The giant corporations that started from Night City

Chapter 361 Midi-chlorians! Retroviruses! The Secret of the Force!
Tatooine!

Thanks to the particularly sturdy underground shelter that Obi-Wan had carefully built over the years, this knowledge base not only passed down the knowledge of the Jedi Knights, but also saved the lives of Paul and others.

On Tatooine, which was tragically vitrified, this basement may be the only safe house on the planet.

At this moment, Paul and his group were hiding in this shelter, feeling like a small boat drifting in the stormy sea, as if they would be overturned by the storm and huge waves at any time.

However, what surrounds this underground cabin is not rocks, but slowly flowing high-temperature magma and glassy water. The entire knowledge base is like a submarine, buried deep under the magma seabed.

The constant tremors from the ground made everyone feel uneasy. No one knew how long this bombing would last. Paul was also anxiously waiting for the latest instructions from headquarters.

I don’t know how long it took, but the shaking of the earth finally stopped, and the deafening explosion gradually dissipated. This man-made catastrophe was finally over.

Luke Skywalker had already collapsed to the ground with fear. He had been a happy farmer for more than ten years and had never seen such a scene. His face was ashen and his chest was rising and falling with his breathing.

"Were Uncle Owen and Aunt Belle really taken away by your people?"

Luke looked at Paul in shock. He would really collapse if his adoptive parents could not escape this catastrophe.

"Don't worry. As soon as they left, the Imperial Army's fleet arrived. They must be among the lucky ones who escaped from Tatooine."

After hearing what Chenie said, Luke felt relieved.

Faced with this horrific orbital bombardment, the members of the Rebel Alliance present remained relatively calm. After all, they had all experienced similar things to a greater or lesser extent.

Fortunately, they escaped for the time being.

Unfortunately, the ground of Tatooine had been bombed to the point where not a blade of grass grew, and Paul and the others were trapped in this basement.

"We are lucky that the Empire's orbital laser cannons did not fall on our heads, otherwise this shelter would not have lasted until now."

Obi-Wan spoke calmly, as if he was not involved in the incident. "The Force has helped us get through this disaster."

"If those lunatics in the Imperial Army knew we were hiding here, even the most powerful force wouldn't be able to stop us."

Captain Cassian looked up at the crumbling ceiling and couldn't help but tremble all over, fearing that the magma outside would rush in and swallow them all.

The reason why the Empire's fleet carried out indiscriminate bombing on Tatooine was naturally because they were unable to determine the location of Paul and others, otherwise the entire knowledge base would have been destroyed long ago.

"Okay, now what we should consider is how to leave this damn place." Jyn Erso looked at everyone helplessly and asked.

Captain Cassian replied: "We have to wait for a while. There is a hell above our heads. Going up there is just courting death."

"Where are the Rebel Alliance? Won't they come to Tatooine to rescue us?" Luke was puzzled.

"They can't come. There must be an Imperial fleet above the orbit of Tatooine. If we send a signal rashly, it will likely be intercepted and our position will be exposed."

Chirrut was blind in his eyes but not in his heart. Based on his understanding of the Imperial Army, he knew that even if they completed a round of orbital bombardment, they would definitely launch a second round of bombardment, or send troops down to search.

In short, the Imperial Army’s style of doing things is to kill everyone!
"So, we are trapped on Tatooine and can't get out for the rest of our lives?!" Only then did Luke realize the seriousness of the problem.

They narrowly escaped the first round of natural disasters, but were told that there would be a second round. This made Luke completely unable to hold back, and he almost fainted.

Seeing everyone's sad and depressed mood, Paul, who had already received orders from the headquarters, did not panic at all. He knew that a global giant company would back him up.

Just wait patiently for a few days and you will be rescued by the giant company's troops.

"Let's maintain the status quo for now. There are rebellions everywhere in the empire. Maybe they will withdraw their troops soon."

Paul spoke to reassure everyone, saying that they could afford to stay here and wait, and that being able to hold back an entire imperial fleet by a few people was a great deed.

Various departments of the world's giant companies are taking active actions outside. Paul believes that they will soon see a turn for the better and there is no need to rush out.

As for Princess Leia outside, she can only be rescued temporarily by other members of the giant enterprise team.

However, when Paul was planning to stay here calmly and wait for the follow-up arrangements of the giant company, Luke seemed particularly restless.

Especially after learning the truth that he was the son of destiny, a strong sense of mission sprouted in his heart.

"We have to find a spaceship to escape as soon as possible. We can't just sit here and wait for death!"

As the chosen one in the Star Wars universe, Luke Skywalker is extremely talented when it comes to flying fighter jets.

In the original story, he was able to fly an X-wing fighter straight into the heart of the enemy and destroy the Empire's Death Star for the first time. There are not many pilots who are more capable than him.

But Captain Cassian soon poured cold water on Luke: "The entire Tatooine has been bombed to pieces, where can we find a ship for you?"

"Besides, do you think the Imperial Fleet is just there to do nothing? They won't deploy heavy troops to guard the orbit. If they show up now, they are just walking into a trap!"

Captain Cassian's question left Luke speechless, and he felt a little ashamed of what he had just said.

Seeing this, Master Obi-Wan stepped forward, patted Luke on the shoulder, and said comfortingly: "Luke, you have unparalleled talent, but it has not yet been developed."

"You have to learn to be patient and gradually stimulate and control the powerful force within you."

Obi-Wan's words warmed Luke's heart. He looked up at him and said, "Master, what should I do now?"

"You must learn how to use the Force. In this knowledge base, you can learn enough Jedi knowledge."

"Only when you grow into a qualified Jedi Knight can you make more contributions to everyone."

Obi-Wan had spent years building up this knowledge base, which contained everything he had learned throughout his life. If Luke could just learn from him, he would surely become an outstanding Jedi Knight.

Since everyone is trapped here, we might as well take advantage of this time to learn how to use the Force.

Of course, Paul was more than happy to do so.

After all, while Obi-Wan was teaching and guiding Luke, maybe Luke could also learn something from him and comprehend some of the mysteries of the Force.

Soon, under the leadership of Obi-Wan, Luke and others came to the depths of the knowledge base.

Paul also followed shamelessly. This was a good opportunity to get in touch with the Force, and he certainly didn't want to miss it.

Normally, the knowledge of the Jedi Knights cannot be easily passed on to outsiders, but now is a special period.

Even the Jedi Order is gone, and if no one learns this knowledge, it will never be passed on!
So Obi-Wan just turned a blind eye to Paul and the others who followed him all the way, and didn't say much.

After arriving at the knowledge base, everyone was somewhat surprised that Obi-Wan did not teach Luke any unique martial arts or secret techniques.

Instead, they first drew a blood sample from Luke and checked it with a machine nearby, making it look like an entrance physical examination.

"Sure enough, the density of Midi-chlorians in your body is extremely high. Even Master Yoda doesn't have such a high density. Luke, you are truly the Chosen One!"

Obi-Wan repeatedly marveled at Luke's extraordinary talents.

"Midichlorians? What is that?"

Luke was very confused. He originally thought that Obi-Wan would ask him to meditate and rely on his understanding to sense the Force in his body.

He didn't expect that his blood sample would be taken right away. Such a scientific testing method made Luke feel that it was a bit inconsistent with the ancient and mysterious style of the Jedi Knight.

In response, Obi-Wan smiled calmly and explained to Luke: "We are not primitive people who stick to the rules. On the contrary, the Jedi Order has never stopped studying the Force."

Hearing this, Paul couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is a midi-chlorian, and what does it mean?"

Paul once saw the content of a conversation among senior employees about "Midichlorians and the Force" in the database of a giant company's headquarters.

But those are just preliminary guesses, and the true definition still needs to be interpreted personally by a Jedi Master like Obi-Wan.

"It is a microscopic organism that exists in the cells of all living things and can help the host sense the omnipresent force in the environment."

"Any living creature can be found with corresponding midi-chlorians, but only a few people have higher concentrations of midi-chlorians in their bodies. They are called Force-sensitive people."

"These people can go further and become Jedi Knights after undergoing specific training."

Obi-Wan's words were almost consistent with the definition in the database of the giant company's headquarters, which made Paul even more certain of the extraordinary nature of his boss Leon.

If this is the case, then the number of Midi-chlorians in a person's body basically determines that person's Force talent and sensitivity to the Force.

The number of Midi-chlorians in Luke's body was so high that even Obi-Wan was amazed. This only proved that he was indeed the one and only chosen one!
After thinking about the connection between Midi-chlorians and Force talent, Paul continued to ask Obi-Wan:
"If the midichlorians can directly affect a person's Force talent, then can they be multiplied or transferred with the help of biotechnology?"

"By doing this, even ordinary people can gain powerful Force talents, or further enhance someone's Force potential."

Becoming stronger through acquired changes is not a taboo in the world's giant companies.

From the earliest cyberprosthetic implants, to the transformation surgery of Astartes warriors, to the strengthening of Spartan warriors, and now the development of superpowers through spices.

Even genetic warriors that have been strengthened and mutated by the Blacklight virus are a common way to become stronger in giant companies.

That's why Paul first thought of using this method to let ordinary people control the Force and become powerful Jedi Knights. However, after hearing Paul's idea, Obi-Wan's face darkened and he flatly refused: "No, this is a taboo for Jedi Knights!"

"We just believe that the number of Midichlorians a person has is an innate talent. Whether it is more or less is already determined, and it should not be changed artificially."

What Obi-Wan said actually makes sense. After all, not everyone can withstand high concentrations of Midi-chlorians.

Becoming stronger always has a price.

Even with the current technological capabilities of the world's giants, transplanting cyberprosthetics can still induce cyberpsychosis, and Spartan transformation surgery can cause sudden death or paralysis of soldiers.

Taking spices to develop super powers can turn people into hideous monsters or addicts.

In addition to Astartes' transformation surgery, similar casualties have occurred in other strengthening transformation surgeries of the giant company.

But even so, Paul still felt that Obi-Wan's ideas were too rigid and old-fashioned.

Reconstructive surgery has been developed in giant companies around the world for decades. What does this basic biological transplantation technology count for?

However, for Obi-Wan, using biotechnology to control the number of midi-chlorians is a blasphemy against the Force, and the Jedi Order is not allowed to do so.

"Has no one ever tried to do this?" Paul continued to ask unwillingly. This might be his only chance to possess the Force.

Facing Paul's blazing gaze, Obi-Wan first looked at him deeply, then shook his head and sighed:

"A hundred years ago, the Sith Lord Darth Tenebrous discovered through research that the Midichlorians would perish with the death of their host."

"But a small number of midi-chlorians can be transplanted into a living host and survive. This type of midi-chlorian is also called a thick plasmodium."

Obi-Wan's words just gave Paul a glimmer of hope, but it was ruthlessly extinguished the next second.

"But after a series of manufacturing processes, the coarse plasmodium becomes a retrovirus that can infect the midi-chlorians. It can enhance some of the host's abilities, but it can also cause the host to lose some of its abilities."

"No one is interested in transplant surgeries like this, which are uncontrollable."

The so-called retrovirus is actually a type of RNA virus. Its core feature is that it contains reverse transcriptase, and it uses this enzyme to synthesize DNA using viral RNA as a template.

This process is the exact opposite of the normal flow of genetic information, the transcription of DNA into RNA, so it is called reverse transcription.

The most typical retrovirus is the human immunodeficiency virus HIV, which mainly attacks CD4+T lymphocytes in the human immune system.

During the attack, HIV's RNA is converted into DNA through reverse transcription and then integrated into the host's cell genome, causing the cell to be hijacked by the virus and continuously generate new viral particles.

Eventually it led to AIDS!

To put it simply, retroviruses will forcibly transplant bad things into normal parts, resulting in a situation where one bad apple spoils the whole barrel.

This is of no substantial help in making the human body stronger, and may even make the original physical condition unstable.

So naturally, no one would think of transplanting midi-chlorians to transform and strengthen themselves and possess powerful Force powers.

“Retrovirus—!”

Paul suddenly realized that the biotechnology department of the global giant might have a way to transform this virus into a reliable enhanced virus, just like the blacklight virus.

After all, the giant company has a life god like Quentin Sha, and the creator of the "Transformers" universe, Nuwa, is in charge!

If it can create a controllable Midi-Chromium retrovirus, then the warriors of the Universal Corporation can also control the Force.

Even if it's not an authentic original product, as long as you can harness the force, it's fine!
After thinking about this, Paul suppressed his inner excitement and pretended to be calm and asked Obi-Wan: "Can I look up some relevant reference books?"

Paul plans to transmit all the information he sees back to the headquarters through his first-person perspective.

Let the giant company's biotechnology department use this information to improve the retrovirus of Chromis parasite as quickly as possible.

Obi-Wan, who was still concentrating on studying Luke's blood sample, first looked up at him without responding to Paul, then looked at him carefully, frowned slightly and said:
"The power in you does not belong to the Force. Where does it come from?"

It was not until now that Obi-Wan realized that something was wrong with Paul. This unprecedented form of energy made him feel a little tricky.

He didn't think that the Rebel Alliance or the Trade Federation could suddenly gain control of an unprecedented form of energy.

"My power does not come from the Force, but from another magical substance. We call it 'spice'."

Paul told Obi-Wan the truth and gave him a small bottle of spice sample.

Obi-Wan took the spice carefully and took a portion of it to place under the equipment for research, but he did not see anything unusual.

"It's quite interesting. I have never seen this kind of substance before. It will take time to test it slowly."

Obi-Wan turned to look at Paul. "You are able to extract energy from this substance and use it for your own benefit. This is quite novel."

Seeing that Paul did not respond, Obi-Wan did not continue to ask questions, but buried his head again to study Luke's blood sample and said:

"Everything you want to know is in this knowledge base. Please search for it yourself."

Obi-Wan was not worried that Paul would continue to develop midi-chlorian transplants after reading the relevant information. After all, this required sufficient Force knowledge and biotechnology.

With a fighter like Paul who only knows how to fight, he can't rub the virus with his hands and transform the Force even if he shows it, so he is not worried about it.

"Yes."

After getting Obi-Wan's nod of permission, Paul immediately searched for all the information about midi-chlorian research in this knowledge base.

Especially the retrovirus experiments conducted by the Sith Lord Darth Tenebrous.

Soon, Paul successfully found the relevant archival materials, and through his own first-person perspective, he transmitted all the contents back to the database at the headquarters.

This was an unexpected surprise. Everyone, including Ott Cunningham and Dr. Halsey, had never imagined that they were only one virus away from mastering the Force!
For the world's giant companies, they have the hope of mass-producing a group of Force warriors in the future.

In the following time, Obi-Wan began to teach Luke how to use the Force, while Paul and Chini "looked through" various materials and information.

Since we are free anyway, we might as well transfer all the knowledge about the Force here back to the database at headquarters to facilitate future research of the giant company.

Obi-Wan acted indifferent throughout the whole process, just treating it as satisfying Paul's curiosity.

After all, ordinary people simply cannot understand these profound knowledge of the Force without the explanation and analysis of specialized masters.

Obi-Wan didn't believe that Paul, an outsider, could comprehend and understand all the information in the knowledge base in such a short time.

Before long, everyone started to find something to do in the underground shelter while waiting for their turn.

K-2SO and C-3PO are a pair of lively robots who are like-minded. They are constantly joking with each other and are definitely a pair of talkative brothers.

Everyone could always smile knowingly as they watched this funny couple's chattering conversations all day long, and the depressing atmosphere in the basement was relieved a lot.

The R2-D2 robot was at work throughout the process. As a technician robot, it not only repaired some missing corners of the knowledge base, but also refinished the peeling paint on the ceiling.

Even the magma that seeped in from outside was blocked in time to prevent leakage.

The situation of being trapped in the basement did not last too long, because on the third day, Paul received news from headquarters as expected.

The Destroyer Star Destroyer outside has withdrawn!
It turns out that ever since Cassio Tag destroyed Tatooine, the Trade Federation and the Hutts have been putting pressure on the Galactic Empire at the same time.

The fact that the Trade Union was forcibly nationalized by the Empire was already quite uncomfortable.

Now even the smuggling exchange has been bombed by the Imperial Star Destroyer. How can this business continue?
In order to stabilize the power of the empire's financial group, Palpatine had no choice but to order Tag to withdraw his troops urgently and go to Mandalore to help Thrawn quell the rebellion.

But Tag was unwilling to give up this place easily, so he left behind a Star Destroyer and asked them to clean up the remnants of the Jedi on the ground, while he led the large army to retreat.

At this moment, Obi-Wan and Paul could clearly feel that the vibrations coming from above their heads were no longer the orbital bombardment of the Imperial Star Destroyer.

But it was the vibration made by the Imperial Walker when it moved!
"It seems that their main force has retreated, leaving only a small number of troops here to search."

Paul finally breathed a sigh of relief. If the Imperial Army launched a few more rounds of orbital bombardment, this knowledge base might not be able to hold out for too long.

"I'll go up and take a look at the situation."

Paul volunteered that the light auxiliary power armor he was wearing had the most advanced optical camouflage function. As long as he didn't make too much noise, it would be difficult for people to detect his location.

"I will go with you."

At this time, Obi-Wan put on an old brown cloak, picked up his lightsaber, and his slightly weathered face glowed with the vigor of his youth.

After so many years of secluded life, Obi-Wan is quite experienced in using the Force to hide his whereabouts.

Even if his location was discovered by others, he could use his powerful Force to control the other party's consciousness and successfully get away with it.

(End of this chapter)