Chapter 442

Chapter 442: I Killed Myself

Ultimately, the person who devised this plan only needed to consider the continuation of humanity.

Clearly, the continuation he endorsed was genetic and racial, rather than cultural.

The existence of devices and medicines that defy human ethics indicates that he has predicted the possible future of the colony spaceship but chose not to stop it; instead, he secretly supports it all.

In the planner’s vision, the Dandelion Project might bring a significant regression in human technology and culture.

However, as long as the species can continue, such a regression is acceptable on a larger timeline.

Since Lin Qingliu chose to take responsibility for this, he must make decisions for all humans on this planet.

He has abandoned the use of Unit One and the creation of Accelerated Adults, even though these technologies could quickly provide him with a large, loyal, and inexpensive population resource, but he also has his own bottom line.

Now that he has given up that path, the only option left is to make better use of Hope City’s limited population, so he must refine the current soldiers.

With this biomass in front of Lin Qingliu, his next decision would affect the future of Hope City.

Lin Qingliu did not know whether this biomass was poison or an antidote, so he chose—

To test the drug.

—

“Hey? You want to use me as a test subject? Is that for real?”

In the clinic, Lin Qingliu looked shocked at Arthur before him and the jar of purified biomass on the table.

“Do you know that Arthur is actually just a skin suit, and Lin Qingliu is the real master?”

Arthur nodded and said,

“You are right, but shouldn’t who is the main body and who is the clone be determined by energy level? I have always been the main body, and you are just a Second Level clone, a clone I created with my own hands. I even held you when you were a child.”

“…What a situation.”

Across the table, the Second Level clone Lin Qingliu fell into silence.

After a long time, he spoke,

“Saying such things to oneself and doing this is somewhat bizarre.”

“I think it’s fine because my self-awareness is clear enough.”

“No, you think it’s fine because you’re not the one doing the experiment.”

The Lin Qingliu on the opposite side showed a disdainful expression.

As a gentle and refined psychologist, Lin Qingliu had hardly ever shown such attitude to anyone.

But since the guy across the table was himself, it didn’t really matter.

“If this stuff has problems, will it affect the main body if I consume it?”

“Possibly.”

Arthur nodded and said,

“So I will sever all connections between us before you consume it.”

“Wow, you really prepared thoroughly.”

Lin Qingliu’s face revealed a trace of mockery:

"You better have a real plan."

After speaking, he scooped a bit of biomass from the glass beaker with his right hand, allowing it to rest quietly in his palm, while his left hand formed a universal gesture from a past life.

Five minutes later.

"No discomfort from the physical contact,"

Lin Qingliu stated.

"Good, let’s proceed to the next phase—consume it."

"Shouldn’t you say something? This stuff might be poisonous," Arthur kindly reminded.

Lin Qingliu brought the beaker to his lips and drank it all in one gulp.

After swallowing the last viscous mouthful of biomass, he looked across at Arthur:

"You bastard."

"Thud."

The head of Lin Qingliu’s Second Level clone hit the table.

With the clone’s life force dissipating, Arthur could no longer sense the biological field of the being before him.

Well, it seemed the mysterious biomass indeed had some toxicity.

But since physical contact had not caused any issues, it suggested that this biomass could still be utilized to some extent.

Arthur moved to the side of the now-dead clone and placed his hand on its head.

The body he had created began to wither rapidly, and the remaining life force within entered the main body, along with the memories from after the connection had been severed.

Lin Qingliu carefully sensed the feelings of the clone after the connection was cut off but discovered a new problem.

If a small amount of a substance leads to death, it could be roughly concluded that the substance is toxic.

From the mechanism of death, toxins could be further categorized, such as heavy metals or proteins.

However, from this clone’s death, Lin Qingliu seemed to have identified a new type of toxin—

The Peak Toxin.

After consuming that biomass, the clone’s senses seemed to be directly cut off, and consciousness quickly vanished after the cut.

It was as if… some organism wanted to resurrect within the clone’s body using that substance but ultimately failed for some reason.

That was terrifying.

Lin Qingliu suddenly felt a chill.

Even mycelium infections in humans first erode and coexist before interfering with the human brain.

Yet this biomass went from intake to peak toxicity in less than ten seconds, making it truly a high-risk substance.

However, since contact through the skin brought no discomfort, this substance certainly has application value and could be used to try producing that new type of battery.

—

"So you mean, as long as this substance isn’t ingested, it is completely harmless to humans?"

Ji Yongxing looked at Lin Qingliu with some surprise, wondering how the other knew this information.

The purified biomass was very sticky and wouldn’t splash when poured onto the table, so if simply avoiding ingestion ensures safety, it really is a good material.

However, Ji Yongxing’s gaze lingered between Lin Qingliu and the biomass, as if questioning the truth of the information.

After all, they still did not understand the exact structure of the biomass, and Hope City strictly prohibited human experimentation, so he found it hard to grasp the source of the information.

"Yes, this information is very reliable, and…"

Lin Qingliu organized his words:

"It doesn’t violate public morals, so you can rest assured."

"…Okay."

Ji Yongxing nodded and then asked with confusion:

"What can this substance do?"

"It might be able to store energy."

Lin Qingliu gave a vague answer and then explained:

"There’s a device on the spaceship that can store energy in materials, and the ‘Disaster Core’ was used for Wang Xiao’s mech battery with it.

"That device can do similar things for humans; the ‘Disaster Core’ has been fighting this way for a long time.

"So the biomass should also be able to do something similar. You can first try to make a prototype battery and then collaborate with Mr. Arthur for the experiment."

The more Ji Yongxing listened, the more promising it sounded, and his expression became much livelier.

He took the cup of unknown substance from Lin Qingliu’s hands and turned to walk towards his laboratory,

"I’ll definitely create the first sample within three days!"