Chapter 121: The Lizardman Appears

[Bio-Monitor Alert: Oxygen Deprivation Leading to Brain Cell Necrosis] [Bio-Monitor Alert: Cardiac Arrest Detected, Secondary Heart Power Declining] [Bio-Monitor Alert...] "Ha—" The secondary heart kicked into full gear, pumping blood furiously! Leo gasped sharply for air. The moment #0054 strangled him, his oxygen intake plummeted, and his brain was starved of blood. Activating Sandevistan to enter cyberspace under such conditions resulted in brain cell necrosis from oxygen deprivation— He had fried the brain cells of MaxTac hacker #0064, but his own brain suffered nearly identical damage. But he wasn't dead yet—his six months of life had just been drastically reduced, perhaps down to six minutes. With his primary heart stopped, the secondary heart took over, desperately pumping blood. It was a highly risky move; if #0054 had shot him instead, he would never have woken up. Whether or not someone would suspect he had a secondary heart, Leo had done everything within his power—using himself as bait to fry the brains of MaxTac, exposing as much of his weaknesses as possible. Installing a secondary heart required a body that could handle it; without the physical qualifications, it would be a burden. Leo's situation was unique. In these six minutes, the secondary heart would release all the stored energy to make a final effort to save his body— But the brain and nervous system damage caused by oxygen deprivation and Sandevistan overload was almost irreversible, something a secondary heart couldn't fix. Unless he could find something extraordinary— Leo struggled to crawl toward the control console, connecting his personal link to it, completing the network connection. MaxTac wouldn't actively scan the equipment within the Biotech building, nor were they allowed to, so they didn't know that behind Leo was the incredibly valuable DNA splicing machine. And to his right was a massive glass tank used for human DNA monitoring, a top-tier model designed by Biotech themselves. Using such a machine required authorization, but Leo had recently learned how to jailbreak pet DNA monitoring devices, and these two devices were structurally similar, allowing him to overload the security wall similarly. Program modification—and then a powerful electrical surge to the restricted hardware. The lights across the entire floor suddenly blazed to life, electricity surged through the modified circuits, and the security wall was instantly breached. Leo, with the last of his strength, lay inside the tank—nutrient fluid began to fill it. [Warning: Your body is deteriorating!] [Warning: Loss of vessel will sever your connection to the world!] Leo opened his system and selected to switch worlds— [You have chosen to temporarily switch worlds, be aware of Tech Points consumption] [Your body exhibits significant differences, Tech Points consumption ×5] [Tech Points -50] Leo's primary consciousness materialized in Professor Connors' lab. This confirmed one of his theories—the bodies in the two worlds weren't shared, not even the cyberware! This meant he could remotely control his other self in the Marvel world, completely avoiding the disabilities caused by brain damage! "Leo? Are you okay?" "I'm fine, Professor. Begin adjusting the DNA machine immediately." [Cross-Dimensional Data Transfer Initiated] [DNA Splicing Machine Design and Blueprint Uploading] [You attempt to jailbreak the DNA monitoring device in the other world] [Tech Points Required for Technical Operations: 50] [Function Jailbreak Successful—Personal DNA Modeling Uploading] Professor Connors looked baffled. "Right now? How do we do it?" "Like this." Leo had already wirelessly linked to Connors' computer and began transmitting the blueprints. Professor Connors was momentarily stunned by the influx of data— He couldn't understand the mechanical parts, but the core principles were clear. For instance, a long list of DNA cutting proteins named Cas, and BT-guided RNA sequences—entirely new biological materials he had never encountered before. Professor Connors was completely floored— "This... this many sequences and identified methods... theoretically, this would require hundreds, no, thousands of... no, the number of experiments needed is incalculable!" "Can we modify our equipment to proceed now?" "Of course, although the machine you've designed has many auxiliary functions, it fundamentally still uses protein to cut DNA, and your core process is much simpler. But this decay algorithm's core formula... it differs slightly from what I had in mind, yet it seems more refined. Where did you get this? However, synthesizing and validating these cutting proteins and guided RNAs will take time..." [You have extracted the core biological materials from Biotech's DNA Splicing Device] [Cross-Dimensional Transfer Requires Tech Points: 100] [Tech Points Deducted] [Current Tech Points: 320] Before Professor Connors could finish speaking, Leo pulled out two small vials from his pocket. "Huh?" "The core reagents for the machine are all here—Professor, how long will it take to synthesize the drug now?" "Now? If it's just drug synthesis, three or four minutes? But the calculations will take much, much longer... and—" The so-called drug synthesis was essentially the machine processing these core reagents according to the formula. It wasn't a time-consuming process, especially since the semi-finished products were already here. "I know extensive experimental validation is required, but Professor, I need you to help me synthesize the first experimental reagent right now." Professor Connors was dumbfounded—he didn't understand how just moments ago, they were having a normal conversation about DNA splicing technology and the challenges they were facing. How had Leo suddenly become a master in this field?! Such technology wasn't something you could come up with just by thinking or calculating; what had happened in between? "There's no time, Professor. If you trust me, start synthesizing the drug now." The urgency in Leo's voice left Connors with no doubts. He could only choose to trust Leo—for now, at least, Leo had proven trustworthy. Connors quickly inserted the vials Leo had given him into the machine, beginning the synthesis of the DNA modification drug. "...But I still need to adjust the model according to your decay rate algorithm, and that requires a lot of calculations." "I've already done the calculations." Connors was stunned again, lifting his glasses to look at the screen on the console. The interface displayed in large text: [Calculation Complete, Awaiting Operation.] Connors glanced at Leo and then began adjusting the synthesis machine. He wasn't exaggerating; once you had the cutting proteins, understood all the available guide RNA sequences and target sequences, and applied the attenuation rate formula— Obtaining the right drug was just a matter of minutes. The machine clanked and whirred, separating and assembling until, finally, a vial of green fluid appeared in the center, wisps of white mist swirling around it. This version of the drug was still crude, but Connors was certain it was a cross-species DNA modification drug that could work on a human body. Before the pressure could fully release, Leo entered the lab and took the drug. [Assistance Complete: Lizardman Serum (Unrefined) Developed] [Tech Points +500] [Current Tech Points: 720] Connors was so shocked that he even forgot to breathe— Seeing Leo's determined expression, Connors thought the next second he would inject the serum into himself! But Leo didn't. After retrieving the serum, he suddenly calmed down. He looked at Professor Connors: "Professor, congratulations to us. We've taken the first step in our experiment—let's prepare for animal testing." Connors let out a sigh of relief. Back at Biotech Tower. Leo floated in the nutrient fluid, pupils dilating, eyelids slowly closing. And in his left chest, a pneumatic injector with an empty vial was embedded. Several Militech soldiers paused at the door—suddenly, the lights on the floor turned on, momentarily dazzling their night vision goggles. "Why did Biotech turn on the lights?" "Don't worry about it, just collect the body—if we can't even do this right, tonight will be a laughingstock for the corporation." The soldiers hurried to the marked location— But they quickly realized that the room they were directed to was actually dark. They didn't see a body on the floor, instead, they noticed someone floating inside a large tank. "What the... Biotech's running experiments like this?" "Don't look! If you see it, you won't be able to explain it later, just grab the body." "But... where's the body?" The soldier looked around, unable to spot any corpse. Instead, the person floating in the tank looked a lot like their target. Seeing the anomaly, they exchanged uneasy glances— Damn, in the middle of the night, could this be a ghost story? "Should we check?" "Seems like... that's all we can do." Cautiously, the soldiers approached the tank—the closer they got, the more they realized that the person inside matched the description perfectly! A cold wind blew through the shattered glass window, sending a chill down their spines— MaxTac wouldn't shove someone into a Biotech tank. So who did? "What is that... scales?" As they stared at Leo's body, trying to piece together what was happening— Those eyes snapped open, the vertical pupils reflecting a faint light, terrifyingly menacing in the darkness! "Ahhhhhhh! Ghost—" Click!