"I'm not joking with you, those few we found at the factory were feasting on an unfinished product, not the final potion. If they get to ingest this final potion, they could end up becoming larger. If there was a lot of residue left in the bottle, I would definitely have to take it for disposal." The man with glasses relayed earnestly.
"Alright, alright, the potion in there has been drained by Addicted Senior! You're incessantly blabbing like an old woman!" The worker waved his hand dismissively, then headed towards the direction of the trash can.
The two had no idea that the potion in the bottle had not been drained completely, at least there was still enough left that could fill a mosquito to its brim!
Overhead, Jia Yan's head whirled with a deafening realization upon hearing their conversation.
"Getting larger?! Mutations?!"
"So this potion does have a special effect on insects!"
One could easily discern from the conversation.
This type of potion is equally beguiling to the insects in their factories!
Moreover, they have discovered some insects grew larger and mutated after consuming the potion!
Although Jia Yan had no clue what they meant by 'getting larger' and the extent of this size.
However, their words only served to heighten Jia Yan's desire to devour the potion!
He had to give it a try!
If other insects can drink it, I can definitely drink it too! As far as I'm concerned, it can't possibly make this world any worse than it is already!
But if this potion truly works and has the ability to make me bigger and stronger, that'd be a massive advantage for me!
It could definitely increase my chances of taking on Yu Yuan!
The factory worker with a dustpan and broom continued to head towards the trash can. Seeing that the door behind him was closed, he began to sneer.
"He is but a graduate from a third-rate university. If Boss Wild Tiger hadn't been so desperate, would he ever consider someone with your caliber to join us? 'Bigger and bigger.' Do you think you can grow larger than us humans? You've gone ludicrous from researching biology every single day!"
The worker was full of disdain, he thought having such a bookworm amongst them was simply humiliating.
He was carrying a dustpan and broom.
On his way to the trash can, he had to pass through the restroom at the end of the carriage.
"I need to make a pit stop first!"
The worker had a strong urge to use the restroom since he was scared earlier by Addicted Senior. So he put the broom and dustpan next to the restroom and went in.
Opportunity!
Jia Yan, who had been hovering above the man's head, felt a brisk change of events, he quickly commanded his mosquito body to descend from the sky!
The dustpan was left quietly against the wall. Inside it, the bottle of potion was still emitting an intensely enticing drug potency, its lid was still off.
Jia Yan fluttered his wings, landing on the potion bottle large enough for a human hand to grip.
"Being close to this scent makes it even more potent! It's definitely more attractive to mosquitoes than blood!" Jia Yan looked inside the bottle, a thin layer of purple-red potion was still left at the bottom!
The purple-red potion gleamed brilliantly. This shine held a sense of mystery, like delicious food or Pandora's Box — consuming it felt like opening the portal to the devil!
Jia Yan stared at the potion at the bottom of the bottle, hesitating for a moment.
But in the next instant, he resolutely maneuvered his body into the potion bottle!
So what about Pandora's Box?
This life of mine is already in this state, even if I open Pandora's Box, what else do I have to lose?!
The mosquito's mouthparts were brought to the purple-red potion.
He thrust it directly in, taking a huge gulp!
There was no time to spare, the worker would be out from the restroom anytime soon.
So Jia Yan didn't bother with the taste!
Whether it's sour, sweet, bitter, or spicy. Before he had the chance to savor its taste, the drizzle of potion at the bottom of the bottle was all guzzled up by his powerful sucking force. His belly instantly inflated, seemingly about to burst!
"It hurts? Am I just stuffed, or is it the potency of the potion?"
Jia Yan staggered!
This is bad!
This is the potency of the potion! Is it really this strong?
Jia Yan hurriedly pulled out his body from the bottle opening, controlling his descent.
He found that his vision had started to blur!
"I can't take it any longer... I need to find a hidden place first!"
Jia Yan, fluttering his wings, found that his usually nimble wings had become unusually heavy.
With each jolt, he could only manage to lift his body a few centimeters off the ground before crashing back down. With all his might, Jia Yan barely managed to maintain his flight, flying towards the front!
"I can't do this, I can barely fly!"
Jia Yan's body was in the air, drifting and sinking, he saw the massive garbage bin on the train with his hazy vision.
He flew straight there!
He darted into the crevice between the trash bin and the wall!
Simultaneously, his entire body fell down, devoid of any strength to fly again.
Fortunately, he was now within the gap between the trash bin and the wall!
Jia Yan's mosquito body was trembling continuously.
"It hurts! But it also feels good, this feels very similar to when the larva transforms into a pupa!"
"Should I spit out the potion?! I can sense that this is due to the effect of the drug!"
"No way! Since it's similar to the pupa transformation, it might be a good thing. Could this insect mutation potion actually have an effect on me?!"
"I will not spit it out! I mustn't spit it out! I have to persist! Persist, persist, persist!"
"It really hurts! But… I must persevere! I have to persist even if it kills me!"
The male Anopheles mosquito was continuously rolling around in the gap within the trash bin!
Meanwhile, within the soft sleeper car, a young man who looked like a scholar with glasses was sitting at a table in an inconspicuous room.
His eyes were filled with seriousness, looking at several papers covered in symbols and data on the table.
"Boss, I really am grateful for your kindness. However…" The young man pursed his lips, looking hesitant.
"Where did you get these potions from?! Not to mention, the so-called antimicrobial peptides from earlier… They don't look anything like antimicrobial peptides!"
"Normally, antimicrobial peptides are alkaline polypeptide substances with antimicrobial activity produced within insects! They have miraculous effects on fungi, protozoa, viruses and even cancer cells. Many research institutions around the world are studying antimicrobial peptides. But this one… it's being called an antimicrobial peptide?!"
"What on earth are you up to? These drugs that exceed modern medicine, you choose not to market them but instead use them to expand your strength. What are you trying to do..." Under the thick lenses, a trace of fear appeared in the young man's eyes.
After pondering for a long time, the young man shook his head and put down the papers.
Regardless of what the boss wanted to do, he wasn't faking his gratitude towards him. Since the boss was the only one in the world who recognised and was willing to nurture him, why worry about it so much? He would just silently help from behind.
It's easy to find a horse that runs a thousand li, but it's difficult to find a Bo Le who appreciates such a horse!
Having figured this out, the young man smiled slightly...
He then squeezed these papers into a ball and soaked them in a bottle of mineral water that he had with him.
He would wait for a few more minutes for the ink to blur before discarding it.
...
"Ah!"
"It truly hurts! I can feel my exoskeleton swelling!"
"This is too uncomfortable, even the pupa transformation and molting are a hundred times better than this!"
"You can do this, Jia Yan! There must be a miracle after enduring this!"
"You must endure! Something good will definitely happen!"
"Ah! Jia Yan! You're a real man! You can do this!"
A male Chinese Anopheles mosquito was frantically rolling and trembling in the crevice of the train's garbage bin!
Even froth was forming from his mouthparts, but the mosquito didn't have the slightest perception of it.
His six long legs were occasionally kicking upwards!
If someone who wasn't aware saw this, they would definitely think that this mosquito was about to die.
How else could it be making such exaggerated movements?
Only the one involved knows that they are not dead, and they cannot die!
Jia Yan firmly believed that he could stick it out, and he must stick it out. Even if this was the life of a mosquito, he still had unfinished business. If he were to die now, he would definitely die with his eyes wide open!
"I, Jia Yan! I will definitely, definitely not die easily! I will live on! I will survive like a cockroach!"
The male mosquito was still rolling around in the crevice!
He didn't even faint, just continued to endure there, feeling the pain from every single cell in his body!
What the young man with glasses didn't mention earlier was that over at the so-called 'factory', even though they found a few insects that had eaten the semi-finished potions and subsequently mutated, but…
Many more of them died! Each one of them died near the 'factory' after consuming those semi-finished potions.
The scale was terrifying, resulting in the area around the factory being littered with dead insect bodies.
And now, Jia Yan was also going through all of this.
The decision to live or die was up to him!
To be continued.
From noon up till now, a few more book friends have tipped! Thanks to our friends 'Wild tiger that eats boars' and 'Dazed Second Cat', 'One Season/Another Lonely' for their tips!
I hope that those who have recommendation votes will give them to this book tomorrow. The rank on the author's list is really too low. Comparing with those books that have no comments or tips and yet manages to have a much higher ranking, it really makes me feel unwilling!