481: Chapter 477 I bet you're reading a novel.

Lu Jianchuan jumped from the rooftop. The motorcycle followed closely behind, its body adjusting its posture in mid-air, tires spinning as the engine let out a low roar, like a beast about to pounce on its prey.

The thing had just crawled up from the scrap metal, its four limbs supporting it on the ground, those pitch-black eyes not yet in focus when Lu Jianchuan's fist arrived.

A punch smashed into its crossed blocking forelimbs; the force was so great that it was knocked back two steps, its claws plowing four shallow grooves into the ground.

Before it could regain its footing, the motorcycle slammed into it from the side, its body swinging like a hurled iron hammer, pinning it entirely against the wall.

Bricks shattered and dust exploded as the thing was embedded into the wall, struggling to crawl out.

Lu Jianchuan kicked it in the head, knocking it out of the wall, grabbed its ankles with both hands, and swung it around, slamming it left and right like he was shaking out a soaked blanket.

Two pits were smashed into the ground, debris flying everywhere; the thing's limbs flailed limply with every impact, as if it had no bones.

With a final strike, he smashed it into the opposite wall, and the bricks collapsed, burying half of its body.

Lu Jianchuan let go and took a step back. "Sorry, but for you—"

The thing sprang out from the broken bricks, its blood-red mouth opening to an unbelievable angle, filled with dense rows of teeth that lined from deep in its throat to the corners of its mouth like two rows of interlocking blades, biting toward Lu Jianchuan's face.

Lu Jianchuan leaned back, and the teeth snapped shut against his mask, making a tooth-aching grinding sound.

The motorcycle slammed in from the side, its wheel crushing the thing's cheek and knocking it away from Lu Jianchuan. It tumbled through the air, limbs flailing wildly as it tried to grab onto something to stabilize itself.

Lu Jianchuan caught its ankle while it was still in mid-air and yanked it back before it could fly away, swinging it through a half-circle and slamming it hard onto the ground.

The motorcycle had already turned around and charged back, its front wheel grinding over the thing's face, the tire rubbing frantically against the gray skin with a piercing shriek.

Lu Jianchuan let go and jumped back. The motorcycle circled around from behind him, its body leaning as the tires carved an arc on the road, the front pointing toward the creature.

"wind of the end!" he shouted.

The motorcycle catapulted forward. Lu Jianchuan jumped at the same time, crossing paths with the silver, black, and red motorcycle in mid-air—one punch, one collision, two forces landing on the thing at the same instant.

A pit exploded into the ground, debris and dust splashing up like water; the thing lay at the bottom of the pit, limbs splayed out, motionless.

The motorcycle slid out, its tires drawing a semi-circle on the ground before stopping beside Lu Jianchuan. The engine let out a low hum and went quiet.

Lu Jianchuan approached the pit, his right hand crackling with electricity. The thing was curled in the pile of rubble, its limbs twisted, and the pale gold liquid on its body was still seeping out.

It opened its mouth, and a blurred, intermittent sound rolled out of its throat. Lu Jianchuan heard it clearly—"Mama." It was calling for its mother.

In the face of an invincible enemy, on the brink of death, it was instinctively searching for the person who could protect it.

Lu Jianchuan knew what it was. He had already deduced the monster's identity before. But at this moment, hearing that blurred "Mama" squeezed from the depths of its throat, he still froze uncontrollably for a second.

And it was only for that one second.

He knew deep down that in this situation, whatever he did would be a cruel choice.

Killing it or trying to let it go—neither was the right thing to do. But it had killed people. It had killed its own mother.

That point wouldn't change because of what it called out. Perhaps he didn't have to kill it, perhaps he could try to control it, but no matter what, this punch had to be delivered.

But the thing seized the opportunity of that moment. Before Lu Jianchuan could regain his focus, sharp claws had already swung over, one claw striking him squarely on the head and sending him flying.

The motorcycle rushed in from the side, but it was too late. The thing lunged toward a half-open sewer opening on the roadside, shrank its body, and dove inside.

By the time Lu Jianchuan scrambled up from the ground and jumped into the sewer, there was only the sound of flowing sewage inside; the monster was already gone.

He deactivated his transformation, the silver-white armor receding to reveal the somewhat pale face underneath. This time, the feeling of weakness was light; his legs were just a bit soft and his fingertips were numb, but he recovered after standing in the night wind for a few seconds. He mounted the motorcycle, and the engine hummed as it carried him back.

When he returned to the base, Wei Ziqing was waiting for him at the entrance. As soon as he saw him get off the bike, he walked over.

"How did it go?"

"It got away." Lu Jianchuan leaned against the motorcycle and recounted what had just happened. When he mentioned that "Mama," his voice paused for a moment but quickly continued.

After listening, Wei Ziqing remained silent for a few seconds.

"It's not your fault," he said. "Anyone would freeze for a moment upon hearing that."

"No." Lu Jianchuan shook his head, his voice a bit stiff. "I shouldn't have frozen. By letting it go, more people might be harmed by it." He didn't say more, standing there with his head down, looking at the tips of his shoes. "I shouldn't be like this. I should have controlled myself. I should have just—" He thrust his hands into his pockets, clenched them tight, then let go. "I didn't control it. I froze for a second, just that one second."

Wei Ziqing looked at him and only spoke after a while.

"Senior." His voice wasn't loud, but it was serious. "You said just now that you only froze after you heard it clearly. If you hadn't heard it clearly, you wouldn't have frozen at all, right?"

Lu Jianchuan didn't answer.

"You could hear it clearly because you were listening," Wei Ziqing said.

"When you were fighting it, you weren't just thinking about how to take it down. You were also listening to what it was doing and thinking about what it actually was. From the very beginning, you didn't treat it as a monster."

He paused, "The reason you froze for that moment was because you treated it as a person."

Lu Jianchuan looked up at him.

"I know," Wei Ziqing said. "You feel like you shouldn't have treated it as a person. It killed people; it's a monster. But if you could really treat it as nothing but a monster from beginning to end, to the point where you couldn't even hear that cry, then you wouldn't be you."

He stopped for a moment, his voice softening slightly, "And you said it yourself in the end—that punch had to be delivered. You already made your choice."

Lu Jianchuan stood there for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.

"Let's go," he said, pushing the motorcycle into the shed and locking it. The two of them walked into the base side by side.

The night was deep. Shen Mingyuan leaned against the corridor wall, his body half-hidden in the shadows, his matte black armor blending into the night.

He closed his eyes, and ultrasound silently radiated from the Bio-membrane oscillator on his chest, passing through the closed door and weaving a fine net inside the laboratory. Li Mo was still at the Experimental Table.

He would occasionally stand up, walk to the window, and then sit back down. He would take test tubes from the rack, look at them against the light for a while, and then put them back.

The notebook pages were turned, the pen tip rustled for a while and then stopped. Shen Mingyuan opened his eyes, changed his leaning posture, and closed his eyes again.

Lu Jianchuan sat on the edge of the bed without turning on the light. He took off the Bracelet and placed it on the nightstand, looked at it, then picked it up again and gripped it in his palm.

The sound of that infant calling "Mama" was still swirling in his head, intermittent and repeating like a stuck tape. He gripped the Bracelet until his knuckles turned white, then slowly let go and put it back. He didn't lie down.

Wei Ziqing was in his own dormitory, unable to sit or stand comfortably. He walked to the window and looked out; it was pitch black outside, with nothing to see.

He sat on the edge of the bed for a while, then stood up and walked to the door, his hand resting on the doorknob without turning it. He stood for a while, then walked back and sat on the bed.

He didn't know what to say. Ye Ouyang had fallen asleep early, curled up in his quilt, his breathing steady. The circle of Vines on his wrist hung quietly, the leaves glowing faintly in the moonlight.