Chapter 131: A Surprise from Connors

ctOS is truly a double-edged sword, one that cuts both ways for society. At this age in his past life, Leo would have taken control of it without hesitation, instinctively enjoying the feeling of manipulating everything, shaping everything—perhaps driven by what's called a lust for power. But with the lessons of his previous life, he now hopes people can express their demands more freely, without having their voices diluted by intermediaries. In his past life, from 2030 onward, his leisure activities had nearly reduced to just working out or learning new sciences. Entertainment, in the traditional sense, became more of a luxury. Thus, features related to guiding social consciousness or shaping societal subconsciousness could be cut out. However, holding so much data in his hands still made him feel uneasy. Sooner or later, Leo knew he would have to make a decision—how to make this technology serve a more positive purpose. Neither Chicago under ctOS nor a cyberpunk world was the future he wanted. But what exactly is a "better world"? A tough question to answer. Leo pondered this as he ate. His mom, sitting beside him, didn't say much, only glancing awkwardly at Skye and her group bustling around next door. Unable to hold back, his mom asked, "Leo, what are they doing over there?" "Oh, nothing much. The machines burned out. They're cleaning up the broken ones." "You look like a heartless capitalist right now, eating while your employees are working themselves to the bone." "Mom—I'm a benevolent boss! Who else in Hell's Kitchen provides such good benefits besides me?" Leo wasn't too concerned, knowing his mom was only joking. As they chatted, Leo remembered something: they still hadn't found a company accountant. So, he asked with a bit of hope, "Mom, do you know any out-of-work accountants, someone reliable?" Maya was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head. "I know a lot of my old nurse colleagues who are out of work, but as for accountants... I don't know anyone who does that." That made sense. Maya coming to New York from Latveria and finding a job was already an inspiring feat. Expecting her to find an accountant on top of that was asking too much. If no suitable accountant could be found, Leo was more inclined to rely on information technology to do the job. After a while, Maya hesitantly said, "Leo, I've been wondering, now that you're so capable, could you help our people a little? You don't know this, but back when your grandpa brought me out of Latveria, he had a lot of support; otherwise, we wouldn't have made it out." Leo curiously asked, "Speaking of which, how did Grandpa get out back then?" Maya paused for a moment. "He supposedly participated in some experiment, a human experiment in a lab set up by other countries in Eastern Europe. "After I arrived in New York, he went to the lab and never returned. "You might not know, but in Latveria, while we technically had a country, most of the time we were nomads. "A few people in our group said they wanted to resist the king's rule, but they didn't have any backing. "I don't know how they made outside connections, but somehow, there was an opportunity. "Your grandpa was old and unwell, so he volunteered for the experiment. The deal was that I could leave for New York—he was the first, so he got that condition." Leo raised an eyebrow after hearing this—a nomadic tribe that accepted an experiment in exchange for support? This story sounded familiar. Perhaps Maya was telling him this because she wanted to know what happened to her father. Leo nodded. "I'll look into it. Mom, I'm heading to see Dr. Connors in a bit." "Alright—take your time, and remember, I'll always love you. I can't do much to help, except make you meals." Leo pinched his nose. "You might not realize, but this is my emotional nourishment—it helps a lot." "Leo—you've really given me so many surprises!" Dr. Connors had dark circles under his eyes, but he was in a state of extreme excitement. Since receiving a large amount of data from Leo, he had been deeply engrossed in research. It had to be said, Connors—despite being destined to become a supervillain—did have real talent. He hadn't been blinded by the Lizard Serum. Instead, he immediately used the remaining cutting proteins and guide RNA to process the viruses described in the data. They were all very common viruses. After DNA modification, the viruses would transcribe cutting proteins akin to those used in biotechnology, while the guide RNA would be extracted similarly from a variety of different viruses. In any case, Connors had now mastered this process and fully understood the technology. Seeing the newly modified DNA cutting devices and Connors' revised schematics, Leo knew he now had equipment equivalent to that of a Biotechnica. Biotechnica would never have imagined that, in just twenty minutes, someone had pieced together clues and replicated their technology. And from their perspective, not a drop of their biological material had even been lost. In the cyberpunk world, literacy rates were incredibly low, and anyone with some level of education would be absorbed into the corporate system. They were happy with this too—survival in the streets required not knowledge, but fists. Even if they wanted to convert knowledge into power, that was something the companies excelled at. Why get involved with illiterates? Leo wasn't just a mercenary outlier—he had the support of high-tech talent behind him. He stroked his chin, satisfied. Just as Connors was surprised by him, he too was pleasantly surprised by Connors. Next up was the animal testing phase. "I've submitted the purchase request to the Natural Resources Management Agency. The school and government procedures are all cleared. "Conveniently, two zoos in New York have a batch of iguanas they're willing to sell! "Now it's just up to you to pay, big boss!" Leo rubbed his ears—Connors' excitement was loud enough to hurt his ears. But how much would it cost? The Lesser Antillean iguana is an endangered species, after all. "Uh, professor, so how much?" "Oh, sorry, I got a bit too excited—here are the purchase terms. Peter's at the zoo right now." Leo took the document, concerned, and said to Connors, "Professor, you should take a rest. We can't have any mistakes in the experiment later." "Right, right—you're making sense." Connors breathed a sigh of relief, plopping down into his chair and falling asleep within ten seconds. Leo sat down and began reviewing the documents. The first zoo seemed like a brand-new facility called...Jurassic Park? Leo's mouth twitched. Could this be some rich kid or young entrepreneur with a wild dream? Doesn't he know the name could get him into copyright trouble? Summarizing, the cost was $100,000 per iguana, and they required assurance that the iguanas would be treated well and placed in a comfortable environment upon arrival at the experimental site. During the experiment, the iguanas' mental and physical health must be guaranteed, with regular updates provided to the zoo. If any iguana died during the experiment, a fivefold penalty—$500,000—would be required. Leo's mouth twitched again. That's expensive! But these iguanas were indeed endangered species, and their value couldn't easily be measured in money. There were also many additional terms, like the option for the zoo to display the genetically modified iguanas. Overall, they had a lot of requests but seemed genuinely interested in collaborating. The second zoo was New York's largest wildlife park, the Bronx Zoo. Their offer was simpler: $5,000 per month to lease an iguana, with a penalty of $100,000 for accidental deaths. Aside from the usual conditions for endangered species, they had also added some extra clauses—the Bronx Zoo wanted to buy the genetically modified iguanas and the techniques for breeding them. An animal park interested in gene research? Leo quickly connected to the internet using his cybernetic implants, searching for any related information. He soon found shareholder information and donation news involving the Osborn Corporation. These two zoos had close ties. Leo rubbed his forehead. Well, it seems like he'll have to go with Jurassic Park.