333: Unexpected

Faced with Shen Mingyuan's questioning, the pain and distortion on the Half-Infected Subject's face intensified. He clutched his head, his voice carrying a sob and a near-manic tremble:

"I'm sorry... I didn't want to... but I can't control it! That feeling... that feeling is just too... too..."

He was incoherent, his body shivering slightly at the memory. To him, infecting other creatures wasn't simple slaughter or spreading a virus; it was an... irresistible 'reward' that seeped into his very marrow.

Whenever he used those mutated hollow claws to inject his blood into another living being, his brain would frantically secrete dopamine, bringing a wave of pleasure and satisfaction so intense it caused vertigo.

The more blood he injected and the more 'successful' the infection process was, the more intense this pleasure became—almost enough to temporarily overwhelm the physical pain of mutation and his rational fear.

Initially driven by instinct and this twisted pleasure, he could only target rats in the sewers, stray bats, and birds. The stimulation from infecting these small creatures was brief and limited.

Soon, his threshold for this 'reward' increased. Like someone addicted to the worst kind of drug, he craved more intense and long-lasting 'happiness'.

Consequently, his crimson, greedy gaze uncontrollably turned toward his own kind—humans—who possessed higher intelligence and more abundant life energy.

From infecting small animals to laying hands on humans, there was almost no time for adaptation or hesitation; he was driven entirely by that 'pleasure feedback mechanism' hard-wired into him like a biological circuit by the mutation.

"I felt it... that happiness, I can't stop... but, but I really don't want to hurt people..."

He muttered, his eyes vacant. At times, extreme terror flashed through them, while at others, a hint of longing for that 'happiness' emerged. His self-will and mutated instincts were tearing at each other violently within his body.

Shen Mingyuan maintained his guard while calmly observing the other's words and behavior. Combining this with previous combat data and the preliminary analysis provided by researchers, he quickly pieced together a more complete picture in his mind:

This Dinosaur Person infection didn't just change the flesh; it hijacked the victim's neural reward System, forcibly binding the act of 'spreading' with 'pleasure,' creating an extremely malicious physiological mechanism that drove the infected to actively proliferate.

Lin Xun, listening nearby, relaxed his tense combat stance for a split second and couldn't help but interject in a slightly absurd tone: "...In that case, after we catch you and take you back, should we send you to rehab first? Your situation isn't much different from a drug addict going through withdrawal."

Shen Mingyuan glanced at him and remarked with a hint of helpless sarcasm, "Is sending him to rehab useful in this situation? Withdrawal is physiological, but his is at the genetic level combined with neural hijacking... it's more deep-seated than the strongest drugs."

He turned his attention back to the Half-Infected Subject, his voice growing serious. "They protect you like this because you're the 'source'? The 'The Mother'? Listen, our goal right now isn't necessarily to destroy you.

If we can find a way to reverse the infection, or at least stop you from continuing to spread it and minimize the damage... that's what we want."

He took half a step forward, his gaze beneath the armor sharp and carrying a hint of unquestionable pressure:

"If you truly have even a shred of regret for what you've done, if you truly want to stop this vicious cycle—then prove it to us. Command them to stop, give up your resistance, and come with us. Accept examination and treatment. This is the only chance you have to potentially find 'yourself' again."

As the Half-Infected Subject listened to Shen Mingyuan's words, the struggle on his face grew even more violent. He looked around at the creatures mutated because of him; pain flashed in his eyes, but it was outweighed by a profound despair. He slowly shook his head, his voice hoarse and resolute:

"No... you don't understand. There's no going back... the mutation is too deep, that 'feeling' is already carved into my bones. Now, there are only two paths before me—"

He looked up, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Shen Mingyuan and Lin Xun. The last trace of human hesitation within them was replaced by a near-bestial madness and despair:

"The first: you kill me and end this once and for all."

"The second..." His entire body began to tremble unnaturally. The speed at which the scales writhed beneath his skin accelerated, and the claws at his fingertips grew sharper and their hollow structure became more apparent at a visible rate. His voice took on a non-human rasp,

"...I kill you, and then I continue to be 'happy' until... until I can't feel anything anymore!"

As he finished speaking, he suddenly let out a roar that didn't sound human. The surrounding injured Dinosaur Persons and infected animals seemed to receive a command or were stimulated by his aura; the murderous light in their eyes flared up again, and they all let out threatening low growls as they closed the circle.

"So that's how it is..." Lin Xun whispered, the last trace of hesitation in his voice replaced by combat will.

"It seems there's no room for negotiation," Shen Mingyuan's voice was cold. "Fight."

"Then bring it on!"

The battle erupted once more, but this time, the two had a clearer objective: quickly reduce the enemy's effective strength and ultimately subdue the core.

Shen Mingyuan fired his dual pistols in rapid succession, prioritizing the elimination of infected animals that posed less of a threat but could interfere with the battle; his precise shots sent rats and bats tumbling one after another. Lin Xun, meanwhile, was like a barbed whirlwind, charging into the Dinosaur Persons. His attack pattern became more efficient and brutal: swinging his arms, the barbs left deep, bone-chilling cuts; when pulling back, he tore large chunks of flesh right off the enemies! He moved through the enemies with ghostly speed, leaving a trail of blood with every contact, quickly incapacitating several Dinosaur Persons, though he deliberately avoided vital spots, merely knocking them unconscious.

However, the Half-Infected Subject in the center of the nest, after speaking those resolute words, seemed to have completely given up the last shred of resistance against his own mutation—or rather, he actively embraced the frantic process. He let out a howl that was a mix of pain and pleasure, and his body began to undergo an even more violent and uncontrollable aberration! The crisp sound of bones stretching, the tearing sound of expanding muscles, and the rustling of new keratin layers and scales growing frantically all blended together. A thick, powerful tail with a bone mace at the end suddenly burst from his tailbone, creating a dull whistling sound as it swept through the air.

The extreme mutation also brought extreme pain. In his agony, he retreated and rolled out of control, his massive frame slamming hard into the already rusted metal railing at the edge of the reservoir!

Crack—Clang!

The rusted railing couldn't handle the weight and was snapped and torn apart by his impact, exposing sharp metal edges. The violent collision and the counter-force of the railing breaking added to his pain, making his movements even more frenzied. In the chaos, his foot slipped and he fell backward, his back directly facing the cluster of sharp, upturned metal railing ends he had just broken!

Puchi—!

A tooth-grinding sound of penetration rang out! A broken railing piece stabbed viciously into his lower back from the side, nearly passing through his body! Blood gushed out instantly.

However, at the moment this fatal injury occurred, a sudden change happened! The evo factor within him—which had already been at a critical state of awakening due to the invasion of Lizardman cells—was finally fully activated under the stimulation of this true, near-death crisis!

Until now, although those foreign infected cells had distorted his body and nerves, they were essentially more like a 'forced symbiosis' or 'genetic pollution' and hadn't triggered the evo factor's ultimate defense mechanism centered on 'survival.' Not until this moment, when a physical fatal injury appeared and survival itself was directly threatened!

The awakened evo factor began to scan and analyze the host's entire state with a speed and intensity surpassing any previous case.

It instantly 'identified' those Lizardman cells that were frantically replicating and changing the host's form—these were not the host's DNA 'blueprint,' but foreign, aggressive 'erroneous programs'!

The conclusion was clear and cold: Eliminate the invaders, repair the damage, and ensure the host's survival!

How to eliminate them? By using the most direct and violent method—strengthening the host's own defense System and launching an all-out war starting from the cellular level!

evolution began. The direction was the purest, most extreme 'immunity' and 'rejection'.

Visibly, the color of the blood pouring from the Half-Infected Subject's wound began to change, turning from dark red to a brilliant glow, as if containing tiny particles of light.

The flesh at the pierced site began to writhe violently—not to heal, but in a more aggressive way, forcibly wrapping, decomposing, and devouring that section of rusted metal railing! The iron elements in the metal were frantically plundered and converted.

The mutations across his body began to reverse... no, not reverse, but be 'overwritten' and 'purified'! Beneath the frantically growing Lizardman scales on his skin, the prototype of another, denser biological armor with a metallic luster and complex structure emerged.

His bones made popping sounds as their structure reorganized, becoming lighter and stronger. Muscle fibers intertwined amidst tearing and regeneration, and the nature of his strength was changing.

Those invading Lizardman cells were met with a dimensionality-reducing suppression from the host's own immune System, bolstered by the evo factor.

Inside his body, a tragic war at the microscopic level was playing out, and the external manifestation was his transformation from a distorted semi-Dinosaur Person into another unknown form evolved with 'eliminating dissent' and 'survival' at its core!

The pain remained, but its nature had changed. The previous pain came from distortion and loss of control; now, it was the violent remodeling of breaking down to rebuild, like scraping poison from the bone.