chapter 2:The Invasion of Alien Cells
After confirming that the test subject was stable, Orochimaru proceeded to carry out his experiment.
First, he picked up a syringe, followed by a test tube. With practiced ease, he drew the transparent solution from the test tube and moved to a nearby life support device.
Finding an appropriate connection on a soft tube, he inserted the syringe and, with a slight pressure of his thumb, began to slowly inject the solution.
The liquid traveled through the tube, reaching the top of the cultivation tank, before ultimately entering Bai Shi's body.
Bai Shi, with his eyes tightly shut, couldn't tell whether it was psychological or not, but he could distinctly feel an unknown liquid gradually flowing into him.
"What is this?"
Just as he pondered, a sudden wave of dizziness struck him.
In the next moment, Bai Shi fell into unconsciousness.
As the readings on the monitoring equipment stabilized, Orochimaru revealed a sinister smile.
"Very good, we can proceed to the next step."
With this thought, he picked up another test tube.
Unlike the previous calming agent, the solution in this test tube was not transparent but rather similar to the liquid inside the cultivation tank, exuding a faint green hue.
Looking at the cell extract before him, Orochimaru was filled with excitement; if this experiment succeeded, he would be the first to replicate the abilities of the god of the ninja world.
Without a doubt, this would be a monumental achievement.
As for how many innocents would be sacrificed for this, that was beyond his consideration.
Without hesitation, Orochimaru injected the solution into the life support device.
Once the cell extract fully entered Bai Shi's body, Orochimaru no longer focused on him. Instead, he wheeled the cart over to another cultivation tank.
As before, he injected two types of drugs into the test subjects within that tank and then left.
In the silent experimentation area, the sound of the wheels scraping against the ground occasionally echoed, resembling the distant approach of the Grim Reaper's scythe, getting closer to each innocent child.
...
"Where is this?"
Amidst the endless darkness surrounding him, Bai Shi felt a surge of questions: "Didn't I cross over to the ninja world to be a test subject for Orochimaru? What's happening now? Am I dead again?"
While he was in thought, abruptly, a gigantic sphere of light occupied his 'vision,' and then a suction force pulled at him.
With no time to react, Bai Shi's consciousness was drawn into it, and suddenly, a sense of harmony surged into his heart.
Moments later, a cold mechanical voice emerged: "Ding! Infinite Evolution System has been bound!"
"A system? A golden finger?"
Before Bai Shi could contemplate further, a wave of excruciating pain struck him.
Then suddenly, as if waking from a deep dream, he opened his eyes to see the faint green nutrient liquid once more.
Feeling the pain radiating from every part of his body, Bai Shi involuntarily took a sharp breath.
If it weren't for the experiences of his past life, he might have screamed out.
This pain was not the conventional kind, resulting from bodily harm, but rather emerged from his very being—a suffering difficult to articulate.
"How could I endure such pain? How did those children ever manage?"
With that thought in mind, Bai Shi looked up at the cultivation tank before him.
Through the translucent green nutrient liquid, he could vaguely see a child peacefully sleeping inside. Though their face occasionally twisted in discomfort, they remained sound asleep.
"Is it a calming agent...? So that's it…"
Bai Shi understood, but soon, another question arose in his mind: "What about me?"
At that moment, memories from the 'dream' surfaced, and Bai Shi jolted in realization, murmuring to himself, "Could it be…?"
"System?"
Bai Shi tentatively called out in his mind.
Immediately, the familiar mechanical voice echoed again: "Ding! System activated!"
Shortly thereafter, a piece of information flooded into Bai Shi's consciousness.
After a few moments, Bai Shi comprehended the origins and functions of the 'system.'
To be precise, this 'system' was not the kind he had imagined; it was actually a piece of technology developed by another universe's civilization in pursuit of dimensional ascension, akin to a chip.
However, some unexpected issues arose during the experimentation process, resulting in its functions nearly collapsing, and even its core became trapped within dimensional rifts.
To exit the dimensional gap, it needed to search for an anchor point. By a stroke of luck, it bound itself to Bai Shi's soul.
Yet at that time, Bai Shi had just perished, so to safeguard his soul as well as its own, the 'system' expended its remaining energy to transport Bai Shi's soul into this world.
The reason it appeared as a 'system' was merely to align with Bai Shi's understanding.
This reminded Bai Shi of his earlier thoughts about finding a way out, looking for a golden finger. If he recalled correctly, what he wanted was exactly a system.
As for the authenticity of this information, Bai Shi did not wish to delve into it for now, because regardless of the outcome, he could not escape the help of the 'system.'
The reason was simple: just as the name 'system' implies, it could aid Bai Shi in evolving.
It is well-known that individual organisms are inherently fragile, but collectively, they exhibit remarkable resilience.
The essence of this phenomenon lies in the word 'evolution.'
Whether humans or other plants and animals, or even viruses and bacteria, all organisms reliant on their environment possess the ability for self-evolution; however, most of these abilities manifest passively.
This is why the process of evolution can often take an excessively long time.
If the population size is insufficient, before they can adapt to their environment, they risk extinction. But once adaptation occurs, an evolution transpires.
Yet, such uncontrolled evolution may not always yield beneficial results.
Some alterations can be advantageous for survival in the short term, but in the long run, they could hasten a species' demise.
Therefore, evolution must be approached with caution.
However, Bai Shi did not need to consider such matters. With the 'system' as his aid, each of his evolutions would be guided subjectively and completed.
In other words, he could choose favorable directions for his evolution.
Of course, his choices might lead to mistakes, but should any adverse outcomes arise, he could guide himself toward rectification.
Thus, Bai Shi had few concerns.
With this thought in mind, Bai Shi murmured, "System, show me my status."
Immediately, a translucent panel floated before his eyes:
**[Host: Bai Shi]
**Age: 2 / 61 ↓
**—Basic Attributes—
**Strength: 0.1
**Agility: 0.1
**Constitution: 0.25 ↓ (0.3)
**Intelligence: 0.6 (3.0)
**(Note 1: Average for adults in the ninja world is 5;
**Note 2: Values in parentheses are normal status values.)
**—Special Enhancement—
**Cell Adaptability: I (52.4%)**
Based on the information provided by the 'system,' Bai Shi quickly discerned the meanings of the various statistics displayed.
[Age] was self-explanatory, referring to the current age of his body and its expected lifespan limit.
As for [Strength], it was determined by factors such as skeletal strength, muscle strength, and other influencing elements.
Next was [Agility], which primarily reflected the neural response speed of his body.
The main factors affecting [Constitution] included the activity level of all body cells and the capacity of the immune system.
In general, the stronger the constitution, the better the overall physical capabilities, reflecting the overall state of the body.
Finally, [Intelligence] indicated the level of brain development and mental strength.
Of course, having a high intelligence attribute did not necessarily mean a person was smarter; it merely suggested that a higher intelligence attribute could indeed enhance cognitive abilities.
However, in the ninja world, its primary function was likely to enhance mental strength.
In addition to the basic attributes, the panel also featured a special enhancement.
The so-called Special Enhancement signified enhancement beyond the current basic attribute scope.
For example, [Cell Adaptability] enhanced the body's ability to accept foreign cells, or in other words, its adaptability.
Undoubtedly, this ability was bestowed upon this body by Orochimaru.
It was precisely due to having [Cell Adaptability] that all sixty test subjects, including Bai Shi, had not succumbed to collapse in a short period.
However, the mere I-level [Cell Adaptability] was clearly inadequate; otherwise, Bai Shi would not have awakened in pain.
Just then, a line of text suddenly appeared on the panel: [Warning: Invasion of Alien Cells (12.3%), Estimated Out of Control Time: 14 days, 6 hours, 23 minutes, and 15 seconds!]