During a lull in the fleet's resupply, a man boarded the Chinese aircraft carrier. It was Lin Yong, the chairman of China's leading pharmaceutical company, Lin's Pharmaceuticals.
He was the father of Lin Xue and Lin Zihao, and the son of Lin Wencheng.
"Old Lin, there's no need to look so glum. Fortune favors the brave, and your father and children will surely be alright!" Deng He said, trying to comfort his old comrade, who wore a worried expression.
"Alas!" Lin Yong sighed heavily. "Old Deng, you don't need to console me. I know this new continent is dangerous. The disappearance of the Nix in this vicinity... I fear the worst!"
His expression was incredibly somber. As the head of a company worth hundreds of billions, his life had been nearly perfect.
He had married the woman he loved, had two children, a son and a daughter, and his elderly father was in good health, able to travel freely. Such a life was the pinnacle.
But he never expected an accident to strike so suddenly.
Just a few days prior, while handling affairs at the company, he received news that the Nix, the cruise ship carrying his father and children, had lost contact. He nearly fainted on the spot.
After several days of search and rescue, they learned that the Nix had sailed into a new continent, a continent fraught with unknown dangers.
Especially the scene they witnessed yesterday through a live broadcast: a Godzilla-like creature, hundreds of meters tall, wreaking havoc on the sea. It took the combined forces thousands of artillery shells to kill it, which was terrifying.
If the Nix had encountered a monster of that caliber, it would have been utterly defenseless.
Deng He understood Lin Yong's worries and his heavy heart, but he couldn't offer any guarantees. Getting Lin Yong to board the aircraft carrier with him was already the result of his efforts.
"Perhaps the Nix was lucky and didn't encounter these monsters," Deng He offered.
Lin Yong shook his head, his expression filled with sorrow, then nodded with a sigh. "Let's hope so. If Xue'er and the others are rescued this time, I will never let them go on such impulsive trips again."
Deng He offered more words of comfort. He also cared about his niece and nephew, as well as Uncle Lin, as their families were close and often visited each other.
In his memory, his niece was a genius, not only a top student at Tsinghua University, consistently ranking first in her studies, but also the campus belle, highly admired by young people. She was a beauty who possessed both looks and talent.
"Report, sir! Experts studying the monster's flesh have made a new discovery!" a soldier ran in.
Deng He's expression immediately turned serious. "Come, take me there!"
The flesh salvaged from the sea was immediately sent to the experts on the warships by various countries for research.
"Old Deng, may I also go and see?" Lin Yong asked Deng He.
As the chairman of a pharmaceutical company, he was immensely curious about this Godzilla sea beast. Of course, his primary motivation was to understand what this monster was and how dangerous it truly was.
To rescue his children and father, he first needed to thoroughly understand this new continent.
Deng He hesitated for a moment, but then, considering that some of the experts studying the monster's flesh had been brought by Lin Yong, he nodded. "You may."
The two followed the soldier and soon arrived at the laboratory where the monster's flesh was being studied.
A group of researchers in white coats were busy at work. In the center, a large mass of brightly colored flesh was covered by a massive glass enclosure.
"Commander Deng!" a researcher greeted Deng He upon seeing him.
Deng He nodded and turned his gaze to the flesh in the center of the lab. Seeing that the flesh was still wriggling, he frowned slightly.
This was Lin Yong's first time seeing the massive flesh of the Godzilla sea beast. Inside a giant glass tank, a mass of flesh was writhing, as if still alive.
"This... this flesh is still alive? It's not dead!?" Lin Yong exclaimed in shock.
The researcher shook his head. "No, it's dead. This is only a very small portion of the flesh; it cannot survive independently."
"Dead? Then why is it still moving?"
Lin Yong found it difficult to comprehend. As the CEO of a biotechnology company, he had a deep understanding of life sciences.
But what he was witnessing now, he couldn't fathom the principle behind it.
Deng He felt the same, his expression grave. "Is this flesh dangerous?"
"No, we've checked it thoroughly. It's very safe," the researcher replied, then began to explain their latest findings to the two men.
"Commander Deng, the flesh of this sea beast is extraordinary. We extracted genes from its blood for comparison and found that its genetic sequence is remarkably similar to organisms from Earth's ancient past. This suggests that the sea beast must have a connection to Earth!"
As he spoke, the researcher's expression became incredibly excited. He looked at the giant flesh in the glass tank with fervent eyes. "What's more, we've discovered a peculiar active substance within this flesh!"
"It is this substance that stimulates the flesh, making it full of vitality and life, as if it were alive!"
Deng He and Lin Yong were stunned. They hadn't expected such a discovery!
"What is this active substance? How can it be so miraculous!?" Lin Yong asked, somewhat awestruck.
As the owner of a biopharmaceutical company, he immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of this active substance.
If it could be applied to medicine and surgery, how many patients could be saved?
The researcher shook his head. "We're not sure what the substance is, but it does dissipate. It doesn't last long within the flesh and quickly evaporates into the air."
This was the result of their numerous research attempts. Dead flesh could not retain the active substance; it would slowly dissipate over time.
They had created countless containers, constantly trying to preserve the active substance, and finally succeeded in preventing the loss of the active substance from a piece of flesh.
"Oh, and Professor Li mentioned that this active substance is very similar to the 'ling qi' in our Chinese mythology!" the researcher suddenly added.
Ling qi? Deng He and Lin Yong were taken aback. How did this turn into cultivation?
Deng He shook his head. "That's unlikely, isn't it? Mythology and legends are ethereal. Even the Qi refiners from the pre-Qin era, recorded in historical texts, were likely fabricated rumors by ancient people. Ling qi? It's probably not possible."
Lin Yong nodded, agreeing with Deng He's assessment, finding the idea of ling qi rather far-fetched.
"We also thought it was impossible, but scientific research must be rigorous, so we will first verify whether this active substance is indeed ling qi. After all, several of its characteristics are too similar to ling qi," the researcher said, pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses.
Next, Deng He inquired further about related information from the researchers. He learned that the Godzilla sea beast had likely absorbed a large amount of the active substance, which had made it so powerful.