Chapter 750 - 48: Genetic Modification Injection
Under the watchful eyes of Chen Zhou and Paul, Tiger Third’s spine, fixed by a splint and slightly sunken, quickly recovered. Its feeble hind legs suddenly twitched, but could not move at a wide angle due to the splint’s restriction.
Paul hurriedly removed the splint.
Almost at the instant he took down the splint, Tiger Third stood up. Its body still looked somewhat gaunt, but appeared merely malnourished. Both its gaze and posture were filled with energy.
...
"Do you regret it?"
Chen Zhou pointed at the remaining injection in the box.
"Used it just like that."
Paul smiled nonchalantly: "Would Pasha Kotkin regret it on the Kachadin battlefield?"
Gazing at Paul’s sharply-defined young face, Chen Zhou, for the first time, felt he was no longer like a child, but a mature warrior.
"Then if you’re ever injured in the future, you better not talk about crap like ’giving up’ or ’sacrifice’."
"Suicide is the most cowardly and also the easiest way out."
Putting down the injector in his hand, Paul embraced Tiger Third, gently patting its back.
"Welcome back, my friend."
...
Witnessing this scene, Chen Zhou finally felt his hard work hadn’t been in vain.
Although it’s not the best outcome, it’s ideal enough. At least Tiger Third stood up again, at least Paul was still alive, and at least their journey continued.
In the box was the last type of injection. With lingering curiosity, Chen Zhou took it out.
Unlike the other two injections, this one had a silver-white syringe with a string of blue text printed on it. Once converted into recognizable characters, it was a string of English letters——
"STITCHRΙ"
If it were other English words, Chen Zhou might not understand it well, but he indeed had a deep impression of this string of letters.
After returning to modern times, due to the significant difference between his physical traits and ordinary people, he had undergone hundreds of checks and tests.
According to the doctors specially serving him, he most likely underwent gene editing, replacing his entire gene through an RNA system.
Although such a technique was considered pure fantasy in the 21st century, all the characteristics exhibited by Chen Zhou corroborated this conjecture.
STITCHR referred to the technology of replacing genes through RNA.
The "Ι" following this string of letters might be the injection’s batch number.
"Could this thing be understood as Captain America’s super serum?"
Watching the transparent liquid in the syringe flow with his adjustment of the syringe’s angle, Chen Zhou thought.
He hadn’t expected the Space-Time Administration Bureau to be so generous, actually distributing such a powerful medicine. Even if the strength enhancement of the person receiving the injection was only half, they could easily tackle this challenge.
Doesn’t this mean that seizing the first supply already lays the foundation for victory?
With his rich experience dealing with the Space-Time Administration Bureau, Chen Zhou judged that this kind of injection was probably "not exactly what it seemed," and the effects it could exert were probably far from what he imagined.
When he took out the manual and browsed it carefully to confirm the effects of the injection, he was left speechless——
The stinginess of the Space-Time Administration Bureau far exceeded his imagination.
Don’t be fooled by this injection’s "high-end" appearance; in fact, it has nothing to do with enhancement.
Named as a "Type I Genetic Modification Injection," it was essentially a basic medicine, with effects categorized under compatible technology, preventing severe rejection reactions.
In simple terms, it’s the "base" for all other genetic modification injections. The effect produced after injection is merely to help the injectee adapt to changes brought by other injections, with an actual enhancement effect of approximately 0.
Of course, this injection also has no side effects.
However, as stated in the manual, using this before the "Cold Tolerance Gene Modification Injection" might ease side effects and shorten the modification process, which could be its only benefit.
Handing the manual to Paul, Chen Zhou instructed him not to forget to take this shot first, then took out the last item in the box, which was also the item he had least hope for, that long rectangular wooden box.
...
The wood used for the box seemed like ebony, emitting a faint fragrance, its surface polished and waxed, appearing out of place with the other items in the box, like an old antique from the Republic era accidentally intruding into a futuristic technology exhibition.
Having been tormented by various "mysterious rewards," Chen Zhou had little interest in this wooden box right from the start.
With an indifferent face, he opened the lid of the box, and upon seeing the object inside, he was taken aback.
From left to right, the box contained six exquisite small yellow wood carvings.
He was extremely familiar with the color of these wood carvings; they were made from the "pineapple wood" on the island, and their carvings depicted events Chen Zhou could never forget in his life——
The running Lai Fu, the ox-carrying Sunday, the dying Sunday under the tree, the island’s first hydro-powered mill, the steam-powered warship, and himself wearing armor and wielding a lance.
Casually picking up the lifelike Lai Fu, watching its flowing fur, and tail raised like a banner, Chen Zhou looked up at the sky over the Black Forest.
He didn’t know if the rewards in the wooden box varied by person, nor did he know what connections this accidentally stumbled-upon challenge would create between him and the Space-Time Administration Bureau.
At this moment, holding the wood carving, he had only one feeling——
One day, perhaps he could return to the lonely island, return to the world of Robinson Crusoe, to see the island that bore half a life’s hard work and half a life’s hope, to see the grave where Lai Fu was buried, to see where Saturday and Sunday led "Paradise Island" after leaving his leadership...
The homeland where he survived for half his life had left too many memories.