Chapter 206: The Progenitor Virus

Chapter 206: The Progenitor Virus

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After a rigorous disinfection process, Chen Chen finally entered the highest-level biological gene nucleus laboratory in this Hive.

Although seven years had passed, the laboratory had been in a sealed-off state after all. Plus, it was a class 100 cleanroom, so the entire laboratory had not been contaminated.

It was as if time had frozen in this laboratory.

Strictly speaking, this laboratory was a vestibule. It was divided into seven or eight laboratories with different functions according to various classifications such as the sterilization room, the quarantine room, the operation room, and so on.

Not only that, but what made Chen Chen excited were the high-end apparatuses that Chen Chen had never seen before.

“Centrifuge, nucleic acid extraction equipment, real-time polymerase chain reaction equipment...

Chen Chen was encased in a bloated protective suit. He looked at each machine and by relying on his instinctive understanding and intuition about the equipment in the biological laboratory, he quickly identified some instruments.

As the laboratory was also monitored, each apparatus that Chen Chen walked past which he could not recognize would be explained by X-112.

“This is...”

Suddenly, Chen Chen’s attention was drawn toward a special device in front of him.

This device looked like a large printer. It had a white shell and a deep groove in the middle. There seemed to be an extremely small component in the groove, so small that it could not be seen clearly.

“Is this a micromanipulator?” Chen Chen raised his eyebrows.

“No, this is an adenine base editor.”

X-112 said, “This editor can precisely manipulate a single base pair in DNA. It’s a new technology developed in CRISPR genetic scissors technology. Through AI, it’s able to lock onto and edit the genome more effectively.”

Chen Chen was shocked when he heard this. “Being able to manipulate a single base pair — wouldn’t this mean that there are almost no off-target effects?”

“It would seem so for now,” X-112 replied.

“So, it looks like it’s not a fluke that this world could produce the T-virus. Has the biotechnology of the Umbrella Corporation reached such a high level?”

Chen Chen murmured to himself.

In the real world, there were three mainstream genome editing technologies that humans were using: ZFN genome editing technology, TALEN genome editing technology, and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology.

Among these three technologies, only CRISPR-Cas9 technology had the lowest off-target rate and was the most reliable. Plus, it was the only technology that could edit RNA, so it was also the most widely used genome editing technology.

However, CRISPR-Cas9 technology currently had many problems such as complex gene editing that was difficult to achieve, low transfection efficiency, and so on.

However, it would seem that a long time ago, Umbrella Corporation had already forged a new path. Their genome editing technology alone surpassed reality by thirty to forty years.

Chen Chen continued his examination and soon found a large number of biological equipment that surpassed technology in the real world. With these equipment, Chen Chen could even easily observe the DNA nucleic acid chain. Other technologies were simpler and more accurate than those in reality.

This was a paradise for those who worked in biology...

Chen Chen sighed to himself.

“Oh, right.” As if he had just thought of something, Chen Chen asked excitedly, “Are there any samples of the T-virus in the Hive?”

“No. According to the monitoring and records, all of the T-virus and its antidote had been lost 7 years ago. Now, only a part of the Progenitor virus’s sample still exists.”

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“Progenitor virus?”

Chen Chen’s heart leaped. Most people might not have heard of this virus, but Chen Chen had already investigated all the settings in Resident Evil, so he was already well acquainted with this virus.

This Progenitor virus, according to the game’s story, was the predecessor of the T-virus.

The founder of the biological outbreak first discovered a flower called “Stairway of the Sun” in Africa. From this flower, the first RNA fragment was extracted, which was the Progenitor virus.

The Progenitor virus had the ability to alter human genes. Therefore, after a few disappointing experiments, the founder chimerized the genetic fragments of leeches with the genes of the Progenitor virus, thus creating the first T-virus.

“Where’s the Progenitor virus?” Chen Chen asked quickly.

“The Progenitor virus is frozen in the freezer of the Hive,” X-112 replied, “do you want to thaw it now?”

“Hold on.” Chen Chen waved his hand after some thought. “Give me a copy of the information about the Progenitor virus. I’ll check that out first.”

“Understood.”

X-112 assented, following which a computer beside Chen Chen turned on automatically. Then, pages of information were sent over.

However, as he pored over the information on the Progenitor virus in detail, Chen Chen suddenly narrowed his eyes.

According to the information, the Progenitor virus came from the Ndipaya tribe in Western Africa. The “Stairway of the Sun” flower contained a viral substance in the form of RNA, which could enhance human capabilities and extend human life.

From a biological point of view, the RNA characteristics of the Progenitor virus could promote the evolution of human DNA, but the toxin contained in the virus would kill the human immune system, resulting in systemic inflammation, necrosis of the skin and other outer tissues, loss of a large amount of body fluids and secondary infections of various diseases, after which followed sepsis and severe shock, eventually leading to death.

Furthermore, only a very small number of individuals would undergo a mutation in their immune receptors after infection, allowing them to survive. The survival rate did not exceed 10%.

This disease was the same as the Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever?

When Chen Chen read up to this part, he quickly scanned downward and immediately came across the electron microscope photo of the Progenitor virus, which looked like a worm-like filovirus.

The Progenitor virus also came from Western African and was a filovirus. Likewise, even its symptoms upon infection were systemic inflammation, necrosis of skin, and other external tissues, and so on. These symptoms were practically identical to the Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever.

Was there such a coincidence?

Chen Chen checked the gene sequence of the Progenitor virus again, only to find that, as he thought, the genetic similarity between the Progenitor virus and the Ebola virus was 98%!

They could be said to be homological.

Chen Chen looked thoughtful.

This was not too surprising. After all, in the perspective of ordinary people, Resident Evil was originally written by screenwriters in reality, so it was not too far-fetched to say that they used the Progenitor virus as a way to pay homage to the real-world Ebola virus.

However, it was just designed as a homage, yet it just so happened that the virus was said to have the power to change human DNA and accelerate human evolution. This was a little bizarre...

If the screenwriter just made up a virus, which could make humans evolve, out of thin air, Chen Chen could still swallow that. After all, he suspected that the USB drive had the power to fill out the rules. Even the existence of superpowers from Chronicle was possible. Was not a virus normal in comparison?

However, what Chen Chen could not accept was that this virus had a genetic sequence that was 98% identical to the Ebola virus. Did it not mean that the Ebola virus held the same potential for human evolution as long as it was slightly modified?

In that case, did the Ebola virus itself always had this potential and the story of Resident Evil simply outsmarted itself?

The other possibility was, because a parallel universe like Resident Evil existed, a virus such as Ebola, which was almost identical to the Progenitor virus, would appear?

To put it simply, Chen Chen’s question was: Which came first, the Resident Evil movie or the Resident Evil dimension?

Chen Chen kept reading through the documents sent by X-112, but his mind had already drifted out of the window.

If he could clarify this issue, Chen Chen could then clear up why, when films were shot, some were recognized by the USB drive while others were not.

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