CHAPTER 480: CHAPTER 445: THE ANCIENT GENE

The middle-aged, bald Clyde Sorin couldn’t understand how things had turned out this way!

His brother, Alex Sorin, was a senator from Arizona, and aside from being a major landowner, he was also a shareholder in two publicly traded companies.

Of course, a large portion of those shares were held on behalf of his brother...

It was a common practice in a political family!

Many people who don’t understand American politics don’t realize that in the so-called land of freedom, the United States, power can be inherited.

The father is the governor, the son grows up and in a different form, becomes a congressman, a senator, or supports a puppet to inherit the old man’s position. By the third generation, it’s not uncommon to see a dramatic return of a certain family to power in the United States.

It’s just that state elections are not as high-profile as the U.S. presidential election, so even natives don’t particularly understand.

Those big shots who make the rules around the White House usually have strong political bases in certain states, ensuring that even if they are kicked out of the center of power, they can still hold influential power for a comeback.

The Bush family has deep roots in Texas and Florida, the Kennedy family wields massive influence in Massachusetts and Rhode Island...

These two are just well-known big families everyone hears about, but there are many other lesser-known political families that control regional politics in certain states.

Like that vice president, Cheney...

People only know he was involved in starting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during his tenure as vice president to Junior Bush.

But few are aware of his involvement in planning the 1989 U.S. military invasion of Panama and was also one of the planners behind the world-shocking Gulf War in 1991.

It could be said that old Saddam of Iraq walked on thin ice most of his life, thanks in large part to Cheney.

This guy was a true war merchant, and with him, the Cheney family began to emerge on the American political scene.

And families like this, if they are willing to dig deep in an area, can quickly form strong regional political influence.

Clyde Sorin came from a similar family...

His father was once the governor of Arizona, his brother is now a senator, his sister is the CEO of a major corporation, and he himself plays the role of a political broker, leveraging his family’s influence to exchange resources and wealth.

More importantly, Clyde Sorin’s brother had also inherited their father’s position, becoming a high-ranking executive of the Beluga Lake Foundation.

Clyde Sorin’s life could be considered smooth sailing; although he did the dirty and tiring work within the family, it was precisely the special nature of his position that allowed him to use the family’s power and wealth unscrupulously, unlike his brother who had to be concerned about his own image.

However, the fairest thing in the world is that everyone has only one life, and when faced with the barrel of a gun, those resources and powers that used to let him run amok seemed useless.

Faced with the extremely overpowering Mountain Eagle, the agonized Clyde Sorin hugged his thigh and said, "What on Earth do you want?"

Mountain Eagle glanced at the progress bar on the young white-coated doctor’s computer screen, realized he still had ample time, and said with a smile, "I’ve told you, I want to help you. You’ve been attacked by the mercenary Black Fox, and for a certain fee, I’m willing to take that guy out for you.

Are you going to refuse my offer?"

Looking at his bleeding knee, Clyde Sorin shook his head in pain and said, "NO, you won’t get anything from me unless you ensure my safe departure."

Mountain Eagle shook his head regretfully and aimed the gun at Clyde’s wounded knee...

"That means there’s nothing to discuss..."

"Bang"

"Ah..."

Clyde Sorin’s right knee was completely shattered, he let out a severe scream, his entire body curled up on the ground holding his knee in extreme pain...

"You madman, how dare you treat me like this?

Don’t you know what you’re doing, you don’t even know who I am?"

Mountain Eagle removed his tie, tied it around his leg, then found a pen to tighten the tie...

Looking at the pained, pale-faced Clyde Sorin, Mountain Eagle shook his head and said, "It was Black Fox who attacked you, what does it have to do with me?

I’m a good guy, so I’m happy to avenge you, it just costs a little.

Of course, you can refuse me..."

Saying that, Mountain Eagle raised the gun a few inches, aiming it at Clyde’s thigh...

Seeing Mountain Eagle about to pull the trigger again, Clyde Sorin shouted in terror, "OK, OK, I’ll give you money, whatever you want...

But you have to let me out, it’s jammed here, I can’t make phone calls or access the internet.

Take me out, that’s the only way I can give you the money!"

Hearing this, Mountain Eagle took out a small laptop with a smile and said, "Lucky I came prepared...

Someone of your stature must have concealed bank accounts in places like Switzerland, Panama, the Viking Islands."

Watching Mountain Eagle turn on the computer and somehow connect to the Internet, Clyde Sorin cried out in horror, "It was you all along, all of it..."

Mountain Eagle shook his head and said, "Not me, it’s Black Fox. An organization called the Green Nature Foundation hired Black Fox to destroy your anti-humanity lab.

I just happened to be there!

And I didn’t lie to you, if you pay, I’ll make Black Fox go down with you!"

From the moment Mountain Eagle decisively shot Dr. Wendy, Clyde Sorin knew he was more likely to die than survive, but the human instinct to survive made him look instinctively for a chance to live...

Faced with Mountain Eagle’s gun, Clyde Sorin chose to cooperate. He typed on the keyboard with one hand, laboriously logged into a banking website, and then said to Mountain Eagle, "Do you understand the significance of this lab?"

Mountain Eagle spread his hands and said, "I don’t care; I just know that you guys are doing things that are bound for Hell!"

Clyde Sorin opened a bank account and turned the computer screen toward Mountain Eagle, saying, "This is all the money I personally own, even my brother doesn’t know about this money.

If you are willing to let me go, all this money is yours, and I will also tell you a secret!

A secret about this laboratory!

Aren’t you curious why this lab is located in such a remote place in Alaska?"

Mountain Eagle looked at the numbers on the screen, shook his head, and chuckled, "13 million US dollars, your money is less than I expected..."

Clyde grinned in pain and said, "How much cash do you think I should have?

However, if you are willing to wait, I can mortgage the stocks and real estate I hold, and then I’ll be able to raise about 150 million US dollars in cash.

Send me away from here; these 13 million US dollars can serve as a down payment, and I can pay you another 150 million as compensation."

As he was speaking, Clyde Sorin glanced at a young scientist in a white lab coat trembling not far away, and said to Mountain Eagle, "If you are willing to let me take those materials back, I can pay you an extra 50 million US dollars."

How could Mountain Eagle agree to such conditions?

He typed a series of account numbers on the computer, then turned the computer toward Clyde and smiled, "We all know you are talking nonsense, but if you pay 13 million now, I’ll listen to you spout a few more nonsense sentences...

Perhaps later I’ll come up with a perfect solution to accept your conditions!"

At the critical moment of life and death, Clyde thought Mountain Eagle was tempted. He struggled to transfer the money, and while watching the progress bar sliding on the computer screen, he said to Mountain Eagle, "I am not lying, the research carried out in this laboratory is related to the future of mankind...

Don’t you want to know what exactly we are researching?

Don’t you want to know, why we didn’t use the better inland conditions and decided to place the lab here instead?"

Mountain Eagle saw the progress bar reach the bottom. He took out his phone and called Mr. Poincaré to confirm the money had arrived and was being rapidly dispersed. He laughed and hung up the phone, then looked at Clyde, saying, "Research how to control animals, how to inject hormones in people, how to screen children...

And then what? Is there an alien spaceship here?"

Clyde shook his head and said, "10 years ago, a drilling worker found a type of fungus about 200 meters below the permafrost layer in Alaska.

The oil company’s people sent those fungi to a laboratory in Arizona for testing, and then someone discovered that those fungi could serve as a medium, allowing us to use modern technology to change a person’s genetic structure."

Mountain Eagle listened and scoffed, "Do you take me for a fool?

The gene editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 is already a mature technology, it can precisely identify and cut target DNA sequences.

With this technology available, why would we need any fungi?

If you are trying to excuse the anti-human actions of this laboratory, then you’ve picked the wrong direction..."

Clyde was momentarily stunned, then shook his head and said, "NO, although I’m not an expert, as the person in charge, I am very clear that CRISPR-Cas9 is not omnipotent.

Because even the best gene experts cannot identify all genes.

The miraculous part of those fungi lies in the fact that they grow around ancient human fossilized remains; the partial DNA carried within the fungi can be loaded onto specific viruses and directly affect the human body, altering a person’s genes...

This laboratory is dedicated to giving humans superior physical qualities...

Strength, stamina, disease resistance, cold resistance, and even lifespan!

Don’t you understand?

The fungi contain fragments of ancient human genes..."

As he was speaking, Clyde pointed to a coffin-like object at the far end of the laboratory and said, "He is lying right there; when he was excavated, there were fossilized remains of three saber-toothed tigers around him.

From the shape of those fossils, it was evident that he killed three saber-toothed tigers with just a spear.

He and those fungi are ancient gifts, the key to elevating human physical abilities..."

Mountain Eagle took the guy’s words as a bunch of hot air. Although he himself wasn’t a professional geneticist, he understood the basic logic.

Human genes can indeed be changed, but currently, the main use of gene editing technology is for treating hereditary diseases.

In fact, most gene functions are discovered by scientists comparing the genes of healthy people with those of sick people.

As for making humans perfect through gene editing, not to mention whether it can be achieved or not, the very idea itself is a paradox.

Because perfection can’t be defined!

Moreover, once this gene technology becomes mature, in addition to rich people taking the lead and then locking down the technology to completely solidify social classes, there’s an even worse consequence...

That is, everyone customizes their offspring according to a standard, how is that different from the women walking out of the Peninsula Beauty Salon?

At least the Peninsula ’beauties’ still follow genetic traits, passing some of their original features to their children, preserving diversity...

Customized genes would only make most people homogeneous, and the result of losing diversity is extinction!

No need to look at humans, just look at those so-called purebred pets to know, the purer the breed, the more problems arise!

For example, most Labradors have eye and joint issues, 60% of Golden Retrievers get cancer, Great Danes grow to a certain size and their hearts can’t handle it...

Similar inherited issues have been found in over 500 varieties of purebred dogs.

If your purebred dog is very healthy, then congratulations, there’s a good chance you’ve been scammed!

Frankly speaking, without human care, all so-called purebred pets wouldn’t survive long.

Pure bloodlines, for most creatures, are actually a curse!

Mountain Eagle especially detested those high-and-mighty people who self-righteously define the standards of ’excellence,’ and he didn’t believe in their definition of ’perfection’...

However, he was still curious about the fossil of that warrior, so he went over to take a look...