Chapter 11: The First Immortal
Chapter 11: The First Immortal
Hearing the properties and theoretical effects of Compound 2611 from Qin Yu’s mouth,
even the most experienced among them, Shen Yaoguo and others, couldn’t remain composed.
Shen Yaoguo could feel his own heart pound twice fiercely.
When his gaze returned to Compound 2611, it visibly sharpened.
Fortunately, Shen Yaoguo quickly regained his composure.
“Dr. Qin, you’ve truly given us an enormous surprise.”
Everyone present completely ignored the fact that Qin Yu was still a graduate student. Instantly, they addressed him with a doctoral title.
Shen Yaoguo’s eyes darted between Qin Yu and Compound 2611.
With an emotion like he couldn’t decide whether to be thrilled or tense, he added.
Both Shen Yaoguo and Academician Wu Ming who accompanied him were just as deeply shaken as Professor Chen Anmin had been.
Or rather, compared to Professor Chen Anmin, who occasionally kept tabs on Qin Yu’s research progress,
they were far less mentally prepared.
Even though Shen Yaoguo had some guesses while answering Professor Chen Anmin’s call,
guessing and actually hearing it, seeing it, were vastly different.
Moreover, he only guessed that a significant progress had been made in lifespan mechanism-related research, hence the invitation,
not that a finished substance breaking life’s limits would be placed before him like this.
It only required his, or higher, approval before a new type of human—one who could live to 150 years or longer—would emerge.
“I just hope Academician Shen doesn’t find it horrifying.”
Qin Yu replied, keeping his usual calm tone.
Possibly due to Absolute Immortality and Absolute Escape—
no one could harm him—
he had adapted over this year or two.
Now, facing anything or anyone, he carried a strange serenity.
“No, no. This is definitely a surprise. Definite good news.”
Seemingly worried of Qin Yu misunderstanding, Shen Yaoguo added quickly.
“Without doubt, this is a major breakthrough in life science research. Even an outsider like me can confirm that.”
“The hope for longer life is ancient to all humankind. I believe the entire world will undergo drastic changes thanks to your discovery, Dr. Qin.”
“Countless people will benefit from your work!”
“It’s just…all this happened too suddenly. Honestly, my mind still hasn’t fully caught up.”
He spoke to Qin Yu frankly.
Nearby, Academician Wu Ming stayed silent.
Since Qin Yu confirmed Compound 2611’s properties, Wu Ming’s gaze never left the substance.
Compared to Shen Yaoguo the layman, Academician Wu Ming—practicing life science, specializing in human genetics—
understood far more profoundly what Compound 2611 meant,
technically and for life science research.
The deeper his understanding, the greater his astonishment.
For Compound 2611 to exist now
was as startling as having a working controlled nuclear fusion reactor constructed
while academia remained stuck studying classical mechanics.
Academician Wu Ming knew Qin Yu’s two previous papers on lifespan mechanisms thoroughly.
He himself had read them carefully. Even a doctoral student he supervised
managed to graduate only by writing a marginally relevant paper piggybacking on Qin Yu’s research trend.
He had openly praised the value of Qin Yu’s earlier papers multiple times.
He believed if humans ever achieved lifespan extension through life science,
Qin Yu’s papers would deserve foremost credit.
He once thought future decades might see practical lifespan-extending technologies emerge from these papers,
ushering humanity into a new era of longevity and society.
But realistically,
such applications should require lengthy, prolonged research.
Even starting from Qin Yu’s papers, extending human life seemed distant.
It involved immense, arduous work.
Perhaps like the Human Genome Project, demanding national-level resources
and countless efforts over generations to complete this century-shaping task.
Not materializing suddenly, like Compound 2611 had sprung from a stone!
Qin Yu’s two big labs under School of Life Sciences, equipped with advanced, cutting-edge facilities thanks to ample funding—
still made it hard to grasp how Qin Yu and his small team
tackled such an overwhelming research burden.
Yet here it was, undeniable. Acceptance was irrelevant; it existed.
“Earlier, several colleagues persuaded me to apply for a national project exploring lifespan extension. They wanted to unite scholars across China, using your theories as foundation, hoping to push the technology further. They likely invited you, Dr. Qin…”
Finally, Academician Wu Ming raised his head, shaking it with a helpless smile.
“Now… they’re saved the trouble. No need for such a project anymore.”
Though wistfully phrased, Wu Ming grew increasingly animated while speaking.
“Dr. Qin, you’ve achieved a world-shattering result! I feel the entire globe will turn upside down for this discovery.”
“World turning upside down isn’t my wish—I prefer peace.”
Qin Yu replied, smiling.
…
At that moment, Qin Yu’s two labs atop the school building
felt like black holes.
People entered, but no one ever left.
Shen Yaoguo canceled his next two days of appointments.
Academician Wu Ming too stayed put.
As Academicians, leaking secrets seemed unlikely.
But Compound 2611’s significance was monumental.
Before preparations, no one dared imagine the consequences if news broke.
The world was not solely composed of Huaxia Nation.
Even though Shen Yaoguo didn’t explicitly mention it, Academician Wu Ming distanced himself voluntarily. In front of everyone, he called his family, said he’d be away on business, and then set his phone aside.
Despite his intense curiosity about Compound 2611, Academician Wu Ming held back and didn’t press for more details.
Shen Yaoguo contacted the president of Lingchuan University again.
Under Lingchuan University’s name, he devised an excuse to temporarily clear out researchers from other labs in the experimental building.
The ongoing experiments from those other labs were moved elsewhere in the university.
Naturally, Qin Yu’s lab was also publicly announced as one of the relocated sites.
After coming to the lab, the president of Lingchuan University found himself equally unable to leave.
Luckily, the lab already took up an entire floor—now it occupied the whole experimental building—so space was more than enough.
Otherwise, fitting all these people would’ve been tricky.
Using the university’s dedicated phone line, Shen Yaoguo, as the head of the Academy of Sciences, contacted his superior: a leader responsible for overseeing the Academy, a top official of Huaxia Nation—effectively Shen Yaoguo’s direct boss.
Soon after,
many young men with close-cropped hair appeared near the experimental building.
They installed additional surveillance equipment all around,
avoiding overt, conspicuous guards,
but ensuring that any outsider approaching the building would invariably be stopped in their tracks by one of these young men.
Balancing secrecy and protection was tricky.
Securing the School of Life Sciences’ experimental building so openly
inevitably drew attention, hinting that something big was happening there.
Yet, doing nothing for fear of alerting others—adding no safety measures—wasn’t an option.
What if something went wrong?
What if even partial knowledge of Compound 2611’s synthesis leaked out?
Worse, what if something happened to Qin Yu? That would be disastrous.
Even just news of Compound 2611’s existence leaking could trigger massive waves.
Was that likely?
Almost inevitable. If forces outside Huaxia Nation knew of Compound 2611’s existence,
they’d surely go rabid, sparing no cost to seize Qin Yu then and there.
Much of the world’s power, wealth, and resources lay in the hands of elders.
Facing death, facing a chance for immortality, many would resort to madness.
Under such conditions,
Shen Yaoguo and the higher-ups tried their best to balance secrecy with protection.
At the very least, if danger struck, Qin Yu had to be evacuated immediately.
Shen Yaoguo couldn’t stop thinking:
if things truly turned ugly, he’d place himself in front of Qin Yu—shield him as long as possible.
Still,
Qin Yu himself was actually quite safe.
Apart from outright lunatics,
even those who learned of Compound 2611’s existence wouldn’t target Qin Yu for execution first.
That night,
the Huaxia Nation leader overseeing the Academy made his next-day schedule public:
he’d inspect Lingchuan City and visit Lingchuan University, mingling and exchanging with students.
The real reason for the university visit, naturally, wasn’t mentioned at all.
Also that night,
the temporary shutdown of the School of Life Sciences’ building did cause some stir.
On campus forums and other student hangouts, people talked about it.
It stayed mostly confined there, though, without spreading wider online.
Speculation about the incident
generally stuck to suggestions of a ‘lab accident.’
One particularly wild but plausible rumor even spread:
that a Life Sciences grad student had accidentally concocted something dangerous, like a bioweapon, in the lab.
That explained the building shutdown and evacuation.
This rumor temporarily satisfied people’s curiosity.
Few students lingered around the building anymore.
Earlier, Qin Yu had proposed moving straight into clinical trials.
After Shen Yaoguo relayed this,
higher approval came: so long as volunteer Professor Chen Anmin personally consented,
an exception could be made.
They’d conduct a clinical trial of Compound 2611 immediately.
As Compound 2611 emerged directly from Qin Yu’s theoretical predictions,
further analysis at this stage was limited.
Once confirmed that the lab’s output matched the theoretical Compound 2611,
the next step involved exploring and validating Compound 2611’s effects inside the human body.
Theory was theory, reality was reality.
Human bodies were complicated, full of variables and individual differences.
Even Qin Yu couldn’t guarantee Compound 2611 would work as expected—
truly extending human lifespan as theorized.
In drugs research, cases weren’t unheard of where substances performed well externally,
only to do harm once inside the body.
Qin Yu could only affirm: if his earlier theories held, Compound 2611 should work.
Now,
they decided to attempt Compound 2611’s very first use that very night.
“Qin Yu, if Compound 2611 doesn’t work on me… what happens?”
Inside the lab,
Qin Yu isolated the first trial dosage of Compound 2611 from their completed batch.
As the first volunteer to receive it, Professor Chen Anmin stood before Qin Yu, a bit unsure what to do.
Beside them: the confined university president, Shen Yaoguo, Academician Wu Ming, and Qin Yu’s senior lab peers. All watched keenly. This was history.
Having Qin Yu’s prior two papers as groundwork, they already trusted Compound 2611 would work as described.
Still, until proof emerged within a human body, no one could entirely rule out a massive error.
This moment would define whether human society, human civilization itself, turned a new page.
“Probably nothing… small chance of instant death.”
Qin Yu gave quite a direct reply.
Lifespan mechanisms were core to human biology.
If Compound 2611 failed its purpose, two outcomes existed: zero impact,
or sudden, fatal failure.
“How do I help? How should Compound 2611 be used?”
Professor Chen Anmin answered just as briskly.
He didn’t press Qin Yu about the small chance.
Best not to hear too grim a number.
“Just relax, Professor. At present, Compound 2611 likely requires intramuscular injection.”
“Alright then, Qin Yu. Proceed as you see fit.”
Professor Chen Anmin went quiet.
His gaze fixed on Compound 2611. His body held subtly stiff. This tension was clear.
As someone deep in Life Science—especially the human body—much like doctors or pharmacologists, Professor Chen Anmin hadn’t shied from using his own body in smaller tests throughout his career.
This time felt entirely different.
Compound 2611’s role was monumental.
Setting aside its risks—
if Compound 2611 failed within his body,
even knowing logic dictated it wasn’t his fault,
he’d likely feel real guilt regardless.
Part of his tension stemmed from that fear.
Qin Yu filled a syringe with Compound 2611.
Then, via intramuscular injection, he delivered it into Professor Chen Anmin’s left arm muscle.
“Response might take time. Expected full impact probably won’t surface before tomorrow morning.”