120: attack

On the fifth day, Lu Jianchuan finally had a rare day off.

Despite the holiday, the Rabbit King remained by his side like a shadow—this was a non-mandatory arrangement made by GUPA to ensure the stability of this special "ally," and Lu Jianchuan had already grown accustomed to it.

Before his break, he specifically went to the garage to check on his motorcycle. In just a few days, the motorcycle's form had undergone a significant change.

On the originally sleek silver-white body, faint dark red patterns resembling biological blood vessels or energy circuits had naturally emerged. These patterns were not painted on; they seemed to have grown from within the metal, blending seamlessly with the body. The overall lines had also become sharper, exuding a sense of power ready to be unleashed.

What surprised Lu Jianchuan most was that when he gazed at the motorcycle, he occasionally had the illusion that it wasn't a cold mechanical creation, but a sleeping living organism. He could even feel an invisible "gaze" staring back at him.

“It's just an illusion...” He shook his head, tossing aside the absurd thought. “No matter how powerful ‘The Forger’ is, it’s impossible to turn a motorcycle directly into a living thing, right?” Attributing it to the high mental pressure he’d been under lately, he didn't dwell on it and left the garage.

Just as he was pondering how to spend his vacation, an energetic voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Senior! You're on vacation too!” Wang Yu came running over excitedly, already dressed in an exquisite cosplay outfit, seemingly a character from a popular anime or tokusatsu series. “Great! I was just planning to go to today’s Convention, let's go together...”

Before he could finish, he saw the Rabbit King on Lu Jianchuan's shoulder, and his eyes instantly lit up even more.

Lu Jianchuan looked at Wang Yu's excitement, then at the Rabbit King on his shoulder who had a "don't care, but we can look" expression, and decided this seemed like a good way to pass the time.

“Sure, I’ve got nothing better to do anyway.” He nodded, then turned his head to ask the Rabbit King, “What about you? Do you want to go see? It's... a rather unique part of human culture.”

The Rabbit King's red eyes swept over Wang Yu's strange outfit, and a thought was transmitted: “Let's go. There is no harm in understanding more about your cultural forms.”

Thus, the two men and one rabbit headed to the Convention center in the city center together.

Inside the venue, the noise was deafening, with cosplayers in bizarre costumes and excited tourists everywhere. The bizarre sights caused the Rabbit King's ears to twitch occasionally from receiving too much information.

Lu Jianchuan's gaze scanned the crowd, taking in various familiar anime and game characters. However, the sight that made his eye twitch and left him unsure how to react appeared in a nearby aisle:

A tall cosplayer, wearing the iconic silver and black suit of "Ultraman Noa," was holding a life-sized stone statue of "Ultraman Tiga" in a standard bridal carry while jogging away.

Behind this "Noa," an "Ultraman Tiga Power Type" and an "Ultraman Dyna" were chasing him with heavy steps, letting out muffled roars of "Put—him—down—!" This "story-filled" scene caused even the experienced Lu Jianchuan to fall into a brief silence. Wang Yu was already doubled over laughing beside him, and even the Rabbit King on his shoulder transmitted a thought mixed with extreme confusion and a hint of curiosity:

“Is your human... entertainment behavior always this... difficult to understand?”

Lu Jianchuan looked at the abstract scene before him, remained silent for a moment, and explained to the Rabbit King on his shoulder: “Well, maybe because humans in this era are under a lot of pressure. They might need some... abstract behavior to release it.”

He paused, summarizing in a tone that was half-serious and half-playful:

“Yeah, it's all Godzilla's fault.”

Wang Yu laughed even louder upon hearing this. Meanwhile, the Rabbit King's thoughts fell into a deeper daze; clearly, the name "Godzilla" and the "responsibility" it had to bear in this context were completely beyond the understanding of this evolved rabbit.

Later, the Rabbit King remarked: “Humans are truly complex creatures. Truly worthy of being an old civilization that has existed on this planet for so long. Hmm... from our new civilization's perspective, if we truly seek a way to coexist in the future, there is still much to learn.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Jianchuan quickly covered his face and added: “Uh, don't learn that part, I feel like things will become very strange...”

The group wandered around for a bit longer. Just as they were immersed in the bustle, Lu Jianchuan's expression shifted. He took an inconspicuous black miniature earpiece from his pocket and put it on. The urgent voice of a GUPA Headquarters operator immediately came through:

“...Warning! The base is under attack by a large number of ‘Fissure Beasts’! The number is very high, repeat, the number is very high! The outer defensive line is under immense pressure, requesting all nearby units to support immediately!”

“What?!” Lu Jianchuan's expression changed drastically.

“Senior, what's wrong?” Wang Yu immediately realized something had happened upon seeing his expression.

“Headquarters is under attack!” Lu Jianchuan said heavily. “It's those Fissure Beasts, and there are a lot of them!”

“Then let's hurry back!”

“You guys find a way to get back as soon as possible!” Lu Jianchuan made a quick decision, stuffing the Rabbit King on his shoulder into Wang Yu's arms. “I'll transform and head back directly; that's the fastest way!”

Wang Yu immediately held the Rabbit King tightly: “Understood! Leave it to me!”

The Rabbit King's thought came through urgently: “Take me with you!”

“This time is different!” Lu Jianchuan flatly refused while quickly searching for a hidden spot. “The enemy actually dared to attack the headquarters directly, and in such numbers—the situation is bound to be extremely dangerous! I can't guarantee your safety! Evacuate with Wang Yu!” His tone was firm and brook no argument.

Without another word, Lu Jianchuan quickly slipped into an empty emergency passage and pressed the gem on his armband.

“Hum——”

Silver-white biological fluid instantly covered his body, and the armor was fully equipped. He turned into a silver afterimage, rushing out of the passage at a speed far exceeding that of an ordinary person, racing toward the base.

The people at the Convention only felt a gust of wind as they saw an incredibly realistic silver-armored cosplayer run past at an astonishing speed, exclaiming in surprise: “Wow! Is that a cosplay of that ‘silver skeleton’ from the trailer?”

“The prop suit is so Advanced? And he can run that fast?”

“It looks just like the real thing! That's so cool!”

Lu Jianchuan had no time for anything else and ran at full speed. However, shortly after he left the Convention center area, a low and powerful engine roar approached from a distance and quickly caught up with him!

He glanced to the side and was shocked—it was his modified silver-black-red motorcycle! It had actually started on its own and found him with precision!

Even more startling was that on the front wheel and side wings of the motorcycle, two Fissure Beasts were frantically biting, trying to hinder its progress! The motorcycle had clearly crashed through them to get here.

“You came at the right time!” Lu Jianchuan shouted low. Without pausing, he threw a punch at the nearest Fissure Beast while running.

“Crack!” Blue-white electricity flashed, and that Fissure Beast was instantly electrocuted into charcoal and fell off the vehicle.

He took the opportunity to flip and land precisely on the speeding motorcycle. The moment his palms touched the handlebars, an unprecedented "sense of fit" arose, as if the vehicle had become an extension of his body.

“Vroom——!”

The motorcycle let out a roar like a wild beast, its speed surging again. Carrying Lu Jianchuan like a bolt of silver lightning, it crushed another Fissure Beast clinging to the bike and incinerated it with a blast of flame from the exhaust, racing toward the GUPA Base.

Now was not the time to marvel at the magic of this ride; every second counted!