The usually lively R&D department fell into dead silence, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
All eyes were fixed on the changes in the "lab rat" inside the glass chamber.
The living corpse, which had been like a pile of mud, now seemed to have been re-energized like a long-abandoned machine. His heartbeat became active, and he came back to life!
Alive!
This person's entire nervous system had completely collapsed, already sentenced to death. No potion could save him; they were just waiting for him to breathe his last.
No one expected that this newcomer, seemingly casually mixing a bottle of potion, had actually brought him back to life.
Everyone was stunned. One by one, they crowded around with interest, carefully observing the lab rat's reactions. Some even started recording nonstop using their chips, collecting this precious data.
They looked like a bunch of research maniacs, their expressions fervent, not even caring about Team Leader Aike's increasingly sour face.
Inside the glass chamber, the naked figure trembled uncontrollably, his eyes wide. Gradually, they shifted from lifeless to bright, filled with anger, hatred, and venom as he stared at the crowd. His ferocious expression was like a demon from hell returning to the human world, as if he wanted to tear everyone apart, eat their flesh, and drink their blood.
Despite such a vicious and terrifying look, those seemingly frail researchers showed no reaction at all. Perhaps they were already used to such stares. To them, these test subjects were no different from lab rats—they didn't see them as human.
Would you care about a lab rat's hatred?
What interested them was the lab rat's reaction!
He had been a living corpse, his nerves shattered. After taking this potion, he had come back from the dead.
How could that not be shocking?
They were intensely curious, itching to slice this lab rat open for study right away.
The glass chamber was equipped with a detection system, displaying various human data that flickered nonstop.
"Look, his heart rate curve is rising, his vitality is recovering!"
"His brainwaves are getting more active too—they've jumped over a hundred points!"
"This adrenaline potion has actually been successfully improved. What an incredible newcomer!"
...
They gathered around, discussing the lab rat's changes and praising Feng Lin's improved potion, but they didn't notice Aike's expression growing darker and darker.
Urgh, urgh, urgh...
Just as they were watching, the test subject in the glass chamber let out a series of dying gasps from his throat, like a duck being slaughtered with its throat gripped. His body shook violently like a sieve, and then he went limp, completely lifeless.
Everyone sighed, but they weren't surprised at all.
This person's nerves were already destroyed; he was essentially a living corpse, his body in a state of collapse.
The human body is a precise, integrated system. This living corpse's body had been ruined from the inside out by countless previous experiments. Now, this potion could only forcibly restore his spirit—it was nothing more than a final flash of light before death.
His body was like a broken sieve. After a brief burst of excitement, it couldn't withstand the potion's power, and he died completely.
A gene potion is a gene potion—its energy is astonishing. Even a low-grade one isn't something an ordinary person can drink.
In short, this bottle of adrenaline potion had effects far beyond what anyone imagined, which also proved one thing: the potion formula had indeed been successfully improved.
Everyone's gaze turned to Team Leader Aike, their expressions strange.
They knew full well that the improved formula had originally been a deliberate challenge from the team leader. But now, unexpectedly, the newcomer had actually succeeded.
They were curious—how would Team Leader Aike react now?
Having lived in fear under Aike's high-pressure management for so long, it was rare to see him embarrassed. They secretly enjoyed it, though they didn't dare show it on their faces.
Feeling the mocking glances secretly directed at him from all around, Aike's face grew even more sinister and unpleasant.
After a long silence, he reluctantly spoke, "Feng Lin has successfully improved the adrenaline potion, with outstanding results. This month, he gets a bonus of 100,000 star coins!"
He had actually given Feng Lin a bonus of 100,000 star coins in one go, equivalent to two months of Feng Lin's intern salary.
Judging by his gritted teeth, Aike clearly didn't want to do it, but he had no choice.
The adrenaline potion was extremely helpful to the R&D department's current research topic, as it could stimulate the human nervous system, enhance mental power, and achieve a leap in life level.
Feng Lin had improved this potion, putting his performance this month at the top of the R&D department.
The capable get more.
A major contribution must come with a corresponding reward.
That was the company's rule. If he, as team leader, violated it first, he would lose the respect of others.
This feeling of being unable to do anything about someone he disliked was incredibly frustrating for Aike.
He didn't want to stay a moment longer. After briefly announcing Feng Lin's reward, he hurried away, eager to get as far as possible.
Behind him came a burst of suppressed laughter.
The new colleagues in the R&D department looked at Feng Lin differently now—curious, admiring, wary... each with a different expression.
After all, it was rare for someone to make Aike, that arrogant and highly capable team leader, look bad.
Feng Lin ignored them and turned to leave.
He had completed the task assigned to him; these people had nothing to say.
He didn't stop, walking out of the R&D department and heading straight for his quarters, his expression grim.
Though the task was done, there was no joy on his face. The lab rat's miserable death was still vivid before his eyes.
I did not kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me.
Feng Lin wasn't a weak-willed person. If he had to kill, he wouldn't hesitate, because if he did, the other person would definitely be his enemy.
But that test subject had no grudge against him, yet he died after drinking the potion Feng Lin had mixed. That feeling would unsettle anyone normal.
A great sense of urgency also rose in Feng Lin's heart.
The fox mourns the hare's death!
The Solar System was a chaotic star region, full of dangers—a dark society where people devoured each other.
Strength!
He had to have strength. Only by gaining enough power could he protect himself. He couldn't rely on anyone else.
Others held the knife, and I was the fish on the chopping block.
Without strength, one day he might end up like those lab rats, at others' mercy, living a life worse than death.
And that was something Feng Lin would never allow.
Back at his quarters, Feng Lin immediately began intense training.
This time, he would fully replenish the life force he had overdrawn and then max out his gene enhancement.
He didn't drink any more life potions or other tonics, because he had already consumed enough adrenaline potion.
Although this potion was meant to stimulate the adrenaline gene, as a gene potion, it was also rich in nutrients.
Feng Lin trained relentlessly, quickly digesting the nutrients in his body.
Breathe in... breathe out... breathe in... breathe out...
Feng Lin closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, his breaths incredibly long and steady, following a specific rhythm. Waves of heat surged inside him, flowing through his entire body, nourishing every part.
Gene potential +20%, +19%, +18%...
Feng Lin's potential soared, quickly breaking through the 1000% mark, reaching as high as 1021%.
His life force of 3.7 also grew slowly and steadily: 3.8, 3.85, 3.9, 3.95...
With a soft pop!
Feng Lin's body trembled, as if breaking through a major barrier. From the inside out, everything became clear, and all his meridians seemed to open up!
Life force: 4.1!
His life force had leaped to the 4 mark, even exceeding it by 0.1.
Every increase of 1 in life force was a threshold.
Feng Lin could clearly feel the surging power inside him, like a dormant volcano ready to erupt with scorching, molten strength at any moment.
But that wasn't the most important thing.
The most crucial thing was that earlier, to quickly strengthen himself, he had enhanced too many gene points at once, overdrawn too much life force. Now, it was finally fully replenished.
It felt like paying off a huge, long-overdue debt—a massive weight lifted from his shoulders.
Feng Lin let out a deep breath. With no more worries, he could finally continue enhancing his genes!
He had long had enough free gene points to add at any time, but he had held back for too long to replenish his life force. Now that he was fully recovered, he couldn't bear to wait any longer.
No time to waste—let's start now!
With a thought from Feng Lin, his gene potential instantly dropped by 100%.
The nebula of free gene points in the dantian of his human gene map immediately exploded, turning into wisps of nebula energy that poured into the Stone Fetus gene. The enhancement points silently changed from 8 to 9.
What surprised Feng Lin the most was that this time, his life force surged again, jumping from 4.1 to 4.9. The increase was no longer 0.1 but 0.8—eight times the previous amount.
Clearly, the nutrients he had replenished over these days hadn't been wasted; the returns were enormous.
Feng Lin secretly rejoiced that he had chosen the most solid and steady path, with a bright future ahead.
After finally making up for the overdrawn life force, enhancing just one point wasn't enough!
Having already tasted the benefits, Feng Lin knew that gene enhancement was addictive!
The feeling of lightly tapping a point and watching yourself improve rapidly was utterly intoxicating.
Feng Lin didn't stop for a moment. He continued adding points.
The Stone Fetus gene flickered once, without any pause, instantly increasing to 10 points, breaking through the theoretical gene limit.
Everything happened so naturally.
Ape gene maxed out!
Stone Fetus gene maxed out!
Next up was evolving the Stone Monkey gene!