Start intense cultivation

Shawn had noticed recently that Ye Fan had changed. The once cheerful and outgoing young man had become more silent over the past few weeks. Aside from his work on the production line, Ye Fan would lock himself in his room, declining Shawn's invitations to go out and have fun.

Time passed quickly in this simple routine. The Billy Laboratory remained calm and uneventful, with the only notable change being Professor Billy's worsening temper. He frequently erupted in anger in the core laboratory, seemingly more often than before.

However, these outbursts seemed distant from the power gene production line where Ye Fan worked. No matter how furious Professor Billy became, his wrath never reached them. The most it did was make everyone more cautious in their work.

Ye Fan took a deep breath as he woke from his meditation and checked the time, realizing he had spent another night in intense cultivation. This had been his routine ever since returning from the black market, a period that had now stretched to a month and a half. The two million star coins' worth of potions he had bought were now completely used up.

He stood up and stretched his joints, the cracking of his bones sounding like thunder. Feeling the surging power within his body, Ye Fan allowed himself a small, satisfied smile.

The results of a month and a half of intense cultivation were evident. The Dragon-Elephant Power Gene Chain, catalyzed by the two million star coins' worth of potions, had begun to show its true potential. Ye Fan's physical strength had increased from one thousand pounds a month ago to ten thousand pounds.

The vast amount of potions and unlimited source energy had significantly strengthened all the cells in his body. He was now getting closer to his first blood transformation. If he continued at this pace, he estimated that within about twenty more days, he would achieve this crucial milestone.

According to the universally accepted standards, gene warriors are classified into nine levels. The division between these levels is marked by blood transformations. Research by human biologists has shown that blood transformation is a key indicator of a fundamental change in a human's life essence.

This transformation in life essence is akin to a fish leaping over the dragon gate, transforming into a dragon.

Human transformation typically begins with the outermost layer of cells, gradually moving to deeper layers, with blood transformation being the final stage. The reason is simple: blood cells are produced by hematopoietic stem cells, which have a short lifespan. Once the blood undergoes transformation, it indicates that the hematopoietic stem cells have also transformed, meaning that all the underlying cells have completed their transformation. In other words, the individual has undergone a fundamental change in their life essence.

Once a person has completed their first blood transformation, they are no longer an ordinary human. Compared to average humans, those who have undergone this transformation have longer lifespans, and their strength, speed, reflexes, and even intelligence are significantly enhanced.

Of course, completing the first blood transformation only grants a person the "qualification" to become a gene warrior. Whether they can actually become one still depends on their wisdom and financial resources!

...

*Beep…*

Information copy failed, carrier discarded!

Ye Fan mechanically discarded the failed carrier into the gene culture solution and placed a new one in its place, continuing his work. The gene chain he was working on this time wasn't the Dragon-Elephant Power Gene Chain, but a gene chain designed to enhance cellular resilience.

This gene chain wasn't the ordinary type circulated in the market; it was a mutated flexible gene chain. Known as the Iron Serpent Defense Gene Chain, it was a chain that Ye Fan had developed and refined, building upon the foundation of existing defensive gene chains.

The Iron Serpent is not an ordinary snake but a source beast. This serpent, though only about four meters long, possesses immense strength, and its muscles are as tough as iron. The saying "as strong as iron, as flexible as thread" perfectly captures its characteristics, hence the name Iron Serpent.

This Iron Serpent Defense Gene Chain is actually of a much higher grade than the Dragon-Elephant Gene Chain. Composed of 512 gene fragments—four times as many as the Dragon-Elephant Gene Chain—it reaches the peak level of intermediate-grade gene chains.

After over a month of effort, Ye Fan had already completed 505 of the gene fragments. At this pace, today would mark the completion of this gene chain. With the integration of this gene chain, Ye Fan's strength would see a significant qualitative leap.

Currently, although he possesses the strength of ten thousand pounds, his body can only exert about three thousand pounds of that force. Once the Iron Serpent Gene Chain is integrated, the toughness of his muscles will rapidly increase, enabling him to unleash over eight thousand pounds of force in a short period.

Of course, to further increase his strength beyond this point, he would need a gene chain that enhances the hardness of his bones. Ye Fan already had a candidate in mind for this, but due to time and material constraints, he hadn't had the chance to create it yet.

"Hey, Ye Fan! Let me tell you a secret—someone else died in the core laboratory this morning," Shawn suddenly leaned in, whispering mysteriously into Ye Fan's ear.

"When did this happen? How come I didn't know about it?" Ye Fan was startled, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Heh, you've been so secretive lately, locking yourself up in your room all the time. All the news from the lab comes through me now," Shawn replied with a pout, clearly displeased with Ye Fan's recent behavior.

After all, the two of them were the only ones on this production line around the same age. When Ye Fan first arrived, Shawn had been quite happy, thinking he'd finally have a companion. But Ye Fan had been so secretive and rarely seen, leaving Shawn once again to play alone.

"Haha, I've just been a bit busy lately," Ye Fan replied with an apologetic smile, then they both returned to their respective tasks.

"Another one dead—this is the fifth one this month. It seems Billy Laboratory isn't as peaceful as it appears on the surface!" Ye Fan thought back on the events of the past month, instinctively sensing a whiff of conspiracy. However, he couldn't quite grasp the specifics of what it might be.

The day's work eventually came to an end, and as usual, everyone clocked out. Ye Fan stayed behind, continuing to work at his station. By now, this was a familiar sight to everyone, and they were quite happy about it—after all, the lab's monthly output had increased significantly, with more than half of that attributed to Ye Fan's efforts.

Once everyone else had left, Ye Fan, as usual, took up what others might consider "junk" and synthesized the even more valuable Iron Serpent Gene Chain. This gene chain, being at the peak of the intermediate level, could easily sell for three to five million star coins.

This highlights the value of high-grade gene chains—a small chain like this one could be worth as much as a hundred ordinary gene chains.

The synthesis process went smoothly, as expected. After all, as the creator of this gene chain, there was likely no one else in the world who understood the Iron Serpent Gene Chain's creation better than Ye Fan.

...

As night gradually fell, Tianlan Star became illuminated as brightly as day. Ye Fan, with his backpack slung over his shoulder, quickly exited the Billy Gene Laboratory. He hailed a spaceship and headed straight for the public laboratory.

This time, besides intending to inject the Iron Serpent Gene Chain into his body, he also planned to visit the black market again to purchase more potions. The last batch of two million star coins' worth of potions had already been used up during his cultivation. He estimated that buying another million star coins' worth of potions should be sufficient to help him achieve his first blood transformation.

The gene injection went smoothly. During the process, Ye Fan gritted his teeth and used two bottles of B-grade life potions as catalysts. By the time the injection was complete, the resilience of his muscles had significantly improved, and he could now exert a force of over five thousand pounds.

After leaving the public laboratory, Ye Fan headed straight for the black market. The night market seemed even more lively than during the day. Inside the "Springtime Whispers" bar, colorful neon lights flashed in sync with the music, and countless young people moved passionately on the spacious dance floor, fully indulging in the restless energy of youth.

As usual, Ye Fan ordered a "Ye**" and slowly sipped it while watching the lively dance floor. In his previous life, Ye Fan had been known as a skilled seducer, with many women in his life. The most famous among them were two extraordinary beauties, both of whom were like celestial beings.

The Ice Fairy was just one of them; the other was the renowned Red Lotus, the cherished daughter of the head of the powerful Huo family. Unlike the Ice Fairy's cold allure, Red Lotus was known for her fiery beauty, said to be as dangerous as she was enchanting. It was rumored that any man who laid eyes on her would be utterly captivated.

In his previous life, both of these contrasting beauties had been deeply infatuated with Ye Fan. Besides possessing unparalleled strength that made others envious, Ye Fan's romantic entanglements were equally enviable.

After watching the dance floor for a while, Ye Fan lost interest. The women here were average in appearance, and he felt no desire to engage in any flirtation. After finishing his "Ye**," he gestured to a waiter, who promptly led him back to the familiar room.

Not long after Ye Fan had left, two strong men in suits entered the bar. One was tall and burly, standing at 2.2 meters with a round face and broad shoulders, moving with the weight and power of a grizzly bear. The other was slimmer but still very muscular, with a short-cropped haircut that gave him a sharp, alert appearance.

As the two men entered the bar, their blood-red eyes glowed with an eerie light as they scanned the surroundings. After a moment, when they didn't seem to find their target, they exchanged a few words in low voices and then split up, heading toward the crowded dance floor.

A palpable aura of menace surrounded them, causing people in the dance floor to instinctively move aside, clearing a path. Those who initially felt defiant swallowed their objections when they caught sight of the men's terrifyingly red eyes.

Amid the chaotic noise, faint whispers could be heard: "Beast warriors... monsters..."