Another day at work. The Giant Pharmaceuticals building was bustling with people, all looking very busy.
By the time Feng Lin walked into the R&D department, quite a few people were already there, fervently conducting human experiments with fanatical expressions on their faces.
Their hair was disheveled, and a faint sour stench emanated from them—no one knew how long it had been since they last bathed. None of them seemed to care, each one a picture of a research maniac. These people treated the R&D department as their home, working day and night without pause. Apart from sleeping and eating, all they did was research, bordering on obsession.
The door slid open silently as Feng Lin stepped inside, immediately drawing the attention of many. They had a vivid impression of him.
Last time, this newcomer had taken less than a day to improve the already mature formula for adrenaline potion, making a huge splash and even causing the notoriously nitpicky team leader, Aike, to choke on his words in front of him.
They sized him up with looks ranging from indifference to disgust to wariness—expressions varied widely.
"Good morning, everyone!" Feng Lin smiled and nodded to them all, looking harmless, his face lit with a warm, sunny smile that touched people's hearts.
A smiling face is hard to rebuff.
The hostility in these unfamiliar, hard-to-approach new colleagues diminished somewhat.
But no one noticed Feng Lin's fingers dancing continuously, like a graceful finger ballet, as a strange ripple spread silently and invisibly, like a gentle breeze brushing against their faces.
Everyone felt a momentary daze, sensing only that the young man's smile was as warm and soothing as the sun, stirring an urge to get closer.
What's wrong with me?
They wondered inwardly, shaking their heads, unable to find an answer for a long time.
For some reason, they suddenly found Feng Lin incredibly agreeable, unable to muster any dislike.
They couldn't help but reflect on their earlier hostile attitudes.
What's wrong with me?
Why would I feel jealous of a young man?
He's just a newcomer, fresh off the boat—he can't possibly threaten our positions.
Besides, this newcomer has extraordinary talent in the field of gene potions. On his very first day, he improved the adrenaline potion formula, speeding up the project's progress significantly!
As veterans, shouldn't we welcome such a newcomer and look out for him?
The thoughts in the R&D staff's minds shifted imperceptibly, and they began to offer Feng Lin friendly smiles.
Yet, deep down, they felt a strange, inexplicable unease, something hard to put into words.
To put it simply, it was like...
Feng Lin's charm +10.jpg.
"It really works!" Feng Lin himself wasn't surprised by this at all.
That's right, he had secretly used mental hypnosis. Of course, with so many people, he couldn't grasp each person's life magnetic field to hypnotize them into sleep.
One, he couldn't do it; two, it wasn't necessary.
If he overdid it and hypnotized the entire R&D department, that would cause a huge commotion—anyone would know something was wrong.
So Feng Lin only slightly altered his own life magnetic field, emitting an invisible, appealing influence that made people feel close and unable to harbor hostility. The effect was obvious.
Originally, as a newcomer who had joined the R&D department midway, he was bound to attract hostility and indifference due to competition for benefits. But now, the hostile atmosphere in the air had greatly diminished, and people occasionally smiled at him.
Learning mental hypnosis was definitely the right move. Without a sound, he had eliminated others' rejection of him, making it easier to integrate and access core secrets.
Win without fighting.
With much less hostility, his position within Giant Pharmaceuticals would be much smoother from now on.
Feng Lin didn't immediately return to his seat. Instead, he observed the glass chambers used for human experiments.
He saw the researchers, faces flushed with fanaticism, injecting bottles of gene potions into the test subjects through thin tubes, closely watching their physical reactions, breathing rapidly, their faces glowing with fervent red.
The instruments on the glass chambers were constantly measuring the subjects' responses and recording data.
Under the immense energy of the gene potions, test subjects occasionally burst into pools of blood and flesh, which were quickly cleaned up, and new subjects were brought in to continue the experiments.
Feng Lin didn't disturb the researchers but quietly studied the test subjects.
Upon closer inspection, he indeed noticed some details he had overlooked before.
According to the R&D staff, these test subjects were death row inmates, which might be true, but their origins were worth pondering.
Though these subjects had lost consciousness due to the drugs, they were all physically strong—nothing like people dragged out of prison cells.
Given the chaos of the Solar System Coalition government, prisons were hellish places, unfit for human habitation. Once death row inmates were locked up, surviving was a feat in itself—how could they eat well? Anyone who went in would lose a layer of skin.
Most death row inmates were numb and emaciated.
But these test subjects were robust, muscular, and exuded a fierce aura, more like battle-hardened warriors than criminals.
Seeing this, Feng Lin became a bit more inclined to believe what Luke of the Mars Revolutionary Army had said.
But only a bit.
Without solid, undeniable evidence, Feng Lin wouldn't act, burying his suspicions deep in his heart.
He remained cautious just in case.
Then, Feng Lin did nothing and asked nothing, pretending to be merely curious, and returned to his seat to stay put.
As part of the research team, Feng Lin used his chip to connect to the R&D department's internal network, downloading materials to understand the project's information.
He found that the department was indeed researching gene potions for ordinary people, and they had started nearly two years ago.
Their approach was to first improve low-level potions for human use, gradually strengthening the body—like adrenaline potions and life potions—allowing the body to adapt to the potions' effects, then slowly raise the grade of the gene potions. They had even preliminarily developed a step-by-step method for taking gene potions from low to high, divided into many stages.
Each stage was highly targeted, stimulating the body's genetic potential step by step, passively awakening it, then gradually enhancing it until reaching the level of strengthening points and evolving the original genes, thereby artificially creating interstellar cultivators.
But since this was a form of forced growth, it would greatly deplete a person's potential and shorten their lifespan, making further evolution difficult.
Still, it was enough.
Interstellar cultivators were exalted, superior in status—many sought but couldn't achieve it. Even at the cost of a shortened life, countless people with no future in cultivation would take the gamble.
But reality often was: it sounded good in theory, but execution was another matter.
This research approach seemed promising, with no flaws in theory, but so far, little progress had been made. Even using potions to awaken the most basic genes in ordinary people was proving difficult, suggesting this method was close to failure.
While Feng Lin was browsing the project information, others were observing him.
Feng Lin exuded an approachable charm that inexplicably boosted goodwill.
Finally, someone mustered the courage to approach and ask, "Feng Lin, your improved adrenaline potion was very successful. Could you share your experience with me?"
That was a bold question!
Who asks about someone else's core technology like that?
But Feng Lin thought to himself, isn't this a chance to build good relations with the R&D team?
It's just an improved formula for a high-grade adrenaline potion!
Feng Lin already had a perfect-grade adrenaline potion formula, so he didn't value the high-grade one much. It was perfect for building goodwill.
A smile spread across his face, and he looked sincere. "Of course!"
"Adrenaline potion stimulates the body to secrete adrenaline, speeding up mental reaction times. So, to improve the formula, you need to start with its properties..." Feng Lin explained half-truthfully, sharing his experience in developing the high-grade potion. He wouldn't breathe a word about how to create a perfect-grade one.
But that was enough. Researchers nearby gradually gathered, listening intently as Feng Lin imparted his knowledge.
An invisible, appealing influence spread like a plague.
The R&D staff genuinely felt that Feng Lin was a good person, generously sharing his valuable knowledge and experience without holding back.
Two pairs of eyes in the R&D department watched this scene darkly.
Director Frank's gaze was deep and unreadable.
Not far away, team leader Aike watched with a look of deep gloom and wariness, his face ashen, remaining silent for a long time.
In no time, Feng Lin, a newcomer who had only been there a few days, seemed to become the most popular person in the R&D department.
Invisible influence—most deadly of all.