Just as Lin Xuan ordered his troops to retrieve the spoils of war and make contact with the survivors, the system's notification tone rang out in his mind once more, completely without warning. This time, however, the content of the message made his heart give a violent lurch.
[Ding! Successfully eliminated the "Corpse King's" vanguard servant. Special quest chain activated!]
[Quest Reward: Unlocked Special Character Card — "Gentek Founder" Dr. Raymond McMullen (Unique)]
[Character Introduction: Raymond McMullen, founder and CEO of Gentek. His groundbreaking research on non-coding DNA first gave Black Watch a profound understanding of the "blacklight virus". Possessing extraordinary intellect and an almost fanatical passion for science, he firmly believes only science can unravel the virus's mysteries and control its ultimate impact on the planet's biosphere.]
Lin Xuan's pupils contracted slightly.
The "Corpse King"? What was that? It sounded like something even more advanced than that Giant Zombie. And the behemoth they had just blasted to pieces was merely one of its "servants"?
The waters of this world ran deeper than he had imagined.
But what shocked and thrilled him even more was the reward this time.
Raymond McMullen!
From the system's introduction, Lin Xuan knew he was not just the founder of Gentek, but one of the masterminds behind the entire blacklight virus incident—a man truly standing at the pinnacle of the biotechnology pyramid. His wisdom and understanding of the virus far surpassed even Dr. Karen Parker's.
If Dr. Parker was the top-tier executor and researcher, then McMullen was the strategist who set the rules and charted the course.
Obtaining him was tantamount to obtaining the key to unlocking the virus's ultimate secrets.
Lin Xuan used the character card without a moment's hesitation. He didn't summon McMullen directly before him. Instead, with a thought, he chose a more fitting method of introduction—teleporting him directly to the vicinity of the underground laboratory's entrance.
...
The perspective shifted to the fifth underground level of F Base, the core restricted zone of the entire complex—the Gentek Biological Laboratory.
Hiss—
The heavy multi-layered alloy airlock door slid open slowly. Several scientists in white sterile lab coats, who had been gathered around a massive workbench, instinctively turned their heads.
When they saw the person standing at the entrance, they all froze. Complex expressions of surprise, awe, and elation quickly surfaced on their faces.
The newcomer was a 49-year-old Caucasian man. He wore a neat suit, his grey hair meticulously combed. Behind gold-rimmed glasses, a pair of blue eyes shone with an intelligent, piercing light. He carried an aura of authority from long-held command, tempered with a scholar's refinement. It was none other than the founder of Gentek—Dr. Raymond McMullen.
"Hey! Boss! You... you're here too!" a young-looking scientist was the first to react, shouting excitedly.
"Welcome, Boss!"
"It's wonderful to see you, Doctor!"
Other researchers in the lab quickly gathered around. They were all elite Gentek scientists from the *Prototype* world that Lin Xuan had previously exchanged for via the system. To them, McMullen wasn't just their boss; he was their spiritual leader and idol.
McMullen smiled and nodded to everyone. His gaze swept rapidly across the entire laboratory, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes. While the equipment here couldn't compare to the Gentek building, it was passable.
"Everyone, well done," he said, his voice warm and magnetic.
"It seems our new 'boss' has provided us with a rather decent working environment. What's the status of your current research?"
As he spoke, he walked towards the largest workbench. On it lay a massive, charred bone fragment and some black, minced-meat-like tissue samples in petri dishes. These were the remains of the Giant Zombie, urgently airlifted back from the battlefield.
One scientist adjusted his glasses and reported excitedly, "Boss, we've successfully replicated and optimized the first stage of the 'blood toxin'. Following the Commander's directive, we've begun preparations for mass production. Dr. Parker went personally to the secret factory outside the city today to oversee the handover of the production line... just like... just like we did back in that world."
McMullen nodded. He wasn't surprised about the mass production of the "blood toxin"; it was part of their original plan. He was more interested in the virus of this new world.
"Good. So, what are you researching now? Any new discoveries regarding this world's virus?"
Hearing this question, another Caucasian scientist wore a troubled expression. Pointing at the imaging screen of a microscope, he said, "We've hit a snag. This world's viral gene sequence is very peculiar. Its non-coding region seems to have a complex 'intron lock'. We've tried multiple enzymatic cleavage protocols but can't unlock it. This prevents us from conducting in-depth sequence analysis and editing."
"Let me see."
Without the slightest hesitation, McMullen removed his suit jacket, deftly pulled on a pair of white gloves, and walked over to the high-precision electron microscope. The nearby researchers immediately stepped aside respectfully.
He glanced only once at the complex gene chain structure displayed on the holographic screen. His brow raised slightly, then a look of understanding dawned on his face. In less than ten seconds, he pinpointed the core issue.
"Your genetic tracing direction is mistaken," he said, his tone flat yet carrying undeniable authority.
"You're subconsciously still using our world's 'human genome map' as a reference frame, especially one based on the genes of that world's Han Chinese. But you've overlooked the most critical problem—this is a different world. The evolutionary path here is completely distinct from ours. Look at the arrangement of these base pairs, these unique protein folding patterns... The humans of this world, or at least the indigenous population of this country, have fundamentally diverged at a genetic level from the 'humans' we are familiar with."
McMullen's words struck like a bolt of lightning, instantly clearing the fog that had clouded everyone's minds.
"So that's it!"
"We actually overlooked the most basic reference frame issue!"
"Boss, you've truly opened our eyes!"
An expression of sudden enlightenment dawned on the faces of all the scientists in the lab. Their gazes towards McMullen were filled with adoration. This was the gap. What might have taken them weeks or months to figure out, the Doctor had seen through in a single glance.
Just as the academic atmosphere in the lab reached its peak, the airlock door opened again. Lin Xuan walked in, accompanied by his adjutant, Ling Jianqing.
All the scientists, including McMullen, immediately stopped their discussion. They turned to face Lin Xuan and bowed their heads respectfully.
Lin Xuan's gaze immediately locked onto McMullen. Smiling, he stepped forward and extended his hand first.
"Meeting you surpasses the fame, Dr. McMullen. Welcome to my base."
Looking at this impossibly young supreme Commander before him, a flicker of surprise, barely perceptible, passed through McMullen's eyes. But he quickly regained his composure. He grasped Lin Xuan's hand, gave a slight bow, and said with sincere earnestness:
"Thank you for your great favor and trust, Commander. To have the opportunity to continue my research in an entirely new world is the honor of my lifetime. I will spare no effort to unravel all the secrets of this world's virus for you."
Two hands clasped together.
One, a Commander with absolute authority in this apocalyptic world.
The other, a mad scientist standing at the apex of biotechnology, capable of overturning worlds.
This handshake foretold that this already insane world was about to slide towards an even more unfathomable future.