8: First Appearance - Armor

Outside, the instant Lu Jianchuan's fingertip pressed the Crimson Orb—

Buzz—!

He felt it wasn't the watch vibrating, but his own bones! A scorching torrent, originating deep within his bone marrow, was instantly detonated and guided by the device on his wrist, rushing wildly throughout his body in an unprecedented manner and path!

“Ugh aah—!”

He involuntarily let out a low roar. This was not pain, but the intense shock of his life level being forcefully pried open and rewritten.

Beneath his skin, something was proliferating, mutating, and constructing itself at an unprecedented speed!

The first thing to change was his left hand, the one that pressed the orb. The bones beneath the skin seemed to come alive, emitting a subtle, dense “clacking” sound. Silver-white Biological Carapace, bearing the natural texture and sheen of bone, didn't just cover—it directly pierced the skin of his hand and forearm, rapidly “growing” out like a second layer of bone! The process was filled with brutal vitality, yet under precise guidance, it instantly solidified into a Silver-White Vambrace covering his entire left forearm.

This growth spread like wildfire, instantly transmitting throughout his entire body!

On his torso, the muscle fibers of his chest and abdomen seemed interwoven with a tougher substance. Silver-white Chest armor and Abdomen Armor “pushed” directly out from within, like extensions of his ribcage and abdominal wall, tightly conforming to his original body contour while providing powerful protection.

On his legs, silver-white Leg armor likewise burst through his trousers, growing and solidifying along the shape of his leg bones until they formed Battle Boots that encased his feet.

Finally, his head. He felt his skull growing hot. Beneath the skin of his nape and sides of his skull, Silver-White Neck Guard and Helmet components grew out. Eventually, a stern Helmet that completely obscured his face took shape, and the visor area lit up with cold, Deep Blue Light.

The entire process was as fast as a violent burst of life. There were no fluids, no encasing. Only growth—a fierce growth stemming from his own life factors, yet guided and restrained.

When everything subsided, Lu Jianchuan stood rooted to the spot, breathing heavily.

He lowered his head, looking at the silver-white armor that seemed fused with his flesh and bones, sensing the familiar yet strange power surging within it.

This power came from within him, yet it was guided by the device on his wrist into this... living suit of armor.

The armor's first manifestation was not a suit worn, but a cold evolution born from his own flesh and blood.

Lu Jianchuan stood stunned, his mind blank.

He looked down at his hands—they were no longer flesh and blood, but were tightly encased in streamlined, silver-white Biological Carapace with a subtle, bone-like texture.

A faint grinding sound, cold and powerful, accompanied the movement of his finger joints.

A never-before-felt warm current, mixed with a stinging, tingling sensation, rushed through his blood vessels and deep within his bone marrow, as if genetic fragments that had slept for millions of years were suddenly awakened.

This... is power? The awe and longing he felt as a child, curled up under the covers, shining a flashlight on comic books and gazing at the brilliant heroes on screen, were now burning inside him in such a cruel and real way.

However, the cost of this power... Li Ming's eyes, full of relief as he was pushed away, branded his Soul like a red-hot iron. Grief, guilt, and the subsequent fury that nearly tore through his chest instantly burned the budding shock and confusion into ash.

“Uncle Li!”

He abruptly raised his head, the Helmet-covered face turning toward the depths of the life-consuming warehouse. The previously stable Deep Blue Light in the visor suddenly contracted, then became sharp and cold, like ghost fire ignited on an ice field, filled with palpable killing intent.

Without hesitation, driven by rage, he stomped his right foot hard on the ground, sending gravel flying. He shot forward like a cannonball, rushing back into the suffocating darkness without looking back!

The instant he plunged into the darkness, a faint halo appeared at the edge of the Helmet visor's field of view, and the internal display interface instantly switched.

Complex grayscale images and thermal contours replaced normal vision. The world in his eyes transformed into a battlefield composed of light-dark contrast and heat distribution.

But this clarified vision brought only deeper pain and fury!

He clearly saw the monster hunched over Li Ming's remains, its head covered in Bio-Steel Bone lowered. The sickening sound of chewing and the faint crunch of shattering bone echoed like demonic music in the dead silence of the warehouse. Uncle Li’s familiar police uniform was torn and stained dark red, and his torso... "Beast! Get away from him!"

Lu Jianchuan squeezed a bestial roar from deep in his throat. Filtered through the Helmet, the sound became deep and metallic. His charging speed increased again! His footsteps struck the ground, emitting heavy thuds, like the beating of war drums.

Lu Jianchuan squeezed a bestial roar from deep in his throat. Filtered through the Helmet, the sound became deep and metallic. His charging speed increased again! His footsteps struck the ground, emitting heavy thuds, like the beating of war drums.

The monster seemed completely immersed in feeding, or rather, it had never expected the weak prey that had just escaped to return in this form, carrying such pure killing intent!

Not until Lu Jianchuan was right upon it did it violently raise its dark, bone-plated head. Its vertical pupils suddenly contracted, reflecting the cold, silver figure!

Too close!

The fist, encased in Silver-White Bone Armor, carried Lu Jianchuan's entire weight, the kinetic energy of his charge, and all his unvented hatred, slamming into the monster's left temple like a heavy hammer. The immense impact snapped the monster's head violently to the right, and a cracking sound could even be heard as its neck bones strained under the load. It let out a pained roar mixed with shock and fury.

Giving it no time to react, Lu Jianchuan's left fist, like a coiled viper, struck viciously from below in a fierce uppercut, smashing hard into nearly the exact same spot! This time, tiny sparks even flew from the monster's bone plating at the point of collision!

The successive heavy blows plunged the monster into brief disorientation. It shook its head, attempting to retreat.

But Lu Jianchuan gave it no chance! The muscles of his right fist bulged beneath the silver armor, and the Bone Fiber Bundles instantly tightened to their limit. All his strength, all his sorrow, all his rage, were concentrated in this final strike, like a spring compressed to its maximum.

The fist pulled back, his body leaned forward like a fully drawn war bow. Then, the fist shot out like an arrow, smashing fiercely into the center of the monster's heavily muscled chest, a spot relatively lacking in bone armor protection! "Die!"