Chapter 146: Longevity Corporation

This should be considered the most primitive application of spiritual power.

After the contrast agent was injected into the human body, meridian maps appeared on both the human and spirit beast's surfaces; researchers in sterile suits then injected another unknown, mist-like substance into the subjects.

Lin Ying and Chen Zhi could clearly see something moving within the fluorescent human meridians.

Director Yang merely watched, without explaining anything to Lin Ying or the other two.

Director Yang seemed to say nothing, yet thinking back to his roadside explanations, it felt as if he had explained everything here.

The research in the sunken courtyard used scientific methods to replicate how ancient people once applied spiritual power.

The known result: a lifespan exceeding seven hundred years; the body's limited osteoblasts had mutated, and even bones thousands of years after death could still resist explosives.

Research should be rigorous science.

But the researchers took wild shortcuts, imitating orthopedic surgeons who swung hammers and smashed things with a loud "clang."

After touring the sunken courtyard research area,

Director Yang led everyone to a plant factory with vertical management.

Rows of shelves, twenty meters tall, featured numerous automated vertical lifts transporting potted plants to different light zones for spectral irradiation to accelerate growth.

"Before spirit beasts appeared, plants were actually the most sensitive to spiritual power."

"The plants in this factory all come from crops cultivated by a certain university, undergoing triple, quadruple, and quintuple-speed ultra-rapid cultivation."

Director Yang said with slight regret: "We haven't yet developed an affordable method to capture spiritual particles; to study this substance, we must rely on medium purification and extraction processes."

"They serve not only as media and bases, but are also being tested for different medicinal effects—yes, drugs."

Director Yang paused briefly, then looked at Lin Ying with firm conviction and nodded heavily.

Drugs!

Extracted from media containing spiritual particles, these substances replenish the body's nutritional needs.

Get it? Look at these plants—don't they look like raw materials for brewing longevity drugs? Would your family consider investing in our project and pre-ordering some spirit herbs?

"."

Lin Ying's expression remained as still as a meditating monk; she gazed at Director Yang and said, "Let's move on to the next project."

In terms of spirit beasts, Lin Ying's knowledge may be less than Director Yang's.

But in pharmaceutical processes, Lin Ying's knowledge could crush Director Yang.

The pharmaceutical industry routinely pours billions into a project, betting on the slim chance of developing one miracle drug, then holding onto the patent for decades to reap monopoly profits.

Just like sildenafil—originally developed for cardiovascular disease, now commonly used by couples on weekends.

The plant factory here might produce a drug that extends lifespan.

But they might also produce a drug that, once ingested, causes humans to regress into tree-climbing, howling ancestors.

This is a monumental gamble.

To put it bluntly, if electronic devices weren't banned here, Director Yang's speech would trigger an immediate red alert at the anti-fraud center—the police would call Lin Ying's phone until it smoked.

Director Yang glanced at Lin Ying but saw nothing in her expression; he felt a faint disappointment.

Pharmaceutical investment is enormous—it's one of the research projects the Dongxiang Spirit Beast Institute wants to pursue but lacks funds to begin.

Next, Director Yang took Lin Ying to tour the Dongxiang Spirit Beast Institute's core expertise.

Animal nutrition, microbiology, and veterinary medicine.

Chen Zhi's expression was strange; he whispered to Lin Ying: "Animal nutrition here basically means 'Pig Raising and Postpartum Sow Care'—they're mainly focused on spirit beast breeding."

Animal microbiology and veterinary pharmacology.

Based on Chen Zhi's understanding of these fields, they might as well be called: "On How to Cater to Spirit Beasts" or "How a Zoologist Became a Servant: Three Stories."

"No! We focus on medical research—spirit-related diseases and parasite control!" Director Yang replied solemnly:

"This is a serious discipline, and one we will inevitably face—parasites and fungi are too intimately tied to humans; any change affects the whole system."

As he spoke, Director Yang led them to an isolation ward, where they observed patients via surveillance.

Among these patients was one who even startled An Sheng: the 【Spiritual Power +4】 patient.

He remained unconscious, but his facial cheeks bulged with veins, rainbow-colored fluids flowing unimpeded within them.

"This is a critically ill patient suffering from dual infection by spirit beast parasites and fungi," Director Yang said gravely. "We cannot cure him—not even the world's entire supply of antibiotics can save him."

"We tried treating the parasites, but our medical staff were dragged by the collar and severely warned—only after drinking three bottles of glucose could they return to the patient's organs!"

"This is the most important mission entrusted to our institute: before everything arrives, develop several effective drugs to combat parasites and fungal infections, ensuring humanity does not collapse during the slow process of spiritual awakening."

Healthy humans are not easily infected by fungi.

But now, due to environmental changes, some fungi are quietly evolving.

The human immune system is not as strong as people believe.

Before these evolved pathogens, the human immune system is like running naked—though, if humans regain spiritual power and join the awakening, they can become immune.

But the human body is too precise and complex; there is lag in the awakening process.

Therefore, humans must use technology to protect their kind during awakening, and deepen research into spiritual revival, evolving an entirely new systematic discipline from existing fields.

…………

After the morning tour, Lin Ying was taken by Director Yang to a special guesthouse outside the institute, located within a restricted zone, for lunch.

A soldier whispered something to Director Yang, who nodded slightly and said to Lin Ying:

"Your Lin clan's patriarch called you three times. I think you should reply—he can know everything here except the institute's location."

Director Yang said this as a formality, nothing more.

In this era, only underground bases can hide from surveillance; anything on land has no secrets.

The Dongxiang Spirit Beast Institute's classification is only Secret—not Top Secret or Classified.

But since the institute is inland, even spies can do nothing—visitors cannot access Secret-level research.

Lin Ying retrieved her phone and entered a private room in the guesthouse to call back the Lin patriarch.

On the other end, the Lin patriarch spoke:

"I saw your message—is the Dongxiang Institute trying to get us to invest in some project?"

The patriarch's words startled Lin Ying; she hesitated slightly and asked, "Does Grandfather know?"

"Not exactly," the patriarch chuckled. "I've just had some contact with related people. Otherwise, how did your political review pass?"

"Did they ask you about the Longevity Club?"

"Not yet. They only showed me the institute's investment projects," Lin Ying replied.

"Hmm," the patriarch fell silent, then said:

"About the Longevity Club—if anyone asks, say you don't know. If they keep pressing, just throw a tantrum and accuse them of sexual harassment, then call the police."

"The origin of the Longevity Club"

"Nephew, a family that has never broken its lineage and has continuously accumulated wealth—do you know how many generations they've had?"

"As far as I know, it's the ninth generation," the patriarch said softly.

"The Longevity Club began when they discovered new profit opportunities—and the possibility of longevity."

"Due to historical reasons, their organization has gone by names like the Biological Science Technology Church, the Longevity Club, the Gentlemen's Society—they're one company, founded by billionaires."

(End of Chapter)