Chapter 398: Father of DNA
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After this remark, Paul could not resist looking up at Chen Chen to observe his reaction.
To his disappointment, Chen Chen barely elicited any reaction upon hearing this news. He did not look like he was particularly impressed with this piece of news.
“I get it.”
Chen Chen nodded and said cooly, “This can’t be the only thing you’re coming to me for, spill everything out.”
“Yes, there’s another piece of good news I’d like to report to you.”
Paul continued. “According to the information gathered in the inner circle, you’ll very likely be awarded this year’s n.o.bel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. This is for your company’s last year’s contribution in combating the Blacklight virus on the front lines. You’re also the first corporation to come up with the Blacklight vaccine, your heroic deeds have saved the lives of millions in Africa.
“With these two accomplishments alone, calls for you winning the n.o.bel Prize in Physiology and Medicine had taken up nearly ninety percent of the council.”
As he said this, he stole another glance at Chen Chen’s eyes to look for any signs of joy or excitement. He would be disappointed again by what he saw.
Whether it was the news of North America’s goodwill or the later news of the potential n.o.bel prize, neither of them seemed to inspire any reaction from the young man standing before him. His eyes remained unmoving and dry like two mouths of well.
Paul was put in the position of a slave or better yet, a dog. With his life and his family’s well being on the line, he had no choice but to submit to this young man in front of him. He did not have a say in how things have turned out as the chip implanted at the back of his neck had stripped him of all options.
Every time the idea of resisting occurred to him, the chip at the back of his neck would issue a sharp warning. For the sake of his life, he had to compromise his principles and continue working for this young man.
The things he had to do were connected to politics one way or another. One example of the things he had to do was to navigate the Whitehouse using the connections inside his family. There were always ongoing disputes between the political parties in North America, behind many of these conflicting parties were the consortiums backing them from the shadows.
Naturally, Paul was not pleased with having his and his family’s life held hostage by his enemies. He wanted to look for an opportunity to escape from the young man’s clutches, but the chance never presented itself.
The reason he came here was to observe the young man’s expression from up close. He was desperate to see the slightest opening, to see a glimpse of what could be surprise, excitement, helplessness, shame inside the young man. Perhaps this would prove that this young man was just another normal person that possessed complex emotions and may be susceptible to the many sorrows that came with fame and fortune...
There was always an opening in the common man that could be exploited.
However, whatever news he presented, whether it was news of North America’s goodwill or the fabled n.o.ble prize that countless people sought after, the young man was completely unfazed by the many revelations he presented. What in the world was going on in this person’s mind?
“Is this what you came to me for?”
Chen Chen fixed his gaze on Paul, his eyes were like two bottomless pits absent of any presence of light. “If this is all, then your mission is complete.”
“Yes...”
Paul felt his heart setting like stone, he nodded dryly. “Please forgive me, I only thought I could share the good news with you.”
With that, he turned around and headed for the exit.
“Someone will visit you later.”
He had only taken his second step when Chen Chen suddenly called out to him from behind, “I’ll have someone perform a new operation on you and extract the G.o.d chip from your cervical spine. It will be subst.i.tuted with a new chip model.”
Paul felt a shiver coursing through his body as he turned around in disbelief. “A new chip model?”
“That’s right. Compared to the previous model, this new G.o.d chip model will be considerably safer and more concealed.”
Chen Chen answered blankly, “I’m sure you’ll like it.”
“...”
Paul lowered his head to conceal his reaction, his body was trembling all over with anger at this moment. Still, he forced himself to nod agreeably before entering the elevator without looking back.
Chen Chen waited until Paul had left before breaking into a devilish smirk. What were the chances of someone as proficient at psychological warfare as he was to not grasp what Paul was thinking?
To sum it up, it was a deep-rooted discontent with having to submit to Chen Chen’s superiority. However, Paul had no other choice to stomach his anger since he had a dagger pointed to his throat.
Due to this pent-up pressure and anger, Paul wanted nothing more than to catch a glimpse of Chen Chen’s weakness. Even a tiny glimpse of it would benefit his pride greatly and help him restore whatever confidence he could salvage.
Unfortunately, Paul’s desperate attempt was destined for failure from the get-go. Chen Chen had already been informed that the North American council had stopped investigating the Osmond accident a few days ago and he also knew about the n.o.bel Prize listing. He also knew that this was all a chain of traps...
“Could it be that Paul also knows that this is a trap set up by the North American officials and is trying to lure you into the trap?”
Little X’s voice suddenly emitted from the computer.
“Maybe.”
Chen Chen did not deny the possibility. “This is one of the flaws of the first generation G.o.d chip, it cannot intercept the host’s thoughts. This is why I’m going to implant the second generation G.o.d chip into him.”
The second-generation G.o.d chip was the one implanted in Musk’s brain. The new chip would be implanted into the cortex of the occipital region. The AI inside the chip was designed to continuously collect the host’s brain signals. This system was designed to immediately notify Little X upon detecting any ill intentions against Blacklight Biotechnology or G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone.
Apart from the revised implant location and this new feature, its functionalities were identical to the first-generation G.o.d chip.
“Sir G.o.dfather, Osmond Family’s Felix has arrived at the ground floor.”
Little X suddenly notified, “Should I bring him up?”
“Bring him up here.”
Chen Chen nodded as he got up and approached the elevator.
Unlike Paul who had just left, Felix was personally invited by Chen Chen. He was one of the honored members of G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone, unlike Paul who was forced to serve Chen Chen like a slave to keep himself alive.
Within two minutes, Felix stepped out of the elevator.
“Sir Chen Chen, it’s been a while!”
The moment Felix stepped out of the elevator and saw Chen Chen, his eyes lit up and he quickly reached out to hug Chen Chen. He then exclaimed, “Is the Android on the ground floor real?”
“Yes, but it’s just a prototype in its experimental stages. It’ll take a few years before it can be commercialized.”
Chen Chen answered, “Is Sir Felix interested in the Android project?”
“Of course, I’m very interested!”
Felix answered immediately, “If possible, I’m willing to contribute a portion of funds to develop this project with you.”
“Oh, please don’t jest, Sir Felix, I have enough funds at the moment.”
Chen Chen escorted his guest to his office desk. In an instant, two sofas and a coffee table rose from the ground. Felix was amused by this fascinating machinery.
“How futuristic, are these automated?”
Felix sat on the sofa and tapped the coffee table excitedly. “Sir Chen Chen, having other people invest in your business is a very common practice in the business world. After all, there’s never a guarantee whether a project will work out, so it’s better to split the cost to minimize the potential loss, don’t you agree?”
“The problem is that with more investing parties, I won’t have the revenue all to myself if the project works out.”
Chen Chen smiled as he took two wine gla.s.ses from the table and poured a gla.s.s of red wine for Felix first but a gla.s.s of Sprite for himself instead. He raised the gla.s.s after. “If I’m in urgent need of funds, you’ll be the first one I turn to, Sir Felix.”
“Alright, I suppose that will do...”
Seeing how Chen Chen was adamant about his position, Felix understood that Chen Chen was not interested in attracting investors at the moment. He clinked gla.s.ses with Chen Chen somewhat disappointedly before downing the gla.s.s of red wine in one go.
After the two men had emptied their wine gla.s.ses, Chen Chen quickly navigated the conversation. “I’m sure the reason Sir Felix came all the way here is that you have something important to discuss with me.”
“There’s something I need to discuss with you about, it concerns one of my close friends.”
Felix’s expression grew considerably more serious as he said this, “I’m sure you’re acquainted with the name of this close friend of mine. He’s a fellow researcher just like you who goes by the name James Watson.”
Chen Chen flashed a curious look when he heard this. He looked at Felix in the eyes. “Of course, I’m familiar with the Father of DNA, he’s a well-respected scholar.”
“Then I’m sure you know that he hasn’t been doing too well these recent years...”
Felix smiled bitterly as he said this, “Watson has always been stubborn for as long as I’ve known him. He’s always been too insistent about the results of his findings and refused to yield to the newer generation. This is why things haven’t been going too well for him these recent years.”
“So I’ve heard.”
Chen Chen nodded.
The reason Felix was being vague regarding this topic was that this directly related to the national relations between Europe and North America.
As these two continents were formed of a political system based on diverse ethnic groups, the two regions had ama.s.sed a large number of immigrants over the years. The many policies erected by the political parties over the years had led to some peculiar shift in the political landscape.
For instance, a unique concept known as “political correctness”.
James Watson who was born in North America on 6 April 1928, was now approaching a hundred years old. He was a legendary figure who was directly involved in the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953 and won the n.o.bel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1962. He was one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century.
The fabled scientist had worked in none other than the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Under his leadership, it had become a world-leading scientific research inst.i.tution also known as the holy land of biological science.
However, the fabled scientist was obnoxiously stubborn. In the later years of his career in 2007, perhaps out of fear of losing his position, he gave a memorable speech in the British Museum of Science. In the speech, he voiced his pessimism about the future landscape of Africa. He spoke against the equality-based philosophy between North America and Africa and argued that the idea that “black people are just as intelligent as white people” was a false claim.
Unsurprisingly, this speech incited numerous criticisms from politicians and other people. Despite the reception, James Watson was adamant about his claim.
Following the speech, he had no choice but to resign from the chairmanship of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, effectively terminating his career as a researcher.
In 2018, a reporter asked for his stance on race and intelligence again during an interview. The 90-year-old Watson stated matter of factly, “Not at all. I’d like for them to have changed, that there be new knowledge that says that your nurture is much more important than nature. But I haven’t seen any knowledge. And there’s a difference on the average between blacks and whites on I.Q. tests. I’d say the difference is genetic.”
This remark prompted Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to issue a statement again, claiming that these were only Watson’s personal views. They stated that they would completely remove Watson’s t.i.tle as the honorary chairman as well as his other a.s.sociating t.i.tles.
With that, one of the most influential scientists in the world who was also a n.o.bel Prize holder and heralded as the Father of DNA faded into obscurity.
Chen Chen immediately recalled these events and asked curiously, “Did something happen to Mr. Watson?”
“Watson was a.s.sa.s.sinated just two days ago.”
Felix smiled bitterly. “I only just found out yesterday. I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but I had invested in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory so I was briefly acquainted with Watson. I’ve also seen his fall from grace from a well-respected scholar to a racist idealist slandered by the ma.s.ses. Now that he has been a.s.sa.s.sinated, I can’t help but feel sour about how things have turned out.”
“I’m sorry about what happened to Mr. Watson as well.”
Chen Chen nodded. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Watson isn’t dead yet.”
Felix suddenly altered his tone as he looked at Chen Chen square in the eyes. “Even though Watson is 97 years old, his body is still exceptionally tough. A .45 caliber bullet shot through his right eye and came out the back of his head, but the man isn’t dead. Not only is he still alive, but we can also still detect regular brainwave activity from him.”
Chen Chen nodded and returned with a profound look. “I understand what you’re saying now, you want me to save him.”
“Yes, although the old Watson isn’t dead, his body has entered a thanatosis state1. Although we can still detect active brainwave signals, his body doesn’t exhibit any signs of even micro-movements.”
Felix expressed, concealing the pain in his voice, “Which means that his thoughts are now trapped in a dead body. Barring any miracles, he would spend the next few years of his life in this state until his body gives away and his brain corrodes as well...”