Rebirth of the Star God Agent

Chapter 169: Meng Chuan's new discovery, the evolutionary mutation direction of worms

Tuanzi thought about it and added.

"The first unusual worm appeared after we cleaned the crevice, when it was less than two meters deep. Later, after we cleared another meter or two, we saw a second one. Compared to the regular worms, these unusual worms are far less common. Besides, I don't know what else differentiates them from the others, other than their appearance."

Zhai Anle hummed, reminding Tuanzi to keep an eye out for the different types of worms. If they found any more, they could catch a few more. They still had several sealed boxes.

Tuanzi received the order and worked more carefully.

In two or three hours, the team of Zhai Anle and Qi Ji will be replaced.

The other team on the starship had already eaten and drunk their fill and had landed on the ground, ready to take over from the team in front.

Tuanzi only caught two more worms before his shift ended.

The other rotating team was led by Qi Ye and Yin Yuanchi. Because Meng Chuan was temporarily unable to leave the laboratory, Aaron filled in for Meng Chuan's vacuum cleaner.

As soon as the time reached 24 hours, Qi Ye and Yin Yuanchi took the second group of team members directly down to the underground cave without waiting for Zhai Anle to contact them.

Zhai Anle noticed the arrival of the second group. He said hello to the leaders Qi Ye and Yin Yuanchi, "You guys just disperse to the vicinity of the first group. I'll tell you about the current situation."

The second group of members quickly dispersed and stood next to the first group of members. They started the vacuum cleaner, summoned spirit beasts, and directly joined in the worm removal work.

Zhai Anle calmly instructed, "The focus of the cleanup now is to continue to remove the worms in the rift. Don't risk going too deep. Just maintain the current progress. We need time to estimate the number of worms."

The two teams carried out the cleanup at the same time, and the progress was visibly faster.

But the worms continued to writhe in the cracks, and it seemed that the closer they got to the ground, the more violent their reactions became.

It was not until Zhai Anle and Qi Ji's group was forcibly driven away by Qi Ye and Yin Yuanchi that Zhai Anle and Qi Ji gave them a few more words of advice before stopping and gradually evacuating the underground cave with their team members and their magical beasts.

Back on Aaron's starship, Meng Chuan hadn't emerged from the lab yet. There was no definitive conclusion yet regarding the various newfound worms.

Zhai Anle and Qi Ji led the team members to carry out overall disinfection in the hall at the cabin door, changed out of their protective clothing, and disinfected the protective clothing a second time.

Technicians and medical staff had already brought the incubators out of the kitchen, and everyone gathered in the hall to fill their bellies. Zhai Anle then told the team members and the spirit beasts to rest and wait for the next round of replacements.

After Zhai Anle and Qi Ji finished their meal, they went to the kitchen storage room to check on Meng Chuan's research progress.

Meng Chuan remained silent in the lab, and hadn't come out to eat. Zhai Anle had seen Meng Chuan's concentration on his previous research, so he called Doudou to observe Meng Chuan's state in the lab.

Doudou quickly replied to Zhai Anle. Meng Chuan was still studying, but his expression looked relatively stable.

Only then did Zhai Anle breathe a sigh of relief.

"Doudou, please help remind Meng Chuan to come out for dinner first. Tell him that Qi Ji and I are waiting for him outside the storage room."

Doudou conveyed Zhai Anle's words to Meng Chuan in the storage room.

Zhai Anle and Qi Ji were not in a hurry. They walked into the kitchen and sat on the high stools next to the kitchen counter, waiting for Meng Chuan to come out.

Less than an hour later, Meng Chuan emerged from the storage room, looking haggard. He had already changed out of his protective suit and was hunched over, seemingly feeling unwell.

Zhai Anle and Qi Ji quickly stood up and walked to Meng Chuan's side.

Zhai Anle supported Meng Chuan and asked worriedly, "What's wrong with you?"

Qi Ji also supported Meng Chuan's shoulders and raised his chin towards the dining chair in the corner.

"Help him sit on the chair over there first."

The two men helped Meng Chuan sit down on a chair. Meng Chuan spoke a little weakly. He forced himself to speak, his voice a little hoarse: "Do you have any water? I want to drink some first."

Zhai Anle directly took out a pot of tea from the space. The tea was still warm. It was the refreshing tea that Zhai Anle brewed for himself.

Zhai Anle handed the teapot to Meng Chuan. Meng Chuan held the teapot and gulped down half of the water. Putting the teapot down, Meng Chuan wiped the water stains from the corners of his mouth.

"That thing, it..."

Zhai Anle interrupted him, "How are you now? Are you still feeling unwell?"

Meng Chuan was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "I was a little hungry before entering the lab. The meal wasn't ready yet, but I received a message from Mo Linfeng and went to prepare the lab ahead of time. And then, until just now, when Doudou said you guys were looking for me, I realized that my stomach was aching."

Zhai Anle said nothing, took out two pills and handed them to Meng Chuan.

"Take it. One pill will fill you up, and one pill will soothe your stomach. It will quickly relieve your discomfort."

Meng Chuan had witnessed Zhai Anle's methods many times during this period, so he naturally knew that there would be no problem with what he took out.

Meng Chuan swallowed two pills, which didn't taste bitter. He also drank the few sips of water left in the teapot. Soon, the dull pain in Meng Chuan's stomach eased, and he no longer felt hungry. His eyes lit up, and he prepared to ask Zhai Anle for more pills to fill him up.

"that……"

Before Meng Chuan could finish his words, Zhai Anle handed him a crystal bottle.

"Just one a day, don't take more. There are sixty pills inside, enough for two months."

Meng Chuan raised an eyebrow and put the medicine bottle into his compressed space. Then he got back to the point. "That worm has indeed undergone some changes. To protect its fragile internal organs, part of its nervous system remains connected to the sebum produced by metabolism. This is a currently discovered evolutionary direction for worms. The hair-like things on the outside of their skin aren't actually hair, but outward-facing nerves. These nerves operate in parallel with the deadly toxins in their bodies. These sharp, outward-facing nerves can be used to inject the toxin into the target, making this an aggressive evolutionary direction."

Zhai Anle narrowed his eyes and listened attentively. Qi Ji said nothing, but kept a sullen face.

Meng Chuan licked his lips and shook the teapot in his hand. His delicious tea was gone. He put it down and continued, "As for the worm you sent me, its evolutionary mutation is targeting attack. I compared its genetic sequence with that of previous worms, and I found that the thickness and toughness of the sebum in the previous worms is far greater than that of the worms sent today."

Meng Chuan thought about it and concluded.

"In other words, most worms evolve towards the protective properties of sebum. However, the one you sent me is more aggressive."

Zhai Anle thought for a moment and called Tuanzi out. Tuanzi, who was sleeping soundly in Zhai Anle's room next to Yinque, suddenly appeared on Zhai Anle's shoulder.

Tuanzi was still a little confused, and his body was a little unstable. He leaned on Zhai Anle's head and rubbed Zhai Anle's cheek out of habit.

"Anle, what's wrong?"

Zhai Anle touched its head and asked, "Those two different worms you killed today, were they both hairy?"

Tuanzi was still a little confused. He squatted on Zhai Anle's shoulder and swung his big tail habitually.