One day after Zhou Tianming's "great battle" with various factions.
Williams and Olivia stormed in together, glaring furiously at Zhou Tianming upon seeing Natarle with broken limbs. Despite Natarle's repeated explanations that it wasn't his fault, they remained hostile.
Zhou Tianming could only watch helplessly as his girlfriend was taken away by her future parents-in-law, reenacting a Romeo and Juliet tragedy.
Meanwhile, little Ray happily followed along and won Olivia's affection. Her eyes sparkled as she prepared to take him away too. It took concerted efforts from Williams, Natarle, and Zhou Tianming to rescue Ray from her clutches, though the boy remained blissfully unaware of the situation.
After Natarle left, Zhou Tianming's work efficiency improved significantly without women around him. The Gundam frames instantly transformed into construction workers, clearing debris, transporting supplies, and building temporary bases with terrifying versatility, earning widespread admiration and envy.
The robot enthusiast Lowe grew particularly restless, practically begging at Zhou Tianming's feet for a chance to pilot one. Eventually, Zhou Tianming granted Lowe's wish under White Rabbit's supervision when Zhou Hanxiang summoned him for an important discovery.
Black Tortoise, Temporary Medical Research Room -
The room contained numerous medical and experimental equipment salvaged from the ruins. Though scarred and worn, they remained functional. Upon entering, Zhou Tianming saw Ray naked inside a cylindrical container filled with pale green liquid, wearing an oxygen mask and covered with sensors while sleeping.
"How is his physical condition?"
Zhou Hanxiang stood before a printer as documents steadily emerged with mechanical hums: "Theoretically, perfectly healthy." She retrieved one printout and handed it to Zhou Tianming.
He accepted it and examined carefully. The age notation stood out starkly: 35.
Looking up at Ray, he sighed. Zhou Tianming calculated silently: Assuming Al-Da-Flaga created his clone at age 30, Ray was actually only five years old, though his body appeared eight. "Is there hope?"
Zhou Hanxiang gathered the documents, tapping them twice on the printer to align them, and shook her head: "He isn't 'sick,' so there's no treatment to speak of. But there's good news - the aging problem caused by genetic degradation can be solved using your method."
"Mental Resistance Device?" Zhou Tianming's mind quickly made the connection. "I see. It's indeed similar to my problem - both involve 'damage.'"
"He truly resembles you," Zhou Hanxiang sighed while looking at Ray. "His hormone levels are severely disordered, likely from artificial 'acceleration.' His actual age might be even younger. He'll need recuperation like you did before."
"Did you find any relevant information? Why would they do this?"
Zhou Tianming was curious about why Durandal and Ray Le Creuset wanted to thaw Ray—it couldn't possibly be because they actually wanted a child, right?...
The thought sent an involuntary shiver down his spine, and he hurriedly pictured Natarle in his mind to cleanse the idea.
Zhou Hanxiang said, "Yes, this Durandal is a genius, but he's far too cold-hearted. He's using Ray's genes to develop medicine." "Medicine?" Zhou Tianming suddenly understood, "Ray is the catalyst?"
He felt a chill in his heart—what kind of researcher would even conceive of such a thing?
"This medicine is highly targeted. Just by looking at the formula, you can tell it was developed specifically for one person, to slow genetic deterioration and aging. So, are there other individuals like Ray?"
"Yes."
Zhou Hanxiang fell silent.
After a while, she spoke: "But I also gained inspiration from his drug formula. As long as..."
"I don't know where the other Ultimate Coordinators are."
The thought of using Kira as a catalyst made him nauseous, and he lied without hesitation.
Some things must never be done.
Zhou Tianming looked firmly at Zhou Hanxiang: "Stop searching."
Pursing her lips tightly, Zhou Hanxiang showed a flicker of struggle on her face before finally nodding: "I understand. I'll continue researching other methods." "Mom, thank you for your hard work."
Shaking her head, Zhou Hanxiang handed him the documents in her hand: "These are the materials you asked me to find about Weber. I'll send a copy to Alia later to give her an explanation."
"Mm."
"It's not your fault. Don't dwell on it."
"I don't think the choice I made back then was wrong, I just never imagined we'd meet again under these circumstances."
Zhou Hanxiang glanced at the file in Zhou Tianming's hand: "Read it yourself. They might have their reasons, but... perhaps this is retribution..."
Holding the file, Zhou Tianming returned to his room and leaned against the headboard, turning the pages one by one under the glow of the bedside lamp.
The materials, organized by Zhou Hanxiang, were arranged chronologically, with additional notes and explanations of terms alongside. He read carefully.
Not long after the incident back then, Weber met and fell in love with a woman.
She was the daughter of a lead researcher at GARMR&D Corporation and had been living in the research institute due to a genetic disease. Over time, her condition continuously worsened, and a few years ago, she could no longer breathe on her own and was nearing death.
But a turning point emerged—the researcher's work achieved a breakthrough.
Zhou Hanxiang noted that a significant portion of the data was related to Dr. Hibiki's research.
The developed [Gene Plantification Modification Technology] could grant genes a regenerative ability similar to that of plants.
However, the flaws remained evident. The inability to control the pace and direction of regeneration led to over-repair and mutations, causing the altered genes to differ from normal ones and triggering attacks and rejection by the immune system.
Although it prolonged the woman's life, the pain from genetic conflict made her existence a daily torment.
Not long after, Weber suddenly appeared in Mendel and rapidly climbed the ranks, quickly becoming the Garrison's Chief Commander.
But Zhou Hanxiang had added a note: under his command, subordinates went missing or died due to various accidents every year. At first, the numbers were small, but they increased annually.
Zhou Tianming immediately realized most of these people had likely become test subjects, with Weber having completely descended into the role of executioner.
Simultaneously, his mental state appeared compromised—medical records in the data indicated he was heavily consuming psychotropic drugs.
Zhou Hanxiang had also annotated the drug names and effects, identifying them as antidepressants and sedatives.
Zhou Tianming sighed.
Over the following years, successive technological breakthroughs were achieved through extensive human experimentation. The woman's condition gradually improved, though a complete cure remained elusive.
When facing death, one desires to live; after surviving, one seeks a better life; and with improvement, greed for more emerges…
Human desire knows no bounds—a truth Zhou Tianming understood profoundly.
A sense of shared suffering and empathy welled within him.
In their relentless pursuit of a cure for the woman, they continued human trials unabated.
Zhou Tianming was somewhat surprised to see Durandal's name appear in the records, though it seemed logical given his expertise.
With his assistance, research advanced significantly. Data indicated the technology had largely matured—repair and mutation issues were suppressed, and genetic conflicts mitigated.
Yet misfortune struck unexpectedly…
Zhou Hanxiang later noted her speculation: a power outage caused by an explosion likely triggered a backup power overload during activation, channeling immense energy that induced genetic mutation.
After reading, Zhou Tianming exhaled deeply, uncertain how to process it all.
But he finally grasped the meaning behind Zhou Hanxiang's remark about "retribution."
Everything had proceeded smoothly, only to collapse at the final moment—as if fate itself had intervened.
Lying on the bed, Zhou Tianming gazed at the ceiling and murmured, "What then is my destiny…"
On her end, Zhou Hanxiang waited long after sending the data to Alia before receiving a reply.
The email contained only two words: Thank you.
Despite their brevity, Zhou Hanxiang sensed profound sorrow and resolution in them.
Leaning back in her chair, she repeatedly scanned Weber's records, her eyes distant and unfocused.
Unconsciously, she placed herself in his position.
What if it were Tian Ming facing death…
She clenched her teeth, a sharp pain blooming on her lip. A trail of crimson blood traced down her pale skin from her chin, staining her clothes.
Her dark eyes remained still, mirroring stagnant water.
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