Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 247: Researching the Superhuman Bodies

After receiving intelligence about the West Hill organization from Yang Xinxin, Zhang Yi felt more at ease. The greatest fear comes from the unknown, and now that he had a clearer understanding of his opponent's strength, he could better plan his response. He praised Yang Xinxin, who responded with confidence, saying, "This was just a small matter for me, brother! Just wait—I’ll hack into the entire West Hill Base network soon!"

Zhang Yi laughed and nodded, "I’m looking forward to it!"

After their conversation, Zhang Yi turned to Zhou Ke’er, who was eager to share the results of her all-night research.

"Ke’er, what did you find?" Zhang Yi asked with a smile.

Zhou Ke’er excitedly grabbed his hand and led him to her lab. Yang Xinxin, uninterested in the dissected bodies, chose not to follow. Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke’er entered the lab, which Zhang Yi had specifically set up for her. Although it was called a lab, it was essentially a surgical room equipped with all the medical tools Zhang Yi had gathered, though he kept the most important medicines to himself.

The lab was well-stocked with equipment, making it capable of performing surgeries. Even if they were missing something, Lu Keran could easily craft it. As soon as Zhang Yi entered the lab, he saw the two dissected bodies lying on the table. Their bodies had been thoroughly examined, with many parts sliced for analysis.

Zhang Yi used to seeing corpses, didn’t find the scene disturbing. Zhou Ke’er enthusiastically led him to the workstation, pointing at the slides under the microscope.

"Through researching these two bodies, I discovered that their cells have undergone mutations. Their cellular activity is dozens of times that of an ordinary person!" Zhou Ke’er explained. "Moreover, the energy produced from glycogen metabolism is released unusually."

She picked up two brain tissue slides and continued, "The most significant changes are in their brain cells. This could indicate that the source of their abilities is primarily the brain!"

Zhang Yi couldn’t help but recall that it was through her brain when he absorbed Xie Huanhuan’s ability. He nodded, finding the discovery interesting, but it didn’t concern him the most. He wasn’t particularly interested in scientific research; he focused on what he could gain from it.

Zhou Ke’er noticed his lack of enthusiasm and pouted, "You don’t understand how important this discovery is!"

"How important?" Zhang Yi asked, humoring her.

Zhou Ke’er seriously explained, "So far, human mutations have all been influenced by gamma rays, resulting in natural mutations. However, this group is limited, and the mutations are not always beneficial. Even if someone gains abilities, they might not be useful."

"However, if someone could fully understand the principles behind these mutations or apply cell transplantation techniques, they might be able to artificially create Superhumans!"

This piqued Zhang Yi’s interest. "According to you, could the entire world be filled with Superhumans in the future?"

Zhou Ke’er playfully stuck out her tongue, "There’s indeed such a possibility. But the likelihood is only about 0.0000001%."

She added seriously, "With current medical and biological technology, it’s far from possible to perfectly replicate natural Superhumans. After all, humanity hasn’t even perfected cloning!"

Zhang Yi shrugged, "So, it’s not quite there yet."

Zhou Ke’er continued, "But if more aggressive methods are used, some... strange results could occur."

She looked at Liu Ziyang’s body on the operating table and said, "For example, this man’s cellular mutation is very strange."

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

Zhou Ke’er explained, "The woman’s cells underwent a natural and complete mutation, but the man’s mutation is only partial, with many cells showing malignant mutations leading to necrosis, which could even harm his body."

"Moreover, the damage worsens each time he uses his ability."

"I suspect he might have been an artificially created Superhuman, but currently, he’s just a flawed prototype."

This intrigued Zhang Yi even more. "An artificial Superhuman? That’s possible?"

Zhou Ke’er’s findings answered several questions Zhang Yi had been pondering, such as why he couldn’t absorb the man’s abilities. If Liu Ziyang was indeed an artificial Superhuman, it made sense that his abilities wouldn’t be as easily transferable as those of a natural Superhuman. It also explained why his abilities were so underwhelming—his speed and agility enhancements were nothing compared to the natural abilities of other Superhumans Zhang Yi had encountered, like Uncle You or Liang Yue.

"So he’s an artificial creation, just slightly stronger than a normal person, but with a capped potential," Zhang Yi concluded, feeling a sense of relief.

"This means that the so-called ACE Special Forces of the West Hill organization, which is said to have many Superhumans, are likely composed mostly of these creations," he speculated. "Their powers come at the cost of their health, which makes them far weaker than natural Superhumans. The only advantage is that they can be mass-produced, but at the end of the day, they’re just expendable resources in the eyes of West Hill’s leaders."

With this new understanding of West Hill Base’s strength, Zhang Yi felt even more confident about defending against their attacks​.

Author's Note