"You're getting too complacent. That kid is sharp as a blade—far from easy to handle. Don't let victory slip through your fingers and ruin everything because of him." Suddenly, a young man's voice echoed directly in Dr. Mo's neural link.
Dr. Mo's expression hardened, his features turning as cold as frozen metal. He snapped back sharply:
"Yu Zitong, stay out of my business. I don't need your lectures. If this succeeds, you'll get your share of the rewards. But the gene enhancement protocol you provided—there's something off about it. Could you be hoping for an accident on my end?" Suspicion dripped from every word.
The voice on the other end sounded intimidated. Hurriedly, it defended itself:
"That's impossible! Didn't you test it on bio-subjects already? The one that died was just because you hadn't mastered the protocol yet. Besides, its failure shouldn't hinder your main plan."
"Hmph. I hope you're right. Too bad I can't run more trials—otherwise, I'd be twice as confident." Dr. Mo recalled the previous bio-experiments, and the last trace of doubt faded from his mind.
After his retort, the voice fell silent, having learned its lesson. Dr. Mo was left muttering to himself in a neurotic rhythm, casting an eerie aura over the sterile bio-lab.
Meanwhile, Han Li hid in an abandoned interstellar colony ruin—more remote and concealed than his meeting place with Li Feiyu.
The site was a narrow strip of land wedged between two jagged rock outcrops, forming a straight line. Both ends were sealed tight by overgrown bio-metallic vegetation, impassable to all but those who knew the secret. A single carbon-fiber cable dangled from the shorter outcrop, the only escape route besides his own two feet.
Dense clusters of thorny bio-synthetic vines covered most of the area, leaving only a small clearing for Han Li's training. Above, a canopy of interwoven genetic engineered creepers formed a natural energy-shielded dome, hiding him from any accidental passersby.
Han Li stowed his gear beneath a massive discarded reactor core, then returned to the center of the clearing. Closing his eyes briefly to focus, he opened them with unwavering resolve and whispered softly: "I'll start with the most difficult—genetic flexibility restructuring."
And so, Han Li began his solitary gene ascension training.
Unbeknownst to him, a small yellow bird-drone perched on a nearby vine, its bio-sensors locked onto him day and night. Programmed to report any escape attempts, it remained stationary, detecting no signs of him fleeing.
Time raced by. Half of the four-month training period passed in the blink of an eye.
The clearing now appeared empty—Han Li was nowhere to be seen. Only the yellow drone remained, preening its synthetic feathers as if oblivious to its target's disappearance, its surveillance protocol temporarily sidelined.
Suddenly, a gray bird-drone sliced through the vine canopy, circling overhead before landing on a weathered wooden stake at the edge of the clearing, seemingly pausing to recharge its bio-battery.
The yellow drone tilted its head, regarding the newcomer with an arrogant glint in its optical sensors—an almost human-like sneer that betrayed its disdain.
The gray drone stood on one claw, scanning its surroundings until it spotted the yellow drone. It fluttered its wings, preparing to approach.
In an instant, disaster struck. A dry, calloused hand shot out from nowhere, clamping tightly around the unsuspecting gray drone.
Panic surged through the small machine. It struggled violently, but the grip holding it was unyielding.
Only then did the gray drone realize—the stake beneath its claws had transformed into a young man dressed in a yellow tactical suit. His skin was tanned from exposure to cosmic radiation, his features unremarkable save for his sharp, clear eyes that held a quiet intensity.
Han Li smiled as he watched the drone's futile struggles. When its movements slowed with exhaustion, he released his grip and said gently:
"Off you go. Don't be so careless next time—always scan your landing zone first."
Freed from captivity, the gray drone abandoned any thought of the yellow drone, flapping its wings frantically as it fled the clearing without looking back.
Han Li stood motionless, watching it go. After a long moment, he murmured to himself:
"It seems my gene signal suppression and biological mimicry have reached a decent level. Next, it's time to practice close-quarters infiltration techniques."
With that, Han Li moved toward a small prefabricated cabin he had constructed nearby. As he passed the tree where the yellow drone perched, he glanced up at it.
He had discovered the peculiar drone over half a month earlier. It had remained perched there, its sensors fixed on him, displaying an uncanny level of adaptive intelligence.
From the first moment he saw it, Han Li had been fascinated by its advanced programming. He had tried everything to capture it—luring it with bio-energy baits, setting sensor traps, even attempting to hack its communication frequency—but the drone never took the bait. At times, it would tilt its head as if regarding him with amusement, as if mocking his efforts, leaving Han Li chagrined yet amused.
Once, growing frustrated, he had tried to approach it directly. But before he could get close, the drone had launched into the air, hovering just out of reach. The moment he stepped back, it returned to its perch, taunting him with its persistence.
Shaking his head in feigned annoyance, Han Li turned away. Deep down, he had already deduced the drone's origin—it was undoubtedly Dr. Mo's doing, a surveillance tool sent to monitor his progress.
But Han Li didn't care. As long as Dr. Mo didn't come in person, a single drone could only relay superficial observations. Besides, he genuinely admired the drone's advanced adaptive programming and couldn't bring himself to destroy such an intricate creation.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mo stood in his bio-lab, arranging a complex array of bio-nano particles and gene-coded reagents—forming a peculiar genetic energy matrix on the lab floor. As he worked, he continued his discussion with the voice in his neural link, completely unaware that Han Li had long since seen through his surveillance.