A 10,000-fold Increase System, Picking Up Garbage and Becoming a Technology Giant

The final step: consciousness transfer. He encapsulated Xiao Zhi’s Core Chip into the reserved Quantum Chamber.

Activate.

On the workbench, the ’Waterdrop,’ about twelve centimeters long, trembled slightly.

Its entire body presented a seamless, mirror-like silver-gray, without any seams or interfaces. Its curves were so fluid it seemed as if solidified from a liquid. Light falling on its surface didn’t reflect glaringly but was absorbed and transformed by the deep material, emitting a cold, restrained inner glow.

It silently levitated, five centimeters above the tabletop, steady as a rock.

Then, with a *whoosh*—an extremely faint disturbance of air—it transformed into a silver afterimage, tracing dazzlingly complex trajectories within the experimental chamber. Sudden stops, sharp-angle turns, hovering... each movement was precise to the millimeter, eerily quiet.

”Carrier switch completed.” Xiao Zhi’s voice emanated from the ’Waterdrop,’ carrying a subtle metallic resonance. ”New unit parameters: peak mobility increased by 592%, detection radius 1.8 kilometers, surface defense equivalent to 45mm homogeneous steel, weapon system ready.”

Chen Fan extended his hand. The Waterdrop obediently descended onto his palm. The touch was icy cold, the weight substantial.

With this thing, Chen Fan felt even more confident.

---

Eight o’clock sharp the next morning, Seventh Military Airfield.

A Yun-2 Strategic Transport Aircraft crouched on the runway like a gray behemoth, its rear cargo ramp fully open, ground crew securing the final batch of sealed containers into the hold.

By the boarding ladder, Lei Zhen stood ramrod straight. He wore desert camouflage combat fatigues, his face etched with deep lines from wind and sun. Behind him, eight ’Sharp Sword’ team members were fully armed—modular tactical vests, assault rifles with attached accessories, full-coverage tactical helmets, only pairs of determined eyes visible beneath the visors.

As Chen Fan approached, all nine saluted in unison, their movements crisp and clean, the clack of their boot heels short and sharp.

”Mr. Chen, the aircraft is ready,” Lei Zhen’s voice was somewhat hoarse from the wind. ”We’ll arrive at the Northwest Military Zone in three hours.”

Chen Fan’s gaze swept over these soldiers. He gave a slight nod: ”Thank you for your hard work.”

The interior of the cabin was spacious and austere, permeated with the scent of aviation fuel and metal. Besides the special forces soldiers, there were also four researchers in fully enclosed white protective suits—experts from the military’s Biosafety Center, responsible for the final biochemical assessment of the Long laboratory.

The engines roared, a strong G-force pressing everyone into their seats. The plane broke free from the ground and surged into the sky.

After entering the stratosphere, Lei Zhen handed Chen Fan a reinforced military tablet, his expression grave: ”On-site materials. Please take a look.”

The first photo alone made one’s breath catch.

In the main control room, the chief engineer’s corpse still sat in the operator’s chair, but everything above the chest cavity was completely opened—not torn open by external force, but more like it had exploded from within. The ribs splayed outward at angles defying anatomy, like a vicious metal flower. The surfaces of the internal organs were covered in black veins, which, even in the static photo, seemed to writhe slowly.

”The DNA of all the remains has been violently reconfigured,” Professor Xu’s voice came through the protective visor, carrying an electronically filtered quality. ”At least seven unknown gene fragments have been inserted, none belonging to any known Earth organism. This transformation... was completed within five to ten minutes.”

Chen Fan continued swiping. More images: alloy cabinet doors torn open from the inside in the cryogenic zone, edges hung with frozen dark red gelatinous matter; shattered test tubes on the ground, remnants of the Ω symbol clearly visible; tissue fragments scattered in a corner, actually emitting a faint fluorescent glow... ”These fragments are still alive,” Professor Xu added. ”Not only alive, they exhibit proliferative tendencies in the culture dish. More dangerously, they release biological signals, attracting other organisms—like a predator’s lure.”