Book 5 Chapter 4.8 - Luck
The value of the chosen wasn't only the advancement of human ability research, but even more so rested in its seemingly endless production capacity. All types of powerful ability users would be produced like mice, and with just some simple training, they could display powerful combat strength. Meanwhile, their manufacturing costs were low to the extent where they were sent out onto the battlefield before their specialized equipment was even finished!
Out of over ten thousand humans, there might only be one expert like Yevuka. However, every month, hundreds of ability users would walk out from the doctor's nurturing! Yevuka can defeat a dozen or so similar levelled chosen, but when close to a hundred chosen swarmed about, if she didn't run, there would only be death awaiting her. In addition, when one's abilities reached Yevuka's level, improving any further became extremely difficult. However, in the past few months, the abilities of the chosen that came from Dr. Connor's concoctions already increased from five levels to seven. Meanwhile, in the depths of the research base were three cultivation troughs that had existed since the very start of the chosen project, within them the products of all of Connor's greatest care and efforts. He had been trying to perfect them all this time.
These three were the core of this project. It could be said that until now, all of the chosen so far were experimental bodies used to perfect them. Meanwhile, of these three, two of them would eventually become test subjects as well. Only the final completed one was the true chosen!
Based on Dr. Connor's plans, if nothing unexpected happened, the degree of completion of the current chosen should have reached the threshold of 50%. In a few more months, the final chosen would be created.
However, the only eternal constant of the world was that it would always be full of unexpected events.
As soon as the second batch of chosen emerged, when Dr. Connor was in incredibly high spirits, the greatest unexpected event happened, something that was enough to completely destroy the chosen project.
When he thought of this, Dr. Connor immediately felt a headache. His hand clenched the receiver, trying his best to make his voice sound as normal as possible. "How much materials do we have left?"
The sound of paper being flipped sounded from the other end, and a while later, the assistant said, "Low level materials fifty-two, mid level eleven, high level three."
"That's it?" The doctor's voice became a bit higher.
"This is the amount if we don't produce any rejects." The assistant clearly didn't want to give the doctor any room for delusion.
Not producing any rejects while creating chosen was impossible, and the higher level the chosen, the greater the rate of rejects. The rate of failure for chosen that only had five levels of ability and inferior intelligence was 15%, sixth level abilities with normal intelligence around 25%. Meanwhile, for high quality chosen with high levels of abilities and similarly high levels of intelligence, the rate of failure was 85%! For those three chosen that Dr. Connor placed all of his hopes on, the rate of failure was infinitely close to 100%. This was also the reason why Connor didn't dare touch them yet.
The so-called materials, was the genetic substance collected from intruder cells.
The intruder cells were extremely difficult to preserve, requiring near absolute zero temperature in order to maintain complete vitality and properties. Once the environment changed, it would recover its inherent qualities within a minute, turning all biological cells into a base solvent for only its multiplication and expansion. When it couldn't find any more nourishment, it would completely die off. Based on normal theory, intruder cells could be produced endlessly, but for some reason, only the original cells obtained from Su's body could be used to make chosen. Those intruder cells that were later produced would only turn the chosen into a flesh monster without any independent intelligence, only capable of slaughter and devouring. However, from the original intruder cells and the auxiliary bodies, Connor couldn't find the slightest bit of difference. Perhaps the secrets rested in the locked portion of the genes. However, with his current level of science and technology, breaking through the intruder cell's genes was completely wishful thinking.
Connor already did everything he could, but he still couldn't make any original intruder cells. When Su's original cells were completely exhausted, that would also signify the end of the chosen project.
It just so happened that at this critical moment, Su killed Bevulas' son, thus now being on the run.
Connor cursed the chairman's dead son at least several dozen times each day. If Su was still in the Black Dragonriders, how great would it be? All of his problems would be easily solved. He believed that he had many things that Su would be willing to exchange for. Su had subordinates and friends, and those subordinates needed to increase their abilities, while the doctor's research lab had the most complete ability formulation system in the entire parliament. He could bring out any mass-produced ability formulation, and all he would ask for was but a negligible amount of Su's blood.
However, all of those plans amounted to nothing.
If we were to compare a chosen to a car, then intruder cells were the engine, and Connor had no way of producing this engine.
Helen, Helen might still have a few more intruder cells! Connor suddenly thought of this while at the end of his rope, as if he found a glimmer of hope within an endless dark tunnel. Su always had his checkups with Helen, and as a specialist at the very top of biochemistry, Connor refused to believe that she couldn't see that Su was special, and he also refused to believe that she didn't keep a few specimen. Even though once the intruder cells had left the body, they had to be preserved under an environment of near zero, so even though Persephone's private hospital might not have such high level installations, the doctor still maintained a gleam of hope.
He contacted Helen, hoping to obtain some intruder cell samples, but he was unexpectedly directly rejected. Helen always believed Dr. Connor's chosen project to be something that went against humanism, and she even believed that carrying out the chosen project was the same as making all living things their enemy! Connor obviously didn't agree with her opinion, but as their viewpoints had differed since the very start, Helen definitely wouldn't offer the slightest bit of contribution for his chosen project.
Since negotiations failed, Connor could only use force. At first, he sent out his own chosen, but these chosen who were unsuited to fighting in an environment in Dragon City and lacked both intelligence and experience were clearly not enough to complete the task. Left with no choice, Connor could only inform Bevulas about the situation, of course, the information he provided missing a few things so as to not lower his own reputation with the chairman too much. After receiving Connor's report, Yevuka and two other seventh level ability users were thus sent out to hunt Helen.
Yevuka's combat ability might be inferior to Claudia's, but as an assassin, she was definitely the optimal candidate for completing this mission.
Dragon City was still General Morgan's domain. In Dragon City, no matter what one was trying to accomplish, they had to be careful not to cross that invisible line. Bevulas' choice for completing this task clearly illustrated this point, while Connor's prior actions were quite brash, quite possibly touching Morgan's bottom line. Connor who was complacent with himself was already starting to look down on Morgan. After all, Morgan was already old, and as a rising figure under the chairman's eyes, even if he went a bit overboard, so what? However, when he saw how Bevulas treated this matter, Connor immediately broke out in cold sweat!
The night was extremely peaceful, but when the doctor recalled the past, he instead felt restless and uneasy. He lowered the phone. A thought continuously hovered around: what if, just what if Yevuka failed?
As soon as this thought emerged, he could no longer get rid of it. Even though his reasoning told the doctor that this was impossible, he still couldn't help but think this.