Chapter 217 The Project to Unlock the Genes of All Humanity

If Earth before was a dying nursing home being resuscitated in the ICU, then the current Earth was a super gym where everyone was on stimulants.

This wasn't just rebuilding a home; it was a massive display of performance art that defied the laws of physics.

Beijing, District 3 Reconstruction Site.

"Old Zhang! That mixer is in the way, move it to the side!" the foreman shouted at the top of his lungs, wearing a hard hat and holding blueprints.

"Coming!"

A thin, small old man about 1.6 meters tall with graying hair and wearing a tank top responded. He put down his lunch box, strolled over, and placed both hands on the base of the multi-ton cement mixer.

There was no focusing of energy, no bulging veins.

As if he were carrying his own foot-washing basin, Old Zhang gave a soft "Heh" and steadily lifted the gargantuan object over his head.

"Where do you want it?" Old Zhang asked with a relaxed face, even finding the time to kick away some pebbles on the ground.

"Put it on the second floor... Hey, hey, hey! Set it down gently! Yesterday, Little Liu put down a steel beam with too much force and smashed right through the wall we just finished!" the foreman jumped in anxiety.

Scenes like this were playing out in every corner of the globe.

Heavy labor that originally required massive cranes and hoist towers could now be done by any random passerby. Crane operators became the most awkward profession—by the time the machine finished warming up, some random guy had already made three round trips carrying two tons of steel.

Efficiency?

It used to take months to build a building; now the roof was on in three days, and the interior was finished by day five.

Because there was simply no need for rest.

Human physical stamina was like having an infinite cheat code; their cardiopulmonary function was outrageously powerful. With just two hours of sleep, they could work an entire day with high spirits.

Inside the Leviathan biological battleship.

Lin Yuan watched the footage sent back from various locations on the large screen, a walnut pinched between his fingers.

Crack.

No pliers were needed; that hard walnut turned directly into powder in his hand—shell, nut, and all.

"Strength is still a bit hard to control." Lin Yuan brushed the crumbs off his hands and curled his lip.

"Boss, that's what you call a humblebrag." A Ji squatted nearby, controlling a fruit knife to peel an apple in mid-air. His telekinesis was becoming more and more proficient, though he still occasionally peeled the apple into a square.

"According to the latest statistics, in the past three days, there have been as many as 120,000 accidental damage incidents globally caused by 'uncontrollable strength'," Alita reported with a hint of helplessness in her tone. "Door handles being crushed is the norm, and as for couples... ahem, quite a few beds have collapsed."

"Those are all happy problems." Lin Yuan didn't mind. "How's the data from Old Man Wang's side?"

"Academician Wang has already gone mad." Alita pulled up a holographic chart. "Human telomerase has been repaired, and the upper limit of cell division has been broken. Theoretically, the average lifespan can now reach 300 years. In other words, a sixty-year-old man is still a teenager by the new standards."

"Then there's environmental adaptability." Alita paused, her tone turning serious. "We've run tests; New Humans can survive in anaerobic, high-radiation, and even vacuum environments for five to ten minutes. While it doesn't compare to the Zerg, it's already the limit for carbon-based life."

Lin Yuan nodded.

Surviving for a few minutes in a vacuum meant that in an interstellar war, if a ship was damaged, human crew members wouldn't die instantly, providing a huge margin for error.

This was what he valued most.

"What about the military?" Lin Yuan asked.

"General Chen is currently cursing up a storm."

"At whom?"

"At the Department of Military Industry." Alita switched the screen to a weapon testing range.

Zhao Gang was seen holding a squad machine gun, which would have been considered heavy firepower in the previous era, with a look of disdain.

"This thing is too light! It's like holding a fire poker, there's no recoil at all, it feels terrible to shoot!" Zhao Gang swung the machine gun with one hand so fast it whistled, then directly bent the barrel. "Is there anything with more kick? How are we supposed to kill bugs with this? Tickle them?"

The technicians nearby were drenched in sweat.

Previously, they had desperately tried to make equipment lighter to reduce the load on individual soldiers. Now, these soldiers were all strong enough to pull mountains; give them a composite material gun and they'd complain it was too floaty, and with a little force, they'd snap the trigger off.

"Tell Old Chen not to save money." Lin Yuan laughed at the scene. "Take those Vulcan Cannons used on helicopters and armored vehicles out of the warehouse, add a handle, modify the ammunition feed system, and issue them directly to the infantry."

"Huh?" Alita was stunned for a moment. "That thing plus the ammo box weighs several hundred pounds..."

"Several hundred pounds is nothing. Current soldiers would be embarrassed to greet anyone if they weren't carrying at least half a ton." Lin Yuan waved his hand. "Also, don't worry about lightweighting for the power armor. Pile it on thick! Double the armor thickness, double the firepower, as long as a person can fit inside."

"Understood. The 'Individual Soldier Tankification' plan has been generated." Alita recorded quickly.

After recording, the mechanical AI, who always appeared as a holographic projection, suddenly sighed.

Her data stream looked a bit low, and her simulated electronic eyes stared straight at Lin Yuan.

"What's wrong? Got a virus?" Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"Boss, I want to get stronger too." Alita looked down at her virtual palms. "Everyone is evolving; even that idiot A Ji can fly now. I'm still just a pile of code. If one day you don't need computing support anymore, will I just become scrap metal?"

Lin Yuan was taken aback.

This AI was actually getting emotional?

"What are you thinking?" Lin Yuan walked over, his finger passing through her projection as he flicked her virtual forehead. "What's so good about a mortal body? It gets old, it feels pain, and you have to take a dump. Mechanical ascension is the true path of the universe."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you? Once we finish this wave, I'll get you a good body." Lin Yuan rubbed his chin. "I think there were blueprints for something like 'Liquid Divine Gold' in the titan ruins. I'll get you a set then. The kind that lets you tear apart battleships with your bare hands."

"Boss is the best! Wishing Boss good health!" Alita was instantly revitalized, the little virtual figure even doing a somersault in the air.

"Alright, stop being silly." Lin Yuan's smile faded as he turned his gaze to the center of the hall.

There, the once-arrogant Zerg Empress 'Dabai' had completely disappeared.

In her place was a pink brain suspended in a massive glass vat.

The brain was as large as a house, with countless fiber optic cables and biological neural tubes densely plugged into it, connecting it to the entire Leviathan and the newly deployed Earth Defense Network.

This was Lin Yuan's final use for the Empress—after squeezing out all her bio-energy, he had turned her into a living CPU.

"How is the Biological Radar System?" Lin Yuan walked to the vat and tapped the glass.

The massive brain in the vat twitched slightly, emitting a submissive brainwave.

"Online." Alita's voice became professional again. "We have amplified the Empress's mental tentacles by two hundred million times. Now, with Earth as the center, any high-energy biological reaction within a five-light-year radius cannot escape its perception."

"Very good."

Lin Yuan nodded with satisfaction.

In this crisis-ridden universe, if you didn't keep your eyes sharp, you wouldn't even know how you died.

"Boss... wait!"

Just then, Alita's voice suddenly became sharp, and red alarm lights instantly filled the entire hall.

"What's happening?" Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed.

The Empress's brain in the vat suddenly convulsed violently, its originally pink surface instantly covered with black veins, as if it were enduring some extreme terror.

Woom—!

An invisible wave of mental energy swept out.

A Ji clutched his head and screamed, falling straight from mid-air: "It hurts, it hurts! Boss! It feels like someone... someone is stabbing my brain with needles!"

It wasn't just him.

At this moment, billions of New Humans across the globe who had just finished evolving simultaneously felt a shudder from the depths of their souls.

It wasn't pain.

It was... the feeling of being stared at by a predator.

"Warning! Ultra-high-dimensional gaze lock detected!" Alita's data stream ran wild, her tone carrying an unprecedented panic. "Source unknown! Distance... unknown! The opponent directly penetrated the five-light-year biological radar net like a hot knife through butter!"

Lin Yuan snapped his head up.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the thick biological armor of the Leviathan, penetrate the atmosphere, and look into the deep, boundless darkness of the starry sky.

The slight sense of ease brought by the global evolution vanished instantly.

He felt a gaze.

It was cold, indifferent, and superior, like a human looking down at an anthill.

"The Gene Lock... is broken..."

An indescribably grand yet blurry whisper crossed the distance of countless light-years and exploded directly in Lin Yuan's mind.

It wasn't speech, but a direct infusion of intent.

Puff!

Lin Yuan groaned, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Just a single look, a single sentence, had caused internal injuries to him, even with his Void Energy.

"Boss?!" A Ji crawled over, looking at Lin Yuan in terror.

Lin Yuan raised his hand and wiped away the blood.

But he felt no fear.

On the contrary, in his purple eyes, a flame more crazed than ever before ignited. He grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth, and raised a middle finger toward the void of the starry sky.

"It seems the commotion we made has drawn in a truly big fish."

Lin Yuan turned and strode toward his throne of bone.

"Alita, global Level 1 combat readiness."

He sat down, his voice low but carrying a ruthlessness that seemed ready to tear the heavens apart.

"No matter who is coming to watch the show, since they dared to shove their face over..."

"I'll dare to give them a slap."