Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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The blending process was lengthy. Only after the scent of heather flowers was incorporated could the perfume, with its rich top notes, intense middle notes, and lingering base notes, be considered complete.
Zhuang Li lay face down on the bed, hugging a pillow, breathing slightly through his nose. His snow-white skin was glistening with sweat, revealing a pinkish hue. Occasionally, a red plum blossom would bloom above the blue veins, a dazzling beauty.
Yun Ming hugged him from behind, kissing the scar on the back of his neck lightly, her voice full of pity: “Does it still hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Zhuang Li turned to the side, his slender fingertips gently wiping away the beads of sweat on his lover’s chest, and asked curiously, “If we both had glands, would the sensation be more intense during sex?”
“You think it’s not strong enough?” Yun Ming frowned.
Recalling the thrilling experience, Zhuang Li bumped his forehead against his lover’s chest, his tone full of satisfaction: “No, it was already very intense. Our bodies are perfectly matched.”
Finding his lover’s brows still furrowed, as if he wasn’t very happy, Zhuang Li quickly cupped his head in his hands, kissing his eyes and cheeks repeatedly, and coaxing him softly, “Baby, I love you to death. Even without glands, you are the strongest man in the world.”
When it came to sweet talk, no one could rival Zhuang Li. Yun Ming was immediately charmed, his brows relaxed, his eyes brightened, and he felt a surge of joy.
He embraced his fiancé and returned the kiss, then once again reveled in the intense fragrance.
That afternoon, the two, feeling completely satisfied, dragged their tired bodies out of bed and sat in the restaurant to recharge.
Both of their AI systems simultaneously emitted rapid beeping sounds, a warning signal indicating a deterioration in their health. Sex, a pleasure for others, was a painful ordeal for them.
Yun Ming, who was smiling as he cut the steak for Zhuang Li, paused slightly, his heart piercing with pain. But he quickly recovered and continued serving the food as if nothing had happened.
Zhuang Li immediately turned off the health monitoring program.
“Don’t turn it off.” Yun Ming immediately put down the knife, pulled his wrist over, and restarted the health monitoring program.
Only after adjusting it did he belatedly realize that his fingerprint could actually unlock Zhuang Li’s AI.
Zhuang Li explained at the right moment: “Your fingerprints, iris, and DNA information are on the military marriage application form. I have entered them into the backend and set the highest level of access.”
This means that he considers me his closest person. We are inseparable.
Yun Ming’s gloomy mood instantly soared, like falling into an ice cave only to find a hot spring underneath, bringing a warm and pleasant surprise.
He extended his wrist as well, and chuckled softly, “You try opening it too.”
Zhuang Li extended his index finger and pressed it gently, activating Yun Ming’s AI.
When they received their military marriage application forms, the two, who were thousands of miles apart, did the same thing without any prior arrangement, a tacit understanding that was quite amusing.
So Zhuang Li and Yun Ming held each other’s wrists and chuckled inexplicably. As they laughed, they simultaneously stretched their necks and exchanged a loving kiss across the table.
The oppressive feeling brought about by the warning sound completely melted away in the sweet and warm atmosphere.
After their lips and tongues parted, Zhuang Li used his AI to project a light screen and said lightly, “Don’t worry, I’ve already found a way to cure us.”
“What method?” Yun Ming looked at the screen and saw a picture of a cell displayed on it.
“This is a cell sample that humanity brought with them when they fled Earth. The Zhuang family is the empire’s largest conglomerate, with immense capital. They once acquired a large number of biological specimens from ancient Earth, and this cell is one of them. I originally thought that the company my family gave me was just an unprofitable shell company, but clearly, I was wrong.”
“All the ancient Earth biological specimens acquired by the Zhuang family are stored in this company’s cold storage.” Zhuang Li said while drinking milk, “My father did not abandon me; he left me his most precious possession.”
Biological samples, artifacts, and books from ancient Earth were priceless treasures for the people of an interstellar-age empire.
A paper book published in ancient Earth times once sold for a record-breaking 2 billion Star Dollars at auction.
The company that Zhuang family gave to Zhuang Li actually preserved tens of thousands of seeds, animal specimens, cell samples, DNA information of various organisms from ancient Earth, etc., with a total value that was incalculable.
If Zhuang Li couldn’t make a living, he could just take anything from the cold storage and sell it, and he would immediately be on the rich list.
Therefore, the matter of being expelled from the family seemed to be just a smokescreen.
Yun Ming’s expression softened, and she sighed, “Your family is protecting you in their own way.”
“Yes, they left me enough options.” Zhuang Li pointed to the cell diagram and steered the conversation back on track: “Do you know what kind of organism this cell belongs to?”
“These are cells from ancient humans on Earth.” Yun Ming carefully examined the image.
“That’s right. Do you know which ancient human from Earth it belonged to?” Zhuang Li continued to ask.
Yun Ming shook his head and said, “The civilization and history of ancient Earth were destroyed in a nuclear explosion. I can’t guess. Did it belong to a very famous historical figure? Einstein?”
“It’s not Einstein.” Zhuang Li shook his head and chuckled, then announced the answer: “It’s Hela’s cell. You’ve all heard the story of the goddess Hela since you were little, right?”
Yun Ming looked astonished: “These are Hela’s cells? But Hela is just a fictional character!”
Hela, the immortal goddess, was a myth fabricated by the people of an interstellar-era empire, based on a fragmented ancient text. In this text, Hela was described in only one sentence: “She is a woman who never dies.”
Even with advanced interstellar technology, humans in the interstellar age had not been able to discover a way to achieve immortality, so how could ancient Earth’s humans possibly have? Thus, this record was deemed a myth by archaeologists at the time.
But now, Zhuang Li pointed to the cells on the screen and slowly said, “This is not a myth. Hela was immortal. The human cell I’m showing you now belongs to her. After being frozen for thousands of years, this cell is still alive. As long as it has enough nutrients and the temperature is suitable, it can continue to divide. It will never die, so Hela will never die either.”
Yun Ming was stunned. He immediately realized just how terrifying the meaning of those words truly was.
In ancient Earth humans, the cell division limit was about 50 times. With each division, the telomeres in their cells would shorten a little. By the 50th division, the telomeres would disappear completely, and the human body would enter the countdown to death.
Even in the interstellar age, when humans have found ways to lengthen telomeres and thus extend their lifespan, the number of cell divisions was still limited. Beta cells divided a maximum of 80 times; omega cells a maximum of 75 times; and alpha cells divided between 100 and 200 times, with stronger individuals living longer.
But Hela’s cells could divide indefinitely, which suggested that she could live forever.
“No, she’s dead.” Zhuang Li shattered Yun Ming’s reverie: “Cell division requires energy, and infinitely dividing cells require an infinite amount of energy. Hela was just an ordinary person; she couldn’t possibly supply such a vast amount of energy to these cells, so she died— from cancer.”
Zhuang Li pointed to the picture and said, “After she died, these amazing cells lost their energy supply and finally stopped dividing. They didn’t die, they just went into hibernation. If you take one of them and give it the right amount of energy, it can reproduce indefinitely.”
Yun Ming pondered for a long time before sighing, “Ancient Earth humans were truly amazing! No wonder ancient texts say that Hela was immortal.”
Zhuang Li nodded and said, “Yes, so don’t always assume that things that are impossible are fake. The universe still holds many mysteries, and science is not all correct.”
Zhuang Li projected several more cell images and continued explaining: “I cultivated some Hela cells and used gene recombination technology to reverse them into stem cells, and then used gene editing technology to cultivate these stem cells into endocrine cells.”
At this point, Zhuang Li asked again, “Do you know what endocrine cells are?”
“I don’t know.” Yun Ming shook his head.
This was not his fault. After all, modern interstellar humans no longer had endocrine cells, and the production of glands in the back of the neck had completely replaced the function of endocrine cells.
Zhuang Li further explained: “Endocrine cells are a type of cell unique to ancient humans on Earth. They can secrete various hormones to keep the body functioning normally. Ancient humans on Earth did not have glands at the back of their necks, but they were still very healthy. The secret lies here.”
Yun Ming finally realized: “I understand now, the endocrine cells you cultivated can replace glands.”
Zhuang Li smiled and nodded: “That’s right. I will implant these endocrine cells into our bodies, allowing them to aggregate into new glands that secrete the various hormones our bodies need. So don’t worry, even without the cervical glands, we can live a long time.”
Yun Ming stared at the cells on the screen in disbelief, his eyes gradually brightening.
“This is a groundbreaking invention. The Zerg like to ambush human soldiers from behind, targeting their glands, because they know that’s our vital point. Every year, tens of thousands of soldiers die tragically because their glands are bitten through, and millions more are forced to retire due to damaged glands and silently wait to die.”
Yun Ming gripped Zhuang Li’s hand tightly, his voice filled with excitement, “With this invention, we will save the lives of countless soldiers.”
Faced with such good news, Yun Ming’s first thought was not that he could be saved, but that more soldiers could be given a new life. He remained as upright and lovable as ever.
Looking at him like this, Zhuang Li felt his heart filled with warm sunshine. If it weren’t for that initial encounter, he wouldn’t have known how beautiful this world was.
“I want to kiss you,” he declared, resting his chin on his hand, with a hint of longing in his voice.
Overwhelmed with excitement, Yun Ming immediately lowered his head and kissed his own miracle deeply.
….
At the same time, Chen Jingliu, having left the prison, suddenly raised his head and looked at the empty sky, a dangerous glint flashing in his dark eyes. He felt something strange was approaching him, but when he scanned it with his mental power, he only found air.
Was he being too suspicious? Thinking this, he withdrew his mental energy and continued walking forward, but he could still sense the strange object in the sky swirling around.
Only after getting into the speeding car and leaving the prison did the feeling of being spied on completely disappear. This forced him to be extremely vigilant in dealing with the outside world, and he dared not take off the mask even when he was alone.
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