319: Advances in medicine

[Two Days Later · Corridor outside the Training Area, GUPA Headquarters]

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the high glass curtain wall, casting bright patches of light on the polished corridor floor. Lu Jianchuan finished a set of basic physical recovery training and was wiping off sweat with a towel when he happened to run into Officer Jin Gu, who was walking from the direction of the briefing room.

"Officer Jin Gu," Lu Jianchuan stopped in his tracks, "Over there... how are the follow-up developments?"

Jin Gu was holding an encrypted data pad. He stopped upon hearing the question, a faint trace of fatigue from handling tedious affairs on his face, but also the relaxation of everything finally settling down.

"The preliminary analysis reports that needed to come out are out, and the relevant personnel who needed to be controlled or arrested have basically all been caught. How else could it be? It's just like that." His tone was flat, as if he were speaking of an ordinary official matter.

Lu Jianchuan was silent for a moment before asking the question he was more concerned about: "That Zhao Qifeng... what he did, especially that set of armor, what exactly..."

"The original intention might have been 'good,' if you define 'enhancing the country's strategic advantage in the paranormal field at any cost' as 'good.'"

Jin Gu interrupted him, his voice devoid of much emotion, containing only calm analysis. "Judging from his research logs and remaining plans, that 'corroding abyss' armor was indeed initially designed for mass production and deployment."

"Mass production?" Lu Jianchuan frowned.

"Yes. His initial blueprint was to create a 'new concept individual weapon' with controllable costs, performance exceeding conventional individual exoskeletons, and the ability to form a preliminary biological synergy with the user."

Jin Gu looked out the corridor window, his gaze somewhat distant. "The idea was grand; if it could truly be realized, it indeed might have changed many landscapes. Unfortunately, the path he chose was completely wrong. The process was extremely cruel, completely ignoring individual lives and ethics.

He was too 'for the country,' so much so that he forgot the country is composed of countless 'people.' Without the well-being and dignity of the people, so-called 'national strength' is nothing but a castle in the air, and may even become a monster that devours itself."

Lu Jianchuan nodded thoughtfully. "So... can that armor really be... mass-produced?"

"No," Jin Gu replied crisply, with a hint of mockery. "At least the version he has come up with now is completely unfit for mass production.

First, the manufacturing cost is ridiculously high, far exceeding the cost of the most cutting-edge individual Systems currently available. Second, the performance is unstable. As you saw, it requires continuous infusion of high-energy nutrient solution to maintain the activity and compliance of those symbiotic Units.

Once the nutrient supply is insufficient or interrupted, the instinct of those things to backlash against the host and devour their flesh for self-preservation will override the control protocols."

He paused and added, "Essentially, it still utilizes a 'survival symbiosis' relationship under extreme conditions, forcibly stitching together different life forms and mechanical structures. It's worlds away from his ideal goal of being 'stable, controllable, and popularizable.'"

"Then... what about those white flowers?" Lu Jianchuan remembered the eerie yet beautiful flowers in the lab. "The power Cynthia used at the end..."

"Preliminary analysis shows it's an extremely efficient mechanism for life energy conversion and condensation." Jin Gu pulled up a brief report on the data pad.

"It converts almost all the biomass and energy of the absorbed target organism into a highly concentrated, structurally stable 'Life Essence' that is extremely easy for specific organisms to absorb and utilize.

Its concentration and purity far exceed conventional nutrient solutions; it can be seen as a kind of... supernatural super-nutrient supplement. The specific principles and broader application value are still under in-depth study."

At the mention of Cynthia, Lu Jianchuan's tone carried a hint of concern: "Is there... any news of Cynthia?"

Jin Gu shook his head. "None. She said she was going to find the 'meaning of living,' so let her find it. As long as she doesn't use the power she gained to harm society or break the law, I personally believe there's no need to hunt her down like a fugitive."

He looked at Lu Jianchuan, his tone becoming more serious. "In fact, I have already submitted a report to my superiors and have personally guaranteed her using my name and position.

The guarantor is me, Golden Bone. This means that if she truly loses control in the future and does something irreparable, the primary responsibility lies with me, and I will bear the corresponding consequences."

He looked at Lu Jianchuan's somewhat surprised eyes and continued, "So, if... I say if, there truly comes a day when someone needs to bring her back or stop her, I hope you all can..."

"Rest assured, Officer Jin Gu." Lu Jianchuan nodded solemnly, finishing his sentence. "If that day truly comes, we will definitely do our best to bring her back and have her explain things. Besides," his tone turned firm, "I believe in Cynthia. She has been through so much; she won't easily head down that path."

A very faint, almost imperceptible trace of relief appeared on Jin Gu's face. He patted Lu Jianchuan's shoulder. "I believe so too. Alright, I still have a pile of reports to give me a headache. You go ahead and get busy with your things."

"Alright, goodbye, Officer."

"Mm, see you later." Jin Gu nodded and, holding the data pad, turned to walk toward his office.

[Later that day · GUPA Biological Research Department]

The noise of a victory banquet drifted faintly from the well-insulated core experimental area, but the peripheral open office area and some non-core laboratories were relatively quiet.

At this moment, that quiet was being broken by a series of slightly frantic wails and earnest requests.

"Stay away from me—! Great Lawyer Shen! Great Detective Shen! I really can't make that kind of thing! I really can't!"

A young Researcher in a white coat with slightly messy hair was clutching a thick folder, dodging awkwardly between Experimental Tables and instruments.

Following closely behind him was Shen Mingyuan, eyes shining, holding a tablet filled with scribbled conceptual sketches.

"How can it not be made?" Shen Mingyuan's tone was certain, as if stating a law of physics. He poked a sketch on the tablet with his pen tip.

"An Anesthetic Needle Watch—the principle is very clear! Micro-compressed gas propulsion, biocompatible anesthetic capsules, precision laser aiming—"

"With current micromechanical technology and the biocompatible Materials we've encountered, the difficulty level for implementation is at most a B+!"

He swiped his finger, switching to an even more outrageous sketch. "And this, Super Strength Augmentation Sneakers!

The core lies in a bio-electric stimulation module that instantaneously enhances the explosive power of the gastrocnemius muscle and Achilles tendon, paired with non-Newtonian fluid Materials in the sole and elastic structural energy storage and release... Look, I've even designed the energy cycle! With biotechnology and Materials science advancing so rapidly—even living armor can be evolved—how could such 'tiny' auxiliary equipment be impossible?"

The Researcher was almost in tears. He hid behind a centrifuge and poked half his head out.

"Mr. Shen! I beg of you! I study biological abnormal factors and tissue regeneration! My specialty is analyzing the action pathways of the evo factor, induced differentiation potential, and ethical safety thresholds!

I didn't study mechanical engineering, microelectronics, or exoskeleton design! These... these gadgets you want, they're not in my field! And why on earth would I make such things?!"

He took a breath and continued his protest: "An Anesthetic Needle Watch... I can barely stretch that to relate to my field since it involves injections and biological agents. But those Super Strength Sneakers... those are completely sci-fi movie props, okay?! Go find the Equipment R&D Department! Or go to the Engineering Lab! Stop bothering me! I just want to quietly analyze my cell samples and data!"

"But you're the only Researcher I'm familiar with!" Shen Mingyuan closed in another step with righteous confidence, trying to bypass the centrifuge.

"Researcher Wang! Help me out! Think about it, if we had this equipment, how much would the efficiency of investigation, evidence collection, covert operations, and even self-defense at critical moments increase? This is all to practice justice more efficiently!"

"No—! Don't look for me even for the sake of justice! My justice is completing my cell culture observation reports on time and submitting my papers!"

Researcher Wang let out a tragic cry, clutched his folder, and made a break for the door at the other end of the lab. Shen Mingyuan pursued him relentlessly, the two of them playing out a comical chase in the laboratory filled with precision instruments.

At the laboratory door, Wei Ziqing was holding a glass of juice, watching the scene expressionlessly.

He had been dragged here by Shen Mingyuan under the pretext of "taking you to see an interesting place," only to find out it was some victory banquet at the research institute. Then Shen Mingyuan had run off in the blink of an eye to harass a Researcher.

He sighed and stopped a middle-aged Researcher who was passing by, shaking his head with a smile and looking approachable.

He pointed at the two people causing a commotion inside, then at the direction of the core area where laughter was coming from, and asked:

"Excuse me, can I ask? What... exactly is being celebrated here? What is the theme of the victory banquet?"

The middle-aged Researcher pushed up his glasses, a gratified smile appearing on his face. "Oh, you mean this. We're celebrating a milestone Breakthrough our group achieved in the 'Targeted Medical Application of the evo factor' project."

He gestured for Wei Ziqing to look at a poster on the door of the core area, which featured a simplified schematic diagram.

"We successfully completed a case of functional tissue regeneration in a non-human mammal. The subject was a stray cat whose hind limbs were completely paralyzed due to motor neuron necrosis from an old injury."

The Researcher's voice took on a sense of accomplishment:

"We tried using a highly purified, stabilized, and directionally induced low-concentration evo factor preparation, combined with specific biological scaffolds and nerve growth factors. We successfully activated and guided the targeted cell differentiation and axonal regeneration in its damaged spinal area and hind limbs.

After several weeks of observation and rehabilitation, that little cat is now able to barely stand and walk short distances. Nerve signal conduction has recovered by over sixty percent."

He paused, his tone becoming rigorous and full of hope. "Although there is still a long way to go before this can be applied in human clinical practice, especially regarding safety, long-term effects, and ethical review...

But this proves a viable path—under strict control, the evo factor indeed has the potential to repair severe organic damage and even regenerate parts of complex tissues.

In the future, it might truly be used to treat spinal cord injuries, severe traumatic amputations, and other current medical challenges. Isn't that worth having a drink to celebrate?"

After listening, Wei Ziqing looked at the picture of the little cat on the poster, which seemed a bit dazed yet able to stand again. Then he looked at Shen Mingyuan, who was still chasing Researcher Wang to discuss the "feasibility of ultimate Detective equipment." Finally, his gaze fell on the tiny rising bubbles in the juice in his hand.

On one side was the rigorous dawn of science concerning life repair and the future; on the other was his partner's whimsical and strangely persistent "equipment R&D." He took a silent sip of his juice.

"...Indeed, it is worth celebrating." He whispered, unsure which side he was referring to.