Chapter 21

Chu Nan was in a very peculiar state, as if he had undergone a complete transformation, as the ancients would say, a rebirth.

The gene nucleus and the original force were altering his entire physical constitution.

This transformation was not a temporary enhancement like the one caused by adrenaline, but a fundamental and permanent change. Some toxins and harmful substances in his body were being expelled along with his sweat.

Unfortunately, although he had absorbed a considerable amount of gene force, it seemed insufficient for the transformation. Very quickly, all the gene force was completely depleted and disappeared from his body.

On the outside, he was drenched in a foul-smelling sweat, which was a result of the impurities in his body being partially expelled during the transformation.

As for the change in his physical constitution, it was not very noticeable due to the lack of gene force. However, there were still some changes. At least now, Chu Nan felt that all his injuries and fatigue had vanished, and his entire body was incredibly comfortable.

His speed, strength, agility, nerve reactions, and sensory perceptions of his five senses had all improved significantly, though not as dramatically as when adrenaline was stimulated.

In Chu Nan's mind, the gene nucleus had stabilized again, and a message was translated in his mind, roughly meaning "Level 2 gene nucleus activated, Level 2 adrenaline secretion."

Chu Nan silently sensed his body, carefully pondering and understanding a lot.

After the earthquake, the dormant pineal gland in their minds was likely activated, absorbing enough gene force to become a Level 1 gene nucleus, capable of Level 1 adrenaline secretion, temporarily enhancing bodily functions, with speed approximately twice that of an ordinary person and strength about three times as much.

After that, by absorbing more gene force, the pineal gland evolved into a Level 2 gene nucleus. The gene force would further improve the physical constitution, although the improvement was not significant, it was permanent and fundamental. In the long run, this was far more important than temporarily enhancing bodily functions through adrenaline control.

In addition, it could control the adrenal gland to secrete Level 2 hormones, which would undoubtedly stimulate the body, unleashing even greater potential and more formidable physical strength.

"Chu Nan, what's wrong with you? Why are you sweating so much?" Tang Sanli suddenly asked, somewhat surprised.

Chu Nan came to his senses, wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve. The sweat had a faint odor, and he felt uncomfortable all over. Unfortunately, there was no water here for him to wash and change clothes.

"I was just sleeping and was woken up by a nightmare," Chu Nan said with a bitter smile, trying to cover it up. He had absorbed twenty-one units of gene force, and twelve remained. He had considered giving some to Tang Sanli to help him evolve, but doing so would reveal the secret of the magnifying glass. After some thought, he decided to keep it hidden.

In such a world, being a bit selfish was better. Being too kind would only lead to one's own loss.

Chu Nan sighed inwardly, thinking about Li Feng. If he hadn't tried to help her escape, he wouldn't have been framed and imprisoned, and his parents wouldn't have worried about him.

Feeling a bit bitter, this dampened the excitement of his evolution to Level 2.

The Level 2 gene nucleus was still empty. The original force absorbed for the previous evolution and improvement of his constitution had been completely depleted. Chu Nan then crushed the remaining twelve pineal glands without hesitation, absorbing all of them.

The pineal gland from the special mutated creature provided more energy than several from other mutated creatures.

In the end, all the pineal glands in his pocket were gone, leaving only a pile of powder.

"Clearly, as long as there is enough force, the gene nucleus can continue to evolve, reaching Level 3, Level 4, and so on."

To evolve the Level 2 gene nucleus further, more force was needed. After absorbing the force from the twelve pineal glands, the gene nucleus was still empty. He needed more force.

Chu Nan looked up at the sky. Whether he admitted it or not, this series of strange events made him realize that the world had changed. Perhaps humans would take a completely different path of evolution.

The only thing he was unsure about was whether this change was limited to the area affected by the earthquake or if it had spread to the entire world.

"Once we get back to the city, we can find out," Chu Nan thought. With his evolution to Level 2, his courage had grown. If Canye dared to show up again, he was confident he could kill him bare-handed.

"My basic physical attributes have improved a bit, and the adrenal gland can secrete more powerful adrenaline, triggering a Level 2 potential in the body. However, the only problem is... I don't know if the aftereffects will be more severe... Although my basic physical attributes have improved a little, I'm afraid they still can't withstand such a stimulation load..."

Thinking about the aftereffects, Chu Nan smiled bitterly. The discomfort was unbearable, and he really didn't want to experience it again unless absolutely necessary.

That night, Chu Nan completed his second evolution without Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping knowing. This strange and terrifying night finally passed, and the sky began to brighten, dispelling the darkness and bringing a hint of warmth.

The three of them stood up.

Chu Nan stretched a bit, returned the electric baton to Tang Sanli, and took the curved sickle that originally belonged to Yu Xiaohu, swinging it a few times. It felt very handy.

This sickle was quite effective against evolved animals like Canye, but not so much against mutated creatures.

Chu Nan thought for a moment and decided to look for a suitable blunt weapon with some weight along the way to deal with the mutated creatures.

The three followed the dirt road, with Tang Sanli leading the way. They began to walk along the rural path.

"I hope we can get back to the city today," Yin Yitian muttered.

Occasionally, they saw cracks in the ground, forcing them to take detours. The distance to the city was only a dozen kilometers, but it seemed so far away to them.

In the distance, they could see scattered buildings among the mountains. They avoided them from a distance. After passing through the dirt road and a hill, a pond covered with aquatic plants appeared not far ahead. The pond was surrounded by a lot of garbage, and there was a row of collapsed buildings in the distance.

Chu Nan, who had been sweating profusely and still smelled foul, felt very uncomfortable. Seeing the pond, he wanted to wash up, but upon getting closer, he found that the water was pale green and heavily polluted, making it impossible to bathe.

Shaking his head in disappointment, he heard a faint sound coming from the collapsed buildings.

Tang Sanli also heard it and said, "Did you hear that? It sounds like... something is calling."

Yin Yiping's face changed, and he said, "Let's leave quickly."

Chu Nan said, "If it were a mutated creature, it wouldn't make a sound. Maybe someone is trapped. Let's go check it out."

After breaking through last night and successfully activating his gene nucleus to Level 2, his courage had grown significantly.

Even if there were mutated creatures, he wouldn't be afraid. What he truly feared was a sudden, inexplicable death, where he couldn't even identify the culprit.

Chu Nan led the way, followed closely by Tang Sanli. Yin Yiping had no choice but to follow.

As they approached, they soon realized it was the sound of a pig, which was very agitated and shrill.

"A pig?" Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping were both surprised. They then looked at the collapsed buildings and thought it was normal for pigs to be raised in the countryside.

Hearing the sound, Chu Nan's expression changed, and he quickened his pace. Soon, he saw a simple pigpen surrounded by wooden stakes, which had not been affected by the earthquake.

The ground of the pigpen was covered with thick, dry straw. On it, a large, black pig with a few white patches on its back and a prominently swollen belly was struggling, lifting its head and emitting loud, shrill screams, showing signs of great distress.

Chu Nan, being a veterinarian, immediately understood what was happening.

This was a pregnant sow in labor, but it seemed that the piglets were stuck, and she was having difficulty giving birth. The sow was in distress, constantly calling out and trembling, using all her strength but unable to deliver the piglets. She was experiencing a difficult labor.

Seeing the sow's mouth foaming and her continuous calls, the situation was clearly very dangerous, and both the sow and the piglets were at risk of death.

Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping also saw this. Yin Yiping was momentarily stunned and said, "I didn't expect a pig to be alive here. With such loud calls, it might attract mutated creatures. Let's go..."

Just as he said this, he noticed that Chu Nan had jumped into the pigpen.

As a veterinarian, seeing the sow in distress and on the verge of death, Chu Nan did not hesitate. He grabbed the sow's hindquarters and pushed her hind end with all his strength.

The sow struggled on the ground but had no strength to resist Chu Nan. As he worked, she seemed to understand that this human was trying to help her, and she called out even louder, trying to assist in the delivery of the piglets.

Chu Nan frowned, quickly realizing that the sow's difficult labor was due to the piglets being in the wrong position, making it impossible for them to be born smoothly. The situation was severe, and the sow had been struggling for a long time.

"Tang, quickly, mineral water, wash my hands," Chu Nan called out, running to Tang Sanli and extending his hands.

Tang Sanli, who had only one bottle of mineral water left, was taken aback by Chu Nan's words but, seeing his anxious and serious expression, took out the bottle, opened it, and poured the water over Chu Nan's hands.

Chu Nan rubbed his hands together, cleaning them thoroughly, and then ran back to the sow. He formed his fingers into a cone and slowly inserted them into the birth canal, while his other hand continuously stroked the sow's belly to calm her.

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