Chapter 354: Cross-Species Gene Fusion and Collective Consciousness

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“What the hell? A white mouse?”

The moment Tang Rui woke up, he received a report from Red Lotus.

All the lab rats on Mars that had been used as experimental subjects for a virus had come back to life. Even the half-dissected lab rats had risen.

It was quite scary at first.

Later on, a group of scientists discovered that these white mice lacked intelligence, so they boldly conducted research on them.

The result showed that the virus, which had eroded the nervous system, had mutated and taken over, forcibly controlling the mice’s movements.

“Red Lotus, show me the video.”

“Yes, Master.”

On the projection screen, a group of white mice crawled up and headed in a direction, then began to hit the glass.

After watching the video, Tang Rui curiously asked Red Lotus where the white mouse was facing, and the answer he received pointed to the location where the Mars base had previously drilled a hole.

It was obvious.

There was something wrong with this virus.

“How long will it take for the spacecraft to reach Mars?”

“We still need three hours and nineteen minutes.”

“Alright, let me know when we arrive.”

He got up, washed up, and had breakfast.

Tang Rui then returned to the laboratory and contacted the Mars base to see if there was any progress.

“Professor Tang, this isn’t a virus.”

“It’s not a virus?”

“That’s right. This seems to be a special kind of microorganism, or rather, a microorganism disguised as a virus but not actually a virus.”

After the Mars scientist finished speaking, he showed Tang Rui the data of the mutated virus found in the white mouse.

Let’s not talk about anything else.

The original virus and the mutated virus had completely different genetic sequences.

The most terrifying aspect was that when the virus mutated, the special genetic code inside would transform into different genetic sequences according to the genes of the invaded life form.

Simply put, the virus that invaded the mice and the virus that invaded the human body had different gene sequences after mutation.

This mutation allowed the virus to completely adapt to the host’s genes without causing any rejection.

Even the functions of the neural tissues could be perfectly simulated. Yesterday, if not for a fortuitous experiment—if someone hadn’t injected a hallucinogenic drug into a white mouse, this situation might have gone unnoticed.

“So, these microorganisms are a special kind of life?”

“That’s right, but we’re more inclined to believe that it’s a biological weapon, or a hunting method of some special life form.”

Tang Rui nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.

The importance of this virus had just increased significantly.

It was highly contagious, capable of genetic modification and fusion, and could be controlled by some kind of mother organism.

“Be careful. The spaceship I sent will arrive in two hours. I will investigate the underground world then.”

“We’re fine. Yesterday’s discovery overturned our previous research. We’re currently analyzing the genetic changes before and after the virus mutation, trying to find that special gene.”

There was no need for Tang Rui to comfort them. These biologists were not afraid; they were excited to do research there.

The value of this virus was immeasurable.

Once he figured out how the virus transformed the fusion gene, the problem of cross-species gene fusion would no longer be an issue.

At that time, cat-eared girls would no longer be exclusive to the 2D world.

At noon.

The spaceship launched by Red Lotus yesterday finally arrived on Mars.

After landing at the edge of the Martian base, more than a dozen robots moved the life support box containing the white mice into the base.

Tang Rui, focused on other matters, let Red Lotus control the drilling robot to bore a hole downwards.

The ground, not very deep to begin with, was quickly penetrated.

There was indeed liquid water at the bottom of the cliff.

Moreover, there was quite a lot of liquid water in storage. Roughly, there were more than 20 million cubic meters.

“Red Lotus, we have to analyze the water samples. Then, we have to infect those cyber mice with the virus and record the entire process of the virus entering the mice’s bodies.”

“Yes, Master.”

Next to the cliff, a temporary experiment module of about 20 square meters had been built.

Red Lotus controlled the robots and began operations as per Tang Rui’s instructions. Among them, the Cyber White Mice were the most unfortunate subjects.

Each of them drank a lot of water.

After drinking the virus-infected water, they became ready-made observation subjects.

On the big screen in front of Tang Rui, the activities of the virus after entering the body of the white mouse were displayed.

The viruses searched for neural tissues, then invaded, replicated, and replaced the neural cells.

However, 80% of the neural tissue in the cyber mouse was made up of nanomachines.

Therefore, these viruses could only corrode 20% of the nerve cells.

This time, with the white cyber mouse and professional in-body display equipment, Tang Rui clearly saw the mutation of the virus.

They invaded the nerve cells, corroded the cells, and then devoured them.

At this moment, the virus’s genes began to recombine, using the neurons as a blueprint to fuse with the virus’s gene sequence.

Finally, it perfectly replaced the nerve cells and became a part of the mouse’s nerve tissue.

“It seems those scientists were wrong. The virus didn’t mutate because of the hallucinogenic drug. Instead, it mutated when it invaded the neurons.”

Tang Rui observed the series of changes in the virus within the white cyber mouse’s body and muttered softly.

At the same time, he resolved a previous doubt.

Why didn’t the immune system attack the virus?

Because the virus had learned to disguise itself.

They could devour the immune system cells in the body of a mouse and then divide and transform into immune cells.

This was also why the immune system did not respond.

There was a traitor within.

Tang Rui waited for more than an hour.

After the virus occupied most of the nerve cells in the mice’s body, other than the nanomachines, the mice were injected with hallucinogenic drugs.

The hallucinogenic drug activated the nerve tissues transformed by the virus.

A white mouse, previously lying on the ground, now stood up and began to crawl out. Its movements were nimble, not the stiff crawl from before.

The cybermice, exposed on the surface of Mars, faced many problems in their bodies, but these were all solved by the nanomachines.

Survival in outer space was unrealistic.

However, surviving on the surface of Mars for a period was feasible.

The white cyber mouse that crawled out quickly drilled into the hole leading underground and fell into the water.

At this moment, the virus in the white mouse’s body began to split and reproduce destructively.

“Master, I’ve detected a special biological signal.”

“Where is the signal source?” Tang Rui immediately asked.

“Master, according to the nanomachines’ feedback, the signal source is the entire underground lake.”

The entire underground lake?

But there was nothing in the underground river.

They had already scanned the area. Other than water, there were no other creatures or items. If there were, Tang Rui would have gotten Red Lotus to salvage it long ago.

Nothing?

Where did the signal come from?

Or was it a biological signal?

“Can you decode the signal?”

“Translating brainwave information of the white mouse. Decryption complete. The content of the signal is: Summon food, survive and reproduce, destroy life.”

This…

Tang Rui looked at the content translated by Red Lotus and frowned.

“Master, the white mice in the Martian base are getting up again. This time, they are attacking the glass wall even more frantically, trying to escape.” “Notify the laboratory and ask them to release five white mice…Forget it. Control the robot and take out five white mice and throw them at the hole.”

“Yes, Master.”

Ten minutes later.

Five white mice were released by the robot.

These mice had not been nano-modified, so the moment they were exposed to the surface of Mars, their internal organs and blood vessels ruptured.

But even so, the virus controlled the neural tissue and the body of the white mouse to crawl toward the drill hole.

The white mice crawled into the holes.

They fell into the underground lake.

In the next second, the bodies of the five white mice were digested at a speed visible to the naked eye. They were quickly corroded clean, like the corpse water in movies.

But Tang Rui knew that this was not their bodies melting.

Instead, it was digestion by countless viruses as food.

Not only could this special virus corrode nerve cells but also any biological cells, even hair.

Don’t ask how Tang Rui knew—in the body of the cybermouse, other than the organs and body formed by nanomachines, the other cells had already been corroded and digested by the virus.

After these viruses corroded and digested all the cells, they would divide again and transform into a virus form again.

This ability was extremely abnormal.

What was even more abnormal was that…

When countless viruses gathered together, they seemed to have a group consciousness.

Looking at the data obtained from the cyber mouse, Tang Rui was dumbfounded.

You were saying this thing was a virus?

Even biological weapons weren’t this terrifying..