89: Highly poisonous

After Golden Bone left, Lu Jianchuan was in no hurry to act. He knew well that when facing an underground network, impatience was the greatest enemy.

Over the next few days, he lived a double life. By day, he was Lu Jianchuan, the criminal police officer at the Police Station who seemed somewhat withdrawn due to Uncle Li's sacrifice, but remained diligent in his work.

By night, he met up with the GUPA field squad. Based on the clues gathered from various sources, they conducted reconnaissance in different corners of the city.

The investigation was not all smooth sailing.

On the first day, based on a vague signal area initially locked by GUPA, they raided an underground boxing ring in the South District. It was indeed filled with illegal drugs and violence, but after screening, it was found to be just common stimulants unrelated to the evo factor; the mission came up empty.

On the second day, Lu Jianchuan followed a lead provided by a grassroots officer and found a black-market doctor in the West District who seemed to be selling some kind of "body-strengthening tonic" irregularly. They staked out the place all night, only to confirm it was just counterfeit medicine mixed with hormones, unrelated to Prometheus.

Coming up empty twice in a row made the squad's atmosphere somewhat somber. The enemy was more cunning than imagined; the distribution network seemed to have multiple layers of cover, with the true core hidden very deep.

The turning point came on the afternoon of the third day.

While reviewing the previous bizarre death cases, Lu Jianchuan discovered a previously overlooked connection—two of the deceased had been active in an encrypted social group called "Undercurrent" within a week before their deaths. This group specialized in discussing various urban legends and taboo topics about "transcending Mortals."

Almost simultaneously, GUPA's technical department also had a Breakthrough. They improved their tracking algorithm, no longer just tracking strong activation signals, but starting to capture the extremely faint "induction period" biomarkers unique to that drug.

Though these markers were faint, they lasted much longer.

The "induction period" signals traced back from multiple death locations were like fireflies in the night; though scattered, their movement trajectories ultimately pointed faintly toward the abandoned industrial park area in the North District.

Chat logs within the "Undercurrent" group also showed that someone had recently made veiled mentions that one could "experience ascension" at the "old place in the North District."

Two independent clues converged at this moment.

Late on the night of the fourth day, the action squad struck again, targeting the most suspicious objective in the North District Industrial Park—the Dingfeng Trade Building, which had been abandoned for years like the skeleton of a giant beast.

The night was thick, and the air was filled with the smell of rust and chemicals unique to industrial zones. Lu Jianchuan met with three GUPA field agents in the shadows. Several days of screening had left everyone with a hint of fatigue, but their eyes were sharper than ever.

Captain "Lynx" confirmed the intel one last time: "The signal source is locked on the east side of the fifth floor. According to the thermal scan, there are over ten life signs inside. The probability of this being the target is extremely high. Everyone, stay sharp."

Lu Jianchuan nodded. He took a deep breath and touched the crimson orb on his left wrist.

Silver-white biomass fluid silently covered his body, and the silver skeleton armor shimmered with a cold luster under the dim light. The azure goggles lit up.

He made a tactical hand gesture and took the lead, gliding toward the building that had swallowed multiple lives like a ghost. Behind him, the three squad members followed silently in a tactical formation.

The heavy iron door was quietly pried open with professional tools, and a gust of air mixed with dust, mildew, and a faint scent of chemicals rushed toward them. The interior of the building was deathly silent, with only their footsteps causing slight echoes in the cavernous space.

The squad advanced silently up the stairs toward the fifth floor. Just as they were about to reach the target floor, Captain Lynx received a real-time thermal scan update on his tactical goggles.

"The situation has changed," he whispered, informing everyone via bone-conduction headsets. "The signal sources have split. The main thermal cluster is still in the east hall of the fifth floor, suspected to be experimental personnel and... controlled test subjects. But there is an independent high-energy reaction moving toward the sixth floor, very fast."

He made a quick decision and looked at the silver armor beside him: "'silver skeleton', your mobility and individual combat power are the strongest. That target moving to the sixth floor is likely a core figure. You go intercept him; be careful. We'll go to the hall, control the scene, and rescue the people."

Lu Jianchuan understood immediately. "Understood," a raspy metallic voice rang out. "You guys control the hall; the situation there is complex and needs manpower. Leave the mastermind to me."

Without any redundant words, Lu Jianchuan and the squad split at the stairwell. Lynx led two members like a sharp blade into the east hall of the fifth floor. Meanwhile, Lu Jianchuan pushed off with his feet, his body like a bolt of silver lightning as he charged straight for the sixth floor along the stairs.

The environment on the sixth floor was even more dilapidated and empty than below. Lu Jianchuan's goggles scanned through the darkness, quickly locking onto the only room at the end of the corridor with a faint light source. He suppressed his aura and approached silently.

The door to the room was ajar. Through the crack, he saw a back wearing a black trench coat—it was the same figure he had caught a glimpse of before: the Heartbinder.

The person seemed to be talking to someone over a communicator, their tone carrying a composure as if everything was under control:

"...Don't worry, everything is proceeding according to plan. The 'bait' has been set, just waiting for the 'big fish' to bite. He is very confident in his own strength and will surely chase after me alone... This is the perfect time for us to test that 'silver individual' and collect this valuable combat data."

Just then, his words paused slightly, as if he had heard some information from his headset. Then, he let out a knowing chuckle.

"Heh... I know he's here."

Having said that, he slowly turned around. His face, covered by a metal mask over the upper half, was facing the door. The exposed corners of his mouth curled into a smile mixed with cruelty and playfulness, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the door and land directly on Lu Jianchuan.

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."

Before his voice could fade, the ajar door was kicked completely open with a 'bang'.

Lu Jianchuan's tall figure, covered in silver-white biological armor, emerged fully from the shadows behind the door.

His azure goggles locked coldly onto the Heartbinder. Without a word, he simply took heavy steps, walking forward one step at a time, unswerving.

The Heartbinder watched the silently approaching Lu Jianchuan, tilted his head, and said with a hint of mockery, "What? Don't you even have a name, or a code name in this state? Do you mind telling me?"

As he spoke, he also stepped forward. The two moved toward each other in the center of the dilapidated floor, the distance between them closing rapidly.

What answered him was Lu Jianchuan's sudden burst of speed and a plain, direct heavy punch aimed straight at his face! The wind from the punch whistled, demonstrating the most direct attitude.

"Tsk, what a boring fellow." The Heartbinder snorted coldly. His mutated arms instantly crossed in front of him, and his dark carapace took the punch head-on. Bang! A dull impact exploded, and the dust beneath their feet rippled out in a ring. The battle instantly turned white-hot!

The Heartbinder's fighting style was sinister and efficient. He didn't clash with Lu Jianchuan's strength head-on. His carapace-covered arms were like vipers, blocking, parrying, and redirecting force. Ten deep-blue bone spurs would occasionally flick out like a snake's tongue, stabbing at the armor's joint gaps from extremely tricky angles.

His movements carried a brevity and lethality tempered through countless slaughters.

Lu Jianchuan, on the other hand, pushed the armor's strength and speed to the limit. His fists, elbows, knees, and legs all became weapons, his offensive like a violent storm.

The two exchanged blows rapidly in the empty floor, their figures crossing at high speed. The sounds of fists and feet colliding and bone spurs scraping against armor were incessant. For a moment, they were evenly matched, locked in a stalemate.

During a fierce close-quarters struggle, Lu Jianchuan intentionally left an opening, taking a bone spur to his shoulder plate in exchange for a perfect control distance!

His left hand suddenly gripped the arm the opponent was trying to withdraw, and his right fist instantly clenched, dazzling blue-white electric arcs dancing wildly upon it!

"Zzzzt—!!!"

The violent bio-current poured entirely into the Heartbinder's body through the contact point! "Ugh!" The Heartbinder let out a pained grunt, his entire body trembling violently, and even faint scorch marks appeared on the carapace of his mutated arms.

Although he didn't collapse immediately thanks to his powerful Physique, his movements became noticeably sluggish, and his breathing grew erratic.

Just then, rapid footsteps came from the stairwell. Captain Lynx's figure appeared. He quickly scanned the battlefield and immediately raised his specialized rifle.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A few precise shots rang out. The bullets weren't aimed directly at the Heartbinder but blocked his possible dodge and retreat routes, greatly restricting his movement space.

"silver skeleton! Suppress him!" Lynx roared, constantly looking for opportunities for tactical harassment from the perimeter.

With support, Lu Jianchuan's spirits rose, and his offensive became even more fierce. The Heartbinder had to deal with the silver armor in front of him, which combined strength and electricity, while also being distracted by the lethal cold shots from the flank. He was suddenly overwhelmed and in dire straits.

He could only rely on his rich experience and eerie movement techniques to clumsily dodge and weave under the pincer attack of the two. The scales of victory were tipping rapidly toward Lu Jianchuan's side.

Under the joint suppression of Lu Jianchuan and Lynx, the Heartbinder, though slightly defensive, still had cold and steady eyes. He parried one of Lu Jianchuan's electrified heavy punches, used the force to leap back, and suddenly spoke with a tone of playful confirmation:

"Your code name... is 'silver skeleton', right?"

He didn't seem to need an answer. As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his hand and pressed an inconspicuous button hidden in his trench coat sleeve.

Beep—

A sharp electronic beep sounded in the empty floor, like a countdown from the Grim Reaper.

Lynx's face changed drastically, and he roared, "Not good! Explosives! Take cover—!!"

However, the warning came too late.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several deafening explosions erupted from the building's load-bearing points! A massive shockwave carrying debris and rebar swept through the entire floor like a storm! The ceiling collapsed with a crash, and dust instantly swallowed everything!

The moment the explosion occurred, Lu Jianchuan had almost no hesitation. His powerful combat instincts made him lunged toward Lynx, who was closest to him!

He used his silver body as a shield, pinning the captain firmly beneath him, relying entirely on the armor's own solid structure and the incredible strength of the biomass carapace to endure the devastating impact!

Bang! Rumble—!

Countless pieces of rubble and broken rebar rained down on his back and head, making dull and terrifying impact sounds.

Even with the armor's protection, the overwhelming force made his vision go dark. His internal organs felt as if they had been displaced. A coppery sweetness welled up in his throat, which he forced himself to swallow back down.

The entire floor began to tilt and collapse amidst the loud noise and dust!

It was unknown how much time had passed before the aftershocks of the explosion finally subsided.

Lu Jianchuan suddenly threw off several concrete slabs pressing on him and struggled to stand up from the ruins. Lynx, beneath him, had some scrapes but was otherwise fine.

However, before Lu Jianchuan could check on the other man's condition, a ghostly figure used the lingering dust to close in on him with unbelievable speed!

It was the Heartbinder! He seemed to have calculated the explosion's range and his own escape route long ago.

Lu Jianchuan had just spent his strength and hadn't yet recovered; he had no time to make an effective reaction. The Heartbinder's mutated arm was like a snake emerging from its hole, the deep-blue bone spur at the fingertip accurately finding the microscopic gap between Lu Jianchuan's neck armor and helmet!

A sharp pain came!

A hollow bone spur had already pierced in, and a cold liquid was instantly injected into his body!

"This should be enough," the Heartbinder whispered into his ear in a voice only the two of them could hear, his tone carrying the coldness of a completed experiment. "So, in this situation... can you still survive?"

After speaking, he suddenly pulled out the bone spur, kicked Lu Jianchuan's breastplate hard, and used the force to flip backward, quickly disengaging.

"Fire!" Lynx reacted, raising his gun and roaring. The surviving squad members also opened fire from behind cover, their bullets weaving into a net of fire.

The Heartbinder's figure was like a ghost, weaving through the hail of bullets. He casually grabbed a large chunk of concrete and hurled it at Lynx and the others, forcing them to dodge. Taking this opportunity, he vanished into the shadows on the other side of the ruins in a few leaps, leaving no trace.

But at this moment, Lu Jianchuan felt the entire world drifting away from him.

That cold liquid seemed to instantly ignite an ice storm in his veins! An indescribable sharp pain suddenly gripped his heart, as if an invisible giant hand had squeezed it hard, stopping its beat.

The cold numbness, accompanied by an extreme sense of suffocation, instantly drained all his strength.

His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth in vain, but he couldn't inhale a single breath of air. He fell straight backward.

"silver skeleton!!" Lynx's horrified shout seemed to come from the distant horizon.