Chapter 90: Refinement_1

Northern Suburb Prison, Jiang Yu sat opposite three prisoners: "How are you getting used to living here?"

The three prisoners were all middle-aged, including one male and one female foreigner, as well as a Chinese man in his forties wearing black-framed glasses.

These three were world-class genetic experts, captured during a previous Redemptionist gathering, and were among those who hadn't committed serious offenses.

Facing Jiang Yu's taunts, the middle-aged man with black-framed glasses smiled and said, "Others might not recognize you, but I know who you are!"

His name was Bo Xiangdong, one of the key members of the Redemptionist party, highly valued by Ye Wenjie: "The Commander has mentioned you to me" he said, "and had high hopes for you!"

Bo Xiangdong suddenly became a bit agitated: "But you betrayed the Commander! You betrayed all of us!"

The other two foreigners, who clearly understood Chinese, were also glaring at Jiang Yu.

"Even the Commander can make mistakes!" Jiang Yu said seriously: "I was beside Teacher Ye when she passed away, and she still had high hopes for me, and I have never let her down!"

Bo Xiangdong was momentarily taken aback.

Jiang Yu continued, "In these past two years, I've done a lot of things. I can't claim it's saving humanity, but I dare say I've dedicated all my strength to humanity!

"And yet you'd rather rot and stink in jail than do something for humanity!"

At a previous Star Defense Department meeting, it was determined that being identified as ETO would mean facing at least six years of fixed-term imprisonment.

At the subsequent internal meetings, Chief Ji subtly reminded everyone that within these six years, the Star Defense Department should aim to keep these top scholars in the country.

As various plans began to be initiated, quite a few project teams came to recruit, but not a single person answered the call.

After Jiang Yu became responsible for the Star Warrior program, his first thought was to recruit a group of top scientists from here.

Hearing Jiang Yu's words, Bo Xiangdong was somewhat tempted, but his reason prevented him from responding.

Jiang Yu, exasperated yet calm, said: "Don't you understand Teacher Ye's wish? You would abandon the ultimate goal of saving humanity over such a slight?!

"Don't call yourselves Redemptionists ever again! I am ashamed for you!"

A glint appeared in Bo Xiangdong's eyes, but he still made no commitment.

Seeing that his words were having an effect, Jiang Yu didn't continue to berate them but instead asked in a milder tone, "Within the Adventists' 'Poison Apple Project,' there is a set of technologies related to Genetic Modification.

"Tell me, which of those technologies can be used? Which can't?"

The two foreigners were a bit dazed—they hadn't seen those technologies, so how would they know what could be used?

But Bo Xiangdong said, "None of them can be used!"

Jiang Yu smiled; this was precisely the kind of person he was looking for: "Why not?"

"A few years back, people suddenly started saying tomatoes weren't tasty anymore." Bo Xiangdong said:

"A colleague of mine took his team to conduct a genetic analysis on the more common tomatoes found in the market.

"It turned out that during tomato cultivation and breeding, seed companies would widely promote those tomatoes that looked bright, and were easy to store and transport.

"But the flavor of these tomatoes was not necessarily the best.

"Eventually, the genes related to the flavor of tomatoes would be lost, hence tomatoes didn't taste good anymore!

"Following our call to action, while we still were able to find tomatoes without the genetic deficiency, the seed companies began to amend the genetics of tomatoes.

"That's why delicacies like stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, stewed beef brisket with tomatoes didn't disappear from our dining tables."

Bo Xiangdong said earnestly: "Only if we are involved in every step of genetic modification will we know which modifications are needed and which are harmful. The most crucial thing is that we have a way back!"

```

"The information from the Trisolarans let us know the results directly, but who knows which modifications could be harmful to us?"

"Besides, these are results from aliens, but are they applicable to Earthlings?"

"I have to say, I respect you for that, with your own efforts, you've kept many people from finding their own deaths."

"If there is some invisible damage in the genetic modification that won't be detected for a generation or two, it will be extremely difficult to reverse once the genes have stabilized."

"Some people only see the benefits of genetic modification without considering they might become the greatest sinners of all time!"

"Oh, of course, those people are never the responsible ones."

```

Jiang Yu couldn't help but applaud, "I should have come to talk to you earlier, then I could have given them a piece of my mind."

In fact, Jiang Yu had mainly relied on his intuition previously, certain that the technology given by the Trisolarans must have ulterior motives, but it was with Bo Xiangdong's remarks that he truly understood the "good intentions" of the Trisolarans.

Jiang Yu said seriously, "I have a project in my hands, and I need your help.

"If you want to participate, be prepared to live the rest of your life incognito!"

Bo Xiangdong's eyes seemed to shine, "Give me a cigarette."

Jiang Yu handed him a cigarette and lit it for him, patiently waiting for Bo Xiangdong to smoke.

After finishing the cigarette, Bo Xiangdong calmed down considerably, "Are you still a member of the Redemptionists?"

"I believe the principles of the Redemptionists are not wrong," Jiang Yu said. "It's just that their methods were mistaken, and they deviated from the right path.

"Rather than saving the Trisolarans out of sympathy, or out of a desire to ask the Trisolarans to save humanity, it's better to put all our efforts into saving ourselves.

"Our own problems must be solved by ourselves, even if it's difficult, we must save ourselves."

Bo Xiangdong stubbed out the cigarette butt on the table, "I'm with you!"

Jiang Yu patted his shoulder, "Welcome aboard."

These past two days, he had been running to the prison every day, his lips almost chapped from talking so much, but finally, someone had relented.

With the first person on board, things became easier, and except for the geneticists, Jiang Yu had also successfully persuaded several biologists, neurology experts, and scholars in human kinetics, to join the Star Warrior project team.

Two days later, Jiang Yu took a dozen leading scholars on a chartered flight to Shanghai.

The dedicated lab for the Star Warrior plan was not yet built, so currently, the project team was operating out of a rented large factory building.

Jiang Yu had Di Fengyi arrange accommodations for the scholars, and then he waited at the airport to go to the work location with Sixteen.

It had been more than a year since they had seen each other, and Sixteen had shot up significantly in height. His air of mature youthfulness was even more naturally developed, making Jiang Yu say he wasn't cute at all anymore.

Accompanying Sixteen on the flight were two middle-aged people who both wore hats despite the hot weather, suggesting they had undergone brain insert surgery and appeared to be Sixteen's servants.

Once they were in the car, Jiang Yu closed the door and immediately said, "I need all the data from the Adventists' previous genetic modification experiments."

Those materials would be a valuable reference for the "Super Soldier" project.

Yet Sixteen shook his head, "After the initial results, the staff erased all the data, only leaving some research materials on a few by-products that did not involve the core outcomes."

This development surprised Jiang Yu, "Erased? Then what's the point of their experiments?"

Sixteen replied, "I don't know, according to the data, it was 'the host' that ordered them to erase it."

Jiang Yu leaned back in the seat, the Trisolarans must have had their reasons for doing this, and the "Poison Apple Project" waters were deeper than he had imagined.