"A hero name, I don't have one, because..."
Having long witnessed the citizens' almost fanatical enthusiasm for heroes in this world, Han Sen remained calm under the spotlight, giving an answer that stunned everyone.
"I am not a hero."
"Eh—!?"
This time, Han Sen truly was just passing by, and eliminating the Beverage Monster family was merely an incidental act.
After speaking, he walked directly into the crowd amidst everyone's astonished and bewildered gazes.
Before the onlookers could react, his figure flickered a few times and vanished from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.
The girl stood frozen, muttering, "Not a hero... then?"
The twin-tailed reporter stared blankly, her eyes wide with astonishment, watching the tall young man's back as he walked straight away.
...
...
Corner coffee shop.
Escaping the bustling disaster scene, Han Sen arrived here alone.
At an outdoor seating area under a parasol, a man wearing glasses, a white lab coat, and with a slightly gloomy demeanor had been waiting for a long time.
It was none other than the founder of House of Evolution, Dr. Genus.
"Boss."
Upon seeing Han Sen, Dr. Genus immediately stood up, his attitude respectful.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Doctor."
When out and about, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Han Sen had Dr. Genus directly address him as "Boss."
"No, I just arrived not long ago myself."
After shaking hands, they both took their seats. Dr. Genus pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping over the ruins of the supermarket not far away: "However..."
"Your hobby is truly unique."
He had heard many urban legends about serial killers, but this was the first time he had seen someone like Han Sen who was so keen on slaughtering Monsters.
As soon as he thought that Han Sen's true form was a terrifying Monster he had never seen before, Dr. Genus's eyes flickered, feeling as if he had discovered something crucial.
—Killing his own kind to gain a different kind of pleasure? I think I understand something...
Noticing that Dr. Genus across from him had suddenly become even more respectful, Han Sen felt a bit bewildered but didn't think much of it. He picked up the coffee the Doctor had ordered in advance and took a sip, stating matter-of-factly, "Of course. Otherwise, why would I actively seek to cooperate with you, Doctor?"
Dr. Genus fell silent for a moment.
—You like to slaughter Monsters, and I am good at researching and creating Monsters. This combination... is truly a match made in heaven in some sense.
What a fated encounter...
Since being "recruited" by Han Sen, Dr. Genus's research progress had advanced by leaps and bounds.
It wasn't that Han Sen brought a lot of funding or top-tier scientific research equipment; for a top scientist, making money was just an incidental matter.
Moreover, for Dr. Genus, who had been deeply engaged in cutting-edge biological science for decades, the wealth pursued by ordinary people was merely a string of boring numbers necessary for his research.
What excited Dr. Genus was the new research direction and the infinitely potential research material provided by Han Sen...
Monster Cell!
"Regarding the mass production project for the cloning and cultivation of Monster Cell..."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Dr. Genus began to report on his work, his usually calm tone carrying a rare hint of excitement.
"Boss, please take a look."
He took out a tablet from his briefcase. On the holographic screen that rose from it, a ferocious Wolf-Level Monster model was roaring wildly.
"Regarding the mass production project of Monster Cell, the initial culture medium has been debugged and is ready for optimized cultivation at any time. However..."
He paused, frowning slightly: "In the final activation and stabilization phase, it seems to require a large amount of energy, or rather, high concentrations of life force for catalysis, which still needs time to overcome."
"But! Based on the research of Monster Cell, I have designed a more controllable enhancement plan, which I named—'Evolution Cell 1.0'!"
Dr. Genus's eyes gleamed with fanaticism as he tapped his finger on the light screen.
The virtual Wolf-Level Monster let out a howl and swallowed a strange chunk of flesh. Immediately after, its body began to swell violently!
Muscles bulged explosively, sharp bone spikes broke through its skin, and its aura rapidly surged at a visible speed!
The 'Wolf' character representing the disaster level on the screen flashed wildly, finally settling on 'Demon-level' with a "thud"!
"'Evolution Cell 1.0' does not directly transform humans into Monsters, but rather optimizes and strengthens the cellular structure of existing Monsters by extracting beneficial mutated factors from the Monster Cell you provided!"
Dr. Genus suppressed his excitement, as if he had already seen the dawn of "human evolution," his lifelong pursuit.
"Theoretically, once the plan is complete, we can batch-upgrade Tiger-level Monsters to Demon-level! And this is just version 1.0!"
"After testing, the Monster tissue samples you recently provided can almost perfectly integrate into the genetic pedigree of 'Evolution Cell.' As long as we continue to iterate, the potential of 'Evolution Cell' is far beyond this!"
Han Sen looked at the Monster model on the virtual screen, which had evolved from Wolf-level to Demon-level, and nodded with satisfaction.
As for the other party's praise for "Evolution Cell," he wasn't particularly surprised.
After all...
The source of this thing was the Disaster Level Dragon or higher, King Orochi.
It was itself a top-tier Monster that had developed the "devouring" characteristic to its extreme, so its compatibility with different Monster genes was naturally extremely high.
"Speaking of Monster samples, Doctor..."
Han Sen picked up his coffee, and as if remembering something, he casually said, "Recently, I just gained control of an underwater Monster lair. I wonder if you're interested in samples of marine Monsters?"
"Marine Monsters?"
Upon hearing this, Dr. Genus's movement of adjusting his glasses paused, and the left lens suddenly flared with a dazzling white reflection.
—The Boss's sphere of influence actually encompasses the ocean as well?
The genius's brain whirred at high speed, countless gene sequences and biological models flashing rapidly through Dr. Genus's mind.
He couldn't help but muse, "Compared to the barren land, the ocean's expanse is hundreds of times vaster, and its biodiversity is simply incomparable to that of land."
"Deep-sea high pressure, lightless environments, hydrothermal vent ecosystems... The Monsters born there must contain secrets unimaginable to terrestrial life."
"If I could have the honor of studying them, that would naturally be excellent."
"Alright then," Han Sen nodded with satisfaction, a plan forming in his mind, "You provide the technology, equipment, and research team, and we'll build an underwater research institute in the waters near J City."
"That place can serve as a secondary backup base and also allow us to collect materials nearby to directly research marine Monsters."
"I will dispatch my subordinates to assist with the base's construction. Any problems?"
"Of course... no problem!"
Dr. Genus sat up straight, his seemingly calm gaze flashing with the excitement of discovering a new continent.
"I will have the clones assemble a team and depart immediately!"
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