Chapter 5: Experiment, Factions, Venue
Bob felt his head spinning, like waking up after a heavy night of drinking.
He shook his head and looked up. A middle-aged man in a white coat with one arm was busy at the lab bench, his back turned to Bob.
"Professor!"
Bob stumbled to his feet and greeted the man in front of him.
"Bob, you and Tang did well with the experiment. The regenerative ability of this lizard has increased by 30%. I'll approve your experiment report!"
Professor Connors was hunched over a high-powered microscope, observing cell slides, and said without turning his head.
"Tang left early because he had something to do. You should also go back and rest early!"
Lizard, regenerative ability? Bob felt his head spinning. Their experiment was successful? It was a lizard?
A faint dark figure flashed through Bob's mind, but it vanished in an instant.
"Okay, Professor!"
Bob replied subconsciously and walked out.
"Strange, the regenerative ability of this lizard is indeed faster than others of its kind, but its cell division speed isn't reaching the expected rate."
Dr. Connors didn't pay any more attention to Bob, focusing intently on the microscope. He changed three or four cell slides in a row, but the data he obtained was somewhat unexpected.
Connors was once a brilliant military doctor. During a Federation foreign war, he was recruited and sent to the front lines to perform surgery on the wounded.
One day, the base was attacked by the enemy, and his right hand suffered irreparable damage in a large explosion.
To save his life, he chose amputation and was sent back to the Federation to recover.
From then on, he conducted experiments at the university, abandoning surgery and beginning to desperately research the regenerative systems of reptiles and various aspects of reptile biology.
To restore his severed arm, and also to create human regenerative limbs for medical use, he had been researching how to transfer the genetic trait of a lizard's regenerating tail to humans.
Researching such a project naturally required funding, which was impossible to obtain solely from the university's research funding.
This was also the reason Professor Connors worked at Oscorp.
He was friends with Oscorp's CEO, Norman Osborn.
As the head of Oscorp, Norman Osborn knew how vast the financial prospects would be if this technology could truly be developed.
Therefore, he invited Connors to become Oscorp's Chief Researcher, providing full financial support for Connors' research.
"Strange!"
Professor Connors tapped on the keyboard, performing simulations on the computer. According to the cell division index, the regenerative ability of this lizard shouldn't be this fast.
The more Professor Connors thought about it, the stranger it seemed. After thinking for a moment, he clicked on the lab's experiment recording system, logged in with his credentials, and intended to watch Tang Song and Bob's experiment process.
*Sizzle sizzle sizzle!* Just as Professor Connors clicked on the recording, the computer host storing the experiment recording suddenly sparked.
Connors was startled and recoiled, falling heavily to the ground with a loud crash.
*Puff puff puff puff...*
Professor Connors scrambled up from the ground somewhat awkwardly. At this moment, the burning computer host emitted thick black smoke, directly triggering the smoke detector, and the sprinkler system immediately activated.
...
"Professor Connors, what happened?"
Looking at Professor Connors, who was drenched like a drowned rat, and the burnt-beyond-recognition computer host, the Security Director of Oscorp Tower, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, asked.
Professor Connors took a towel from a nearby security guard and wiped his messy, wet hair, his expression somewhat bewildered. "It might be circuit aging. This computer host suddenly experienced spontaneous combustion!"
"Circuit aging?" The Security Director frowned. "Professor, did this host contain important experiment data?"
The Security Director's heart sank. He knew that for Oscorp's important research projects, to ensure secrecy, they often used an internal network, and data would be stored on hard drives, not network storage.
If important research data were truly lost, the Security Director's brow furrowed.
"No, not that," Professor Connors shook his head. "The hard drive of the burnt host only contained some experiment recordings. The specific experiment data has already been filed and stored!"
Hearing that no important data was lost, the Security Director breathed a sigh of relief. As the head of security for Oscorp Tower, if a major incident occurred, whether accidental or intentional, he would be held responsible.
A spontaneous combustion caused by circuit aging, with only the loss of a computer, was something he could suppress.
...
"Tang, what are you trying to hide?"
In the laboratory, now somewhat restored, the burnt computer had been removed. Professor Connors sat in his office chair, looking at the lizard lying motionless in the incubation chamber, lost in thought.
The computers in the lab had only been replaced about half a year ago, and they were regularly maintained by specialists. Circuit aging was impossible unless someone had tampered with it.
Thinking about how the host spontaneously combusted just as he wanted to view the experiment recording, and the lizard's completely unscientific self-healing ability, Professor Connors had a faint suspicion in his heart.
...
A block away from Oscorp Tower, around a corner, a black extended Rolls-Royce car was parked quietly by the roadside.
Tang Song, wearing a plaid shirt and carrying a backpack, walked unhurriedly towards the car.
A tall, imposing white man, nearly two meters tall, stood rigidly by the car door, dressed in a sharp tuxedo, wearing white silk gloves, and with a short, silver-white crew cut.
Seeing Tang Song approach, he quickly opened the car door, respectfully took the backpack from Tang Song's hand, assisted Tang Song into the car, placed the backpack in the trunk, and then got into the car himself, closing the door.
In the driver's seat, Kane quickly started the car and sped away.
Inside the spacious cabin, besides Tang Song and the white man who opened the door, there was also a young woman. She had a delicate face, slightly messy brown long hair, wore a denim jacket on her upper body and faded, ripped jeans on her lower body, and was concentrating on tapping on the tablet in her hand.
Seeing Tang Song sit down, the woman closed her tablet, turned her head, and asked, "BOSS, everything okay? How did the experiment go?"
Her brown long hair framed a delicate face that held a distinct Eastern beauty, revealing a hint of mixed-race charm.
Tang Song casually took the cocktail offered by the white man, took a sip, and sincerely praised, "Lane, you are the best bartender in the world."
Ignoring the subtle pride shown by the white man, Tang Song spread his palm, revealing a black jade ring on his thumb. "Oscorp's lab is indeed good. The experiment was very successful! My path is indeed viable!"
The mixed-race girl looked at the jade ring in Tang Song's hand with some curiosity, preparing to reach out and touch it.
Just then, the jade ring on Tang Song's thumb suddenly moved. A metallic rustling sound rang out, and with a rustling sound, the black jade ring unfolded, transforming into a small black snake.
The black snake crawled onto Tang Song's palm, coiled up, and stared coldly at the mixed-race girl.
"Ah!" The mixed-race girl jumped in surprise, her whole body recoiling sharply, almost leaping up.
The tall white man beside her shivered when he saw the black snake. His hand instinctively reached for the pistol at his waist.
As a former special forces soldier, his sixth sense felt a strong sense of deadly danger from this small black snake.
Tang Song poked the black snake's head with his thumb and smiled slightly, "Don't be afraid, this snake is very obedient!"
The black snake crawled up Tang Song's thumb, circled it, connecting head to tail, and transformed back into a black jade ring.
"That's amazing, BOSS. Are you really not a Mutant? Is your ability controlling animals?"
The mixed-race girl was full of curiosity.
Tang Song gently stroked the black jade ring and chuckled, "Mutants, their abilities are bestowed by nature. As we say back home, it's 'Heaven' giving them food to eat. The 'Heaven' of this world isn't very friendly to me. My abilities are obtained through cultivation."
"'Heaven'? God?" The mixed-race girl rubbed her eyes. The word "Old Man Heaven" was clearly beyond her understanding.
"Cultivation? Like a wizard? That sounds so cool." "But, BOSS, for Mutants, their abilities aren't God's grace. For most people, it's a demon's curse. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, they are always seen as freaks!"
As a computer hacker and a member of the Rising Tide organization, Skye naturally knew many things the Federal Government deliberately concealed.
Among them were news stories about Mutants being discriminated against, and even used for experiments.
"Skye, if Mutants having superpowers makes them freaks, then what about God? In the Bible, He is described as omniscient and omnipotent. What does that make Him? A super freak!" Tang Song retorted.
The mixed-race girl Skye was momentarily speechless. After a while, she mumbled softly, "That's not the same, is it?"
Tang Song smiled, his eyes flashing with the light of ambition. "The only difference is strength. A Mutant with omniscient and omnipotent strength can also be placed on an altar!"
Skye turned her head to look at Tang Song, her delicate face filled with scrutiny and curiosity.
She wasn't a Catholic, and she actually felt a thrill from her BOSS's blasphemous remarks.
Skye didn't know much about her BOSS. A year ago, while restocking her RV, she encountered a sudden zero-dollar shopping (looting) incident.
Coincidentally, Tang Song was at that Chinese-owned store at the time, asking about purchasing cinnabar to bring back from China.
Naturally, the two armed black men were immediately dealt with by Kane, who was accompanying Tang Song, one shot each.
To avoid trouble, while the bodies were being handled, Tang Song had Skye invited to stay as a guest for a few days.
Quake, that's what Tang Song thought of after learning Skye was a computer hacker and combining it with her name. It seemed that after awakening, she possessed the superpower to generate shockwaves.
However, compared to her mutant ability, Tang Song was more interested in her other identity—computer hacker.
Having transmigrated to this world for over two years, Tang Song had a general understanding of its vast and complex worldview.
It was a world blended with Marvel and Mutants, also mixed with various dark forces like werewolves, vampires, and wizards.
If Tang Song wanted to pursue cultivation, he naturally couldn't avoid the four essential elements of cultivation: method, companion, resources, location.
After spending two years, Tang Song had managed to establish a small force/influence of his own.
A computer hacker with good skills and great potential for development was naturally useful to Tang Song.
A confused girl caught in an economic crisis, dedicated to finding her background/identity, had weaknesses, making it not difficult for Tang Song to recruit her.
"Any interesting news lately?"
Tang Song swirled his wine glass, his gaze directed at the tablet in Skye's hand.
Skye, who had been staring at Tang Song's face in a daze, quickly averted her gaze in a panic and said, "Yes, there are a few. The Brotherhood of Mutants attacked an anti-mutant organization. It's said that the military was deployed and killed several key members of the Brotherhood of Mutants."
Skye tapped the tablet screen, bringing up videos and images.
In the videos, people of various skin tones could be seen using their divine abilities and spells to deal with fully armed Federal soldiers.
These people could spray water, or control sand, stones, and trees, appearing extremely supernatural. However, compared to the organized, fully armed Federal soldiers, their resistance was truly weak.
In the video, a Mutant who could control sand and stones wrapped himself in a thick sand and stone armor, trying to break through the army's encirclement.
Indeed, bullets couldn't penetrate his armor, but with a loud boom, an RPG went straight through.
Amidst the flying dust, with the army using heavy weapons, the scattered and disorganized Brotherhood of Mutants was quickly slaughtered.
...
Brotherhood of Mutants, Tang Song watched the superpowers displayed by the Mutants in the video. They were all non-powerful Mutants.
The few powerful Mutants he knew from memory did not appear.
To be honest, Tang Song was more curious about them.
Especially the Omega Level Mutants from the comics. When their abilities were developed to the extreme, they could even rival some top-tier divine abilities and spells.
Some were even comparable to the top Dao protecting divine abilities of some great divine ability users.
They could even control time and space, though how much exaggeration was involved in that was naturally up to interpretation.
Tang Song played with his wine glass, suddenly remembering a magic tool refining method from Heshan Dao.
He just didn't know if these Mutants' mutant abilities were based on the genetic aspect or the soul level.
It might be worth researching, an evil thought surfaced in Tang Song's mind, but his expression remained calm as usual. He raised his glass and took a sip of wine.
"Rising Tide somehow got some information about giant beasts. It's about a hidden organization called Monarch."
Skye opened another video.
The noise of helicopter blades spinning filled the audio. In the video footage, fully armed Federal soldiers flashed by, all looking terrified.
The recording was very short. Besides the view inside the filming helicopter, the rest was an overhead perspective.
Below was a Volcano Crater, with lava rolling inside. The figure of a giant beast resembling a winged demon could be vaguely seen.
From high altitude, the body of this lava giant beast occupied most of the Volcano Crater. The part of its body visible outside was already dozens of meters long, its reddish surface covered in a thick layer of lava.
Rodan!
Looking at the image of the giant beast in the video, Tang Song's expression became somewhat solemn. He handed the wine glass to Lane beside him, took the tablet from Skye's hand, and watched the video twice.
That's right, it was indeed Rodan, one of the ancient Titans. Monarch, this is the Godzilla worldview.
Tang Song put down the tablet and rubbed his temples. Thinking about giant beasts weighing tens of thousands of tons and hundreds of meters long, even Tang Song felt a headache.
One should know that in the Godzilla worldview, the three-headed King Ghidorah truly possessed world-destroying ability. The storms generated by its flight could directly tear through the stratosphere and easily destroy a city.
Thanos, the three-headed King Ghidorah, Ultron. Tang Song mentally ranked King Ghidorah. Although when the sky falls, the tall ones bear the brunt, for Tang Song himself, this wasn't a movie theater where he could remain aloof and watch others fight to the death.
Now he was a character in the play and didn't have the habit of entrusting his safety to others.
His own strength was still the hard truth. Unfortunately, the speed of improving his strength was still a bit slow.
Tang Song sighed in his heart, and pressed the call button on the small table in front of him. "Kane, take Skye back first. I'm going to check out the venue."
Kane, who was driving, nodded silently.
...
The car stopped on a relatively secluded street in Brooklyn, New York. Tang Song slowly got out and stood in front of a bar named 'Guns N' Roses'. The car drove directly around to the underground garage in the back.
At this moment, Tang Song, who had changed into a white suit, walked through the main door. A dozen black men with stern faces but now beaming with smiles welcomed him in, fawningly saying, "Boss, everything is fine today, no incidents."
Tang Song nodded in satisfaction and stepped into the brightly lit bar.
A heavy metal band was wildly thrashing on stage, creating noise, while a dozen blonde, blue-eyed beauties were frantically shaking around them.
In the middle of the dance floor, countless young people were pressed close together, twitching.
In the semi-enclosed booths around, occasional screams could be heard, but they were immediately muffled by something.
A few gay men chuckled and walked towards the handsome-faced Tang Song, but were immediately punched far away by the black men beside Tang Song.
Several small vendors doing some unspeakable business smiled ingratiatingly at Tang Song, quickly selling goods and collecting money, greeting and doing business simultaneously.
(end of chapter)