235: afterwards

The next morning, after handling his personal affairs, Lu Jianchuan did not immediately join up with Shen Mingyuan and the others. Instead, he went to the deep Biological Anomaly Research Zone within the base.

He wanted to see for himself the current state of that troublesome Starfish Monster from yesterday.

After passing through strict identity verification and disinfection procedures, he entered an observation area filled with monitoring screens and experimental equipment.

Behind a massive one-way glass wall was a sealed water tank simulating a shallow sea environment.

In the center of the tank, the dark red starfish lay quietly on an artificial reef. Its size was considerably smaller than during yesterday's battle, and its color had faded significantly.

A Researcher in a white lab coat was recording data. Seeing Lu Jianchuan, he nodded in greeting and proactively began explaining: "Officer Lu, your timing is perfect. Regarding this 'New Federation' starfish specimen, we have some preliminary findings."

The Researcher pointed at the starfish behind the glass:

"It has not evolved a centralized brain in the traditional sense.

Its 'intelligence' or 'consciousness' stems entirely from the extreme complexity of its composition—it consists of tens of thousands, even millions, of independent small starfish individuals. Through bioelectrical signals and chemical pheromones we don't yet fully understand, they achieve hyper-efficient swarm coordination and information processing.

When the number of individuals is sufficient and their connections are tight enough, this swarm can manifest thinking abilities comparable to, or even surpassing, an Advanced brain."

He pulled up a data waveform graph:

"However, your final powerful electric shock yesterday, combined with the massive individual detachment and damage from the earlier battle, severely disrupted the integrity of its swarm network and the efficiency of its signal synchronization.

The current number and quality of surviving individuals are no longer sufficient to sustain that high level of 'emergent intelligence.' To use a somewhat imprecise analogy, it's now... a bit 'dumb.' Its ability to process complex information has drastically declined."

Lu Jianchuan looked into the tank. Indeed, the starfish was only slowly wriggling its arms, its movements appearing sluggish and confused, completely lacking the lazy yet calculating agility it possessed yesterday.

"Interestingly," the Researcher continued, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry, "we found that when providing it with simple, repetitive visual stimuli featuring strong colors and regular movement—like this one—"

He pointed to a nearby screen playing the brightly colored cartoon "spongebob,"

"Its basic activity tends to stabilize, and it even exhibits a certain physiological reaction... let's tentatively call it 'pleasure' or 'concentration.' Perhaps this low-information-load input just happens to match its current, post-damage processing capacity, making it 'comfortable.'"

As if to verify the Researcher's words, the starfish behind the glass wall seemed attracted by a scene in the cartoon. Several of its arms slapped the water surface irregularly a few times, producing soft "pat pat" sounds, somewhat resembling... applause?

Lu Jianchuan silently watched this scene, unsure how to evaluate it.

At that moment, another young Researcher nearby seemed to have a sudden whim. He picked up a small prop used for environmental enrichment experiments—a model of the classic green "Patrick Star" style shorts made of waterproof material—and threw it into the tank through a delivery port.

The dark red starfish slowly crawled over, using the tip of an arm to pick up the tiny green shorts, seemingly "examining" them.

A few seconds later, it clumsily pulled the shorts onto one of its shorter arms, then paid it no further mind, continuing to "gaze" at the cartoon-playing screen, its arms lazily splashing water again.

"Seems it quite likes this 'new skin,'" the young Researcher chuckled softly.

Lu Jianchuan withdrew his gaze and looked at the initial Researcher: "So, its intelligence is entirely dependent on swarm size and integrity. In this state, it cannot pose a threat or engage in effective communication?"

"That appears to be the case for now. Unless it can massively proliferate individuals again and repair the swarm network.

We are closely monitoring its regeneration, but it's currently very slow, and the new individuals don't seem inclined to re-establish Advanced connections."

The Researcher confirmed, "In a sense, it's now more like a biologically 'downgraded' computer, or... a rare biological specimen requiring specific 'husbandry' conditions."

Lu Jianchuan silently watched the starfish immersed in its cartoon world a while longer, finally murmuring softly, "...I see."

He turned to the Researcher and asked about another matter: "What about Liu Hongwen? How is his condition, and what's the subsequent handling?"

The Researcher shook his head: "I'm not in charge of that part. His case involves both criminal and anomalous biological aspects. A dedicated team is following up. If you want to know the specifics, you can go to the 'Anomalous Behavior and Psychological Assessment Room' in Zone B3 and find Dr. Li."

Lu Jianchuan nodded: "Alright, I understand."

He left the observation area and, following the directions, came to Zone B3, finding Dr. Li, who was in charge of the matter. Dr. Li was a middle-aged woman with a serious expression and sharp eyes, with thick case files and data analysis reports spread out before her.

"Officer Lu, please have a seat," Dr. Li gestured for him to sit, getting straight to the point. "The case of Liu Hongwen is clear-cut, yet complex.

Legally speaking, he planned and carried out the murders targeting Li Youliang, Wang Li, and the two students from before. The evidence is conclusive, and he has confessed to the main facts.

Psychological assessment indicates his actions were driven by clear, extreme post-traumatic stress and revenge motives, stemming from the pain of losing his son and the inaction, even cover-up, by the school and relevant families after his son suffered bullying."

She pushed an assessment report towards Lu Jianchuan:

"However, one of the fundamental principles of law is 'individual responsibility' and 'nulla poena sine lege' (no punishment without law).

A tragic past, strong motives, and even the stimulus of societal injustice—these might be considered as 'mitigating' factors during sentencing, but they absolutely cannot become reasons to absolve guilt.

If we merely allow someone to commit murder via vigilantism without punishment because of a tragic past, the law would become meaningless, and the basic social order and respect for life would vanish.

So-called 'extralegal mercy' or 'emotion overriding the law' are not, and should not be, universal principles in any mature legal system.

What we need to do is prevent such tragedies at their root as much as possible, not 'balance' one tragedy with another mistake after it occurs."

Dr. Li's tone was calm and firm:

"Considering the uniqueness of his abilities and the special circumstances of the case, the final judgment will be made by the court after a comprehensive assessment. It might be more complex than a typical intentional homicide case, but the basic legal framework and principles will not waver.

Currently, he remains in custody, awaiting a complete forensic psychiatric evaluation and subsequent prosecution and trial procedures."

Lu Jianchuan listened silently; he understood these principles. He asked another key question: "Then, what about those 'bees' on him? Any research conclusions?"

Mentioning this, Dr. Li's expression took on more of a scientific inquiry:

"According to preliminary analysis by the biology department, it is indeed an extremely evolved population of 'parasitic wasps,' possessing strong aggression, organization, and targeted parasitic capabilities.

Their initial parasitic target was Liu Hongwen. An extremely rare interaction likely occurred when he was in extreme agony, his survival instinct pushed to the limit, and the concentration of evo factor in his body happened to reach a critical point—preliminary estimates suggest between 0.02% and 0.08%, far higher than average but below the natural loss-of-control threshold."

She pulled up some blurry scan images and data:

"During the parasitic process, Liu Hongwen's body was not rapidly consumed like an ordinary host. Instead, triggered by his own high evo factor concentration and intense will to survive, a distorted evolution of 'counter-parasitism' or 'forced symbiosis' occurred.

His bodily tissues and the wasp swarm's tissues underwent a degree of Fusion and transformation. He became a living 'hive core,' while the swarm became his extended 'organs' and weapons.

He gained the abilities to control the swarm, aggregate bee stingers, and secrete specific toxins. The cost was the irreversible mutation of his body and the continuous erosion of his consciousness by the swarm's instincts.

This can be described as a rare, 'symbiotic evolutionary entity' born by chance under conditions of extreme despair and unique physiology, defying natural conventions."

Lu Jianchuan nodded. "Goodbye, Dr. Li."

"Goodbye."