Core Laboratory

In a secret underground laboratory of the Billy Gene Lab, Professor Billy was busy operating the experimental equipment. Butler Liu stood by like a corpse, his face rigid. The spacious laboratory felt somewhat empty with only the two of them present.

*Bang, bang...*

Suddenly, a muffled banging noise came from a coffin-like device in front of Professor Billy. Following the sound, the alarm in the laboratory blared. Butler Liu's rigid face twitched slightly, and a flicker of emotion appeared in his numb eyes.

Professor Billy stopped his work, his thick beard bristling like an angry lion. He slammed his palm onto the table in front of him, leaving a deep imprint on the alloy workbench.

*Ding...*

Professor Billy tapped a control panel in front of him, and with a soft sound, the coffin-like device opened with a bang. Instantly, a burst of flame shot out. Within the flames, a monstrous creature with a human body and snake head lunged at Professor Billy.

"Hmph, so reckless!"

Professor Billy snorted coldly, his tiger-like eyes glinting with killing intent. He raised his right hand, and a stream of sky-blue energy shot from his palm, hitting the creature instantly.

This energy, with an unknown composition, carried a powerful chill. As it made contact with the flame-encased monster, a wave of cold spread through the space, shrouding it in mist.

As the mist cleared, the shape of the monster emerged. Encased in a large block of transparent ice, the creature stood still. Its lower half was human, but from the waist up, it was a massive, serpentine form. The snake's body was covered in fierce scales, and its enormous head revealed icy fangs. The red forked tongue, resembling a dagger, was thrust outward, and it was less than two meters from where Professor Billy stood. One could imagine that if Professor Billy had been even slightly slower, the serpent's tongue would have pierced his head like a dagger.

"Congratulations, Professor. It seems this result is quite promising. The test subject already has half of its body transformed into a snake, and it can even produce flames. With a few more experiments, we should find the real fire control gene chain!" Butler Liu, with a numb gaze, watched the monster for a while and forced a smile, his tone laced with flattery.

"Ah, it's not that simple. This Fiery Giant Python has strength comparable to the peak of a gene warrior, and further it would be a king snake. The gene system of such a powerful source beast is incredibly complex, and finding the true fire control gene chain from it is like searching for a needle in a haystack. I'm beginning to question if targeting this snake was the right decision!" Professor Billy shook his head slightly, sighing as if he were considering giving up.

"Professor, you must not waver. With your Ice Frost Snow Python gene chain, merging it with the Fiery Giant Python gene chain could lead to a dragon-like evolution. This is a step towards greatness. With the power of the combined gene chains, you could break through your current bottleneck at any moment. Once you achieve that, the position of Vice President at Tianlan Academy will surely be yours."

Butler Liu's words were few but highly tempting. Hearing this, Professor Billy's eyes lit up. He turned to Butler Liu and laughed heartily, "You're right. Since my time is running short, why not take a chance!"

"Professor will definitely succeed!"

Butler Liu seized the opportunity to flatter him, and Professor Billy's anger over the failed experiment subsided significantly. He waved his hand and asked Butler Liu, "How is the preparation for the second-stage test subjects coming along?"

"Rest assured, Professor. In addition to the four already prepared, we've just acquired another one!"

"Oh…"

Upon hearing this, Professor Billy made a sound of surprise and displayed a look of delight.

Seeing this, Butler Liu quickly explained the status of the test subject. Professor Billy, upon hearing the details, chuckled softly and said, "Quite a stroke of luck. I didn't expect an orphan to complete the initial blood transformation on his own. Bring him to the core laboratory for focused training. If he can complete another blood transformation in a short time, it will benefit my upcoming experiments."

"Yes, Professor!" Butler Liu responded, a hint of joy appearing in his usually emotionless eyes.

Professor Billy thought for a moment and then continued, "Make sure to keep the situation with Susan sealed tight—leave no trace of evidence. Recently, we've been using up quite a few first-stage test subjects. Find a way to bring in more orphans from outside."

---

Early the next morning, just after starting work, Ye Fan saw Butler Liu walk in with his usual impassive expression. Butler Liu managed all matters within the Billy Gene Lab and rarely visited production lines for gene chain creation.

"Good morning, Butler Liu!" Teacher Zhou greeted with a smile, showing an ingratiating demeanor.

Butler Liu nodded, his gaze shifting from Teacher Zhou to Ye Fan. Upon noticing this, Ye Fan's expression changed, and his mind began to race.

"I've heard that the new recruit, Ye Fan, is quite impressive. The core gene laboratory is short-handed lately, and I'd like to have him try out there," Butler Liu said, directing his gaze back to Teacher Zhou.

Teacher Zhou was momentarily taken aback but then responded with a hint of envy, "Ye Fan is indeed excellent and learns very quickly. His addition has significantly increased our production line's output."

"Mm..." Butler Liu nodded, his eyes once more falling on Ye Fan. Ye Fan was deep in thought. Although he didn't know why Butler Liu wanted to move him to the core gene laboratory, it was precisely the goal he had come here for.

Given his current strength, obtaining a natural gene chain was challenging without external assistance. However, once he entered the core gene laboratory, Ye Fan planned to use the knowledge stored in his mind to secretly obtain a gene chain for himself.

"I'll follow Butler Liu's arrangement," Ye Fan said softly after a brief consideration.

"Mm..." Butler Liu gave Ye Fan a deep look and then turned to leave the production line. Teacher Zhou came over, patted Ye Fan on the shoulder, and signaled him to follow. The colleagues on the production line were somewhat reluctant to see him go, but Ye Fan had a good rapport with them, and despite their envy, they were happy for his advancement.

"Be careful; Professor Billy hasn't been in the best of moods lately!" Shaun whispered to Ye Fan.

Ye Fan nodded with a smile and then walked out of the production line. Butler Liu stood in the corridor, and upon seeing Ye Fan come out, wordlessly turned and headed toward the core laboratory. Ye Fan was accustomed to this by now.

The two entered the core laboratory, which was over a hundred meters in diameter and bustling with activity from dozens of staff members. Their arrival did not cause much of a stir.

Butler Liu led Ye Fan to a workstation and pointed to a beautiful woman in a white lab coat, saying, "Help out Xiaoli for now and get familiar with the work procedures here."

With that, Butler Liu turned and hurried away. Ye Fan looked at the attractive woman in the white lab coat and grinned, "Hello, Li Jie!"

Ye Fan had a refined appearance, and when he smiled, his white teeth gave off a clean and sunny impression. Such looks were quite impactful, especially on mature women.

"Ha ha… My name is Li Miaoyi. You can call me Miaoyi Jie! 'Li Jie' or 'Li姐' sounds too plain," Li Miaoyi said with a radiant smile, her full lips quivering slightly like jelly.

Ye Fan thought to himself that the woman exuded an undeniable charm. Her skin was white and smooth, and her eyes were bright and intense, almost as if they could drip with water. Particularly her pink, full lips, which looked so inviting that one couldn't help but want to kiss them.

"Miaoyi Jie, I'm Ye Fan!" Ye Fan introduced himself with a friendly smile.

In his past life as the Thunder God, Ye Fan was known not only for his unmatched power but also for his extensive romantic experiences. He had his own ways with women, and within minutes of chatting with Li Miaoyi, he had her laughing nonstop.

From their conversation, Ye Fan learned that Li Miaoyi was a student from Tianlan Academy, majoring in genetics. She was working in Professor Billy's lab to support herself through school.

From Li Miaoyi's demeanor, Ye Fan knew she was not a genetic warrior and had not yet completed her first blood transformation. This situation was not uncommon at Tianlan Academy, as completing a blood transformation required both specialized breathing techniques and drugs, which were expensive. Not all students at Tianlan Academy came from wealthy families, and Li Miaoyi was clearly one of those who had to work part-time to make ends meet.

During their chat, Ye Fan casually mentioned his status as an orphan. Li Miaoyi, who already felt favorably towards him, now had an added sense of sympathy. Seeing this, Ye Fan was inwardly pleased; gaining Li Miaoyi's favor would make things easier in the core laboratory.

As they continued to talk, Li Miaoyi explained Ye Fan's tasks. Just then, Professor Billy hurried into the laboratory, followed closely by Butler Liu like a shadow.

Ye Fan looked up and met Professor Billy's gaze. Through those sharp eyes, Ye Fan sensed a faint hint of coldness. The moment their eyes met, Ye Fan instinctively lowered his head like a frightened deer. Professor Billy, noticing this, revealed a subtle, knowing smile in his tiger-like eyes.