415: Chapter 412 Now I'm a veteran.

Lu Jianchuan stood at the door, the twitching at the corner of his mouth not yet fully subsided when his phone vibrated.

He looked down and saw the icon with a gray background and white border. Opening it, messages from The Forger popped up one after another.

.**: I've investigated that digital lifeform from just now.

.**: There are people behind him. That doctor, and Li Jianguo, they're both there.

.**: I've sent you the location.

Attached below was a set of coordinates and a brief text description—a stronghold hidden in the suburbs of a certain city, appearing to be a defunct factory on the surface but containing a whole other world underground.

Lu Jianchuan's eyes lit up.

"Great," he whispered, then frowned again. "But... it's not in this city. If we're going to pursue them, it might be a bit of a hassle."

He paused, gripping his phone tightly.

"Well, we still have to catch them. They definitely don't look like good people."

He typed a reply: Received, thanks.

After sending it, he put his phone away, turned back into the room from before, and picked up the Rabbit King who was still sprawled on the table. The Rabbit King squinted lazily, letting him carry it all the way back to the rabbit colony.

After settling the Rabbit King, Lu Jianchuan had just stepped into the hallway when he bumped right into Shen Mingyuan.

"Where are you going?" Shen Mingyuan looked at him.

Lu Jianchuan pulled out his phone and handed it over. "Look, The Forger sent this to me."

Shen Mingyuan took it, scanned it for a few moments, and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? So that's how it is." He handed the phone back to Lu Jianchuan. "Then I'm going with you. Take me along."

Lu Jianchuan blinked in surprise. "You want to come with me?"

"Yes." Shen Mingyuan nodded. "Let's go together."

Lu Jianchuan thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright."

The two went together to submit a mission application. The approval came through very quickly—after all, since it involved clues about Li Jianguo and that doctor, the priority was pushed to the max.

Before leaving, they called Wei Ziqing and Ye Ouyang over.

"The two of us need to head out for a bit," Lu Jianchuan said. "You two stay here and protect the base."

Wei Ziqing nodded, and Ye Ouyang followed suit.

"Sure, go ahead," Wei Ziqing said.

Lu Jianchuan and Shen Mingyuan turned and left.

Only Wei Ziqing and Ye Ouyang remained in the hallway.

Wei Ziqing stood there, watching the two walk away, then suddenly put his hands on his hips and laughed toward the sky.

"Hahahaha—!"

Ye Ouyang was startled by him.

Wei Ziqing turned his head and looked at Ye Ouyang with a 'you know what I mean' expression on his face.

"Now I'm the veteran again." He lifted his chin. "Hahahaha, call me Handsome Wei now."

Ye Ouyang looked at him and was silent for two seconds.

"This thing..." he spoke slowly, "is it contagious?"

Wei Ziqing dropped his smug expression and waved his hand.

"Alright, alright, enough joking. I'm leaving." He turned to walk toward the Training Area, but after two steps he looked back. "If anything happens, call me in the group chat."

Ye Ouyang watched him walk away and shook his head.

"Sigh, you guy..."

He stood alone in the hallway for two seconds, thought about it, and decided to go play chess with White Tiger—the last game wasn't finished yet, although he'd likely get crushed again.

Just as he turned the corner, he bumped into someone head-on.

Li Mo.

He wasn't wearing his white lab coat today, having changed into casual clothes. Holding a tablet, he was walking fast with his head down, nearly colliding full-on with Ye Ouyang.

"Ouch—" Ye Ouyang took a step back. "Li Mo? What are you doing here?"

Li Mo looked up, and seeing it was him, his eyes clearly lit up.

"Ye Ouyang! Perfect timing!" He stepped closer. "Um... those cells from last time, could you give me a little more?"

Ye Ouyang was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

"Sure." He nodded, then tilted his head at Li Mo. "But... can I see your research? I'm quite curious what you're doing with my cells."

Li Mo thought for a moment and nodded.

"Okay. Come along then."

The two entered Li Mo's research lab one after the other. The room wasn't large, but it was well-equipped—microscopes, incubators, centrifuges, and tables piled with various notebooks and printed data charts. Most prominent was a row of cages against the wall containing several white mice; some were playing on running wheels, while others were curled up sleeping in corners.

Ye Ouyang leaned in curiously to take a look, then turned back.

"You want me to transform, right?" he asked.

Li Mo had already taken a set of clean sampling tools from a cabinet and nodded.

"Yes, just like last time is fine."

Ye Ouyang raised his hand to press the Transformation Device at his waist—golden fluid surged out, instantly covering his entire body. The warm golden armor flowed with a gentle luster under the fluorescent lights. He held out his hand, and a few drops of a liquid, mercury-like substance seeped from his golden claws.

"Here."

Li Mo carefully caught the golden liquid with a test tube, his movements as gentle as if he were holding a fragile treasure. After catching the last drop, he nodded to Ye Ouyang.

"Alright, you can deactivate it."

Ye Ouyang pressed the belt, and the golden armor receded like a tide, pulling back into the gemstone at the center of the belt. He leaned over to the Experimental Table, watching Li Mo place the drops of liquid into a petri dish, add several unknown reagents, and then push it under the microscope.

"How far along is the research?" Ye Ouyang asked.

While adjusting the focus of the microscope, Li Mo answered with a tone of irrepressible excitement.

"I'm starting with the basics—understanding the fundamental properties of your cells." He straightened up and scribbled a few notes in the nearby notebook. "The capability of these cells is truly powerful."

Ye Ouyang blinked. "How so?"

"Look," Li Mo pointed at the petri dish, "their core mechanism is 'reading.' When they enter another organism, they prioritize scanning the surrounding tissues and cells to read that organism's original DNA blueprint—meaning, 'what this organism was supposed to look like.'"

He paused, as if organizing his words.

"Then they roam rapidly through the body, looking for places that don't match the blueprint. For example, wounds, defects, or diseased tissue. Once found, they follow the blueprint to 'repair' those areas back to their original state. That's the principle behind their rapid regeneration."

Ye Ouyang nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Then... what if too much is injected?"

Li Mo smiled, though the smile was a bit complex.

"Then problems arise. When the amount is too large, some cells invariably 'misjudge.' They can't find any defects needing repair, but they have the blueprint in hand, so they start growing new things according to the blueprint—extra organs in places they shouldn't be."

He spread his hands.

"Once an organ grows, the surrounding cells riot along with it, piling up together. That's the 'overload state' you mentioned—hyper-regeneration, followed by internal explosion."

Ye Ouyang gave an "oh," as if remembering something.

"So what experiments are you doing with my cells?"

Li Mo turned to look at the white mice in the row of cages, his gaze becoming somewhat distant.

"Do you know why I like your cells so much?"

Ye Ouyang shook his head. "Why?"

Li Mo walked to a cage, reached inside, and gently stroked the head of a white mouse. The mouse nuzzled his finger, looking very docile.

"Because your cells can even repair damage to the brain."

Ye Ouyang was stunned.

"The brain?"

"Yes." Li Mo turned back to look at Ye Ouyang. "In my experiments, I tried damaging the brains of some white mice—mildly, of course, controlled damage that wasn't directly fatal. Then I injected your cells."

He paused, his voice carrying an excitement he couldn't hide.

"And guess what? The brains of those mice regenerated at an incredible speed. Neurons, glial cells, blood vessels—they all grew back."

Ye Ouyang opened his mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Li Mo continued, "This means that as long as it's not a damage that causes instant death, your cells might be able to help the brain regenerate. Traumatic brain injuries, strokes, even certain degenerative diseases..."

He paused.

"I just don't know if it will affect memory. After all, memory is... too complex; it's not something that can be restored just by growing neurons. The mice can't tell me if they remember things from before."

He sighed, his tone tinged with a bit of helplessness.

"But at least, it's a start. Right?"