One week passed quickly.
During that time, Ethan remained in the underground laboratory, conducting constant tests and closely monitoring Han Biao and the new Subjects 7 and 8 to ensure that no unforeseen side effects emerged after the Blood Baptism and the injection of Compound D.
The subjects showed no physiological anomalies or mental alterations. There were no signs of cellular rejection, nerve degeneration, or emotional instability. Everything appeared stable.
In a reinforced cell, right before his eyes, was Han Biao. If the changes had to be summarized, they were two: the color of his eyes, now a blood-like hue, and his physical build.
Han Biao's muscles were more defined, shaped like someone with years of constant training, but his body mass had not increased nor his size altered significantly. Still, there was a latent power in his body, a restrained tension that didn't match his appearance, as if each muscle fiber stored more energy than should be possible.
He nodded without a word and turned around. He walked down a long and narrow corridor, lit only by oil lamps placed at irregular intervals. The light cast angular shadows on the walls.
At the end, he opened the door to his underground office.
The interior was austere. The metallic walls were partially covered by metal shelves, each filled with lab notebooks, reports, blueprints, and technical volumes. In the center, a black desk with clean lines, made of wood reinforced with metal plates. On it, nothing but an articulated oil lamp, an open notebook with handwritten notes, and a pen.
The chair, straight-backed and unpadded, was designed more for maintaining focus than providing comfort. There were no decorations, no paintings, no superfluous ornaments. It was a workplace, not a place for contemplation.
Ethan sat down and lit the lamp. Han Biao's data occupied the center of his vision.
Ethan remained silent for several minutes, elbows resting on the desk and fingers drumming with an irregular rhythm on the metal surface. His eyes, fixed on an invisible point, reflected a mixture of calculation and pressure. He would have liked to run more tests, gather more data, confirm with certainty that the process was safe... but he didn't have that luxury. Not in this world.
Here, time wasn't just a resource: it was a barrier between life and death.
Every day without progress was a day lost against enemies who didn't wait. And while others cultivated Qi for years to grow stronger, he needed to find shortcuts. Solutions. Weapons.
As if making a long-postponed decision, he raised his gaze.
"Enter."
Seconds later, the door opened. Two nearly identical figures, dressed in black armor, entered with firm and synchronized steps. They bowed in unison.
"Master, what are your orders?"
"Issue orders: Shen Bao, Ye Han, V-12, to Officer Wei in Stella City and Officer Jian at the black iron mine. In two days, I want all of them at Omega Zero."
He paused briefly, his tone becoming more precise.
"Remind Officer Wei that no one must know he's leaving the city. He is to bring only a small group of Vespers and return during the night."
The Hu brothers nodded without hesitation or questions.
"Understood."
They withdrew with the same efficiency with which they arrived, closing the door behind them without making a sound.
Ethan was alone again.
The dim light of the lamp cast his elongated shadow on the floor. He closed his eyes for a moment. The Compound D extracted from the demonic ape was the only one that showed stable compatibility with humans. And only seven doses remained.
Far too few for an army.
He leaned back in the chair, without losing the rigidity of his posture.
"For now, we'll use it only on them… and the Hu brothers. All seven doses," Ethan murmured to himself.
"Once administered, we can search for more Compound D from demonic apes and continue the process."
Originally, he had considered including himself in the list.
But he hesitated.
He was aware it would sound hypocritical: using Compound D and subjecting his soldiers to the Blood Baptism while he stayed on the sidelines. However, he couldn't afford to take that risk. He still didn't fully understand the long-term impact. Mutations might not appear immediately. And if something went wrong in his body...
The only clear thing was that he would not force anyone.
Before applying any dose, he would talk to each of them. They would be voluntary subjects. He would explain the risks, the benefits, and the uncertainty. The final choice would be theirs.
Ethan took a deep breath. Cold, logical, calculating... but not inhuman.
At least, not yet.
Ethan sighed and opened the notebook on the metal desk. Even though with AION it was unnecessary to record anything by hand, since everything was stored, classified, and backed up digitally, he still found some value in writing. It was a habit.
While jotting down the most recent observations, he murmured.
"AION, since this is a new method... in the conventional sense, they are neither immortal cultivators nor body cultivators. At least, not as understood in this world. What should we call it?"
[Confirmed. The developed method does not align with traditional development paths: Qi cultivators or body cultivators, both rely on the presence of spiritual roots as a basis. The subjects do not possess this characteristic, which rules out conventional classification.]
[It is recommended to establish a reference name for this system. Continuing to call it "Compound D + Blood Baptism" is imprecise, lengthy, and poses a risk of exposure. In case of information interception or data leak, using a technical name may reduce the possibility that third parties understand the real nature of the process.]
Ethan nodded and stopped writing for a moment, lost in thought.
"Let's call it Artificial Genetic Sequence," he said coldly and without emotion.
"Subjects who undergo this process will be Sequence 1."
AION's voice sounded again.
[Recorded. A new space is created in the database to store all information related to the Artificial Genetic Sequence (AGS) and the subjects of Sequence 1. Future entries will be categorized under this identifier to maintain project integrity and confidentiality.]
Ethan placed the pen back on the paper, but his eyes were lost in an undefined point before him. In his mind, possible scenarios passed by. He knew the path he was tracing had no precedent. It was not the path of traditional cultivators, nor the brute force of bodies enhanced by conventional methods. It was something different, a path forged at the intersection of biology, chemistry, and human will. A shortcut, an artificial evolutionary leap.
He thought of the men he had chosen to be his first Sequences. Men of iron loyalty, willing to walk with him down this uncertain path. He did not want to turn them into monsters, nor could he deny that he was exposing them to enormous risk. However, he also knew they would understand the gravity of the situation.
Ethan understood he was on the threshold of something that would forever change the balance of power in the world. Yet, he could not predict the future ramifications. He did not know what new challenges would arise, nor what price that power would have.
How little he knew that years later this would be the birth of the Human Sequences. That this method, imperfect and experimental, would be perfected and exalted as the new way.
A path that would face ancient immortals and challenge the established order, a path that not even Heaven could fully comprehend.
An uncertain future, but marked by one truth: man will always seek to surpass his limits, even when the risk is his very essence.