As Darwin had said, the power of adaptive evolution didn't just apply to extreme environments. Diseases, viruses, and other biological threats could also undergo adaptive changes.
In the core experimental zone, Lancelot gazed at the dazzling array of bio-serums before him, a look of relief spreading across his face.
Since Darwin's arrival at the Mutant Evolution House, he had been at the forefront of biological evolution.
With Darwin's adaptive evolution abilities, the science team had developed numerous cutting-edge bio-serums, far ahead of their time.
Even just the immune-enhancing serum alone was enough to drive the world into a frenzy.
And the serums capable of saving terminally ill patients from despair could offer those afflicted a new lease on life.
Beyond these, Darwin and his team had developed rapid-healing serums, cardiac stimulants, integration transplant agents, and more.
For Lancelot, these were secondary; mastering Darwin's theories equated to mastering a complete suite of adaptive evolution technologies. The serums themselves were merely tools he could one day leverage to seize global wealth.
Moreover, despite these serums being developed by Darwin, Lancelot distributed them only to his mutant allies.
He knew humanity's greed all too well. If people discovered that someone could cure terminal illnesses—or even render humans immune to all diseases—they might attempt to eliminate them immediately.
This was humanity's inferiority, and it explained why humans could not tolerate mutants.
Technologies ahead of humanity's time could earn respect—but technologies decades or centuries ahead would incite fear, even uniting humanity to destroy the bearers.
Thus, despite possessing so many medical breakthroughs, Lancelot would never sell them.
He cast a casual glance at the dazzling array of bio-serums around him, then shifted his attention to Darwin's back.
Behind Darwin stood a highly sci-fi-looking bio-training chamber, crafted from advanced materials.
It was the product of hundreds of top scientists from both the Mutant Evolution Institute and Darwin's personal research lab.
"Directed Evolution Device," Lancelot said with a smile. Even without Darwin's introduction, he understood the device's capabilities. Yet he didn't interrupt—after all, the mutants behind Darwin insisted on seeing it in action.
"Comrades, this is the Directed Evolution Device, developed by our Mutant Evolution Institute. With this machine, we can achieve directed evolution, and even perform non-invasive organ transplantation," Darwin proclaimed.
He clapped his hands, prompting his assistant Ruina to bring a small white mouse from a nearby cage.
Darwin easily injected a vial of pale-gold serum into the mouse and placed it inside the Directed Evolution device before activating it.
"Dr. Graham, bring over the aquatic gill glands," Darwin commanded. Dr. Graham quickly approached a large metallic container, tapped a few commands on the control screen, and the container responded: Open.
Hiss. All the mutants gasped at the sight inside.
The container was densely packed with strange flesh-and-blood organs—some resembling fish gills, some tube-like like vacuums, others strange muscle tissue.
Though these organs resembled human organs, they were fundamentally different. Under the mutants' watchful eyes, Dr. Graham retrieved a gill organ and placed it inside the Directed Evolution Device.
Humph.
Darwin and Dr. Graham pressed the switches simultaneously. A bolt of blue electricity surged through the machine for ten minutes, prompting most of the mutants to shield their eyes.
Laugh.
After ten minutes, the device's chamber opened, and Ruina retrieved the original mouse.
"Comrades, prepare to witness the new era of biological evolution," Darwin said, arms outstretched.
Following Darwin's signal, Ruina placed the mouse into a prepared water tank.
Glurrr.
The mouse's facial muscles twitched, and two small gills appeared on its face. Swimming freely in the water, the mutants were left speechless.
When Ruina pulled the mouse out, the gills vanished, and the mouse began breathing normally through its nose.
"It's a miracle."
"Unbelievable."
"Incredible."
Even the mutants unfamiliar with science knew this device represented a groundbreaking advancement in biotechnology.
"This Directed Evolution tool injects my adaptive cells into an organism and then, using genetic technology, cultivates specialized adaptive organs," Darwin said proudly. And he had every reason to be proud: whether the device or the organs, each required him to first adjust his own adaptive abilities before applying scientific methods to ensure the newly formed cells could adapt to the environment. All project data was meticulously recorded.
"However, there are limitations. Currently, neither materials nor genetic technology allow us to experiment on humans," Darwin admitted with a wry smile, a hint of frustration in his eyes.
Although they had succeeded with mice, the team could not yet apply this technology to humans, allowing them to spontaneously develop adaptive organs in response to extreme environments.
Darwin and his team still had a long road ahead.
"Darwin, this is already extraordinary. Scientific research is never instantaneous," Lancelot reassured, unaffected by Darwin's momentary disappointment.
Despite the temporary limitations of this cutting-edge biotech, Lancelot knew Darwin had plenty of time for repeated trials.
He looked forward to the day when Darwin's black-tech would be perfected, granting the ability to adapt perfectly to any environment on Earth.