Alex felt his heart skip a beat, a heavy thump against his ribs.
The Gene Association database was incredible. She actually managed to trace his mutating bloodline back to Naga's so easily.
However, compared to the Silver Serpent Empress Naagin bloodline, the Naga's bloodline is very low level.
"So... I just have a Naga gene?" Alex asked as he pretended confused, trying to sound relieved, though his voice cracked slightly.
"No," Mira said flatly, her tone filled with absolute awe.
She swiped her hand through the air, enlarging Alex's DNA model until it completely dwarfed the standard Naga gene on the screen. "Look at the structure, Alex. The common Naga gene looks like a child's drawing compared to this."
"I don't know how you awakened such powerful genes," She stepped closer to the hologram. "Your genetic sequence is infinitely more complex."
"It's becoming incredibly dense, evolved, and layered with different mana signatures that the machines can barely even read."
"The common Naga gene awakeners, who occasionally awaken Naga bloodline usually peak at 'A' or 'S' rank, and their mutations are stable."
"Yours is volatile, aggressive, and completely rewriting your base human biology from the ground up."
Mira turned her head to look directly at him, her scientific curiosity burning brighter than ever. "This isn't just a simple bloodline mutation."
"This is a high-level, progenitor-class bloodline. Something ancient. Whatever this gene is, it's forcibly changing your body to turn into a powerful life form."
"Wow, as long as the process progresses, you will become incredibly powerful, even surpassing the strongest human being alive in the current Federation."
"However, this kind of forceful evolution might cause unknown changes to your body and soul," She paused, her gaze dropping pointedly to the oversized hoodie that hid his softening curves and developing chest.
"And right now, it seems this ancient bloodline has decided that a female body is the most optimal form for its survival."
Alex couldn't even process the weight of her words, as he already guessed most of it, however the physical reality of the countdown was taking over.
"Mira..." he whispered, his body trembling violently on the stool. A sudden, involuntary shiver racked his spine, causing his shoulders to jerk.
He slowly reached a pale hand up to his neck. As his fingers rubbed against his collarbone, his breath hitched. The skin there felt utterly wrong.
"My skin..." he gasped, his chest rising and falling in quick, shallow breaths. "It feels... dead."
He scratched at his arm, his fingernails dragging across the surface.
There was no pain, just a thick, leathery resistance, as if he were touching someone else's body.
"I'm so cold," Alex whined softly, pulling the hoodie tighter around his teeth chattered loudly in the quiet lab, a rapid, clicking sound that he couldn't control.
His hands gripped the edges of the stool so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Mira's eyes widened in sudden alarm. She didn't hesitate.
Her fingers flew across the holographic console, swiping away the DNA models and pulling up a new, intense set of medical scanning beams from the ceiling.
A grid of pulsing green and blue light washed over Alex, scanning from the top of his head down to his shaking legs.
The machines began to beep frantically as the data poured in. His body temperature was plummeting at a deadly rate, and the outer layer of his epidermis was experiencing massive, rapid cellular death.
Mira leaned in close to the screen, her brow furrowed tight as she zoomed in on the microscopic readouts.
Suddenly, her tense shoulders dropped. The worry vanished from her face, replaced by a soft, fascinated smile.
Beneath the dying, leathery outer layer of his skin, the scanners showed an explosive growth of brand-new, highly energetic cells.
His body was already repairing and replacing the exterior.
"Don't worry," Mira said softly, her voice steady and calm to ground him.
She stepped away from the console and placed a warm hand over his stiff shoulder.
Even through his oversized hoodie, Alex could feel the stark, burning contrast of her body heat against his icy flesh.
He gave a weak, jerky nod, his pupils blown wide with a mix of fear and the biting cold.
"It doesn't seem to be that serious," she explained, looking directly into his panicked eyes.
"It's just an ordinary molting. Your new bloodline is forcing the old human exterior out. You should be able to grow new skin below before the old one sheds."
Alex let out a ragged, shallow breath, a tiny cloud of vapor escaping his lips as his internal temperature dropped even further.
His muscles locked up, a heavy spasm rolling through his back as his body desperately tried to generate warmth.
"According to my calculations, it won't take long," Mira continued quickly.
She tapped a series of commands on her wristpad. Across the room, a sleek, glass-covered medical pod hissed loudly as its heavy lid slid open.
The interior glowed with a soft blue light. "Just enter the medical pod, and leave the rest to me."
Alex tried to slide off the stool, but his knees immediately buckled.
The stiff flesh pulled and cracked slightly around his elbows and knees, sending a dull, tingling numbness shooting straight up his spine.
Mira caught him easily by the waist, her arm wrapping around his side to support his clumsy, heavy weight.
"Also, don't worry about that girl," Mira whispered close to his ear, gently guiding his staggering steps toward the open machine. "I'll take care of her situation. You just focus on this."
Alex couldn't even form the words to thank her. His throat felt completely dry, as if it were coated in sand.
Mira helped him lift his legs over the edge, lowering him into the heavily padded interior of the pod.
As his back settled against the bottom, a sharp gasp left his lips.
The pod instantly responded to his presence, pumping a thick, warm, soothing mist from the vents that completely wrapped around his body.
The heavy glass door slid shut overhead, sealing with a final, airtight click.
His racing, panicked heartbeat slowly began to steady, matching the slow, rhythmic pulse of the life-support monitors chiming softly in his ears.
His eyelids fluttered, suddenly feeling like they were made of lead. The bright blue light above him blurred into a soft, hazy glow.
The terrifying, biting cold melted away under the thick mist, quickly replaced by a heavy, undeniable exhaustion that weighed down his every limb.
Before he could even process the reality of what kind of body he was going to wake up in, the darkness pulled him under, dragging Alex effortlessly into a deep, silent sleep.