Chapter 274 - Prion?

When Chen Chen saw this, his eyes grew solemn. In the movie, David had only added one small drop into a drink to infect a human adult, who had transformed into a humanoid monster within ten hours.

It was evident that the black goo was not a bacteria or a virus, but a very stable polymer compound. Otherwise, it would not be able to withstand the damaging effects of alcohol so easily.

At this time, the Black Knight was copying David’s actions in the movie. He broke off the tip of the popsicle, then inserted a syringe from one side and extracted a very small amount of liquid black goo from the popsicle.

Some of the Black Knights immediately placed a part of the black goo under the microscope for analysis and observation while others injected the fluid into a white mouse that had been prepared in advance.

Soon, Chen Chen saw that the mouse injected with black goo had begun to develop fever and convulsions.

In no time, this little white mouse started to shed its fur everywhere and the pink skin under the fur was exposed to the air. However, at this moment, the other white mice seemed to perceive this abnormality and they all surrounded the sick little white mouse.

Nonetheless, this heart-warming scene was immediately subverted. The sick mouse suddenly leaped up, lunged ferociously at one of the mice, and began tearing it apart with its teeth!

At once, the white mouse that was bitten was bleeding all over!

“After being infected with the black goo, one will lose all sense of reason and become very aggressive.”

Chen Chen observed silently. Quickly, the infected mouse easily killed the other mice in the cage. Chen Chen continued to note down. “After being infected with black goo, the host’s strength will suddenly increase and it can easily kill others of the same species, as was shown in the movie…”

After recording all these changes, Chen Chen noted that the body of the mouse in the cage was turning from bright red to grayish-white. At the same time, it began to consume the flesh and blood of its own kind, seemingly to accumulate energy for the next mutation.

Soon, this little white mouse’s body gradually grew a layer of stratum corneum, which began to blacken. Meanwhile, beneath the blackness, there were glimpses of crimson flesh.

In the end, a fine and dense layer of needle-like spikes came out of its body, replacing the original white fur. What was even stranger was that these spikes were still growing in and out endlessly. It was a chilling sight…

“This is a new species.”

Chen Chen was astounded. He summoned a Black Knight, who then stepped forward, put on thick protective gloves, and extended the needle into the cage. As the Black Knight gently held the mutated mouse, he extracted a blood sample.

After it was caught, the white mouse began to struggle violently while unleashing a strange piercing scream.

This sound was beyond the normal vocal range of a typical white mouse. It sounded harsh and savage. This mouse had undergone essential changes in both its genes and body structure.

Nonetheless, although this little white mouse had mutated so terrifyingly, the difference in size still existed. No matter how hard it struggled, it could not break free of the Black Knight’s grasp.

Still, before the blood of the mutated mice had been fully analyzed, the analysis of the black goo was completed.

When the composition of the black goo was determined, Chen Chen gasped in shock.

“Are you sure there’s no mistake?”

As Chen Chen stared at the test report in his hand, he displayed a befuddled look. “You mean, this black goo is a protein composed of more than 20 amino acids?”

“Yes, it’s a protein molecule that can infect a variety of carbon-based life.”

Little X replied, “If the facts weren’t right before our eyes, even I wouldn’t believe that there’s such a strange protein molecule in the world.”

“In other words, is this something similar to a prion?”

Chen Chen inhaled sharply. “Then how does it infect people? Is it the same as prions?”

“Yes, based on the blood test of the mice, we’ve gotten a rough answer.”

Little X said again, “But unlike other prions, this protein doesn’t sediment in the brain and damage the brain of organisms. Rather, it directly alters the human genetic chain.”

After hearing these words, Chen Chen understood it completely.

A prion was not a virus because in international textbooks, viruses were categorized as organisms. However, prions were not considered organisms but a system composed only of proteins, with traits of self-replication and infectivity.

Still, prions were filterable, infectious, and pathogenic, like conventional viruses, but they were much smaller than the smallest known conventional virus. The structure of their virus particles thus could not be observed under the electron microscope and they would not present an immune response.

As Chen Chen continued reading, he instantly understood why the black goo was a type of prion.

This was because when the prion protein of the black goo entered the host’s body, the normal PrP protein of the human body would be easily assimilated by the prion protein of the black goo. The proteins with normal configuration would take on the molecular structure of black goo, which increased exponentially and expanded rapidly.

Even so, if that was all, the black goo would at most be a new type of prion that was rapid and infective. However, what was more surprising was that the prion protein of black goo not only had the ability to assimilate proteins in the host’s body, but also the ability to disassemble nucleic acids in the host!

When the black goo’s prion protein encountered the host’s nucleic acid chain, it seemed to trigger a certain program to begin disassembly of the host’s DNA nucleic acid chain and recombine it into a new form.

After the nucleic acid chain was recombined, the black goo’s prion protein would also envelop this new nucleic acid chain to form a new virus structure.

At this point, the prions in the black goo had successfully evolved into a complete virus by plundering the DNA of organisms. This virus would work with the black goo to carry out a second transformation of the host’s body.

All of this had happened with that little white mouse’s body…

After reading the report in his hand, Chen Chen looked even more troubled. “It’s no wonder that the black goo can be extracted through the USB flash drive. I didn’t expect it to be a prion-like substance. But based on this report, I think that the prion protein of black goo is more like an artificial protein robot…”

“I thought so too.”

Little X echoed, “The black goo is hundreds and thousands of times more amazing than prions. It cannot be defined as a prion at all.

“After all, it’s the supreme creation of the Engineer civilization.”

Chen Chen nodded and said with emotion, “Still, at this point, I finally understand the precious value of the black goo. Compared to the black goo, the T-virus is like a cheap toy. Most organisms infected by the T-virus suffer from unstable disadvantages such as zombies. Only products that are infected at the stage of being fertilized eggs can become healthy mutant creatures.

“However, the black goo is different. It can be used directly on adult life forms. Any organism can directly mutate into a new species after coming into contact with it. What’s more remarkable is that this new species has the ability to reproduce. It’s completely possible to form a new population independently, unlike the T-virus that can only mutate on an individual basis without any way to continue.”

“Doesn’t that mean that the black goo can accelerate the evolution of life?”

Little X asked.

“No, there’s still a disparity between this and evolution.”

Here, Chen Chen paused and shook his head. “What is evolution? Only the transformation through constant adaptation to the environment can be called evolution. This isn’t the case at all with black goo. From the fate of the little white mouse, we know that the changes caused by this black goo are better understood as uncontrollable mutations.

“Moreover, the direction of this mutation is uncertain. It may be in a good direction or a bad one. Even humans are likely to lose the characteristics and intellect of high-level creatures after infection, just like in the movie…”

“Ah, if the black goo is so dangerous, then why do you still want to examine it?” Little X suddenly turned puzzled.

“Although the black goo is dangerous, there are two sides to everything.”

Chen Chen smiled. “After all, it’s a biological weapon that is dozens or even hundreds of times stronger than the T-virus. It’s useful. Besides… The Engineer race could live for more than 300,000 years and humans were created from the combination of Engineers and black goo. In that case, is it possible that we can uncover the secret of the Engineers’ longevity from the black goo?”