"I long for a sip of water!" Barrett Walker lay in the hospital bed, his mouth parched and dry, feeling as if time had slowed to a crawl. A feeding tube snaked through his nostrils, and his veins pulsed with medication, but the most excruciating part was the relentless demands of his own body.

He yearned to question the heavens about the curious phenomenon of every nurse in novels being beautiful, yet the one tending to him was a middle-aged woman. It seemed unjust, and he even began to doubt whether he was still the protagonist of his own story. He suspected the Rockefeller siblings of orchestrating this deliberately.

However, he was grateful that the nurse was a middle-aged woman. Given his nature, he couldn't bear the idea of a beautiful nurse tending to his larger needs, but occasionally, he couldn't help but imagine the flirtatious scenario of a lovely nurse tending to his minor needs. Yet, it was an impossibility, as it would involve the cursed catheter that was inserted.

As he gazed at the bottles of white liquid hanging beside him, Barrett could only imagine the exorbitant cost of the nutritional fluids needed to sustain his decaying body. The debt he owed Baron was substantial, and he worried about how he would repay it in the future.

"Hey! Danny, what brings you here?" In the isolation of his hospital room, completely cut off from reality and unable to escape into the world of his imagination, Barrett perked up at the sight of Danny Terence's arrival, offering a greeting.

Danny Terence, also from an influential family, was the grandson of the foremost executive, Oba Terence. Barrett, Baron, and Danny had been inseparable since childhood, though the shadow of family alliances loomed over their bond. Nevertheless, the emotional ties forged in their youth were truly indelible.

Danny Terence, now a young man of African descent, was dressed in the formal attire of an elite school, with a suit, tie, and shiny leather shoes, exuding an air of scholarly sophistication. There was none of Baron and Barrett's carefree manner about him.

"Are you in pain? Where's Baron? Why isn't he here?" Danny surveyed the empty hospital room and, seeing only Barrett, set aside Barrett's favorite tomatoes and cantaloupe, taking a seat at the bedside.

"These are quite expensive, aren't they?" In the post-apocalyptic world, obtaining such fruits was no trivial matter. Danny's thoughtful gesture was appreciated, but Barrett had no flowery words to offer, instead making a casual remark before adding, "That guy can't stand being awake and has gone to sleep, like a pig. Once you're out of school, change out of this formal attire. It's nauseating to see, knowing that your brother and I are broke!"

"Heh! You should definitely make a profit off that fat pig, Baron." Danny chuckled.

"Hey! I must warn you, you're the pig. Your whole family is made up of pigs!" Baron, leading a group of doctors who had just entered, overheard Danny's jest and, like a lit firecracker, retorted. Turning to the bedridden Barrett, he said, "You know what? Second Brother's meat is more expensive than the master's. Haha! I'm the honest and straightforward Sha Wujing!"

"Yes, you're the most honest person, except for that statement!" Danny, usually composed, only spoke so freely when their family's watchful eyes were absent.

"Do you know? I could fry your words in oil and make a profit! Can you not be so slick?" Baron retorted, then looked around with a hint of anxiety and said, "The junk dealer still hasn't arrived, and it stinks in here!"

"Hmph! I'm merely an imaginary figure. If you see me online, it's a ghost!" Danny finally composed himself, as he couldn't bring himself to speak nonsense in front of everyone and instead replied with a noncommittal statement.

"Haha! I did see a big black ghost!" Baron, unwilling to let up, continued to jest.

"Ignore my presence! Alright, I'm dead. Burn paper for trivial matters, summon spirits for minor ones, and dig graves for major ones!" Barrett, feeling stifled, raised his voice and then closed his eyes, refusing to look at them.

Seeing Barrett's irritation, Baron ceased his banter and, with an indignant snort directed at Danny, turned to the dumbfounded doctors and said, "What are you staring at? Hurry up and check on my brother, how is he?"

The Human Federation, the Ten Great Military Satellite Cities, and the Six and a Half Military and Academic Satellite Cities each had special significance. The city where Barrett resided, a half-military, half-academic satellite city, was named "Hero" and was a yellow city, echoing another city named "Emperor." The significance of these names was self-evident.

The medical conditions in this satellite city were not the best; that distinction belonged to St. Francis, not the San Francisco of the old calendar, but the city named after the founder of the Franciscan Order. However, with the influence of the Rockefeller family, Baron had managed to secure the best family doctor from St. Francis for Barrett.

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The family doctor, who was struck dumbfounded and utterly unprofessional in the presence of the young master of the family, was engaged in a heated argument with another young man of outstanding temperament, their minds momentarily struck dumb.

"Let me have a look!" Dr. Hughes, influenced by the Rockefeller family since childhood, suddenly looked at the supposed dignified young master with an inexplicable expression but, being an old hand at the game, decided to ignore it and approached with a stethoscope.

A group of doctors watched Dr. Hughes, hesitant to offer any opinions, knowing that Dr. Hughes, an authority in Western medicine, was present. They held their breath as he examined Barrett, recognizing the opportunity for learning and exchange.

After examining Barrett, Dr. Hughes said nothing, instead walking to the side and staring blankly at the medical records.

Baron and Danny watched anxiously as the middle-aged mixed-race uncle, who frequently appeared in prestigious medical journals, stared blankly at the medical records, their hearts pounding with concern. Could it be that Barrett was suffering from some severe aftereffects?

Barrett was an extraordinary case in the eyes of the doctors and nurses, not just because a Western medical authority, Dr. Hughes, had been called in to treat him, but because of the extent of his injuries. Having lost nearly all his blood and only just managed to make it to the hospital and survive after ingesting a small amount of blood, he was nothing short of a miracle.

The doctors and nurses who had followed Dr. Hughes into the room regarded this near-death survivor with even greater curiosity due to the seemingly grave nature of his situation.

"Why are you all here?" Dr. Hughes snapped out of his reverie, glaring at the crowd that was poking and prodding at Barrett as if he were a living specimen.

"Hey, you're still an intern. You should know that you have this opportunity because we took pity on you. Move aside and let me have a look!"

"Yes! I'm an intern, so what? Such rare opportunities should be given to us young people."

"Hmph! No wonder this group is called the licensed killers with legal authority. It's absolutely true!"

Baron, displeased with their lack of compassion, lashed out at the doctors and nurses, while Danny remained silent, carefully observing Dr. Hughes's changing expressions, noting the dawning astonishment and delight. It seemed like this situation might not be as dire as it appeared.

"Hey! What are you all doing?" Dr. Hughes snapped out of his reverie, glaring at the crowd that was poking and prodding at Barrett as if he were a living specimen.

The callous doctors and nurses were unfazed by Baron's outburst but were taken aback by Dr. Hughes's angry retort, reluctantly stepping back and leaving the bewildered Barrett to himself. They turned to Dr. Hughes with a collective, eager inquiry: "What's going on?"

A large group of doctors and nurses, treating Barrett as a living specimen, were then sent away by Dr. Hughes, who said, "Hey, you're still an intern. You should know that you have this opportunity because we took pity on you. Move aside and let me have a look!"

"Yes! I'm an intern, so what? Such rare opportunities should be given to us young people."

"Hmph! No wonder this group is called the licensed killers with legal authority. It's absolutely true!"

Baron, displeased with their lack of compassion, lashed out at the doctors and nurses, while Danny remained silent, carefully observing Dr. Hughes's changing expressions, noting the dawning astonishment and delight. It seemed like this situation might not be as dire as it appeared.

"Hey! What are you all doing?" Dr. Hughes snapped out of his reverie, glaring at the crowd that was poking and prodding at Barrett as if he were a living specimen.

The callous doctors and nurses were unfazed by Baron's outburst but were taken aback by Dr. Hughes's angry retort, reluctantly stepping back and leaving the bewildered Barrett to himself. They turned to Dr. Hughes with a collective, eager inquiry: "What's going on?"

Hughes seemed to have forgotten the previous doctors' rudeness towards Barrett Walker that had sparked Baron's anger. He was instead excitedly saying, "You can't even imagine the speed of his recovery, it's truly a miracle in the field of medicine. It's only been a few days, and the torn muscles have died and grown back, even stronger than before. You know what that means? In the language of fantasy novels, it's metamorphosis. His genes actually contain the abilities of the insect race.

We humans have long been extracting genes for metamorphosis from the insect race, but have never succeeded. The most successful case seems to be a person whose body underwent metamorphosis only to last half a month before dying, because the human body simply cannot withstand the toxicity of the insect race genes, except for the ability warriors, but they are no longer needed.

Think about it, this is a natural gene. If we can research the principles behind it and unravel this secret, it can definitely bring about significant changes in the entire human society. People will become long-lived, and most importantly, we will be able to mass-produce ability warriors. Are we still afraid of not being able to defeat the insect race?"

After speaking, Hughes could no longer contain his excitement, looking at Barrett Walker as if admiring the most precious specimen in the world.

If successful, he would write the most brilliant page in human history and be forever appreciated and remembered by humanity.

"Don't even think about it!" Baron stood in front of Barrett Walker and said.

Originally, when listening to the previous sentences, he was quite envious of Barrett Walker's extraordinary ability to recover. If it were someone else, Baron might have been equally excited, because Hughes was their family, and Hughes's honor was equivalent to the honor of the Rockefeller family! He was very aware of the ulterior motives, but this was his best friend, and he would not allow it.

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, the doctors had already started to slip out the door. It seems that such a major medical discovery is of great attraction to this group of cold-blooded butchers. They were already thinking of reporting to the Federation.

Instantly, Danny made a move, the wind whistled, and he blocked the door in an instant. Don't be fooled by his appearance, in today's cannibalistic society, how many children of the big families have not been trained as awakened ability holders from a young age?

For a moment, the atmosphere in the entire ward became extremely tense, with two groups of people facing off.