Chapter 320: Perfect Organism
The man strode toward the stone chamber. The people behind him wanted to say something, but seeing his resolute expression, they had no choice but to follow.
"Brother Cheng! It might still be dangerous inside. Should we inspect it a few more times?"
Ouyang Cheng didn't even turn his head. "If you're scared, then don't come in!"
Inside the stone chamber, everything was just as it was before.
Ouyang Cheng's gaze swept across the room. Recalling his subordinate's report, he headed straight for the chamber within.
As expected, the blast had originated from the electrical box, which was now blown beyond recognition.
However, there wasn't much damage elsewhere—just a few new cracks on the stone walls.
The others followed him in. "Weren't we told this was the epicenter of the explosion? It doesn't look like much happened."
Ouyang Cheng chimed in, "Our opponent used a type of bomb that seems powerful but is actually quite weak. This was just a diversion!"
The others exchanged a look. "Brother Cheng, that means someone did this intentionally. Have we been exposed?"
Overseas, joining the Angel Association is considered a great honor by many, as it's an organization for the rich and powerful.
But in the Dragon Country, it's absolutely forbidden.
Ouyang Cheng didn't reply. Instead, he walked deeper inside and noticed an empty space. "There should have been another specimen here."
"But now, it's gone."
"Furthermore, the area isn't soaked in any fluid, and there are no fragments. That can only mean one thing—someone took the specimen!"
The men were alarmed. "Brother Cheng, if that's true, we've definitely been exposed!"
"Whoever took the specimen had a clear objective. This is about more than just discovering our hideout!"
Ouyang Cheng's expression turned grim. "Get the word out. From now on, everyone is to act with extreme caution. All gatherings are forbidden."
"Not until I've investigated this and the crisis is averted."
"Yes, I'll arrange it right away."
Ouyang Cheng nodded, still feeling uneasy. "Tell them to stop posting those vague, suggestive photos online."
"We do need to recruit, but now is not the time to be stirring up trouble. We need to downplay the Angel Association's presence as much as possible."
Once all the arrangements were made, the men departed.
Not long after they left, there was a deafening RUMBLE.
The cavern was blasted from within, collapsing entirely.
All evidence was buried beneath the rubble.
Unless someone was willing to expend vast amounts of manpower and resources to dig, it would never see the light of day again.
「The Xiao Family Laboratory.」
Xiao Ye carefully removed the jar from the biological safety cabinet.
Standing nearby, Professor Xiao's eyes widened in surprise when he saw this.
He was also a member of the Xiao Family, specializing in biology.
The Xiao Family was large, and it had a habit of paving the way for its members according to their individual talents.
However, in each generation, there was always one member who stood out as a preeminent talent in a particular field.
Professor Xiao was the preeminent biological talent of his generation.
He was also in charge of this laboratory. On a normal day, he was completely engrossed in his research, paying no mind to the various squabbles within the Xiao Family.
He was one of the very few people in the Xiao Family that Xiao Ye trusted implicitly.
"Professor, take a look at this."
As an authority in the field of biology, Professor Xiao didn't even need to get close to see the issue. "This is a spliced organism," he said at a glance.
"Correct. I only realized that later myself," Xiao Ye explained. "I went to a place that was full of these things."
"This one, however, struck me as the most peculiar, so I brought it back. The others have likely all been destroyed."
He took out his phone and opened the photos.
Professor Xiao leaned in, zooming in to inspect each one.
"These are all biological chimeras. It's a type of experiment that's very popular overseas right now—splicing different creatures together to achieve a single purpose."
"Namely, to create a perfect being."
Xiao Ye raised an eyebrow. "A perfect being? You mean these hideous things?"
Professor Xiao shook his head. "No, you've misunderstood. What an ordinary person considers a 'perfect species' usually refers to something that has achieved the pinnacle of beauty from a human aesthetic standpoint."
"In the biological world, however, that's not the case. When we say 'perfect,' we are referring to its evolutionary aspects."
"For instance, human fingers have evolved to be very effective for grasping. Most animals don't have that ability, but they have sharp claws that allow them to hunt."
"Humans lack fur and can't stay warm naturally, but many animals have it."
Xiao Ye understood. "So they use this splicing to create what you biologists would consider a perfect being. And then what?"
"Even if they succeed, and even if it survives, what's the point?"
Professor Xiao took a deep breath. "If this experiment truly succeeds—if the creature lives and is able to reproduce—it would be a devastating blow to humanity."
"A 'perfect being' implies it has the intelligence of a human, the agility of an animal, the ability to grasp objects, and the capacity to hunt prey."
"The moment they appear, Earth's ecosystem would be thrown into complete chaos. Most animals on the planet would be no match for such a species."
Professor Xiao's expression was grave. "I've heard that these experiments are being conducted overseas to develop better biological weapons."
"Humans are weak and die easily. But these creatures would be different. They might even be agile enough to dodge bullets."
"Theoretically, unless faced with an overwhelming assault with firearms, they would be the absolute apex predators!"
'So that's it,' Xiao Ye thought. 'Those Westerners' ambitions have never waned. Since they couldn't create more powerful conventional weapons, they decided to create more powerful creatures instead.'
"Can we tell how far they've progressed from this specimen?"
"I should be able to. If I dissect it, I can probably figure it out, but..." Professor Xiao trailed off.
He pointed to a label in the corner. "The date on this is from last year. A year isn't a long time, but it's not short, either."
"It's possible they've already had a breakthrough. It would be ideal if we could get our hands on their most recent work."
Xiao Ye wasn't concerned. "The fact that they kept a year-old specimen this well-preserved can only mean one thing: they haven't had a breakthrough yet."
'If they'd made a decisive breakthrough, there would be no need to keep so many specimens from a previous stage.'
Professor Xiao didn't press the point. Instead, he immediately began preparing for the dissection.
Xiao Ye assisted him, eager to see what the specimen would reveal.
Soon, the dissection began.
Professor Xiao's hands were steady. In the blink of an eye, he had dissected the specimen.
"The internal organs show no signs of decay. And I'm seeing hyperplastic granulation tissue."
"Based on the morphology of the tissue, I suspect cellular super-division."
With that, he sliced off a tiny piece of the tissue and placed it under the microscope.
"Just as I thought. It's cellular super-division!"