79: Human

Lu Jianchuan crashed through the window, his figure melting into the night. After a few leaps across rooftops and confirming no one was following, he finally canceled his transformation in a deserted alleyway.

Casual clothes simulated by biomass instantly covered his body. He lowered the brim of his hat and walked quickly toward his rental room, looking like a perfectly ordinary citizen returning home late.

【Consciousness Space】

Just as Lu Jianchuan set off on his way back, the System's analysis within Han Chengyu's Consciousness Space was also completed.

【Phase threat 'Headhunter' (Individual Code: Wu Meng) confirmed eliminated. Currently performing combat data and biological sample residue analysis...】

Deep blue data streams surged, presenting the analysis results before Han Chengyu's "eyes."

【Analysis complete. Conclusion: This individual is not a product of natural evolution; its evolution was triggered by external forced intervention.】

"Forced intervention?" Han Chengyu's attention was immediately piqued.

【Yes.】 The System's electronic voice carried an air of absolute calm.

【Two abnormal substances were detected in its biological tissue residue. The first is a high concentration of purified evo factor aggregates in an unstable state, which were forcibly injected into its body.】

The data stream simulated a visual of foreign evo factors flooding into Wu Meng's body.

【This is equivalent to throwing a massive amount of volatile fuel into genes that already harbored a latent spark, forcibly igniting the evolution process.】

【The second is a complex virus with a unique mechanism of action.】 The System switched to a structural model of the virus.

【The virus itself is not directly destructive; its function is more like a 'biological key'—after invading cells, it overstimulates and lowers the threshold for evo factor activation, causing them to detonate simultaneously the moment the foreign factors flood in.】

"I see," Han Chengyu realized. "First, they forcibly inject a large amount of 'fuel,' then use a 'key' to force an ignition! But this is way too reckless!"

【Correct. This process is extremely dangerous, and the theoretical success rate is infinitely close to zero.】 The System continued its analysis.

【The target individual (Wu Meng) had a severely depleted body due to long-term drug use, with a large amount of toxins accumulated inside. After the forced evolution started, its body's instinctual priority was to 'expel lethal toxins' and 'repair the riddled body.' This is a process that requires an enormous amount of energy.】

The data stream constructed a tragic scene of the energy in Wu Meng's body spiraling out of control.

【However, its broken body was fundamentally unable to withstand the evolutionary energy that was ignited instantly and far exceeded its load. The severe imbalance between energy supply and demand caused the repair process to spiral completely out of control just as it began, leading to a chain-reaction-like structural collapse—the 'biological explosion' observed at the scene.】

【Its final form—the brain surviving and controlling the severed limbs—was not a successful evolution, but rather an extremely accidental and deformed 'emergency avoidance' mechanism driven by survival instinct before total destruction. Essentially, it was a failed evolutionary defect. Its very existence is ironclad proof of how extremely dangerous these forced intervention methods are.】

Han Chengyu felt a chill as he watched the cruel simulation in the System. This was no longer a tragedy of natural selection, but a cold and insane human experiment conducted on a living person.

"So, the masterminds don't care at all what they create; they only care about 'whether it can be created'..."

"What a... dangerous and crazy organization." Han Chengyu felt a pang of heart palpitations as he digested the intelligence analyzed by the System. This act of treating living people as disposable test subjects caused his distaste for Prometheus to reach its peak.

He pondered: "Should I tell Lu Jianchuan about this?"

【Pros and cons analysis of disclosure: Informing the Aptitude Holder can increase his alertness toward potential threats and clarify the enemy. However, it may cause unnecessary anxiety or affect his judgment.】 The System calmly listed the options.

"Tell him," Han Chengyu quickly made a decision. "He has the right to know what kind of thing he is fighting. Besides, with his personality, knowing the truth will only make him more determined."

His consciousness sensed the outside world and found that Lu Jianchuan had safely returned to his rental room and was taking off his jacket, sitting by the bed looking slightly exhausted.

"Now's the time." With a thought from Han Chengyu, "System, send our analysis conclusions to him in a way he can understand."

【Information review in progress... Content does not violate core principles. Sending now.】

【Real World】

Lu Jianchuan had just unscrewed a bottle of water and taken a sip when that special vibration came from the phone in his pocket. He pulled out the phone and tapped it open.

.: Regarding the target just eliminated. According to the residue analysis, its mutation was not naturally formed, but the result of forced human intervention. It is speculated to be the work of Prometheus, the organization the woman you encountered at the hospital belongs to.

They forcibly activate and distort the evolutionary path by injecting special agents and viruses into the target, ultimately leading to a loss of control. It was essentially a failed live experiment.

This organization is extremely dangerous and acts without any moral bottom line. I hope you are aware and remain doubly vigilant.

Lu Jianchuan looked at the cold text on the screen, his hand gripping the water bottle tightening involuntarily.

Man-made... live experiments!

That drug addict Wu Meng was certainly hateful and pathetic, but the root cause of him ultimately turning into that monstrous state—even driving someone else's corpse after death—actually stemmed from the cold-blooded and heartless "experiment" of the organization Prometheus!

A surge of killing intent, mixed with anger and coldness, rose in his heart. His previous battles with these monsters were for protection and survival. But now, he clearly realized that behind these monsters stood a group of even more cold-blooded "creators" who deserved to be eradicated even more!

He drained the remaining water in the bottle in one gulp, but the cold liquid seemed unable to suppress the fire in his heart. He put down his phone and looked out the window at the heavy night sky.

"Prometheus"... this name was branded into his mind. The outline of the enemy became clearer in his heart, and even more... unpardonable.

Lu Jianchuan: Understood. I'll be careful of them. I will also definitely find them and completely resolve this hidden threat.

After replying, he turned off his phone and drained the rest of the water in his glass. The cold liquid seemed unable to fully suppress the flames ignited in his heart by Prometheus's madness. After a simple wash, he collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep amidst his chaotic thoughts... The next day, the atmosphere in the Police Station was unusually relaxed. There were no emergency calls or noisy disputes; only the quiet sunlight streamed in through the window. After finishing some backlogged paperwork, Lu Jianchuan sat at his workstation with nothing much to do.

He took out his phone and instinctively searched for keywords regarding last night's medical center. As expected, the internet was calm, with no news leaking out about attacks, monsters, or the man in silver armor.

Either the incident was completely locked down, or GUPA's "Cleaners" had once again efficiently erased all traces. All he could find was a promotional announcement about the official opening of the "Qiming Future Medical Center," looking perfectly peaceful.

Just as he was about to put away his phone, a pushed local news short video caught his attention. The poster was a user with the ID "Hongyi or Not Hongyi," and the profile picture was a silhouette of a young man in a racing suit with a sports car in the background.

In the video was exactly that shaken young master from last night—Shen Hongyi. He sat in what looked like a luxury apartment, his face carrying a mix of lingering fear and extreme excitement as he spoke excitedly to the camera:

"...I know none of you believe me! But I'm telling you, it was real! I saw it with my own eyes! That silver armor was freaking awesome! It was like he walked right out of a movie! He saved me!" He slapped his chest hard and emphasized, "He's a true hero! I'm declaring that from today on, I am this hero's number one fan!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, even shouting at the camera: "Hero who saved me, if you see this video, please be sure to contact me! I, Shen Hongyi, am a man of my word. As long as you come to me, this young master will definitely provide all the help I can! If you want money, I'll give you money; if you want resources, I'll give you resources!"

The video's comment section instantly exploded, but it was almost entirely one-sided mockery and disbelief.

"Young Master, which nightclub did you hit up last night? You're having hallucinations, aren't you? A hero? Your chuunibyou is acting up, right?"

"Hahaha, buddy, the script is pretty fresh, but don't make it up next time. Providing help? Which dimension did you import the stuff you're tripping on from?"

"Oh boy, I get it! Is the Young Master doing some performance art to hype up a domestic tokusatsu show his family invested in? This marketing method is quite unique!"

"Got it, got it, domestic tokusatsu is on the rise! Young Master is buying his way into the cast as the lead, right?"

Clearly, in the eyes of the general public, Shen Hongyi's "tycoon-style fanboy" declaration looked more like an unreliable rich second-generation kid hyping himself up.

Lu Jianchuan looked at Shen Hongyi's solemn yet somewhat comical appearance in the video and the uniform teasing in the comments, shaking his head helplessly. Just as he was wondering if the video would attract unnecessary attention, the page suddenly refreshed, showing "This video has been deleted."