Doomsday police, please show your god/demon ID card.

Chen Ming held the dark red vial up to the light.

The liquid surface swayed, refracting an unsettling, eerie luster.

"This thing is called E-type gene inducer, of course, that's what they call it internally," Chen Ming said quickly.

"Simply put, this is a hammer used to brute force the unlocking of human genetic codes."

Tang Long leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table: "Be more specific."

"The reason that guy surnamed Xiong was able to transform is because this thing forcibly burned his cell telomeres, overdrawing his life force in exchange for explosive power." Chen Ming pointed to the potion. "If you compare the human body to a battery, this potion is like directly short-circuiting the positive and negative terminals. The current is indeed large at that moment, but the battery is also ruined."

"According to my calculations, even if you don't kill him, he won't live more than 24 hours. In the end, he will turn into a puddle of mud due to the failure of all his organs."

"Sounds like a suicide stimulant?" Tang Long raised an eyebrow, seemingly lost in thought.

"No, it's more complicated than that." Chen Ming shook his head and turned to take out a report.

"Because it also mentions something called a stabilizer."

"With the right stabilizers, this genetic breakdown can be contained!"

"In other words, those people in the provincial capital may very well have mastered a technology that can mass-produce super soldiers."

"Even though it's a defective product, you should understand what that means in the apocalypse."

Mass-produced mutant warriors.

Tang Long's pupils contracted slightly: "That's amazing? How did they do that?"

Chen Ming didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Captain Tang, do you remember the first controlled experiment we did on mice using Life Crystals and Destruction Crystals?"

"Of course I remember. If it weren't for the life-saving potion you concocted, I'm afraid..." Tang Long paused, then suddenly stopped, "Wait! You mean, these potions are very likely related to crystals."

"The probability is extremely high." Chen Ming nodded slightly and continued, "Our previous experiments showed that the extract from the destroyed crystal could stimulate biological activity to an extreme degree, but without exception, the test subjects collapsed and died rapidly because their bodies could not withstand it."

"The extract of Life Crystal exhibits powerful effects in repairing and stabilizing living tissues."

He paused, then looked at Tang Long.

"I suspect that the forces behind the grain depot's armed forces have also obtained a special energy source similar to the crystals we have."

"However, they are more radical than us. We simply made life crystals into life potions! But they separated the two extreme properties and made them into separate 'keys' and 'locks'."

"One is responsible for forcibly opening the door to potential, and the other is responsible for barely stabilizing the door frame before the body collapses."

Upon hearing this, Tang Long began to understand.

"So! You mean we can make it too."

"We have the theoretical framework, and the other party's data report has provided me with key insights," Chen Ming said casually, not giving a full answer.

"I had similar ideas before, but I lacked key data and enough manpower."

"Now, with enough research assistants, more sophisticated separation and purification equipment, and... more crystal samples with different properties as research references, the progress can be greatly accelerated."

"Make a list of what you need, and the base will fully support you." Tang Long said without hesitation. "Wang Hu mentioned last time that he wanted to equip each action team with a dedicated drone, but I couldn't bring myself to approve it."

"But you get priority here."

This is no joke. If Chen Ming really manages to develop this thing, he feels that even if the "girls" in the city center come looking for him, he won't be afraid.

If we could create hundreds of super soldiers, even if they were just temporary!

That's a doubling of their strength!

Chen Ming grinned, a rare occurrence for him: "Then I won't stand on ceremony. I'll give Zhao Fan the manpower and equipment list later. As for the crystals..."

"Damn it! You're really not being polite!" Tang Long laughed and cursed, waving his hand: "Forget about the crystals for now, those things are rare and hard to come by."

"Okay!" Chen Ming nodded, then left with the documents and medicine.

Tang Long looked at the other person's back and shook his head.

Calm your mind and let your consciousness sink into your brain.

"System, bring up the base upgrade progress."

A pale blue, semi-transparent interface unfolds before your eyes:

[Base upgrade conditions under testing...]

[Lv2 Police Station -> Lv3 Municipal Branch]

Upgrade Requirements:

[1. Elite-level police officers ≥ 5 (Currently: 4/5, Wang Hu, Luo Yongchao, Liu Qiang, Zhao Fan) not yet met]

[2. The permanent resident population of the jurisdiction is ≥ 3000 (Currently: 2973/3000, not met)]

[3. Order Points ≥ 30000 (Current: 16468/30000, not met)]

Tang Long glanced at the three requirements and rubbed his head in exasperation.

After working so hard for so long, not a single condition has been met.

The population target is just one step away; by organizing the outer search teams and increasing the containment efforts, it should be achieved within a few days.

However, Tang Long was somewhat puzzled by this elite-level police officer.

"System! How are elite-level police officers determined?"

[Elite-level police officer criteria: Total number of zombie kills by an individual ≥ 100. This statistic includes all types of zombie units.]

Tang Long seemed to be deep in thought, then took out his walkie-talkie and switched to internal communications.

"Hey~ Zhao Fan, are you there?"

"Here I am! Captain Tang." Zhao Fan's voice came immediately from the other end.

"Notify all combat personnel: Effective immediately, anyone who independently kills more than 100 zombies will be directly promoted to squad leader and will be authorized to lead a team independently on missions, after verification."

"Yes! I'll pass it on immediately!" Zhao Fan replied quickly.

He paused, then said apologetically.

"That Captain Tang... can I count as one too?"

"You're not just a company commander."

"What?" Zhao Fan was a little confused.

Tang Long smiled and said, "You're Captain Zhao now! Keep up the good work."

"Ah!" Zhao Fan was taken aback, then his voice became more excited: "Yes! Thank you, Captain Tang."

"..."

The communication was disconnected.

Tang Long's gaze returned to the system interface, landing on the last and most troublesome one.

Order points: 16468 / 30000.

We are still short by about 14,000 points.

This is a bit tricky!

He sighed. Although they had attacked the city government building and then captured the grain depot, rescued people, and replenished a lot of order points during this period, expanding the walls, replenishing ammunition, and ensuring the basic survival of the new population were all continuous costs.

If it weren't for the fact that we can still collect some taxes from the staff every day!

It's estimated that right now, they probably can't even save up 1 Order Points.

Wang Hu said a few days ago that he would equip each group with a police reconnaissance and strike drone to enhance reconnaissance and firepower, but he has temporarily put it aside because of the tight budget.

Close the system interface.

He stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders.

Tang Long muttered to himself, "We still need to find a way to open source!"

With that, he turned and went downstairs.