Chapter 3162: I Have Good News
"The little animals are very smart—they don't rely on their eyes." Mr. Dong wasn't too regretful about this, because his favorite was spiders. He paused before adding, "I recently raised a few new mutant spiders, specifically placed in the castle to eat insects."
Xu Huo sat down at the small table, picked up his juice, and said, "Is that so? I recall that some of the mutant flowers in the garden already have insect-repelling properties."
Besides, there were no mosquitoes or bugs in the ancient castle anyway.
"Is that right?" Mr. Dong seemed to recall for a moment. "Maybe I remembered wrong. Should we find them?"
"No need..." Xu Huo's words trailed off as he sensed a change within the castle. The mutant spiders he hadn't seen when he returned yesterday suddenly crawled out from the corners of the castle. Seeing the furry, pitch-black spiders as big as puppies, he paused, "I think mosquitoes and bugs wouldn't even be enough to fill their teeth. They should be carnivores, right?"
Mr. Dong smiled politely. "Please don't slander them. They are very docile."
"Forget it," Xu Huo said. "Just don't scare anyone."
"I've already trained the staff hired in the castle in advance. If guests arrive, I'll lock them up beforehand." Mr. Dong had thought it through thoroughly. "Also, they won't enter your bedroom or study."
What else could Xu Huo say? He could only accept it calmly.
After breakfast, the butler sent back a reply, informing them that Mr. Huahan had left the district a few days ago, but he had already notified him. Mr. Huahan had agreed to return within three days at the latest.
Xu Huo had a new game item now. He wondered if a Temporal Evolver of Huahan's level could perceive the gravitational field.
He had already used the "Gravitational Field" before and understood the power of this game item. Its effects were better and more comprehensive than Super Items. The distortion of time and space could almost shred any other energy... He just didn't know if it could counteract that black energy of the Box Carrier.
With nothing else to do, he decided to read Carmen Field's collection of love letters in the garden. Before long, Dr. Deng arrived with a thick stack of handwritten manuscript paper. He sat down opposite Xu Huo with a smile. "I have good news for you."
Since obtaining Helta's laboratory, Dr. Deng had spent most of his time there, returning to the castle for a day or two every few days, mainly to "coincidentally" run into Xu Huo.
"What good news?" Xu Huo asked without looking up.
"I recently got in touch with a few old friends. They're very interested in my development in District 011 and want to come work with me," Dr. Deng said.
"Are you sure you only got in touch recently, and not that you've been in contact all along?" Xu Huo said slowly.
"Would I lie to you?" Dr. Deng lied without batting an eye. "Let me tell you, they're all elites who've fought through thousands of troops. Apart from being a bit stubborn, they have no other flaws. I spent a lot of effort convincing them to come for a visit. Maybe once they see the conditions here, they'll stay with their resources!"
Dr. Deng's former employees at Stellar Pharmaceuticals had left their old employer for various reasons. Later, he wandered around the game looking for suitable investors, eventually meeting Xu Huo and settling down gradually.
Among these factors—Xu Huo's abilities, his generosity, and Dr. Deng having nowhere else to go—a friendly cooperative relationship was finally formed. In short, both sides could get by.
Of course, Xu Huo was now richer and more respected by Dr. Deng.
"Conditions?" Xu Huo saw through his intentions at a glance. "Do you need funding for new instruments and expenses again?"
"Don't make it sound like I only know how to ask for money." Dr. Deng pushed the folder over. "This is a project I've been working on with a few old friends. We've all made some achievements. The finished medicine will definitely earn you back ten or a hundred times your investment."
Xu Huo finally showed some interest and picked up the documents to read.
Five major disease treatment agents, three gene defect treatment agents, and two special toxins extracted from fungi.
Given the level of game development, many diseases once considered terminal had been easily conquered. Some didn't even require long-term medication—just one injection was enough. However, the side effects from taking Evolution Agents had gradually increased, with gene mutation being a very common symptom. The scientific community considered this a gene defect, so drug development often used this terminology.
Although District 014 had introduced many medicines and drugs, they weren't comprehensive and were severely overpriced. Many players who went to other districts would bring back some medicines. Even ordinary treatment drugs from other districts had already surpassed the effects of what was available in 014, so the prices were naturally high.
The government had taken some emergency measures, but considering that drugs from other districts might cause irreversible side effects without proper testing, restrictions were relatively strict. This led some seriously ill people to pay high prices for drugs smuggled by players. It was currently a gray area—the government regulated it, but not strictly.
"Will the drugs targeting diseases cause gene mutations?" Xu Huo asked.
"I can't give you a definite answer on that," Dr. Deng said. "The factors for gene mutation are multifaceted. Drugs for common diseases usually don't have such severe side effects. However, conquering diseases inherently involves stimulating the body's cells to self-clean, so causing gene mutations isn't surprising."
"It's usually individual cases. It's rare to see large-scale genetic mutation sequelae in a particular race."
"If you're inclined, you can provide some experimental data."
District 014 had already merged with the game, and racial genes were no longer a secret. Xu Huo nodded. "I'll give it to you later. The drugs must be safe."
Dr. Deng agreed readily. He emphasized the two toxins at the end. "Although they're toxins, they're mainly used for cleansing."
"This is a mutant fungus. It can devour other toxins, but miraculously, it self-destructs after twelve hours of action. You carry quite a few poisons on you, don't you? Aren't you afraid of accidentally poisoning yourself? This can be used to fight poison with poison."
"Fight poison with poison?" Xu Huo's gaze lingered on the last page. "You'd have to survive twelve hours after being poisoned. This toxin is classified as S-class, right?"
"How can medicine be without a spirit of adventure?" Dr. Deng said matter-of-factly. "If this agent has to be used, it's usually when antidotes are ineffective or simply unavailable. When you're about to die anyway, you might as well take a gamble."
"You can continue with the first two types of drugs," Xu Huo tapped the paper. "I will never allow you to use me as a test subject for the toxins. Come back when you have a new breakthrough."
"Go to Mr. Dong for the funding." He paused before adding, "Spend sparingly. Right now, the biggest project I'm investing in is you, and the one with the smallest returns is also you."
Dr. Deng was very confident. "This time, I definitely won't let you lose money."
"If your few friends are willing to join, offer them 80% of your salary, with bonuses separate." Xu Huo put down the documents, signaling that he could leave.
"Don't rush. I haven't finished talking yet." Dr. Deng suddenly lowered his voice.