Chapter 118 Madness in Calmness
Josie hasn't given an answer yet, but the next round of experiments on the Catalyst is already imminent.
The cold, reinforced glass separates the observation room from the core laboratory into two worlds.
"XiXi, if something happens in the lab, use your powers to escape."
His words made Qiao Xi nervous. She grabbed his white coat and said, "Brother Jinxing, you too, you must come out safely."
Fu Jinxing gave her a gentle smile, "Okay, I will take good care of myself. After all, Xixi is waiting for me. I can't let Xixi struggle to survive in this apocalypse alone."
In his eyes, he seemed to always be that innocent girl who never grew up.
"Don't worry, Xie Jue's chances of success are greatly increased as the test subject for this experiment. Wait for my good news."
After saying that, he gave her a deep look before turning and entering the laboratory.
The isolation door locked behind her, and Fu Jinxing's instructions were clear and calm: "Prepare for the experiment."
On the cold metal table, Xie Jue's body was secured by precise restraints, leaving only his chest rising and falling with his slightly rapid breathing.
The blinding operating lights shone on his young but taut face, reflecting fine beads of sweat.
Looking out the window, Josie crossed her arms, her fingertips unconsciously pinching her upper arm, her gaze fixed on the stubborn boy inside.
In the core area of the laboratory, the air was so heavy it seemed like you could wring water out of it.
A huge holographic screen floats in the center, displaying a dazzling stream of physiological data like a waterfall.
Fu Jinxing stood in front of the control panel, his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses sharp as an eagle, staring intently at the key energy waveform representing cell activity in the center of the screen.
"Begin injecting the super-energy catalyst, first stage, dosage 5%." Fu Jinxing's voice was deep and clear, echoing in the silent laboratory.
An assistant carefully manipulated the robotic arm, the needle piercing the skin, and a pale blue, viscous liquid, seemingly containing starlight, was very slowly pushed into Xie Jue's vein.
Everyone's heart was in their throat.
"Xie Jue, how are you feeling?"
Fu Jinxing took a few steps forward and asked Xie Jue how he felt.
Xie Jue shook his head, looking relaxed. "I feel pretty good."
After listening, Fu Jinxing glanced at the monitor.
On the screen, the energy waveform representing the activity of the deactivated cells suddenly surged upwards after a brief pause.
The previously stable baseline was instantly broken, turning into a steep upward curve, and the numerical reading soared!
Xie Jue's body trembled slightly, and a faint light seemed to shine through his skin, a sign that his cells were frantically absorbing and transforming.
"Cell activity index increased by 120%! 180%! 230%! Gene sequence unlocking accelerated, energy conversion efficiency exceeded expectations!"
The assistant's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement as he rapidly broadcast the exciting data.
Fu Jinxing knew that Xie Jue's body was a one-in-a-million experimental subject, but this result also made him lose his usual composure.
At that moment, a hint of undisguised joy, like discovering a rare treasure, flashed across his eyes.
He leaned forward slightly, his long fingers tapping lightly on the edge of the control panel—a habitual gesture when he was extremely focused and expectant.
You must hold on!
He habitually pursed his lips and stared intently at the data.
If this experiment succeeds, humanity's fight against the apocalypse will achieve a leap forward, and countless lives struggling on the brink of life and death will be saved.
Everyone in the lab held their breath; the only sound they could hear was their own heartbeat.
A minute felt like an eternity.
The upward-sweeping curve on the screen, after climbing to an astonishing peak, suddenly... without warning, plummeted at an even more terrifying speed, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer!
"Warning! Warning! Cell activity index plummets! Decay rate increases exponentially! 30%... 45%... 60%!" The assistant, who had just been excited, also became listless, unable to hide his disappointment.
"Gene chain breakage intensifies! Energy dissipation spirals out of control! Zombification tendency index breaks through critical point!" Another monitor's voice was also tinged with despair.
Xie Jue's body began to convulse violently, and his skin, which had originally shone with vitality, quickly lost its color, turning a deathly grayish-white.
The blood vessels bulged and twisted menacingly under the skin, appearing as an ominous blackish-purple.
His throat emitted a hissing sound like a broken bellows, and his pupils began to dilate uncontrollably, as if a primal turbidity was frantically swallowing up the clarity that belonged to humanity.
"Not good! The zombification process is irreversible! Prepare to destroy the program!" In a corner of the laboratory, a level-two superhuman captain in charge of security shouted sharply, his voice cold and resolute.
He and the combat ability users behind him tensed up instantly, their palms flashing with energy as they locked onto the boy struggling in pain on the platform.
Once that last glimmer of humanity is extinguished, they will not hesitate to carry out the cleanup mission and completely eradicate this soon-to-be-born "monster".
Fu Jinxing adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose. Sure enough... it still didn't work.
If even Xie Jue couldn't withstand the energy of the superpower catalyst, then his theory... does it really have a fatal flaw?
This means the experiment will enter a long period of trial and error, costing countless lives.
Three years, five years, or even longer...
The end times wait for no one. Every day of delay means the death of tens of thousands of people, and the flame of human civilization is being extinguished at an accelerated pace!
The value on the screen representing cell decay has jumped to a frightening 75% and is still climbing.
The assistant broadcasted desperately: "Deterioration rate 78%...80%...Cellular structure disintegration is accelerating, zombification characteristics are solidifying..."
In this suffocating moment of despair, Fu Jinxing's gaze was fixed on the ever-falling curve, and an extremely bold, almost insane idea struck his mind like lightning!
"Increase the catalyst injection!" Fu Jinxing looked up, his voice resolute and decisive, breaking the deathly silence of despair in the laboratory.
"What?" Professor Luo, a gray-haired, experienced virologist standing nearby, immediately objected in shock.
"Professor Fu, are you insane? The experimental cells have already decayed by over 80%! This isn't a question of whether there's a chance; it's a complete collapse! He's now a living corpse turning into a zombie. Increase the dosage? That little catalyst can't reverse the collapse at all; it will only accelerate his death or catalyze an even more terrifying monster! This is a waste of our precious reagents!"
Fu Jinxing turned to look at Professor Luo, his eyes behind his glasses calm yet carrying a hint of madness.
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