In Chen Gu's view, this was already quite slow. He knew that back in his own days, without any help from potions, it had only taken him approximately half a month to reach that standard.

Now they were using a precious potion every single day.

However, Shi Chenghua and Fei Ji were very excited. To them, such a rate was unquestionably "earth-shattering." This bolstered their confidence even more. With that boost, the words they were about to say carried an extra bit of assurance.

It was still Fei Ji who spoke first, "So, Instructor, for our second group experiment, do we start as soon as someone meets the standard, or do we have to wait until everyone has reached it?"

Chen Gu frowned. "What do you mean by...?"

Fei Ji looked him directly in the eyes and said bluntly, "We're worried that Chu Zheng will hold us back."

Shi Chenghua spoke up too, "Chu Zheng is different from us. We know her situation is more tragic since it's about breaking down and rebuilding. But we also don't want to be dragged down by her. To speak bluntly, Instructor, we really have no personal connection to her; why should we have to bear her problems together?"

The volunteers for the second group's [Extreme Endurance] experiment, in fact, faced much less risk than the first group. In theory, they could almost achieve a fifty percent or higher success rate in becoming Professionals from this one experiment—which was already very high.

And becoming a Professional one day earlier would mean they could advance in their career one day sooner.

Chen Gu could understand their urgency, but such indifference was somewhat distressing.

Chen Gu made good use of his ability to control his facial micro-expressions, concealing his inner emotions well. "This matter is up to Dr. Meng Ji to decide. If you want to know the answer, you shouldn't be asking me."

Chen Gu politely escorted the two students out, then pondered for a moment, feeling somewhat troubled himself.

He put on his coat and went out to find Dr. Meng Ji.

Dr. Meng Ji seemed very unwelcoming of his arrival. He had been busy with the first group's preparatory work for the past few days, which had reached a critical stage. He estimated that the experiment could officially begin either tomorrow evening or the morning of the day after tomorrow.

At that moment, Dr. Meng Ji was about to rest for thirty-four minutes, timing it with a stopwatch.

"If you have something to say, say it quickly. If not, then please go back immediately."

Chen Gu went straight to the point, "Why did you choose Chu Zheng in the first place? She seems very pessimistic about the whole experiment and lacks enthusiasm."

Dr. Meng Ji's overbearing presence faded slightly, and he ruffled his messy hair. "Three years ago, Chu Zheng's brother was a volunteer for another experiment of mine."

"Her brother, also a Professional, was contaminated by a Mutant during a mission. However, his condition wasn't severe. According to the Bureau's standard procedure, they would attempt to remove the contamination and then transfer him to a desk job. This would prevent him from undertaking dangerous missions, but, also by standard procedure, he would lose eligibility for future promotions."

"At that time, I was researching a related subject and needed a group of volunteers. If the experiment had succeeded, it could have completely eliminated the risk of subsequent mutation for those with minor contamination, giving them hope to continue advancing their careers."

"Her brother and she argued over whether to participate in the experiment because there were certain risks involved."

"But Professionals simply cannot resist the hope of moving forward; her brother disregarded her dissuasion and insisted on participating in the experiment."

Dr. Meng Ji paused, then hurriedly blurted out as if avoiding the subject, "The experiment encountered an accident, and after its failure, all the subjects experienced a rapid increase in the degree of mutation. The Bureau had no choice but to destroy that batch of experiment subjects."

Immediately after, he pushed and shoved Chen Gu out of the door.

However, Chen Gu had already understood: Chu Zheng's brother could have lived a stable life. The Bureau always took great care of former special agents who were injured on such missions and had retired to second-line duties.

But then Dr. Meng Ji had shown up and told him, "Join my experiment, and you'll have the chance to return to the battlefield!"

So he participated, and as a result, the experiment failed, and he was gone, just like that.

How could his sister not resent you?

Yet upon further reflection, Chen Gu felt that things might not be so simple. If Chu Zheng truly resented and mistrusted Dr. Meng Ji, why would she come to volunteer?

"Could it be she wants to intentionally ruin the experiment as revenge against Dr. Meng Ji?" Chen Gu muttered to himself.

It was possible, but something didn't quite add up. Chu Zheng had displayed a demeanor of detachment and indifference throughout the training process, not one of vindictive revenge or calculated plotting.

"It's also not out of the question that this girl is cunning, deliberately disguising herself this way."

"But why would Dr. Meng Ji let someone with such an obvious potential threat participate in such a crucial experiment?"

Chen Gu decided to talk to Chu Zheng the next day. If there really was an issue, he would eliminate the threat beforehand.

Waking up early in the morning, Shi Chenghua and Fei Ji arrived at the strength training room ahead of time. They did the maximal tests for the bench press, squat, and deadlift. They were quick to high-five and cheer each other as their scores had clearly improved compared to yesterday.

They had already completed their respective tests and had done extra training together until eight o'clock in the morning, when Chu Zheng entered the training room, right on time.

According to Chen Gu's plan, the training started at eight in the morning—Chu Zheng was neither early nor late. Then she would leave on time at six-thirty in the evening, not staying a minute longer.

Chen Gu and Chu Zheng entered the room one after the other. Today's training proceeded as usual, and Chen Gu did not show any signs of anything out of the ordinary.

It wasn't until the end of the day's training that Chen Gu said to Chu Zheng after dismissal, "Come to my room after dinner; I have something to talk to you about."

Chu Zheng was clearly taken aback, but Shi Chenghua and Fei Ji showed a look of anticipation, thinking that their "suggestion" from yesterday had worked.

After dinner, however, Chu Zheng did not show up. Chen Gu waited until after eight and was about to call her when he was suddenly startled by forceful knocking on the door.

Upon opening the door, Chu Zheng stood there, drenched in sweat, her face still showing that same indifference. She barged in and asked, "Spill it, what do you want?"

Chen Gu frowned. "Did you go for extra training?" If he remembered correctly, this was the first time Chu Zheng had done extra training.

"Yes." Chu Zheng held her head high, looking at him with a touch of scorn. "Do you need me to take a shower first?"

Chen Gu's brows furrowed even more. "What do you mean?"

"What do you want? Isn't it just those things men are interested in?" Chu Zheng said flatly, trying hard to sound nonchalant.

Chen Gu suddenly realized. "You think I... This... It's not..." He stumbled over his words, then took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over Chu Zheng's lean, flat figure. "Please don't insult my taste!"