At their foothold on the other side of the mountain range, they arrived at their final destination for this trip: the Jin City Biological Research Institute.
The Tier Two Tiger Spine Zergs, now smaller with their Giant Mandibles removed, were quickly sent to the research building by Ling Shuyan. She then ordered her subordinate staff to begin dissection and extraction.
After she finished giving these orders, she walked out of the research building.
When they met again, she was wearing an open, white lab coat over a large shirt that concealed her stunning figure. The skin under her bespectacled eyes was puffy, and the intense research, combined with pulling consecutive all-nighters, made her look terrible. However, her mood was one of extreme excitement.
She walked over quickly, her gaze falling on Lin Feng, the woman behind him, and the seventy-two Tier Two Awakeners.
Seeing so many powerful individuals, Ling Shuyan confirmed that what Lin Feng had said on the phone was no exaggeration. She immediately stepped forward enthusiastically to welcome them into the laboratory building.
To Ling Shuyan, so many perfect specimens meant that although the surgical process would be exhausting, the experimental data she could collect would be even more valuable.
"First, have them follow the medical staff for blood tests and initial skin tests. We need to determine their natural compatibility with the Zerg Race’s genes so we can prepare the Genetic Essence Liquid at the appropriate concentration in advance..."
Ling Shuyan looked at the Awakeners behind Lin Feng and pointed to the people in white coats on the left side of the hall.
Lin Feng nodded and arranged for two Tier Two Late Stage Perfection Battle Group Leaders to lead their team members to the physical examinations first.
Seeing that the woman behind Lin Feng hadn’t left with the others, a peculiar glint flashed in Ling Shuyan’s eyes.
"This is Ling Yi."
"She’s a survivor I found in another city. She used to be a biological researcher who has been to an Underground Hive and is very knowledgeable about the Zerg Race’s habits and social structure."
Lin Feng spun a simple, fabricated introduction.
Ling Yi immediately offered the woman before her a smile.
She didn’t hide her aura. The powerful presence of a Tier Two Awakener stunned Ling Shuyan for a moment, but she quickly composed herself and returned the smile.
"Welcome. We’re glad to have you visit. We know very little about the Zerg Race’s underground nests, so we’ll be counting on Miss Lin for your guidance in the future."
Ling Yi smiled without speaking and gave a slight nod.
Ling Shuyan then headed for the hallway on the right, explaining as she led them upstairs:
"Our facility is relatively small. With the surgical equipment we’ve collected from a dozen or so hospitals in Jin City, we were only able to fully equip these ten operating rooms."
"We have enough staff, though. We can perform ten surgeries at once, which takes two hours at the fastest. For seventy-two people, that’s sixteen hours. Factoring in rest for the surgical teams, the earliest we can finish is tomorrow morning."
Lin Feng nodded as she led him to a floor flanked by laboratories on both sides.
Even though the space was brightly lit by overhead lights, you could still feel a cold, solemn atmosphere emanating from the air, which was thick with the smell of alcohol and disinfectant.
Inside each operating room, two surgeons and three assistants were fully geared up. Through the double-paned soundproof glass, he could faintly see their eyes behind their protective goggles, their gazes calm but fixed on the visitors.
After Ling Shuyan finished her general introduction, she walked enthusiastically to the stairwell.
"It’ll be a while before they go into surgery, and the extraction of the Genetic Essence Liquid from the Tiger Spine Zergs’ brainstems isn’t done yet. We can go visit the laboratory area upstairs. I can introduce you to our latest modification technology."
Ling Yi’s interest was immediately piqued, and she nodded, following along.
Ling Shuyan’s eyes narrowed into a smile as she stepped onto the stairs.
A steel door with an electronic keypad lock appeared before them. The security measures for the laboratory area on the next floor up were numerous, giving it a heavily guarded feel.
After Ling Shuyan entered the password and verified her fingerprint, the door slowly opened. The three of them passed through a decontamination chamber with sterilizing gas and ultraviolet light, put on masks, and entered.
Unlike the bright, transparent operating rooms downstairs, the environment here was gloomy. The curtains were drawn, and only the lab workbenches were illuminated. Just one-third of the lights in the corridor were on, making it feel like a hospital ward in the middle of the night.
Every few meters was shrouded in darkness.
Ling Shuyan turned back and said:
"Electricity has been tight lately. The institute is powered by its own dedicated generators. To ensure the operating rooms can function normally, we’re trying to reduce energy consumption in all other areas."
Lin Feng nodded. Even at Han Yuxin’s temporary base, only a few buildings had power, while the survivors still lived in primitive conditions, starting fires to boil water.
If the institute’s experiments weren’t so critical, it would be impossible to allocate precious fuel resources to this place.
The other major consumer of coal and electricity was the steel forge in the southern heavy industrial zone.
After a brief explanation, Ling Shuyan led the two into a large laboratory. Inside, a few staff members were using droppers to apply Nutrient Liquid to Biomass in petri dishes, recording its cultivation progress.
The most conspicuous things were the cylindrical, sealed glass containers arranged on the wall. Submerged in a clear liquid inside each container was a slender, flesh-colored organism about the size of a pen.
The reason it was called an organism...
...was because the thing was still writhing inside the container, exhibiting astonishing vitality.
"Is this muscle tissue?"
Lin Feng vaguely recalled some diagrams from his old biology textbook.
Ling Shuyan shook her head.
"Muscle tissue doesn’t have the ability to alter genes, especially not in the body of a Tier Two Awakener."
"This is a Genetic Gland capable of carrying the Zerg Race’s genes. It comes from the two progenitors, Shen Jie and the other, and it is the physical manifestation of their Superpower—the one that allowed them to Assimilate Zerg genes."