29: Successful Evolution: Abyss Walker and Power Armor

The man in the mirror didn't seem to look much different than he had half an hour ago.

He hadn't turned into some kind of devilish muscleman with bulging veins, nor had he grown scales or tentacles.

But upon closer inspection, one would find that his muscle lines had become extremely tight and fluid.

Like a cheetah or a shark, all excess fat had been removed, and every muscle contained explosive power.

His skin took on a pale, cold jade-like hue, feeling tough and chilly to the touch, like a layer of natural leather armor.

Most striking of all were his eyes.

Deep within his originally pitch-black pupils, an extremely thin, ghostly blue halo had appeared.

When the light dimmed, this halo would glow faintly, like the eyes of a predator in the deep sea, exuding a heart-stopping chill.

“How do you feel?”

Su Qingyu held the physical examination report, looking at the man before her who could no longer be called a “pure human” with a complex expression.

“I feel... the world has slowed down.”

Jiang Ran raised his hand, watching a speck of dust floating in the air.

In his vision, the dust's falling trajectory was clearly visible, slow as a movie in slow motion.

His dynamic vision had been enhanced to the limit.

He casually picked up a solid steel wrench from the lab bench.

Without using much force, he simply closed his fingers gently.

*Screech—*

That industrial-grade wrench, meant for tightening heavy bolts...

It was like it was made of playdough, easily twisted into a spiral in his hand, with fingerprints deeply embedded in the steel.

“Grip strength exceeds 500 kilograms, bone density is four times that of an average person, muscle fiber strength... the instruments can no longer measure it.”

Su Qingyu watched the twisted wrench and swallowed hard:

“Congratulations, Commander.

From a biological perspective, you are already a completely new species.

You can call yourself... an ‘Abyssal Walker’.”

“Abyssal Walker?”

Jiang Ran smiled, let go of the scrap metal with a crisp *clang*, and said, “Good name.”

“There's something more important.”

Su Qingyu turned off the laboratory lights.

Darkness descended instantly.

But in Jiang Ran's eyes, the world did not turn black.

The ghostly blue halos in his pupils dilated instantly, and the faint light from the dashboard indicators was magnified thousands of times by his retinas.

Everything around him turned into a clear, gray-green monochrome image.

He could even see the red glow of thermal radiation emanating from Su Qingyu's body.

“Night vision, and...”

Jiang Ran closed his eyes and listened intently.

Thump, thump, thump... That was Su Qingyu's heartbeat, fast and strong.

Splash, splash... That was the sound of the flood hitting the side of the ship outside the hull.

He could even vaguely hear a low-frequency summoning sound coming from further away, deeper down, from beneath the museum.

Previously, this sound had given him a splitting headache, but now, it actually sounded strangely... familiar?

“My body has adapted to that frequency.”

Jiang Ran opened his eyes, the ghostly blue light flashing for a moment in the darkness.

“How long can I stay underwater now without an oxygen tank?”

This was the question he cared about most.

“Your blood's oxygen-carrying capacity has increased tenfold, and your alveolar utilization has reached 99%.”

Su Qingyu looked at the data: “Theoretically, you can hold your breath for 30 minutes under strenuous exercise.

If you're stationary... maybe you could last an hour.

Although you haven't grown gills yet, this is already the limit for a mammal.”

“Also, that Anti-radiation Serum has taken effect.

Your cells can now secrete a special enzyme to neutralize the toxicity of Heavy Water.

In other words, that ‘Life Forbidden Zone’ under the museum is just a ‘slightly uncomfortable’ bathhouse to you.”

“That's enough.”

Jiang Ran cracked his neck, making a series of crisp pops.

The feeling of being filled with power, as if he could tear through steel, was somewhat intoxicating.

But it didn't go to his head.

Physical enhancement was just the foundation; to fight underwater, he still needed equipment.

“Since the body is ready, let's add another layer of insurance.”

Jiang Ran turned toward the locker room, his voice calm: “zero, open the manufacturing room.”

“Print that Exoskeleton Diving Combat Suit I just designed.”

“It's time to go down and meet that tentacle monster.”

... [Precision Electronics Workshop, task complete]

With a final soft hiss of air pressure release, the translucent hatch of the manufacturing room slowly slid open.

In the center of the display stand stood a breathtaking set of black armor.

It wasn't a bulky, clumsy deep-sea diving suit, nor was it a heavy industrial exoskeleton covered in pipes and wires.

It was streamlined, with every armor plate fitting perfectly according to ergonomic design.

The surface was covered in a layer of Bio-active Metal coating, the same as the black iron ghost, gleaming with a cold, matte finish under the lights.

[“Abyss” Type-I Individual Underwater Powered Armor]

[Total Weight: 45kg (Near-zero load after underwater buoyancy correction)]

[Power: Miniature High-Pressure Fluid Jet Engines (Back/Legs)]

[Defense: Deep-pressure resistant, tear-resistant, radiation shielding layer.]

[Weapon Mounts: Right arm - High-frequency Molecular Vibration Blade; Left arm - Pneumatic Spear Gun (with barbed cable).]

“This was specifically designed for your current physical capabilities.”

zero's voice rang out in the room:

“An ordinary person would have their ribs crushed by the acceleration if they wore it, but your current bones can perfectly withstand its high-G maneuvers.”

Jiang Ran stepped forward and spread his arms.

“Equip.”

The Mechanical Arms descended, and the armor automatically unfolded, wrapping around Jiang Ran like a precise steel embrace.

*Click— Hiss—*

Accompanied by a series of dense mechanical locking sounds, the armor integrated perfectly with Jiang Ran's body.

The faceplate slowly lowered, and his field of vision was instantly filled with the HUD's tactical interface.

Various data flickered before his eyes, seamlessly connecting with Jiang Ran's enhanced senses.

“Movement is free.”

Jiang Ran clenched his fist, and a half-meter-long High-frequency vibration blade popped out from his right arm.

The blade didn't look sharp.

But the surrounding water vapor was instantly vibrated into a white mist, emitting a humming sound.

The cutting power of this thing underwater was more terrifying than a laser.

He turned and walked out of the manufacturing room, arriving at the diving platform on the aft deck.

The rain poured down in torrents.

Su Qingyu stood at the door holding a black umbrella, looking at the steel figure before her that looked like a future warrior.

She didn't say any nonsense like “be careful,” but simply pointed to the communicator on her ear:

“I'll be monitoring your vitals.

If you die, I'll sail the ship away immediately and never look back.”

“Don't worry.”

Jiang Ran's voice came through the faceplate's speaker, carrying a metallic low tone and confidence:

“If I can't come back, then no one in this world can.”

Having said that, he didn't hesitate and leaped.

*Splash!*

There was no massive splash.

Jiang Ran was like a black torpedo, piercing into the deep water that glowed with an eerie blue light with perfect form.

The moment he entered the water, the expected cold and suffocation did not occur.

On the contrary, thanks to the Abyssal Walker physique and the armor's assistance, Jiang Ran felt an unprecedented “sense of belonging.”

The originally lethal Heavy Water around him now seemed to have become his domain.

The miniature jet engines on his back started up, propelling him through the water at extreme speeds.

[Depth: -20 meters]

[Target Bearing: Directly below.]

Jiang Ran hovered in the murky deep water, looking down at the dark abyss below, which was entangled with glowing moss and eerie vines—

The Jiangcheng City Museum.

There, that massive tentacle monster was waiting for him. That black stone tablet was calling to him.

“I'm coming.”

The ghostly blue light in Jiang Ran's eyes flickered behind the faceplate, and the vibration blade in his hand slowly lit up with a high-energy crimson glow.

At this moment, the hunter entered the field.