Chapter 153 World Five [11]

Communicating through letters is indeed very suitable for Chu Ci and Jing Ke now. After all, before Chu Ci lost his mind, there were very few interactions between the two.

When Chu Ci lost most of her sanity, her words and actions were not what she really meant.

For example, sleeping in the same bed. If Chu Ci had not made a unilateral request and was extremely uncooperative, she probably would not have had the chance to enter Jing Ke's bedroom, let alone the chance to take a bath and sleep with her.

In the first few days, Chu Ci shared the development and changes of the base. As their correspondence increased, Chu Ci began to share his own experiences, occasionally leaving a few questions he couldn't figure out, seeking answers from Jing Ke.

Jing Ke's human trials were also going very smoothly. Within three days, a mutant had successfully transformed into an Evolved. The superpower they had acquired was the ability to raise the temperature of liquids, which, if utilized effectively, could be very useful.

While sharing this news with Chu Ci, Jing Ke also told Chu Ci about her previous promise to the drug testers.

Chu Ci certainly had no objection. Those who were willing to stand up at this time should be given preferential treatment. Not only them, but their families should also be given preferential treatment.

In this way, after a month of correspondence, Chu Ci and Jing Ke deepened their understanding of each other through the words written on paper.

As more and more security personnel were deployed around the institute, some residents in Base No. 1 began to inquire about the news intentionally or unintentionally, and told the people in other bases the corresponding situation and their own speculations through some means.

There is always a lack of ambitious people.

In the eyes of those people, Chu Ci of Base No. 1 is the biggest obstacle to their dominance.

-

On the other hand, the finished product of Evolution Potion No. 1 was much better than Jing Ke had expected.

At the frequency of injecting one medicine per day, the earliest person to become an evolver took three days, and the latest person took thirty days. During this period, no one failed to mutate.

Such results are very encouraging. In the absence of side effects, even a one percent success rate would attract countless people, not to mention that the success rate fluctuates between 33.3% and 3.33%.

After briefly explaining the situation in the letter, Jing Ke also made a request to Chu Ci, which was to arrange a thousand sufficiently reliable people to become the experimenters for the second batch of No. 1 evolution potion.

A thousand people are nothing compared to the No. 1 Base with a population of four million, but a thousand absolutely reliable people are quite rare.

Chu Ci did not dare to be vague about what Jing Ke had specifically instructed him to do. He immediately called his subordinates together and asked them to each provide a list of sufficiently reliable personnel.

Due to the need for confidentiality, priority was given to choosing a single mutant. By then, they could simply use the excuse of being on a mission to fool most people.

Thirty-two reliable subordinates each nominated more than thirty people. Chu Ci spent an extra two days conducting small tests on them. After confirming that there were no problems, he brought these people to a relatively closed environment.

"The director has developed a brand new drug. Its effectiveness is currently unclear, and we need cooperation in conducting pharmacological experiments. You are the chosen ones. If anyone is unwilling, they can choose to withdraw. However, you must leave here in two months."

Chu Ci didn't waste any words. After gathering everyone together, he got straight to the point. "I emphasize again, the effects of the potion are unknown, and there is a risk of death. If you are willing to stay and cooperate with the experiment, please write down your intended heir on a piece of paper, and I will transfer the corresponding sacrifice compensation to the person you designate."

"I'll give you ten minutes to consider. If you choose to give up, you can leave this hall now." After saying the last sentence, Chu Ci pressed the stopwatch and waited quietly for time to pass.

Ten minutes is a short time. As a person recommended by loyal subordinates as reliable enough, after ten minutes, a thousand wills were handed into Chu Ci's hands.

Chu Ci counted the number and glanced at the people in the audience, "Very good, I hope that when we meet next time, you will have completed your transformation."

After leaving such a meaningless sentence, Chu Ci left with a thick stack of papers.

Those who chose to stay were filled with anxiety and tension, but more than anything else, they were eager to try and look forward to it. They had used almost every potion the director of the institute had produced, and they knew how many times it had saved them on the front lines.

Therefore, when they heard that they were going to be human guinea pigs for the director, most people did not reject or object to it, but were more looking forward to the effect of the medicine.

-

Human trials with such high levels of secrecy couldn't possibly be anything trivial. And with the general speaking out, it might just be the drug they'd been waiting for!

However, the scale of one thousand people was still a bit too large. About fifteen days after the experiment began, those who received the inside information became uneasy.

They had no place to confirm the flow of personnel within Base No. 1, but Base No. 1 didn't have a thousand people going out on missions, so they could still figure it out through cooperation.

As a result, a conspiracy theory rumor was widely spread.

In order to make the rumor explosive enough, they started targeting Chu Ci by name, saying that she was conducting inhumane human experiments in order to create a monster that was powerful enough but irrational.

Not only that, in order to make the rumors more credible, they also released a part of the list, saying that those people died in the experiment.

This method seems stupid to Chu Ci, but it can easily deceive those who are uninformed.

Human experiments have been criticized since ancient times. Based on this seemingly unreliable reason, a so-called survivor alliance consisting of twenty-two bases was born.

In the name of the alliance, they asked Chu Ci to stop the illegal research, hand over the data and release the people involved in the experiment.

Chu Ci did not comment on this. She did not clarify these rumors that were obviously false. She just strengthened the defense measures and took her confidants to clear out the zombies outside, showing her ability to fight against many enemies at once.

As time passed, Chu Ci's mastery of his supernatural powers also greatly improved.

Not to mention being able to fight a hundred alone, but taking on twenty-two base commanders alone was no problem. After all, she had been injected with countless evolutionary potions during the three months of treatment.

No matter what your original foundation is, as long as you can survive, you will be an absolute strong person.

-

Chu Ci kept all the struggles and dangers outside the research institute. She did not reveal too much in the letter, but only said that the situation outside was under control and asked Jing Ke to focus on her research.

Although Jing Ke could discern some clues between the lines, she knew her top priority was to confirm the effectiveness of Evolution Potion No. 1. So Jing Ke decided to bring the research institute's staff to conduct a comprehensive physical examination on the more than 900 Evolvers.

As more people participated in drug trials, the failure rate remained at 0, but the range of success became much larger.

The five luckiest people successfully became evolvers when they were injected with the potion for the first time. The superpowers they gained were also very useful, including compressing air, controlling water, changing material structure, sonic attacks and taking objects from a distance.

However, there were more than ten people who were not so lucky. After completing twenty injections of the drug, there was still no change in their bodies.

At this time, Jing Ke was studying the differences in the use of Evolutionary Potion No. 1 on different individuals. The data that a thousand people could provide was too much, enough for Jing Ke to rely on them to find out certain rules.

For example, the impact of an individual's physique on the potion, the impact of age on the absorption of the potion, and the impact of whether or not a person has absorbed zombie crystal cores on the absorption of the potion.

Jing Ke, who was so immersed in research, didn't even have time to write back to Chu Ci for three days. After the research report came out, Jing Ke left the institute with a bunch of information and headed towards the base's high-rise office building under the protection of Jing Pingping.

The guards in the office building all recognized Jing Ke. When they heard that she was their general, they gave the green light without hesitation.

However, when passing the last line of defense, Jing Pingping, the powerful evolver, was temporarily stopped. The guard said that only Jing Ke could enter the general's office.

Thinking about how she had stopped Chu Ci outside the laboratory countless times, Jing Pingping didn't have any major objections to this arrangement and agreed to it calmly.

"I'll wait for you outside. If you don't come out in an hour, I'll come find you again." Jing Pingping said, generously giving the two of them an hour alone.

Jing Ke nodded, gave her sister Pingping a reassuring look, then walked straight to the base commander's private office and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Chu Ci's voice quickly came from inside, and the metal door was opened as if it had a sense of movement.

Jing Ke walked in holding the documents, looked around the ordinary-looking office, and then slowly walked towards Chu Ci's desk.

At this time, Chu Ci was busy writing a letter to Jing Ke the next day, so he didn't look up to confirm who was coming. He thought it was Adjutant Xiao Ma who was delivering information to him.

"The latest batch of documents is here. For now, we just need to hold our ground. It's going to be difficult to start a war of public opinion. If we don't react, they'll just be playing a one-man show."

Chu Ci said to himself, "Don't worry about the people below. The more they stir up trouble in public opinion, the more it proves that they dare not act recklessly on the front line. Most importantly, only our No. 1 Base can stably produce No. 1 Potion."

After saying a lot of things, Chu Ci realized belatedly that Adjutant Xiao Ma seemed to be too silent today. If it were before, she would have said something indignantly.

With a hint of confusion, Chu Ci raised her head, and then she saw Jing Ke wearing a white coat and holding a pile of documents in front of her chest.

Jing Ke? Is it Jing Ke?

Chu Ci couldn't help but rub his eyes, wanting to confirm whether there was anything wrong with his cognition through this useless behavior.

"Director, why are you here?" Chu Ci subconsciously stood up from his chair.

"The results of the pharmacological experiment are out. A total of 983 people out of 1,000 have become evolvers. They have more antibodies to alien virus variants in their blood, and their physical condition is no different from the first batch of evolvers." Jing Ke said with a smile in his eyes.

"However, their mastery of superpowers is limited. If they are fighting zombies, they will need three to seven days of training. If they are fighting humans who are also evolvers, it is recommended to train for more than three months."

"Here are some of the conclusions I have drawn. Chu Ci, you can take a look at them first, and then select some more appropriate parts to announce to the public." Jing Ke placed a thick stack of documents on the table.

"By the way, remember to give the one thousand people who volunteered to participate in the human experiments the preferential treatment they deserve. This is what I promised them," Jing Ke added.

"Okay, okay, this, I know, I heard you say it in the letter." Chu Ci's breathing began to become disordered, and he subconsciously covered the unfinished letter on the table with his hand.

"What's that?" Chu Ci's actions attracted Jing Ke's attention. She looked over and saw a piece of letter paper that looked very familiar to her. "Is this the letter you were going to send me?"

Chu Ci opened his mouth and nodded slowly under Jing Ke's gaze. "It's not finished yet. I'm going to send it to you tomorrow."

"Do you mind if I take a look now?" Jing Ke asked, reaching for the letter paper on the table.

Chu Ci's throat moved, but he finally moved his hand away silently and picked up the information that Jing Ke had given him.

Just like that, Jing Ke sat opposite Chu Ci and read the unfinished letter in his hand with a relaxed expression.

Chu Ci sat upright and read Jing Ke's report. As he read, he couldn't help but be engrossed, and his eyes became brighter and brighter.

After seeing the contents of the letter clearly, Jing Ke finally understood why Chu Ci had covered it with his hand, making this subconscious concealment behavior.

The reason was simple: Chu Ci's letter was more direct and honest than his previous letters. Perhaps because he hadn't received a reply for three consecutive days, Chu Ci expressed his concern and also explained his feelings.

"Director, my concern for you may not be simply based on friendship. I've thought about our relationship countless times, and I feel that being just a pen pal or just a friend isn't what I'm looking for."

I have a rather outrageous request. I would like to ask the Director to give me a chance. A chance to pursue you, Director S, after the end of the world...'

Although it is straightforward, the wording used in Chuci is actually quite tactful. It only asks for an opportunity, and this opportunity comes after the end of the world.

Even if the medicine developed by Jing Ke is really successful, it will take three or four years to completely restore human civilization.

After seeing this, Jing Ke couldn't help laughing, put down the letter in his hand, crossed his hands on the table, and looked at Chu Ci with a very straightforward gaze.

"Director..." Chu Ci couldn't ignore such a gaze, and his thoughts slowly withdrew from the experimental report.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the report?" Jing Ke asked, tilting her head slightly. Perhaps because Jing Ke had been communicating with outsiders more frequently, she no longer had any language barriers.

"I've finished reading the first report of the director." Chu Ci's fingers, which were pinching the report, began to exert force, and the joints turned slightly white.

"Director, do you think we can mass-produce Evolution Potion No. 1?" Chu Ci asked, trying his best to focus on the big picture.

"Well, a trial involving a thousand people is already a large scale, and we already have quite a bit of medicine in reserve." Jing Ke paused, "Although it's not millions, the inventory is already close to half a million."

"Five hundred thousand?" Chu Ci's eyes lit up after hearing this data.

According to the report, 50% of mutants can successfully transform into Evolvers within ten days. This means that 500,000 doses of the drug, if the results are ideal, can transform 50,000 people from mutants into Evolvers.

"Well, the current production has been expanding. In a few days, it will reach 50,000 or even 100,000 per day." Jing Ke said with a smile.

"Chu Ci, if everything goes well, ending the apocalypse might not even take three years." Jing Ke paused for a moment, "So I think I can agree to your rather excessive request."

"Huh?" Chu Ci was stunned for a moment. After he came to his senses, he couldn't help but cover his mouth and cough frantically, and his face turned red.

Chuci is half shameful and half annoyed.

What on earth was I doing? How come I didn't choke on my own saliva after hearing the good news? I didn't even talk while eating!

"By the way, I heard something on the way here. Are there twenty-two bases outside that are ganging up on you to bully you?" Jing Ke asked, closing the distance between himself and the table.

"It's not bullying. I guess he heard some rumors and wanted to take the opportunity to put the blame on me." Chu Ci picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip of water to calm down.

Chu Ci: "It's not a big deal. I just went out for a walk and killed a few hundred zombies. They didn't dare to take any real action. They are just hyping up public opinion."

"Is that so? Could you give me a specific list?" Jing Ke asked.

Chu Ci nodded. This was not a secret, so of course he could tell Jing Ke.

To put it another way, even if it was something extremely confidential and important, Chu Ci had no intention of hiding it from Jing Ke.

Why? Is there any need to ask why?

Jing Ke has been so frank and provided her with all his research results free of charge. Can't she give him 100% trust?

After writing down the names of these twenty-two bases, Jing Ke made a request that surprised Chu Ci.

"You want to talk directly to everyone's base commander?" Chu Ci frowned subconsciously. "Director, do you want to announce to them the success of the research on Evolution Potion No. 1?"

"I guess so. Aren't they all quite curious? Then I'll satisfy their curiosity." Jing Ke said, and the smile on his face deepened.

Chu Ci hesitated for three seconds. "Of course, it's possible, but it will take some time. Base No. 1 doesn't have instant communication with certain bases, so we might need to ask people from other bases to notify them and then discuss things."

"How long will it take?" Jing Ke asked.

"One day is enough, but since it is public information, there is no need to be so anxious. It can be set at three days later or seven days later to avoid the base commanders of some bases being out on field duty." Chu Ci said.

Jing Ke nodded and, according to Chu Ci's suggestion, set the time for the public appearance to be seven days later.

After finishing the important matter, Chu Ci's eyes swept across the letter on the table, swallowed, and then asked, "Director, I'm very sure I didn't hear it wrong just now. Director, you said that you agreed to my relatively excessive request, right?"

Jing Ke nodded, "Yes, but I don't like eating pancakes."

"Hmm?" Chu Ci didn't follow Jing Ke's train of thought for a moment.

"After the news is made public, you can pursue me." Jing Ke didn't hesitate.

The success of Evolutionary Potion No. 1 in human trials has already determined that the end of the apocalypse is only a matter of time.

"Isn't that a little too fast?" Chu Ci asked subconsciously.

"No, after all, we've been together for less than three months, and I'm letting you into my room." Jing Ke's tone remained unchanged, "Whether doing experiments or handling other matters, I will always strive for efficiency."

"Sorry, I used the wrong words. I just..." Chu Ci hated herself for being tongue-tied. How could she ask such an ignorant question?

"It's okay. I'll come to see you in seven days and requisition your office then." Jing Ke smiled.

It's good to be a little stupid. This kind of Chu Ci is interesting enough to make people laugh, and you can do whatever you want in the future.

-

Jing Ke, who is hailed as the savior of mankind, is about to make a public appearance and personally request a meeting with all base leaders, claiming that he is going to announce explosive news!

After hearing the news, those base commanders who had not opened up mutual trust communications contacted the people at Base No. 1 as quickly as possible, expressing their willingness to take the initiative to open up communications and share basic communication equipment.

The external affairs manager of Base No. 1 had been specifically instructed long ago, so even though his phone was about to explode with calls, he still completed all the work in an orderly manner.

The seven days were extremely difficult for the base commanders who wanted to hear first-hand information. On the last day, they almost counted the minutes and seconds by staring at the clock.

At ten o'clock in the morning on the eighth day after the announcement, Jing Ke, wearing a white coat, sat in the seat that originally belonged to Chu Ci and started a video conference consisting of more than one hundred people, which would be broadcast simultaneously on more than one hundred large screens in the bases.

"Hello everyone, I'm Jing Ke." Jing Ke cleared her throat. "I'm here today to tell you some good news. The evolution potion I started developing a while ago is already showing some progress."

Jing Ke spoke slowly and calmly, but no one among the more than one hundred people dared to urge her.

Jing Ke: "Currently, Evolution Potion No. 1 has passed human trials, with a total of 1,030 people participating. These 1,030+ people are all mutants. After two months of human trials, 1,013 people have already become Evolved."

After finishing speaking, Jing Ke paused considerately, giving them ten seconds to be shocked before speaking again.

"Evolution Potion No. 1 will be officially available for pre-order in thirty days. Base No. 1 will sell 50,000 doses per day at a relatively reasonable price."

Jing Ke smiled as he spoke, "One more thing to add, the potion is only sold to everyone except the twenty-two bases that have joined the so-called survivor alliance."