After reviewing and annotating these reports, Todd handed over the church's official duties to the deacons and catechumens, and then went back into his experimental building.
Breakthroughs have been achieved in the cultivation of keelback parasites.
After repeated experiments, Todd finally obtained information on the optimal culture medium, temperature, and humidity for the growth of the "dragon bone." Even so, the growth of this parasite remained quite slow.
As a pair of male and female larvae from the original generation, the larvae have laid eggs seven times since the start of cultivation, yielding a total of forty-seven larvae. Of the six eggs laid in the first batch, two died due to Todd's unfamiliarity with the cultivation environment, leaving only four surviving.
After hatching from their cocoons, these four parasites underwent several months of rearing. The fastest-growing parasite has already reached a length of 27 centimeters. In about another month, it should reach the standard adult size and officially enter maturity.
Two weeks ago, Todd selected four mice and chose suitable 'keel' to conduct parasite attachment experiments.
First, the limbs of the mice are fixed. Then, the female worm is placed close to the back, allowing the sharp hooks inside the worm that pierce the host's body to extract nutrients to penetrate the mouse's spine. After the female worm is fixed, the male worm is connected to the female worm from the mouse's abdomen, and finally, these mice are dressed in "mini armor".
After a period of observation, Todd obtained a large amount of experimental data, but also paid a very heavy price.
The mice, having received the "Dragon Bone" parasite, gained a significant boost in strength and agility. Taking advantage of the experimenters' momentary lapse in attention, they shattered reinforced glass with a kick and tore open wooden cages with a claw, turning the experimental building upside down. Todd spent considerable effort, using his "Speed," "Weakness," and "X-ray vision" abilities, to finally capture these "super mice" one by one. Later, Todd had to commission a batch of iron cages from a blacksmith to confine these troublesome little creatures.
The real breakthrough in the research on "dragon bones" came from a sudden inspiration that led Todd to discover the true secret of this special parasite.
On a morning like any other, Todd got up and began cleaning the lab as usual. While cleaning the back room, he opened the tub containing the 'primordial' parasites and touched the limbs of the 'dragon bone' with a brush, causing the parasites to vibrate. He seemed to remember something, but after much thought, he couldn't recall anything. It wasn't until noon, while having lunch at the 'Sisters' Hotel,' that he finally realized what he had missed when he saw the fish wrapped in fried dough twists.
Halfway through his meal, Todd dropped his spoon and, under Karin's astonished gaze, ran all the way back to the lab.
Before he could even change his clothes, Todd found four white mice that had been parasitized by the "dragon bone".
After anesthetizing these hosts in batches, Todd found a large glass jar containing the "hive" parasite (which can control its offspring through sound waves emitted by vibrations). He carefully removed part of the mother (a jellyfish-like hive) and its offspring (black nematodes) from it.
The mother and daughter cells of the "honeycomb" parasite were then surgically implanted into the "dragon bone" parasites in four mice, creating a situation where one parasite parasitizes another.
What followed was a week of observation, during which Todd discovered two extremely interesting things.
The first thing was that the growth of the 'Honeycomb' mother body, into which the 'Dragon Bone' parasite was implanted, completely stopped, with no signs of budding or reproduction. The growth of the 'Honeycomb' daughter body, into which the 'Dragon Bone' parasite was implanted, also completely stopped. The host (the white mouse) did not show any signs of neurotoxicity, and its behavior was no different from usual.
The second thing is that the mice embedded in the 'hive' mother body seem to be able to communicate with other mice embedded in the daughter bodies from a great distance during their daily activities.
To verify the second point, Todd conducted a special experiment.
A large iron box was divided into four equal-sized areas by glass partitions. Black cloth was attached to the glass surfaces to ensure that adjacent areas could not see each other's movements. Next, a cube-shaped open iron can was placed in the center of the large iron box. The can was closed on all five sides, with only the open side facing one area, and the other five sides facing the sky, the ground, and the other three areas respectively. Then, a piece of cheese was placed inside the can, and a 15-kilogram iron block was placed at the opening to block it, leaving a small gap at the bottom. Finally, a white mouse buried in the "honeycomb" mother body was placed in the area facing the opening of the can, and the other three white mice were placed in the area facing the sides of the can.
The experiment begins.
The four mice were initially in their respective areas, unable to see each other, wandering around and sniffing. A minute later, the mouse buried in the "honeycomb" suddenly discovered the cheese hidden inside the tin can through a gap under the metal block. It first tried to push the metal block, but it couldn't move the 15-kilogram heavy object on its own. What happened next astonished Todd.
The little white mouse buried inside the "honeycomb" mother stood upright, and a dull, rattling sound, like a rattlesnake's tail, emanated from the parasites on its back. Then, with a crashing sound, almost simultaneously, the glass wall inside the iron box was shattered by three other white mice. The four mice worked together to push aside the heavy iron block and shared the cheese inside.
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