"What?"
Jessica froze, then her eyes instantly lit up.
The breakthrough in the R&D of 209 was of indescribable significance to her and the entire Rhodes family!
Because 209 was their savior!!
"Let's go, I'll take you to the lab."
Without time for further words, Jin Luode took Jessica's hand and walked out.
Jessica, however, instinctively shook his hand away.
Jin Luode froze.
She actually dared to break free from his grasp?
"The phone call was too long, my hand is numb and uncomfortable."
Jessica's expression was calm, her brows furrowed slightly, and she shook her hands a few times.
In fact.
She herself didn't know why she inexplicably pulled her hand away when Jin Luode held it.
This was not her intention.
Such a strong repulsive behavior was beyond her control!
But she quickly found an uncertain answer.
She thought to herself, "Could it be because I became a handmaid of God?"
Jessica's answer at this moment was very accurate.
After becoming a handmaid of God, even the most sophisticated medical equipment could not detect any active 209 virus in her blood.
However, the core of 209 from the East had already attacked her innermost cells.
Medical equipment could not detect it, and she would not show signs of carrying the virus for the time being, but that thing truly existed.
Exclusivity!!
This was one of the greatest characteristics of 209, ranking alongside the attribute of "greed."
And Jessica could not control this mysterious and terrifying exclusivity.
While secretly surprised, she mistook it for a change in her mindset and immediately maintained her composure, finding the most reasonable excuse.
"Heh heh, I knew it."
Jin Luode did not suspect anything, smiled, and continued, "Hurry up, walk faster. I'm truly eager to show you that major breakthrough. I believe it won't be long before we can compensate for our ancestral genetic defects."
Under his urging, Jessica swung her hands and quickened her pace: "You said there's a woman beside Li Qianfan who can restrain 209?"
"Yes—"
As Jin Luode nodded, he frowned again and stopped, scrutinizing Jessica.
Jessica looked puzzled: "What's wrong?"
"Jessica, why do I feel your walking posture is a bit awkward?"
Jin Luode, with his keen observation skills, looked at Jessica, his eyes flickering.
She had returned from Gaul last night.
She had walked normally when she left.
But upon her return, her gait was awkward.
Although Jin Luode only had the appearance of a man, he had diligently studied the intricacies of marital life for many years.
It was normal for him to immediately think of infidelity upon noticing Jessica's altered gait.
*Bang.*
Jessica felt her heart skip a beat.
She looked around.
There was no one in sight.
Without their permission, the servants dared not enter the castle.
"Jin Luode, I returned last night, and you were in the underground laboratory the entire time."
Jessica lowered her voice: "This morning, the Earl (Jin Luode's uncle) came regarding the matter of Blackwater Forest. He called me before he came. On the phone, he directly asked me why I hadn't shown any signs of pregnancy yet."
Jin Luode's expression changed drastically.
For Jessica to show signs of pregnancy was crucial to ensuring Jin Luode's future position as clan leader.
If he failed to do so!
Then—
The Elder Council of the Rhodes family (of which the Earl was a member) would have to consider selecting a new prospective clan leader.
"I told the Earl that we tried hard this morning."
Jessica pursed her lips and said indifferently, "To make the Earl believe that we tried hard this morning, I had to resort to physical means. And to make it more convincing, I used a bit more force and energy. Do you understand?"
The Earl had indeed come this morning.
Jin Luode, who was in the underground laboratory, had also received the news.
However, because the 209 research was at a critical juncture, he did not come up.
Now.
After hearing Jessica's explanation, Jin Luode's doubts vanished, and his eyes were filled with gratitude: "My dear Jessica, I'm sorry you had to suffer. Don't worry, our hard days are almost over."
Jessica then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Gracefully, she walked down the stairs with Jin Luode, her gait still a little awkward.
With every step, she would recall her God.
Both in terms of speed and intensity, it could completely break her.
This was it?
And yet God had shown mercy—
"What kind of pain would it be if God had no regard for tender beauty?"
As Jessica descended the underground stairs, she suddenly thought of this question.
Was it pain?
Who knew!
Regardless, after descending to the third basement level, she had suppressed all her selfish thoughts.
The castle in Rhodes Town was called Rhodes Castle.
The exterior of the castle looked ancient and weathered,
But the interior decoration was extremely understated and luxurious!
Five floors above ground and three floors below ground.
The walls and vaulted ceilings of the three underground floors were reinforced with thick steel plates, said to withstand nuclear explosions.
Upon arriving at the innermost room on the third basement level, they saw an elevator.
The elevator descended.
After a full thirty meters, it stopped smoothly.
The space outside the elevator was the most secretive area of Rhodes Castle.
Only the lord and his wife, along with the biological genetic and virology experts working there, had access.
Even the Elder Council was not permitted to enter.
Simply put.
This was a state-of-the-art laboratory!
Inside the laboratory, over twenty top scientists in white coats were busy at work.
Dr. Price, the head of the laboratory, was waiting for them outside the elevator.
"Esteemed Sir and Madam."
Dr. Price placed his right hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
"Let's go to your office."
Jin Luode smiled and patted Dr. Price's shoulder.
In the office.
Dr. Price had already prepared a slideshow for the Madam.
To explain the major challenge they had overcome, it was necessary to talk about events from 20 years ago.
As early as 20 years ago—
The Moses family, one of the four major powers in the world, had begun research on 209.
The Moses family's situation was a hundred percent similar to the Rhodes family's.
Why did they research 209?
Because 209 possessed miraculous functions that should not belong to this world!
Let's not mention its ability to qualitatively improve a person's strength and speed.
Nor its ability to make a person reach the peak of human beauty.
Let's focus on the impact of 209 on human health.
A top biologist had once proposed a bold hypothesis regarding the 209 virus.
"209 does not belong to the three-dimensional space at all."
"It is very likely ordinary cells that have leaked from a temporal anomaly, from the fourth dimension, or even higher dimensional spaces!"
"Ordinary cells from a higher dimensional space, when they enter a lower dimensional space, become like deities!"
"If we can decipher the core password of 209, we can at least cure incurable diseases within the three-dimensional space."
"And compensating for the Moses family's genetic defects would be very easy!"
For this reason—
As early as 20 years ago, when 209 appeared in this world, the Moses family invested heavily in researching it, attempting to decipher its core password.
However, after many years, the Moses family was still unable to break through a certain bottleneck.
Gradually.
The Moses family became disappointed and stopped their research.
But what the Moses family did not know was—
The Rhodes family was also secretly researching the mysterious 209.
And claiming to have collaborated with the dark web, working together on the research.
Now, the modified 209 virus, when used on experts from the dark web, could cause them to transform into frogs during combat, greatly increasing their combat power. This was the contribution of the modified 209.
Therefore.
Dr. Price also suspected that the host of 209 in a higher dimension (it was just one cell body) might be a frog-like creature.
Were life forms in higher dimensions actually frogs?
If not for frog-like life forms, why would the dark web experts croak and hop like frogs when their combat power surged?
He didn't know.
Dr. Price was not sure.
He only advised Jin Luode and his wife not to use the modified 209 rashly.
His research team would fully tackle the next challenge!
Finally—
"We have successfully deciphered the core of 209 that can further modify it, from the 209 sent from the Eastern Land by the third CEO of the dark web."
After saying this, Dr. Price looked at a safe made of explosion-proof glass.
Inside the transparent safe.
There was only a wad of used toilet paper.
If Shen Maomao knew—
That the toilet paper she casually discarded in the nursery at the foot of Huangliang Mountain would be treated as a "treasure" by the Rhodes family, she would surely be astonished.
"The original 209 not only possesses terrifying exclusivity."
Dr. Price's expression was solemn: "Crucially, it is a cell with unique intelligence!"
Terrifying exclusivity.
Unique intelligence?
Jessica asked with great confusion: "Dr. Price, could you explain these two points in detail?"
"I am willing to serve the esteemed Madam."
Dr. Price bowed and spoke eloquently.
Terrifying exclusivity—
This meant that the host of the original 209 (as Li Qianfan was male, he could only be studied) could only be loyal to him for life if they had been involved with him carnally.
Jessica asked: "Then, what happens if a woman who has been involved with him comes into contact with other men?"
Dr. Price replied with certainty: "They would experience various intense discomforts. If forced, the involved party would suffer from epilepsy and other terrible symptoms, and the interaction must be terminated. It could even be life-threatening. This is the most terrifying exclusivity of the original 209."
Jessica nodded, indicating she understood.
Jin Luode, however, asked: "Dr. Price. Are you saying that any woman involved with Li Qianfan can only serve him for life? And if she tries to betray him, she will be in mortal danger. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
Dr. Price nodded earnestly: "We can confirm this point."
Then, what about the most unique intelligence of the original 209?
"Upon arriving in this world, the original 209 is like a child who is never full and is extremely lonely. It yearns to find an intelligent being in the vast sea of people that can satisfy its hunger and loneliness."
Dr. Price said slowly: "This intelligent being is actually a woman who can pacify, or rather, restrain the endless fission of 209, ultimately causing the host to age and die."
"Doctor."
Jessica could not help but interject: "Are there such women in the world?"
"Yes."
Dr. Price opened the slideshow.
The screen showed a pretty girl who looked quite cool.
"Her name is Su Ziyu."
Dr. Price smiled: "She is the woman that the original 209 finally searched for in the vast sea of people. Now, she is already the wife of the host, Li Qianfan."