It was already late at night when Chen Mo returned from the institute.
As he entered the apartment, he tossed his laptop bag onto the sofa and collapsed into it, lost in thought over the failed drug test.
Three volunteers. Two responded successfully. One—Acura—showed no significant change after the injection. No abnormalities, no side effects, but also no improvement. For a drug meant to unlock human potential, a complete lack of effect was a failure in itself.
If they couldn't identify the cause, the next trial would have to proceed with extreme caution. No one could predict what might happen next.
Why did this happen?
That question had occupied Chen Mo's mind from the moment he received the report. No doubt, the R&D team was asking the same thing.
Was it a problem with Acura's physiology? Or was something else going on?
Chen Mo began mentally listing every possible variable.
This afternoon, the focus of nearly everyone had been on Acura. The drug had clearly been administered, but the effects were absent. It didn't make sense.
As the developer, Chen Mo knew the drug better than anyone. When an experiment went wrong, he was the first to be held accountable and the first to seek answers. Some members of the team had already begun speculating that the drug was still imperfect, that the technology itself needed further refinement.
Once that suggestion was raised, it quickly gained support.
After the physical exam confirmed Acura's lack of change, discussion intensified. They theorized temperature issues, unique physiological differences, and other unknowns that might have interfered with the silence factor's efficacy.
During that conversation, Chen Mo remained silent.
But deep down, he was confident: there was nothing wrong with the drug. At least, not on a technical level. If anything, the problem must have occurred elsewhere.
"Mo-ge, Sister Xiaoyu is calling," came the prompt from Mo Nu, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Chen Mo answered the video call.
Xiao Yu appeared on screen, sitting on their sofa in a nightdress. The straps of her top slid casually off her shoulders, her hair slightly damp as if fresh from a shower. As soon as she saw him, her face lit up with a sweet smile.
"Husband, I miss you. When are you coming home?"
The moment he heard her voice, Chen Mo's tense expression softened. No matter how many problems weighed on him, seeing Xiao Yu always lifted his mood.
"I miss you too," he said warmly. "It might be a while before I'm back."
"Did something happen?" she asked gently.
"Yeah, a small issue. One of today's drug tests didn't go as expected. I've been trying to figure out why."
"Is it serious?" Her brow creased with worry. "Is there something wrong with the drug?"
Xiao Yu was one of the few people in the company who knew about the potential-enhancement drug. Chen Mo hadn't kept any secrets from her regarding his collaboration with the authorities.
"One dose had no effect. But I developed the drug myself, and I'm confident the formula is sound. I think the problem lies elsewhere."
"Could it have been a mix-up?" Xiao Yu asked. "What if someone injected the wrong drug by mistake?"
Chen Mo's eyes narrowed sharply.
That one question struck like lightning.
All day, their attention had been on the volunteer's condition. The discussion had revolved entirely around physiological factors or technical shortcomings.
Because the drug was prepared ahead of time and access was restricted to a handful of researchers, everyone had assumed it was impossible for a mistake or tampering to have occurred.
They were experts, after all. In their world, a failed test was normal—it was part of research. So their instincts were to look inward, not outward. Professional bias had led them into a mental trap.
But Xiao Yu wasn't a researcher. She was outside the bubble. That distance gave her clarity. Her casual observation now lit up Chen Mo's thoughts like a beacon.
If the drug itself wasn't the issue… what if it had been replaced?
"Wife, you're my lucky star," Chen Mo said, smiling with sudden realization.
Xiao Yu's eyes curved into delighted crescents. "Really? So I helped?"
"You might've pointed out the key. It's very possible the dose was switched."
Seeing him so energized, Xiao Yu smiled too. Even if she couldn't solve the problem herself, just giving Chen Mo a push made her happy.
Then she hesitated, cheeks flushed, eyes glancing away.
"Husband… I went shopping with Ruoxi tonight. Bought something."
"What'd you buy?" Chen Mo asked with interest.
"You'll see when you come home," she teased. "But I'm sure you'll like it."
"I'll like it even more if you don't wear it," Chen Mo grinned playfully.
"Bad egg," Xiao Yu huffed, pouting with shy irritation. "You always bully me."
"But you're the one who spoils me, remember?"
"Mhm. That's why I'm ignoring you."
"Are you really?" he chuckled.
"Oh… you know I can't."
The couple chatted for another ten minutes before ending the call. After the video closed, the smile faded from Chen Mo's face, and he returned to the issue at hand.
If the drug had only been accidentally mixed up, that was manageable. But if it had been deliberately switched—if someone had tampered with the syringe and smuggled out a sample…
That would be catastrophic.
If news of the drug leaked, it could create immense trouble. Before jumping to conclusions, though, Chen Mo needed proof.
"Mo Nu," he said, addressing his AI assistant, "scan the communication logs of all core R&D members. Look for any unusual activity or unknown contacts."
"Nothing irregular so far," Mo Nu replied after a pause.
"Keep monitoring. Notify me the moment something suspicious appears."
Chen Mo hesitated, but decided not to alert Li Chengzhi yet. Without evidence, speculation would only create unnecessary tension. He quietly headed to his room, took a hot shower, and went to bed.
—
Meanwhile, at a different apartment, Shen Chongxin rushed into his room the moment he got home.
He pulled out the pen hidden in his pocket and stared at the orange liquid inside the refill with a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.
Getting his hands on this drug hadn't been easy. Today's plan had gone smoothly—better than expected.
From the R&D team's perspective, the failed test was just another routine anomaly. Most believed the technology needed further refinement. That was the perfect cover.
As long as no one asked the right questions in the next day or two, and all evidence was erased, no one would ever know what he'd done.
He had seen the drug's effects firsthand—enhanced immunity, strength, speed, vision, hearing… even memory. It could make an ordinary person extraordinary.
The potential drug was priceless.
Carefully removing the liquid from the pen refill, Shen Chongxin swallowed nervously, rolled up his sleeve, and injected the substance into his arm.
He sealed the rest and placed it back into hiding. Then, lying down on the bed, he exhaled deeply.
Not long after, a wave of overwhelming drowsiness swept over him. His body felt heavy.
Sleep took him instantly.