I am the Clone of a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Sunshine Children’s Welfare Institute

December 31st, 1000, Evolution Era.

Today was the last day of the year.

Liou Wenxin had been busy in the kitchen since early in the morning. For a change, Mrs. Yun wasn’t practicing her Swan Dance, but was helping in the kitchen instead.

Su Ze was the only one who couldn’t help, so he just went back to his room to take his medicine and dance.

After absorbing the Black-bellied Flood Dragon Extract yesterday, he’d discovered that digesting a Tier 3 S-rank extract was harder than he’d imagined. If he wanted to fully digest it in the remaining ten-odd days, he would have to work extremely hard.

In the afternoon, Su Ze called Mr. Ya over.

Liou Wenxin and Mrs. Yun had prepared a table overflowing with food, and the four of them sat down together for a warm New Year’s Eve dinner.

After dinner, Mr. Ya didn’t stay long and insisted on leaving.

Su Ze teased, ”What’s the rush to get back? Did you finally get a girlfriend?”

Mr. Ya took out a vial of yellow extract. ”Just got my hands on this extract. I’m eager to absorb it.”

Mr. Ya was a Cocoon Stage evolver who had already absorbed two Tier 3 extracts. Once he finished absorbing this third one, he could also start preparing for his third evolution.

Su Ze was a little surprised and asked, ”What kind of extract is that?”

”This... you’ll know after I absorb it.”

”Why be so secretive about a single vial of extract?” Su Ze didn’t try to keep him any longer and saw him to the door.

That night, Su Ze, Liou Wenxin, and Mrs. Yun sat together in the living room, watching the New Year’s Gala on TV and welcoming the new year.

Three people with no blood ties, living under the same roof, had somehow managed to create a feeling of ”home” for one another.

...

The first day of 1001 in the Evolution Era began with a flurry of activity.

Early in the morning, while Su Ze and Mrs. Yun were dancing in the courtyard, the doorbell suddenly rang.

With perfect coordination, both of them stopped dancing at the same time. ’One must not air their dirty laundry in public!’

The visitors were several well-dressed, refined men in suits who claimed to be from the Life Pharmaceutical Company, here to visit Liou Wenxin.

Liou Wenxin received them. After a discussion in the living room, the men took their leave.

”They came to discuss a partnership regarding the drug formula patents I hold,” Liou Wenxin said.

Before the new year, she had taken a trip to the Sovereign Country and registered over ten patents for evolution drug formulas. Life Pharmaceutical must have gotten word and proactively came to seek patent licensing.

In fact, from the very beginning, both the Dongli Kingdom and Liou Wenxin had intended to cooperate with Life Pharmaceutical on these formulas. Although the Dongli Kingdom had its own pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities, its material reserves, production capacity, output, and sales network were nowhere near comparable to the Life Pharmaceutical Company.

A collaboration between the two parties would be mutually beneficial, so their recent discussion was very amicable. A formal agreement should be reached soon.

”Wenxin, I’ve got my eye on a few S-rank extracts. How about you get them for me for my birthday?”

Su Ze’s eyes gleamed. With over ten patents in hand, Liou Wenxin could just lie back and rake in the money. Once Life Pharmaceutical mass-produced these evolution drugs and distributed them to the six nations, a steady stream of profits would flow her way.

Liou Wenxin shook her head and smiled. ”It’s not as exaggerated as you think. The patents I registered are for some relatively common evolution drug formulas. The truly valuable formulas are kept by each country for themselves and are never mass-produced for the open market.”

Su Ze understood this principle as well. Everyone kept the best drug formulas for their own use and was unwilling to let them leak.

”Right, what does the Sovereign Country plan to do with the Skill Suppression Medicine formula?”

Liou Wenxin said, ”The Sovereign Country has instructed us to strictly guard the formula, not to disclose it to anyone, and not to produce it ourselves. They will conduct small-scale mass production under strict confidentiality measures, and our Dongli Kingdom will be able to receive a portion of the finished medicine.”

Su Ze nodded. The demand for this drug among ordinary evolvers wouldn’t be very high. If the Dongli Kingdom could get a portion of the finished product, it would be enough for their needs.

In any case, as long as they maintained confidentiality and didn’t let the Filth Earth Organization get the formula, there shouldn’t be a major problem.

...

For the next two days, Su Ze and Mrs. Yun danced day and night in the courtyard.

To complete his second evolution before the new student assessment began, Su Ze could only go all out again. After a few days of practice, he had consumed all the remaining Child Ginseng roots on hand and started taking the more expensive and more effective Tomorrow Flower Petals.

Also, for the sake of having someone else to share in the social suicide, Su Ze dragged Mr. Ya over two days later, taught him the Swan Dance, and took the opportunity to record a video of Mr. Ya’s solo performance.

Mr. Ya had also just absorbed a vial of extract and was at the point where he needed to digest it. Although he felt ashamed, he couldn’t deny the effectiveness of the Swan Dance, so he could only swallow his pride and dance along with Su Ze.

To Su Ze’s surprise, the extract Mr. Ya had recently absorbed had actually granted him another S-rank life-saving skill.

”Mr. Ya, is live streaming really that profitable?” Su Ze remarked once again.

After all, Tier 3 S-rank extracts were astonishingly valuable. The three skills Mr. Ya had absorbed during his Cocoon Stage were all A-rank or higher. Those three vials of extract alone were worth several billion.

”Haha... no, I just got lucky.” Mr. Ya gave an awkward smile, wanting to explain but not knowing how.

’He couldn’t just tell the truth, could he? That he was actually absorbing Coprophage extracts and all his skills were just lucky pulls from blind boxes? Who would believe him? Besides, even if they did, it was just too embarrassing to admit.’

...

The peaceful days didn’t last long. Before the new semester had even begun, trouble came knocking again.

On this day, Liou Wenxin received a phone call and hurriedly changed her clothes to go out.

”What happened?” Mrs. Yun asked.

”A few children have gone missing from the nearby Sunshine Children’s Welfare Institute. I have to go over there,” Liou Wenxin said.

”Isn’t that a matter for the Public Security Office?”

”The case might involve an evolver with a strange ability. The Public Security Office’s investigation has hit a dead end, so they requested Dongli University to send an evolution scientist to assist. But the few professors who went before were also stumped, so Mr. Zhou asked me to go take a look.”

Su Ze’s attention was caught the moment he heard ”Sunshine Children’s Welfare Institute.”

’The Sunshine Children’s Welfare Institute... isn’t that Han Xiaoke’s orphanage? She said she grew up there, and that the matrons were all very good to her...’

”Wenxin, let me go with you,” Su Ze said.

Liou Wenxin nodded. The two of them left quickly. A Public Security Office vehicle was already waiting for them at the school gate.

They got in the car. The driver was a middle-aged security officer with graying temples. He recognized Liou Wenxin and Su Ze at a glance and greeted them.

”Professor Liou, with you on the case, there’s hope now.” The officer began to explain the case details as he drove.

”On the 2nd of this month, our Public Security Office received a report from the welfare institute that five children had mysteriously disappeared...”