Professor Yan's words made Zuo Feng's breathing quicken instantly.
"No longer constrained by birth, aging, sickness, and death"—these nine short characters described the realm of immortality that emperors and generals throughout history had yearned for!
Emperor Qin Shi Huang sent Xu Fu eastward to seek elixirs, Emperor Wu of Han built a high platform awaiting visitors from Penglai, and Emperor Taizong of Tang consumed elixirs in pursuit of an immortal body.
Which of them wasn't a sagacious and farsighted emperor, whose name would be etched in history?
Alas, they exhausted national resources, only to eventually turn into a handful of yellow earth, their very bones returning to dust.
Yet, wasn't A Mao's evolution now the true immortality that the ancients had so desperately sought?
Zuo Feng's heart was profoundly shaken; he had never imagined that, in this apocalypse, he would witness a miracle surpassing all of history.
He gazed at A Mao's god-like figure, his heart surging with unnamable emotions.
Was this true evolution, or did it hide some deeper, more profound cost?
He instinctively clenched his fists, struggling to break free from the shock, and asked:
"Professor Yan, are you certain A Mao has escaped the constraints of birth, aging, sickness, and death? Does that mean A Mao can live forever?"
Professor Yan was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded, his voice deep but firm:
"Yes, Leader.
The current A Mao has indeed broken through the limitations of traditional life forms.
Her form of existence no longer relies on flesh and blood, but operates as a pure energy body.
For her, the physical body is merely a vessel to contain energy, and this vessel currently possesses extremely strong self-repair and regeneration capabilities.
This means that as long as the energy supply is continuous, A Mao can maintain this state indefinitely, and even continue to evolve and strengthen herself over time.
Although she cannot achieve true immortality yet, she has already crossed the boundary of life and death, taking the first step towards eternity.
As long as her strength continues to improve in the future, breaking through her current energy form, it is not impossible for her to reach a truly immortal, ageless, and imperishable state.
According to my estimations, even if A Mao maintains her current state, her life cycle will far exceed the limits of human cognition, perhaps lasting for hundreds of years or even longer."
Professor Yan's voice carried a tremor that was almost reverent, each word like an inscription being carved into stone:
"Hundreds of years...or even longer..."
He suddenly turned to A Mao, his eyes burning with a pure, unadulterated scientific fervor,
"This is a leap in life forms! It is empirical evidence of carbon-based life transforming into an energy state! A Mao, she is a living vision of the future!"
The turmoil in Zuo Feng's heart remained unsettled.
While the grand blueprint Professor Yan described was certainly captivating, he was more concerned with the current reality.
His sharp gaze once again fell upon the Laboratory bench:
"What about her consciousness, Professor Yan? You just said her consciousness fluctuations are stable and she's adapting to her power.
So, can she still think? Does she still recognize us? Is she...still A Mao? Or, is a brand new, unfamiliar soul incubating within this powerful force? Or, is it merely a shell driven by energy?"
His barrage of questions directly struck Professor Yan, who was engrossed in his fervor.
Immortality was alluring, but if the price was the loss of self, becoming a puppet of power, then what was the meaning of such "evolution"?
Zuo Feng did not want to witness the tragedy of a mind twisted by uncontrolled power; he had to confirm that within this brilliant emerald body, the familiar soul was safe and sound.
Professor Yan's expression gradually turned serious; he slowly said:
"The conscious level is indeed the most difficult part for us to fully analyze at present.
From the monitoring data, her brainwave patterns still maintain a high degree of consistency with her original personality, and her emotional fluctuations, memory map, and thought habits are all completely preserved.
In other words, she is still the A Mao from before; the familiar soul we know has not disappeared, but has become even more acute and clear due to the energetic transformation.
Just like the previous Super Individuals, none of them experienced any conscious abnormalities after becoming Super Individuals.
Leader, you can rest assured on this point; she is still herself."
Just as Professor Yan finished speaking, the emerald-like body on the Laboratory bench's eyelids trembled slightly.
Buzz—
A silent fluctuation spread out from A Mao, not an impact of energy, but more like a ripple of life at a higher level, sweeping through the entire space.
The residual instruments in the Laboratory hummed as if soothed by this ripple, and even the air seemed to freeze for an instant.
Zuo Feng and Professor Yan's hearts almost skipped a beat simultaneously, their gazes fixed intently on A Mao.
Those tightly closed eyes slowly opened.
There was no blinding energy light as expected, nor chaos or confusion.
What kind of eyes were they?
Deep as ancient forests that had accumulated for a thousand years, the pupils were no longer the roundness of human eyes, but had transformed into two slowly rotating, crystal-clear, emerald lotus hearts!
Deep within the lotus hearts, countless tiny, pure energy-composed annual ring patterns seemed to ebb and flow, carrying a calmness that saw through all things, yet containing an indescribable vast vitality.
Professor Yan gasped, not out of fear, but out of a shock in the face of a miracle of life.
He instinctively held his breath.
A Mao's gaze calmly swept over the messy scene of the Laboratory, finally resting on the surveillance camera.
Her gaze lingered for a long time, with the initial bewilderment and blankness of waking, but those eyes seemed to be able to see through the camera directly into their souls.
After a long while, the lotus-heart-like pupils seemed to flicker slightly, like an ancient forest recognizing long-lost travelers.
Then, she tilted her head slightly, her movements fluid and natural, yet imbued with a non-human Kong Ling.
Her lips, those emerald-like energy lips, gently parted.
"Pro...fessor?"
A voice sounded, no longer A Mao's original clear tone, but with a peculiar resonance, as if countless leaves whispered in the wind, or a clear spring flowed over mossy stones—Kong Ling, distant, yet clearly conveying the familiar, A Mao's tone,
"I... I seem to have... slept for a long time?"
Professor Yan's eyes welled up almost instantly.
He suppressed his inner excitement, his voice trembling slightly:
"Congratulations, A Mao, we succeeded!"
"Succeeded?" A Mao repeated softly, with a hint of confusion, her gaze slowly turning as if she was sensing this brand new self.
She gently raised her hand, gazing at the knuckles composed of pure energy, as if confirming her own existence.
A moment later, she whispered, "I feel... many things, as if the whole world has become different."
Her voice paused, and with a thought, a wisp of breeze inexplicably swept through the Laboratory, and the emerald energy throughout her body seemed to subtly vibrate, receding rapidly like a returning tide until her appearance completely reverted to that of a human.
A Mao gently blinked, seemingly also finding it unbelievable; after all, she was just an ordinary person before, and now, she seemed to have become some higher-dimensional existence.
She looked down at her palms, a trace of doubt and surprise flashing in her eyes, as if she had not yet fully comprehended the abilities she possessed.
The Laboratory lights shone on her; although the emerald-like energy had receded, her entire being still exuded a faint, ethereal aura, like the lingering ripples after a lake's surface has been disturbed, long unsettled.
There was silence in the Laboratory.
Professor Yan looked at A Mao, his heart filled with mixed emotions; he knew this was not an end, but the beginning of another unknown journey.