In the apocalypse, I hoarded goods and handed over my storage space to the government.

Su Ran followed Chen Changhe through the experimental area and arrived at an internal elevator at the end of the corridor.

"Three underground levels, a high-level isolation and containment area."

"Has the commander seen it?" Su Ran asked.

"I've seen it."

Chen Changhe stared at the changing floor numbers. "He stood in front of the glass for half an hour, then left without saying a word."

The elevator doors opened.

There aren't many staff members here, just rows of cold metal walls and several huge transparent observation rooms.

The two walked to the front of the observation room.

There are three separate glass partitions in total.

Su Ran stopped outside the first cubicle.

Inside was a man in his thirties.

He was wearing a gray hospital gown and was suspended in mid-air, about one meter above the ground.

His eyes were closed, his limbs hung naturally at his sides, and there was no rise or fall of his chest with his breathing.

It appeared completely unconscious, like a corpse floating in the water.

Su Ran narrowed her eyes and quickly made a judgment in her mind.

"Gravity control, or some kind of psychic ability."

Chen Changhe nodded in agreement.

Su Ran turned to look at the second cubicle.

The man inside was enormous.

He is in a highly unstable superposition state.

Su Ran looked at him.

His shoulders and arms swelled rapidly within two seconds, and a black keratin layer appeared on his skin.

But then, this expansion quickly contracted, returning to the size of a normal human body in a few breaths.

Expansion and contraction, over and over again.

The man sat on the ground, his eyes open, the eyeballs grayish-white, unfocused on anything.

Su Ran walked towards the third cubicle.

This room has the strangest layout.

The surrounding area was filled with thick metal conductive pillars, and the ground was covered with insulating mats.

A woman with disheveled hair stood in the center of the room.

Her fingers twitched occasionally, and with each twitch, a pale blue arc of electricity shot out from her fingertip, striking the nearby conductive post and exploding into a blinding spark.

Lightning system.

This is an extremely powerful elemental ability.

These three people have one thing in common.

They were all wandering aimlessly around the room or maintaining an odd posture.

There was no expression, no communication, and no reaction whatsoever to the people standing outside the glass.

Su Ran looked at the bizarre scene and turned to look at Chen Changhe.

"Who are they?"

"They were all death row inmates from the Northwest Heavy Penitentiary."

Chen Changhe looked at the person inside the glass and sighed.

"After the cataclysm broke out, in order to protect the population, they were also armed and transported to the underground city."

To advance the experiment, the authorities took over the prison.

Later, in order to advance the 'Ω-9' experiment, the authorities took over their work.

They signed a life-or-death agreement, volunteering to be among the first living subjects to test the original Awakening Serum.

"So, Mr. Chen, can we say they've succeeded?" Su Ran asked.

Chen Changhe swiped on the tablet, bringing up a holographic projection of the three people's genetic maps, while attaching a normal human genetic map next to it for comparison.

"If you only look at their gene sequences, they have indeed succeeded."

Chen Changhe handed the tablet to Su Ran, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Su Ran took it and, upon comparison, realized that the genetic structure of these individuals was completely different from that of ordinary people.

"Omega-9 reshaped their DNA structure. They crossed that threshold."

Chen Changhe pointed to the several cubicles in front of him and introduced them one by one.

"Number One awakened the anti-gravity ability. Number Two has undergone physical mutation. Number Three is a lightning element."

Su Ran looked at the data in her hand, and then at the zombie-like people in it.

"If the genetic recombination was successful, then why do they look like this?"

Su Ran asked, "What about their sense of autonomy?"

Chen Changhe fell silent and quietly put the tablet away.

"This is the price I was talking about."

Chen Changhe looked at the group of people in front of him and said,

"We suspect that the massive energy shock directly destroyed their cerebral cortex and central nervous system the instant the drug took effect and they gained their powers."

boom! boom! boom!

Chen Changhe walked a few steps to the glass and forcefully pounded on the hard, explosion-proof glass.

The people inside did not react.

"Their memories, their personalities, their emotions—all gone."

Chen Changhe explained that his mood was becoming increasingly gloomy.

"They are neither human nor zombie now."

Su Ran looked at the experimental subjects wandering aimlessly.

"Doesn't that mean they've become a deformed product somewhere between zombies and awakened beings?"

"That's right."

Chen Changhe nodded, "They possess the superpowers and physical strength of Awakened Ones, but they have lost their human souls."

From a biological and medical perspective, they are essentially "vegetative state" patients who can move.

Su Ran stared at the man in cubicle number two, who was constantly expanding and contracting.

"Is there any way to repair their brains?" Su Ran asked.

"I've tried it many times."

Chen Changhe let his hands fall limply to his sides, sighing repeatedly.

"We mobilized the nation's top neurosurgeons and conducted a joint consultation with them."

Using the most advanced equipment and the best nerve repair drugs, nothing worked.

This is a dead end that I currently cannot overcome!

Su Ran turned around.

"What about physical intervention? For example, prematurely severing some nerve conduction, or using crystal energy devices to divert energy?"

"Xiao Su, you're thinking too simply."

Chen Changhe withdrew his hand and rubbed the corner of his eye.

"This is not surgery; it is the violent dismantling of the gene chain. The energy impact is a byproduct and cannot be diverted by external force."

We currently have no means to equip the brain with a genetic-level blast shield.

Su Ran didn't say anything.

He was well aware of how high the barriers to scientific research were.

It is already a miracle that Daxia was able to push the awakening drug to the live experiment stage in just a few months.

"so."

Chen Changhe took a step forward and pressed his forehead against the glass.

"Until the issue of the brain's neuronal capacity is resolved, it will be difficult for the original awakening drug project to make any further substantial breakthroughs."

"So what will be your focus going forward?"

Su Ran spoke without any politeness, her gaze sharp as she said,

"The situation outside is very dangerous right now. Great Xia doesn't have much time left. We can't just be stuck here."

"Of course we can't stop!"

Chen Changhe's tone also became serious.

"Our scientific research has never been a one-way street with only one direct route."

If this road is blocked, we'll go around it.

Since we can't cross the cliff, we'll build our own stairs and slowly climb up.

Su Ran raised an eyebrow, and the two walked and talked.

"Build a staircase?"

"Yes! It's the thing you saw upstairs just now."

Chen Changhe continued to explain,

"A downgraded version of the Awakening Potion, an enhancement potion that ordinary people can use directly."

"Use downgraded potions to test the waters?"

Su Ran reacted quickly, immediately grasping the core of the old man's words.

"Right! Since we can't get fat in one bite, let's take it one small bite at a time."

Chen Changhe's speech became faster and faster, as he tried to quickly explain his point of view.

"By ingesting trace amounts of omega-9 derivatives, we can observe its effects on the human body in a relatively safe environment."

Today is the first stage of enhancement. In a month, we will be able to launch the second stage of enhancement, gradually increasing the intake!

As long as the base number is large enough, we can collect a massive amount of data samples.

Using this data, we can understand it and crack it!

At this point, his tone hardened further, and his fists clenched tightly.

"Until finally, our Great Xia Dynasty completely controls this powerful genetic element!"