Before beginning the gene engineering procedure, Li Lin first needed to understand the characteristics of Kai'Sa's living skin.
Fortunately, a piece of the cell they had previously cut from the academy for research was securely stored in the laboratory.
Due to the busy schedule with the construction of Gaboga and the complex nature of this Void-corrupted material, even Heimerdinger found it challenging to make progress with Kai'Sa's living skin.
Aside from some data, there had been little advancement.
Li Lin instructed Heimerdinger over the phone to leave some samples at the academy and have the mechanical soldiers and storm robots escort the remaining living shell back.
Meanwhile, he asked Kai'Sa and Caitlyn to wait for a moment while he quickly reviewed the research data Heimerdinger had left in the AI database.
To his surprise, the Void's arrival into the real world corrupted biological entities, turning them into Void creatures. Yet, they still retained their DNA sequences, albeit twisted and covered by Void energy.
Restoring a Void creature to normal required more than just reordering its DNA; the Void energy within had to be cleared first.
Moreover, the Void's influence extended beyond physical corruption to mental and spiritual distortion. Even if Li Lin could repair the physical body of a Void-infected creature, it would never return to its original state.
However, this was not a problem for Kai'Sa due to her unique symbiotic relationship with her living skin. Her abilities stemmed entirely from this skin, and she was not directly affected by the corruption.
This made her issue more manageable. The plan was to purify the Void energy using gene engineering and special methods, then transfer the purified energy into Kai'Sa's body, and finally reverse the skin's DNA sequence to separate it from Kai'Sa.
Though the theory was sound, Li Lin did not dare test his ideas directly on Kai'Sa.
Once the mechanical soldiers safely delivered a part of Kai'Sa's original living skin, Li Lin removed a small piece and used it to consume a lab rat, providing ample compressed nutrient solution.
Just as with the initial Chemtech transformation, the rat rapidly mutated under the Void's influence.
Its eyes shifted to an ominous purple glow, and its body expanded to the size of a hunting dog, enveloped in nearly tangible purple mist. The Void-covered fangs and claws pierced through specially reinforced explosion-proof glass with ease.
"Oh my god! Li Lin, do something to stop it!" Caitlyn shouted, her concern evident as she had no tools at hand, and the lab lacked any practical equipment.
Kai'Sa acted swiftly; her shoulder's fold-out cheek pouches unfurled in less than a second, and her face was covered by a Void helmet extending from her neck. Energy emission crystals projected from her wrist's energy supply sockets as she guarded against the escaping Void rat.
Li Lin glanced back at the anxious Caitlyn and Kai'Sa with a resigned smile. "Don't worry, everything is under control."
Although the Void rat's combat capability slightly exceeded his expectations, he would not have dared conduct such an experiment without backup plans and precautions in the Kiramman estate's underground lab.
At that moment, as the Void rat neared the explosion-proof glass's breaking point, colorless, odorless gas began to be injected into the chamber's top device under the AI's control. The rat's purple light dimmed, and its attacks slowed significantly.
The sedative, a concoction combining biological technology, was originally a liquid. Just 10 milliliters could incapacitate a mammoth. As a gas, its effect was somewhat diminished, but the Void-infected rat resisted for over a minute before falling asleep, illustrating the profound impact of the Void on biological structures.
Li Lin used mechanical arms to open the now-damaged explosion-proof glass chamber, carefully removing the slumbering Void rat and securing it to the workbench with restraints made from compressed materials.
Seeing the situation under control, Caitlyn cautiously approached, followed by Kai'Sa, who had retracted her helmet and energy emission crystals and returned to her normal stance.
"The Void's power is that formidable?" Caitlyn murmured.
She struggled to imagine how a rat, initially about 10 centimeters, could grow to the size of a hairless hunting dog, a common sight among Piltover's elite families.
"That's nothing. You haven't seen the Xer'Sai of Shurima's Sea of Bone or their leader, Rek'Sai. They are more challenging even for gods to handle," Li Lin remarked.
Caitlyn had heard of Li Lin's experiences but, having grown up in Piltover and rarely left the city-state, had no firsthand encounter with Void creatures or the strength of divine warriors. She could only speculate based on Li Lin's descriptions.
Now, witnessing a Void rat's transformation with just a small piece of Void shell, she realized the severity of the Void issue.
"Are there so many of these monsters in Ionia?" she asked.
Compared to the Void rat, which was less dangerous than Voidling insects, the Void creatures in Ionia were far more formidable.
Li Lin's mind drifted to the "Eye of the Void," Vel'Koz.
The "Eye of the Void" was a Void race created by the Watchers to infiltrate material realms, with Vel'Koz being the oldest, wisest, and possibly the most powerful among them.
These beings could grow to enormous sizes, often exceeding even the divine warriors' celestial forms. Generally, larger Void creatures are stronger.
In Ionia, according to Malphite, such colossal beasts were said to be common.
Li Lin did not want Caitlyn to bear the burden of the Void problem more than necessary. This was not a pressure she should face right now.
He looked through the protective visor at Caitlyn's worried blue eyes and reassured her, "Don't worry. The Shurima Empire has risen again in the desert. With the protection of divine warriors, the Void is not a threat to us."
Upon hearing this, Kai'Sa's purple eyes flickered with a strange light as she glanced at Li Lin and Caitlyn, though she said nothing.
"Is that so…"
Caitlyn pursed her lips and took a deep breath, her gaze toward Li Lin tinged with complexity. She understood that his words were merely to ease her concerns. After all, historical records indicate that at its peak, Shurima boasted thousands of Ascended warriors, who could easily conquer the entire world. Yet, this mighty empire fell into decline in the centuries following the Void War in Icathia.
Though the fall of the Shuriman Empire wasn't directly caused by the Void, without it, the empire might never have collapsed. She shook her head, not wanting to dwell further on the topic. "Let's take care of this little mouse before it wakes up again."
Before Li Lin could act, Kai'Sa tugged on his arm and asked curiously, "Li Lin, I feel a strange connection with it, as if there's some sort of link between us."
"That's normal. Void creatures have a hive mind, so they're all connected. The Void sample used on this mouse was taken from you, so it's only natural you feel this way."
"Will experimenting on it affect Kai'Sa?" Caitlyn asked, her brows furrowed in concern.
"Don't worry," Li Lin replied with a smile. "Although Void creatures are linked, harming one doesn't affect the others. If it did, killing one Void creature would set off a chain reaction, taking down others like dominoes."
Kai'Sa reassured her, "It's okay, Caitlyn. I just feel a vague connection with this mouse, but that's all."
Caitlyn nodded. "Alright then."
To avoid disturbing Li Lin, Caitlyn sat farther away with Kai'Sa, discussing the legends of Shurima and the Void as they waited. After about an hour, a shout of excitement from Li Lin caught their attention.
"It worked!"
Caitlyn and Kai'Sa hurried to his side, peering at the workbench in astonishment. The Void mouse, once the size of a hound and covered in scales, had shrunk back to its original 10-centimeter size, looking nearly identical to how it once was. Its abdomen moved gently, and the vital signs displayed on the nearby monitor were stable.
Kai'Sa's eyes widened, and she clenched her fists in excitement. Even Caitlyn smiled, relieved that a long-standing worry could finally be resolved.
Li Lin casually operated the mechanical arm, tossing the Void scales peeled from the mouse into the waste disposal unit, then instructed the AI to inject the "Gene Decay Serum."
He walked over to the operating table, tapped it twice, and turned to Kai'Sa. "Are you ready?"
She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, then smiled and responded, "I think so."
Under Li Lin's guidance, Kai'Sa lay down on the operating table. Beside her, Caitlyn gently held her slightly trembling hand.
"Don't worry. Li Lin and I will be right here with you."
"Mm-hmm, thank you, Caitlyn."
Li Lin then approached the table with a syringe containing nanobots. "Alright, Caitlyn, please wait over there. I'll need about two hours."
Caitlyn nodded, gave Kai'Sa an encouraging look, and returned to her seat.
Left alone by the operating table, Li Lin said, "The injection might hurt a bit, but bear with it."
(End of Chapter)
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