Otherworld Girl Development Guide

Chapter 110 Tom, Jerry, and Spike

Academician Lu walked into the laboratory next door and saw another old man observing a microscope, occasionally adjusting the buttons on the microscope to better observe the conditions in the petri dish.

Looking at Academician Li Kang, whose hair was gray, his face was ruddy, and his head was slightly bald, Academician Lu sighed. The once spirited young man had turned into a decrepit old man in the blink of an eye.

Time was running out for them, but before they closed their eyes, they still had many things to do: to shelter the baby rabbits in their burrow from the wind and rain, and to ensure they had enough to eat and drink... Only in this way could they proudly report their achievements to the older rabbits when they passed away!

After observing the petri dish and carefully recording the observations, Academician Li Kang stood up with some difficulty and rubbed his slightly sore lower back.

"Old Lu, you're here."

"You're pushing yourself too hard. Take care of your health," Academician Lu said, noticing Academician Li's dark circles under his eyes.

"Don't talk about me, you're not afraid of death either."

After a hearty laugh, Academician Lu asked:

"Hahaha... Okay, enough joking. Can we artificially synthesize the extracted enzymes?"

“I have a general understanding of the molecular structure of this biological enzyme, but as for artificial synthesis... it is still very difficult with our current biotechnology. The cost of laboratory synthesis is too high…” Academician Li said with a worried expression, “...Therefore, the current biological enzymes are all products isolated from the blood of the red-line parasite. The project team calculated that a 10 ml bottle of biological enzyme costs about 220 million yuan, which is unaffordable for ordinary people.”

200W is the cost price. Taking into account R&D costs, profits, etc., the selling price may even reach around 350 million to 400 million. Even with mass production, the cost can only be reduced to a limited extent.

Don't think it's expensive; it's not like cabbage, which you can just grow in the ground...

"How effective is it?" Academician Lu asked after a moment of silence. There was no need to consider the price anymore; it really couldn't be lowered, and this kind of drug would never be included in the medical insurance system.

"It can effectively inhibit all cancers currently on the market, including malignant pancreatic cancer. After the bio-enzyme is injected, it will stabilize the problematic genes, inhibit the spread of cancer cells, and gradually restore the malignant tumor to a normal state. The whole process takes about 3 years."

Is there a way to make the red thread directly secrete this biological enzyme?

“No…” Academician Li shook his head: “…We have tried various methods. Only after parasitism will the red thread start to secrete biological enzymes. The extraction method requires hemodialysis to filter out the biological enzymes from the blood. It involves more than 100 processes. If any process goes wrong, the biological enzymes will be ruined. Otherwise, we can’t keep up with the costs.”

Academician Li sighed. If they could eradicate cancer, their mission would be accomplished. As for the Nobel Prize and the like, they didn't care about them at all.

How's the situation on your end?

Academician Lu stood in front of the freezer, observing the 10-milliliter containers of biological enzymes inside. He shook his head, indicating that there was no progress.

"It will take more time. A chimpanzee was just delivered; it's already infested with red thread. We'll have to observe it..."

"Sure, if you don't get much, just send it over here. At least the chimpanzee extract has more bio-enzymes."

"By the way, do biological enzymes have code names now?"

“I’ve got it, '1964'.”

"1964...a very fitting code name."

Academician Lu nodded and was about to leave when a person in a white coat knocked on the door and handed an application to Academician Li Kang.

After glancing at the application, Academician Li Kang signed his name and walked to the refrigerator. After a complex identity verification process, the refrigerator opened with a click, and white nitrogen gas drifted out.

Using special clips, he carefully took out a 10ml tube of 1964, put it in a special container, and handed it to the doctor in the white coat.

The person in the white coat took the container with both hands, turned around, and walked out of the research institute.

After watching the other person leave, Academician Lu asked, "Which old buddy was it this time?"

“Old Lin…” Li Kang said in a heavy voice, “…Alas, those who work in nuclear physics are more or less exposed to radiation. Old Lin is one of the more severely affected. He applied for the 1964 himself, saying that while he was still somewhat useful, he wanted to help us test the medicine.”

Old Lu took a deep breath, waved, and walked out of the laboratory.

"Alright, I'm going to get busy too. I'm a little worried about those two clumsy kids watching over me."

Back in his lab, Academician Lu watched as his two assistants stared at the chimpanzee inside the aluminum oxynitride chamber, recording the parasitic process of the red line in their notebooks.

Professional lab technicians aren't like those clueless people in American movies... those kinds of people would have been eliminated long ago.

"Master, the experimental specimen is normal, and the red line is still moving towards the spine."

"Um..."

"Master, I heard that Project Team Two has achieved good results."

Academician Lu is in Project Group No. 1, which is mainly responsible for studying primates, while Project Group No. 2 is responsible for studying cats and dogs. The researchers are also a rare group of female researchers.

Inside the laboratory of Project Team No. 2.

Behind the aluminum oxide glass, a blue cat stares intently at the "humans" outside.

"(>0ω0<) Meow!"

With a disgruntled meow, the blue cat codenamed "Tom" slapped the alumina glass with its paw, the meaning clear: Why aren't you letting the master out yet? Do you even want to keep your job as the human?!

"Senior sister, has Tom become smarter?" The female researcher with glasses stared at Tom and asked uncertainly.

"That's right, Tom has become smarter, his IQ is constantly improving... but the smartest one is still that one!"

The bespectacled female researcher looked at the second prototype, a bulldog with a glossy coat, codenamed "Spike".

Steck lay lazily on the ground, its ears twitching occasionally. As if sensing someone watching it, it immediately raised its head and looked at the two female researchers.

After confirming that they were really looking at him, he got up from the ground, wagged his tail, and pushed the food bowl forward with his front paws: Master, it's time to eat.

"This glutton..." The senior sister shook her head in annoyance and operated the machine to put dog food into the food bowl.

Spike wagged its tail at its senior sister, its face filled with a human-like... fawning expression?

"Senior sister...didn't we agree that spirits couldn't exist after the founding of the People's Republic of China? What's going on?!"

Chapter 111 You can live on carbon dioxide! (23/49)

Animals infected with the red line all show increased intelligence; in short, they've become sentient. This is more pronounced the higher the animal's position in the food chain.

For example, Tom is much more agile than Jerry. Theoretically speaking, if it were an orca, its intelligence might be even higher.

Of course, huskies are an exception...

After watching Spike devour his food, the female researcher looked at another experimental chamber, her eyes lighting up.

Inside the aluminum oxynitride container, a snow-white fox was curled up in a ball. Its most striking feature was its fluffy tail. After glancing at them and seeing that they were alright, the fox, named Little White, closed its eyes again.

"Senior sister! Xiaobai is so cute!"

"Alright, stop looking, the more you look, the more you want to touch it..."

"Oh...hey..."

The female researcher wearing glasses chuckled sheepishly. Touching these animals parasitized by the red lines was strictly forbidden in the lab. Anyone who touched them would be immediately locked in an isolation chamber... and then various checks and quarantines would begin. During the quarantine period, they would also have to write a self-criticism!

It is currently unclear whether the red thread parasite affects the host's consciousness. If the red thread is confirmed to be a benign symbiont, then the range of applications for these parasitized animals will be much wider.

Take, for example, Spike, who seems to only know how to eat all day long. As man's best and most loyal friend, highly intelligent dogs can help humans in various aspects such as search and rescue, drug detection, and bomb disposal.

Highly intelligent military dogs carry dog-borne equipment for infiltration and reconnaissance.

"Alright, time to change shifts... Hurry up and write down the record."

After they finished speaking, the two began writing their observation notes, while behind the aluminum oxynitride entry, Tom looked disdainfully at Spike, who was still eating...

Seemingly noticing Tom's gaze, Spike stopped eating, bared his teeth, stared at Tom, and made whimpering noises.

With a thud, it crashed headfirst into the aluminum oxide glass.

"It's starting again..."

The female researcher rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She wondered if it was because of their names, but Tom and Spike always seemed to be getting into conflicts.

In the dining room on the first floor of the villa, Zhou Mingrui prepared a large table of food. Today was his birthday, but he hadn't celebrated it for many years... Having a meal with the two little ones was his way of celebrating his birthday, a way for the elderly to celebrate.

"Wait... I feel like I've stepped into a sci-fi movie. Are you saying that I can feed myself with my own breath from now on?"

"Yes, Lao Zhou~ You can think of it this way: we can turn carbon dioxide into starch... that's our carbon neutrality plan!"

Bell waved her spoon, explaining to Zhou Mingrui how carbon dioxide is synthesized into starch... Through chemical and biological catalysis, carbon dioxide can be converted into starch in just 11 steps.

"It is more efficient than corn, and can complete the process of crops taking several months in just a few hours, increasing efficiency from 2% to 7%."

"Plants use light energy, we use electricity, and the future will be hydrogen energy..." Tio said in a monotone tone, "..." Old Zhou, we've already unlocked the prerequisite skill points for the vast universe.

"Okay, I suddenly feel like I'm falling behind the times... Or should I say technology is developing too fast? This is too magical; maybe carbon dioxide will even become a commodity in the future..."

What is hydrogen energy? It's fusion energy, the future of humanity... Wait, hydrogen energy? Knowing China's track record, if they say it, it must be something real. Could they have made some progress in controlled nuclear fusion?!

The anti-gravity of the orbment engine, plus the recycling of carbon dioxide into starch... the cutting-edge technologies for the stars and the sea have been illuminated. There are also titanium crystal materials and room-temperature superconductors and fractal silicon on Mingrui Star. All that's missing is controlled nuclear fusion, and humanity will embark on a great voyage to the stars!

For humans as living beings, food is the most important part of their diet. Starch, with the addition of vitamins needed by the human body, becomes the nutritional pastes in various novels, movies, and games. It can completely fill your stomach, but the taste is not so good.

If you add ceramic or metal particles, it can become a brick, capable of killing people instantly, and even bulletproof.

"Wow, impressive!"

Afterwards, Zhou Mingrui chatted with the two children about some everyday matters, and the pleasant dinner time quickly came to an end.

"Alright, time to clear the dishes..."

Zhou Mingrui got up, put on his apron, and prepared to clean up the leftovers on the table. He would put the edible parts in the refrigerator and reheat them for tomorrow. Wasting food was not a good virtue, at least he didn't think he could afford a meal that cost 650 yuan... He would throw away the inedible parts.

"Old Zhou, are you here to help?"

After saying that, Bell and Theo put on small aprons and helped Zhou Mingrui clean up the dishes.

"it is good!"

Zhou Mingrui said with a smile, "The two little ones at home can only help me with chores now!"

The three of them divided the work: Zhou Mingrui was in charge of washing the dishes, Lingdang was in charge of wiping the table, and Tio was in charge of cleaning up the dishes.

As Zhou Mingrui scrolled through the page, he suddenly paused, took a closer look at Lingdang and Tio, and wondered if it was just his imagination, but they seemed to have grown taller!

After I finish cleaning up, I'll go measure it... Thinking of this, Zhou Mingrui continued washing the dishes in silence.

However, considering the timeline, it will soon be two years since Rabbit developed Mingrui Star, and the achievements are quite gratifying.

Shangqiu has gained a firm foothold and has achieved considerable influence both on the mainland and internationally.

The rabbit did not follow the traditional "pirate" approach of the West, which involved plunder and conquest. Instead, it forged its own path, rising peacefully both on Earth and on Mingrui Planet!

However, China has a heavy task next year. First, it plans to launch meteorological remote sensing satellites, communication satellites, and the BeiDou system into space one after another.

Only by combating terrorist organizations on the mainland and maintaining social stability can development be achieved.

"Old Zhou~" Lingdang called out playfully.

"Close your eyes," Theo said, looking up at Zhou Mingrui.