Translator: CinderTL
Faced with Wei Wei's question, Feng Qi already knew the answer.
He could only choose one of the two rune modification paths.
The demon dragon path focused solely on enhancing physical strength, while the ferocious shadow path enhanced physical attributes while also granting him stealth and concealment abilities.
Though his heart leaned toward the demon dragon path, which suited his combat style better, he ultimately decided that the ferocious shadow path, with its stealth and concealment abilities, was more suitable for this Sacrifice Line.
On this Sacrifice Line, he not only had to confront the Technology Research Institute but also investigate information about the Future Research Institute. Functional abilities would be more crucial.
"Sister Weiwei, I choose the ferocious shadow path."
Hearing his answer, Wei Wei smiled and nodded.
"Without any innate abilities, your priority should be self-preservation and gathering intelligence. As for confronting the Technology Research Institute, Liu Yue and the others will be the main force. I also believe the ferocious shadow path is better suited to your needs."
"When does the modification begin?"
Wei Wei didn't answer directly. Instead, she pressed a few buttons on the nearby instrument, causing a form to emerge from a machine on the side.
After retrieving the form, she placed it before Feng Qi.
"In a moment, you'll come with me to the Gene Chamber for your gene liquid injection. Then, you'll begin adaptive training according to this schedule. We'll assess your physical data after a month. Only if you meet the required strength standards will we proceed with the subsequent modifications."
"Is it very complicated?" Feng Qi asked curiously.
"Extremely complicated. Although the data you provided was used to design your modifications based on your physical parameters, there's always a difference between theory and practice. Even if your body meets the requirements, there will still be an observation period after the formal modification, during which your life could be at risk at any moment."
"Therefore, it's best if you take a three-month leave and stay here with us. That way, we can respond promptly to any emergencies."
After listening to Wei Wei's explanation, Feng Qi pondered for a moment before nodding.
"I'll do as you say. I'll return home after the rune modification is complete."
Wei Wei immediately nodded.
"Also, let me mention that the rune modification process will be extremely painful. You should prepare yourself mentally."
Hearing this, Feng Qi's mind suddenly flashed back to the agony he endured during biochemical modification on the Sacrifice Line. He smiled faintly.
"As long as the modification is effective, a little pain doesn't matter."
"Then follow me. We'll start the gene liquid injection now."
Feng Qi nodded immediately and followed Wei Wei to another laboratory in the Genetics Department.
While Wei Wei went to prepare the gene liquid, he took out his phone and called Bai Fusheng.
After a moment, the call connected, and Bai Fusheng's slightly puzzled voice came through:
"Ah Qi, aren't you at the Scarlet Research Institute? What's up?"
"Grandmaster, I'd like to request a leave of absence."
"No problem. For how long?" Bai Fusheng agreed immediately.
"Three months." Feng Qi said before pulling the phone away from his ear.
As he expected, Bai Fusheng's roar followed:
"Three months? Why not ask for three years? Do you think the academy is your personal playground? You can't just take off whenever you feel like it! Maybe I should just hand over the principal's position to you..."
After a tirade, Bai Fusheng's huffy voice came through:
"Give me a good reason, or your leave request will be denied."
Faced with Bai Fusheng's questioning, Feng Qi felt helpless.
He certainly couldn't reveal that he was undergoing rune modification. He had no doubt that Bai Fusheng would storm from Star City Academy all the way to the Scarlet Research Institute if he did.
Therefore, he had to give Bai Fusheng a satisfactory explanation.
Thinking this, he spoke in a casual tone:
"Grandmaster, it's like this. I'm collaborating with the Scarlet Research Institute to improve the Human Body Deity Seeding Concept. I feel like we're on the verge of a breakthrough. Perhaps I can earn the Human Contribution Gold Medal through this research."
Realizing he was engaged in serious work, Bai Fusheng fell silent. After a long pause, he replied:
"I've approved your leave. Contact me anytime if you run into difficulties. Get that gold medal and bring me honor."
"No problem."
After hanging up, he called Lin Ran and Mu Qing to inform them that he was working on something new and wouldn't be returning to the academy for the time being. Then he sat in the lab, waiting for Wei Wei to return.
After several hours, Wei Wei arrived with the gene liquid tailored to his body data.
Next came the gene injection.
Similar to the memories of the Sacrifice Line, he felt an overwhelming drowsiness after the liquid was injected.
He managed to stay conscious for less than a minute before closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, his body was undergoing changes under the influence of the gene liquid...
After the gene modification was complete, Feng Qi stayed at the Scarlet Research Institute for the next few days.
During this time, he strictly followed the training schedule, engaging in high-intensity physical adaptation exercises in the Scarlet Base's training room every day.
He also abandoned his previous casual eating habits, adhering strictly to the diet plan Wei Wei had prepared for him.
All this was to improve his physical condition, preparing him for the upcoming rune modification.
Half a month flew by.
One day in the gym, Feng Qi was drenched in sweat.
Thanks to the gene liquid and intense training, his physique had undergone a significant transformation. The muscles of his bare upper body were now clearly defined, and his physique had become more balanced and aesthetically pleasing.
"Beep beep beep. Physical strength training complete. Next is restorative conditioning."
A synthetic electronic voice announced over the loudspeaker.
Hearing the prompt, he immediately set down the weight training equipment and, ignoring the soreness in his body, walked toward the corner of the training room.
Reaching the nutrient tank, he pressed the power button.
The glass door slid open, and he stepped inside.
With practiced ease, he connected the nutrient tank's tubes to his body, bit down on the respirator, and watched as an electronic projection appeared on the glass in front of him. Green light scanned his body, beginning the health check.
"Examination complete. Your body is in a state of extreme fatigue. Commencing repair and conditioning."
As the electronic synthetic voice announced this, a blue liquid began to rise from the bottom of the nutrient tank, quickly filling it.
Floating in the nutrient solution, Feng Qi closed his eyes and began to wait for his body to recover.
Using the nutrient tank for conditioning had become a daily ritual over the past half-month. Without proper recovery and conditioning to counteract the intense training, the damage to his body would be severe, hindering his subsequent Rune Modification Experiment.
After several hours of waiting, the liquid level in the nutrient tank receded, and the electronic synthetic voice sounded in his ears once more.
As the glass door opened, Feng Qi stepped out of the nutrient tank.
The fatigue that had plagued him moments before was completely gone. He felt refreshed and invigorated. He then walked toward the Scarlet Restaurant, ready for lunch.
After lunch, he returned to his room, opened the computer connected to the Scarlet Base database, and began reviewing data.
With his current top-level access within Scarlet Base, he could access all the information available to the Scarlet Research Institute.
Through this database research, he had gained a deeper understanding of the Future Research Institute. Many of the details he uncovered had not been left in the message box.
He finally understood why Wei Wei had said the Future Research Institute might be controlled by Domain Force.
The most suspicious figure was the current dean of the Future Research Institute, Li Xingchen.
His rise to power was indeed inspiring.
After being discharged from the front lines due to a disability, he refused to give up on himself. Instead, he taught himself the skills he needed to join the Future Research Institute and eventually became its dean.
However, as Feng Qi carefully reviewed the institute's records, he uncovered numerous suspicious details.
The previous dean of the Future Research Institute had opposed Li Xingchen's rise to power but died mysteriously. The cause of death was listed as sudden cardiac arrest, with no discernible explanation.
This method of death was eerily similar to the assassination tactics employed by the Technology Research Institute.
Considering Li Xingchen's rapid ascent from this perspective, Feng Qi couldn't help but suspect that Li Xingchen was likely a puppet dean groomed by the Technology Research Institute. In essence, the Future Research Institute had already fallen under the control of the Domain Force behind the Technology Research Institute.
Furthermore, after Li Xingchen took office, he implemented sweeping reforms at the Future Research Institute.
Wei Wei had also mentioned this in the message box. Li Xingchen recruited many domain warriors discharged from the front lines, trained them, and then systematically replaced the original staff of the Future Research Institute with them.
In effect, he had established his own faction within the institute, eliminating all opposition and consolidating his position.
This was once the Future City's top research institute, and one of the reasons its scientific and technological capabilities had gradually fallen behind the Technology Research Institute over the years.
Based on this information, the Future Research Institute's stance was questionable.
However, it couldn't be definitively concluded that the Future Research Institute was aligned with the Domain Force. Li Xingchen might be problematic, but at least one question remained unanswered:
Why would the Future Research Institute help the Scarlet Research Institute?
He decided that once the rune modification was complete, he would begin establishing his own momentum, starting with an investigation targeting the four resource warehouses in Future City.
After reviewing the data for a while, he checked the time and stood up, heading toward the exit of the Scarlet Base.
That afternoon, he planned to return to Star City High School to catch up with Old Wang and relay the message left by Old Wang from the previous Future Line.
In this Future Line, Old Wang's primary goal remained the decryption of the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice.
His access level within the Scarlet Research Institute had been secretly elevated to the highest tier, allowing him to pass through all identity checks and iris scans without issue.
By the time he reached the base's main gate, a prearranged magnetic levitation military vehicle was already waiting.
After boarding and stating his destination, the vehicle set off toward Star City High School.
By the time Feng Qi returned to Scarlet Base, dusk had already settled.
After washing up and changing clothes in his room, he went straight to the training room and resumed his high-intensity training.
During his return to school, he had confided his secret to Old Wang.
Old Wang's reaction was exactly as Feng Qi had anticipated: without hesitation, he chose to continue deciphering the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice. He decided to report to the Scarlet Research Institute as soon as he finished his current work.
The groundwork for Lin Ran and Old Wang had been laid. Now, it was up to his other self in the Dream Realm to uncover the truth.
Feng Qi's task was to continue striving along the predetermined path of his destiny.
Sweat streamed down his forehead during training, but the physical exhaustion did nothing to shake his resolve. He continued to follow the broadcast's instructions, completing one exercise after another...
A month later, in the Scarlet Gene Department's testing lab.
Feng Qi's face lit up as he received his body scan report from Wei Wei. "Looks like I'm ready for the Rune Modification Experiment."
"Do you need a day to rest and recover?" Wei Wei asked with a smile.
"No need. I'm ready to start anytime."
Seeing Feng Qi's calm expression, Wei Wei nodded approvingly. "Since you're so confident, follow me. I've already prepared all the materials. Let's begin now."
"Alright."
Following Wei Wei out of the lab, they arrived at the Genetics Department's core research facility. After a brief wait, Wei Wei returned with over a dozen researchers.
Once Feng Qi was strapped to the modification device, Wei Wei and the team sprang into action.
"Do you want anesthesia?" Wei Wei asked with a teasing grin, looking down at Feng Qi, who was now secured to the operating table.
"Does anesthesia affect the procedure's effectiveness?"
"No, it doesn't."
"Then yes, please!" Feng Qi replied without hesitation.
Saying no to anesthesia? That wasn't true manliness; it was just being an idiot.
"Don't get your hopes up too high about the anesthesia. The Rune implantation process will reactivate your body, significantly heightening your senses. It will still be very painful."
"I can handle it!" Feng Qi said firmly.
"Then good luck!" Wei Wei said, plunging a needle filled with blue gene liquid into his arm.
In an instant, his vision spun, and Feng Qi slipped into unconsciousness.
When he awoke, it felt as if his body was being roasted over an open flame, his muscles trembling with pain.
"Why does it hurt so much!" he hissed through clenched teeth.
"This is just the beginning. Don't tell me you can't handle this much pain," Wei Wei's voice cut through the haze.
"I just said it hurts. I didn't say I can't take it. Keep going!"
As Wei Wei had warned, the agony of rune modification began to intensify, like the ancient torture of slow slicing. Every inch of his skin was subjected to unbearable torment.
The rune crystal embedded in his chest felt like a thousand ants gnawing at his heart, the pain so intense it nearly choked him.
Normally, pain exceeding a critical threshold would have plunged him back into unconsciousness.
But now, his senses were hyper-acute. He could even feel the rune crystal gradually becoming part of his body, as if he had gained an extra limb he could control.
During this process, the rune crystal was adapting to his body, injecting energy to reshape him. It was like creating a suitable environment for itself to thrive within him.
Yet the modification process was brutally crude, with a high risk of completely destroying the "environment" it was trying to create.
Throughout this ordeal, Wei Wei continued to inject him with a carefully balanced energy solution, aiding him in better integrating with the rune crystal.
If the rune crystal's energy infusion exceeded its limits, she would extract it, allowing his body to recover before reinserting it.
Each time the rune crystal was removed, Feng Qi would immediately fall unconscious.
When it was reinserted, he would instantly awaken, plunging him back into the cycle of torment.
After a full day, the rune modification remained incomplete.
Feng Qi had no strength left to speak. The only word echoing in his mind was:
Pain!
Yet he gritted his teeth and endured.
Wei Wei had told him that willpower was crucial during rune modification. Those who broke down mentally during the process often descended into madness and lost control shortly after the procedure.
Rune modification was a process of physical fusion with the rune crystal, but it was also a process of the host taming the crystal.
So Feng Qi remained steadfast, using his willpower to feel and resist the invasive pain.
After an unknown amount of time, Wei Wei's slightly weary voice broke through:
"Well done, kid. You've broken the Scarlet Research Institute's rune modification record, completing it in a single session."
Hearing this, Feng Qi opened his eyes.
Staring at the glaring lights above, he asked in surprise, "Does it normally take multiple attempts?"
"Not multiple attempts, but dozens. Previous Rune Modification Experiments were typically halted midway through, requiring a period of recovery before continuing."
After hearing Wei Wei's explanation, Feng Qi exclaimed in astonishment, "Then why did I pass on the first try?"
"The previous test subjects had to stop the experiment because their minds were on the verge of collapse. You seemed to be holding up well, so I decided to continue. I never expected you to complete it in one go. Your willpower is truly astonishing."
Feng Qi: ...
At that moment, Wei Wei removed her mask and leaned in close, a teasing expression on her face. "What's wrong? Not satisfied? How about I throw in a free castration surgery to make up for it?"
Hearing this, Feng Qi silently flipped her off in his mind.
(End of the Chapter)
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