Chapter 346 And that's it too!
Su Chen looked at the Zoo Director's expression, which was like facing a formidable enemy, full of terror, and couldn't help but chuckle, waving his hand as he said:
"Zoo Director, don't be nervous; I was naturally just joking."
"If I were to really take all these animals away, that would be terrible!"
"The Kyoto Zoo would probably have to close down immediately, and I certainly can't bear that responsibility."
Upon hearing this, the Zoo Director's body, which had been as tense as a fully drawn bow, relaxed slightly, letting out a long sigh of relief and raising a hand to wipe the cold sweat from its forehead.
Su Chen turned his gaze back to the animal catalog, his fingers sliding slowly across the pages. After some consideration, he selected some relatively ordinary and harmless animals, such as a few clever macaques, a few pairs of white rabbits, and some small, colorful foxes.
Just as he was about to close the catalog, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a photo of The Gorilla in the corner. This Gorilla was a notorious "mischief-maker" in the Zoo!
Relying on its brute strength, it would frequently pull pranks, its specialty being grabbing mud and throwing it precisely at tourists, which left everyone both annoyed and amused.
However, Su Chen didn't choose it for its mischievous nature, but because The Gorilla's genetic similarity to humans is extremely high. In the field of genetic research, it is an excellent experimental model that can provide valuable reference information for subsequent research.
"Count It In Too!"
Su Chen said, pointing to the photo of The Gorilla. Although the Zoo Director was somewhat reluctant, it dared not disobey!
It could only nod silently in agreement.
With the experimental animals selected, on the other side, the construction of the Genetic Laboratory was also nearing its end in full swing.
A brand-new, pure white building, full of sci-fi texture, rose from the ground amidst everyone's eager anticipation!
The silvery-gray metal exterior walls refracted a cold luster under the sunlight!
Various types of advanced equipment were moved in one after another and calibrated.
Stepping inside, the constant temperature and humidity environment, the orderly functional zones, and the precision equipment so high-end that it was staggering, made Su Chen eager to get to work.
With everything ready, Su Chen dove into the Laboratory, officially starting the first phase of research.
Inside the Laboratory, the lights stayed on all night, and various instruments emitted slight humming sounds and beeping alerts.
Su Chen, dressed in a white lab coat and wearing safety goggles, moved his hands between various reagent bottles and instrument control panels, sometimes frowning in deep thought, sometimes writing down data rapidly.
Such high-intensity research continued for nearly a month. Finally, hard work paid off, and Su Chen successfully developed the initial stage of the Genetic Enhancement Serum.
At this moment, in a special experimental cage in the center of the Laboratory, The Gorilla was pacing back and forth restlessly, its dark eyes filled with a hint of ignorance and curiosity.
Su Chen held the syringe, approached gently, seized the opportunity, and precisely injected the Genetic Enhancement Serum into The Gorilla.
At first, The Gorilla seemed to have no reaction, still swaying its massive body, but after just a few seconds, a sudden change occurred.
Its previously relaxed muscles quickly tightened, the bulging muscle lines appearing to contain infinite explosive power. Its eyes shone brightly, and its originally sluggish movements became incredibly agile, leaping up and down in the experimental cage, occasionally throwing a punch that brought with it a whistling wind, demonstrating a surge in strength.
However, this fierce state only lasted for five minutes before The Gorilla seemed to have its strength drained in an instant, its legs going soft, collapsing to the ground with a thud, gasping for air, its eyes full of exhaustion and collapse.
Seeing this, Su Chen remained calm and unhurried, quickly picking up the logbook nearby and recording the experimental data of the first-generation Genetic Enhancement Serum in detail: injection time, duration of effect, peak changes in The Gorilla's physical functions, exhaustion points...
Every piece of data was accurate and flawless, the handwriting neat and clear.
This serum preliminarily verified his theoretical hypothesis; it could indeed briefly improve physical functions, significantly increasing the subject's physical fitness and nerve reaction speed, which was nothing short of miraculous.
However, the drawbacks were also obvious. The five-minute duration was like a flash in the pan, and afterward, the body fell into severe overdraft. According to estimates, it would take at least two days of rest for the body to slowly crawl out of this quagmire of overload and recover its vitality.
"It's only the first generation; there's plenty of room for improvement in the future."
Su Chen muttered to himself, his tone showing no sign of discouragement, but rather a determination to keep going despite setbacks.
It is worth mentioning that there are many genetic technologies obtained from the system, and strengthening gene fragments and developing the Genetic Enhancement Serum are just a corner of it.
Right now, The Gorilla's body was already overdrawn, lying on the ground, listless!
Su Chen grinned: "Can't let it go to waste!"
He took out another tube of pink, faintly glowing serum from the refrigerator! He injected it into The Gorilla again.
Then a magical scene occurred. The Gorilla, which had been breathing weakly, seemed to have been injected with a "stimulant," its eyelids fluttering slightly, slowly opening its eyes as its consciousness gradually returned.
Su Chen took the opportunity to bring over a basin of fresh fruits and nuts that had been prepared in advance, placing it in front of it.
The Gorilla sniffed with its nose, its eyes instantly lighting up, and it reached out to grab the food like a hungry tiger, stuffing it into its mouth!
Juice splashed everywhere, and its ravenous eating posture showed that it had an excellent appetite.
Before long, the full basin of food was wiped clean. As the food entered its stomach, The Gorilla's originally dull fur gradually regained its luster, and its listless spirit recovered by about seventy or eighty percent, and it began to toss and turn vigorously in the cage again.
"It seems the recovery serum's effect is also quite good."
Su Chen nodded with satisfaction, pondering to himself.
Although the two types of genetic serums on hand have shown initial efficacy, they essentially just briefly drive the genes to mutate. Once the effect wears off, the genes are like a spring pulled back to its original position, returning to their initial state.
How to break this temporary shackle, extend the mutation duration, or even achieve permanent, benign genetic mutation, became the core problem that Su Chen urgently needed to overcome!
Su Chen was immersed in thought, his brows furrowed, completely unaware of a subtle change!
The Gorilla's gaze was now firmly locked onto the TV screen hanging in the corner of the Laboratory!
In the news program playing on it, the anchor was reporting on interesting anecdotes from around the world in a clear and articulate voice.
The Gorilla stared at the screen, its lips trembling slightly without realizing it!
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another month slipped away quietly.
During this period, Su Chen studied in seclusion like an ascetic, focusing all his energy on the R&D project for the 2.0 version of the Genetic Enhancement Serum.
The Laboratory was piled high with dense experimental manuscripts, the whiteboard was covered with various calculation formulas and chemical structure diagrams, and discarded reagent bottles were piled up like a mountain.
After countless experimental failures and countless times starting over, finally, on a dawn-breaking morning, Su Chen held the serum high!
Shouting loudly:
"2.0 has finally been successfully developed!"