It's raining.

As he walked out of the toilet on the first floor, Mai Kaos saw that the windows of the hallway were covered with raindrops, denser than when he had entered, and the sound of knocking was incessant. As soon as he closed the toilet door, the dark night sky was like a camera turning on a flash, and a dazzling bright light flashed, followed by a deafening thunder.

Mycos is 68 years old. In the field of biological sciences and ergonomics, he, Maikos Klemya, is known as "the authority of the authorities". But in front of nature, this is just a poor old man lamenting the physical discomfort caused by bad weather. His legs can't stand the rain, and he's especially afraid of thunder – the habits he left over from his childhood can't be changed, and his lab still needs to be reached by two floors. The difficulty of climbing these dozens of stairs is comparable to his current status.

The old man slowly woke up from the shock of the thunder, tried to walk, his legs were a little weak, and his left hand couldn't help but hold on to the wall. After this step, his body remained balanced. Step by step, the old man rubbed his feet on the ground, touched the wall with his hands, moved himself to the top of the stairs, and then held the handle of the stairs with both hands. With the help of this, he was able to climb up to the third floor and appear in front of the laboratory door at a slightly faster pace than he could walk.

This laboratory is Mycos's home, and Mycos knows it inside and out. He opened his left hand and placed it on the fingerprint screen, his eyes were aimed at the retina reader, and the two locks made a "ding" sound at the same time, and the door of the laboratory was separated from the left and right.

The first room is the preparation room. Without raising his head, Maikos grabbed a towel from the cabinet next to him, wiped the sweat from his face, and then slowly sat down in his chair, took off his rubber shoes and changed into anti-static slippers, and when he got up, he almost lost his balance again. Then, as before, he moved himself to the inner room.

This room is the computing room. In a room of more than 200 square meters, several young researchers are busy among a pile of machines. One of them, Narosh, a student of Mycos, saw Mykos walk in and hurried up to him to help him.

"Teacher, are you alright? It's raining outside. ”

"It's all right," Mycos straightened, "at least I'll be able to go upstairs on my own." ”

Narosh is sometimes more concerned about his teacher's every move than he is about his work. Mycos had no children, and Narosh was a good way to make up for it. When he wasn't in the lab, he often asked Narosh to take his place.

"How's the lightning protection equipment?" Mycos asked.

"We've checked it and everything is fine." Narosh replied, "And the state of the samples continues to be stable, and I think, according to the scheduled time, in three days, some samples will be ready to be sent to the mother." Do you need to confirm it for yourself? ”

"Hmm."

Mycos nodded reassuringly, and asked Narosh to follow. The two of them came to the door of the cultivation room, the innermost part of the room. There was an electronic control board on the wall, and Mycos's fingers jumped around it, pressing the code quickly. This action can make one wonder about his age. Then, a door with multiple locks slowly opened, and Mycos strode in, followed Narosh, and closed the door at once.

The space behind this door was three times the size of the room outside, and the inside was lined up with rows of cuboid shelves for specimens, looking like a library. Teachers and students walked among them, "reviewing" each sample.

The 1.8-meter-high incubator has been hollowed out in the middle, containing 20 media for the storage of fertilized eggs. All media containers are connected to the equipment by countless threads that run through the inside of the incubator to maintain the state of the media and collect data. The incubator has four displays, on which the information displayed is mainly the state of the fertilized egg, which is also presented as a microscopic image, and the rest is data such as temperature, humidity, and power supply status.

Mycos shuttled through the cuboids, his gaze focused on the data, occasionally glancing at the medium inside. It's been five years since he came to the lab, and Mycos has lived here for five years, making it his daily routine to visit the sample room. The samples of the breeding rack were changed again and again over the course of five years, and each time he was convinced that he would succeed.

*****

Making a person different before they are born is a proposition that Mycos heard more than 40 years ago. Until then, there have been quite a few scientists working on this. From 60 to 90 years of the new era, it was 30 years of rapid progress in the energy science of EXP, and people mastered the basic application theory of EXP and tried to turn it into a stable new energy source. But there are also some people who have more fanciful ideas.

They hope to strengthen the fertilized egg with EXP through artificial intervention, so that a person can become omnipotent before he or she has grown a physical body. This is by no means a fantasy, and superhuman beings are a good example, their power meta energy is obtained through genetics, which is enough to show that the fertilized egg can be affected by EXP, or in other words, the superhuman parents themselves have a genetic gene with EXP. So for natural people, as long as they can crack this genetic secret, as well as the way to convert EXP into active EXP, it is completely possible to use artificial means to create people with active EXP.

However, the development of science is ultimately limited by the times. In the case of insufficient technology, those seniors can only watch the samples in their hands disappear one after another. They stopped their research due to lack of funds, and had to face accusations from sample providers and the whipping of public opinion. As a result, some countries began to restrict and tightly control EXP research, more than a decade before the world government's EXP ban.

Mycos had heard of similar stories during his Ph.D., but they didn't frighten him in the slightest. Because the excitement and challenge that this research brought to him prevailed. For a person who is ready to dedicate his life to science, if he is afraid of failure to stop, he might as well change jobs. What kind of breakthroughs can be made by studying those fields that have been expanded all day long? Only by stepping into a new space can science take a big step.

With this in mind, at the age of 28, on the day he received his doctorate, he gave a speech in which he stated his dreams without reservation. In order to avoid some arguments against EXP research at that time, he clarified that he did not want to artificially create superhumans, but by using EXP as a carrier, loading information, and intervening in the fertilized egg, so that the baby could acquire certain knowledge and skills before birth, and become a superhuman genius after birth. His speech was full of passion, novel and unique content, and sounded very incendiary to many young men and women in the audience. And their thunderous applause gave Mycos a great encouragement.

So, Mycos embarked on this path, a path full of failures and dangers.

He had a plan as early as he was in college, and immediately after graduation he began to prepare for experiments. But many questions lie ahead: How will the funds be raised? How is the equipment prepared? How are samples collected? Reality gave him a dismount at the very beginning. At that time, Mycos, who had just graduated, did not even have a job. Several research institutes hired him, but he turned them down. He had heard about scandals over research results, turning sacred scientific research into dirty money deals. And it's too unfree to work in an institution. In the end, he chose to work as a biology teacher in an ordinary high school. In the eyes of others, this is completely tyrannical.

Mycos doesn't care what other people think, work is just a means to support life. Having stabilized the rear, it was time to march to the front.

He found a few like-minded college classmates and worked together to figure out a solution. They used various means to raise funds, sell assets, take out loans, and even go to the streets to raise donations, and finally built a small laboratory. It took five years to set up the equipment for the lab. Mycos also persuaded several classmates who were married, but did not yet have children, to provide sperm and eggs. After that, the experiment began with great fanfare.

Max is convinced that EXP is a universal energy that can be converted into various substances under certain conditions, and if it is used as a medium to convert the necessary information from the form of electronic signals into a form acceptable to DNA, it is completely possible to achieve embryonic education in the true sense. And there is only one problem that needs to be solved. A few days after the sperm is combined with the egg, it must be transferred to the mother's body to prepare for pregnancy. The transmission of information must also take place within these days. How to transport and how to preserve the fertilized egg is the key to the whole experiment.

In five years, Mycos and his classmates have found a method that works in theory, and now all they need is practice.

The result of practice dealt a heavy blow to Mycos: all 20 groups of samples died, and millions of dollars were wasted. Although Mycos considered this, after all, scientific research has not been smooth sailing. But the anger and departure of his classmates was something he didn't take into account.

He was a scientist, a pure scientist. Except for research, he knows almost nothing about daily life and human affairs. He was also puzzled and confused in the face of the ruthless accusations and malicious retaliation of the students who provided the samples. Even if he was sued by his classmates in court, compensated a huge amount of compensation, and was burdened with a heavy financial burden, he did not learn anything from it.

"It's time to start over." These were the first words he said as he walked out of the courthouse, on July 12, 88.

As a result of this failure, he became a "well-known" figure in the academic world, and his experiments and ideals were mercilessly rejected. His past mentors advised him to "change his ways" and do something realistic; Some media with ulterior motives hyped him as a negative example, as a "punching bag" for citizens; Government officials also came to the door, claiming that his research had touched on an ethical level. His house was sold by a court decision and he had to live in an apartment. But it didn't take long for the landlord to urge him to move, because someone found his address and wrote swear words on his door every day, or smashed glass with stones, making other tenants uncomfortable.

Mycos ignored them, or he didn't understand them, but the pressures of life forced him to make changes. In desperation, Maikos flew away. In March of the 89th year of the new era, he left his homeland, the Grand Duchy of Xishan, and came to Ogran, a country on the continent of Anzhou. After settling down in a dilapidated house with the money he had, he began to think about his research project again.

The problem of many years ago, re-put in front of him, and it was several times worse. No equipment, no helpers, no financial resources, and most importantly, he has no prestige and credibility. There is always a way to pay for it, but if he can't recruit volunteers, his research will never be completed.

What's even worse is that in the 89th year of the new era, the most inhuman superman in history, Haroff Marco Grian, established the "Dark Curtain", which lowered the world's attitude towards superhumans to the lowest point. Before and after the end of the Shadow War in 96, anything linked to EXP can make people talk about it. The following year, the world government issued an EXP ban. In this environment, trying to make a breakthrough in the field of EXP is tantamount to asking for a dead end.

So Mycos decided to seal his ideals for the time being, and instead do other research, accumulate strength, and wait for the opportunity to make a comeback.

It took more than a decade for Maikos to re-establish his prestige, starting in '89. After several rounds, he found a job at an infectious disease control center in Ogran, and began to recover. It was also in that period to become an authority within an authority.

At that time, Maxcos was mainly engaged in pharmaceutical research and achieved a lot of success. In particular, in the treatment of ALS, he developed drugs and treatments that removed the disease from the list of terminal diseases. Based on various achievements, by the year 104 of the new era, McCos became the chief engineer of the Ogran National Bioengineering Base.

Behind the money and fame, only Mycos himself knows that everything he does is for that ideal. He later named it the "Embryonic Messaging Program". Once he had saved up enough money, he restarted the project and continued to refine his theory. With theory, he hopes to have the opportunity to practice, but large-scale experiments are still impossible, so he can only set up a secret laboratory in his own house and find opportunities to conduct scattered experiments.

Such an experiment cannot be carried out openly, after all, he cannot clearly state his purpose, and obtaining samples becomes the biggest problem. So Mycos began to get in touch with the underworld, to get in touch with the people in the society, and to exchange a lot of money for the samples he needed. The origin of these samples is unknown, and Maikos also thinks that it is not appropriate, but he has long been unscrupulous for the sake of his ideals. He had even used his own sperm, and not a few, which was more convenient, but he had to face the skeptical and puzzled eyes of the doctors several times, because he had never been married.

There is a way to be a late bloomer, and God seems to want to test this person's endurance again. To this day, in the 122nd year of the new era, Mycos has not succeeded. Although after several technological updates, the birth of a child is no longer a problem. But after several years of observation, he found that the children were mediocre, and the transmitted information was not obvious, or even did not remember it at all. He was disappointed that the artificially cultivated active EXP neurons, also known as "power-like neurons", did not develop successfully.

Of course, the good news is not completely absent. One night in the summer of 117, several strangers visited Mycos's house. Mycos didn't know anything about them, but the other party behaved unusually generously.

"Everything you need for research, funding, grounds, equipment, samples, everything, we can provide you with your safety concerns, residency issues, and more. You can choose the experimental site at will, even if it is an open space, as long as you like, we can let a laboratory rise according to your requirements. ”

Luck like winning the jackpot came too suddenly. Maikos was flattered, only the expression on his face was excited, and he couldn't speak. He didn't know these people, but that didn't matter. But Narosh next to him asked.

"Who are you? Why help us so much? ”

Please don't ask any questions about that. We have been commissioned by an adult who is very interested in your research, Ph.D., and I hope you will continue to do so no matter what. As I said, you just experiment, and we'll take care of the rest. ”

Mycos was very happy with the last few words, and as for some adult or something, he didn't care. The two sides happily agreed, and the visitors left with a satisfactory result, and Maikos danced with excitement. But Narosh was worried, and in his opinion, these people were too generous, and they were suspiciously generous.

"Teacher, we don't even know where they came from, so it doesn't feel good to accept help like this."

Mycos shook his head: "So what? ”

"There's something wrong with them coming to talk so secretly. If they want to donate to us, it stands to reason that they should be more open to show their strength, right? ”

Maikaos also reads the news, and he knows that there are many individuals and companies, either to express themselves or to engage in publicity, to invest in some scientific research projects, and to find various media to publicize it, as if others do not know. Mycos was disgusted by this, believing that the research had become impure because of the stench of copper. And the results of their research are all boring things, not worth mentioning. On the contrary, these people today can make him feel more at ease.

"Take it easy, Narosh, if our experiment succeeds, it will be a step forward for all of humanity. Don't worry about small problems. ”

So, Mycos gladly accepted the stranger's help. He picked a location, which is where he is now—on the edge of a city south of Ohgran, surrounded by greenery and beautiful views. Then, in just three months, a three-story research institute was built according to Mycos's requirements.

Donors continued to deliver on their promises, with the deployment of equipment, staffing, lodging, samples, funding, transportation, and a team of on-call researchers to keep McCos busy. With everything he needed at his fingertips, the sixty-year-old man began to work tirelessly, as if he had been rejuvenated, and felt a sense of motivation in his whole body that he had never felt before.

Today, in the institute, there are more than sixty researchers working for him and working for his ideals. In the sample room, there were not 20, 200 samples, but a full 2,000, which he had dreamed of in the past. Until now, when walking in the sample room, the old man still has a slight feeling of dreaming.

Maikos came to Incubator 58 and the samples were his favorite, always providing him with impeccable data, and it was no different today. Mycos had no children, and he poured all his father's love into these samples, full of anticipation. There will be a successful body in these 20 samples, Mycos thought, and smiled with joy.

Outside the window, the rain is getting heavier and heavier, and umbrellas are no longer the problem. Beneath the woods, twenty people wore black raincoats with guns hidden underneath, each wearing a mask. One of them stood at the front, holding a telescope, looking at the three-story building in the distance.

"It seems that the detachment has succeeded in diverting the tiger from the mountain, and there are not many people here." The man put down the binoculars and said to the others. "Everyone is right, it's 11:23, seven minutes later, the first group will set off, and then go according to plan."

"Understood."

A unified answer came from the crowd, and the day was July 18, 122 years of the new era.

*****

At 11:30 a.m., the shots rang out on time.

Several researchers, who were researching on the first floor, became the first victims. Seven masked men, the "first group", killed the guards outside the institute, blew up the main entrance, and broke into the institute. The guards at the back door heard the noise, but they were then killed by the second group of seven other masked men, and the back door was blown open.

For the sake of safety, the group first sent two groups of people, one in front of the other and one in the other, into the research institute. When they emptied the first floor, the first group stayed behind and began to place C5 explosives, and the second group quickly ran to the second floor and continued to "clean".

Sirens sounded throughout the Institute. It wasn't until this time that the people in the third-floor lab were aware, but it was too late. The last group of six people blew open the door of the third-floor laboratory, entered the computing room, and washed the room in less than ten seconds. Their captain, the man with the binoculars, was among them. Ignoring the corpses scattered all over the floor, he led his men to the door of the sample room.

"Open."

A person next to him took out the machine that cracked the electronic lock, connected it to the electronic lock and began to crack the code.

When the alarm sounded, Narosh and Mycos in the sample chamber were about to leave. Narosh tensed, but there was only a puzzled look on Maikos's face, and he heard the alarm for the first time.

"Teacher, there is a situation! Maybe someone attacked! ”

"Raid here? Why? ”

"It's too late to think about it, teacher, let's run away!"

Mycos didn't move, he wasn't thinking about how to escape, he was thinking about something else. Suddenly, he struggled to move his weak legs, walked to the No. 58 cultivation frame, opened an operating board under the cultivation frame, and pressed it a few times. The base of the incubator slowly descends with a mechanical sound until it is fully buried under the floor. The rectangular gap left behind is surrounded by an exact floor that extends out of the same floor as the surrounding area, covering the gap.

With that done, Mycos followed Narosh out. As soon as they reached the door, the people outside opened the door for them.

Bang –

A sudden bullet pierced Narosh's skull, and he fell. Mycos looked at the students' bodies in astonishment, and then at the people. Their captain stepped forward and took off his mask.

"Dr. Mycos Clemuya, is it?"

Mycos had no fear, only anger. "Who are you?"

"We are opponents of world government. We are against the world government, against its actions, and against all those who do things for them. ”

"World government? You say I have something to do with it? ”

"Secretly provide you with what you need for the experiment, Doctor, is the world government."

Mycos knows about the World Government, an international organization of more than 200 countries. They are often seen on television trying to stop regional disputes. Mycos couldn't figure out what this had to do with his research, and shouted at the man in front of him.

"You know what? What you are doing today is to stifle the possibility of future scientific development and the possibility of mankind! My research is for all mankind and has nothing to do with the world government or anything! ”

The captain scoffed at Mycos's high-minded remarks: "The doctor is indeed a doctor, and he is so tall when he speaks. But because of that, you can't see outside of the lab at all. I don't want to talk nonsense with you, just say one thing. ”

As he spoke, he raised his pistol and pointed it at Mycoth's forehead.

"Give up your research, and we'll let you live. Killing the authority of the authority is also a nuisance for us. ”

"As long as I live, I will continue to achieve my ideals!"

"Then please die."

The sound of pulling the trigger forcibly interrupted Mycos's work and ended his life.

*****

"Captain, there's something odd here."

A masked man discovers an anomaly between the specimens. The cuboid where the medium is stored is arranged in an orderly manner, but the middle between 57 and 59 is empty. Obviously, there is one less number 58.

"What should I do?"

The captain thought for a moment: "There is no time. If they move out early, we'll continue to track them down. If it's hidden elsewhere in the Institute, let it be destroyed along with it. ”

The entire operation lasted about five minutes. The other two groups had already loaded up the explosives, and the captain gave instructions to leave as soon as everyone at the institute was killed. As the twenty men walked back to their lurking woods, the captain flipped the detonator switch, and a burst of explosions louder than thunder reduced the institute to a pile of rubble.

*****

In the city, there is an armed force at the disposal of Maikos. But when they rushed back that night, all they could do was extinguish the fire, protect the scene, and notify their superiors to send someone to clean up. As soon as the morning dawned, a dozen soldiers and a few researchers in white overalls walked into the newly born ruins, trying to find something that could still be used.

Terr Pavlov, who was only 23 years old, stood by and watched as the men searched the rubble. He is the technical director of the Fourth Institute of World Government, and he is young, rich in knowledge, and has a wide range of knowledge, but his main focus is still biology. In this field, he had long heard of the name of Maikos, and greatly admired the old man's enthusiasm and dedication to science. When he learned that Mycoth was buried underneath it, Ter could not calm down.

"Director, we found something." A researcher came over and reported.

Ter followed him out of the ruins, and saw that the soldiers had dragged the thing out - a rectangular breeding rack, only half of which remained, with the word "58" on the side, and a number of fragments of containers on it, sprinkled with the medium of fertilized eggs.

Ter examines the broken incubator and discovers that there is a well-preserved container. It snapped into the breeding rack and narrowly escaped the blast. Ter carefully picked it up.

He didn't know what the state of the fertilized egg inside was, but since there was still hope, he had to give it a try. If it succeeds, it will be considered the fulfillment of Dr. Mycos's wish.

"Put this in the cryopreservation vault, take it back to the lab, and I'll write the report."

"Yes."

It was 8 a.m. on July 19, 122 New Year.