Chapter Fourteen: The Last Gene Potion

“How could this happen? Why didn’t you stop him?”

In a lavishly decorated office in the city, Tang Xuejian fixed her icy gaze on the two elegantly noblewomen seated across from her.

“Second Miss, we never expected this, and now we can’t even track down Mr. Zhu Lan’s whereabouts. It’s as if some force is preventing us from looking any deeper.”

“Hmph!” Tang Xuejian’s satisfaction with her most capable subordinates was clearly lacking.

Her expression shifted constantly, torn between anger and contemplation.

“Second Miss, why are we going against him? With the Tang family’s power, crushing him would be a trivial matter.”

“This isn’t something the higher-ups can know about, especially that old man in my family. Otherwise, both you and I would be locked away in isolation!” Tang Xuejian offered no further explanation.

“What’s the situation in the northern suburbs?” she asked.

One of the women shook her head. “Although we pressured the city government, the gap is too great. Unless the entire group intervenes directly, there’s no way the city government will restart the project.”

“Why? Don’t I have any influence at all?” Tang Xuejian’s frustration grew. All she wanted was for the city government to resume development in the northern district, yet the officials who usually treated her with deference had refused.

The two women could only smile bitterly. The northern suburbs project required an investment of tens of billions. Even in a metropolis like Magic City, it would be a venture to ponder carefully. It wasn’t just the Tang family—even if someone from a more powerful domestic conglomerate made the request, such a massive project wouldn’t be revived so easily.

After hearing their explanation, Tang Xuejian fell into thought.

“Is there really nothing we can do?”

“Second Miss, it’s impossible. If we keep pushing, the city government will escalate the matter to the top. By then, if the old master gets angry… the consequences for us—”

Tang Xuejian fell silent. “I understand. Then let’s drop it.”

Her words were a relief to the two women. The greatest fear was that their Second Miss would lose her temper and try to force the city government’s hand. If the backlash came, at most Tang Xuejian would face a scolding, but the two of them would be in serious trouble.

“Second Miss, should we continue? Also, it seems that in Fantasy Technology, besides Zhu Lan, someone else is trying to obstruct us.”

“Oh? Who?”

“We’re not sure, but it appears to be pressure from the mayor’s office. The resources we can mobilize are far too few. If we reach that level, we simply don’t have the power—unless the group itself intervenes.”

Tang Xuejian waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t even think about it. You need to understand—right now, I am myself, and Sheng Tang is Sheng Tang. You must keep these two things separate. Sheng Tang must not get involved in my affairs, and under no circumstances can the old man at home know about this. Any developments from the city government?”

“The old master recently went to Yanjing for the annual consortium gathering, taking the eldest and third young masters with him. All group matters are left to President Xu. He won’t pay much attention to our situation.”

Tang Xuejian nodded in satisfaction. “Assign someone to keep a close watch on Zhu Lan. I want to know why he went to S City. As for Fantasy Technology, keep up the pressure.”

Far away in S City, Zhu Lan could never have imagined that the person plotting against him would be none other than his first love, Tang Xuejian.

Zhu Lan sat on the sofa, with two others opposite him. Qin Min sat off to the side. The four of them were silent. A housekeeper brought tea to Zhu Lan and Qin Min before quietly withdrawing, leaving the living room in complete stillness.

Zhu Lan did not speak first. This matter had little to do with Qin Min, so he remained silent as well. The other two were Luo Guoqiang and Li Hongjin.

This was Luo Guoqiang’s home. Given the importance and secrecy surrounding the genetic serum, it was impossible for Zhu Lan to be summoned to navy headquarters. That place was crawling not only with representatives from all domestic military regions but also with foreign spies. If Zhu Lan ever set foot inside, he would be scrutinized from top to bottom. If news of the genetic serum reached domestic ears, it would be manageable, but if it spread abroad, the consequences would be unfathomable.

For all these reasons, Luo Guoqiang chose to meet Zhu Lan at his own home. Even if someone found out, they couldn’t guess the true purpose, nor would they waste resources investigating Zhu Lan’s background.

“Zhu Lan, is it? Your research is impressive. The country needs people like you.” Li Hongjin spoke sternly to Zhu Lan. Though their acquaintance was brief, Li Hongjin’s influence was such that he’d already gathered a general understanding of Zhu Lan’s situation.

When he arrived, Qin Min had already told him that the people he was about to meet wielded considerable power. Whether his own ambitions could be realized would depend on how he conducted himself here.

“I’m simply doing my duty, though I haven’t yet succeeded.” Zhu Lan’s face fell, as if deeply disappointed by the imperfections in his genetic serum.

Li Hongjin regarded Zhu Lan with an ambiguous smile, his feelings unreadable.

“All right, Zhu Lan, I am Luo Guoqiang, and this is Li Hongjin beside me.”

“What?” Zhu Lan leapt up in shock, his expression shifting rapidly.

He knew a thing or two about the military—who didn’t know who Luo Guoqiang was? The most formidable general in the South Sea. And now, here he was in person.

“Haha, Old Luo, your reputation precedes you,” Li Hongjin chuckled.

Luo Guoqiang shook his head helplessly. “Sit down, Zhu Lan.”

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Lan nodded and sat again, but he was restless, unable to calm his nerves. He had expected to meet someone from the military, but never imagined it would be Luo Guoqiang himself.

As for Li Hongjin, Zhu Lan had no idea who he was, but anyone who could enter this home was certainly no ordinary figure. The thought only heightened his anxiety.

“Relax. Your research has astonished me,” Luo Guoqiang tried to ease the tension, but given his status, how could Zhu Lan possibly relax?

Seeing Zhu Lan’s discomfort, Luo Guoqiang could only shake his head.

Zhu Lan nodded, raising his teacup with trembling hands. Qin Min nearly wanted to slap him—such a disgrace.

Perhaps it was the tea, but Zhu Lan’s heart gradually calmed.

Thinking back on his own behavior, Zhu Lan nearly wanted to slap himself as well—how humiliating.

“I…” Zhu Lan didn’t know what to say.

“All right, Old Luo, let me handle this,” Li Hongjin interjected, turning to Zhu Lan.

“We’re aware of your terms. What I want to know is, what can you offer us?”

Zhu Lan was taken aback. “The genetic serum.”

Li Hongjin shook his head. “You’ve painted a beautiful picture, but if we can’t taste it, it’s useless.”

His meaning was clear: bring out something tangible.

Zhu Lan fell silent.

“I have one last vial of the genetic serum. I can provide it.”

“Truly?” Li Hongjin looked at him in surprise.

Zhu Lan nodded.

“Where is it now?”

“I have it on me. If necessary, we can test it immediately. The decision is yours.”

Li Hongjin fell silent, and Luo Guoqiang studied Zhu Lan.

“Xiao Qin, how feasible is this serum?” Luo Guoqiang asked.

Qin Min didn’t answer, instead glancing at Zhu Lan, wanting to give him the opportunity to respond.

“Commander Luo, the sample I currently hold is guaranteed not to cause genetic collapse, unless it encounters some one-in-a-billion genetic anomaly. The serum will succeed. All we need is a test subject,” Zhu Lan replied.

Luo Guoqiang gazed at him intently.

Without another word, Zhu Lan reached into his clothing and produced a small white tube—no larger than a pinkie finger, which explained how he could carry it with him.

“This is the last one. If it’s used, I’ll have to recalibrate, and recalibration requires reconstructing the genetic sequence.”

Luo Guoqiang and Li Hongjin’s expressions darkened.

Even Qin Min frowned.

Zhu Lan’s meaning was clear. He held the last vial of the genetic serum. Without his help, if it was used, it would be impossible to reconstruct the sequence from the countless permutations—there would be no more serum.

It was a warning, or more precisely, a threat.

Zhu Lan was uneasy. It was less a threat than a precaution. Though he didn’t think highly of this serum, he didn’t want to lose it or have it stolen, either.

In truth, he hadn’t acquired much. Every set of equipment in “Starship Troopers” was immensely heavy—he could only bring one set at a time. He’d initially hoped for weapons, but found none—only medicine and supplies.

The food had been a pleasant surprise, better than any compressed rations on the market. It seemed to involve genetics as well, but Zhu Lan was more interested in the stimulants and put the food aside.

Luo Guoqiang glanced at Zhu Lan, then at Li Hongjin, silently seeking his opinion.

“Are you sure? Do you know what the consequences would be if something went wrong?” Luo Guoqiang was less concerned with Zhu Lan’s threat than with the feasibility of the serum itself.

Zhu Lan nodded. Genetic collapse was an unexpected discovery, but he’d found the likelihood in humans to be extremely low. The serum’s prototype came from the ordinary stimulant in “Starship Troopers,” designed to directly stimulate genes. If there were side effects, it wouldn’t have been mass-produced.

He still didn’t fully understand the cause of genetic collapse. Perhaps it was due to differences in racial genetics.

“Starship Troopers” featured only white and black characters, while he himself was Asian. There might be broad similarities, but many differences remained. The current theory—clashing genes inducing collapse—was all Zhu Lan could think of.

Had it not been for those inexplicable government inspections, Zhu Lan would have spent more time pinpointing the cause of genetic collapse. Only then would his bargaining chip be even stronger.

“Chang Jun, come in!”

Luo Guoqiang called out.

A tall, imposing man entered, his face expressionless as a poker card.

“Sir!”

“Go fetch a dog.”

“Yes, sir.” Chang Jun left without question.

He soon returned with a large black dog.

Zhu Lan frowned, reluctant to waste the serum on an animal.

“Commander, are you sure? This is the very last vial,” Zhu Lan said to Luo Guoqiang.

“If it works—even if it doesn’t reach the effect described in your data, as long as it triples the baseline—I’ll agree to all your terms. I’ll also assign a few people to resolve any trouble you might face.”