Chen Mo spent most of the night watching sci-fi movies. By the middle of the night, his eyelids were constantly battling to stay open. Around 4 a.m., he finally couldn't hold on anymore and fell asleep. He didn't wake up until ten the next morning.
As he moved his neck, Chen Mo felt the soreness in his back from staying up all night, and he sighed in frustration. His physical fitness was just too poor. Ever since middle school, through high school and into college, he had hardly exercised at all and frequently stayed up late. His body was as fragile as the average university student.
Now that the "Reach Into Movies" ability had recharged, the next thing he had to do was extract something to enhance his physical fitness. Otherwise, his flimsy body wouldn't even be able to withstand a moment of strain.
Last time, he chose to extract a lifesaving item—a nano battlesuit—which now ensured that his body could withstand even missile attacks without harm.
With his safety guaranteed…
It was time to think about becoming stronger. If he kept going around with the constitution of a glass cannon college kid, there'd come a time when he wouldn't even be able to please a woman—and that would be way too humiliating.
He looked around. The thermal power generator was still rumbling, and the system was still charging. Zhao Qiang stood guard outside.
Everything was operating as planned.
No unexpected problems.
Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief, then lightly pulled up his attribute panel. A window that only he could see appeared over his retina.
[Host: Chen Mo]
[Ability: Reach into Movies]
[Possessed Items: Red Queen AI, Nano Battlesuit]
[Remaining Uses: 1]
[Current Energy: 12%]
[Charging: Yes (via thermal power generation)]
The energy was finally full.
As Chen Mo looked at the panel, his brows lifted, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. His heartbeat subtly quickened.
Another chance to use his "Reach Into Movies" ability.
But what exactly should I extract this time?
It was a tough decision.
Last night, even using 3x playback speed, he'd watched several sci-fi movies—many featured gene-enhancing drugs.
Some allowed the user to breathe fire, some to freeze things, some gave immense strength, others turned people into Hulk-like giants or Ant-Man-sized fighters.
There were all sorts of gene serums.
He wanted them all.
But he only had one shot.
He had to make it count—no regrets. He needed the perfect gene serum for himself.
That's why he was so conflicted.
"Red Queen, I've got a question for you," Chen Mo said after thinking for a moment. As a super AI, the Red Queen could scan every sci-fi movie in a matter of hours—or even minutes—and build a massive data model to calculate optimal outcomes. Her reasoning was purely logical and not influenced by emotion. Maybe she could give him a surprisingly good answer.
"Yes, master? Whatever it is, just say the word. No need to be so polite." The Red Queen's projection appeared with a sweet, doll-like smile. Her holographic eyes seemed a bit livelier than usual, Chen Mo noticed.
"You already know my ability," Chen Mo began. "I've got one chance to pull something from a movie. But I can't decide what would be best, so I came to ask for your input."
"What category of item do you want to extract?" Red Queen asked.
"A drug or gene serum that can perfectly enhance physical fitness," Chen Mo answered without hesitation.
The Red Queen's projection flickered red, then became translucent for a few moments before stabilizing.
In that short time, she had already scanned every sci-fi movie and categorized all enhancement drugs and gene serums.
She weighed all the pros and cons…
And found the single optimal answer.
"Master, I understand your question—but let me ask you something first: how much do you know about genetic engineering?" the Red Queen asked, her voice now echoing from a nearby speaker.
"That's a no-brainer. I'm a computer science major. I've never touched anything to do with biology or genetics. So, basically, I know nothing."
"Well, that explains it. And you're here asking me about a 'perfect' gene serum?" Red Queen chuckled, then her projection moved over to display a virtual stool. She sat down, holding a digital pointer, still looking like a child but now with an authoritative aura, like a teacher ready to lecture.
"Huh? What's the issue?" Chen Mo asked, puzzled.
"Oh, there's an issue all right. The truth is: you can't extract a truly perfect gene serum from a movie."
Chen Mo didn't respond immediately, but gestured for her to go on.
"Master, genetic evolution is a highly complex field. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all, universal 'perfect' serum. Every person has different gene expressions, so their 'perfect' enhancement would also be different. Take the Super Soldier Serum from Captain America, for example—it was custom-made for Steve Rogers. Anyone else using it would see far lesser results, or even suffer genetic breakdown."
"A perfect gene serum is always personalized."
"What's called 'perfect' in the movie may not be perfect for you."
Chen Mo paused to reflect. He finally understood. "So no matter what, I can't get a truly perfect gene serum from a movie?"
"Correct."
Red Queen nodded, then continued, "What's more, the serums in most movies either come with major side effects or have limited potential. I believe that instead of pulling a serum from a film, it would be better to build a real-world biolab, resume T-virus research, and then develop a custom serum tailored to you."
Chen Mo fell silent. He couldn't deny that what she said made a lot of sense—but building a biotech lab and researching the perfect gene serum wasn't exactly a simple task.
Plus…
He'd worked so hard to recharge this ability. It would feel like a waste to not use it at all.
"So, what do you think I should pull from a movie then?" Chen Mo asked.