160: laboratory

[Unknown Underground Laboratory]

The light was dim, and the air was filled with the scent of disinfectant, chemical reagents, and an indescribable, peculiar odor reminiscent of a mixture of stale blood and sickly-sweet nutrient solution.

This place seemed to be the underground section of some abandoned facility, roughly renovated, with walls covered in pipes and interfaces of unknown purpose.

Zhu Zicong—or rather, the existence inhabiting this recently "repaired" and barely restored human-shaped shell—stood in the center of the laboratory.

At his feet, an adult male in ordinary work clothes lay face down, lifeless, with his back torn open to reveal a shocking, bowl-sized bloody hole.

The edges of the hole were not torn but showed a strange state of dissolution and fibrosis, as if the flesh had been precisely corroded and altered by some strong acid or enzyme.

A short, thick "pipe" made of dark red active flesh temporarily condensed extended from Zhu Zicong's palm, deeply inserted into the bloody hole, pulsating faintly.

It was visible that faint light flowed inside the pipe, continuously sucking up dissolved, liquefied biological matter and tissue essence, merging it into Zhu Zicong's body.

His skin, which had been tattered and charred from battle and "shedding," was visibly becoming "fuller" and "healthier." The horrific wound near his right eye slowly smoothed over under the wriggling of active tissue, regenerating thin, slightly lighter-colored skin.

The process was quiet and horrifying. When the suction stopped, the flesh pipe retracted into his palm, and the adult male body on the ground seemed to lose all internal support, rapidly shriveling and collapsing, eventually leaving only a thin layer of "skin" that had lost most of its pigment and elasticity, along with a lightweight skeleton.

Zhu Zicong raised his hand, his moist, glossy fingertips brushing over his now mostly restored right cheek, curling his lips in satisfaction.

Then, he did something even more bizarre—he bent down, grabbed the edge of the "skin," and began to slowly "crawl" into the bloody hole he had "created," his body moving like a boneless mollusk!

It wasn't a physical entry into the corpse, but rather his body and the processed "skin" underwent some kind of biological Fusion and coverage.

In just over ten seconds, when the "skin" on the ground was "inflated" by some force and became full again, standing there was a stranger with a height, build, and even facial contours seventy to eighty percent similar to the victim on the ground, though the cold and madness belonging to Zhu Zicong in his eyes remained unchanged.

He moved his new neck, emitting a faint "crack" sound, casually pulled a spare set of work clothes from a nearby storage rack, and skillfully put them on.

At that moment, steady footsteps came from the shadows at the other end of the laboratory. A figure slowly emerged, stopping at the edge of the light, his face indistinct, only visible as wearing well-tailored dark casual clothes with a slender build.

"You're back." The newcomer's voice was steady, emotionless, as if stating a fact.

"Ah, back." Zhu Zicong tugged at the ill-fitting collar, his tone casual. "What, did you collect any interesting data? That Bat screamed quite loudly, just not very bright."

"Beasts are ultimately Beasts, using power straightforwardly, lacking flexibility. The data value is limited."

The person in the shadows calmly evaluated, then slightly shifted the topic. "However, unexpectedly, a second individual clearly possessing an 'armor' form, with an evolutionary direction completely different from 'silver skeleton,' appeared... 'shadow,' specialized in sniping and perception. What do you think this means?"

Zhu Zicong sneered, seemingly not yet accustomed to his new face, twisting his neck. "I can't be bothered to think about this. Evolution? armor? They're just toys that look a bit hard.

What interests me is tearing them open or making them go 'boom' on their own... that's fun. What, are you going to start your boring little science lecture again?"

In response to Zhu Zicong's sarcasm, the person in the shadows showed no anger, just calmly continued:

"From an observational perspective, when highly convergent specialized evolutionary traits repeatedly appear in different individuals within a population in a short time, it often indicates that some potential evolutionary path is being activated, possibly even becoming a reproducible 'stable form.'

Perhaps in the future, 'armor heroes' like 'silver skeleton' and 'shadow' will spring up like mushrooms after rain."

"Is that so?" Zhu Zicong fiddled with his fingers absentmindedly, his newly grown skin appearing unnaturally pale under the light. "Maybe. But what I'm more concerned about is... Zhou Zihui was taken away at Wild Fox Ridge in the end.

With his vague memory of this place and the official investigative capabilities, it's only a matter of time before this temporary base is located. Aren't you guys planning to pack up and run yet? Waiting for those Gray-Clad Folks to block the door?"

"The relocation procedure has already been initiated." The person in the shadows affirmed. "Most core equipment and data will be transferred before dawn. However, there's one 'thing'... too risky and too loud to move."

"Oh? There's trouble you can't move?" Zhu Zicong raised an eyebrow, showing interest.

"An early, unstable Composite Catalytic Experimental Remnant. Essentially, a failed 'Fusion' attempt, in a forced dormant state."

The mysterious person's tone remained unfluctuating. "Rather than risk moving a bomb that might awaken mid-transport, it's better... to leave it here.

If the officials find this place and aren't careful enough, triggering it... might provide us with some valuable on-site data about 'High-Intensity Contact Reactions.' Even if not, the loss is negligible."

Zhu Zicong's face showed an understanding yet cruel smile. "Leaving a 'surprise' gift? Heh, that's a bit interesting. Alright, then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and clean up, let's go. This new skin is still a bit tight; I need to go out and 'adjust' to it."

As he spoke, he had already turned and walked toward another exit of the laboratory, seemingly with no further attachment to this place.

"Wait." The person in the shadows called him back, his voice carrying a hint of indisputable authority. "The 'surprise' needs a matching 'gift box.' The data collection Unit hasn't been deployed yet."

Zhu Zicong stopped, turned his head slightly, his face full of impatience. "Tsk, troublesome. Those little gadgets you guys made, can't you install them yourselves?"

"You go." The mysterious person was concise. "You're most 'familiar' with that area's structure and know that thing's 'temper' best. The installation location and access protocol have been sent to your terminal.

Ensure the Sensors cover the explosion core, and the Signal Relayers are well-hidden. We need real-time, complete Energy Readings, Biological Waveforms, and... possible 'Fragment' sample data."

Zhu Zicong said no more, turning and walking deeper into the laboratory.

The person in the shadows didn't speak again, just silently watched Zhu Zicong's departing figure. Then, his gaze turned toward a certain area deep in the laboratory sealed by multiple lockdown gates, lingered for a moment, and he quietly retreated back into the darkness.