85: physical examination

[Real World]

On the ruins, Golden Bone gave Lu Jianchuan his final instructions: "That's enough for today. You should head back first. The official transfer order and subsequent arrangements will be notified to you tomorrow."

He glanced at Lu Jianchuan's armor, still covered in fine cracks, and added: "Out of respect for special talents and considering the current situation, we agree to let you temporarily retain your position as a grassroots police officer.

Whether it's patrol duty or your previous criminal investigation position, it can be coordinated based on actual circumstances. As for combat assessment and other matters, we'll discuss them tomorrow. It's already very late today, so you should go back and rest."

After speaking, Golden Bone said no more. His heavy mechanical exoskeleton emitted a humming sound as it operated, and he turned and disappeared into the shadows of the factory without any further pleasantries.

Lu Jianchuan stood alone on the spot for a moment before deactivating his transformation. Dragging his exhausted body, he silently returned to his rented apartment.

He wolfed down all the ready-to-eat food in the refrigerator. After the intense hunger was alleviated, extreme fatigue washed over him like a tide. He didn't even have time to think much before collapsing onto the bed and falling into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Lu Jianchuan arrived at the Police Station on time. The familiar office environment, however, made him feel a sense of alienating detachment, as if last night's conversation in the abandoned factory was a bizarre and fantastical dream.

Yet, this dream soon became reality. Shortly after 9 a.m., an official transfer order document from the Municipal Bureau was delivered to the Station Chief's office. Moments later, Lu Jianchuan was called in.

"Xiao Lu," the Station Chief said, holding the document with a somewhat puzzled expression, but more with the seriousness of executing an order, "we've received a notification from above to arrange a comprehensive special physical examination for you. The car is already waiting outside. You should go with them now."

Lu Jianchuan knew exactly what this so-called "physical examination" entailed. He nodded calmly: "Yes, Station Chief."

The vehicle that came to pick him up was a seemingly ordinary black business car, but its interior had been thoroughly modified with bulletproof windows and excellent sound insulation.

The car did not head toward any known hospital. Instead, it weaved through the city and eventually drove into the underground parking lot of a modern-looking Grade A office building located in a bustling commercial district.

The elevator did not go up but went straight down, finally stopping at the floor marked "B7."

The elevator doors opened, revealing not a dim parking lot but a technologically Advanced silver-white hall. Soft light evenly spilled from the ceiling, and the emblem of the "GUPA (GUPA)" quietly shone on the front wall. This place was far larger and more Advanced than Lu Jianchuan had imagined.

A Researcher wearing GUPA's internal uniform was already waiting there. His gaze at Lu Jianchuan held a curiosity and excitement of pure scientific inquiry.

"Mr. Lu Jianchuan, please follow me. First, we need to fully record your transformation process in a controlled environment and collect basic data."

They entered an extremely spacious testing field with walls covered in special energy-absorbing Materials. Multiple Researchers were already in position behind various precision instruments.

"Please begin," the guiding Researcher said, his tone filled with barely suppressed anticipation.

Lu Jianchuan took a deep breath, focused his mind, and activated the crimson-red orb on his left wrist.

The next moment, under the astonished gazes of numerous Researchers, silver-white biomass fluid surged from beneath his skin, rapidly covering his entire body and forming sleek, sharp-lined armor.

The entire process was silent yet filled with a sense of power from life evolution, completely different from any known technological creation.

"Incredible... true, controllable directional life evolution!" "Energy reaction steadily climbing, biological structural integrity extremely high!" Low exclamations and instrument data prompts sounded in the observation area.

Subsequently, a series of rigorous, almost rigid tests commenced.

In the strength testing area, Lu Jianchuan followed instructions, facing a massive, specially made alloy target connected to a complex buffering mechanism. He sank his stance and threw a punch!

"Boom!"

A dull, loud sound echoed, causing the entire testing apparatus to tremble. The data display screen beside it showed numbers wildly jumping, finally settling on a staggering figure—18.5 t. A collective gasp of astonishment came from behind the observation glass.

Next was the bioelectricity test. He stood on an insulated platform, raised his right palm, and with a mental command, dazzling blue-white electric arcs crackled and coiled in his palm. The dedicated broadband electrical energy detector issued an overload alarm, ultimately recording

[Peak Voltage: 0.87 MV; Sustained Current: 1.5 kA].

The Researcher in charge of this test adjusted his glasses and murmured, "This is practically... a human-shaped lightning generator..."

During the speed test on a dedicated circular track, his figure became blurred the moment he started, like a silver meteor skimming the ground. The timer at the 100-meter finish line showed: 2.11 s. This already surpassed the explosive movement capabilities of any known land creature.

Finally, the defense test. He stood in place, enduring impacts from kinetic projectiles of different levels fired by specially made firearms.

Only when the impact energy reached 45 KJ did fine, almost invisible stress lines appear on the chest plate of his armor, but it did not crack.

The tester immediately stopped the attacks and recorded the key data of "undamaged defense threshold."

The announcement of each result was accompanied by the Researchers' barely contained excited discussions. What they recorded was not just data but a brand-new miracle of biology and physics.

During a break in the tests, a man in a well-tailored suit, whose demeanor was distinctly different from the other scientific staff, approached with a staff member holding a professional camera.

"Mr. Lu, please don't be nervous," the suited man said with a formulaic smile. "As Investigator Golden Bone explained to you, we are preparing for various future possibilities.

Considering your uniqueness and immense potential, the organization hopes to establish a complete visual archive for you.

This is not for surveillance but so that one day in the future, when the truth needs to be known to the public, what we can present to the world is a clear, powerful image of a 'Guardian' capable of inspiring hope and confidence, not a vague shadow."

Lu Jianchuan remained silent for a moment, then followed the photographer's guidance. Under the testing field lights, he struck several poses that combined a sense of power with a steady demeanor. The flash went off, capturing his current appearance: clad in silver armor with azure-blue lenses in his visor.

The series of astonishing tests finally came to an end. At the Researcher's signal, Lu Jianchuan focused his mind and pressed the crimson-red orb on his left wrist.

The silver-white biomass armor, as if liberated, instantly became covered in cracks, then shattered into countless tiny silver light points, rapidly vanishing into the air, revealing his ordinary-clothed, somewhat slender figure once more.

Almost at the exact moment the armor completely dissipated, a familiar, extreme sense of emptiness and hunger, as if from the depths of his cells, surged over him like a tsunami!

Lu Jianchuan's body swayed uncontrollably for a moment, his face instantly turning somewhat pale. He instinctively reached out to steady himself against a nearby instrument console.

This subtle action was immediately noticed by the Researcher who had been closely observing him.

"Mr. Lu, are you alright? Do similar physiological reactions occur every time after deactivating the transformation?" the Researcher asked while recording, with concern in his voice.

"Mm..." Lu Jianchuan took a deep breath, trying to suppress the cramps in his stomach. "I get very hungry, extremely hungry. And... I feel exhausted, as if my body has been drained."

The Researcher quickly wrote on an electronic notepad, softly reciting the key conclusion: "Confirmed: Severe energy deficit feedback exists post-transformation deactivation.

It is speculated that the high-intensity energy consumption during the transformation state 'settles' in a lump sum after the state ends, requiring immediate supplementation with large amounts of high-calorie food as a buffer."

He looked up and said in a consultative tone, "Mr. Lu, to more comprehensively understand your physical condition, especially this energy metabolism pattern, would it be convenient for us to conduct a detailed physical examination for you? Including some non-invasive scans."

Lu Jianchuan nodded in agreement.

Subsequently, he was guided to a more precise medical scanning area.

When the scan focused on the seemingly ordinary armband on his left wrist, the imaging System showed surprising results—countless fine, almost imperceptible biological neural filaments extended from the inner side of the armband, intricately intertwining and fusing with the main nerve plexus in his arm, as if it were a part grown from his own body.

"Confirmed!" the Researcher in charge of analysis said with certainty, his tone filled with the awe of discovering truth. "Scan results show one hundred percent physiological Fusion.

This structure is not an accessory; it is undoubtedly a 'specific external organ' catalyzed by his own life evolution! This is a 'control and output terminal' that life has self-constructed to harness new power!"

This conclusion was unanimously agreed upon by the surrounding Researchers. They all took notes and began discussing the generation mechanism of such an organ.

Immediately after, a new discovery emerged from a deep scan of his abdomen.

The images showed that within his abdominal cavity, a brand-new, uniquely structured biological organ was steadily pulsating. It had established stable connections via several newly formed biological neural networks with what was previously considered a vestigial organ—the appendix.

"There's another one here! A biological electrical hub!" another Researcher's voice held awe. "It functions like an efficient biological capacitor, capable of storing and regulating the electrical energy generated within your body.

This perfectly explains why you can release and control such high-voltage bioelectric currents! It's astonishing—this is a systematic, multi-organ collaborative deep evolution!"

After all examinations were completed and his body was confirmed to be normal, the previously coordinating Researcher smiled and said to Lu Jianchuan, "Mr. Lu, the tests and examinations are over. I imagine what you need most now is to replenish energy. Please follow me."

They walked through several corridors and arrived at a place resembling a high-end restaurant lounge, but the food provided here was different.

On a long table were neatly arranged military high-energy compressed biscuits, various flavored meat cans, specially made high-protein energy bars, and a kind of dark-colored block wrapped in transparent packaging.

The Researcher picked up that block and explained, "This is a specially supplied product improved from the recipe of the old-era 'Indian survival ration sugar pills.' Although it's sweet, cloying, and hard—not exactly delicious—it has an extremely high calorie content per unit mass and can most quickly alleviate your energy crisis."

He then pointed to several doors next to the lounge area: "Here are the temporary restroom and dedicated dining area we've prepared for you. You are not required to stay here, but a place will always be reserved for you, stocked with ample special food supplies. You can consider this part of the 'employee benefits' provided by the organization."

Lu Jianchuan didn't hesitate. He immediately picked up the food and began eating. As large amounts of high-calorie food entered his stomach, the hunger that had seized his entire body slowly dissipated like a receding tide.