"Wait a moment," a middle-aged Major General quickly interrupted him, "If I heard you correctly just now, you said it was ten to twenty times stronger than human cells? And our physical fitness has only improved by this little bit?" "This little bit?" the elderly research scientist immediately exclaimed loudly, "You must understand that our current flesh is a finely balanced form, achieved through a million years of evolution. To raise overall physical fitness by two to three times—strength, speed, immunity, etc.—without disrupting this inherent balance, and you tell me that is merely 'this little bit'? General Lewis, your university professors would surely spit blood if they heard you say that!" The officer, known as General Lewis, did not show anger but offered a gentle smile. "If the dead could also spit blood... I imagine they would be quite productive indeed."

The elderly researcher cast him a look, then boomed again, "Gentlemen, this is the greatest discovery of the century! If we can unlock the method to properly integrate these X-cells, humanity will become a race of supermen. We will possess lifespans reaching three hundred years or more, be capable of surviving in the most extreme environments, and cease to fear most fatal diseases. Gentlemen, consider this: what a monumental leap in evolution! Humanity will advance in one sweeping stride! So, sirs, what are you hesitating for? Grant us the appropriations! Increase the funding to the maximum! Your names, and ours, will be etched into the memory of countless future generations. We will be written into history together!" This was within a high-security conference room aboard an aircraft carrier.

Originally, after being attacked by the Dragon, this carrier had reported the situation to high command and was scheduled to return to the naval base for extensive repairs. However, that base was overrun by giant insects yesterday, resulting in over a thousand casualties, and the garrison forces were subsequently evacuated. Thus, the carrier fleet was temporarily forced to remain adrift at sea. This also afforded them the opportunity to monitor the large insects causing concern.

Upon learning the researchers’ descriptions of the Dragon Cells—cells capable of self-repair from most grievous wounds, conferring two to three times the physical prowess of an ordinary person, and granting immunity to most fatal diseases—the military high command immediately recognized their value. These were the perfect special forces soldiers. Thus, before the Dragon’s head could even be transported ashore, several high-ranking military officials had flown out to the carrier themselves. They had personally witnessed certain experiments and test data, leading them to listen with keen interest as the researchers expounded upon the nature of the cells.

One officer interjected with curiosity, "But don't these cells carry a severe side effect? We heard reports of cellular rejection, leading to symptoms far more terrifying than cancer?" The researcher nodded gravely. "Yes. To date, we have conducted cell transplantation experiments on over one hundred Navy personnel—though this was in vitro, within culture containers. Without exception, all were consumed by cellular rejection, leading to eventual death. So far, we have tested over a hundred subjects, ranging from laboratory animals to various large creatures. We even had the ship capture a whale. The result... even injecting a small quantity of X-cells into the whale caused it to finally lapse into a coma just an hour ago, after persisting for several days. Based on our experience, its time of death should be approximately 1.5 times the duration between injection and coma. In other words, that whale should perish within three days."

Another older officer pressed, "However, your report mentions that transplantation is not impossible, and you even speak of one human who successfully integrated the cells? Can you show him to us?" The researcher immediately nodded, gesturing to a security guard standing nearby. The guard promptly hurried out of the conference room door. A few minutes later, the guard returned, pushing a large container alongside several researchers. The container was draped with a thick woolen blanket. The elderly researcher walked over and pulled the covering away, revealing a large glass containment unit beneath.

Submerged in the container was a man with a breathing tube inserted into his nose. With his black hair and yellow skin, his East Asian heritage was immediately apparent. His upper and lower limbs appeared intact, showing nothing of the "completely destroyed lower body" mentioned in the report. However, the man kept his eyes closed, appearing to be in a coma.

The elderly researcher spoke, "Gentlemen, please examine his limbs closely. Do you notice how the skin there, and on some other parts of his body, is paler than the rest? Yes, that is the newly grown lower half. This is genuine, spontaneous regeneration—bone, nerve, muscle, and skin, all newly formed. Perhaps you cannot fully grasp the concept, so allow me to use the analogy of a starfish: slice it in half through the middle, and soon you have two starfish. While we cannot know if this man would survive decapitation, he has definitively regrown his entire lower body."

The officers exchanged looks of profound shock, for they had indeed seen the photos taken when the man was rescued—his lower body was utterly pulverized and gone, fused with large chunks of Dragon muscle. Now, this man stood before them seemingly whole and unharmed. The spectacle was deeply unsettling.

The elderly researcher smiled faintly. "Those Dragon muscle cells were entirely dedicated to providing him with sustenance. Once his limbs were complete and his wounds healed, the Dragon muscle began to wither, rapidly becoming necrotic. That is why he now appears perfectly healthy and complete."

One officer asked, "But why does he remain unconscious? By your description, his body should be completely restored now?" The researcher scratched his head. "Indeed. We have taken scans, checked for every possible complication, and even administered some aggressive stimulation techniques, but nothing has roused him. We reluctantly concluded that his brain must have necrosed during the assimilation process, turning him into a persistent vegetative state..." The officers exchanged glances. The elderly researcher quickly added, "Please, everyone remain calm. Based on our experiments, the cells do not harm the brain. On the contrary, they usually enhance the recipient's mental focus. However, this man was clearly the one seen in the video personally defeating the Dragon at close range. Given the terrifying physical state he exhibited at that moment, we can only suspect that the sheer violence of the combat caused this..." As the researcher spoke, he noticed the horrified gazes of everyone fixed on the area behind him. He turned around strangely—and indeed, the man in the glass tank was slowly opening his eyes.

When Zheng Zha first opened his eyes, he was hazy, but upon seeing a crowd of military personnel shouting in alarm, he snapped fully awake. He quickly realized he was submerged in some kind of glass container. Without a second thought, he unleashed a ferocious punch. The punch erupted from the liquid with startling speed, not only shattering the glass container but also sending a concentrated wave of water pressure toward the wall, immediately impressing a slightly concave circular mark upon the surface.

Zheng Zha stepped out of the tank, examining his fist with a degree of confusion. Then he heard the soldiers roar loudly, while three nearby guards rushed toward him, weapons drawn. Furthermore, the sound of dense footsteps echoed from outside the conference room door, clearly indicating many soldiers were converging on the room.

Ignoring the shards of glass on the floor, Zheng Zha stomped hard, moving toward the three guards with impossible velocity—so fast that even he struggled to control it. Fortunately, his reaction speed was equally phenomenal; he managed to halt precisely behind the three guards. Now realizing the sudden surge in his power, he eased his touch, delivering only a light tap to the back of each guard's head. To his surprise, the three guards stumbled forward, collapsing unconscious onto the ground.

Due to the unexpected increase in strength, Zheng Zha neglected to intercept the soldiers about to burst through the main door. Instead, he took a deep breath and slammed a heavy punch into the floor. Since this was inside an aircraft carrier, the room’s floor was metal plating. As Zheng Zha’s fist struck, everyone present felt a slight tremor underfoot. When Zheng Zha straightened up, everyone stared: the floor bore a deep, fist-sized crater, appearing to be at least fifteen centimeters deep.

The soldiers who had just stormed through the door witnessed the sheer power of that blow. They froze, dumbfounded, staring at the yellow-skinned man, even forgetting to draw their weapons.

(Strength appears to have doubled approximately—if he was originally five times that of a normal person, he is now around ten times, and his reaction speed seems significantly enhanced...) Zheng Zha felt his chest and thighs, his mind reeling with bewilderment. But once he finished his self-assessment, he grinned, looking toward the soldiers at the door and the people in the room. Then, with a slight shift of his feet, his entire body lunged toward the soldiers positioned at the exit...