268: Take the initiative

The blonde doctor quickly operated the instruments. It took a full ten minutes for the instrument readings to return to normal. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “Duke, her brainwaves are still active. Our consciousness vortex might not be able to hold her for much longer.”

Duke Lawrence pondered for a moment, “No matter what, we must hold on for at least a year.”

At this moment, Shen Yuan, Miss, in the life-sustaining pod, suddenly opened her eyes. Her eyes were as brilliant as stars, and the pain in her body was gradually disappearing. She felt as if she was a phoenix reborn from the ashes.

“What’s wrong with her?” Duke Lawrence felt a hint of unease rise in his heart as he watched Shen Yuan’s changes.

Another professor looked at the monitoring screen, breaking out in a cold sweat from fright. But soon, Shen Yuan in the life-sustaining pod slowly closed her eyes again.

This kind of situation had never been encountered in this Laboratory. A hint of unease rose in Duke Lawrence’s heart. The Lawrence Family’s Life Origins Company, ever since the existence of abilities was discovered, had invested almost all of its resources into researching abilities.

They even disregarded their bottom line, cloning Ability Users, but they could never figure out the underlying mechanism. The appearance of Shen Yuan made them feel as if they had found a treasure; the cells of an eight-element Ability User could produce a hundred times more energy than an ordinary person.

Duke Lawrence naturally understood that he was playing with fire. The Lawrence Family’s Red Crystal Core inventory was all transferred to Shen Yuan, and the research was progressing rapidly. As long as they figured out the energy conversion mechanism and touched that forbidden layer, then the Lawrence Family would have the ability to mass-produce Superpower Users.

The Superpower Potion cultivated from Shen Yuan’s cells was at least three times stronger than the previously developed potion. The Lawrence Family was brazenly creating monsters.

......

Meanwhile, in the Shelter, Shen Yuan’s face was flushed, and all of her clothes were soaked with sweat. The twenty-fold charging had almost caused her consciousness to collapse.

But fortunately, she had endured it. Now, she felt as if she had just recovered from a serious illness, and her mental state was better than ever before.

“Boss, I feel… my ability seems to have disappeared,” Shen Yuan said slowly, panting.

Tian Ming frowned. Indeed, just as Xin Xin had said, the price of extending life was for the clone to become an ordinary person. He wondered how the original body was doing?

Tian Ming placed his palm on Shen Yuan’s shoulder, and her damp clothes were immediately replaced.

“When I fainted from the pain just now, I saw the scene of that base, and my original body seems to have become much stronger. The Lawrence Family is sparing no effort to help me evolve,” Shen Yuan’s eyes held a hint of doubt.

Tian Ming let out a cold laugh and said coldly, “Those who want to pick apples will naturally spare no effort to nourish the apple tree. Once they get the apples, or even the seeds, they will then burn the bridge after crossing it.”

Shen Yuan nodded slightly and said, “Boss, what are you planning to do next?”

Tian Ming glanced at Shen Yuan and said, “You go rest first. Charlie will be here soon.”

Shen Yuan nodded slightly. Her current physical condition indeed required a good rest.

Not long after, Charlie arrived at the Shelter. Meng Xian (General Manager Meng) led him to Tian Ming’s office. The Lawrence Family was now under Charlie’s leadership, and having him personally travel halfway across the Blue Star to get here made Charlie feel very uneasy.

“Sir, what is the matter?”

Tian Ming’s face was cold, and his fingers tapped on the desk. He just stared at Charlie, making him feel uneasy.

“Sir, please just say what you need to say. You being like this makes me feel uncertain,” Charlie asked timidly.

“Charlie, have you found all the large and small bases in your family?” Tian Ming’s tone was extremely flat, but it was full of questioning.

“Found, found them all!” Charlie’s unease grew. He forced a smile and asked, “Sir, what do you mean by this?”

“Duke is not dead, and Shen Yuan is also a clone. I ask you, are you truly unaware, or are you playing games with me along with the Duke?”

Tian Ming’s face turned cold, and he questioned him word by word.

Charlie’s heart trembled. He immediately knelt on the ground, “Sir, Charlie would not dare. The Lawrence Family’s Life Origins Company does indeed have cloning technology, but it takes time from embryo to adulthood. How could Shen Yuan, Miss, have a clone cultivated in only half a month?”

“So, you’re questioning me?”

“Sir, I will go back and immediately investigate and find that hidden base,” Charlie prostrated on the ground, cold sweat pouring from his forehead.

Tian Ming looked at Charlie’s panic, snorted coldly, and said, “I’ll believe you this time. All top-tier Laboratories under the Lawrence Family are to be moved here. The remaining personnel should also all come over.”

Charlie trembled all over and quickly said, “Sir, why is this? Haven’t we already transferred all the technology?”

“Your family is too far away. If a crisis occurs in the future, it will be difficult for me to provide aid. All that can be moved, move them here.”

Charlie’s face changed. He, of course, knew that Tian Ming’s words about difficulty in providing aid were just an excuse. What he truly wanted to do was probably to completely annex and digest the entire Lawrence Family.

The cohesion of a family lies in the sense of identity within the family. If they were truly moved here, then the family’s internal structure would definitely be broken up, and the family would exist in name only.

Tian Ming looked at Charlie’s hesitant expression, his face sinking, and he asked sharply, “What, unwilling?”

Charlie trembled all over, immediately looked up at Tian Ming, his eyes filled with terror, and quickly said, “Willing, willing, I’ll go do it now.”

Tian Ming’s expression then softened a little. He waved his hand, signaling Charlie to withdraw.

Charlie felt as if he had been granted a great pardon and quickly exited the office. Looking at Charlie’s flustered retreating back, Tian Ming’s face showed a cold smile.

Xin Xin said he couldn’t control the overall situation, so he would initiate a world-wide integration, gathering all survivors from around the world in one place, turning the entire Blue Star into a game. As long as everyone could be used by him, and everyone needed his protection, then he would be the true God of this planet.

As soon as Charlie left, Ji Ruping pushed the door open and entered. Seeing her boss’s stern face, Ji Ruping felt a little intimidated. She didn’t know why, but she felt that her boss had become much colder now, not as kind as before.

“Boss, the integration of the Shelter’s armed forces is nearing completion. Currently, there are a total of 5600 active combat personnel, with Ability Users accounting for about 30%. The main military officers are Zheng Haoyu and Rogers, and the decision-making Commander is General Manager Meng. There are also 3000 people for base defense and law enforcement, with Director Han and Zhang Hao as the persons in charge.”

“Understood!”