Han Yu took the photos from the old man's hand. Each photo had a corner showing a newspaper from the day it was taken, to prove the time. Han Yu confirmed that the photos were recent.

The old man's methods—a smile hiding a knife, silk concealing a needle—effectively controlled Han Yu.

Han Yu's brain raced, searching for a way out.

Han Yu knew that if she didn't do as the old man asked, she wouldn't have a good end, and the lives of her family, teachers, and friends would be threatened. But even if she did as the old man wanted, if she really helped him find the meteorite, there was no guarantee that the old man wouldn't betray her.

However, there was one thing Han Yu really wanted to know: the reason why it had to be her. So, she asked, "I think you should have quite a few top scientists working for you, so how did you end up finding me?"

The smile on the old man's face remained unchanged. "We spent so many years searching the Himalayas without finding anything. In the end, it was a little girl like you who solved the puzzle. Sometimes you have to believe in fate."

Han Yu was indeed more perceptive than the average scientist, but this wasn't the most important reason the old man chose her.

The old man chose Han Yu because of Han Yu's conclusion—that there were other meteorites.

Since all the cards were in the old man's hands, Han Yu stopped struggling internally. "Although, theoretically, I think there are other meteorites, I have no idea where they are."

"That's okay. As long as you're willing to cooperate with me, I can wait." The old man pointed to the photos. "But you can only act under our surveillance. If you try to escape our control, then the fate of these people..."

Han Yu knew there was no other way, so she nodded in agreement.

"But I have one more request," Han Yu said.

"Speak."

The old man looked at Han Yu amiably.

Han Yu returned the photos to the old man as they were. "Don't let your people contact them. If your people hurt them, then our agreement is void."

"That's not an excessive request. I agree."

At that moment, a black-clad subordinate walked in. He said a few words in the old man's ear. The old man nodded in acknowledgment and said to Han Yu, "Little girl, I have something to take care of. You can make any requests to Li Decha, but please be sure to abide by our agreement."

With that, the old man followed the black-clad subordinate and left, leaving only Li Decha and Han Yu in the room.

Li Decha smiled awkwardly at Han Yu. Han Yu ignored him.

Guided by his subordinate, the old man entered a secret elevator. There were no floor buttons in the elevator. The black-clad subordinate went through a series of verifications before the elevator was manually operated to go down to the tenth basement level.

The elevator doors opened, and a bald researcher in a white coat was waiting at the entrance. The old man stepped out of the elevator, and the bald researcher greeted him with a smile.

The old man asked the researcher, "How is it?"

The bald researcher said, "The 169th experiment on Zhao Chenguang's blood sample was successful."

The bald researcher led the old man down a dark corridor. The pale light made it feel eerie.

On the other side of the reinforced glass partitions on the corridor walls was a biochemical laboratory. Many researchers, also wearing white coats, were busy in the laboratory. All kinds of machines were running non-stop, and even the printer was spitting out paper after paper, emitting heat.

The bald researcher led the old man and his subordinate past the biochemical laboratory and, after passing through layers of verification, entered an even more advanced experimental center.

The bald researcher pointed to an experimental platform protected by a huge glass罩, and said to the old man, "In previous experiments, we tried to separate the red blood cells and the special substance contained in Zhao Chenguang's blood sample. But we found that red blood cells separated from the special substance would quickly decay and wither."

The bald researcher added, "At first, we thought this special substance was the culprit for accelerating cell aging, but after many previous experiments, we finally determined that this substance is a substance that maintains cell activity. This special substance is the key to cell survival."

The old man asked, "Then why is Zhao Chenguang aging faster than normal people?"

"Actually, it's because the content of this special substance in Zhao Chenguang's body is too low, and the dosage is not enough to work. That's why we mistakenly thought that this substance caused Zhao Chenguang's premature aging."

The bald researcher continued, "In the 101st experiment, we tried to directly bombard the special substance in the blood sample with a high-energy laser to see if any phenomena would occur. As a result, we really discovered a peculiar phenomenon. The laser did not kill the cells. The special substance seemed to protect the cells in the blood. Under the stimulation of the high-energy laser, the special substance induced many specialized cells to begin to transform in a non-specialized direction."

"In subsequent experiments, we found that as long as we used a laser to continuously bombard the special substance, the transformation speed of the cells would be faster. After dozens of experiments, we actually obtained stem cells transformed from Zhao Chenguang's blood cells. In the 169th experiment, we successfully transformed stem cells into embryonic stem cells," the bald researcher said excitedly.

The old man was incredulous when he heard the bald researcher's words. "In other words, we can clone Zhao Chenguang's clone from Zhao Chenguang's cells?"

The bald researcher nodded. "Theoretically, as you said, but there are also problems. Like I said before, the special substance is a life-sustaining substance. After we bombard it with a laser, the special substance will be temporarily activated, causing the cells to transform in reverse, but cell survival still depends on the special substance. In other words, the clone's vitality is limited."

The bald researcher added, "Because the blood sample is limited, so the amount of special substance is also limited. We can only clone three to five clones at most, and the average lifespan of the clones will only be about one to two months. In other words, the clones only have one to two months to grow from embryo to aging and death."

The old man pondered for a long time, then made a decision. "Let's continue with your experimental ideas for now. I want to see what the first clone looks like."

The bald researcher said, "The embryo has already begun to develop. It is estimated that the first clone will grow to twenty years old around the middle of next month. But this is the first time I have seen a clone grow to adulthood in one month. According to human biological rhythms, it is estimated that intellectual development will still remain in infancy..."

"Well, let's try it first!"

"By the way..." The old man said to the black-clad subordinate, "Remember, find Rou Yi and that Chinese man as soon as possible. They are important bargaining chips to restrain Doctor Han."