Genetic Locks

"These children…" Vakh trailed off, unable to answer immediately.

He and Shu stared at each other in the darkness for a few seconds, then Vakh sighed, draining his coffee and placing the empty cup on the desk behind him. Even in the dim light, Shu could see the exhaustion etched on his face.

"As you can see, these patients are all children… different from ordinary children," Vakh said, sitting down heavily on the cot and rubbing his forehead.

"What about the IV drips? Are they life support? Or have you found a way to treat them?" Shu asked, looking at the vials.

"Treat them?" Vakh looked up, then shook his head. "No such luck. I haven't found a cure…"

"Not even a clue?" Shu frowned.

Vakh sighed again, offering no further explanation.

An underground miracle worker… that title suggested a level of medical expertise comparable to a renowned scholar. And according to Sora and the others, the Nest had been established for a month.

Was this condition so severe that even a medical genius couldn't make any headway after a month?

"I can't find a cure, not with the limited resources here. It's difficult to conduct proper research on my own…" Vakh refilled his cup with hot water from a thermos, then added another dose of the unknown liquid from a small vial. He looked up at Shu, speaking slowly and deliberately. "But it's not that I can't cure them… it's that they don't need a cure."

"Because this isn't a disease."

Shu: "??" I know an underground miracle worker, I'm not one myself. Stop speaking in riddles.

"If it's not a disease, then what is it? A genetic mutation?" Shu sighed, playing along with the cryptic conversation.

"Genetic locks."

Vakh's casual tone startled Shu. Wait, what? This is getting ridiculous. An "underground miracle worker" from the "Spiderweb" is talking about "genetic locks"? Did I get isekai'd again?

Perhaps sensing Shu's confusion, Vakh chuckled, leaning back on the cot.

"Strange, isn't it? Genetic locks… no self-respecting underground miracle worker would discuss such things with you. You probably only encountered the term in fiction, right?"

Shu nodded, glancing around the room. There was nowhere to sit.

"Don't blame them. Genetic locks exist, but no one has the time or resources to research them these days."

"Why?" Shu asked, feeling he needed to understand this. Even if Vakh didn't explain, he would ask Otto later. Otto was probably on the same level as an "underground miracle worker," right? He subconsciously touched his chest.

"How do those fictional stories describe genetic locks?" Vakh asked, a smile playing on his lips.

Shu thought for a moment. "A special power system… unlocking the hidden potential within humans… a kind of… evolution?"

"A highly dangerous and risky evolution, requiring various safeguards to succeed," Vakh added.

"And real genetic locks aren't like that?" Shu asked.

"Not quite," Vakh replied. "Genetic locks aren't shackles limiting human potential. Quite the opposite. They're safeguards, protecting our genetic integrity."

"For example… the most common genetic lock you've probably heard of is…" He paused, holding up a finger. "Reproductive isolation."

Shu winced. He had definitely heard of that.

"Imagine if this genetic lock didn't exist. What… interesting… creatures would roam the earth?" Vakh said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, his smile widening as he watched Shu's reaction.

Shu remained silent. He had to admit, the first thing that came to mind wasn't a winged tiger or some other bizarre chimera, but… beast-people. Okay, he was thinking about catgirls.

His silence conveyed both his understanding of the concept's importance and his impatience for Vakh to explain its relevance to the children.

"Alright," Vakh said, spreading his hands. "Genetic locks don't restrict human potential. Those breakthroughs in dire situations are just… desperate, destructive bursts of energy."

"What they actually lock is the extent of genetic mutation, the magnitude of the body's response to environmental changes."

He touched his neck. "Like that child you were looking at. He simply felt a crick in his neck while turning his head, and… grew two extra eyes to improve his field of vision."

Shu's eyes widened.

"Just… a crick in his neck?" he repeated, stunned. Suddenly, he felt perfectly fine. He was in peak physical condition!

Vakh nodded, then pointed to another bed. "That child's hands and feet are now identical. Apparently, he enjoyed climbing…"

"All these children… are like this?" Shu asked, swallowing hard.

"Not all of them. Such… proactive evolutions are rare. Most of them transform in response to specific stimuli."

"Like that one…" Vakh pointed again, and Shu felt a strange unease, like being singled out by the Grim Reaper.

"Natasha found him locked in a small room for two weeks, without food or water. So, he became…" Vakh seemed to struggle for the right words, then sighed. "Never mind. See for yourself."

Ignoring Shu's hesitant look, Vakh stood up and walked silently towards the bed he had indicated.

Shu took a deep breath and followed.

Vakh reached out and drew back the curtain.