NOTE: Please ignore the random numbers.

Chapter 1: The Inception Of Immortality

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Human life is limited. Every person will age, fall sick, and die. However, does anyone here know why we’re mortal?”

38

Upon the platform, a nearly seventy-year-old professor spoke gradually, his voice echoing the large classroom due to its acoustics.

1

“Everyone knows that the unit of life begins with a single cell. Each of us here came into being as a tiny fertilized ovum that underwent cell division.


“One cell becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight…”

14

Below the platform, Chen Chen propped up his chin with his left hand while his right hand twirled a rollerball pen. His eyes glazed over with boredom as he stared at the projection screen, daydreaming.

3

“Cells will undergo senescence and death as well. The newly divided cells replace the dead ones over and over. This is the secret to our unending growth.

3

“Even so, this cell fission isn’t infinite.


“In 1965, Professor Hayflick of Stanford University discovered that human cells are unable to self-replicate over fifty-seven times. Every cell, upon its fifty-sixth replication, will die.

12

“It’s as if there’s a counter within each cell that determines when the cell would stop dividing and when humans would start to age…


“In theory, human cells can divide up to fifty-six times at most. By calculating the cycle of each cell division, we find that the limit of human life is at one hundred and twenty years. This theory is known as…”

16

“Clatter!”

1

Just as he was listening in fascination, Chen Chen’s fingers slipped and the rollerball pen spun out of his grasp, falling under the desk.

4

Chen Chen immediately stooped over, feeling around the floor with one hand.


“Huh?”


When his head was below the desk, an unexpected glint of pitch-black light flashed before his eyes.

15

Whether it was possible for light to be black, Chen Chen truly did spot a flash of black light in that instant.

1

He looked over instinctively.


The item was long and pitch-black all over. It was wedged below the desk, trapped within a hidden groove.

16

Therefore, after Chen Chen had picked up his pen, he reached out and scratched that area.


With just a little bit of effort, there was a snapping sound and the black item was successfully pried loose.


“You there, burrowing under your desk, answer the question –”

2

Just then, the professor’s voice suddenly rang out from the platform.

4

“Snicker!”

3

There was a burst of sniggers from his dormitory friends sitting behind.

9

Chen Chen hurriedly crawled out from under the desk, his face red with embarrassment.


He stared at the beaming professor, then glanced down at his textbook before stammering, “The Hay, Hayflick Limit?”


“Take your seat.”


The professor wrung his hands and allowed Chen Chen to sit.


The lecture continued.


“At both ends of a DNA molecule is something called a ‘telomere’. This component plays a vital role in cell division.

3

“It’s responsible for keeping the chromosome intact. Each cell fission will shorten the telomere a little. When the telomeres are too short and thus unable to protect the gene structure, the cell would inhibit growth, stop replicating, and enter senescence.”


“This is the Hayflick Limit.”

15

With that, the professor turned around and quickly wrote “The Hayflick Limit” on the blackboard.


Chen Chen, who had just taken his seat, heaved a sigh of relief. While the professor was busy writing on the blackboard, Chen Chen swiftly glimpsed at the item in his hand.


‘Erm…’


In one glimpse, Chen Chen’s interest was completely deflated.

2

It turned out that the extremely black item was nothing more than a USB drive.

1

Still, it was different from most USB drives. This one was much longer, about twelve or thirteen centimeters, and looked like a carbon rod.

20

Only its USB port revealed the truth – that it was merely a USB drive.

2

Other than this, the entire USB drive had no joints or cracks. It was pitch-black and had no mention of the brand name or storage space.


Nonetheless, seeing that it looked rather awesome, Chen Chen ended up stuffing the USB drive into his pocket. He would study it further in his dorm.

30

Currently, the professor was still lecturing. “With our current level of technology, it’s impossible for cells to break past the Hayflick Limit but we could bypass this barrier through another method…”


As he spoke, the professor wrote three words on the blackboard:


“The Immortal HeLa.”

5

“Everyone must be thinking, if there’s a way to prevent the telomeres from shortening, will our cells become immortal?


“The answer is – definitely!”

3

Under the words “The Immortal HeLa”, the professor spiritedly added “The HeLa cell line”.

2

“The HeLa cell line was derived in 1951 from a clump of cervical cancer cells, taken from a contributor named Henrietta Lacks.

22

“Researchers found that these cells collected from Lacks not only failed to die, they even showed signs of growth. Every twenty-four hours, the number of cells would double.


“Later, they discovered that these cells didn’t die because of the tumor retrovirus that caused cervical cancer. This virus’ gene was able to alter the lifespan ‘switch’ in ordinary cells, thereby creating immortal cells of unlimited growth.


“In the following years, HeLa cells were supplied to various research organizations across the Federation. They helped scientists achieve cell cloning and have also been used to investigate the effects of nuclear radiation on a human body. Moreover, they’ve been placed in a space-bound rocket, to study the growth of cells in a weightless state…

4

“Data from medical sciences and biology indicate that, by this year, there are more than sixty-five thousand papers related to HeLa cells and over fifty million tons of HeLa cells have been cultivated…


“Hence, later generations shared this common knowledge – that cancer cell lines are ‘immortal’. They can continue dividing without end.”

9

When the professor uttered this line, many students started to clap enthusiastically, indicating their respect toward the contributor, Henrietta Lacks.

11

“Of course, if we humans play around with this ‘switch’, we’ll end up dead!”


The professor changed the topic abruptly, killing off the applause.


“After all, if the cycle of cell fission in our body is disrupted and doesn’t enter senescence in time, it’ll turn into a malignant tumor and threaten our life!


“We humans have kept on forging ahead in our search for the truth. When society was nothing more than an assortment of clans, the average human lifespan was less than twenty years. In the Middle Ages, that had progressed to forty years…

9

“With the emergence of science, human civilization plunged into a phase of swift development. In mere decades, humans of the Earth Federation enjoy an average lifespan that is close to eighty years!

13

“But is that enough?

4

“Even if humans achieve the pinnacle of development, we wouldn’t surpass the hundred and twenty years stated in the Hayflick Limit. This is a long way from immortality. So, what do we do?”

3

After a pause, the professor continued.


“Thus, a revolution arrived…


“In 2002, this ‘switch’ was finally discovered. Professor John Sulston from the University of Cambridge, along with two of his colleagues, found a hereditary regulation mechanism that was then named ‘programmed cell death’.”

1

The professor wrote the words “Programmed Cell Death” on the blackboard and roughly drew a circle.

2

There was a loud snap. The chalk had broken under the professor’s forceful fingers.


“This discovery shook up the entire medical science community because it determined that cell death is an automatic, physiological form of ‘suicide’, like a program that was secretly embedded!”

1

The professor spread his arms. “This means that, although we initially assumed that senescence was a natural process, in truth, it may be due to a genetic defect! If we can fix this flaw, there’s hope that we may prevail over aging and attain immortality!”

35

A soft, collective gasp could be heard throughout the room.


It was like a huge door had just been opened. Chen Chen’s pupils shrank and he could only hear one voice, constantly repeating that magical word.


“Immortality?”


“Immortality…”


“Therefore, as students specializing in biology, you’re the generation with the best chance of rectifying this genetic defect.”

1

The professor broke out into an expectant smile. “In other words, you’re the ones closest to achieving immortality in the entire human history!”

25

The class was reaching the end at this point.


The silver-haired professor wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, then concluded in a hopeful, yet rueful, manner:


“There’s no denying that we humans are still completely ignorant in the face of the boundless ocean of truth. Perhaps a distant, impossible dream like immortality is only the first step in the search for truth…


“However, no matter what, the future is in your hands…


“That’s it. Class dismissed!”


“Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap…”

23

The room was filled with thunderous applause.

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 2: The Peculiar USB Drive
5

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

As Chen Chen had no other classes in the afternoon, he turned down the dorm leader’s invitation to basketball after the first class had ended and headed to his dorm alone.


As he walked, Professor Wang Xi’s words kept ringing in his ear.

1

‘Oh immortality, what a beautiful dream. Still, since the beginning of time, was there anyone who was truly immortal?’

37

Chen Chen lamented silently.


Professor Wang Xi, being a senior academic in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was excellent in both knowledge and pedagogy.

4

Not only did he spark everyone’s enthusiasm toward biology, but he even showed them a clear path.


Perhaps some of them would be inspired to delve into the field of life sciences and make noble contributions to the Earth Federation.


Upon returning to Dorm 404, Chen Chen instinctively reached out to turn on his computer. However, before his right hand could do so, his left hand promptly held himself back.

14

With a sigh, Chen Chen flipped open Modern Molecular Biology and compared it with his notes to consolidate his understanding of the class’ material.


In university, most of one’s learning was not obtained from lecturers. Self-study and practice was the only way forward.

11

Many students started slacking off after entering university. They would pay no mind to their course credits. To them, skipping optional courses was compulsory and attending compulsory courses was optional. They thoroughly enjoyed their freedom from high school’s repression.

10

Nonetheless, upon graduation, they learned what it meant to be beaten down by society…

6

This was why Chen Chen was troubled. He had no choice but to practice some self-control for the sake of his own future.


After all, what was it that people always said – the hardships of youthful days are nothing compared to the hardships of later life!

6

Just then, his phone’s screen flashed, indicating that there were more than 99 unread messages in the QQ group.


Chen Chen reached out by instinct but froze in mid-air.


‘Stop right there! This phone is a demon from hell. Don’t be tempted by it. They just talk sh*t in the group anyway, don’t…”

14

404 Dorm Leader Wang Wei: [Lil Bo, Nostril, what are you guys doing? Why did you disappear after class? Come for basketball]

1

404 Dorm Leader Wang Wei: [what is this slowpoke trying to say.jpg]

1

…


When Chen Chen opened up the group chat, he was greeted with this meaningless meme battle.

2

404 Brainiac Chen Chen: [a group of guys with 99+ messages, yet there’s zero porn, f*ck y’all.jpg]

3

After carelessly sending out an image to indicate what would interest him, Chen Chen put his phone away and propped his chin in his hand, deep in thought.

3

He could forget about the previous owner of this USB drive. After all, that room was a multi-function classroom that hosted at least four or five classes each day.


This USB drive might have even been left behind by students who had graduated years ago.


The hiding place of the USB drive was well concealed too. If Chen Chen had not happened to turn at such an angle while picking up his pen, he would not have noticed it.


This meant that the heavens knew how long this USB drive had been hidden.

8

‘The question is, who hid the USB drive there and why would they go to such lengths just to hide a USB drive?

5

‘Maybe the USB drive contains some mysterious top-secret code?’

21

These thoughts suddenly occurred to Chen Chen and he did not hesitate anymore. He lifted the lid of his laptop and plugged in the USB drive while the laptop was starting up.

15

The SSD1 was fast booting up. In less than ten seconds, the sleek interface of Windows 10 displayed before Chen Chen.

15

After a moment’s pause, Chen Chen pulled up [My Computer]. However, other than his own drive, there was no sign of any portable storage devices.


The drive letter which should have automatically recognized the USB drive had vanished.

2

Was the USB drive corrupted?


Chen Chen did not believe this and plugged in it once more. Still, there was no response.

2

‘Humph, I don’t buy this.’

1

Chen Chen’s lips curled up in a smirk as he smoothly restarted the laptop. While it rebooted, he deftly and confidently pressed down on [F2], entering the BIOS Setup interface.

10

Next, in a well-practiced manner, Chen Chen pressed [F9] to select Default Settings/Configuration, and within the same instant, clicked on [Yes]!


Finally, he pressed [F10] firmly to save his data for the last time, then rebooted the laptop!

2

All these happened in the blink of an eye. A non-veteran could not have done it.

16

After the laptop had restarted, the icon for the portable storage device did pop up at the lower right corner.


Even so, Chen Chen did not access it from there. Instead, he clicked into [My Computer], moved his cursor to the USB drive’s icon, and right clicked to select its Properties.


‘Hmm?’


In its Properties, the storage space of the USB drive was listed as 0.

1

‘Is it corrupted after all?’


Chen Chen lost all hope at once. He had wasted so much effort.

1

He shook his head and absent-mindedly double-clicked. However, the USB drive’s file opened up unexpectedly.


What he saw was a few files in the AVI format.


[Ju-on.avi], [Final Destination.avi.], [One Missed Call.avi], [Ring.avi.].

13

“Gasp…”


When Chen Chen saw what these files were, he drew in a sharp breath. He did not expect the previous owner of the USB drive to be a horror movie buff.


He did not know whether to feel disappointed or surprised. He was expecting something along the lines of a Mystery Code.avi.


Nonetheless, this proved that there was nothing wrong with the USB drive.


There was nothing much of interest to Chen Chen in the USB drive. These movies were nearly as old as Chen Chen and were very well known. Those which he wanted to watch, he had watched long ago. Those which he did not wish to watch, he would not watch even if they were played right before him.

3

Therefore, he immediately selected all the files and pressed [ctrl+d].

2

“Ding!”


However, these six movies were not deleted. Conversely, a “Program Error” window popped out.

1

Stubbornly Chen Chen tried a few times, even resorting to file shredding. Nevertheless, no matter what he did, he could not delete those movies.


“That’s peculiar…”


Chen Chen was gloomy. Perhaps the USB drive was corrupted after all?

1

He hopelessly hovered his cursor over one of the video files, thinking that he should try playing it.


However, for some reason, just as he was about to double-click on [Ju-on.avi], he felt a sudden, indescribable throbbing in his heart.


He could not say what feeling it was. It was as if a pair of eyes were peering at him from some corner that light could not reach…

8

These eyes were filled with a sense of death, like the icy kiss of a corpse…

6

This flutter in his heart caused him to stop in his tracks.


“Cough! Since when did I become such a coward?”

6

Chen Chen shook his head. Following his gut, he moved the cursor away, pulled up Local Disk D, and located a video file –


[Detective Pikachu.mp4].

2

Chen Chen selected this file and pressed [ctrl+c], then clicked on the USB drive and pressed [ctrl+v].


A green progress bar flashed instantly. In less than two seconds, [Detective Pikachu.mp4] was copied into the USB drive.

4

Everything seemed normal.


Chen Chen contemplated silently before opening the [Detective Pikachu.mp4] file in the USB drive.


The default video software started up automatically, beginning to screen this movie adaptation which was released in 2019.


Chen Chen had already watched this movie when it came out, but because he loved the way Pikachu looked, he underwent the trouble of downloading this movie.

10

As he watched the bright yellow rodent bouncing around on the screen, Chen Chen felt a faint pang of sorrow as this figure rather resembled Jerry from his home.


Jerry was the name of Chen Chen’s pet dog at home.


Chen Chen’s childhood was spent in the company of Jerry. The boy and the dog had grown up together and were inseparable.


Unfortunately, a dog’s lifespan was far too brief. Just last year, Jerry passed away due to old age.

12

As he pictured that lovable figure, Chen Chen drifted in his thoughts.


However, there was a sudden movement that he noticed from the corner of his eyes.


Chen Chen reflexively turned to look and saw that a cap had appeared beside his laptop at an unknown time.

3

“Ding!”


At the same time, the screen displayed the “Program Error” notice once again. The video that was playing shut down by itself…

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 3: Mind-Boggling Inferences

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Chen Chen paid no mind to the window that had appeared on the screen. He stared at the cap which had abruptly appeared beside the laptop, wearing a thoughtful expression.


He swore that before starting up the computer, there was no cap in this spot.


Moreover, this cap…


Surely it was too familiar…


Chen Chen reached out hesitantly and took the cap in his hands.


The cap was made from canvas, which felt slightly rough against his palm. It was khaki-colored and looked just like a duckbill cap, except it was only as large as his hand.


No matter how he looked at it, this did not seem like a cap any human could wear.


Chen Chen flipped the cap over. Inside, there was a tag sewn in with polyester fiber, with a few lines of English on it:


“IF LOST RETURN TO:”


“Harry Goodman; 1722 Green St. Ryme City.”


Translated, this meant:


“If lost, return to: 1722, Green Street, Ryme City, Harry Goodman.”

4

This was…


Chen Chen gasped sharply, an astounded expression stretching his features.


Suddenly, he turned toward the computer screen, only realizing that the movie had stopped playing.


This was Pikachu’s duckbill cap from the movie!

9

In this instant, Chen Chen was filled with a sense of absurdity and disbelief. He swiftly stooped down to check under his bed!

1

No one!


He stood up quickly and checked his sheets!


No one!


He jerked open his desk drawer!

11

Still no one…

1

After making sure that there was no one in the dorm, he had no choice but to consider that this might not be a prank set up by his dorm mates.


Furthermore, even if it was a prank, how would they know that he would play Detective Pikachu specifically at this moment?


However, if this was not a prank, what was it?


Was it because he had played this video file that the computer extracted the cap from the movie?


What kind of elaborate joke was this!


Plus, this was not the first time he was watching this movie. Why did this only occur now?


Suddenly, Chen Chen thought of something. His gaze shot toward black USB drive!

6

Was this all its doing?


Chen Chen narrowed his eyes.


He did not know whether it was the lighting or his mind playing tricks, but the shell of the USB drive now appeared to be mottled.


This USB drive which was a deep, glossy black before had a dull cast now, like metal which had oxidized after being left out for too long.


Had the USB drive changed or… Was his memory failing?


Chen Chen could not believe this. He closed the “Program Error” window and double-clicked the movie Detective Pikachu once more.


However, the “Program Error” notice popped up on screen again.


Was the file corrupted?


Chen Chen frowned and pondered. Subsequently, he tried clicking Delete. With a “whoosh”, this movie file was deleted from the USB drive…

1

He was stunned. He remembered that each time he tried to delete the other movies, he ran into a “Program Error”, so he had assumed it was impossible to delete any movie in the USB drive.


Therefore, he tried again to delete the horror movies that had been in the USB drive initially.


Still, the result was the same. Each time he clicked Delete, the computer would send a “Program Error” window.


“Could it be that I can only delete movies that have been played?”

2

Chen Chen bowed his head pensively. He opened Local Disk D again and dragged Detective Pikachu into the USB drive, then tried deleting it.


“Ding!”


As expected, the copied movie file could not be deleted.


Thus, Chen Chen played the movie again. This time, the movie played as usual and nothing strange happened.


In front of the screen, Chen Chen recalled that he had been missing his pet dog previously. At the same time, he had projected his emotions onto Pikachu’s character, then the cap had appeared.


With that in mind, Chen Chen fast-forwarded the movie until Pikachu’s scene, while imagining that he could extract the movie’s Pikachu.


In less than a few seconds’ worth of effort, the movie shut itself off and the “Program Error” window popped up.


At the same time, another cap, the same as the last one, appeared right beside his laptop!

2

It was real!!!


Chen Chen’s eyes nearly popped out. Although he had been prepared, no matter how he observed, he still could not figure out how the cap had materialized in this spot.


Surely it had appeared out of thin air?!

1

Chen Chen picked up both caps and compared them. He discovered that there was no difference down to the smallest detail and the handwriting on the tag.


It was as if God had created two completely identical objects.

1

“Can this really be due to the USB drive?”

2

Chen Chen uttered incredulously. He looked at the USB drive once again but noticed that it was even duller than before. It looked like a useless item that had been tossed away in a corner.


“This thing is getting worn out…”


Chen Chen immediately understood that each time an item was extracted from a movie, it would deplete the USB drive’s energy.


In that case, what sort of energy was this?


Electrical?


Solar?


Alternatively, was it some energy source that surpassed human technology?


More importantly, could this energy be replenished? Was this USB drive a single-use item or could it be recharged and reused?


Moreover, although he was explicitly thinking of Pikachu, why was the USB drive only able to produce its cap? Was this due to insufficient energy or some other factor?

4

Also, if he played some other movie, could he also extract something else from that movie?

13

All these questions roared in Chen Chen’s mind. He drew in a deep breath and suppressed these emotions that were making him tremble.

1

‘Calm down, calm down…’


Chen Chen took in deep breaths again as he walked toward the dorm’s door to lock it from the inside. Then, he returned to his laptop and fell into deep thought.


There were not enough clues. He still needed to carry out more experiments.


Even so, the USB drive’s energy was incapable of sustaining multiple experiments. What should he do?


At this point, Chen Chen took out a blank notebook from his drawer. He steadied his trembling hand and wrote the word “Principle” on the first page.


“Principle: Unknown.”

2

How should he employ current scientific principles to explain the phenomenon of the mysterious USB drive?


With just his own knowledge, Chen Chen was completely unable to explain everything that had happened.


It was clearly just a movie, constructed from codes and images. How could it create something out of thin air?


“Conjecture: Aliens? People from the future? Brain in a vat?”

7

After putting down this second line of words, Chen Chen could not help chuckling at himself. Then, he wrote the third line.


“Ability: Through the thoughts and ideas of someone viewing a video, it extracts/instantiates an item, displayed on screen, into reality. (Doesn’t seem to include living things.)”

2

Chen Chen speculated that both times he was thinking of Pikachu, yet only the cap was extracted. This meant that the USB drive was unable to instantiate living beings.


Of course, he could not rule out the possibility of insufficient energy being the reason.

1

Chen Chen clicked on the movie again and the screen displayed the “Program Error” window. After that, he tried deleting it.


With a “whoosh”, the movie was successfully deleted.


“Indeed, after extracting something, it can be deleted from the USB drive.”


This also meant that any movie could be transferred into the USB drive but the delete function would not work.


If he wished to delete a certain movie, his only option was to extract an item from the movie to corrupt the file.


With this in mind, Chen Chen wrote:

1

“Rule 1: Videos can be imported but can’t be readily deleted after that. The file must be corrupted first;


“Rule 2: At the moment, it appears that the video will only be corrupted when an item is extracted from it;”


“Rule 3: The size, mass, and other objective factors of the extracted item had not been tested yet.”

1

Finally, Chen Chen glanced at the USB drive.


“Appearance: Its exterior has transformed from brand-new to worn out. It’s not determined yet if this is an issue of energy…”

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 4: A Genuine Decision

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

An issue of energy…


As he stared at the USB drive which was different from before, Chen Chen dared not continue testing it.


He was worried that the USB drive’s energy was not renewable. If he tested it too many times, the USB drive’s energy would be exhausted, turning it into a useless lump of metal.


Since that was the case, he might as well stake all on one throw.


Having considered this, Chen Chen breathed in deeply. He pulled up Local Disk D once more and sought out a movie of utmost familiarity –

3

Avengers: Endgame!

7

After locating this movie, Chen Chen, who had been calm, started to shake again. His heart kept on pounding violently.


“If I can instantiate the Infinity Gauntlet, that’d be all I need…”

24

Chen Chen mumbled softly.


“Can it be done?”


A feverish flush spread across Chen Chen’s face. He clenched his jaw and dragged the movie into the USB drive!


“Ding!”


The computer instantly sent out a “Program Error” window.


“It’s not working?”


Chen Chen was crestfallen. “Why could Detective Pikachu be copied into the USB drive, but not Avengers: Endgame?”

2

Chen Chen tried two more times. After failing again, he looked for a few similar movies in Disk D, then copied them into the USB drive.


Alita: Battle Angel – success.

3

Godzilla: King of the Monsters – success.

5

Terminator: Dark Fate – success!

3

All three movies were successfully copied.


Chen Chen pondered wordlessly for a moment, then picked out Ne Zha and dragged it into the USB drive.

3

“Ding.”


Failure!


Chen Chen’s eyes gleamed.


He seemed to have understood something.


Movies that were too fantastical could not be copied into the USB drive…

8

After all, Alita, Godzilla, and even Terminator were all movies with stories that were constructed based on reality.

9

As for Avengers, although it could be called science fiction, everyone knew that it contained a lot of fantastical elements.

7

“However, if movies that are too fantastical can’t be placed into the USB drive, what about those horror movies then?”

5

Chen Chen frowned.


As he thought of this, he opened up a webpage and downloaded an animated film at random. Then he dragged it into the USB drive.


“Ding!”


Failure.


Following that, Chen Chen tried it with a comic.


Failed again.


Finally, Chen Chen tried it with a picture and a novel but failed once more.


The conclusion he got from this was: Other than live-action videos using reality as their framework, other files could not be copied into the USB drive.

14

After noting down this rule, Chen Chen started reflecting.


Since an instant jackpot like the Infinity Gauntlet was not possible, he would not attempt other similar plans. Instead, he would go for something more realistic.


With this in mind, Chen Chen flipped to the second page and wrote down three words –


“Money”, “Power”, “Strength”.

13

These were the only three things he could acquire from the USB drive.


Money?


This was the easiest one.


He just needed to watch a few treasure-hunting movies to instantiate the priceless gems and valuables featured in those movies.

5

However, even if he put aside the question of how to convert those gems into money, would he be satisfied with just being rich?

2

Professor Wang Xi’s words were still echoing in his ears. Even with endless wealth, so what? Would he live long enough?


Chen Chen grinned and struck off that first option.


Power?


Chen Chen looked at the second choice and fell into deep thought.


If he presented this USB drive to the Federation government, perhaps he would be brought into the hub of power thanks to his contribution. From there, he could rise through the political ranks…

12

Even so, just as before, what would that accomplish?


Maybe the entire Federation would benefit immensely. Of course, this might also result in war between the continents. The Earth Federation might split into factions, triggering the Third World War.


Moreover, who was to say that Chen Chen would not be killed as a witness by the first authority figure who obtained this USB drive?

2

Chen Chen cast his gaze down and heavily crossed out the second option.


In that case, the answer was clear.


Chen Chen was never happy with mediocrity. If he had not gained this USB drive, he would spend his entire life chasing after something, be it wealth or power.


However, compared to supernatural strength, everything else was not worth mentioning!


“So, deep down, I’ve chosen strength?”

8

Chen Chen murmured. The strength here did not just refer to physical strength. It was more of an abstract overview.

1

Technology that surpassed reality itself, superpowers that exceeded worldly limits or an eternal life span – all these were a type of strength.

3

He closed his eyes, his mind scanning through countless items that he could put to use now.

3

In sci-fi movies, there was more extraordinary technology than he could imagine, from the basic exoskeleton armor to massive mecha hunters. If he could instantiate this black technology1…

5

“Hmm, I’ll probably be arrested right away by the agents of the Earth Federation?”

2

When he thought of this, Chen Chen realized that what he most needed now was a tool that would help him reach the pinnacle of life, yet it must not be too conspicuous.

10

After ruling out fantastical, magical items like the Infinity Stones, Chen Chen, at last, came up with alternatives that complied with reality while still being able to enhance his abilities.


Following that, Chen Chen listed these down in the notebook.


“Compound V, Augmentation Drug, Crystalline, T-virus, G-virus, CPH4, NZT-48.”

29

These had all appeared in movies or television.


Compound V: Originating from the American series, The Boys. It could transform human infants, thereby granting them extraordinary abilities.

7

Of course, this chemical substance was greatly flawed. For instance, it was addictive and unstable, requiring a long period of injections for it to work.

29

Pass!


As expected, Chen Chen crossed out the first option.


Augmentation Drug: Originating from Push. After it was injected, it could alter one’s bodily composition and produce various superpowers.

2

Even so, the movie’s theory was still rooted in genetic mutation. Once genes were involved, its success rate would be abysmal.


Pass!


Crystalline: This came from the movie Chronicle. After exposure to the Crystalline’s radiation, one would acquire telekinetic powers. Moreover, this power would strengthen as time passed.

8

One negative side effect was that one would get nosebleeds when using this power. Chen Chen did not know if the continual increase in power would cause one’s body to fall apart under the pressure?

5

After all, the human body was not a perpetual motion machine.


Not only that, but Crystalline seemed to amplify one’s darker emotions. The protagonist in the movie, having lost his sense of judgment, was ultimately killed by his friend.

10

Therefore, Chen Chen prudently passed over this choice.

3

T-virus and G-virus came from Resident Evil, but viruses could be considered to be living forms and thus could not be instantiated.


Pass immediately.

8

CPH4: Originating from the movie Lucy. The protagonist ultimately transcended time and space, becoming an all-knowing, all-powerful god.

4

Of course, the price to pay was terrifying too. Even after successfully fusing with CPH4, one only had a few days to live. Moreover, the protagonist was a one-in-a-million exception. Most people would die immediately after consuming CPH4.

5

More crucially, the movie’s concept that “humans only use 10% of their brains” was pseudoscientific. Human brains had always been operating at 100% capacity.

15

This meant that even the basic premise of the movie was false. Even if Chen Chen instantiated CPH4 from Lucy, would he dare to consume it?


Pass!


Chen Chen felt rather rueful. There were tons of super-powered substances under the banner of Marvel Studios such as the Super Soldier Serum, GH-325, the Heart-shaped Herb, and so on. It was a shame that these movies could not be transferred to the USB drive.

5

In that case, there was only one possible option left.


NZT-48!

29

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 5: NZT-48

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Make no mistake. NZT-48 was not one of the AKB48 sister groups idolized by otakus. Rather, it originated from a 2012 movie.

13

This was a substance that could unleash the brain’s potential.

3

What was the brain’s potential?


Theoretically, human brains could remember everything that was seen, heard or felt.

5

However, human memory was the most unreliable thing in the world.

2

During exams, for instance, facts and complicated topics would have been studied and revised beforehand. Even so, due to problems of memory and mental capacity, a blank answer space remained a blank answer space.

3

Studies on neurons in the brain indicated that, although humans used their brains at a 100% capacity, from an evolutionary point of view, there was still more cerebral potential to harvest.

6

Potential here did not mean that “the brain is only using one part, another part is idle”. Instead, it meant that “on the basis of already using the brain fully, we could still become smarter.”

1

NZT-48 was a drug that would increase one’s intelligence.


It allowed one to access the darkest recesses of one’s memories as well as automatically processed and assimilated all this knowledge.


By taking this drug, the user would have an eidetic memory and attain astonishing insight and logical thinking. One could even integrate details and data that would typically go unnoticed and swiftly arrive at a conclusion.

2

As an example, the reasoning and memory of ordinary people were like a disarrayed warehouse. Volumes of memories are piled up haphazardly within. It was a momentous challenge to go through all this information.

1

After taking the drug, one’s reasoning and memory would be like rows of bookshelves in a library. Each memory would be organized into its appropriate position. With just one look, anything and everything could be located.

5

Nonetheless, just like the other substances, NZT-48 had huge negative side effects.


In the original work, the substance seemed like a metaphor for hard drugs. It was a novel that satirized North American society at that time.


In the movie, the substance, just like a drug, would cause dependency. Once the user stopped taking it, they would experience intense withdrawal symptoms.

3

It included headaches, dizziness, memory loss, and even…


Brain death.


Still, this was not a good reason to scare Chen Chen off.

6

Even all the drugs in the movies had negative side effects. How could Chen Chen possibly fail to understand that there was no such thing as a free lunch?

10

Furthermore, Chen Chen specialized in biosciences. As befitting of his field, he could do what the protagonist did by manufacturing an antidote to neutralize the side effects.

11

With this in mind, Chen Chen immediately turned on his laptop and downloaded Limitless.


“Ding!”

3

After over ten minutes of waiting, the movie was successfully downloaded. Without hesitation, Chen Chen copied it into the USB drive, then clicked play –

3

After the extended opening shot, the iconic blue eyes of the main character, Eddie Morra, appeared on screen…


Chen Chen clicked on the movie’s progress bar and slowly dragged it forward. At last, the video paused at the part where the protagonist had found the large bag of NZT-48, which his brother-in-law, Vernon, had hidden in the oven.

6

“Right here!”


Chen Chen muttered. At the same time, he subconsciously reached out toward the screen.


Following that, an astounding sight occurred…


In the video, the tightly sealed bag of NZT-48 floated up and gradually drifted toward the camera.


Simultaneously, Chen Chen’s hand seemed to reach through the screen, closer to its target…


Then, there was a soft touch and Chen Chen instinctively grabbed with his right hand!


By the time he had recovered his senses, there was a sealed bag in his hand, around the size of his palm, filled with unknown pills!

2

He had succeeded!


Chen Chen stood up with a clatter with wild glee shimmering in his eyes.


He turned over the plastic bag in his hand with a look of incomparable wonder. He felt as if he was dreaming!


“Relax, relax. Chen Chen, there’s still much you have to do…”


Chen Chen forced himself to calm down, then he ejected the USB drive. Chen Chen only plugged it out when the computer signified that it could be safely removed.

1

USB drive…

1

It was only when he noticed the USB drive’s current appearance that Chen Chen thoroughly regained his composure.


After instantiating a bag of NZT-48, the USB drive was now dull without a hint of gloss. It was like a piece of rubbish that had been left out in the weather and abandoned for decades.


‘I hope it can be recharged…’


Chen Chen prayed silently. He patted his pockets but was not sure where to hide the USB drive.


In his pocket? The quality of the material was so poor. What if it tore?


In the closet? What if someone picked the lock?


Under the bed? That was even worse…

5

At this point, Chen Chen was like a farmer who had suddenly gained riches. No matter where he hid it, he would feel anxious.

3

In the end, Chen Chen simply looked for some adhesive tape and bound the USB drive firmly to his arm. He wound the tape four or five times around his arm before he felt remotely safe.

12

Following that, Chen Chen started up the antivirus software and deleted all the records in his laptop before shutting it down.


“Right, there are still these…”


Chen Chen took out the notebook he had written in and the two Pikachu caps. After that, he fished out a lighter from the drawer and walked toward the toilet.

9

In the toilet, he set the notebook on fire and tossed it onto the ground, then flung the two caps into the bonfire too.

6

Five minutes later, Chen Chen exited the toilet. The ashes of the fire had been swept into the urinal and flushed down the pipes. By the time the ventilation fan removed the smell of smoke, there would be nothing left.

10

After patting the bag of drugs hidden in his underwear, Chen Chen did not return to the dorm but went down toward the animal laboratory center.

3

He was a student at the Institute of Biological Sciences of Mainland China’s Shangdu Jiao Tong University. Although he had not gone into a narrow specialization, he knew that any new drug must undergo clinical trials.

8

After all, the NZT-48 extracted from the USB drive could have any sort of chemical composition. Chen Chen was not foolish enough to test it on himself.


Currently, he did not have the means to run clinical trials. However, animal testing was still feasible.

5

At the animal laboratory center, Chen Chen bought eight Kunming mice and a couple of M1 mouse cages which were used in experiments, along with other apparatuses.

5

With these items, Chen Chen did not return to the dorm nor did he go to the laboratories. Instead, he went off-campus.


There were too many people in the dorms whereas the experiments in the laboratories were monitored and recorded. Thus, it was not suitable for him.


In the end, Chen Chen carried the two cages of Kunming mice and booked a standard room in a hotel near the campus.

7

After entering the room, Chen Chen locked the door, then fished out a black marker pen to assign numbers to the white mice. They were numbered 1 to 4 in each cage, separated into two groups.


Following that, he began the experiment.


Chen Chen had to test the toxicity of the NZT-48 drug toward the white mice.


Chen Chen had bought white mice that were purebred for medical purposes. The constitution and immune response of these mice were close to humans and their genomes were highly similar to humans too. Many human diseases would cause similar symptoms in these mice.


In short, if these white mice did not die after ingesting NZT-48, theoretically, Chen Chen should not die either.

4

First, he sterilized the apparatuses he purchased, then took out an NZT-48 pill and weighed it. Based on his own mass, he calculated the corresponding dose for a mouse. After that, he dissolved it in a solution and diluted it as appropriate.

4

After completing these preliminary preparations, Chen Chen took out white mouse Number 1 and using a gavage needle, fed it an amount of NZT-48 liquid that was proportionate to his own body weight.


As for white mouse Number 2, Chen Chen fed it twice the dosage. Number 3 had three times the dosage, and Number 4, four times.

3

He did the same for the second cage of mice.


After feeding them the drug, Chen Chen stored the remaining NZT-48 liquid into a sealed vial, then carefully observed the responses of the two groups of mice.

4

He was a little relieved that even white mouse Number 4, which had taken four times the dosage, did not seem to change much.


If he was forced to make an observation, he would say they seemed to be livelier than before…


He waited until six in the evening. Nothing abnormal had happened to the two cages of mice.


Chen Chen heaved a sigh of relief. At least he could ascertain that the NZT-48 instantiated from the mysterious USB drive was not acutely toxic.


In terms of chronic toxicity, he still had to observe a while longer.


Seven days – Chen Chen was expecting to wait this long.


As long as nothing abnormal happened within seven days, Chen Chen would begin his daredevil venture.

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 6: NZT’s Effect

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Over the next few days, Chen Chen would head to the hotel for two hours during lunch break and two hours in the evening from six to eight o’clock. He would feed the drug to the mice and swap out the mattress.


The eight mice were resilient. There were no incidents such as signs of disease or fighting among them. The experiment was progressing smoothly.


It was not difficult to feed the mice. A fixed daily ration of fodder was enough. Occasionally, Chen Chen would give them peanuts or walnuts, which made them jump excitedly.


However, it cost Chen Chen an arm and a leg. His monthly expense was a thousand and five hundred and a week’s rent alone cost upward of a thousand.

2

Chen Chen was only halfway through the month and he could barely afford to eat at the canteen.


“Since there are still no issues, it should be safe to say it isn’t poisonous.”


Seven days later, at noon, Chen Chen came to the hotel right after his class had ended.


Chen Chen glanced at the two cages. If his situation permitted it, he would have liked to run one more abstinence reaction test, but his living expenses said otherwise.


Not to mention, he had already used a pill over the last seven days. It might not be a lot, but under the circumstance where he was unable to reproduce them, each of them was invaluable.

7

Chen Chen took out the final dinner and let the mice fill their belly.


He then took out the tribromoethanol solution he had prepared beforehand. With his left hand, he scooped the mice up one by one with their belly facing up and injected their lower abdomen with the syringe using his right hand. The potion slowly passed through their abdominal muscles.

3

Tribromoethanol solution was commonly used as anesthesia for animals. Since Chen Chen intentionally used a higher dosage, the mice collapsed in their cage one after another within three minutes. They had entered a completely sedated stage.


After around eight minutes had passed, all of the mice unconsciously died in their sleep due to overwhelming of their central nervous systems.


This was death by anesthesia overdose. It was considered the most humane method of terminating animals used for experimentation.

10

Hmm, at least it was more humane than methods such as decapitation, cervical dislocation, bleeding out, and air embolism.


After making sure the mice were dead, Chen Chen left the room. He bought a bottle of alcohol from a pharmacy and chose an empty alleyway where he poured the bottle of alcohol on the carcasses of the mice.

1

Followed by a faint blue flame rising, the group of mice was entirely engulfed in flames. Their bodies turned black and eventually into unrecognizable shapes.

5

Whatever the drug was made of, whether it was a biochemical drug, Chinese and Eastern fusion drug or even a gene-drug, it did not matter anymore. After undergoing a five to six hundred degree high incarceration, all of the molecular bonds had been completely disintegrated.

7

It could also be considered as a cremation ceremony for the eight heroes.

7

After that, Chen Chen did not head back to the school. He got himself some lunch outside then took the ninth line on the subway, heading toward the most prodigious hospital in the city – Shangdu People’s Hospital.


Even though there were no issues with the animal experiment, it was better to be safe than sorry. What if the drug posed no threat to animals but was highly toxic to humans?

3

These situations were not unheard of either, take chocolates for example. When people ate chocolates, not only would they be unharmed, they would probably be in a good mood. However, if a mouse ate chocolate, it would be similar to an old man who was fed up with life deciding to end it all by eating arsenic.


This was the reason Chen Chen decided to take the drug to a hospital. At the hospital, he could still be rescued as long as what he took was not cyanide or paraquat.


Anyone who had experience with the subway knew that the signal reception in the Shangdu Subway was a horrible mess as only emergency calls were available down here. Televisions were installed in the subway to serve as public amenities.


Most of the programs on the television were centered around the news.


Chen Chen sat on the subway and began watching the real-time news flashing one after another on the television out of boredom. There were legal programs and news advertising, it was at least tolerable.


One of the news that caught his attention was a heroic story that had just happened. On Renmin road, a man was repeatedly stabbed three times by a violent criminal in an attempt of stopping a kidnap. He was promptly rescued by the police who arrived at the scene.

4

It was just after the peak hour, therefore, the subway was rather spacious. There were several aunties seated nearby with their church tote bags in hand.


It was rather obvious that these aunties were heading to church for mass.

3

“Ah, Renmin Road? Isn’t it just nearby?”


One of the aunties took off her shoes and crossed her feet on her seat. She rubbed her feet while sighing, “There aren’t many young men like this anymore.”


“Tch, every time I use the subway, it’s so hard to get someone to give me their seat. It’s always oh I don’t feel well or oh it’s my period. These people are ridiculous…”

7

Another aunty sitting nearby, who was twice Chen Chen’s size, sighed as well.


By the time the train had arrived at the station, it was around two in the afternoon.


Chen Chen walked around the hospital for a lap before arriving at the emergency department.


The Emergency Center was the department responsible for attending an emergency medical situation. Whenever he was here, he could feel the heavy atmosphere.


Ambulances roared past one after another. From time to time, stretchers clanked their way through the long corridor, followed by nurses’ hurried footsteps.


Occasionally, a large group of family members would rush in and gather around the corridor. They would bicker endlessly until eventually, a security guard would usher them to their seats in the waiting area.


In this hectic environment, Chen Chen’s arrival did not draw any attention.


Chen Chen sat in the corner of the waiting area. He retrieved a tablet he had prepared well beforehand and inspected it closely.


Chen Chen shook his head, took a deep breath, and gently put it in his mouth.

4

He gently closed his eyes.


One second, two seconds, three seconds…

1

…


“Little Jie, Little Jie, you have to come to the hospital now, your father just passed out…”


…


“Hurry, hurry, hurry! Move it, move it, don’t get in the way, and open the door! Stretcher coming this way!”


…


“Woo… It’s all your fault, would something like this happen if you didn’t drive so fast? If something were to happen to Peng Peng…”


…


“Mum, Mum, what happened to Dad? When will he come out from behind those doors?”

4

…


Chen Chen was not sure when it happened but he noticed that his sense of hearing became extremely sharp.


Nearby, there was a lady with a hoarse voice speaking on the phone. She was telling her daughter about her husband’s condition. She was trying to hold back tears as she spoke.


Outside the emergency room, the stretcher produced a grating sound when moved around, the nurses pushed aside the family members who were in the way.


A pair of married couple sat in front of Chen Chen. They were having a hushed conversation. The lady could not stop crying.


The frail little girl kept asking her mother questions as if this young girl seemed to have finally realized something.


Countless voices were mixed together and yet there was a clear distinction between them. The syllable in every sentence and the emotions these uttered words contained were all visualized in Chen Chen’s mind…

8

It was all like a grand symphony.

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 7: Initial Symptoms

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes.


It was as if a blind man had regained his sight. What appeared before him was like a brand new world.

1

The lamp overhead was flickering at a frequency that could otherwise not be observed by the normal eye.

2

Figures were going back and forth from the gap below the door to the emergency room.


Furthermore, the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant. They came in waves one after another…

1

All of this information appeared vividly in his mind as everything he saw came to life. The sound of footsteps, conversations and even the tempo of their breathing…


Not a single detail went unnoticed.


It was like watching a real movie and having the movie resolution switch from 360p to ultra HD 1080p, every frame was complete.

4

Everything in the world remained the same and yet it was like the world had been turned upside down.


That was right, the world remained unchanged. What changed instead was Chen Chen’s perspective of the world.

3

Countless inspiration danced about in his mind. He only had to invoke a thought to recall any memory and knowledge, from the most minute detail to the most significant.

2

He seemed to have suddenly recalled something. Chen Chen lifted his eyebrow and pulled out his phone and looked up the word Limitless. Only this time, Chen Chen added several additional words behind the phrase and added “TV series”.

1

The poster and summary of the TV series Limitless instantly showed up on his search results.


“In the conclusion of the movie, the main character, Eddie Morra, finds out how to counteract the side-effects of the drug. But since it wasn’t shown in the movie, the flash drive isn’t able to instantiate it.


“However, three years later, the movie was readapted into a TV series. Due to the longer runtime, the TV series will need a more engaging story than the movie. Therefore, there’s an eighty percent chance that the TV series will reveal the solution to counteracting the side-effects of NZT…”

6

The idea flashed through Chen Chen’s mind.


For some reason, both the TV series and movie version of Limitless were blocked in Mainland China. Only a brief introduction of the series could be found on the official website. It was not possible to watch them.

12

However, it was on the internet. After some further investigation, Chen Chen was able to find all episodes of the TV series on an inconspicuous niche website.

7

Chen Chen skipped to the final episode and fast-forwarded it to the end of the episode.


Sure enough, in the TV series Limitless, the solution to counteracting the side-effects of NZT-48 was revealed.


It was something known as an “immunity shot.”


According to the TV series, there were two categories of “immunity shot”. One of them rendered the user immune to the side-effects of NZT for several weeks. The other kind granted the user permanent immunity to the side-effects of NZT.


There was only one permanent immunity shot in the world and it only made an appearance in the twenty-second episode, the grand finale.

4

This meant that if Chen Chen was able to get his hands on this permanent version of the “immunity shot”, he would be able to use NZT-48 to his heart’s content without having to worry about side-effects.


Chen Chen closed his phone and leaned back on the chair.


Even though they were both parts of the Earth Federation, perhaps due to political reasons, Mainland China and North America had always been at odds with each other.

9

The battle they were fighting was not necessarily a war but a competition of culture, information, technology, economics, and various other forms.

4

Therefore, now and then there were TV series originating from North America that were not audited by Mainland China, which included the TV series Limitless.

2

In Chen Chen’s memory, he was just randomly browsing online when he came across news of Limitless being adapted into a film series. He was only fourteen-years-old at the time.


He had only casually glanced past it at that time where this information was then buried into the mountain’s load of information swarming on the internet.


Furthermore, even if the TV series was a big hit in North America, he still would not have thought of it when he got the flash drive seven days ago.


This was the effect of NZT-48…


Within three minutes of taking the drug, he was able to pick up distant memories from four years ago to help him find the solution to combat the side-effects of NZT.


He had taken the wrong approach in his very first step.


Chen Chen reflected silently.


Choosing NZT-48 was not the most optimal option, the best option would have been the Crystalline from Chronicles.

14

Why say so?


It was because researching the flash drive would require a great, great, great deal of funds.


Even if the technology was unable to explain the existence of the flash drive, it would still be very worthwhile to solve the energy problem of the flash drive.


As long as the flash drive had ample energy, the possibilities were endless.


If Chen Chen had selected the superpower, he would have millions of ways to attain a large number of funds.

1

However, NZT was different.


NZT was just a drug used to stimulate the brain. Though its value was immeasurable, if Chen Chen really wanted to use NZT to make money, he would first have to accumulate enough knowledge, only then he could use that knowledge to help him make money.

3

Suddenly, there was an additional step in the entire process.


He did not need to even bother with the idea of using the stock market to make money. First of all, Chen Chen did not have the capital funds needed.

1

Secondly, it usually took years for stock prices to fluctuate. If Chen Chen wanted to use the stock market, he would have to resort to high-risk maneuvers like chasing the peak, short-term speculation or taking loans.

1

Furthermore, the stock market in China was manipulated by stockbrokers.

2

Besides, the NZT-48 drugs were numbered.


Chen Chen had calculated before that the sack contained exactly five hundred pills. Each pill lasted approximately twelve hours.

2

Even if Chen Chen only took one pill per day, it would only sustain him for one and a half years.


Not to mention the significant drawbacks of NZT-48.


If the flash drive were to become unusable, Chen Chen would not be able to find other solutions for dealing with the side-effects of NZT-48. Things would certainly get interesting then…

1

In conclusion, NZT-48 was not the best selection available.

5

Since the choice had already been made, there was no point regretting now.


Chen Chen continued thinking while heading toward the door.


At this point, Chen Chen had verified that the NZT was not lethal hence, there was no need to remain here.


However, when Chen Chen passed by the pair of mother and daughter, his ears suddenly jerked. He promptly turned to the little girl and said to her, “Your father will be coming out soon.”


“Really?”


The little girl adorably raised her head.


The young mother beside her was taken back. She raised her head in astonishment and looked at Chen Chen.


What she saw before her was a boy with a pair of clear eyes like a pool of dark crystal without a trace of impurity in them. She could even see her reflection in those eyes

2

“He’s a hero, he’ll turn the situation around.”


The boy smiled gently, then turned around and left. What he said seemed to make no sense but was somehow very convincing.


The little girl looked back at her mother innocently. “Mom, is what the brother said true?”


The young mother opened her mouth and did not know how to answer her. At that moment, the door to the emergency room number two suddenly opened.


“May I know who the family members of Yang Yuexin are?”

2

A stretcher was pushed out of emergency room number two. One of the nurses turned to the pair of mother and daughter who was getting up hurriedly. “You must be the family of Yang Yuexin. After the operation, the patient’s condition has stabilized for the moment. Why don’t you head inside and sort out the official documents.”


“Ah!” The young mother was so surprised that her body trembled. “Alright! Alright…”

2

…


After Chen Chen had left the hospital, he took the subway back to the school.


It was not some sort of act of prophecy that helped him determine that the little girl’s father was safe. It was because Chen Chen had heard the conversation coming from inside the emergency room.


The television on the subway had broadcasted the incident earlier. Even though Chen Chen did not pay attention at that time, after taking NZT, he was able to notice that the little girl’s eyebrows were identical to the eyebrows of the brave man on the news.


In addition, the incident occurred on Renmin Road, which was not far away from Shangdu People’s Hospital. If they called 120, it was very likely it was Shangdu People’s Hospital that had dispatched an ambulance.


The age, time, and location added up. Coupled with the little girl’s appearance, anyone would be able to identify the pair of mother and daughter.

2

Of course, being able to identify them was one matter. First, you had to be able to extract all this information from all the other countless information in your brain and then form a connection between them.


Chen Chen, who had taken NZT, possessed the exact skill to do so.


Astonishing perception and deduction ability. Everything the eyes saw, the ears heard, and every single memory and information could be instantly utilized to string together a connection to form a plausible explanation…


This was what NZT-48 was capable of.

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Good

Good

Ok

Ok

Ok

Ait

Yh

Chapter 8: Insufficient Energy
1

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

‘Next step: instantiating the ‘Permanent Immunity Shot’.


‘If successful, no matter what I try in the future, at the very least, there’ll be a safety net to fall back on.


‘But if it’s a failure…’


On the subway, Chen Chen continued scribbling his plans in a notebook.

2

Even after taking NZT, Chen Chen still did not dare to make any assumptions about the USB drive.


After all, it was an existence that had surpassed the realms of science. Even all of the cutting-edge scientific studies that mankind had accumulated so far stood no chance before it.


‘Anyway, experiment on it as soon as possible.’


Chen Chen thought to himself as he touched the USB drive strapped on his arm.

3

Three o’clock in the afternoon, Chen Chen returned to the school. He noticed there was not a single person in the dorm.


According to the class schedule, this afternoon was Professor Deng Yun’s biochemistry class. Unless he had taken a day off, he would not simply skip Old Deng’s class.


There would not be another opportunity like this again. Chen Chen locked the door and quickly booted up the computer to download the final episode of the TV series, Limitless.


Chen Chen only took off the USB drive from his arm after ten minutes when the download was complete.


Over the past few days, Chen Chen had regularly inspected whether the USB drive could regain its glossiness on its own. After all, the USB drive had sufficient energy at the time he first got it.


It could be that all that energy was left behind for him by the previous owner of the USB drive.


Therefore, Chen Chen had reasons to believe that the USB drive could recharge itself.


It seemed apparent now that Chen Chen had made a wrong assumption.


Over the last seven days, the USB drive remained unchanged. It did not seem like it was going to regain even a bit of its glossiness.

1

Unless the recovery period took years, that might be it.


He also did not know how many times the USB drive had performed instantiation, how much energy was left in it, and whether it could instantiate the permanent immunity shot.


Chen Chen continued pondering while inserting the USB drive into the computer.


The USB drive was quickly validated as a disk-shaped symbol appeared on the computer screen.


Chen Chen opened the USB drive space. He copied the downloaded video into it.


Finally, Chen Chen double-clicked the video.


“Thump!”


An error message window popped out.


“Unable to play?”


Chen Chen frowned. He began to feel slightly defeated. Then, that feeling was immediately suppressed by NZT’s drug effect.


One of the most valuable aspects of the NZT drug was that it could help the user remain composed.


For ordinary people, the term being calm was merely an adjective. It was not an easy task for someone to attain real, complete calmness.


Yet, Chen Chen did it effortlessly like it was just second nature to him.


Humans knew to breathe and cry from the moment they were born as these were instincts. Right now, calmness was Chen Chen’s instinct.


“No, there must be another reason…”


In Chen Chen’s completely composed state, he suddenly thought of another possibility.


He considered for a moment and tried to create a new folder in the USB drive.


He right-clicked on a blank space – New – File. Sure enough, a new item called “New Folder” appeared in the USB drive.


There was hope!


Chen Chen immediately opened the web page and began downloading the TV series Limitless. From the first episode to the second last episode, not missing a single one.


This round, it took a longer time to download.


Chen Chen suddenly noticed he could not bear the idea of himself just doing nothing.


In that case, he could put his learning ability after taking NZT-48 to the test.


While Chen Chen was waiting for the download, he flipped open a book on the table titled “21st Century University Level English (Volume One).”


English and math had never been Chen Chen’s strong suit, otherwise, he would not have taken a major in biological science. The prospects of this major he took were rather bleak. The only advantage was that the graduation rate was relatively high.

1

Chen Chen shook his head, then he flipped open the book and took a brief look.


However, just one brief look made him completely immersed in it.


In that instant, the entire dorm fell into a deep, extreme silence. The only sounds left were the buzzing from the computer hard drive spinning and the clock’s never-ending tick tock…

1

“Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock…”


Under the still surface, Chen Chen’s brain was operating at extreme speed. Starting from junior high school, memories of each English class began to surface vividly in his mind.


Using the current textbook as a reference, all the information he originally did not understand was quickly deciphered, digested…


…


“Hmm?”


By the time Ye Chen came back to his senses from studying, he had already flipped through the entire textbook and arrived at the final page.

2

Chen Chen blankly stared at the final blank page on the hardcover. He suddenly jolted and came back to his senses.


“Is this what it feels like to gain knowledge?”

15

Chen Chen tried to recall his previous enchanting state.


When he was in that state, the process of gaining knowledge did not feel dull. On the contrary, he could feel himself being rejuvenated bit by bit.


Under the effect of NZT, he was able to grasp all the knowledge in the book after only going through them once.


Not only that, over this learning session, he was even able to resolve information he did not understand back in junior high.


He checked the time. Only an hour had passed.


In just an hour, Chen Chen had successfully learned an entire semester’s worth of English.


“Phew!”


Chen Chen breathed out a muddy breath, expressing the shock and awe he felt. This was the first time he had experienced how delightful and captivating learning was.


All of this was thanks to the effects of NZT-48.

1

“Ding!”


Right then, a notification came from the computer indicating that the download had been completed.

1

Chen Chen closed the book. He opened the computer and made sure all of the episodes had been downloaded. Then, he clicked ctrl + c, opened up the new folder in the USB drive, and clicked ctrl + v.


The progress bar flashed quickly.


About ten seconds later, nearly a dozen gigabytes worth of file was moved into the USB drive.


Once again, Chen Chen opened the twenty-second episode. The video software was promptly started. This time, there was no error message window popping out on the computer.


“I knew it!”


Chen Chen’s eyes turned bright.


His hypothesis was correct. For the USB drive to instantiate an object, apart from it having to be a video featuring real people, there was another hidden condition.


The completeness of the story.


Considering what had happened earlier, he had only downloaded the final episode of the TV series and was not able to open the film.


However, after he had downloaded all of the episodes in the series, he was able to open it.


Did this mean that the USB drive could only perform instantiation after attaining the complete story?

2

It remained unknown how many hidden secrets the USB drive contained…

2

Chen Chen heaved a sigh of relief. He silently skipped the video to the part of the “permanent immunity shot” and paused it.


After that, Chen Chen began to imagine the immunity shot in the screen being manifested into reality.


“Bloop…”


The screen seemed to turn into a pane of clear water. The permanent immunity shot swayed up and down in the water, forming circles of ripples around it.


Chen Chen subconsciously raised his hand.


However, the very moment Chen Chen was about to grip the immunity shot, the footage suddenly stopped!


“Thump!”


In an instant, Chen Chen felt an electrocuting sensation on his fingertips as if he had been bitten by a bug!


He immediately withdrew his hand and noticed blood was pouring out of his finger.


On his fingertips, a tiny chunk of flesh had disappeared out of thin air…

4

At that moment, a window popped out from the screen again.


What was displayed on the window was not a software error. Instead—


“Insufficient Energy.”

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Chapter 9: To the Library

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Insufficient Energy.”


While staring at the new popup window, Chen Chen’s face looked like he was deep in thought.


Suffice to say, the trickiest scenario had occurred.


The USB drive had exhausted all of its energy instantiating the NZT-48. It would not be able to instantiate any other items.


Having said that, Chen Chen also obtained a piece of good news.


Since it could display a message like “Insufficient Energy”, then it could be taken to imply that the USB drive could be recharged.


As long as the worst-case scenario had not occurred, there was still a chance to salvage the situation.


The only question was what sort of energy did he need to recharge the USB drive?

7

Chen Chen continued staring at the old and dim USB drive before him when an idea suddenly struck him.


He walked to the dorm door and looked up.


An IC card electricity meter was embedded into the wall.


Since the area was along the coastline, the use of air conditioning was common. Therefore, the Shangdu Jiao Tong University dorm did not prohibit the usage of high-voltage electrical appliances.


However, there was a switch in every dorm, limiting the total power usage below 10A.


At the moment, the electricity meter display showed that there was still an excess of 52.65kWh usable electricity in dorm 404.


Electricity?


Chen Chen turned around and searched for the user manual of the laptop. He found out that the laptop’s output voltage was 19V and the output current was 7.8A.


This meant that the laptop’s rated power was at around 150W. It should use around 0.15 kWh per hour.


The USB specification listed the USB supply voltage at approximately 5V and the maximum supply current was 500mA. This meant the maximum output power for a single USB port was 2.5W and the energy consumption per hour was around 0.0025kWh.

4

At this point, Chen Chen furrowed his eyebrows. He ejected the USB drive and turned his attention to the power strip on the table.


This power strip was bought with the money pooled together by four people at the start of the semester. Placed on top of the table, it was more than enough to cater to the needs of four people.


To make things more convenient, they specifically bought a power strip with a dedicated USB port at that time.


Chen Chen looked at the power strip. Iit was listed that the USB port power was 5V, 4A. This meant that the largest maximum power output was 20W, consuming 0.02kWh per hour.


At this point, Chen Chen inserted the USB drive into the power strip’s USB port.


“If my assumptions are correct, if the USB drive can be recharged with electricity, it should be reflected in the electricity meter as well.”


Chen Chen thought the computer was currently the only thing using electricity. If he turned off the computer and the electricity meter was still running after an hour, that would prove the USB drive could use electrical energy.

2

The reason that he did not plug into the computer’s USB port was that the computer’s USB power was too low. The electricity meter could only display the first two decimal places. If he plugged into the computer USB, he would not be able to tell even if there were electrical usage.


Chen Chen looked at the time and took his phone out again to set an hour-long timer.


After that, he turned off the computer and flipped open a copy of Modern Molecular Biology and began reading.


…


An hour had passed by quickly.


When the phone timer rang, Chen Chen had just happened to arrive at the final page as well. However, Chen Chen was not satisfied.


Modern Molecular Biology served as decent academic material but it was a little too crude and general for Chen Chen. It was unable to satisfy his learning crave.


It looked like he would have to make a trip to the library after settling the matter here.


Chen Chen was determined. After that, he walked to the electricity meter and took a look at the value displayed.


Usable electricity: 52.63kWh.


Consumed 0.02kWh in an hour, knew it!


Chen Chen’s eyes glowed. He was certain that the USB drive was able to recharge itself using electricity.

4

This discovery was astounding, almost rivaling the significance of instantiating NZT-48.


Just as Chen Chen was trying to contain his excitement, he suddenly felt a vibration in his ear. He promptly removed the USB drive and stuffed it in his pocket.


The sound of footsteps was approaching closer. Chen Chen looked at the direction of the door. Suddenly, the dorm door was kicked open with a loud “bang.”


Li Bo marched into the tempo of Meipai Shake1.


“Chen Chen, you didn’t attend this afternoon’s class!”


When he saw Chen Chen staying at the dorm, Li Bo immediately yelled at the top of his voice, “Old Deng was calling for you specifically!”


“I already requested a day off with the councilor.”


Chen Chen said without turning toward him, “Lil Bo, we better not walk together from now on,”


“Why?”


“I’m worried I’ll get beaten up being seen walking with you.”

2

Chen Chen packed his belongings. Seeing as it was not five o’clock yet, he got up and went outside the dorm.


“Where are you going? Want to grab a meal at AA later?”


“I don’t have money, bye.”


Chen Chen left without turning back to look at him.


His current state was different from his usual self. Even Chen Chen took note of this.


If his past self was described as a quiet and shy teenager, then right now, he was a fully confident and composed successful man.

2

Not an ounce of fear, uneasiness, shyness…


All he had was unapologetic confidence.


It was different to conceal this sort of temperament. Therefore, Chen Chen tried his best to distance himself from people he knew so they would not sense that something was off.


Chen Chen reached the canteen. He bought four buns with two Renminbi. He ate two of them and put away the remaining two in a plastic bag for when he got hungry at night.

2

Such was the simple life of a poor man.


How boring.


While walking to the library, Chen Chen continued thinking about his next move.

2

If he wanted to do great things in his life, he could do so with the help of NZT-48. However, there was no end to a man’s desire. How would he be able to be satisfied?

1

Naturally, his next move was to find a way to recharge the USB drive and squeezed the maximum value of the USB drive.

1

The power strip’s USB port did not have enough power.


Though he did not know exactly how much power the USB drive needed to meet the required condition, even his toes could figure out it was an astronomical number.

3

Therefore, Chen Chen was going to need a large number of funds.


Once he had the funds, whether he wanted to buy himself a factory in the industrial zone or build a power plant, these options would all be viable.


Only by doing this would Chen Chen be able to supply the USB drive with enough electricity while remaining unnoticed by the outside world.

6

To sum it up, money was still the catalyst for everything.


As it was now, there was only one way Chen Chen could make money and that was with the help of NZT.

1

When Chen Chen thought of this, he no longer hesitated. He firmly planted both feet into the library building.


When Chen Chen saw the crowd in the library, he sighed quietly.


It seemed like he would have to camp here for some time to come.


The library had no lack of situations where “the book was present but the person was not”. Several golden spots where it was quiet and allowed easy access were already taken up by piles of books. If not for there being someone to clean up at night, these books could probably pile up dust.


Chen Chen came to the foreign language reading room. He surveyed briefly before choosing Modern University Level English (Second Edition). Then, he found an acceptable spot for him to sit down.


Back when Chen Chen was in junior high, he had wondered why was it that China region had to make Northern America’s language a compulsory subject, and what with it taking up such a large ratio in the curriculum?

6

It was not until just now when Chen Chen finally understood.


As much as he did not want to admit it, Northern America was the true core of the confederation whether in terms of economics or technology.

10

All of the truly prestigious academic thesis was largely written in English.


It was difficult to express some of the technical and professional vocabularies in Chinese. Even after translated, a layer of its meaning was missing in translation.

7

This one layer of meaning that may seem unseemly proved to be greatly significant. It caused many difficulties for research in Mainland China.


Therefore, if Chen Chen wanted to venture into scientific research, proficiency in English was going to be a cornerstone.


This was the advice of the older generation in China when it came to education.


It was not fawning over Western ideologies nor was it siding with others. It was all just to keep up with others.

3

That was all it was.

TBC...
Source: I Have A Super USB Drive - ExtraNovel.com

Yes

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Uu

Yes