Chapter 2

The energy particles in the air, which should have been dormant, became abnormally active within a three-meter radius of Yang Chen.

Various types of energy particles moved and gathered, full of vitality and vigor.

However, the world beyond the three-meter radius was as silent as the netherworld, lifeless and devoid of any color.

A thin yet exceptionally hard layer of metal energy particles, at Yang Chen's mental command, quickly converged and covered his left arm.

This made Yang Chen's left hand look as if it were coated in gold, shining brilliantly!

"Is this how it is..." After a careful observation, Yang Chen's face showed a look of sudden realization, and he became excited.

"The over a hundred years of arduous cultivation from my previous life did not vanish with my rebirth. The mental strength comparable to that of a first-rank planet is now deeply hidden within my soul... It's just that this body in this life is still weak and cannot withstand such vast and powerful mental energy, so it is instinctively suppressed by the soul to prevent damage to the brain and destruction of the spirit palace, which would turn me into a drooling idiot who doesn't know east from west!"

Yang Chen took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with determination.

"Given my current physical condition, I can only withstand mental strength equivalent to that of a third-rank meteor, allowing me to condense about a hundred energy particles and perform the most basic spirit techniques... But!"

A smile curled at the corner of his mouth, and Yang Chen muttered to himself, "An ordinary third-rank meteor spirit warrior can sustain the release of two first-rank spirit techniques at most before their mental strength is exhausted, and their mental space is still unstable, allowing them to master only one or two basic particle equations... But I have the mental strength of a first-rank planet as my backing, and hundreds of particle equations as my support... If converted..."

"I can continuously release first-rank spirit techniques for three days and three nights without worrying about the danger of mental strength depletion!"

"Hundreds of particle equations are deeply etched into my soul... There are as many as seventy-two sets of first-rank spirit techniques alone!"

"For at least the next ten years, before this body reaches the peak state of my previous life, I don't need to worry much..."

"And it's still ten years until the massive core energy eruption in the winter of 2019!"

"In other words, before the core energy eruption, I can re-enter the ranks of first-rank planet powerhouses... I will have the ability to prevent that energy eruption and secure more development space for Earth!"

As he thought, Yang Chen's eyes began to sparkle.

If calculated this way, the many hardships Earth endured in his previous life could be fundamentally resolved...

Memories of that night flashed through his mind, when he led twenty-one Earth forces' guardian-level powerhouses in a suicidal night raid on the Troy Federation's Earth headquarters, and the scenes of 'Saint Leonard,' 'Red Robe Celestial Catherine,' 'Saint Emperor Paul,' 'White Eyebrow Taoist,' and 'Xuan Ku Master' self-destructing one after another...

Yang Chen clenched his fists involuntarily, feeling that the heavens must have a purpose for sending him back from that dark era.

And this, perhaps, was the cause he needed to strive for in this life!

The tragedy of his previous life must not be repeated!

...

"Eat... eat..."

Tang Yino's voice came from outside, snapping Yang Chen out of his daze.

He shook his head vigorously, driving away the myriad thoughts that had flooded his mind, and then, with a polite smile, walked out of the dim room.

Tang Yino, wearing a small floral apron, stood beside the coffee table in the living room.

Seeing Yang Chen come out, she pointed to the food on the table somewhat awkwardly and said, "I rarely eat at home..."

The dishes were simple.

A plate of pickled radish, a dish of scallion-fried eggs, and a bowl of cold rice that was clearly from the previous night.

But Yang Chen smiled gratefully at her and said, "This is already very good... thank you."

"You're welcome..." Tang Yino laughed dryly.

Seeing Yang Chen sit down and eat heartily, she breathed a sigh of relief and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I have an empty room here. If you really have nowhere to go..."

"Sure." Before Tang Yino could finish her sentence, Yang Chen, with a mouth full of rice, looked up and agreed, "But I'll pay my fair share of the rent and utilities."

"Ah? Uh... Heh... Heh... Sure..." Surprised by Yang Chen's straightforward agreement, Tang Yino felt a bit uncomfortable.

Noticing Yang Chen's half-smiling, half-teasing gaze, Tang Yino felt a sudden unease and quickly turned her head away, saying, "Right, it's getting late... I need to go to work."

With that, she grabbed her black shoulder bag from the sofa and went into her room.

Actually, Tang Yino hadn't intended to keep Yang Chen, but for some reason, she had politely offered him a place to stay...

A few minutes later, Tang Yino, now dressed in a neat black business suit, came out of her room and paused, looking at Yang Chen who was washing dishes in the kitchen.

Adversity truly does temper a person... When had the former Young Master Chen ever done such chores as washing dishes?

"Two packets of instant noodles are in the fridge. If you get hungry, just heat them up in the microwave..." Before leaving, Tang Yino reminded him, "The toilet in the bathroom is broken, so you need to use the bucket next to it to flush... The Wi-Fi password is eight threes... Oh, right."

She placed a business card on the coffee table and said, "This is my card. My phone number is on it. If you need anything, you can call me..."

"Sure."

Yang Chen, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, responded readily.

"Then... I'll go to work now..."

"Sure... be careful on your way."

"Um..."

As she stepped out the door, Tang Yino felt a bit odd and scratched her head in frustration. Had she, in a moment of kindness, invited a deity into her home?

...

"July 27, 2009..."

After tidying up the dishes and returning to the living room, Yang Chen sat on the sofa and saw the electronic calendar hanging on the opposite wall.

He frowned and muttered to himself, "A very ordinary day... but why does it feel so familiar?"

After sitting quietly on the sofa for a couple of minutes, Yang Chen suddenly slapped his forehead and jumped up from the sofa!

"July 27... Isn't this the day Hengyang Laboratory officially announced its dissolution?!"

Long-buried memories surged back.

Yang Chen felt a bit unsettled.

Hengyang Laboratory, though named Hengyang, was not one of the many laboratories under Hengyang Group but only maintained a close cooperative relationship with it.

The person in charge of the research work at Hengyang Laboratory was named Zhou Xuzheng, who was a classmate of Yang Chen's father, Yang Xiuyuan, at Beijing University.

After graduating from university, Yang Xiuyuan joined a relatively well-known pharmaceutical company in China, while the well-off Zhou Xuzheng went abroad to continue his studies at a university in the United States.

Many years later, Yang Xiuyuan returned to his hometown of Jinzhou City in Nanhu Province and founded Hengyang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., which grew rapidly in just a few years and became the 53rd largest pharmaceutical company in China.

Zhou Xuzheng, however, lived a mediocre life abroad, with little recognition.

Later, Zhou Xuzheng's family fell into decline, and the laboratory he was working on in the United States was shut down due to a lack of progress and the cessation of funding from the sponsoring company.

After the laboratory closed, Zhou Xuzheng returned to China and found Yang Xiuyuan, his father. After some discussion, Yang Xiuyuan sponsored him with five million US dollars, helping him find a plot of land in the Xibu District of Jinzhou City to build Hengyang Laboratory.

However, after six years, Hengyang Group had invested nearly thirty million US dollars in the Hengyang Laboratory project but had yet to see any results.

This led to several arguments within Hengyang Group, but each time, Yang Xiuyuan forcefully suppressed them...

In his previous life, Yang Chen only learned about the research project Zhou Xuzheng was working on after Hengyang Group went bankrupt. It turned out to be the internationally renowned cancer drug... Xiphenamine!

Only then did Yang Chen understand his father's persistence... This was a cancer drug! And it was a completely new drug with all patents, developed from scratch!

Even thirty million US dollars over six years would have been worth it...

After all, once Xiphenamine was launched globally, it outperformed similar products from foreign pharmaceutical companies and generated annual sales of over seven hundred million US dollars, which was equivalent to several Hengyang Groups in just one year!

Research, especially in the pharmaceutical and biological fields, is always high-risk, high-investment, but also high-reward!

In his previous life, Zhou Xuzheng and his research team seemed to have been poached by Hengyang Group's arch-rival, Sujiang Pharmaceutical Group...

Yang Chen was not sure how far along the research was at this point.

But he was certain that even if they hadn't reached a conclusive result yet, it couldn't be far off... After all, the approval process for new drugs is very complex and stringent.

Xiphenamine was able to be mass-produced and launched globally within three years of Hengyang Laboratory's closure, leading to the rise of a top-tier pharmaceutical giant in China... This indicated that the results were not far off!

Thinking of this, Yang Chen couldn't contain his excitement... This was a golden goose, and he couldn't let it fly away... Besides, it was originally his family's property!

Without hesitation, he grabbed the phone on the table and rushed out the door... Hopefully, it wasn't too late!

In his haste, Yang Chen didn't notice the elegant business card Tang Yino had left on the coffee table, which clearly read "Vice President Assistant of Sujiang Pharmaceutical Group, Jinzhou City" in gold letters.

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