“Oh! The increase in Strength and Agility is huge!”

Seeing these stats, Guo Li Cheng was tempted.

Although the reduction in skill points was annoying, from her personal experience, the absence of skills like 【Flexible Joints】 could actually be compensated for by continuously improving her swordsmanship.

Only the 【Active Adrenaline】 skill was temporarily irreplaceable, and since she was almost Level 10, she should be able to retain this skill.

She mentally calculated that the Mutant template and 【Active Adrenaline】 were independent multipliers, while the Power Armor provided a fixed bonus. When all three were active simultaneously, her Agility could increase to 120 points in a short period!

This would make the movements of all human enemies appear in slow motion to her, instantly transforming her into a furious beast slayer!

No, no—what beast? She was an elegant female warrior, that's right.

“Can old employees also change their race?”

Guo Li Cheng was full of anticipation.

“There’s nothing preventing it,” Lu Yuan nodded, “Just spend 24 hours to reshape a clone.”

“What about the accumulated attributes from before? Can they also be retained?”

This…

Lu Yuan looked at Nan Guo de Xue.

“Theoretically, it’s possible,” she said, “but the prerequisite is to obtain Emerald Life Science’s gene modification algorithm. Currently, we only have one gene map, which is far from enough.”

“By the way, Boss, do they have their own skill system here? If we’re going to trade, why not just buy all of them together!” Ye Xing suggested.

“They do.”

Lu Yuan scrolled down the page.

Although gene modification for the Emerald Star Mutants was difficult, the female leader still showed five added skills, making her a “high-level player” here.

【Skill 1: Steel Bones】

Changes bone composition, increases metal element content, significantly increases hardness, reduces fall injuries, and reduces the probability of fractures from external impacts.

【Skill 2: Detoxification】

Reduces damage to the body from natural toxins.

【Skill 3: Resistant Skin】

Increases the reflectivity of skin to various frequency radiations.

【Skill 4: Emergency Self-Rescue】

Increases hemostasis ability after injury, and the ability to maintain normal physiological vital signs, while accelerating self-healing, greatly improving survival rate after severe injury.

【Skill 5: Natural Predator Hormone】

Can automatically mimic and release pheromones of contacted organisms, emitting “danger” signals to repel surrounding low-intelligence small insects.

Evidently, these skills were all designed to aid jungle exploration. The degree of human modification was not as deep as the Cangyuan skill set, and the computational power required for modification was very small.

Sister Xue estimated that as long as they could obtain the complete algorithms and development logs, these abilities could quickly be popularized among all players, becoming “human species general gene modifications” that would not consume additional skill points.

Finally, what was very much worth mentioning was Emerald Life Science’s individual equipment.

Their standard weapon, as Lu Yuan expected, was a plasma electromagnetic crossbow. The crossbow bolts were quite large, using specially cut, oddly shaped arrowheads, and had ample power. A single shot could sever the limbs, or even the torso, of large animals.

Although this weapon was powerful, it contained no new technology. What was truly interesting was the “clothing.”

It was a powered soft armor, or rather, a powered undershirt, providing power through a layer of artificial muscle less than 3 millimeters thick. It could achieve 65% of the output of a Power Armor, yet weighed less than 10 kilograms!

The powered soft armor could operate for several hours without an external power source because the artificial muscles could also store electricity. Even if the power ran out, wearing it did not impede movement.

In short, this new type of Power Armor was very suitable for situations requiring disguise. With a coat over it, unless going through security checks, nothing would be visible, making it the top choice for spy and intelligence personnel.

Additionally, its composite material outer skin had a novel formula and strong texture, and possessed optical camouflage capabilities. While its defense was far inferior to that of a full-body Power Armor, it was stronger than Cangyuan’s current combat suits.

Lu Yuan noticed that a small device was also installed on the back of the powered soft armor. Its specific function could not be analyzed yet, but its structure somewhat resembled a mini Zero Element Furnace.

If it truly was a personal Zero Element Furnace, then it was a very luxurious configuration, and Emerald Life Science should possess the means to acquire zero element!

Moreover, this meant that Emerald Star had large zero element mineral deposits!

“This is awesome,” Ye Xing exclaimed, “I didn’t expect that the landing spot Jubian randomly picked not only had an archaeological site nearby but also outposts of other factions. This is too coincidental. Could it be that the planner had a shady deal with you?”

Jubian looked disdainful.

“What are you saying? Was it randomly picked? It was carefully selected, alright! When Infinite Deep Space first came here, they must have also chosen that landing spot by the lake. It’s normal for a research base to be built nearby.”

“Then when they landed, were they not attacked by that super creature?”

“Well, about that—”

“It means that during the era when Infinite Deep Space landed, the super creature either didn't exist or wouldn't awaken,” Prairie said.

Lu Yuan did not express an opinion.

Prairie’s words hinted at an unsettling inference: that Infinite Deep Space created and nurtured the super creature.

After a while, the female leader finally came to inform them that the chief scientist was available for a meeting.

The few people who were supposed to go to work stated that for this important plot, their mundane real-life tasks could be put aside for now. So, the group of nine followed the female leader, walked onto the widest sky bridge, and ascended to the highest hall of the outpost.

“By the way, I haven’t introduced myself yet.”

The female leader turned around.

“My name is Rita, and I am Emerald Life Science’s field team leader. Our chief scientist is named Sasha, and she’s like my older sister.”

“Like?”

“We were both born from the artificial wombs in the outpost as genetically optimized individuals. Sasha’s cultivation pod was right next to mine, and we were born at very similar times.”

“I see—”

Entering the hall, Lu Yuan found that its layout resembled an auditorium or a council chamber. It seemed the outpost did not have a dedicated reception area.

Chief Scientist Sasha stood with her hands behind her back in the center of the hall. She was half a head shorter than Rita, her mouth naturally curved upwards like a feline, and her crescent-shaped eyes held a friendly yet charming smile that made her unforgettable at first glance.

This chief scientist title was not an empty position held by a ruler. Sasha wore a laboratory coat with obvious signs of use, and her long hair was coiled at the back of her head.

Compared to her appearance, this hairstyle looked “too mature,” easily making her seem older, but it effectively prevented her hair from getting caught in various bottles, jars, and equipment in the laboratory, which was quite practical.

And practicality was precisely the quality Lu Yuan valued most.

“Welcome to Emerald Outpost, travelers,” Sasha stepped forward and shook Lu Yuan’s hand, “I hope our hospitality has been satisfactory.”

“Very satisfactory. It’s just that we suffered quite a bit in the jungle earlier. Those monsters, I don’t know what’s going on with them, they’re truly terrifying.”

Lu Yuan briefly introduced himself, deciding to slightly lower his stance, act a bit naive, and use a little conversational skill to quickly move past the boring pleasantries and get to the point.

“Yes, the ecosystem here can indeed be described as ‘terrifying.’ What did you encounter?”

Sasha clearly intended to continue this topic, so Lu Yuan selectively recounted his experiences of the past 12 hours as if telling a story.

“I understand—”

A very subtle hint of cunning flashed in Sasha’s eyes.

“Then, Executive Officer, I have a question: did the humans outside fail to prevent the apocalypse?”

“Yes.”

“Are there signs of civilization regressing?”

“Yes, not just signs, but a widespread fact, quite severe.”

“...What about zero element technology? Has it been lost?”

“No, it hasn’t.”

At this moment, Lu Yuan saw that the other party’s already upturned lips curved upwards slightly more, forming a tiny angle, before quickly returning to normal.

It was this micro-expression change that made him realize Sasha was very intelligent and unlike Rita, she was not lacking in cunning.

With just a few of his answers, she had already confirmed her advantage in information asymmetry.

“I can tell you the reason for the ecological oddities here, but this is a valuable result of our continuous research for centuries. I’m afraid it’s paid knowledge.”

“I understand,” Lu Yuan had been waiting for this sentence, “What do you hope to gain from us? Let’s make a trade.”

“Your side’s gene algorithms for attribute enhancement.”

“No problem.”

Lu Yuan directly transferred the hibernation pod data to his pad, then handed the pad to Sasha.

This time, it was Sasha’s turn to be surprised.

“Just like that? You’re not going to haggle?”

Lu Yuan smiled.

“No need. These algorithms aren’t particularly valuable to me. I have more and better goods here, as well as various super value services, and I will determine the number of goods unlocked based on the value of the knowledge you provide next.”

He had already conceived the idea of helping Emerald Life Science first, cooperating with them, and then gradually enticing them into asset restructuring.

Just like when he dealt with Red Iron Town before.

If the plan ultimately succeeded, in the long run, Cangyuan would acquire Emerald Life Science from humanity’s golden age! Gene modification algorithms would be shared with them sooner or later, and by then, they would be one family.

It didn’t matter if the negotiations failed.

Emerald Life Science was locked in Emerald Star’s gravity well. As long as he didn’t help them get out, even if the Mutants here became incredibly powerful, they wouldn’t threaten Cangyuan, whose headquarters were in another star system.

So, this was just a small gift to build goodwill.

Still so naive, Miss Sasha~ Hurry up and show me what you’ve got!

“This—”

Sasha and Rita exchanged glances, their eyes filled with curiosity, but more so with suspicion.