Chapter 363: (EDT) Duranium (3)
'I'll have to start questioning if I can really survive through all of these...' Zhang Qin Feng shook his head while coming back on his feet. Although the shockwave hardly damaged them from that blast, the destroyed pieces of furniture were saying otherwise.
Suppose their physique were weaker than, they'll have a twist or dislocated bones here and there.
And that's actually what happened back in the research facility two days before. But unlike this Duranium Crystal that had a brownish hue, it seems that the variant Seed Crystal Virus they developed had a slightly different composition.
"Care to explain, Valerian?" Zhang Qin Feng twisted his neck and returned to the table, and it was the only furniture that remained intact inside the meeting room.
"Two days ago, the researchers discovered something extraordinary going on in the Duranium Incubation Chamber. As you know, the leeches would start crystallizing the moment they collected enough nutrients for the virus inside them to react, correct?" Valerian came back up and placed both her hands on the table as she spoke.
"Yes. What happened in these gaps?" Zhang Qin Feng nodded at what Valerian's just said.
"Well, as starters, we've cloned and bred about ten types of leeches to check their viral tolerance and mutation. Since their biology was much more straightforward than us humans, the infection report can be produced in a matter of hours."
"From the ten species, their number decreases into six before they crossbred with others to create a more potent bloodline. But little that we know, the crossbred lineage was trivial compared to the origin leech variant." Valerian shook her head as she finished her sentence here.
"What? A modified with almost ten different breeds actually losing to the origin, which is the most simple and straightforward breed?" Zhang Qin Feng's mind felt it was going to burst from the outrageous result.
Even if his mind can accept it as a pinch of salt, the system in his head could not. To Stein, a result like this was akin to a column and row of errors. And to Stein, a mistake report like this is like provoking a robot to answer why life, mind, and spirit exist.
"Wait a minute... I'm lost here. If the first version triumph over the mix bred, would that means the research plan was a failure?" Marvin asked. As he had zero knowledge about biological science like this, he's no different from Liam.
And in this room, perhaps only Valerian and the twins had some idea about what they were discussing. To Marvin, Victor, and Hoya, this is an entirely alien subject.
"We've thought that too, but instead of returning to the first phase again, the origin breed actually evolved. Do you know how amusing it was for the origin breed to go through another step of evolution?" Valerian excitedly shared the wonder she witnessed.
"Ahem... Valerian, back to the topic about crystal, please." Zhang Qin Feng coughed softly to remind Valerian.
If he let her continue with this, it could take them two days to finish their discussion.
"Well, to simplify it, we've created the Tyrant Leech. It seems that the (Tyrant) genetic was a trait of all SCV carriers. As long the concentration of the virus reaches 50% and above, the host would go through the evolution, be it willing or not." said Valerian.
Her explanation indirectly answered two questions inside Stein's database. First was how could Lamia, the overlord of Turbine Town, breed the Satella Tyrant copy. As for the second, it is how the Tyrant came into existence.
Knowing the fact (Tyrant) evolution would happen as long the concentration of virus on the body exceeds 50% can be considered a significant contribution to how they'll fight the zombies in the future.
"How dangerous is the Tyrant Leech?" Zhang Qin Feng asked.
Her answer to this question would be crucial on how Zhang Qin Feng will look at the variant leeches they're breeding. If they created something like the Lamia in Turbine Town, it would definitely spell humanity's destruction if an accident happened in this facility.
"Dangerous, but you can be at ease. We've found out something that you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Valerian smiled while keeping something a secret from them.
"Less quiz, Valerian. Bring it out. What is there to make me be at ease?" his reply was dull, but that's understandable since Zhang Qin Feng was someone who hated quizzes.
"We've tried to check if the Tyrant Leech thirst were about the same as the virus carrier out there, but surprisingly, human blood and flesh weren't their desired diet. The Tyrant Leech is also considered relatively mild-tempered."
"Unless it was harmed or disturbed while feasting on the fruit and tree sap, it almost won't retaliate from any other provocation." Valerian's statement sounds hard to believe. But from Hoya's response, he seems to have witnessed some of the truth told by Valerian.
"Why do you look like that, Hoya?" Zhang Qin Feng asked.
"Well... I've gone into the laboratory before this and can vouch for Lucian and Ms. Valerian's statement. The Tyrant Leech bred by them is almost like a robotic pet pre-apocalypse people domesticated." Hoya answered Zhang Qin Feng's question.
"Alright, then?" Zhang Qin Feng's attention returned to Valerian.
"We've found out that the evolution and crystallization were two different matters, and they won't come together. As long the nutrient required by the body reaches the threshold it needs, crystallization will happen without control. And as long the viral concentration reaches above 50%, evolution will happen."
"Out of 100% of the origin-variant leeches, the percentage of crystallization is about 67%. In the 33%, 20% is a likely defective and unproductive leech, and which means they'll die without contributing."
"The remaining 13% evolved to Tyrant Leeches, and on their crystallization, they don't turn into the usual Duranium Crystal with a similar sky-blue appearance. Instead, the crystal formed on them had this prismatic appearance." Valerian said.
"Prismatic? Don't tell me..." Zhang Qin Feng started to notice the hint behind Valerian's words.
"You've guessed it. When the Prismatic Duranium Crystal came close to the usual bluish crystals, it reacted the same way as what happened earlier. But the scale of destruction is smaller compared to what happened just now."
"Still... It was enough to leave a crack on the incubation house we made for them." Valerian chuckled.
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