I started by watching videos, and I chose 10,000 combat power.

Luo Fei stood at the warehouse entrance, the cold wind blowing through the branches of the poplar trees, carrying the dryness and chill of winter.

His gaze shifted from the hazy horizon to the black sedan speeding toward the warehouse.

The car came to a steady stop at the warehouse entrance, its tires making a soft squeak as they rubbed against the ground.

The car door opened, and a young man quickly stepped out.

He was wearing a dark gray cotton jacket, the zipper pulled tightly to the top, and the collar turned up, almost covering half of his neck, clearly to ward off the biting cold wind.

Her thick, black hair was meticulously combed and perfectly neat, without a single strand out of place. Her youthful face was smooth and delicate, showing no signs of aging. She looked to be under thirty years old and was full of vibrant energy.

However, his eyes did not possess the qualities of a young man; they held a depth and composure that only someone who had weathered storms, handled countless thorny issues, and navigated the vortex of power with ease could possess.

Luo Fei stared at the young face, his brows furrowing slightly involuntarily as a strong sense of déjà vu washed over him. The indescribable familiarity between the eyebrows and eyes seemed to have been seen somewhere deep in his memory, yet it was blurred and indistinct because of the overly young face, failing to quite match.

He frantically searched his mind for the corresponding name, and familiar faces flashed by one by one, but he still couldn't find it.

The young man walked a few steps to Luo Fei and stood in front of him. He naturally extended his hand, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a gentle and slightly playful smile.

"Little Luo, what's wrong? It's only been a short time, and you don't recognize me anymore?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a long-lost, familiar tone. Luo Fei's hand paused, and his eyes widened suddenly.

He looked at that young face, at those bright eyes, at those slightly upturned lips, and he recognized him. Not the face, but the voice.

Luo Fei blurted out that name:

"Director Qin?"

The young man smiled, a deeper smile. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes had disappeared, but the curve of his smile remained unchanged—his eyes were squinted and the corners of his mouth turned up.

His hand was still outstretched in mid-air, and Luo Fei reached out and grasped it.

It was still the same hand, with distinct knuckles and calluses on the palm, but the skin was smoother and more elastic than before.

"How about it? Can you not recognize me at all? To be honest, I almost didn't recognize myself when I looked in the mirror."

Director Qin withdrew his hand and said in a relaxed tone.

Luo Fei looked at Director Qin, at his young, smooth, wrinkle-free face, his thick, black hair, and at the gleam in his eyes. He nodded and began to tease him.

"I never imagined you were so handsome when you were young. Your looks were almost as good as mine."

Director Qin chuckled, put his hands in the pockets of his cotton jacket, and turned to walk towards the car.

"Let's go to my temporary office. It's windy here, not the place to talk."

Luo Fei nodded silently and followed behind him; the two got into the car one after the other.

The car started, drove out of the warehouse, and turned onto the road lined with poplar trees on both sides.

The road is not wide, but it is very flat, and the car doesn't bounce when driving on it.

Director Qin sat in the passenger seat, and Luo Fei sat in the back. Neither of them spoke.

The car drove for about five minutes and then turned into a military camp.

There were sentries standing guard at the camp gate. They saluted when they saw the license plate, and the barriers were raised.

The car drove in and parked in front of a two-story building.

The building is grayish-white and looks quite old. Withered vines climb the walls, and the windows are very clean.

Director Qin got out of the car, led Luo Fei up the steps, opened the glass door, and walked into the corridor.

The lights in the corridor were still on, and the fluorescent tubes were humming softly.

Several officers in military uniforms walked over from the other end of the corridor. When they saw Director Qin, they stood at attention and saluted. Director Qin nodded, and they walked past.

Director Qin pushed open a door and walked into an office.

It wasn't big, only about twenty square meters. There was a desk, a chair, a filing cabinet, and a map of China hanging on the wall. Several documents were spread out on the desk. The thermos was still in the same spot, but it had been replaced with a new one. The body of the thermos was the original color of stainless steel with a frosted texture, and the lid was unscrewed, with steam rising from the mouth of the thermos.

Director Qin sat down in the chair, leaning back slightly, gesturing for Luo Fei to sit down in the chair opposite him.

After Luo Fei was seated, Director Qin slowly began to speak, his voice low and clear as he recounted everything that had happened after Luo Fei left.

"Not long after you left, the gene-based drugs produced were prioritized for use by the experts and academicians who were working day and night on the front lines of scientific research."

Director Qin looked out the window, as if lost in memories.

"Our principle at the time was that, regardless of nationality or seniority, any scientist who made outstanding contributions to spacecraft technology research could use the drug."

"Soon, people noticed that those experts and academicians who originally had gray hair were becoming younger and their mental state was getting better and better."

"The news spread like wildfire across the internet, causing a global uproar."

"Various speculations have emerged. Some say that you received help from alien technology, some vaguely guess that it was the medicine you left behind, and others believe that it is the latest state secret of the Dragon Kingdom and they are unwilling to reveal too much."

"We didn't keep them guessing for long; we held a press conference right away. The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China jointly convened the event and announced in front of all the people of the planet that China had successfully developed a gene-enhancing drug."

"I hosted that press conference. On stage, in front of dozens of cameras, I took a vial of medicine out of my pocket, unscrewed the cap, and drank it."

"After drinking it, in front of everyone, I transformed back into someone who was under thirty. The room fell into complete silence; everyone was stunned, including the well-informed reporters."

He paused for a moment, picked up his thermos, took a sip of water, and moistened his throat.

"You probably can't even imagine the reaction from the entire planet after the press conference."

Director Qin put down his thermos, his tone becoming somewhat complicated.

"Some people are happy about the progress of technology, some are afraid of the power of the Dragon Kingdom, and some doubt the effectiveness of the medicine, but many more people, especially the rich, have fallen into a state of near frenzy."

"You know, those top billionaires with hundreds of billions in assets, they lack nothing, the only thing they fear is death."

"When they heard that China had developed a drug that could make people younger and possibly even extend their lifespan, they all went crazy."

Director Qin gave a wry smile.

"During that period, our phones were ringing off the hook and our inboxes were overflowing with emails. They used every connection and every trick in the book, all for one purpose."

"We tried every means to contact the Chinese government, saying we were willing to pay any price, no matter how much, just so that they and their families could have priority access to this gene-enhancing drug."