Chapter 114: Dr. Wu’s S-type Evolutionary Agent

Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Dr. Wu’s S-type Evolutionary Agent

"So it’s a combination suitcase," Xu Huo mused. The Evolution Potions given to players in the game as noted in the notebook were flawed inferior potions. The real, complete version had not been widely released. Regardless of the reason, he, like Master Niese, did not want anyone to know this secret, including the game itself.

This suitcase would come in handy.

He climbed out of the tunnel with the suitcase in tow, and upon contact with sunlight, the world that unfolded before him seemed utterly different.

The evolution was not just a physical enhancement. Beyond his newfound night vision, subtle changes like enhanced hearing and perception were also pronounced. If before his understanding of the external world was rough, now it felt as though he had gone from combing rough leaves to tracing their intricate veins; every little existence magnified.

For instance, in the tunnel when the Alien was furiously smashing the iron bars, he could discern from the faint sounds that the screws were gradually coming loose, and stone chips were hitting the ground. The echo of the impact allowed him to estimate the size of the tunnel where the Alien was located more closely, and even discern in which direction the sound turned, thereby deducing the layout and forks of the tunnels.

Now, standing outside, he could detect the speed of the rustling vegetation, the faint mechanical sound of clocks that he couldn’t hear before, the variation in the density of floating dust particles in the air, and a 3D spatial framework simulated through the height of buildings and the circulation of air flows... Increased perception made the world more detailed, and these details solidified the world into a more complete whole, as if completing a process from the microscopic to the macroscopic and back again.

Xu Huo had also experienced this feeling yesterday when the effects of the toxin first manifested.

He found a nearby room and carefully flipped through the notebook.

The notebook was undoubtedly Master Niese’s; it contained some documents and his diary entries.

The first part mostly dealt with the diverse traits after the Alien’s transformation. Beyond photophobia and ocular degradation, there were many other manifestations. For example, some Aliens were hypersensitive to light, entering a dormant state without it, while others developed incredible strength and leaping power. Yet, some even devolved to the point of losing their limbs and ultimately starving to death.

In short, Alien traits were diverse and unpredictable. Some aspects of their evolution greatly exceeded that of the Evolvers, achieving the degree of perfect evolution. But at the same time, other abilities would degrade. They also shared one common feature: intellectual deterioration, reverting to animality.

According to data Master Niese found, this was because the inhibitors in the Evolution Potion were not perfect. The energy required for evolution amplified animal instincts, and the original Evolution Potion as well as the enhanced T and A versions could not control these instincts. Evolution itself was a catalyst for instinct, and the uncontrollable consequence was the animal nature overpowering the human nature, causing a person to regress from an intelligent being to a beast. Compared to this, other issues like degradation of limbs or certain functions were trivial.

However, if one continued to take the Potion regularly, most people wouldn’t experience mutations or sickness before aging. But some Evolvers did show individual variations; Master Niese’s granddaughter was one such case. When this occurred, aside from waiting for the final outcome, the only solution was to use Antitoxin to delay the process.

Xu Huo looked at the remaining injections in the suitcase. Apart from the two blue S-type injections he had used, there were two green P0T-type injections—just like the ones he had obtained during the clock challenge—as well as two light green P1A-type injections and three Antitoxins.

He put down the injections and continued reading.

What came next was what he was most concerned about.

But after reading it, his mood slightly dampened.

Because the S-Version Drug that Master Niese had discovered was not an Evolution Potion that had been developed and released but an urban legend.

It all started with an Evolver who had ceased using the Evolution Potion but exhibited no symptoms. Later, this Evolver was taken away by the Stellar Pharmaceutical Research Group, and their whereabouts became unknown. However, there was a leak within the group suggesting that the Evolver had discovered the finalized version of the Evolution Potion, which is the S-type Evolutionary Agent.

This evolutionary agent was not developed by any official or unofficial organization related to the game; rather, it originated from a medical scientist named Dr. Wu. His identity and even whether he is alive or dead remain a mystery, but one occasionally finds snippets of his remarks at certain locations where the Perfect Evolution Potion was discovered, but those are records of different people, most of whom have died.

"...The S-Version Drug occasionally appears in the game’s dungeons, and perhaps Dr. Wu is also a medical scientist opposed to the Hengxing Group," he said. "He released the perfected potion into the game, not just to provide a path of hope for the Evolvers but also to target the Hengxing Group—the Perfect Evolution Potion will break their monopolistic hold."

Master Niese held Dr. Wu in high esteem, but there was no more information, not even a clue about the search for the P1S Drugs.

Xu Huo tapped on the table, his mindset had already recovered.

Master Niese speculated that only one S-Version Drug was required at each stage, but it was best to wait three months before continuing to the next stage in order to adapt to the evolutionary process, the duration of which should be extended depending on individual differences.

He had already begun the perfect evolution process, and even if he didn’t move on to the next stage for a long time, there would be no side effects. His biggest concern was resolved; as long as the S-Version Drug could be found in the game, there would be no problem.

Before stowing the Stingy Suitcase into his inventory, he checked his personal information again. Since the first dungeon, he had not used any Evolution Potions, and his personal evolution rate had remained at 10%. After using two S-Version Drugs yesterday, his evolution rate soared to 20%.

This was a world of difference compared to the potions provided by the game. When he disembarked from the initial audit train, he drank two bottles of P0 Evolution Potion, and his evolution rate only increased by 1%. Even if he continued to use the P1 Evolution Potion afterward, the rate of increase would never be as rapid.

"This is the difference between the completed version and the experimental version."

Feeling cheerful, Xu Huo closed his personal panel with satisfaction, stretched lazily, and slowly made his way back to the main street, heading toward the mayor’s office building.

The east gate was no exit from the town, so the west gate should be a safe route.

"A special time, a special item, only in a place where Master Niese alone might find it; a unique shape, a unique position, is the only key to leaving the town."

These words were a riddle written on a note by Lin Pei.

The special time, the gemstone watch provided by the clock had a special time, and the only location in town that matched it was the clock on top of the mayor’s office building—also the place where Master Niese worked.

And that clock was unique among all others in town, in both its shape and its location. Every night at twelve o’clock, the second hand’s reflection would shine on the western gate, indicating the time and place to open it.

Lin Pei, too clever for his own good, thought the riddle referred to an in-game item and went to Master Niese’s residence to search for the key.

There was indeed an item, but it had nothing to do with the opening of the gate.

Standing beneath the mayor’s office building, Xu Huo looked up at the revolving second hand of the large clock, and as he listened to the regular ticking, he couldn’t help but think of another matter.