298: Daily cG2.

[The Next Morning · GUPA Headquarters Special Custody Zone]

Behind the transparent one-way observation glass was a bright and simple room. The walls were decorated with soft-colored cognitive cards, the floor was covered with padded mats, and various toys of simple construction and texture were scattered about. In the center of the room, the child known as the "Dinosaur Person" sat on a floor mat.

The small wounds on his body had been treated and covered with breathable Biological Dressings.

At this moment, his amber slit pupils were focused intently on a glowing tablet screen in front of him. It was slowly playing a cartoon for young children, featuring exaggerated animal characters and simple color changes.

His head turned slightly as the images moved. Occasionally, he would reach out a finger covered in fine scales, seemingly wanting to touch the jumping bird on the screen, only to pull it back in confusion when his fingertip met the cold glass.

Wei Ziqing and Wang Yu stood outside the observation room, watching the scene inside through the glass. A Researcher in a white lab coat stood beside them, holding a clipboard.

"The situation is... simpler than expected, but also more complex," the Researcher pushed up his glasses and introduced in a low voice.

"According to his father's confession—the man is currently being held in solitary confinement awaiting psychological evaluation and legal intervention, involving multiple issues such as abandonment, long-term illegal detention, and potential mental abuse—over the past ten-plus years, his communication with the child was almost zero.

There was no name, no language instruction, and he rarely even spoke in front of the child. Delivering food and cleaning were like completing a loathsome but necessary chore.

This has resulted in a child whose IQ tests show he isn't low-functioning—in fact, he exceeds normal people in certain spatial and instinctive reactions—but his language and social cognition are basically a blank slate, like an unpolished piece of jade, or... a sheet of paper intentionally kept blank."

Wang Yu watched the Dinosaur Person inside, who was clumsily trying to imitate the waving motion on the screen, and curled his lip: "That bastard... really... forget it, let's not mention him. So we're teaching him from scratch now?"

"Yes," the Researcher nodded. "Starting from the most basic sensory cognition, object names, and simple commands. Fortunately, he isn't resistant to new things; he even shows strong curiosity. Although his appearance is different from normal people, scans of his vocal organ structure show he has the basic physiological conditions to imitate and learn human language. It just requires time and patience."

He paused, flipped through his clipboard, and his tone became somewhat serious: "However, in the preliminary cellular and genetic level examinations, we found some... unusual signs. His cellular mutation pattern has subtle differences from regular 'evo factor-guided Directional Evolution.' It leans more toward... some kind of intense, directional external infection or induced assimilation that occurred during the embryonic stage or very early on. Simply put, it doesn't look like a natural Awakening evolution, but more like he was 'set' or 'polluted' to be like this at the very beginning of life. The specific pathogen or induction source is not yet clear; samples have been sent for deep sequencing and reverse-inference analysis. It may take some time before we have a preliminary conclusion."

Wei Ziqing's gaze narrowed slightly: "Modified?"

"At the moment, we can only say 'suspected abnormal intervention.' We can't yet determine if it was human technological modification or some extremely special natural infection event."

The Researcher answered cautiously, "This might also explain why his mutation is so thorough and stable, differing from the more diverse evolutionary lineages typically recorded as being caused by the evo factor. Once the analysis report is out, we will synchronize with you immediately."

"Understood." Wei Ziqing nodded, looking back into the observation room.

The Dinosaur-man Child seemed to have lost interest in the cartoon. Instead, he grabbed a brightly colored soft block, sniffed it with his nose, and then tried to nibble it gently with his teeth. Finding the taste wrong, he spat it out with a look of confusion.

"Regarding the meeting with his father..." Wang Yu asked.

The Researcher shook his head: "The recommendation from the psychological experts and the ethics committee is to avoid contact, at least until the child establishes a preliminary stable cognition, sense of security, and sense of right and wrong.

To him, that man is currently more of a symbol of pain and imprisonment than a healthy familial bond. Future contact must be under strict control and psychological guidance, attempted gradually based on the child's level of acceptance; it might even be recommended to never restore direct contact."

"As for him," the Researcher pointed to the child inside who was trying to stuff different shaped blocks into corresponding holes, tireless despite frequent failures,

"what he needs now is safety, patience, and systematic guidance. We will start with literacy and picture-based talking, combined with behavioral imitation and positive reinforcement. Although the road is long, at least... he is no longer locked in the darkness."

Wei Ziqing watched in silence. The child finally succeeded in stuffing a circular block inside. He seemed to freeze for a moment, then let out a short, meaningless, but pleasant-sounding breath.

Wang Yu smiled: "Looks like he's learning pretty fast. Brother Wei, shouldn't we go catch some sleep or get something to eat? Last night was quite a ordeal."

Wei Ziqing gave an "mm," took one last look at the focused figure starting to tackle the triangular block, and turned to leave the observation area with Wang Yu.

[Unknown Region]

Golden Bone was standing atop a field of ruins.

The remains of buildings were still burning. Thick smoke mixed with the pungent smell of char and the foul odor of burning biomass rose straight into the dim sky.

The crackling of flames and the occasional collapse of building structures were the only background noises in this dead silence. Among the broken walls and debris were scattered charred, twisted, and unrecognizable body parts, most of which had been carbonized.

He was covered in his signature Mechanical Exoskeleton Armor with its cold, smooth lines. The dark paint reflected the dancing firelight, its surface stained with smoke and splattered ash, yet it remained steady as a reef. The full-coverage helmet hid his face, with only two points of calm, emotionless spectral light glowing at the eyes.

He slowly released his hand, and a thick tail covered in charred scales and broken bone spurs fell into the pile of rubble with a 'thud,' merging with the surrounding wreckage.

Connected to that tail was half of an even larger Dinosaur Person body, now reduced to a mess of scorch marks and shattered carapace.

This place had clearly just undergone a brief and intense conflict—or rather, a thorough, one-sided purge.

From the damage at the entrance to the core of the explosion deep inside, obstacles along the way had been violently torn open or melted through. It was precise and efficient, with almost no redundant combat traces. Golden Bone had come alone, and it seemed he had slaughtered his way through here alone.

He walked slowly through the ruins, his heavy combat boots crunching over rubble and ash. His gaze beneath the helmet calmly scanned every corner that might hide a clue, his mechanical arm guards occasionally lifting to scan for energy residues or abnormal structures with integrated detection modules.

Finally, his footsteps stopped beside the remains of a metal cabinet that was deformed by fire but relatively intact. The detector's feedback showed a weak, protected electromagnetic signal source inside the cabinet. He reached out with his armored hand and easily tore open the twisted door, the metal letting out a piercing groan under the immense force.

Amidst the charred remains of documents and melted plastic parts, a matte black USB drive only the size of a thumb lay there quietly. Its exterior had some soot marks, but the structure was intact, and metal reflections could still be seen at the interface.

Golden Bone picked it up, holding it before his eyes as the ghostly blue light from his visor scanned the surface of the drive.

"...To think a physical storage medium could survive an explosion and high temperatures of this magnitude?" A low voice, slightly modified by the helmet's processor, rang out with a nearly imperceptible hint of scrutiny. "Is the protective performance extraordinary, or... was it intentionally 'left behind'?"

He turned the USB drive slightly, as if weighing the information it might carry, or perhaps evaluating whether this was an accidental discovery or a carefully laid bait.

After a moment, he securely stowed the USB drive into a sealed storage slot on the side of his armor's waist.

"However," he looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the smoke and ruins toward a distant and specific direction. His voice lowered, yet carried a cold, almost predatory patience. "He's already getting anxious... It won't be long now."

The flames flickered behind him, elongating his armored silhouette against the charred broken walls like a silent giant.

"Get a little more anxious," he finally muttered to himself. He turned and, with steady steps, began to withdraw to the perimeter of the ruins, each step firm, as if treading upon the flaws his opponent was gradually revealing.

"As long as you get a little more anxious... the flaws will eventually show."