Chapter 120 Metamorphosis
Time slips through our fingers like sand, and two weeks have quietly passed.
Xie Jue stood in the laboratory, his physique seemingly transforming from a young boy into an adult male.
Two weeks ago, he was less than 1.7 meters tall, but now he has grown a head taller and looks like a tall and strong young man.
With his eyes closed and a slight thought, his figure appeared instantly in a corner at the other end of the laboratory, as if erased by an eraser, without any warning, leaving only a faint ripple in the space.
Opening his eyes, Xie Jue's eyes were filled with surprise as he turned to look at Qiao Xi outside the observation room.
This was the superpower he awakened after surviving hell. Finally, he could also deal with those powerful zombies, and he would never let his sister be in danger again.
Josie looked at him through the glass, a look of relief on her face.
Xie Jue was ruthless not only to others but also to himself. This all-or-nothing approach, however, brought him what he wanted.
Fu Jinxing stood in front of the monitoring screen, looking at the real-time graph of Xie Jue's internal energy flow, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting a faint light.
"Cell activity is stable at the S-level threshold, and energy conversion efficiency... 98.7%!" The assistant's voice was filled with amazement. "Professor, the speed at which he absorbs crystal core energy... is simply bottomless! In just two weeks, he has already stabilized at the peak of the first tier! At this rate, as long as he has enough high-level crystal cores, advancing to the second tier is just around the corner!"
However, the atmosphere inside the laboratory was not entirely optimistic.
The researcher in charge of logistics handed over the list with a bitter face: "Professor, the inventory of level 2 crystal cores is almost exhausted, and there are less than 30% of level 1 crystal cores left. The warehouse... is almost empty."
He pointed to several energy monitoring screens in the corner, where the bar chart representing inventory had fallen below the warning line, and the glaring red light kept flashing.
Resources have become a sword of Damocles hanging over Xie Jue's path of rapid growth.
Fu Jinxing frowned and nodded, "I'll figure something out."
When the experiment was over, Xie Jue came out and saw Qiao Xi. The usually cold and aloof boy's eyes were full of joy. "Sister, wait for me a little longer. After I finish the experiment, I can leave."
"Okay, I'll wait for you. You go with them first."
Not long after Xie Jue was taken away by Fu Jinxing's assistant, Fu Jinxing also came out.
His expression softened instantly, and he smiled gently. "Have you been waiting so long? Are you hungry?"
Josie shook her head. "It's alright. I noticed you all looked serious. Did you encounter any difficulties with the experiment?"
Fu Jinxing said with a smile, "We've weathered the toughest times; the rest are minor issues."
"Could Brother Jinxing share with me what kind of minor problem you encountered?"
I can't offer much help, but I can provide some emotional support to alleviate his anxiety.
"The laboratory is running out of crystal cores. There are a limited number of people with superpowers in this safe zone, and most crystal cores are prioritized for experimental research. It will be difficult to obtain more crystal cores in a short period of time."
After hearing this, Qiao Xi's eyes suddenly darted around, and she suddenly smiled, "Brother Jinxing, aren't there some ready-made ones outside?"
Fu Jinxing turned his head and saw a sly glint in her eyes.
In the blink of an eye, he understood what she meant.
His eyes behind the glasses suddenly lit up, as if the sun had broken through the clouds, filled with undisguised admiration and doting.
He reached out and gently ruffled Qiao Xi's soft hair with his calloused fingertips, the gesture intimate and familiar. His deep voice was filled with laughter: "My Xi Xi is the smartest. Even Brother Jin Xing didn't expect this."
Without delay, Fu Jinxing immediately turned to his assistant who had just come out and instructed him, "Go and invite Xiao over."
The assistant immediately turned and left, and soon after, a man with a scar on his face and eyes as sharp as an eagle walked in.
"Professor Fu, I was just about to ask you, this experiment has already been going on for over a month, how long are you going to drag it out?"
Scarface's attitude wasn't good; it had a kind of disdain and contempt that comes from someone in a superior position towards someone in a subordinate position.
"The experiment has encountered a bottleneck. If Mr. Xiao can provide some crystal cores of secondary evolved zombies, our experiment may be able to speed up the process."
Xiao's eyes sharpened instantly. He leaned forward slightly and sneered, "Secondary evolution crystal core? Professor Fu, you should know how rare and difficult it is to obtain. Even for us, each one means a bloody battle and sacrifice."
Fu Jinxing remained expressionless, adjusted his glasses, and said in a calm but heavy tone: "I understand. But scientific exploration, especially a crucial step in human evolution, often comes at a price."
He looked directly into Xiao's eyes, his voice low but each word striking the other's heart: "Without a sufficient number of secondary evolution crystals as catalysts and stabilizers, the risk of forcibly pushing forward is extremely high. At the most conservative estimate... the experiment's progress will be delayed by more than six months."
"Six months?" Xiao's brows furrowed, and a suppressed anger rose in his eyes.
In a rapidly changing apocalyptic world, six months means countless variables and the possibility that they might miss their chance.
They went to great lengths to find Fu Jinxing, not to watch him leisurely conduct experiments.
His eyes were filled with coldness and ferocity, and the scar on his face looked particularly terrifying. He stared at Fu Jinxing as if trying to see right through him.
Fu Jinxing simply returned the gaze calmly, his eyes deep and unwavering, showing no sign of backing down, revealing a certainty and a hidden strength beneath his composure.
After a few minutes of stalemate, Xiao's chest heaved violently, and finally, his anger turned into a suppressed groan.
He almost gritted his teeth as he said, "I'll think about it."
After saying that, he turned and strode away, his aura heavy, and the door slammed shut with a deafening roar.
Josie wasn't worried about these people not cooperating, after all, they didn't have that much time to waste here, but Fu Jinxing's research was crucial to them.
But she didn't expect that just one day later, Xiao would come looking for her with two team members.
His face remained gloomy as he slammed a heavy box made of a special alloy onto the lab table with a clang.
“Six, level two crystal cores.” Xiao’s voice was icy, tinged with a barely perceptible hint of heartache. “Professor Fu, I hope your experiment is worth the price! Don’t keep us waiting any longer!”
Fu Jinxing smiled faintly, "Don't worry, with these crystal cores, the experiment will definitely proceed faster."
"Professor Fu, you'd better be able to do that. If you can't, we'll think of another way."
After saying that, he gave Fu Jinxing a warning look before leaving.
Qiao Xi sat down next to Fu Jinxing and leaned over to look.
Fu Jinxing considerately opened the box and handed it to her.
Six crystal cores, each the size of a pigeon egg and of different colors, yet all radiating surging, pure energy, lay quietly on the black velvet cloth. Their light shimmered, reflecting the deep satisfaction and sharp glint in his eyes.
Josie couldn't resist touching the gem-like crystal cores. Who would have thought that such beautiful things grew from the brains of those disgusting zombies?
"Brother Jinxing, I can't absorb crystal cores, do you know why?"
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