Todd's experiment seemed to have reached a dead end.
The Sutherland archaea cannot reproduce by binary fission, while other heterogeneous bacteria reproduce too rapidly. Over time, the moment this balance is broken, the former will transform from beneficial bacteria into malignant bacteria, not only devouring the heterogeneous bacteria but also eventually attacking human cells, turning the host into a mindless monster.
The key to solving this problem lies in two issues.
1. How to inhibit the growth rate of heterologous bacteria?
II. How to increase the number of Sutherland bacteria?
Regarding the first question, he tried several natural antibiotics that could be used to fight bacteria, but due to their unsatisfactory antibacterial efficacy, the effects were not obvious, and the division rate of the heterologous bacteria did not decrease significantly. As for the second question, he did try to artificially propagate the Sutherland archaea, but apart from the fact that this archaea prefers high temperatures, Todd knew nothing about how to prepare the culture medium, pressure, acidity, alkali, catalysis, initiators, etc., so this work was naturally impossible to begin.
In the end, even though he knew the reason for the successor's alienation, he couldn't find any solution.
On a typical noon, Huggins brought the seafood and vegetables cooked by the townspeople to the laboratory building.
Alfonso, standing guard outside the lab, clutched his greatsword. He glanced up at him, his eyes dull and devoid of hope. Hudgens sighed and stepped into the lab. The first thing he saw was shattered petri dishes scattered everywhere; the blueprints used to label experimental data and procedures were torn to pieces, strewn about. Todd sat on one side of the lab table, his hands buried deep in his disheveled hair, his face filled with frustration and despair.
The man found a clean spot on the table, put down the dishes, and asked casually, "Still not working?"
"The carbonized glycerin route is also a dead end; without a stable -20°C environment, it's simply impossible..."
Listening to Todd rambling on and on, saying things he couldn't understand at all, Huggins didn't interrupt. He waited until the other person finished speaking before saying, "Do you remember when we refined the first batch of silver? When everyone thought there was no hope, it was your persistence that turned things around."
Todd glanced at the other person and said with a wry smile, "The problem is, I don't know if I have enough time to wait for a turning point?"
Huggins patted him on the shoulder and left the room.
Looking at the other person's back, Todd suddenly called out to him, "Um... have you seen Miss Karin recently?"
The man turned around and shook his head.
Perhaps she has already given up on me.
Todd kept his lips tightly shut and nodded dejectedly.
—————————————————
Late that night, Todd began a new antibacterial experiment in the lab. An unexpected visitor appeared before him.
The black mist on the floor gradually gathered, and a figure slowly straightened up.
Todd quickly recognized the other person as the ringmaster of the downtown circus—Throat Bone.
After indirectly refusing the relief organization's invitation, Todd thought he would never cross paths with this man immersed in darkness again. Unexpectedly, at this time and in this place, the other party took the initiative to approach him.
Throat Bone first looked around the laboratory equipment and materials with great interest, reading the Latin on the labels of the bottles and jars on the wooden shelves while occasionally uttering heartfelt praises.
“Mr. Todd, you are the second person I have ever met with such exceptional talent in the field of alchemy!”
Knowing that the other person's purpose in coming to meet him was definitely not to offer praise, Todd didn't respond, but simply waited quietly for his next words.
To his surprise, the throat bone also stopped talking and instead focused intently on Todd's face.
Unable to bear the man's gaze any longer, Todd frowned and asked, "What are you looking at?"
With a smile, Hougu withdrew his gaze and waved his hand, "Ah, I'm sorry, you're really quite ordinary-looking, and don't seem like someone with irresistible charm."
Damn it!
I don't need you to tell me what I look like.
With a hint of anger rising in his heart, Todd was about to roll up his sleeves and argue with the other person when his throat bone took something out of his pocket and tossed it to him.
It was a copper pipe that gleamed in the firelight, with the proverb "to live toward death" written in Latin on its wall.
Todd stared at the brass tube in his hand, frozen in place. His eyes widened as he looked at the Adam's apple, and he stammered, "This...this is...?"
Throat found a chair, sat down, extinguished the candle closest to him, and calmly said, "You should be familiar with this, right? It's filled with 'Sutherland Relics'..."
"Why?"
"The contents of this can delay the 'Inheritor's' transformation and extend your life. Don't worry, no matter how many relics the 'Inheritor' absorbs, they won't die..."
Of course I know that!
The artifacts were Sutherland archaea, and inhaling them could increase the concentration of Sutherland bacteria in the body and restore balance, but that wasn't what Todd cared about at all!
"I want to know why you gave this to me?!"
Throat Bone put down the gas collection bottle in his hand and smiled at the other person: "Mr. Todd, you really have a way with women. There are people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for you."
"What? What do you mean?!"
"I'm sorry, I've already promised to keep this a secret." With that, the man turned to leave. Unexpectedly, Todd, holding a bottle of reagent, used his 'Speed' ability to stand in front of him, blocking the doorway.
“If the liquid I’m holding were to fall to the ground, everything within a ten-meter radius would be engulfed in flames.” Todd’s eyes remained completely calm, as if he were discussing something trivial: “Throat bone, I need an answer.”
The man's pupils contracted, and after a moment he shrugged: "In some ways, you really are a lot like her. Well, I can't say her name, but I can tell you that there was a girl who asked me to deliver your belongings to you in order to prolong your life. In exchange, she would volunteer to become the 'inheritor'."
Karin!
Todd bit his lip, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Seeing the reagent dangling precariously in the other person's hand, the man didn't dare to breathe loudly and said softly, "Could you put the bottle down first?"
Todd picked up the cloak from the table, put it on, pulled down the hood, pushed open the laboratory door, looked at the twinkling stars in the night sky, and turned to Throatbone, saying, "Let's go..."
The man was completely bewildered: "Where to?"
"Relief Society".
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com