Chapter 700

The young man's face flushed red with embarrassment and a flicker of resentment flashed across his eyes. However, he quickly concealed his emotions and hunched over slightly, his head down and his eyes cast to the ground. He was Hendery Muller, the youngest scientist in the team. He took pride in his academic achievements, but all Alvin cared about was setting targets and demanding results. AIDS and the influenza virus were completely different. The flu spread through the air, with epithelial cells as its host, whereas AIDS spread through bodily fluids, infecting lymphocytes. One virus couldn't host two masters, and the idea of merging them was ridiculous. The flu's genome consisted of about eight negative-sense single-stranded RNAs, while AIDS had two positive-sense RNAs. It was difficult to imagine how they would combine and what would happen after. Still, after countless months of trial and error, Hendery had made the impossible happen. It was a breakthrough worthy of history books. And yet, here he was, getting berated by Alvin. Hendery was so angry he wanted to inject Hydra's Retribution right into Alvin. Hendery's silence only irritated Alvin further. "Worthless! Say something, would you? If it's unusable, then come up with a new solution! I need a working Hydra's Retribution!" Hendery muttered, "I'll gather everyone right away to discuss the method for integrating the strongest influenza virus with AIDS cells." Alvin snapped, "I want results by today. If you need motivation, just think of your future rewards. Isn't Lambda City magnificent?" Hendery looked up in bewilderment. "Yes." He didn't understand why Alvin was bringing up Lambda City, his dream city. It had everything from stunning scenery throughout all four seasons to the Walling Mountain as its backdrop, and no natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, or tornadoes. It was paradise on Earth, and he'd fallen in love with it the moment he arrived. Alvin pointed to the floor as he continued, "We'll get rich if Hydra's Retribution succeeds. When the time comes, Lambda City will be your reward. What do you think?" Hendery's mind immediately went blank. "I-I'll do my best! I'll get started on a new solution right now!" he exclaimed excitedly before rushing off. Inside the glass enclosure, the python had swallowed the rooster, though it couldn't digest it just yet. Alvin's eyes gleamed as he observed the python's bulging belly. He mumbled under his breath, "It'll digest it eventually." Then, he turned to look at the map on the wall. Grabbing a pen, he connected the outline of Eastoria and sketched a crude drawing of a python. The python's opened mouth and long tongue stretched to the center of a rooster-shaped country. Then, Alvin tossed the pen aside and stared at the map with a fiery gaze, his imagination running wild. Meanwhile, in a small yard in Woolfields, Kingston was drunk. His cheeks were flushed red from the alcohol, and tears streamed down his face as he clutched Matthew's hand.