Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness-Chapter 843 - 839 Mitochondria

Bi Fang rode his camel to a huge campsite.

He had returned to the location where he had previously discovered the ancient tomb.

Bi Fang was in no rush to go back; he still wanted to see how the tomb's development would unfold.

Walking along the Nile River, he couldn't be sure when he would find a town, so it seemed better to catch a ride at the campsite. Vaziri and the others likely wouldn't refuse—in fact, they would probably welcome him.

Sure enough, Vaziri came out of the tomb specially to greet Bi Fang on his return, and took him on a tour of the campsite under construction.

A day had passed, and the construction here had already begun in full swing.

Looking around, there were at least a dozen white tents erected on the sand, and these were not ordinary camping tents that claimed to be all-in-one, but rather, mobile structures similar to Mongolian yurts, supported by huge tent canvas.

Two huge trucks and a water storage truck were parked outside the campsite. Equipment was being moved down from them and dust kicked up in some areas.

In the center of the camp, Bi Fang also saw two white plastic barrels at least three meters high. These were devices filled with fresh water, connected below to various simple water pipes leading to each tent, providing easy access to water for use, even for showering.

"There's no need to worry about running out of water, you can even shower—it's near the closest town, less than three hundred kilometers away," Vaziri proudly said.

Egypt has many relics, and they are very concentrated, mostly on the west side of the Nile River.

Because the ancient Egyptians held a special reverence for the Nile River, they chose the west bank as they believed it was where the sun set, the city of the dead, where the deceased would return to life.

Therefore, as they often needed to work outdoors, having these conventional tents to provide as much convenience as possible was necessary.

Transportation was also very convenient; it only needed a few trucks traveling near the Nile River.

Scholars and professors didn't want to miserably eat dust in the yellow sand; obviously, they arrived as comfortably as possible.

Before leaving, Bi Fang saw that the campsite was quite large, which was one of the reasons he decided to return.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be happy to squeeze into a small tent with a group of sweaty men who had been busy all day.

Endurance through hardship is a virtue, but it is not necessary.

Hardship is merely hardship, nothing else; contemplating hardship is what truly has value.

After hundreds of billions of years of slumber,

humans finally woke up on this spectacular planet.

Imbued with radiant colors and bountiful life.

Yet within decades, they would close their eyes again.

Such rare fortunate ones won among many possibilities to be born should naturally choose the life they want.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be too sad?

After a brief stroll around the campsite, Bi Fang told Vaziri he wanted to rest.

After walking through the desert for over two months, Bi Fang was indeed very tired, and Vaziri was understanding. He immediately arranged for someone to take him to a tent that was not the largest, but had the best facilities.

Bi Fang moved Alpha to a newly built shed nearby, had someone prepare some water and food for it, and then proceeded alone into the tent, where his eyes were immediately opened wide.

The cylindrical structure of the tent made the interior look spacious and bright. The aluminum frame and nylon fabric were sturdy and light. The harsh sunlight penetrated the thick layer of fabric, leaving just the right amount of good visual light.

A single bed was placed on one side, with a simple desk and long bench equipped with a lamp on the right, and on the left was a wooden barrel with a water faucet attached to a plastic water pipe.

It was clear that the plastic pipeline connected the two large water barrels in the center of a dozen tents.

The ground was bare sand, which wasn't really a bad thing; it actually added a touch of interest.

Though the furnishings were very simple, they appeared precious in the desert and could surely be considered luxurious.

Bi Fang took a few steps forward and lay straight down on the bed, his body's heat was drawn away as his bones stretched out comfortably, making stiff creaking sounds, and his solid muscles softened.

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After squinting his eyes shut for a while, Bi Fang jumped up from the bed, went outside the tent, and saw that Alpha had already begun eating the forage provided by the staff. Then he turned back to the room, filled the wooden barrel with water, and prepared to take a good bath.

There was no hot water, nor was it needed.

During the day, the weather was hot and the fresh water left outdoors had been heated to scalding temperatures; jumping in would wash him off.

After bathing, Bi Fang borrowed a brand-new razor and scissors from someone and tidied up his personal appearance in front of the mirror.

Even in the wilderness, Bi Fang shaved, but using a knife never got it completely clean, often leaving one or two millimeters of stubble.

The same was true for his hair, which he had only cut once with a knife since Nemo Point until today.

Now, with more convenient tools, Bi Fang found his head feeling instantly refreshed, his chin smooth again, numerous strands of hair falling down, and only some stubble remained on the sides of his temples, making him look revived.

Having done it so many times himself, Bi Fang had already developed quite a good skill. Although there were many hairstyles he couldn't accomplish, giving himself a neat, short haircut was not difficult.

After finishing, Bi Fang rinsed off under the faucet, washing away the excess cut hair, then put on the new clothes that had just been delivered, a T-shirt, and large shorts that didn't really demand much of a fit and were about the same when worn.

Once he was all set, Bi Fang sat at the desk and opened the system panel.

Two combo missions, plus a straight mission, the rewards distributed all at once were undoubtedly very generous.

[The final rewards are: 2 High-Order Skill Enhancement Coupons, 1 Muscle Control Enhancement Coupon, 1 Mitochondria Enhancement Coupon, 5 Enhancement Points, 5047 Wilderness Points.]

Considering the Skill Enhancement Coupons, Bi Fang decided to put them all into his Wilderness Traveler skill, fully upgrading it to an orange, max level.

After a brainstorm, Bi Fang reopened his eyes, his gaze carrying a hint of joy.

Wilderness Traveler was his cornerstone; this skill now could almost be said to be perfected, and as for the next higher red tier, Bi Fang hadn't yet found a way to advance to it.

If it weren't for the System asserting its reality, Bi Fang might have suspected it was fictitious.

High-Order Skill Enhancements, besides needing coupons, also required an Enhancement Point, and at this moment, Bi Fang was left with his last three points: he added one to his strength and two to his intellect.

Not to mention the Wilderness Points just yet; those were mostly tossed into the store.

Bi Fang shifted his gaze to the main attractions of this reward session, one Muscle Control Enhancement Coupon, and one Mitochondria Enhancement Coupon.

Such enhancement coupons aimed at specific areas had always been gems among gems.

Their chance of appearing in the store was so low it was infuriating; across two years, with Bi Fang frequently refreshing the store, they had never appeared.

Thus, it was clear, receiving them from missions was the only way to gain these highest rewards.

Muscle Control Enhancement Coupon.

As the name suggested, it would increase the control over one's muscles, allowing for more detailed micro-manipulations.

Human muscles are extremely complex.

The strength of muscles shows in many ways, such as Absolute Strength, Speed Strength, Endurance Strength, and Dynamic Strength.

Dynamic Strength refers to the strength that can maintain more frequent movements.

The epitome of Absolute Strength is the masseter muscle. In 1986, a man in Florida released a jaw pressure of 442 kilograms in just 2 seconds, setting a world record.

The epitome of Dynamic Strength is the extraocular muscles. These muscles can pull the eyeball at least 10,000 times in the process of reading a book for an hour, and humans can keep reading for several hours straight.

According to studies, the movement of extraocular muscles during movie watching is even more frequent than while reading, well exceeding 10,000 times per hour, and ordinary people can also watch movies for several hours.

An unmeasurable champion of Absolute Strength is the uterine muscle.

The intense contractions during childbirth generate the strongest force in the human body, but this force is influenced by hormones and other biochemical factors, making it unmeasurable.

The heart muscle is the king of stamina because it beats from birth until death.

The most powerful isolated muscle is the gluteus maximus.

The gluteus maximus is the primary anti-gravity muscle that maintains human upright posture. Every upright action completed by humans requires the force of the gluteus maximus.

There are also the calf soleus muscles.

The calf muscles are the strongest in terms of external force, not because the calf muscles themselves can produce much strength, but because the toes serve as the fulcrum when raising the heels, utilizing the principle of a force-saving lever, exhibiting great external force.

Most of the skeletal muscles in the human body pull on bones using energy-intensive levers; thus, the calf muscles, being one of the few force-saving levers, often stand out.

The king of muscle functionality has to be the tongue.

Rich in nerves and blood vessels, the tongue consists of eight muscles, making it a truly versatile muscle in the human body.

These muscles are indeed incredible but also cannot function without skilled control.

If control could be enhanced, their performance would definitely improve to a higher level.

In the wilderness, this could save physical energy and provide a significant enhancement to the body itself.

One clear benefit is that Bi Fang could get more muscles to work together, achieving higher bursts and attack effects.

An interesting notion is that if humans could fully utilize each muscle, the total strength of the body could reach twenty-five tons.

Of course, that's a baseless claim.

It's not because the body structure can't support it, but because it's impossible for a person to use the force of sphincter muscles in a straight punch, which is not only morally wrong but also extremely impolite.

Moreover, many of these involve energy-intensive levers.

However, the fact that this idea has spread also proves that human potential is indeed higher than many people think.

Using the Muscle Control Enhancement Coupon.

The coupon transformed into a beam of golden light in his mind, which then shattered loudly, turning into countless fragments of golden dust flowing deep into his body.

Sitting on a stool, Bi Fang quickly felt his body temperature rise, and soon he was sweating profusely, parched and tongue-tied, grabbing a water bottle next to him and guzzling it down, one bottle after another.

It wasn't until he had consumed nearly three liters of water and was about to add salt to it that his body's changes gradually subsided, and the temperature began to decrease.

Supporting his somewhat swollen brain, the freshly bathed Bi Fang had no choice but to stand under the tap and rinse off again, the streaming water falling from the thick plastic board onto the desert below, quickly evaporating.

"Phew!"

Bi Fang took a deep breath and promptly felt something different.

His breathing deepened.

Taking a few steps, he felt lighter, as if it took no effort, almost as if he were walking on clouds.

Then he jumped, ran, did deep squats, backflipped, and did a one-handed handstand.

One by one, movements that looked strenuous to ordinary people were performed with ease by Bi Fang.

These moves weren't challenging for Bi Fang before the enhancement, and his physical condition allowed him to do them easily, but now they were done with even more ease.

And...

Bi Fang did a one-handed handstand with his right hand held behind his back, deliberately destabilizing himself, yet his body made a series of tiny adjustments and didn't move at all.

"Amazing."

Bi Fang muttered to himself.

The combination of muscle control enhancement and enhanced balance had effects greater than the sum of their parts, like standing normally on one hand!

Bi Fang even realized he hadn't broken a sweat!

It felt incredible!

The expansion of his abilities was like expanding his living space—the range of actions he could perform increased significantly, providing him both physical and mental ease as if there was nothing he couldn't do with this newfound power.

Bi Fang resumed his position with both hands on the ground, then bent his arms, coordinated his waist and abdomen, and flipped upright from his handstand position.

It was as unbelievable as something out of an animation.

After moving his body around, Bi Fang managed to control his excitement and turned his attention to the Mitochondria Enhancement Coupon.

Mitochondria…

Upon seeing this coupon, Bi Fang couldn't quite believe his eyes initially.

Anyone who has studied biology knows the significant role of mitochondria—they are the direct functional entities of biological activities!

Mitochondria act as the cell's energy factories, primarily consuming oxygen to "burn" three main nutrients: carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids, to generate an energy "currency"—Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP).

This process is aerobic respiration.

Without mitochondria, humans would not exist, as the life processes of higher organisms require a vast amount of energy, and anaerobic glycolysis produces only about 1/16 of the ATP made by aerobic oxidation.

A person needs to break down an amount of ATP equivalent to their body weight every day. This ATP is not stored in the body; the total mass of ATP molecules in the human body is only around 50 grams.

In fact, each ATP molecule is reused about 1,000-1,500 times a day.

Such rapid energy turnover relies on the efficient work of mitochondria.

But that only scratches the surface of what mitochondria do.

Humans have lived up to 122 years so far, yet some animals can live over 500 years. What exactly determines the lifespan of humans?

What is making us age, and what is preventing us from living indefinitely?

Numerous biologists have followed one another in studying aging, attempting to unlock the secrets of longevity, and to date, many hypotheses have been put forward, among which the free radical aging theory is the most famous.

Free radicals are produced during cellular reactions. Every day that humans breathe, they generate free radicals, and the more free radicals, the more they may accelerate aging.

And the primary source of free radicals is the powerhouse itself—mitochondria.

What does its enhancement entail?

For the first time, Bi Fang found himself deep in thought.