Chapter 386: A Naughty Trick to Avoid Being Human
Cheng Tian wasn't very knowledgeable about genetic diseases and bloodline curses.
Genetic diseases... leukemia? Lupus?
And things like werewolf transformations and vampire bloodsucking, do those also count as bloodline curses?
However, compared to these two relatively unfamiliar concepts, the effect of repairing missing organs and limbs was clear at a glance, and the maximum of three repair opportunities provided a large margin for error.
Of course, in the genetic repair tank's repair list, organ and limb repair was indeed the lowest difficulty, and there were quite a few substitutes. But when it came to genetic diseases and bloodline curses, items capable of treatment were very rare.
But compared to the genetic repair tank in Cheng Tian's hands, the Infant Cultivation Tank plundered by Irene was what truly deserved discussion.
To put it bluntly, this was a resurrection point. Although it had flaws such as decreased strength and complete loss of equipment and items, as long as one didn't care about the Ship of Theseus problem, this thing was an extra life. It could even be used to forcibly escape a dangerous situation and offer more possibilities for a fresh start.
However, in Cheng's mind, where even stranger ideas resided, he felt that the most useful aspect of this Infant Cultivation Tank might not solely be for rebirth through a new body.
Cheng Tian first opened the relevant panel for Hammond's Innovation Lab, reviewing it from top to bottom. The strange ideas in his mind became increasingly clear. Then, he spoke to Comrade Irene, who was beside him.
"What if, and I mean *if*, we were to intervene with genetic fragments early in the infant cultivation stage, and complete bloodline modification before the body fully forms and develops? Would the backup body after rebirth be considered to have completed the bloodline purification task?"
"Ah, this..."
Hearing Cheng Tian's hypothesis, Irene instinctively thought for a moment, then quickly adopted a look of profound wisdom.
The overly complex hypothesis caused her to briefly freeze.
Is that... right?
No, no... Oh, yes, it is!
The wise expression on her face had just faded, and Irene, who was about to refute Cheng Tian, suddenly recalled her own purification process.
In a broad sense, her own elven bloodline purification was achieved by using the World Tree, going through the process of being "nurtured and born" again. According to her master, she was like a silkworm cocoon wrapped in leaves, hanging from a branch of the World Tree, pulsating, expanding, growing, and finally breaking out of the cocoon to become a spirit—a spirit of the elves.
Cheng Tian's thought process had no issues. If there were any, they would be technical ones.
"...Wait a minute, do you have this technology?"
With a clearer idea, Irene immediately pointed to the most crucial part of Cheng Tian's hypothesis.
"Don't I still have an entire innovation lab and a highly skilled research ape?
Theoretically, the lab can only research ancient creatures, but Fessenden has already mastered the technology of human and dinosaur gene fusion and switching. It just depends on whether he's willing to switch, or rather, how long he can hold out."
At this point, Cheng Tian paused, then explained further.
"I don't have any thoughts of changing my bloodline right now, but just in case, right? Tinkering with a backup body would make it faster to rise again if needed—"
Before he could finish speaking, Irene's hand, which had become delicate again due to bloodline purification, slapped over Cheng Tian's mouth.
"What nonsense are you talking about! Unlucky! Bah! Bah!"
The half-elf stuck out her tongue and spat repeatedly.
Muttering with his mouth covered, Cheng Tian decisively swallowed the rest of his words, but his idea of researching the Infant Cultivation Tank did not fade.
He truly felt that this idea was feasible.
After the two completed their plundering of the two cultivation tanks, all items in the entire base entered an unplunderable gray state. But unlike the Moth Cave, there was no plundering from other forces here, nor was there any self-destruct countdown. In fact, the experienced Cheng Tian had even avoided the problem of the base being flooded when he drilled through the outer wall.
The items could not be taken out of the instance as "portable items," but this did not affect their use within the instance, just like the ordinary medical vehicles borrowed in Metal Slug back then.
Cheng Tian felt it was necessary to bring Utan here for a visit.
However, before that, this area still had a large number of dinosaur corpses waiting for Cheng Tian to collect!
...Using the large map for fast travel, Cheng Tian and Irene returned to the Swamp Jungle.
For Cheng Tian and Irene, this round trip of fast travel merely involved switching scenes twice. But for the instance itself, a cumulative total of over 12 hours had truly passed.
And this amount of time was enough for the situation in the Swamp Jungle to undergo quite drastic changes.
To describe it in one sentence: the Dragon Hunter Camp in the Swamp Jungle was currently facing a monster siege!
But first, the specific cause and events need to be explained.
Currently, on the opposite side of the laboratory's main entrance, a considerable number of temporary stalls had appeared. And the camp, which was originally dominated by dragon hunters, had already gathered quite a few large and small groups, as well as individuals, who were clearly not dragon hunters.
Undoubtedly, they all came for the laboratory.
Whether it was the false taming ability displayed by Hammond's Innovation Lab, or the genuine humanoid combat weapons, both were enough to attract a large number of outsiders, regardless of their intentions.
However, under Cheng Tian's instructions, the laboratory would not receive anyone during his absence. Everyone was directly turned away.
These rejected groups were clearly not giving up, and they also had no need for dragon hunting, so they simply stayed put here.
And when there are more people, demand naturally follows.
Again, the prospectors and gold-diggers who chase dreams have an extremely low chance of getting rich, but those who sell food, drinks, and daily necessities will make a profit, however small.
Food, drinks, sleeping tents, mosquito repellent incense, toilet paper, etc.—these things that are readily available in human cities due to the retained industrial system, clearly became precious in this wilderness. If one didn't want to suffer, they could only pay money.
But within this relatively harmonious and rational group, a batch of crazy individuals appeared, wanting to force their way into the laboratory.
Let's put it this way: although the world view of Cadillacs and Dinosaurs still retains a certain social system, the popular behavioral logic is already closer to Fist of the North Star. At least in this corner of America, which no longer lives up to its name, official deterrence can sometimes be less effective than that of some armed small groups.
And these small to medium-sized criminal organizations, relying on their thugs and equipped with some dinosaur weaponry, are the most likely to lose touch with reality. So when they chose to storm the laboratory, the dragon hunter community, who had survived various dangerous situations and had a very clear judgment of danger, not only did not choose to cause trouble amidst the chaos, but instead waited on the sidelines, wanting to see what kind of countermeasures Cheng Tian's laboratory security department would take.
More precisely, they wanted to see what the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the laboratory would do.
As a result, they didn't see the dragon, but only saw the laboratory send out a combination of two young women, one dark-skinned and one light-skinned.
Just as they were about to mock the lab for being out of touch, the small group that stormed the lab was cleared out by the two women right in front of everyone.