Half a month had passed.
Luo Lan had handed over all official duties to Hina and Ian.
As for himself…
He didn't just train during the day—he slept at the training center at night as well.
Enduring twenty times the normal gravity around the clock, the results were clear:
his progress was astounding.
Had Seras not come to fetch him, Luo Lan likely wouldn't have left until it was time to head for the volcanic island.
But Seras brought news far too important to ignore.
"Seras, are you serious?"
"It's only been a little over a month—are you saying it's already done?"
Luo Lan looked utterly disheveled, with a beard growing wild and his hair resembling a bird's nest.
But none of that could hide the spark of excitement in his eyes.
So, what exactly did Seras say?
Project Group One had succeeded.
As mentioned before, Seras had divided his scientific endeavors into multiple groups, launching numerous projects simultaneously.
And Group One? That was the one he led personally.
Their specialization: genetics.
But not the genes of the native inhabitants of this pirate world.
No—Earth genes.
Just over a month ago, Sedas had confided in Luo Lan that Kaya had shown remarkable talent in genetic theory, even stumbling upon a novel framework by pure chance.
Using that theory, they had finally paved the path toward unlocking Luo Lan's second gene lock.
All that remained was testing and time. At best, they'd see results in ten to fifteen days. At worst, it could take a year or longer.
Of course, Luo Lan had hoped for the short end of that estimate…
And while it hadn't been ten days, a little over a month was still shockingly fast.
"It's complete," Seras nodded. "I took over in the later stages, but the breakthrough really belongs to Miss Kaya. Without her accidental discovery, we might still be wandering in the dark."
"You've all done a damn good job. So, when can we start?"
"Anytime!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Wait, Captain, don't you want to at least clean up—?"
Before Seras could even finish his sentence, Luo Lan was already gone.
All he could do was sigh and sprint toward the lab.
---
"Brother Luo Lan… What happened to you?!"
The moment he stepped into the lab, Kaya gasped in shock.
And understandably so—Luo Lan looked nothing like himself.
His uniform was tattered, and he resembled a beggar more than a Marine officer.
Finally realizing his appearance, Luo Lan borrowed some tools and gave himself a rough cleanup.
Just as he finished, Seras arrived.
Then Luo Lan saw it—a syringe. But this time, the liquid inside wasn't the familiar cerulean blue.
It was silver—gleaming like mercury.
"Seras, this won't hurt like last time, right?"
"Uhh… probably not?"
To be honest, Seras wasn't sure. He hadn't exactly tested it on anyone yet.
Well—Luo Lan was the test subject.
"Alright, let's just do it."
Luo Lan, already used to the process, walked over to the same platform where he'd unlocked his first gene lock.
He tore off his shirt and—
Well, he didn't even get the chance to lie down.
A shriek pierced the air.
Kaya had turned away, hands covering her face, and bolted out of the lab.
Luo Lan blinked.
He was used to working with bio-engineered personnel in the lab—some were female, but none ever reacted.
They were professionals.
Kaya, however...
She was still a teenage girl.
Luo Lan awkwardly scratched his head but quickly pushed the thought aside and lay down.
Nothing was more important than unlocking his second gene lock now.
"Seras, do it."
"Understood, Captain."
Moments later, the mercury-like serum was fully injected into Luo Lan's body.
---
"Seras… did you guys inject me with placebo or something?"
Ten minutes later, Luo Lan couldn't hold it in anymore.
He turned to glare at Seras, clearly unimpressed.
"This… this doesn't make sense!"
Seras was just as bewildered.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
According to his predictions, Luo Lan should have fallen into a coma immediately.
The process was supposed to take two or three days.
But this?
Nothing.
No reaction at all.
Not scientific.
---
Thirty minutes passed.
An hour.
Then three.
Still nothing.
"Seras, maybe… you should keep studying this. I'm heading out."
He reached for his tattered navy coat and slung it over his shoulder.
"I'll check in later."
But no one in the lab noticed something crucial.
When Luo Lan grabbed his coat, his hand never quite touched it—he was still a few centimeters away.
The coat had… floated into his hand.
If the system could display a status indicator right now, it would show a new data point:
Awakening Progress: 1%
---
Luo Lan didn't return to his villa.
He went back to the training center instead, straight to his private room.
Time was precious. He couldn't afford to waste a single second.
Without pause, he resumed training.
By the time deep night arrived, he was utterly spent—physically and mentally drained.
So tired, in fact, that he couldn't even move.
His bedding was still ten meters away.
Even stretching his hand out did nothing—he simply couldn't reach it.
Forget it. I'll just sleep like this.
With his current physique, it wasn't like he'd wake up with a sore neck or anything.
But the moment he resigned himself—
He suddenly felt something soft in his hand.
Huh?
He grasped it lightly.
It was…
his bedding?
Wait—wasn't that thing just ten meters away?
How did it end up in his hand?
Frowning, Luo Lan raised his hand and mimicked grabbing motions in the air.
Then he looked at his clothes in the distance and repeated the gesture.
He even tried a few ridiculous hand signs.
Nothing.
No reaction at all.
…Am I imagining things?
Maybe he was just exhausted from half a month of insane training.
Yeah… must've misremembered where the bedding was. It was probably closer than I thought.
Whatever. Once this mission is over, I'll take a proper break.
He yawned.
And finally, he slept.
---
+263 Chapters on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27