Chapter 217: Special Substances

Xiao Yu was curled up on the sofa, nibbling from a fruit platter while watching a drama series. Despite living with Chen Mo for a while now, some of her cozy habits hadn't changed.

Out in public, she was the picture of elegance and composure—a smart, gentle beauty. But at home, she was just a regular girl, completely at ease in her own skin.

"Little Yu-jie, Brother Mo is back," came the soft voice of Mo Nu.

The villa's smart system, managed by the artificial intelligence Mo Nu, now controlled all the electronic devices in the home. The entire place practically ran on autopilot.

"Okay."

Hearing the notification, Xiao Yu quickly went to open the door. Just as she reached it, Chen Mo stepped inside.

"You're back," she greeted with a warm smile. "Did you enjoy the party?"

"Same as always," Chen Mo replied, slipping off his coat and handing it to her as he stepped out of his shoes.

Xiao Yu hung up the coat and walked back over to him, carefully loosening his tie. Her touch was gentle, and just being near her made the lingering tension from the party incident melt away.

"There's a hint of perfume," Xiao Yu sniffed near his collar with a teasing tone. "Who's the lucky woman?"

"Xu Jialin's daughter. There was a bit of an incident," Chen Mo explained simply, recounting the reception events.

"I didn't expect something like that to happen…" Xiao Yu studied him carefully, confirming he wasn't hurt before finally relaxing. "So, the Xu Xinxin you saved—is she beautiful?"

"To be honest, yeah. She's excellent in many ways. Why? You jealous?" Chen Mo looked at her, amused.

"I'm not that petty," Xiao Yu chuckled. "I was prepared for this before you left. A man like you is bound to attract all kinds of women, but I'm not worried—I already have you."

She knew Chen Mo well. His personality wasn't one to be easily swayed by outward beauty or impressive resumes. He valued trust, sincerity, and companionship—things that superficial charm couldn't buy.

"My woman's intuition tells me she'll come looking for you again," Xiao Yu said casually.

"Oh? So certain?" Chen Mo raised an eyebrow.

"Don't forget how I got roped in," Xiao Yu said playfully.

"That was fate," Chen Mo said, stroking her hair gently. "Without that chance meeting, none of this would've happened."

"Enough of that. Go shower. I won't let another woman's scent stay on my man for long," Xiao Yu declared, unfastening the rest of his tie.

"Eh? You're suddenly marking your territory?" Chen Mo grinned. "As the rightful mistress of this house, shouldn't you be the one washing me?"

Without waiting for a reply, he scooped her up into his arms.

Xiao Yu didn't resist. She buried her face shyly in his chest as he carried her off toward the bathroom.

The next morning at the company, Chen Mo had just sat down in his office when a notification popped up on his desktop.

"Brother Mo, you've made headlines again," Mo Nu said cheerfully. "Last night's party incident has hit the media."

"Oh great…" Chen Mo groaned, seeing the article Mo Nu pulled up.

"You call that a minor thing?" Mo Nu said. "You saved the beauty from a knife-wielding maniac using only two moves. Classic hero-rescues-damsel moment. And the hero just so happens to be the boss of Marching Ant. The damsel? Daughter of the Xu Group's chairman. It's too juicy for the media to pass up."

Chen Mo shook his head in disbelief. Ridiculed by his own AI. Wonderful.

He scrolled through the articles. Sure enough, the story had spread like wildfire. Rumors were even popping up about his relationship with Xu Xinxin—details he didn't even know about until he read them himself.

He had to hand it to the media; their imagination was unmatched.

Still, he had no urgent tasks today. Most of the company's core R&D was now handled by specialized teams. The room-temperature superconductors were already in small-scale production, and the superconducting computer was in 24/7 development.

With intelligent robots and Mo Nu's powerful AI capabilities, much of the mundane work was now automated. Chen Mo just had to give the word, and Mo Nu would handle the rest—calculations, modeling, simulations. He had gone from being overwhelmed to almost too free.

"Brother Mo, the human potential development agent has been purified as requested," Mo Nu said.

"Perfect."

Chen Mo stood, grabbed his lab coat, and headed straight to the lab.

Lately, he'd been diving into more fundamental tech research. With the supercomputer project underway, he finally had time to revisit a long-shelved subject: human potential development.

This was one of the very first technologies he acquired from the Science and Technology Library, and one of the most special. It was listed under the [Trainee] level—a basic tier in the system's classification—and labeled under the category of [Technical Apprentice].

But even within that entry-level classification, this tech stood out.

Usually, a technology entry came with a set of related or supplementary techs—sometimes dozens. But for this one? It was just the single technique. That made it unique—and worth taking seriously.

Back then, his improved physical condition had saved him multiple times. Now that he had time and the means, he was determined to study this thoroughly.

In the lab, he opened a transparent refrigeration unit containing over a dozen test tubes of orange liquid—purified versions of the low-level human potential development agent.

When he first used this tech, he had taken three rounds of crude medicated baths. It was a messy process, using unrefined materials and no purification. Now, with refined reagents, he could achieve the same effect with a single dose—and much less sludge.

Still, the drug couldn't be used again. The human body could only undergo low-level development once.

He took a test tube and used a dropper to extract a small amount.

According to the tech documentation, after mixing specific herbal components, a unique chemical reaction would occur—producing a special substance capable of activating latent human potential. Importantly, this reaction didn't alter a person's genes.

"Mo Nu, have we completed the analysis?" Chen Mo asked.

"Yes," replied a second-generation robot standing nearby. "Most of the components match the original herbal profiles, but there is one unknown substance. It shows high activity levels and is unlike any documented compound. It's structurally similar to a protein, but behaves like a unique bio-agent created through the reaction process."

"That's probably it. Let's test it."

Chen Mo diluted the agent into a saline solution and filled a syringe. These early-stage tests had to be performed on animals first—mice, in this case.

He separated ten mice into two groups and began administering different doses, carefully controlling the variables.

Looking at the purified orange liquid, he couldn't help but recall his own experience. Back then, the dark, thick potion had looked like dirty oil. Now, with modern techniques, it was practically clinical in appearance.

Just one of these new injections could replace all three of his previous medicated baths.

Chen Mo had just finished the injections when Mo Nu's voice rang out again.

"Brother Mo, Xu Xinxin has arrived at the company. She's asking to see you."

Chen Mo paused, the syringe still in hand.

"…She really came."