Chapter 12: A Conversation

Because Qin Yu had said that after Compound 2611 was used, it would take a full night for its effects to fully manifest.

No one in the entire laboratory slept much that night.

They brought in various life-monitoring equipment from elsewhere and placed the sensors on Professor Chen Anmin.

They used these to monitor changes in Professor Chen Anmin’s physiological indicators after taking Compound 2611.

As for doctors, they weren’t really necessary.

If the small probability event occurred—gene collapse, where the entire body disintegrates from its foundation—then no number of doctors could do anything.

Qin Yu didn’t sleep either.

After all, this was his own research result, and he didn’t really need much sleep anyway.

“Professor, how do you feel subjectively?”

Qin Yu glanced at the changing numbers on the monitors and asked Professor Chen Anmin.

“No particularly special feelings. Just not sure if it’s too exciting, but I don’t feel very tired or sleepy at all.”

Professor Chen Anmin looked up at the clock nearby and said this to Qin Yu.

Then, unable to hold back, he asked,

“Is this state and feeling… right? Does it match the expectation?”

“It does.”

Qin Yu gave a straightforward answer.

Professor Chen Anmin breathed a sigh of relief.

Others nearby, including the President of Lingchuan University, as well as Shen Yaoguo and others, were also intently watching the situation.

“…Huh? Look, is it just me, or are the wrinkles on the Professor’s face and forehead less pronounced?”

Just then, one of Qin Yu’s senior fellow students, after staring at Professor Chen Anmin’s face several times, unable to hold back any longer, voiced her observation.

“It does seem like there’s some change…”

Someone else agreed with the observation.

Professor Chen Anmin himself couldn’t help but reach up and touch his own forehead.

Nearby, everyone’s hearts thumped uncontrollably.

In these days since Compound 2611’s development, their emotions really had no choice but to fluctuate intensely from time to time.

The ultimate effect of Compound 2611 now on Professor Chen Anmin concerned each and every one of them; they couldn’t help but be nervous.

“Phew… my heart keeps jumping. Feels like a few more jumps and I might actually have a heart attack.”

Shen Yaoguo rubbed his temples and couldn’t help but chuckle self-deprecatingly.

“Dr. Qin Yu, say, once Compound 2611 passes its Clinical Trial and can be mass-produced, I’ll probably have to get it as soon as possible too.”

The group chatted briefly along these lines.

However, once the conversation subsided, everyone inevitably returned their focus to Professor Chen Anmin’s condition.

In this back-and-forth, agonizingly slow process for most people in the laboratory,

time finally passed from the previous night to the next morning.

…

“Professor, how do you feel?”

“I feel wonderful. Apart from being slightly sleepy, my whole body feels ‘comfortable.’ I don’t know how else to describe this feeling precisely. It’s probably just as you see – I feel like I’ve gotten over ten years younger.”

Compared to the changes in Professor Chen Anmin’s body shortly after taking Compound 2611 the night before, which required careful observation and comparison to notice,

the changes in his appearance now were plain to see.

Except for his already graying hair, which couldn’t turn black overnight,

the wrinkles on Professor Chen Anmin’s visibly aged face had smoothed out considerably.

His movements as he shifted from lying down to sitting up showed a clear change, becoming much more agile.

Professor Chen Anmin, over seventy years old, had been rehired by Lingchuan University after retirement.

Though he seemed mentally sharp, his physical movements occasionally showed the slowness common in the elderly.

Now, that slowness had visibly receded a lot.

Ignoring his head of white hair, looking at him from further away,

it was hard to tell this was the posture of a man over seventy.

Overall, Professor Chen Anmin looked suddenly over a decade younger.

“Normally, after just an hour or so of sleep all night, my heart would be pounding wildly by now… Not like this. I feel quite energetic.”

Professor Chen Anmin felt a wave of excitement first, followed by a sense of profoundness as he exhaled a long breath.

Not everyone gets to experience the strange and wonderful sensation of one’s body changing back from old age toward youth, even just a little younger.

“Then, Professor, you should still be careful about getting rest afterwards. Compound 2611 has made your outward body appear younger, but it still can’t support you going without sleep.”

“This level of energy boost right now is only a short-term effect, or perhaps an illusion, after Compound 2611 begins to work.”

Qin Yu said this with a smile.

Beside them, apart from Professor Chen Anmin himself, the whole group was very excited.

Because based on the current situation, Compound 2611’s effects had been proven.

“I’ll try to remember that… Haha.”

Professor Chen Anmin still couldn’t help but laugh, then quickly followed up with a question.

“Qin Yu, does this mean the Compound 2611 experiment was a success?”

His gaze held clear anticipation.

Even though he could feel the physical changes in himself clearly,

he still hoped to hear a more definite answer from his top student.

Moreover, whether Compound 2611 was successful involved many more standards.

Qin Yu smiled and nodded.

Honestly, Qin Yu was pleased too.

Although he, as the creator, had greater confidence in Compound 2611,

its actual success was still a cause for celebration.

Additionally,

It meant everything was moving in the direction he planned.

Humans, now capable of living over one hundred and fifty, even one hundred and eighty years,

would at least seem a little more resilient.

The anxiety over human fragility might be eased, if only a little.

Furthermore,

He himself wouldn’t have to hurriedly change his identity after mere decades anymore.

He could keep this one for over a hundred years more, at least until he wanted to change it.

“Based on current tests of your body, Professor, and the analysis of some physiological samples, it can be determined that not only your external appearance, but also your metabolic and hormone levels have basically returned to those of a fifty-something-year-old.”

“Over the next month to a year, as the biological mechanisms built by Compound 2611 in your body keep working, along with your body’s own metabolism and functioning, further changes will happen from your internal organs to your exterior. In the end, it should keep your overall bodily condition at the level of a fifty-something-year-old.”

“During this period, it’s best for you, Professor, to stick to your previous daily routine and activities to avoid unnecessary harm from your body not being fully recovered yet.”

“For a long time after that, your physical abilities and health, Professor, will stay at that age level until you enter the aging period again.”

“Limited by your age and basic health when you used Compound 2611, according to current theories, Professor, you may not reach the best expected lifespan of over 150 years.”

“Your final lifespan might be around 120 years. Of course, differences exist between individuals, so this isn’t a prediction about your exact lifespan, but it should be at least no less than 110 years.”

“110 years? That’s enough for me, haha…”

Hearing Qin Yu’s words, Professor Chen Anmin quickly took over the conversation and said,

He wondered if in the future, when seeing others who used Compound 2611 at a more suitable age and could live to 150 years or even 180, he might feel envy.

But at least at this moment, he was indeed quite satisfied with this result.

“Plus, compared to me getting older and older, living to 110 in a state so old I couldn’t move, this current condition has a much higher quality of life.”

“With that said, does this mean Compound 2611 was a success?”

Professor Chen Anmin still wanted to confirm it one last time.

“Yes, it succeeded.”

Qin Yu nodded, giving a firm reply.

However, compared to before, after Qin Yu said this,

the laboratory actually became quiet again.

For the people eagerly awaiting the first experimental results of Compound 2611, this was definitely good news.

But when faced with such big good news suddenly arriving,

under the strong impact, people couldn’t help but feel a moment of confusion.

Some didn’t know what to say or do.

People like Shen Yaoguo, who had been through a lot, managed to stay composed at this moment.

But Qin Yu’s nine senior fellow apprentices were a bit out of control.

Looking at Professor Chen Anmin, who was glowing and smiling happily,

among the group of senior fellow apprentices, some unconsciously held their breath,

some opened their mouths but made no sound.

“Junior Brother Qin… you’re amazing!”

After holding back for a while, someone couldn’t help shouting these words.

Nearby, Shen Yaoguo and Professor Chen Anmin, among others, didn’t mind these young people’s behavior and started laughing one after another.

The president of Lingchuan University also glanced at Professor Chen Anmin, his eyes unavoidably showing some envy.

Although as someone in on Compound 2611, when more Compound 2611 was synthesized later, he would naturally get to use it early,

but later was later, and now was now.

At this moment, Professor Chen Anmin was the first and only long-lived individual after using Compound 2611.

A life expectancy of 120 years didn’t seem especially long, but how many people in the entire world could have lived that long anyway?

Compared to an expected lifespan in the seventies, 120 years meant about forty or fifty extra years.

Forty or fifty years is enough to see two generations grow up.

But envy what?

Envy that Professor Chen Anmin had good luck in recruiting a student like Qin Yu.

It really just had to be said that Professor Chen Anmin was lucky,

especially since, given the current situation, it seemed Qin Yu didn’t need much teaching anyway.

At this point, this president of Lingchuan University resonated strangely with how Professor Chen Anmin had felt before.

Thinking about how Qin Yu had studied philosophy for four years before felt like a waste.

Of course, it might have been that past experience that ultimately created the super-genius Qin Yu now.

But everything now was actually quite nice.

“Qin Yu, I want to congratulate you in advance. You said before that you wanted to change the world, and I think from this moment on, your wish has basically started coming true.”

Probably because he had taken Compound 2611 and everything was settled,

Professor Chen Anmin, who had been very excited earlier, now calmed down a lot.

Facing Qin Yu, Professor Chen Anmin said with a laugh,

“From this moment on, Qin Yu, you’re probably the most influential biologist of this era, a scholar in the Field of Life Sciences. I’ll get to ride on your fame and become a famous teacher of a great scientist.”

Professor Chen Anmin made a joking statement,

but the content of that statement wasn’t really that funny.

“After this, you really should finish your graduate studies. If not, the university might get criticized. Luckily, the president is here. Mr. President, would you be willing to give Qin Yu a faculty position?”

“If Dr. Qin Yu is willing, Lingchuan University would be delighted.”

The president also said with a laugh,

even though Lingchuan University ranked among the top schools in the country,

offering a faculty position to the ‘Father of Human Life Extension Technology’ was an honor for the university.

In a few years, people might even refer to Lingchuan University as Qin Yu’s alma mater.

But for now, these were all minor side things.

They weren’t that important.

The group present talked about it without paying too much attention,

with most of their focus still on Compound 2611.

…

That same afternoon,

the Huaxia Nation official in charge of overseeing the Chinese Academy of Sciences, under the pretense of visiting Lingchuan University,

still had a formal meeting with Qin Yu.

Compared to Shen Yaoguo, Academician Wu Ming, and others who had come earlier,

this Senior Leader who arrived now had learned the situation beforehand and had reasonable expectations,

so he wasn’t shocked all over again.

Also, with Professor Chen Anmin as an actual case of someone using Compound 2611, there was no need to doubt the real effects of the compound anymore.

After some casual talk and a regular tour of Qin Yu’s Laboratory,

and after looking at the remaining small sample of Compound 2611,

right next to the Laboratory,

everyone else left temporarily, and Qin Yu had a private talk with this Senior Leader.

“Dr. Qin Yu, I want to know, if we make Compound 2611 in bigger batches later, is the process complicated? How much time does the whole manufacturing and synthesizing of Compound 2611 take?”

This Senior Leader first asked a question he cared about.

“The synthesis process for Compound 2611 is a bit complicated. Under the current Laboratory process, making one batch might take over two weeks. We might cut that time down later, but it’s hard to get it under a week.”

“If we want to make a lot at once, we’d probably need more people working on the synthesis. With just this Laboratory’s output now, it’s only enough for phase one and phase two Clinical Trials.”

Qin Yu thought about it and gave an answer.

“What about the cost?”

“Ignoring time costs, labor costs, and other expenses, and just considering the materials used during synthesis, each dose good for one person should cost less than 1000 yuan.”

“With mass production and bulk buying of raw materials, the cost could be lowered even more.”

“If we want to supply Compound 2611 for everyone in the Huaxia Nation, how long would it take to produce it, assuming no limits on resources?”

“It probably wouldn’t take long. The amount needed per person isn’t much. After mass production starts, it likely won’t take much time to cover everyone’s needs in the whole Huaxia Nation.”

Qin Yu gave another reply.

This Senior Leader nodded,

then went silent for a bit, seeming to think about something, before looking at Qin Yu again.

“Dr. Qin Yu, you are a wise man. Your wisdom is enough for you to overcome big scientific challenges quickly.”

“I hope to get your advice on the use of Compound 2611 as well.”

“Do you think using Compound 2611 to lengthen human lifespans is a good or bad thing?”

“I’m not talking about using it widely or restricting it, just the act itself.”