Chapter 233 – The First True Genetically Modified Human
“The divine medicine wasn’t something we drank voluntarily. Papara Wells somehow got his hands on a few bottles of the medicine. He didn’t believe that just one bottle could turn a person into a monster, or that it could evolve superpowers. So, he invited some of his friends and brought over thirty celebrities from the company, claiming he was taking us on a trip. But in reality, he wanted to see the effects of the so-called divine medicine.”
“He had us play a game, saying whoever won would be rewarded with a drink. We all thought it was just regular alcohol, so we drank it. The result… the result…” Eiffel clenched her fists. “We never expected Papara Wells to be such a beast. He actually used us for his experiment!”
“He brought so many bodyguards because he was afraid something might go wrong. He thought a hundred guards could control a few of us, but he didn’t realize that real genetic monsters don’t fear bullets. The other four, besides me…” Eiffel paused for a moment before finally forcing out the words, “genetic monsters.”
“Out of the five of us, I was the only one who managed to stay sane. The other four turned into real monsters. They killed people, ate human flesh, and drank human blood. Many people died at their hands.”
Eiffel lowered her head, looking at her palms. “Not only did I remain conscious, but I also accidentally discovered that as long as my hands touched someone, I could turn into their appearance.”
As she spoke, her facial features began to shift and rearrange. Tu Ran suddenly saw her own face reflected in Eiffel’s.
Tu Ran felt a wave of disgust. “Change back.”
Eiffel complied, and within three seconds, her features returned to their original form.
She looked up at Tu Ran with pleading eyes. “I’m not a genetic monster. I only gained the ability to change my appearance at will. I’m human, a true genetically modified person. I haven’t killed anyone. None of the bodies here are my doing. Please, spare me.”
Tu Ran looked at her and sighed inwardly.
The first true genetically modified human in the Federation—a genetically modified person without the ability to protect herself.
Her appearance would attract attention from all the major powers.
No matter whose hands she ended up in, she would inevitably face a life in laboratories, on operating tables, thoroughly studied and dissected.
“You don’t need to beg me. I won’t kill you. Even if you were a crazed genetic monster, as long as I could control you, I wouldn’t kill you,” Tu Ran said in a calm voice.
“Your destination is the research institute. Your research value far outweighs the damage you’ve caused. Even if you killed everyone on this ship, even if you killed Papara, it wouldn’t matter. No one will kill you.”
“Really?” Eiffel asked eagerly, “You pioneers won’t kill me because I’m a genetic monster? I heard that pioneers specialize in killing all kinds of mutants and genetic monsters, good or bad, without exception.”
“Your information is outdated. Pioneers now capture, they don’t kill. Besides, you said it yourself, you’re a genetically modified human, not a genetic monster.” Tu Ran took a step back and holstered her gun.
“Researchers will be here soon to pick you up. You should wait here.”
The research team arrived faster than Tu Ran had anticipated.
To her surprise, it was Xie Xu who came.
The moment Eiffel knelt down, Zero had identified her as a successful genetically modifidied human, notifying Xie Xu, which allowed him to arrive so quickly.
Xie Xu had barely boarded the helicopter with Eiffel when another group of people arrived, dressed in identical uniforms. Tu Ran had never seen them before and wasn’t sure which department they were from.
They also asked her about Eiffel’s whereabouts, and Tu Ran told them directly that the research institute had already taken her away.
The group was visibly furious and shot her a glare before leaving.
Tu Ran, feeling unjustly blamed, thought, ‘…What did I do to deserve this?!’
After that group, two more batches of people arrived.
One group wore uniforms from the research institute. When they heard that Xie Xu had already taken Eiffel, their expressions froze. They exchanged glances before quickly leaving.
It was clear that even within the research institute, there were different factions.
The other group had “Genetic Modification” written on their uniforms, likely from a newly established department of the Federation government. Realizing they had arrived too late, their expressions were anything but pleasant.
Eiffel’s popularity far exceeded what Tu Ran had imagined.
The appearance of the first genetically modified human signified humanity’s complete departure from the will of God. From now on, human evolution would be in their own hands.
Facing Threshold creatures, humans would no longer be at a disadvantage.
Those few higher-ups who knew about the inner core no longer focused solely on aliens. They now had an additional way to gain superpowers.
Compared to wasting vast resources and manpower capturing an alien—which might not even have an inner core—obtaining superpowers through the divine medicine seemed far more reliable.
In the months that followed, the Federation invested an unprecedented amount into research on genetically modified humans and the divine medicine. All one hundred billion citizens of the Federation were closely following the progress of the divine medicine research.
But that was for later. Now, having completed her mission, Tu Ran was sitting on the helicopter heading back.
The pioneers’ task was done—all the genetic monsters had been captured.
From here on, the Executive Department would handle the rescue efforts for survivors aboard the luxury cruise ship.
Tu Ran leaned against the helicopter’s glass, admiring the view below.
The helicopter happened to be flying over the Mildred Islands.
Looking down, patches of green stretched across a shallow blue sea, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding black ocean.
No wonder the Mildred Islands were called “the last pearl of the Federation’s seas.”
Tu Ran was mesmerized by the view. It would be a shame not to enjoy such scenery, especially since she wouldn’t get many chances for a free ride like this in the future.
Sitting across from her in the helicopter was Ding Naiqing. He had been trying to speak up several times during the flight but kept stopping himself. Finally, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Sister Ran, I’m sorry!”
“Huh?” Tu Ran turned to look at him, full of confusion. “What?”
“I’m apologizing on behalf of Zhao Yan,” he said.
“What?” Tu Ran was even more bewildered.
Wasn’t Zhao Yan already dead? And she was the one who killed him. All the grievances and revenge had already been settled, so what was the point of apologizing now? Could it be that Zhao Yan had done something bad she didn’t know about?
“Zhao Yan killed General Xie Hong and tried to frame you for it, almost getting you taken away by the Supervision Department. Now that he’s dead, and since I’m his friend, I feel like I owe you an apology,” Ding Naiqing said, his head hanging low, his tone exceptionally sincere.
Tu Ran was speechless upon hearing this. Did he know that Zhao Yan was killed by her? She had already taken his life, so why would she care about his attempts to frame her before his death?
After a pause, Tu Ran carefully asked, “Do you know who killed Zhao Yan?”
“I know, it was you, Sister Ran.” Ding Naiqing raised his head, blinking innocently at her.
“Zhao Yan was your friend, and I killed him. Shouldn’t you hate me and vow never to interact with me again?”
That had indeed been her assumption these past few days.
She thought it was only natural.
