154: A giant bat.

[The Real World]

Shen Mingyuan's gaze was still fixed on those seemingly harmless pellets of feed, his fingertips retaining the hard texture transmitted through the glove.

The frustration of finding nothing intertwined with suspicion about the root cause of the incident.

Just then, the phone in his pocket vibrated. He took it out; the screen showed the starry sky avatar.

.: What you are touching is extremely dangerous. Its surface is coated with a highly efficient artificial biological catalyst, designed to forcibly accelerate the basal metabolism and cell division of living organisms. However, it possesses a fatal flaw that causes the organism to disintegrate from the inside out due to malignant cell proliferation.

Preliminary assessment suggests the recent abnormal animal deaths originated from this.

.: This catalyst exists in multiple variants. Your area may be used for comparative testing of different formulas. Avoid direct skin contact and inhalation of dust. Its nature is extremely malevolent; this is no accident.

The cold text made Shen Mingyuan's eyes narrow. Catalyst... forced cell division... organism disintegration... In an instant, Zhu Zicong's cold, fanatical voice from Wild Fox Ridge flashed through his mind: '...injected with Catalyst-Type 7... It will activate all your potential, regardless of the cost...'

And Zhou Zihui's distorted, swelling, monstrous form that ultimately erupted with terrifying power... 'So that's it.'

Everything became clear to Shen Mingyuan. Zhu Zicong, and the 'Prometheus' behind him—they were testing the efficiency of different 'formulas'!

BOOM——!!! The moment he pieced the clues together, a far more violent and destructive explosion than the previous muffled sounds from within the animals suddenly erupted from the opposite side of the Rescue Center's main building!

The ground shook violently; the sounds of shattering buildings, alarms, and screams merged into chaos!

This was not an explosion from within a living creature. This was physical demolition!

No, this was definitely not an accident or a secondary animal self-detonation! What made Shen Mingyuan's heart sink further was that the explosion seemed to originate from roughly the direction of... the python quarantine area!

Zhao Dayou was taken by staff to the observation window—could he be nearby? Where was he now?

Without a moment's hesitation, he instantly pulled up the sleeve on his left wrist, his fingertip pressing precisely on that crimson treasure bead.

Vmm—! A silvery-black biomass fluid surged from beneath his skin, covering his entire body in an instant, outlining the streamlined and cold contours of the 'shadow' armor. The helmet sealed shut; dark red lenses lit up.

The entire process was completed in a shadowy corner, swift as a ghost.

Transformed, Shen Mingyuan shot toward the direction of the explosion like a black bolt of lightning.

He didn't charge directly into the dust-filled center. Instead, leveraging the armor's silent movement capability, he clung to the shadow of an undamaged wall on a nearby building like a true shadow. His gaze pierced through the dust, locking onto two figures at the breach and the giant python undergoing mutation within.

Within the dust, the scene clarified. Zhu Zicong stood at the edge of the breach, wearing that detestable smile that suggested everything was under his control.

Beside him hovered a Giant Bat Evolution with a wingspan close to four meters, a ferocious form covered in dark gray keratinous skin. Undoubtedly a member of the 'New Federation' mentioned by 'The Forger,' its evolutionary direction was clearly toward sound waves or air manipulation.

Ahead of them, on the rubble inside the building, the Golden Python 'Big Yellow,' which should have been in a quarantine tank, was undergoing a horrifying mutation!

Its size visibly swelled; irregular tumors bulged beneath its golden scales; the sound of twisting bones was grating. It was clearly enduring some intense, uncontrolled forced evolution!

Shen Mingyuan held his breath and focused, his enhanced hearing catching fragments of conversation carried by the wind.

Zhu Zicong gestured with his chin toward the sporadic painful shrieks and muffled bursts still echoing from other animals nearby. His tone held a hint of hypocritical sentiment, or perhaps pure mockery: 'Tsk tsk, look at these... your 'kin'?

They were living, breathing creatures after all. Just *pop*—turned into experimental data littering the ground. What a pity. Doesn't your 'New Federation' claim to represent the interests of evolved life?'

The Giant Bat Evolution turned its head. Its cold vertical pupils showed no fluctuation. A sound mixing high-frequency vibration and hoarseness issued from its throat, clearly conveying a species-alienated coldness: 'Kin? No. They are merely... unawakened remnants.

Failing to seize the opportunity for evolution, they are fundamentally no different from roadside stones or livestock awaiting slaughter. If their deaths can pave the true path of evolution, that is their sole value.'

Its gaze swept over the panicked ordinary animals and staff in the distance, carrying a condescending indifference. 'Only those who break free from the old shell are qualified to speak of 'kin.' These... are merely background noise.'

Hearing this, Zhu Zicong's smile deepened, as if appreciating this cold logic. 'A valid point. It seems although our paths differ, we share some consensus on certain... 'screening' criteria.'

Just then, the Golden Python's mutation reached a peak. It let out a roar interwoven with pain and frenzy. Its massive body violently shattered more debris. Its head, covered in mucus and newly mutated tissue, turned toward Zhu Zicong and the bat. Its bestial instincts seemed to perceive these two powerful presences as threats or... prey?

Zhu Zicong's attention was drawn back. He stopped chatting, his gaze returning to the shadowy direction. Raising his voice with obvious provocation: 'Seen enough of the show, 'Black Knight'? Or do you want to wait for this 'new product' to fully mature and come play with us together?'

Lurking in the shadows, Shen Mingyuan knew he had been discovered. Their earlier conversation might have been deliberately spoken for him to hear.

He no longer hid, stepping out from the shadows. His dark red lenses locked onto the figures ahead; his voice, processed by the armor, was cold and firm: 'Your 'game' ends here.'

Bang! Bang! Two dark red energy beams tore through the air almost without interval, shooting toward Zhu Zicong and the hovering giant bat!

Zhu Zicong reacted extremely fast. The moment Shen Mingyuan raised his arm, the mocking smile vanished from his face. His body slid backward and sideways with an unnatural flexibility and speed, narrowly avoiding the energy bolt aimed at his chest. The beam grazed the ground where he had stood, exploding into a patch of charred marks.

The Giant Bat Evolution on the other side adopted a different response.

It didn't fully dodge. Instead, it violently flapped its broad wing membranes. The edges of the membranes instantly hardened and vibrated at high frequency, forming a barrier of distorted air before it. The dark red energy beam struck the barrier. It wasn't completely deflected or absorbed; instead, a violent energy clash and explosion occurred!

'Screech——!' The bat let out a sharp, piercing cry of pain—clearly, this wasn't its forte for defense. The impact of the energy explosion caused its massive body to sway violently in the air. A patch of charring and damage appeared on the edge of its wing membrane, and the air barrier dissipated. Pain enraged it.

Its cold vertical pupils instantly locked onto Shen Mingyuan, an angry hum issuing from its throat.

Its huge claws suddenly slammed down onto the rubble-strewn ground. A terrifying force erupted, actually lifting a large, thick slab of concrete flooring along with the rubble and dirt beneath it, hurling it toward Shen Mingyuan like a giant boulder!

Shen Mingyuan had already begun moving after firing. Seeing this, he pushed the armor's speed to its limit. Pushing off with his feet, his figure retreated rapidly backward and sideways while continuously pulling the trigger. Several energy beams shot toward the incoming concrete mass, attempting to shatter or slow it mid-air.

Boom! Crash! Energy bolts exploded on the concrete slab, shattering it into countless fragments, but the remaining massive mass still crashed down with terrifying force. Shen Mingyuan nimbly weaved and dodged through the dust and flying debris, his shadow-like armor almost blending with the environment, narrowly avoiding this heavy, powerful strike.

However, in the moment he dodged this thrown attack, his line of sight and firing rhythm disrupted, the giant bat had already used the dust and explosion as cover, diving and closing in at high speed like a ghost!

Its air-rending shriek rapidly amplified. The edges of its scorched wing membranes began high-frequency vibration again. Visible ripples of distorted air swept toward Shen Mingyuan—this time, no longer for defense, but a charged sonic or air blade attack!