Chapter 1971: Dual-Iris New Humans

Not long after Zheng Chen left Territory Three with a large pack on his back, two evolved wolves—one black, one white—also left Territory Three, vanishing into the night at extreme speed.

In the big shot's office of the experimental building at Territory Seven, after Zheng Chen left, Xia Qing took off her one-way transparent protective mask.

Qi Zhongye saw the color of her right eye, paused two seconds before speaking, "I don't recall Third Brother mentioning earlier that this iris-color-changing agent can be used on humans."

This kid is far too reckless.

Xia Qing hung the protective mask at her waist and answered with full confidence, "Third Brother didn't say so, which means humans can use it too."

Zhang San snorted coldly, "Wash it clean before you go out later."

"Yes." Xia Qing reported, "Base Commander, Fourth has already set out and will reach the target location within half an hour."

Qi Zhongye nodded, "I've already notified Gao Ying to grant passage."

Hearing that the Base Commander had dispatched the First Special Operations Team—the highest military combat unit of Hui Three—to the eastern Evolution Forest, Xia Qing immediately felt reassured. "Base Commander, Third Brother, what else do you need me to do next?"

If there weren't something for her to do, her idol wouldn't have called her back in such a rush.

Zhang San took a dragon fruit out of the refrigerator and handed it to Xia Qing, then looked toward the Base Commander.

Qi Zhongye moved on to today's third agenda item, "Third Brother, does that genetically modified dog count as a successful modification?"

This question was extremely critical. Xia Qing, who was carefully wiping her hands with disinfectant wipes, pricked up her ears and listened intently.

Zhang San sat back into the soft chair and answered with precision, "It counts, and it doesn't."

Xia Qing……

Zhang San raised his pale, thin fingers and tapped a few keys on the laptop, then turned the screen toward Xia Qing and Qi Zhongye, letting them see the enlarged images of the puppy's claws and the bone structure of its forepaws.

Xia Qing's attention was not on the puppy's claws, but on the bloody holes pierced in the mother dog's belly by the puppies' abnormal claws.

In the Evolution Forest, where evolved microorganisms were everywhere, such wounds were fatal. No wonder the two mother dogs in the recording looked more emaciated than normal lactating canids inside the Evolution Forest.

Zhang San pointed at the images displayed on the screen, his voice as cold as when he stood gripping a scalpel before an operating table, "The reason we say they count as successful is that the second-generation dogs' forepaw claws grow straight, are thick and large, and show no pathological hyperplasia. This indicates that the edited target genes were successfully integrated and stably expressed. So from a technical standpoint, the gene modification project team achieved their initial expected goal."

Qi Zhongye nodded with a solemn expression. Xia Qing, who was using her idol's fruit knife to cut the dragon fruit, also nodded her head, indicating she understood as well.

"The reason it doesn't count is evaluated from the ecological adaptability of this genetic modification. To edit claw morphology in canines, one should first study the overall biomechanical model of the canine paw."

Zhang San continued his explanation, "Canine claws are curved because they need to run and hunt. This claw shape, when gripping the ground, disperses force across the entire paw pad, reducing the impact force per unit area, thereby lessening the repeated impact damage that fast running inflicts on their phalanges and wrist bones."

"The gene-edited dogs and their offspring have claws that grow straight, but the curvature of their forepaw bones, the attachment points of their tendons, and the force distribution across their toe pads were all left unchanged. So when these dogs run at speed, make sharp turns, or pounce on prey, their claws act like nails driven into a wooden board, transmitting impact force directly to the base of the phalanges. Problems won't show in the short term, but within half a year to a year, stress fractures, joint deformation, and chronic pain will inevitably appear in the paw bones."

After finishing, Zhang San delivered his conclusion, "This is not a problem with the gene-editing technology itself, but a problem with the gene modification plan the team designed."

Xia Qing understood again, "These people used evolved dogs for this experiment without any consideration for the dogs' survival needs—they were just showing off that their technology worked."

Zhang San glanced at the new human across from him, and at the plate of diced dragon fruit she had placed between him and Qi Zhongye, then answered with precision:

"This team chose this semi-finished plan because gene-editing technology that only modifies claw variation is relatively low in difficulty. Their initial goal in releasing this experimental dog into the Evolution Forest was to test the spread speed, stability, and expression rate of the edited traits in natural populations. Simply put, they wanted to confirm how many generations it would take for the artificially edited genes to become fixed in a natural population."

Zhang San paused for two seconds, waiting for the new human across from him to successfully process the information he was conveying, then re-emphasized the key point, "This is only the first phase of their experiment."

Xia Qing nodded, indicating she understood.

Qi Zhongye understood that the usually concise big shot was answering in such detail mainly for Xia Qing's benefit.

The big shot valued Xia Qing so highly—Qi Zhongye was more than happy to see it.

He also analyzed in detail the reasons for the enemy's change of plan, guiding Xia Qing's thinking, "In the past half year, the Blue Blood Alliance has suffered consecutive setbacks in Hui One, Hui Three, and Hui Five, becoming a rat that everyone shouts at—their situation is very passive. So they've changed their plan, turning passivity into initiative."

Xia Qing poured two toothpicks out of the toothpick holder, stuck them into the dragon fruit cubes, and listened with full attention.

Zhang San graciously picked up a toothpick and ate a cube of dragon fruit before asking Qi Zhongye for his insight, "Is Blue Blood taking the initiative to hide, or to make a move?"

Qi Zhongye, who had stood at the eye of the storm for twelve years, didn't understand technology, but he was deeply versed in political games. He also ate a cube of dragon fruit before answering the big shot's question, "Hiding in the shadows and directing their pawns to charge into the fray for them—that's Blue Blood's usual tactic."

This was an extremely rare learning opportunity, and Xia Qing listened with complete concentration.

"Hui City is the Blue Blood Alliance's stronghold. Important spies like Hui One's Base Commander Chen Dianming and Hui Three's Deputy Base Commander Tang Zhengrong were purged, the Blue Blood branch in Hui Five was wiped out completely, and the Blaze Squad was disbanded—leaving them without useful pawns in these three bases, and their situation fell into passivity. If they don't reverse the decline soon and demonstrate their value, the Blue Blood Alliance will be completely abandoned and liquidated by both the old and new official radical factions. So Blue Blood took the initiative to expose the gene-edited dogs, showcasing their research capability and value to keep the radicals on board—that's the first point."

Zhang San nodded, agreeing with the Base Commander's assessment.

"The second point is to stir up the situation." Qi Zhongye took a sip of tea and continued his analysis.

"As you said, the first phase of Blue Blood's genetic modification experiment can be considered a success. This gives those vested-interest groups who were marginalized in an era where Evolvers hold the power a glimpse of hope for a comeback—as long as enough ordinary people undergo genetic modification experiments and become their pawns, they can regain control."

"So these people will immediately side with the Blue Blood Alliance, demanding that this technology be opened up and applied on a large scale. They will package gene editing as humanity's right to evolve, and brand opponents as conservatives obstructing human progress. When that happens, any statements the moderate, rational faction makes against illegal human experimentation will become exceptionally feeble in the face of a populist tide that promises every ordinary person the chance to become stronger."

?? This chapter is rather brain-burning, revised again in the morning