers. After one to two minutes, he finally stopped and said, "At best, half a year; at worst, a year. But that's assuming you continue to maintain your current rate of absorbing Qi."
"Even the fastest is half a year."
Di Yi Ye muttered to himself, but he quickly cast these thoughts aside. "I'm already seven or eight years behind others. Waiting another year is nothing, as long as I can condense my soul."
"Heh heh, so you agree to continue attempting gene awakening? That's great."
Dr. Murong cheered like a child receiving a desired gift. He pulled Di Yi Ye over to an instrument and said, "Let me tell you, we obtained a lot of genetic material from the recent beast tide attacking the city. Besides the genes you've already tried, we have genes from cobras, rabbits, jackals, and weasels. You can pick whichever you like."
Before Di Yi Ye could speak, Dr. Murong continued, "I suggest you try the cobra gene. After all, even if the other types are successful, they won't significantly boost your strength..."
It's worth mentioning that after using one type of gene as a catalyst for gene awakening, you cannot use the same material again, as it is destined to fail. Therefore, after trying one, you must switch to other materials for subsequent attempts.
"But cobras are cold-blooded animals. In freezing weather, they hibernate. Although I wouldn't hibernate as a human, it would still significantly affect my strength, wouldn't it?" Di Yi Ye raised his concern.
"Heh, the environment of the New Earth is quite good. There are very few regions with freezing weather, so you don't need to worry about that problem."
Dr. Murong was like a strange uncle coaxing a kindergarten child. "Besides, the cobra gene contains potent venom. Tsk tsk, once you awaken this gene, you'll also control a special ability. This can greatly enhance your combat power, something you've always dreamed of."
Hearing the word 'venom,' Di Yi Ye was somewhat tempted. However, thinking about transforming into a cobra, he decisively shook his head and said, "Forget it, I'll try awakening my genes with other genetic materials."
"But the owners of the other genetic materials aren't very strong. Rabbits, let's not even mention them; besides digging holes, they don't have many other skills. As for weasels and jackals, their body sizes are a bit small, and they won't significantly improve your strength. After all, you excel at close-quarters combat and need to increase your physique," Dr. Murong said, clearly still favoring Di Yi Ye choosing the cobra.
"I have something better."
Di Yi Ye said. As he spoke, he took out the head of a Fire Mane Rat from his Storage Bracelet. This immediately surprised Dr. Murong and the surrounding researchers, as they all recognized the head belonged to a Tier 2 Exotic Beast.
Everyone was well aware of Di Yi Ye's strength. They naturally knew that even with his power, it would have been a struggle for him to kill a Tier 2 Exotic Beast, especially one as elite as the Fire Mane Rat.
As for revealing the Storage Bracelet to Dr. Murong and the others, Di Yi Ye wasn't worried. This secret was already known to everyone. In fact, it was because of Dr. Murong's research that Di Yi Ye discovered his ability to open spatial items, so he naturally wasn't concerned about the trouble that 'showing off wealth' might bring.
"I didn't expect you to kill a Tier 2 Fire Mane Rat. These beasts like to travel in packs, at least five or six together. You managed to deal with so many Fire Mane Rats at once; your strength has indeed advanced by leaps and bounds."
Dr. Murong praised him, his face full of joy. "Although the Fire Mane Rat's body size isn't much larger than a jackal's, it's still bigger. Most importantly, Fire Mane Rats are born with the special ability of Fire Control. Heh, perhaps after your gene awakening, you'll be able to control fire too."
"At the very least, it can greatly increase your resistance to fire, which would be very beneficial for you," Dr. Murong added, clearly very pleased with this genetic material.
The rest was simple. Dr. Murong took the Fire Mane Rat's head to extract the necessary genes, while Di Yi Ye wandered around. The other researchers didn't mind; they even greeted him and joked with him from time to time, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
Inside the Research Institute, Di Yi Ye saw some new research results from the researchers, such as a drug that could temporarily suppress special abilities and Qi Flow, laser guns powered by Exotic Beast Crystal Cores, and some uniquely shaped aircraft and satellites. Some of these powerful creations even made Di Yi Ye's eyes gleam with desire, such as a sniper rifle whose power was far greater than the Barrett M82A1.
The reason Di Yi Ye was interested in this sniper rifle was that he knew it could kill Tier 2, Tier 3, and even higher-level Exotic Beasts with a single shot from an extremely long distance. With this rifle, he would have the chance to hunt high-level Exotic Beasts.
However, after learning its value and that each bullet required an Exotic Beast Crystal Core of Tier 1 or higher from a researcher, he decisively gave up. With his current 'financial means,' it was clearly too much to handle. He might as well stick to using bows and arrows and close-quarters combat to kill Exotic Beasts.
After Di Yi Ye finished his tour, Dr. Murong had finally extracted enough genetic material. Without needing any specific instructions, Di Yi Ye removed his clothes and skillfully entered a protective instrument made of bulletproof tempered glass, then lay down. This instrument was connected to numerous devices and a quantum computer with ultra-high computing power, clearly controlling the gene awakening process.
After Di Yi Ye nodded to signal he was ready, Dr. Murong didn't waste time. He clicked a button, and specially made metal bandages bound Di Yi Ye and secured him. The process of attempting gene awakening is extremely painful, and subjects often react violently because they cannot bear it. If they weren't restrained, many might collide with the instruments and commit suicide out of unbearable pain, so some protective measures were necessary.
Seeing Di Yi Ye secured, Dr. Murong injected the extracted genes into a container connected to many nano-needles. Under the control of an assistant, the nano-needles began to pierce Di Yi Ye's head, body, and limbs. As the instruments operated, the genetic material in the container gradually decreased, clearly indicating that the gene awakening attempt had begun.
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