136: The arrival of officials

Just as Shen Mingyuan held his breath, observing and analyzing Qian Qiang's weaknesses, his armor-enhanced hearing picked up an extremely faint, yet remarkably uniform, sound of footsteps.

Along with the rustling of equipment, they were rapidly approaching this underground space from another, more distant main pipeline.

'Someone's coming! And they're well-trained, not police.' Shen Mingyuan's heart tightened, and he instantly made a judgment.

Without hesitation, his body silently slid backward into the shadows. Then, his leg armor exerted a slight force, and with several agile and swift leaps,

he climbed onto a discarded ventilation duct opening on the upper side, like a black civet cat, perfectly concealing himself in the shadows and structural corner of the duct. From this vantage point, he had a clear view, yet it was extremely difficult for those below to detect him.

Almost the second after he had hidden himself, a team of well-equipped personnel in unified dark gray uniforms swiftly burst through the passage entrance, fanning out in a tactical formation. Their movements were clean and precise, instantly securing the entrance and locking onto Qian Qiang on the platform.

Shen Mingyuan had never seen the emblem on their uniforms, but their undeniable official Aura and efficient mode of operation immediately made him realize that this was the official department responsible for handling such "anomalies."

However, The Forger had not yet revealed the specific name of this organization to him.

The team consisted of four people. The leader was a middle-aged man with a resolute face and sharp eyes, clearly the captain.

He raised a hand to signal his team to remain vigilant, his gaze fixed on Qian Qiang's terrifying physique, and spoke in a cold, formalized voice amplified by a device:

"Citizen Qian Qiang. According to Article 7, Paragraph 3 of the 'Provisional Regulations for Supernatural Phenomenon Control and Containment,' you have been designated as an 'individual requiring containment and observation' due to the abnormal activation of the evo factor within your body and the resulting high-threat morphological changes.

You are hereby ordered to cease resistance and cooperate with our containment procedure, proceeding to the designated facility for assessment and control. Repeat, cease resistance, and cooperate with containment."

Qian Qiang was stunned for a moment, his swollen face showing a mixture of fear and bewilderment.

As a small-time hoodlum, when had he ever seen such a display? Official, regulations, containment... these words carried an inherent deterrent, making him instinctively flinch. He made a guttural sound, seemingly wanting to argue or obey.

However, at that moment, a younger-looking team member, with an obvious look of impatience and eagerness on his face, perhaps eager to show off, or perhaps truly believing the other party was just an ugly monster, actually stepped forward and sneered just as the captain finished speaking:

"Captain, why waste words with this thing! Look at what a monstrosity he's become, can he even be considered human? If you ask me, just use coercive measures, knock him out, and drag him away! A monster evolved from such social scum should be controlled quickly, lest he escapes and harms people someday!"

These words were like a spark igniting a powder keg.

Qian Qiang's initial hesitation and timidity, born from the official identity of the team, were instantly ignited by the scornful and murderous words "monster," "scum," and "knock him out and drag him away." They transformed into towering rage and the madness of being insulted!

"Roar—!!! Who are you calling a monster?! Who are you calling scum?!"

Qian Qiang let out an inhuman roar, his swollen body trembling violently with anger, the fat layers on his skin rippling like waves. The secretion of corrosive saliva in his mouth rapidly increased, dripping onto the ground with dense sizzling sounds, and white smoke permeated the air.

"It's you... it's you and that old bastard who want to harm me!! All of you, go to hell!!!"

His last shred of sanity snapped, and the instinct for survival and hatred for all "threats" took over.

He no longer considered obedience. His massive body, with astonishing Aura and weight, violently charged towards the young team member who had spoken, who was also seemingly the weakest link in the entire squad!

The battle, before the official squad could fully control the situation, was completely ignited by a single reckless remark!

The battle erupted in an instant!

Qian Qiang's mountain-like body charged with terrifying momentum, but the GUPA Squad was, after all, a professional team for handling anomalous events. The captain and the other two veteran members reacted extremely quickly, responding the moment Qian Qiang made his move.

"Disperse! Maintain distance! Non-lethal mode, aim for joints and movement paths!"

The captain barked, and at the same time, a strangely shaped rifle with a restraining ring at the muzzle in his hand had already fired, shooting not bullets, but rapidly expanding sticky foam nets, attempting to impede Qian Qiang's charge.

Another team member threw two blue-glowing electromagnetic pulse grenades from the flank, which exploded next to Qian Qiang, disrupting any potential bio-electrical System he might possess.

Yet another team member quickly retreated, aiming a shoulder-mounted launcher at the ground beneath Qian Qiang's feet, firing a rapidly solidifying quick-hardening gel, intending to restrict his movement.

Their tactics were clear and effective, and their coordination was seamless, clearly prioritizing control and live capture.

However, the insolent young team member, being closest and intimidated by Qian Qiang's violent momentum and the pungent, acidic smell, was half a beat slow. The taser darts he hastily fired also missed their mark.

It was this momentary delay that cost him his life!

Qian Qiang appeared clumsy, but under the survival instinct enhanced by the evo factor, his intuition for danger was exceptionally sharp.

He endured two sticky foam shots, ignored the brief paralysis caused by the electromagnetic pulse, and actually tore open the hardening gel beneath his feet with brute force. His massive arm swept horizontally like a battering ram, grabbing the ankle of the young team member who had lost his balance due to insufficient retreat!

"Ah—!" The young team member screamed in terror, lifted upside down, and was about to be dragged under Qian Qiang's giant mouth, which was dripping with strong acid saliva and emitting a foul stench!

"No!" The captain's eyes were bloodshot, but it was too late to turn his gun. The other two team members' restraint weapons also needed reloading or re-aiming.

At this critical juncture—

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of urgent and crisp gunshots suddenly rang out from the darkness above! Several dark red energy beams, trailing faint wisps, precisely and continuously struck Qian Qiang's arm at the joint, shoulder blade, and side of the neck, the arm that was holding the team member!

"Sizzle—!" Qian Qiang cried out in pain, a howl mixed with anger and agony.

When these dark red energy bullets hit his body, they didn't just penetrate but exploded into small bursts of energy with impact and scorching effects. Although they failed to pierce his thick fat and bone plate defense, they successfully interrupted his actions, forcing him to let go and stumble back a few steps, flinging the young team member aside.

A deep, slightly playful voice with a distinct electronic synthesized quality came from above: "It's normal for young people to be impetuous. But being too impetuous and losing your life isn't really acceptable."

Before the words finished, a pitch-black figure, like a bat defying gravity, swooped down from the shadows of the high-up pipeline! In mid-air, the black and red pistols in his hands once again spewed dark red flames. The continuous short bursts were like precise surgical knives, specifically targeting Qian Qiang's relatively vulnerable areas exposed by his retreat—his eye sockets, mouth, and joint connections—further forcing him back and buying valuable time for the GUPA Squad to regroup and rescue the injured member.

"Thud!" The black figure landed lightly, blocking the space between the shaken young team member and the furiously roaring Qian Qiang. His dark red eye lenses coldly scanned the monster before him, his dual pistols steadily aimed at the target.

"You... who are you?!" The rescued young team member gasped, looking at the black armored warrior whose appearance was unlike any known record, exuding a cold and mysterious Aura, and instinctively asked.

The black warrior—Shen Mingyuan, replied calmly through the synthesized voice altered by his armor: "As for a name... you can call me 'shadow.'"

He paused slightly, seemingly contemplating how to introduce his sudden appearance, then added in an emotionless electronic voice, processed by the armor: "As for my identity... merely a passing Detective."

After speaking, without waiting for the other party's reaction, he flicked his wrists, and the dark patterns on his black and red dual pistols glowed faintly, seemingly charging briefly.

Immediately afterward, he actively stepped forward, his dual pistols roaring again, and a barrage of dark red energy bullets, like two precise venomous snakes, bit towards Qian Qiang. At the same time, he himself was rapidly closing in, attempting to get within a distance more favorable for utilizing the armor's agility advantage!