Sure enough, upon hearing Xiao Jin's words, the base commander's lips twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly.
They're all the type who won't act until they see a clear benefit!
The base commander stopped arguing.
"I know what you mean, but unfortunately..." The base commander shook his head slightly, his tone revealing little regret, only the cold reality.
"After obtaining the serum samples, we concentrated all the resources of the biological laboratory and conducted more than 300 reverse analyses and simulation experiments in an attempt to replicate or even improve them."
But the result was fruitless.
The structure of that serum is far more complex than the current technological limit, and its energy activity decays rapidly after leaving the specific storage environment.
With our current capabilities, the possibility of replicating it is virtually zero.
Xiao Jin's expression remained unchanged.
"But..." Sure enough, the base commander suddenly changed the subject.
She straightened her back, an invisible sense of pressure descending: "Although there is no possibility of mass-producing serum, our researchers have discovered something even more interesting."
The base commander smiled and said, "It's a special substance, especially when it's applied to metal. It makes the metal stronger, yet it's also very easy to shape."
Our researchers have used this metal to create a lot of equipment capable of withstanding toxic fumes.
As he spoke, the base commander raised his hand and lightly pressed the table. A flash of light appeared, and a hole suddenly appeared on the marble table, inside which was a palm-sized piece of metal ore.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Jin's eyelids suddenly twitched.
If you ignore the size, this thing looks very similar to an item she knows. If it really is it, then you can understand why so many players are willing to take on such dangerous missions.
Even if the mission fails in the end, getting the enhancement stones might still be a win.
That's right, it's a strengthening stone.
The metal ore in the base commander's hand was much larger than a regular enhancement stone, about five or six times larger. Although it didn't have much luster, the energy that was faintly flowing on top of it was enough to show that it was extraordinary.
Perhaps the previous players revealed something that made the base leader realize they desperately needed this metal.
"May I take a look?" Xiao Jin said calmly.
Just to be on the safe side, it's best to check it by hand; you can't determine anything just by looking at it!
“Of course.” The base commander pointed. “Do as you please.”
Before picking it up, Xiao Jin was already 90% sure, but nothing could compare to the shock of seeing it with her own eyes.
[Enhancement Stone: Can be broken down into 5 ordinary enhancement stones, each of which increases the enhancement probability of equipment by 10%.]
It's actually true.
Xiao Jin remained silent.
In this way, the serum itself is not important; what matters is how to extract the substances from the serum and then synthesize them into more strengthening stones.
Xiao Jin glanced at the base commander out of the corner of her eye. Was this the source of her confidence in negotiating cooperation? It really was... impossible to refuse!
It's safe now.
The base commander had been observing Xiao Jin's expression.
Although Xiao Jin appeared calm, her reaction upon seeing the enhancement stone was unmistakable. The base commander pursed his lips slightly, already having made up his mind.
After a moment, Xiao Jin spoke first: "Not bad bargaining chips, I do need this."
"Therefore, cooperation is the only way." The base commander leaned back in his chair.
She knew that the battle was more than half over; all that was needed was to add one last spark.
“We have coordinates, firepower, knowledge of this world, and unique technology. And you…” She paused, “you ‘special individuals’ have ‘special abilities’ and possibly ‘special items’ that we don’t possess.”
We need your strength to penetrate that desolate zone, find and destroy the core of that 'nest'.
Xiao Jin nodded: "Okay, but it has to be quick, I don't have that much patience."
The longer this kind of task is delayed until the last minute, the more dangerous it becomes.
If the current 'Mist Demon's Nest' is S-rank, it will soar to SSS-rank in the later stages of the game. This level of difficulty cannot be defined simply by doubling.
The base commander didn't waste any time: "It'll be the morning after tomorrow. Just come to the operations room then. I'll coordinate resources as soon as possible, and reconnaissance at the front won't stop."
As for the shapeshifting metal, I'll give you three pieces.
"Three pieces are too few, at least ten pieces." Xiao Jin was asking for an exorbitant amount, and the base chief naturally disagreed.
She shook her head: "Impossible!"
"The process of extracting special substances from serum is very complex and cannot be done easily. I am not working with just you."
"We don't have enough serum, and the extraction time is too long. Besides, we need it ourselves. We can only give you two more pieces at most." The base commander began to bargain.
Xiao Jin thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I don't want any of the serum I got on the way, just give me 8 pieces of shapeshifting metal!"
"Six dollars, that's my final price."
"Deal." Xiao Jin could tell that the base chief really couldn't raise the price any further, so he decisively made the decision.
"Oh, right, there's something you might not know." At this point, the base commander suddenly remembered something.
As she pointed to another screen on the surveillance wall, blurry but unsettling video clips instantly began to scroll across it.
Xiao Jin looked in that direction and the first thing she saw was a woman holding a baby with tears streaming down her face.
She was standing in front of the security gate outside the air-raid shelter, her clothes tattered and torn, seemingly saying something, but Xiao Jin frowned.
Because there was a strong sense of incongruity in this person's expression.
The other person was clearly asking for help, but there was little pleading or anxiety in their eyes.
Furthermore, the toxic fog outside was so severe that, not to mention protective clothing, even the baby in her arms seemed to have its face completely exposed.
This is absolutely not how a mother should behave.
The video continues playing.
Perhaps due to excessive worry, the guards at the base gate subconsciously ignored the anomaly and, after receiving permission, decisively opened the gate.
Just as the guards who came to meet her approached the woman, her head suddenly split open, spewing out a thick cloud of mist. The figure in the mist writhed and screamed in agony.
By the time the people inside the air-raid shelter realized what was happening, it was too late.
The honest and law-abiding person seeking help turned into a ferocious executioner, dismembering the guard into pieces with the blades it conjured.
The base manager showed Xiao Jin many videos like this.
A refined man in a suit was talking to a soldier one second, and the next second his entire skin peeled off like a tattered sack, revealing a churning gray, misty monster inside.
The seemingly wounded veteran suddenly erupted in the medical room, tearing the doctor beside him to shreds with his mutated limbs...
The former was alright; the base chief, realizing something was wrong, encountered a survivor knocking on the door, and basically never opened the door again afterward.
But the mutations in the veterans did indeed occur within the base.
She didn't know how many of these monsters had infiltrated the base, but if they were to erupt, it would be a catastrophic disaster for the base.
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