After riding the escalator around the spaceport for seven minutes, Ai Haibara followed Ania out, gradually easing back into a normal walk.
But more than the gravity change, what caught Ai Haibara's attention was the lush, verdant small town ahead, nestled among what seemed like forest canopies.
"Where is this?"
Ania, walking ahead, explained impassively:
"A biological research zone using simulated gravity technology to replicate Earth's environment."
"Important biological experiments and pharmaceutical production are conducted here."
"If needed in future, you can apply to build a research facility here."
"...A space-based biological research institute? Isn't entrusting me with this a bit excessive?"
Though she'd accepted the reality of a space metropolis, a space research institute still felt beyond Ai Haibara's scope.
"No need to feel nervous. You've earned this. Currently, you're the only pharmaceutical research talent within the Familia."
As she spoke, Ania added indifferently:
"Research specialists are inherently scarce in the Familia - fewer than five in total. With so many research categories, our limited personnel are stretched thin."
"For instance, I specialise in magitech, Dr Tabane Shinonono in materials and energy, and Mira Tsubakihara in alchemy. Counting your biomedical research, that makes only five."
"So even if you feel unsuitable, the Familia's biomedical research resources will still fall to you."
Hearing this, Ai Haibara was astonished: "Isn't the SDS a science and technology-focused organisation? Surely there are pharmaceutical researchers?"
Ania's response was placid:
"There are such people, but our Chief God doesn't trust them."
"To him, loyalty and trustworthiness matter more than capability, don't they?"
At the mention of Luo Shu, Ai Haibara fell silent.
Loyal and trustworthy? Was that how Luo Shu saw her?
As Ai Haibara remained quiet, the two took an escalator down to the underground research facility in the biological zone.
When the electronic doors slid open, the first thing Ai Haibara saw was a long silver-grey table blocking her path.
And at the head of the table, a strange girl wearing mechanical rabbit ears immediately drew her attention.
At this moment, the rabbit-eared girl lay sprawled across the massive silver-grey metal table, her face scrunched up as if suffering from stomach pains, looking utterly unwilling to do anything.
Upon seeing this rabbit-eared girl, Ania coldly called out:
"What are you doing, Dr Tabane Shinonono?"
'So this was Dr Tabane Shinonono?' Ai Haibara eyed the peculiar girl with suspicion.
Tabane Shinonono raised her head and sleepily greeted: "...I'm waiting for the experiment results."
Seeing Tabane like this, Ania immediately said coldly:
"Waiting for experiment results? Seems the luck I bestowed upon you has run out!"
"I believe I told you to wait until I brought the drug developer before starting research?"
"But Luo Shu was pushing so hard~" Tabane pouted in complaint.
"I think you were just eager to play around?"
Ania let out a cold laugh before continuing:
"Since you're waiting for results, where are the test subjects?"
"Oh that..."
As she spoke, Tabane patted the metal table before her.
With two crisp, cracking sounds.
The massive silver-grey metal platform split open along a long rectangular seam.
The seam flickered briefly before a huge projection screen appeared between Ania and Tabane.
On the screen played footage from inside a laboratory.
The sharp-eyed Ai Haibara immediately noticed the four metal cages on screen, instantly spotting the lab mice inside.
There were two large and two small mice - the two larger ones lay twitching weakly in their cages, barely alive, while the two smaller ones scurried about squeaking.
Seeing this contrast, Ai was startled, staring at the two smaller juvenile mice:
"Could these two have already been administered APTX4869?"
"Oh? You figured it out?" Tabane playfully blinked.
Ai looked utterly shocked:
"When did you obtain APTX4869?"
"And how on earth did you achieve two survivors?"
APTX4869 caused specific individuals to reverse-age, reverting from mature forms to juvenile states.
This discovery was made entirely by accident during her research.
That accident had been built upon over five years of study and the deaths of more than 6,000 lab mice before uncovering that single special case.
Crudely calculating the probability, the chance of such reverse ageing occurring was one in six thousand, lower than gacha rates in mobile games.
Yet now, before her, were just four test subjects, two of whom had successfully achieved reverse ageing.
'This probability... was actually one in two?'
'How was this even possible?'
For a moment, Ai wondered if she'd misunderstood something fundamental.
Who was the real developer of APTX4869 here - her or Tabane Shinonono?
"Little Natsuki delivered them - apparently from the Distillery's stock. But it seems the danger level is still quite high." Tabane looked regretful.
"You call one in two high?" Ai gave her a deadpan stare, too exasperated to speak.
"That's because I cheated!!" Tabane grinned cheekily.
But in the next instant, her expression changed as she tearfully turned to Ania:
"Ania, save me!!"
"The experiment's stuck again, and I can't make any progress!"
"Ania, quick, use your all-powerful bestowal of luck to help me think of a solution!!"
Ania snorted. "Give it a rest. You think accumulating luck is easy for me?"
Ania's ability to manipulate luck wasn't about creating it out of thin air. At its core, it involved intercepting and storing everyday luck, or drawing it from others, before bestowing it upon herself or someone else.
For every second of consumed luck enhancement, Ania had to endure a second of misfortune.
Thus, she had absolutely no patience for Tabane Shinonono, who constantly sought to exploit her good fortune.
"How many units of luck were consumed in the mouse experiments before producing a successful specimen?"
Hearing this, Tabane stopped crying and tentatively estimated:
"Approximately 100 units?"
"100 units?" Ania's expression darkened.
The baseline for one unit of luck was roughly equivalent to her daily fortune. Converted, this meant 100 people experiencing daily misfortunes like choking on water or guaranteed diarrhoea from cold milk – that's how much misfortune had been accumulated.
And this reckless woman had consumed 100 units in just a few hours?
Wait, two mice succeeded, so shouldn't that be 200 units?
This loss reignited murderous impulses in Ania's heart.
Fortunately, Ania was mature enough to suppress this rage:
"Were the experimental records properly documented?"
Tabane responded cheerfully while waving: "All recorded~ By the way, you must be Ai-chan, right? Come help me verify this data for errors."
Ai Haibara stared blankly at the holographic projection materialising before Tabane, hesitated momentarily, then stepped forward to examine it.
As she began working, the trio became fully immersed in their tasks.
"Have we prepared the reverse-ageing engineering?"
"The mice are ready, and the required dosage is ready. Dearest Ania, please bless the experiment~ Just a little luck boost..."
"So the reverse engineering research has begun, too?"
"Have Mira prepare – we'll likely need over 100 units of Drug A."
"Also, inform Lady Tokisaki to stand by. We may need her to accelerate experimental time."
"Roger that~"
...
Half an hour later – or rather, slightly less...
Ai checked her phone: approximately 28 minutes had passed since she entered.
But...
She looked down at the three red-and-white capsules placed before her.
Then her gaze returned to the screen, where mice were rapidly maturing from infancy to adulthood within mere seconds. The sheer unreality of it left her dazed.
"...We... succeeded?" Ai murmured in disbelief.
Frowning, Ania crossed her arms while observing the screen:
"I didn't apply any luck enhancement this time, so objectively speaking, yes – we succeeded."
"Still need to verify the drug's efficacy. Remember how the first and second-generation antidotes caused subjects to revert to childhood after temporary adult restoration? We must determine when this third generation will trigger regression."
"That's not what I meant..." Ai pressed her lips together, overwhelmed by the surreal situation.
In just thirty minutes, they'd developed an antidote for Drug A and progressed to a third-generation formulation.
From initial reverse-ageing resulting in death within three minutes, to achieving sustained adult reversion before subsequent childhood regression...
Such progress in mere minutes...
Even accounting for Tokisaki-sama's covert influence on the passage of time, the total research duration shouldn't exceed 24 hours, right?
Recalling the recent research, Ai Haibara couldn't help feeling it was all unreal.
They'd been fortunate enough to identify the formula affecting bodily changes in just 10 experimental groups. Then, through sheer luck, they'd pinpointed the precise component ratios in two subsequent trials. After that, they'd miraculously discovered the second, third, and fourth influencing factors.
In less than 30 minutes, everything had progressed as smoothly as if they'd been working backwards from the answer, directly developing the antidote.
'Am I dreaming?' Ai Haibara thought dazedly.
Compared to her bewilderment, Tabane Shinonono seemed utterly accustomed to such fortune:
"Ania, how much of your luck did you expend?"
"Roughly three years' worth of accumulation." Ania sighed at this point. "To recover this much in a short time, I'd probably need to drain about 1,500 death row inmates."
"...That much?" Tabane immediately pulled a long face. "Does that mean many of my upcoming experiments will have to be postponed?"
"At any rate, the drug is complete. Though the recovery period only lasts 4.2 minutes, we can work on extending the duration later."
Ania exhaled in relief, then used tweezers to place three red-and-white capsules into a prepared glass vial before announcing:
"I'll report to the Chairwoman and Luo Shu now. You two can take a break."
"Okaaay~" Tabane responded half-heartedly.
Only after Ania stepped through the automatic door and left the lab did Ai Haibara finally snap out of her daze. She turned to Tabane and asked:
"Is SDS research always this... smooth?"
"That depends on how much luck Ania's saved up."
Tabane replied lazily before grinning at Ai Haibara:
"Feels amazing, right? That divine assistance sensation!!"
"It is... rather exhilarating."
After a brief pause, a rare smile surfaced on Ai Haibara's face:
"I suddenly think becoming part of the Familia might not be so bad after all."
Just for that research-enhancing, divinely-assisted state, Ai Haibara had made up her mind.
Even if Luo Shu tried throwing her out of Copernicus into space, she wouldn't leave.
She was staying put!!
...
Meanwhile.
At a restaurant within Copernicus.
Unaware of Ai Haibara's change of heart, Luo Shu stared somewhat incredulously at the sterile glass container placed before him, his gaze fixed on the three red-and-white capsules inside as he murmured:
"So this is the APTX4869 antidote?"