395: Chapter 392 They actually escaped.

Li Jianguo was on all fours.

In that instant, he no longer seemed human, but more like a wounded beast. The area on his back that was still bulging continued to bleed, and the half-grown finger under his ribs shook wildly as he ran, but he could no longer care about the pain—he only knew that if he didn't run, he would die here.

The dark-silver figure charged straight toward Shen Mingyuan at an incredible speed.

Shen Mingyuan's pupils constricted. He wasn't good at close combat—if he let something like this get close, he would surely die.

With a clap of his hands, the sniper rifle instantly disassembled, transforming back into the black and red twin stars. He rolled to the side, firing both guns simultaneously. The black and red plasma trails tore through the air where the smoke hadn't yet billowed, hitting Li Jianguo one after another.

Pfft, pfft, pfft—!

Every shot blasted a charred wound onto his body. Without that layer of replaceable armor for protection, these bullets were no longer just superficial wounds. Li Jianguo's whole body transcended with pain, but he didn't stop; instead, he exerted force with all four limbs, and his speed increased even further.

Lu Jianchuan chased from the side, his thrusters firing as the silver-white figure lunged straight at Li Jianguo—

Li Jianguo suddenly raised his hand and slapped a button on the wall.

Chiii—!

The vents on the walls burst open simultaneously, and thick white smoke instantly filled the entire basement. The smoke was so pungent that people couldn't even open their eyes, and their throats felt as if they'd been rubbed with sandpaper. The moment Lu Jianchuan rushed in, he was choked into a momentary halt.

"Cough, cough, cough—"

Nothing could be seen in the smoke. There were only Li Jianguo's staggering footsteps and irrepressible coughing, rapidly receding toward the exit.

Shen Mingyuan didn't stop.

Beneath the mask of the shadow, the red eyepieces lit up with a faint glow—[Gloom Perception] activated. Smoke couldn't block ultrasonic waves, nor could it block thermal imaging. He locked onto the dark-silver figure running outward and fired both guns repeatedly!

The black and red trajectories pierced through the smoke, chasing after Li Jianguo. One shot, two shots, three shots—three hit their mark, charred wounds blooming on his back, but he didn't fall, nor did he even stop.

He burst through the basement door.

By the time Lu Jianchuan rushed out the door, the corridor outside was already empty. In the distance, the door leading to the villa's backyard stood wide open, and the night wind poured in from outside, dispersing the lingering smoke in the hallway.

Li Jianguo was nowhere to be seen.

Shen Mingyuan stood at the villa entrance, the world in his eyepieces filled with countless heat sources—crowds on the street, vehicles in the distance, and those flickering animals. The signals fed back by the ultrasound were so dense that it was impossible to tell which one was Li Jianguo.

"There are people everywhere outside." His voice came from behind the mask, carrying a hint of helplessness. "It's hard to lock onto him using ultrasound and heat signatures now."

He deactivated his transformation, the matte black armor receding to reveal the frowning face underneath.

"Is there no other way then?"

Ye Ouyang followed him out, standing beside him, and also deactivated his transformation. The warm gold fluid retracted into his belt. He shook his hands and looked up at the sea of lights in the distance.

"It should be fine now," he said, his tone carrying a kind of... uncertain certainty. "Normally, he should die very soon because of that."

"Because of what?" Shen Mingyuan turned to look at him.

"Just... that." Ye Ouyang gestured. "I injected a large number of Gold Weave Cells into his body. Those cells will regenerate many redundant organs for him, especially internal ones. Internal organ regeneration is extremely fatal!"

He thought for a moment and added, "Well, he should die, right?"

Lu Jianchuan walked over from behind and deactivated his transformation, the silver-white armor retracting into his bracelet. He glanced at the street in the distance, then at Ye Ouyang.

"What about Wei Ziqing?" he asked. "And those Researchers?"

Ye Ouyang blanked for a moment.

"Uh... they're still inside."

The three of them turned their heads at the same time, looking at the door that was still open behind them. From within the doorway, thick white smoke was still billowing out, like a giant monster breathing.

"Are you sure..." Shen Mingyuan spoke slowly, "that they won't choke?"

The three of them exchanged looks.

"Quick, get them out of there!"

The three of them rushed back into the basement.

The smoke hadn't dissipated yet; it was so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Shen Mingyuan transformed again and activated thermal imaging, barely managing to see several curled-up figures in the corner.

Ye Ouyang scooped up Wei Ziqing, who was closest to him, and ran out. Lu Jianchuan and Shen Mingyuan each grabbed a Researcher and hauled them out as well.

On the open ground outside the villa, four people lay scattered about.

Wei Ziqing lay on his back, gasping for fresh air, his face covered in tears and snot. He coughed for a good while before he could finally speak:

"You guys—cough cough—actually just forgot about me in all that smoke?!"

He coughed a few more times and raised a hand to wipe his eyes, but the more he wiped, the blurrier his vision became.

"Ow, ow—my eyes won't stop watering—holy crap!"

"Sorry, sorry," Shen Mingyuan knelt down, looking at the tearful and snotty Wei Ziqing, his tone carrying sincere apology. "I'll treat you to a meal when we get back."

Wei Ziqing wiped his eyes once more, and finally managed to open a slit, squinting at him.

"You should have said that sooner."

He reached out his hand to Shen Mingyuan, who pulled him up. Wei Ziqing stood straight and wobbled; his legs were still a bit weak, but he could manage to walk.

The Researchers had been hauled to the side by Lu Jianchuan and were now squatting on the ground with their hands behind their heads, behaving themselves. In the distance, the The Authorities's motorcade had appeared at the intersection, their lights flashing.

"Alright," Lu Jianchuan walked over. "Just hand them over to the The Authorities; the rest isn't our concern."

The motorcade stopped, and a squad of uniformed members jumped out to take over the scene. The three Researchers were escorted into a vehicle, and two Researchers came over with a stretcher to help Wei Ziqing up.

"Hey, hey, hey, I can walk on my own—"

"Don't move, your legs need to recover, and your eyes need treatment." A Researcher held him down on the stretcher. "Just leave it to us; stay still."

Wei Ziqing lay on his back and sighed.

The stretcher was lifted into the vehicle. Before the door closed, he waved to the three men outside.

"We're going to eat once I'm better—don't forget—"

"I won't forget." Shen Mingyuan also waved at him.

The car drove away.

The three of them stood there, watching the vehicle disappear into the night.

The night wind blew, carrying the slight scent of vegetation unique to the suburbs. The city in the distance was brightly lit, while the nearby villa had been cordoned off with caution tape, with several technicians moving in and out, taking photos and samples.

Ye Ouyang yawned.

"What now?" he asked.

Lu Jianchuan glanced at him, then at Shen Mingyuan.

"...Rest," Shen Mingyuan said. "Once Wei Ziqing is better, we'll treat him to a meal."

Two days later.

Wei Ziqing walked out of the hospital; his eyes were no longer red, and his legs were nimble again. He stood at the entrance and stretched, squinting comfortably as the sunlight hit his face.

A black SUV was parked by the roadside. The window rolled down, revealing Shen Mingyuan's face.

"Get in, let's go eat."

Wei Ziqing pulled open the car door; Lu Jianchuan and Ye Ouyang were already sitting in the back seat. He squeezed in, the door closed, and the car started.

"Where are we going to eat?" Shen Mingyuan looked back from the driver's seat.

"What do you want to eat?" Wei Ziqing asked back.

Shen Mingyuan thought for a moment and looked at the three people in the back seat.

"Let's go for a BBQ buffet," he said. "With your appetites—especially those special appetites—a buffet is the most suitable."

Ye Ouyang's eyes lit up.

Lu Jianchuan nodded.

"Fine, buffet it is."

"Let's go, let's go, buffet time!" Wei Ziqing patted the seat.

Shen Mingyuan turned back and took out his phone to start scrolling.

"Let me see, I'll find a group deal online..."

Half an hour later, the four of them were sitting in a BBQ buffet restaurant.

The table was covered with meat—beef, pork, mutton, chicken wings, pork belly—piled up like a small mountain. The grill sizzled with oil, and the aroma wafted throughout the shop.

Wei Ziqing picked up a piece of freshly grilled pork belly, dipped it in sauce, stuffed it into his mouth, and squinted with satisfaction.

"By the way," he said indistinctly while chewing, "if we get one more person, could we put together a five-person Armor Squad?"

Ye Ouyang was stuffing a chicken wing into his mouth; hearing this, he looked up, his eyes shining.

"Hey, I think that works."

Shen Mingyuan flipped the meat on the grill and smiled.

"Then let's just wait and see."

Lu Jianchuan didn't speak; he just placed some freshly grilled beef onto Ye Ouyang's plate.

Outside the window, the sunlight was just right.