sinovels Chapter 350 A Great Power with Stable Development
Chapter 350 A Great Power with Stable Development
Bruce didn't sleep that night.
He sat in the laboratory all night, staring intently at the grayish-black seed in the incubator.
The notebook next to it was filled with dense numbers and symbols, as well as experimental records and reports.
After a sleepless night of reflection, he learned the following points.
That is, the hardness of this thing's seed coat is slightly weaker than steel, but many times harder than the seeds of any known plant on Earth.
And all the different chemical softening methods he tried failed.
He focused all his energy on the seed all night.
But in the end...
But they were at a loss.
"...What kind of seed is this?"
Looking at the perfectly intact seed in front of him, he completely gave up the idea of softening it, and then picked up the magnifying glass again, examining the seed over and over.
As he looked around, a bold guess suddenly popped into his head.
The arrangement of these seeds is too regular.
It's even so regular that... it doesn't resemble a plant seed at all, but rather some kind of storage medium.
Thinking of this, he quickly wrote it down in the notebook beside him:
"The seed coat might not be used for waterproofing or physical protection, but rather as some kind of signal shielding layer? Or some kind of protective outer layer..."
After writing all this, he himself felt that the idea was a bit outrageous.
But since the world began to change dramatically, how many absurd things have happened?
Following this line of thought, he began to ponder further...
Since softening and physical cracking don't work, is there another way to open it?
What kind of environment can make a seed germinate on its own?
For him, a PhD, this was something all too familiar.
It's nothing more than water, temperature, light, soil...
But this seed is clearly not an ordinary seed, so these ordinary methods may not work...
Suddenly, he remembered his mutated marijuana...
Those things thrive on radiation; the environment near a nuclear power plant is actually a source of nutrients for them.
And now, who says that this seed of unknown origin needs the same things as plants on Earth?
Thinking of all this, he stood up, turned on the radiation monitoring instrument in the laboratory, and took another look at the radiation distribution map of the entire nuclear power plant.
The nuclear power plant has several areas with high radiation levels. One of these areas, a wastewater treatment zone, has radiation levels several times higher than the safety standard. It is a strictly controlled area under normal circumstances, and people are advised not to go near it unless absolutely necessary.
Bruce stared at the values marked in that area, thought for a moment, picked up his notebook, turned to a blank page, and started calculating again.
He spent two hours comparing known data on plant radiation tolerance to try to estimate the level of radiation the seed might need.
After he finished calculating, he found that the number he had calculated was somewhat unacceptable to him.
"This is the amount that's needed..."
He drew a line in his notebook and looked at it again.
That's correct.
If this seed truly requires radiation to activate germination, the amount it needs far exceeds that of any radiation-tolerant organism he knows.
It exceeds the levels of mutated cannabis by several times.
"...Where did the boss get this thing from?"
He muttered something, stood up, picked up the sample box, and walked towards the door.
……
The wastewater treatment area is located behind the nuclear power plant. Normally, no one comes here. You have to pass through two control gates on the way, and you need to swipe your access card to enter.
Bruce used the researcher pass Helen had given him to climb the ranks.
After putting on his protective suit and hanging up the radiation meter, he walked to the edge of the wastewater pool, squatted down, and opened the sample box.
The seeds still looked lifeless.
He found an inconspicuous corner, dug a shallow hole, buried the seed, poured a little bit of his prepared nutrient solution on it, stepped back two paces, and stared at the ground.
Then he waited...
……
Meanwhile, compared to many countries like the United States, which have already entered a state of complete doomsday.
However, the situation in China is quite different.
At a time of great global change, China was the first country in the world to activate a comprehensive emergency response mechanism.
The reason is simple: they received the news earlier than others.
Even before the disaster, Lin Fan had already passed the message on to the top leadership of China.
Because of these prerequisites, China began large-scale internal deployments as early as the beginning of the upheaval, from material reserves to personnel evacuation, from military preparedness to scientific research allocation.
Almost before anyone could figure out what was happening, China's response system was already up and running.
Before we knew it, the gap had widened.
Now, more than a month has passed since the disaster, and although the overall order in China has been severely impacted, it is much more stable compared to the chaotic situation in most other regions.
Emergency command centers in various provinces and cities are operating normally, the military is stationed in an orderly manner, and the material distribution system, although under great pressure, has not collapsed.
Even so, there was one thing that still gave the higher-ups a headache for quite some time.
That is, as time goes by, there will be a continuous emergence of evolved beings.
In the aftermath of the catastrophe, people around the world began to awaken various abilities, and China was no exception.
When this group of people was first discovered, command centers in various locations reported the news almost simultaneously, using similar wording:
"A group of individuals with abnormal abilities have emerged. Their origins are unknown, and it is currently impossible to determine their safety. We request instructions from higher authorities."
In response to these newly added evolved beings, the higher-ups quickly provided two solutions.
Registration, screening, and isolation observation.
Furthermore, based on the former, a systematic capacity assessment and personnel integration should be carried out.
It must be said that even in times of global chaos, a major power's execution capabilities remain impeccable, continuing in an orderly manner.
On the third day after the order was issued, various provinces and cities in China began to launch the registration of evolved individuals.
In a research base in the capital that is not open to the public, there is a building with an unassuming sign that is the core area for China's evolutionary research.
Everyone calls it "803".
It's not some mysterious code name; it's just that it's located in Block 803, and we were too lazy to come up with a name, so we just called it that.
Unit 803 is home to one of the strongest scientific research forces that China can currently mobilize, and its daily research focuses on three areas.
The genetic structure of mutated plants and animals, the mechanisms of evolved abilities, and the development of various usable items in post-apocalyptic environments.
The project director's name is Chen Shu.
He was in his forties, wore glasses, had slightly messy hair, and always wore a serious expression.
That morning, he pushed open the conference room door, put the documents he was holding on the table, looked at the five or six researchers sitting inside, and began to speak:
"There are three things I need to say in order, then everyone go back to their work and don't waste time."
Everyone present knew Chen Shu's style; no one wasted words, they all watched him intently.
"First, the progress of the integration of evolved beings."
Chen Shu turned to the first page of information.
"As of yesterday, 1,247 evolved individuals have registered nationwide, of whom 831 have completed ability assessments and 503 have been incorporated into emergency response teams at various levels. Abilities covered include physical enhancement, sensory enhancement, elemental manipulation, and mental abilities..."
He paused for a moment and adjusted his glasses.
"In the mental health category, there are currently 34 confirmed cases. They are all managed separately and are not included in mission teams except in emergencies."
A researcher nearby looked up: "Is the assessment plan for mental abilities still in the approval process?"
"Yes, no rush, let's take it easy."
The statement turned to the next page, "The second thing is the research on the genes of mutated organisms."