Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Public Announcement
Lu Xia’s heart clenched at Graces’s confession, but she gave no reply.
Graces, however, didn’t seem to care whether she reciprocated his feelings. In that moment, he simply wanted to tell Lu Xia that he loved her.
Graces’s evolution took a full five hours, and by then, it was deep into the night.
The researchers at No.2 Institute had long since clocked out and gone home.
Lu Xia ran a physical data analysis for Graces. Only after confirming that he was perfectly fine did she pack up her things and head home.
When she returned, the old butler and Smelian had already turned in. The house was quiet. They first went to the nursery next door to check on the sleeping Little Pu Tao before heading back to their room to rest.
Lu Xia was in no hurry to announce Graces’s perfect evolution. Instead, she planned to use his few days of leave to carefully observe his post-evolutionary reactions. This would be a lengthy observation process, but fortunately, Graces was very cooperative and wore the monitoring equipment she provided.
At the same time, news that No.2 Institute was recruiting ’defective’ males as volunteers officially began to spread.
The moment the news was released, it caught the attention of both the Gene Research Institute and the general public—
"What’s this about? Why are they recruiting defective males as volunteers? What kind of research value could they possibly have?"
"Hello? Did you even read the announcement? It says No.2 Institute developed a gene fusion agent with a 50% success rate, and it raises the fusion probability regardless of age. In other words, defective males now have a chance to become Gene Fusion Experts!"
"For real? Does that mean there won’t be any more ’defective males’ in the future? That everyone can become a Gene Fusion Expert, just with a different gene fusion degree?"
"What’s the deal with this No.2 Institute anyway? Are they even better than the Gene Research Institute?"
"Why call it No.2 Institute? Does that mean there’s a No. 1 Institute?"
"The commenter above me nailed it. No. 1 Institute is the lab that produces the super-popular beauty cream and hair growth liquid. No.2 Institute is part of the same organization. I can’t believe they’re also researching gene fusion agents. They’re openly trying to steal business from the Gene Research Institute!"
"Frankly, the Gene Research Institute has been all talk for years without producing anything that actually benefits the Empire or its people. They control most of the Empire’s gene pool. If they’d wanted to develop a gene fusion agent for defective males, they would have done it long ago. It’s not that they couldn’t, it’s that they didn’t want to. Now someone is finally stepping up to do something good for the public. I just wonder how much No.2 Institute’s gene fusion agent will cost when it’s released. It’ll be pointless if the price is exorbitant!"
"The person above has a good point. But judging by the prices from No. 1 Institute, it’s possible they’ll set a fair price. It’s a bit early to think about all that, though. We don’t even know if it’ll pass clinical trials."
"My friend already signed up. He said it’s a rare opportunity. If he waits until it’s on the market, he definitely won’t be able to afford it. Being a volunteer now has its risks, but risk and opportunity go hand in hand. It’s a chance to bet a motorcycle and win a supercar, you know?"
"My younger brother went, too. He just came of age, and after his gene fusion failed, he fell into a deep depression. Even though our family is pretty open-minded and doesn’t care if he’s a Fusion Expert or not, society is still rife with discrimination against ’defectives’!"
...
In stark contrast to the buzz online, the Gene Research Institute held an emergency meeting on the matter. The newly appointed director, Levin, already had a massive headache. He hadn’t even warmed his seat as director yet, and he already had to deal with such a thorny issue. On top of that, the institute was rife with internal factional struggles. It was a perfect storm of internal strife and external threats.
But for now, the most urgent task was to deal with No.2 Institute’s just-released recruitment announcement for their gene fusion agent 2.0 volunteers.
"What’s everyone’s take on this news?"
"What’s there to take? Director Levin, aren’t you making a mountain out of a molehill? Let’s not even get into whether they can pass clinical trials. A 50% fusion probability? Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? We’ve been researching this for years and have never been able to raise the probability. That’s common knowledge. I think this is nothing more than blatant sensationalism."
"If our Gene Research Institute can’t develop it, how could some private research institute possibly manage? I heard their founder is some female who only knows a life of pleasure. How is that possible? This is probably just a scheme to rake in cash. As for those defectives, they’ll flock over at the slightest rumor. It’s not like we don’t know how crazy desperate they are to become Gene Fusion Experts!"
Listening to the mocking tones of his subordinates, Levin couldn’t understand what gave these people the right to be so arrogant. ’Do they really think they’re so great?’
’Just because they can’t do something, it means no one can? That’s ridiculous.’
"Regardless of whether this is real or not, it should have your full attention. Besides, if they dare to advertise a 50% probability, they must have something convincing to back it up. We can’t let our guard down."
"Even if it is real, what can we do now? We can’t develop it ourselves. Are we supposed to go steal it or something?" It was a textbook contrarian response.
"So you all just plan to sit here and wait to die? Have you been resting on your laurels for so long that you’ve lost the drive of a researcher?" Levin couldn’t take it anymore and slammed his hand on the table. "If you can’t hack it, then get the hell out! Stop hogging a spot you’re not using! Meeting adjourned!"
Levin, who hadn’t wanted to drop all pretenses with this group so soon, simply couldn’t stand their attitudes any longer. He had no idea what the former director had been thinking, raising such a pack of useless good-for-nothings.
’At this point, he was even starting to think the former director deserved to go missing!’
’Maybe this was karma!’
His assistant followed him into his office. "Sir, losing your temper like that... probably wasn’t the best idea. What if they really do nothing now?"
"Then we’ll go bankrupt! They can all go home and fend for themselves!" Levin threw himself onto the sofa, radiating a grim determination that said if he was going down, he was taking everyone with him.
The assistant knew he was still furious. Ever since taking over the Gene Research Institute, Levin hadn’t had a proper rest and had long been on the verge of exploding.
Levin drank a pot of calming tea, and his temper finally subsided a bit. He said to his assistant, "Find a way to contact No.2 Institute. We’ll pay them a personal visit. If they’ve really succeeded, our Gene Research Institute will be in an extremely awkward position once their agent is released. We’ll lose all our credibility with the public. At that point, what would be the purpose of our existence? How would we be any different from those third-rate institutes? These people have had it too good for too long. They have no damn clue what’s really going on!"
Seeing that he had calmed down, the assistant didn’t dare delay and immediately went to find the contact information for the founder of No.2 Institute, Her Excellency. He had heard that she was a female, and a noble one with a title at that. He wondered if she would even agree to their visit.
After all, the former director had offended her quite badly.
The assistant couldn’t help but worry.
