226: The first meeting of two wise men

Zhang Xianzong instantly understood Lin Feng's intention, a glint flashing in his eyes, and he immediately nodded.

"Good! Sergeant Major, arrange it immediately. Open access to the deep underground research area with the highest security clearance! We're going straight to Elder Chen's place!"

"Understood!"

The Sergeant Major dared not delay, immediately issuing commands through his personal terminal.

The group did not tarry for a moment, and led by the Sergeant Major, they passed through the main hall and entered a dedicated elevator that required multiple biometric and energy verifications.

The elevator descended silently and swiftly, the numbers on the display screen rapidly changing, finally stopping at "-99F," representing the deepest underground level.

As the elevator doors slid open, a complex aroma, a mixture of disinfectant, high-energy particles, exotic herbs, and something indescribable, as if from the deepest origins of life itself, wafted towards them.

The sight before them was suddenly vast and open, completely unlike the solemnity of the upper levels of the association.

This was a colossal, breathtaking underground space!

The dome simulated a starry sky, with countless tiny energy points flickering in the darkness, like real stars.

On the ground were huge laboratories divided into different areas.

Some areas were filled with flashing precision instruments and pipes through which various colored liquids flowed, while holographic screens cascaded with massive amounts of genetic sequence data.

Other areas featured gigantic cultivation tanks, in which biological tissue samples of various forms, emitting powerful or eerie auras, were immersed. One could even see remnants with "Alien" characteristics faintly pulsating in the culture fluid.

Even more striking was that in the core area of the laboratory, ancient Eastern formations were laid out, with huge runes carved into the floor perfectly integrated with energy conduits embedded in the walls, emitting profound fluctuations that merged technology and mysticism in an inconceivable way!

The air was filled with an atmosphere of extreme focus, fanaticism, and even a touch of madness in the pursuit of knowledge.

Researchers in white coats or protective suits hurried about, conversing in low tones with obscure terminology, casting only a fleeting glance at Lin Feng and his impressive group of "intruders" before immersing themselves back into their own research.

"This way!"

The Sergeant Major was clearly familiar with the place, leading the group through the busy areas towards a large, independent laboratory at the very end, isolated by multiple energy barriers.

Through the translucent energy barrier, they could see an old man in a white coat stained with unknown substances, his hair as messy as a bird's nest, his back to the door, intently operating a complex holographic interface.

On the interface, a constantly twisting gene chain model, flashing with dangerous red light, was being forcibly "stitched" and "corrected" by countless tiny runes and energy beams.

The old man mumbled to himself, his fingers rapidly moving through the air with an almost frenzied rhythm.

It was Chen Xuantong!

The uniqueness of the Alien gene had completely captivated him, to the point where he no longer cared about his personal appearance.

The Sergeant Major operated the identity verifier at the entrance, and the heavy alloy door slid open silently.

"Elder Chen! Look who's back!"

The Sergeant Major called out loudly.

Chen Xuantong seemed not to hear, still immersed in his own world, until he suddenly slapped the control panel. The volatile gene chain on the interface finally stabilized, emitting a soft blue light. He then let out a long sigh, his eyes, with their heavy dark circles, sparkling with excitement as he turned around.

"It's done! The genetic collapse point of this mutated demon dragon finally..."

His voice abruptly stopped, his gaze passing over the Sergeant Major and landing on Lin Feng. An expression of incredible ecstasy instantly erupted on his tired face.

"Lin Feng?! Ma... Master! Quick! Give me a few more Aliens!"

He was so excited he was about to rush over, but as soon as he took a step, his gaze was suddenly drawn to the inhuman figure behind Lin Feng.

"Your body?!"

Chen Xuantong's gaze fixed on Elric, his eyes quickly transforming into an extreme, burning light, like a hungry wolf spotting a rare treasure!

He completely ignored Lin Feng, Zhang Xianzong, Alicia, and the others, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Elric's body, composed of starlight alloy and alchemical runes, and his alchemical eyes, which gleamed with cold rationality.

"Perfect structure! This energy circuit... this method of rune integration... incredible!"

"This... this is simply a masterpiece beyond the mundane! A creation of a god? No! This is the pinnacle of technology! It's the ultimate form where life and machinery, matter and rules, are perfectly integrated!"

Chen Xuantong's voice trembled with excitement, incoherent. He was like one possessed, involuntarily stepping forward, seemingly wanting to reach out and touch Elric.

Elric was also observing Chen Xuantong.

His eyes, formed by alchemical runes, scanned Chen Xuantong with a precision far exceeding human vision.

The various residual energy radiation traces on him, the chaotic yet astonishingly creative brain waves, and the "mad" results in this laboratory that forcibly merged biotechnology with mysterious runes and alien genes... all of this caused Elric's divine part, which sought "ultimate truth," to resonate strongly.

"Forced evolution and alien integration of biological genes... using primal rune energy to stabilize genetic collapse points... crude, but extremely groundbreaking."

Elric's cold voice rang out, carrying a condescending scrutiny, yet also a hint of approval.

"You, are you trying to analyze and reconstruct the fundamental rules of life, and even... attempt to touch the authority of creation?"

Chen Xuantong suddenly stopped, his cloudy old eyes bursting with an unprecedented brilliance, as if he had found a kindred spirit.

"Yes! Yes! What damn gods! Life itself is the greatest miracle! Genes are the most mysterious runes! As long as we can decipher their code and master their power, we are the creators!"

He pointed at the surrounding cultivation tanks and instruments, shouting fanatically.

"Look at these! The potential of Alien genes is infinite! I've stripped away their chaotic will and extracted the purest evolutionary factors! Combined with ancient Eastern secret arts and modern gene editing technology, and that original sample of the 'Alien Queen' you left behind, the Facehugger..."

He pointed at Lin Feng.

"The limit-breaking potion is just the beginning! I've even tried to forcibly implant gene fragments of some powerful otherworldly creatures into the human gene chain. Although the failure rate is high, once successful..."

"Forcibly implanted?"

The runes in Elric's eyes suddenly lit up, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.

"Inefficient, uncontrollable risk, a waste of valuable material."

"The fusion of life requires more precise alchemical arrays to guide it, requiring an understanding of the rules of energy and matter transformation at the microscopic level. Just like..."

He raised his hand, and a faint starlight glowed at his fingertip. Within the starlight, an extremely tiny alchemical rune, composed of pure energy, flashed and disappeared, demonstrating a possible path of material transformation.

Chen Xuantong's eyes instantly widened, staring intently at the profound rune trajectory at Elric's fingertip, his breathing becoming rapid.

"This... this level of energy control precision! This understanding of the fundamental nature of matter! How... how did you do it? Directly interfering with microscopic particles using an alchemical array? That's impossible! Existing instruments can't even observe that level!"

"Instruments?"

Elric's voice remained flat.

"Those are the means of mortals. True understanding comes from 'perceiving' and 'reconstructing' the rules themselves."

He pointed to his eyes and body, composed of alchemical runes.

"This, then, is the medium of perception."

"Medium... perceiving rules..."

Chen Xuantong muttered to himself, his demeanor frenzied. His gaze at Elric was filled with the regret of not having met him sooner!