Professor Connors had been tirelessly researching a serum that could cure cancer. Almost every creature in the world was susceptible to the disease.
The saying that sharks never get cancer was merely a myth. While certain anti-cancer factors in their cartilage greatly reduced their risk, sharks could still suffer from a deadly form of melanoma.
Elephants also had a much lower chance of developing cancer, thanks to the tp53 gene in their bodies, which could detect DNA damage and repair mutations before they turned cancerous—eliminating abnormal cells in time.
The only animal with a zero cancer rate was the mole rat. To this day, not a single case of cancer had ever been found in that species.
The mole rat's genome contained many anti-cancer genes, such as the arf gene, while lacking many of those linked to cancer formation. Its genome had a high number of DNA-repair gene copies, and its ribosomes could produce proteins with almost no errors. It also possessed a large number of molecular chaperones that ensured proper protein folding. All this made the mole rat's genes and cells astonishingly stable.
Moreover, mole rat cells contained a unique hyaluronic acid polymer, which activated a powerful mechanism known as "early contact inhibition." Once the cells "felt crowded," they stopped dividing. Even if a few cells turned cancerous, after several rounds of division the crowding would trigger the inhibition mechanism—preventing the cancer cells from spreading uncontrollably.
However, Professor Connors wasn't sure if simply injecting mole rat genes could cure late-stage cancer. And if the subject turned into a giant mole rat, he wasn't certain Wade would accept it.
After much hesitation, he decided to splice together and transplant anti-cancer genes from three animals—shark, elephant, and mole rat—into Wade Wilson's body. If everything went smoothly, Wade wouldn't show any of their animal traits.
That, after all, was the true purpose of the Cross-Species Genetic Transplant Project. The Lizard Man had only been an unfortunate by-product.
The research, after many twists and detours, was finally back on track. Connors poured almost all of his energy into it, even setting aside his analysis of the culture medium formula.
If the experiment succeeded, he would have found a cure for one of humanity's deadliest diseases—cancer—at its very root.
With his countless experiences mixing serums, Connors made rapid progress. Soon he had developed a serum that fused the three gene types and injected it into test mice for observation.
After the disaster with the Lizard Man, he was far more cautious now—terrified that merging animal genes would once again cause grotesque mutations.
The first trial was catastrophic. Out of fifty mice, more than forty mutated horribly—developing grotesque traits from sharks, elephants, and mole rats. One even sprouted seven or eight limbs and over a dozen eyes, a nightmare-inducing abomination.
Even for Professor Connors, a biologist who had dissected countless specimens, the sight made his stomach churn.
After destroying the failed specimens, he analyzed the few that hadn't mutated, deleting any genomic sequences likely to cause transformation, and adjusted the serum formula.
But the work was monumental. With no assistant to help, progress was painfully slow.
Connors stared at the mountains of data stored in his computer, his head pounding. If not for the regenerative boost from the Lizard serum, he might have gone bald by now.
Just then, the doorbell of the lab rang. Connors glanced at the monitor and saw Broly standing outside. He quickly opened the door, feeling uneasy—both projects Broly had entrusted him with had hit roadblocks.
Broly swept his gaze around the lab and set a refrigerated case down on the floor.
"This is the sample of the cancer cells taken from Wade's body."
At the mention of the sample, Connors's eyes lit up. The cancer cells taken from Wade could be cultured and multiplied in a medium—perfect for testing whether the serum formula could suppress them once it was complete.
"These cancer cells aren't ordinary," Broly said, shaking his head. He then described what had happened inside Wade's body during the surgery.
Connors was stunned. He had read countless papers on cancer during his serum research, yet this was the first time he'd ever heard of something so unnatural.
Curiosity flaring, he opened the refrigerated box and took out the frozen tumor. After slicing and preparing it, he placed the samples under the cryogenic electron microscope he'd "borrowed" from Oscorp.
At the magnification that revealed molecular structures, every detail of the sample came into view.
"This is impossible… so many of these cancer cells are still alive!"
Connors couldn't help but exclaim. Under the microscope, nearly seventy percent of the cells were still active—twitching and devouring each other.
Cancer cells were notoriously resilient inside the human body—like wildfire that could never be fully extinguished. Yet once exposed to the outside environment, they usually died quickly. Connors had planned to cultivate what few survived, hoping to expand their numbers.
Broly raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the tumor inside the box. Its life force was so faint he hadn't even noticed it during the flight over.
"Interesting."
He raised his hand, and a surge of ki gathered in his palm—its radiant glow so bright that Connors instinctively shut his eyes.
With a casual flick, Broly sent the glowing sphere into the box, merging it with the cancerous mass. He wanted to see what would happen if the tumor absorbed a large amount of ki.
The energy meant little to Broly—but for the cancer cells, it was like tossing a starving mouse into a granary.
The cells stopped devouring each other and instead began frantically absorbing the ki.
The once lifeless tumor suddenly seemed to come alive, pulsating and multiplying rapidly. Its surface bulged with grotesque, pus-filled blisters of sickly yellow-green fluid, swelling together as the mass expanded. Within mere minutes, it had grown to three or four times its original size, cramming the refrigerated case until it bulged.
Countless tendril-like appendages whipped and thrashed, making the container crackle and groan.
Broly could sense it—the tumor's ki was skyrocketing. In just a short time, it had reached the level of an ordinary human's ki—and it was still getting stronger.
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
patreon.com/SuperTL
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
" The Giant of light in the marvel world "
" Marvel and DC: The Ruthless Challenger "
" Marvel: Lord of the Multiverse "
" Marvel: The Navy Admiral's Arrival "
" Marvel Rise of the Spider-Verse "
" Marvel: The Multiverse Wanderer "
" Marvel: Wrath of the Dark Superman "
many more are available 40+
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)