Chapter 87

Chapter 87

One of the advantages of cold weapons, perhaps, is not having to worry about gunfire startling anyone.

Dawn was approaching.

Lu Yan wrapped the bow in newspaper and carried it in his arms, not wanting to scare the pedestrians on the street.

Breakfast stalls were already set up along the roadside. A high school student riding a bike towards the subway station leaned against the curb, waiting for the steamed buns to finish cooking.

The portly vendor lifted the lid of the steamer, releasing a cloud of hot steam carrying the sweet scent of dough.

Lu Yan hadn’t felt like eating in a long time, but he suddenly wanted a bun. He patted his pockets and found no money.

Perhaps his longing gaze was too obvious. The high school student walked over and handed him half a steamer basket of soup dumplings. “The vendor sent these for you.”

Lu Yan looked up. The bun seller waved a hand. “Young man. There’s no hurdle in life that can’t be overcome! Stay strong!”

Lu Yan asked his system, “Do I look like a beggar?”

The system replied: [You might want to find a mirror?]

Lu Yan couldn’t find one, so he looked at his reflection in a shop window.

In the span of a few hours, he’d swum through water, run across land, and crawled through woods.

He did look rather wretched now, enough to make him want to find the nearest hotel for a shower. Circumstances just didn’t allow it.

Still, Lu Yan accepted the vendor’s kindness.

The bun was filled with chicken broth and pork—generously stuffed with marbled, fatty meat that left a rich flavor lingering after a single bite.

At 6:30 AM, a nearby shop was playing the local morning news.

"Last night at 10 PM, our city was attacked by a powerful pollutant…"

On the news, the anchor calmly recounted the surface-level events. The walking dead at the cemetery, the attacks on the Qinglong Reservoir and the underground First Research Institute. Thanks to the efforts of many, the Pollution Disease outbreak had been contained. Citizens could travel safely.

A passerby muttered with lingering fear, “So it was a pollutant. The ground kept shaking over there yesterday. I thought it was an earthquake. Scared me to death.”

Lu Yan thought of Subject 03 and asked, “What about the Gu Master?”

[The Gu Master was rescued by the City Lord. There’s a gaming company near the cemetery that the City Lord likes.]

“And the other experimental subjects?”

[Subject 01 and Tang Xian’an fought. It was… brutal. The Hound has the Phoenix’s regeneration. Hard to kill. It ended in a stalemate. The First Research Institute collapsed. Subject 07 took two experimental pods—Subjects 04 and 09.]

[The remaining subjects were transferred to the Prevention and Control Center headquarters.]

On the TV, the news was reaching its conclusion. “In this operation, seven Awakened individuals sacrificed their lives. Let us remember their names: Gu Zheng, Zhan Yihan, Zong Yan, Ye Liangshan…”

The experimental subjects who had broken free were presented to the outside world as honored martyrs.

A meager compensation, perhaps.

[The surviving researchers are currently detained at headquarters, awaiting interrogation.]

[The results may not come quickly, but this won’t be swept under the rug.]

The price paid was simply too steep.

The institute’s original purpose wasn’t to play god. It was genuinely for humanity’s future. A pity it gradually strayed from its intended path.

Over the years, suspicions had arisen. But the underground labs were isolated, and most people had no way of getting information. Not to mention the legally documented informed consent forms before each experiment.

[Headquarters sent inspectors periodically. While the ‘dog’ gene failed on Subject 01, it worked to varying degrees on the others, maintaining a surface-level peace. Besides, the institute itself had a casualty quota. The most disobedient subjects had already died during the ‘modification’ procedures.]

Lu Yan finished the last bun. “I like humans.”

[You’ve said that before.]

Lu Yan thought for a moment. “It’s a different kind of liking this time.”

*

Lu Zhi leaned against her car, smoking. She’d waited a long time but hadn’t encountered any ‘meat pigs’ to scoop off the street.

She said to the bald driver beside her, “Men are unreliable. This isn’t what Lu Cheng promised.”

Back then, to trick her into joining, Lu Cheng had painted a glorious picture. Thankfully, he was broke, or Lu Zhi might have fallen for it.

The bald driver was also a pollutant. In his human life, he’d been a language teacher at a vocational high school in a small town. Because he could always spot students slacking off, he was nicknamed “Eagle Eye.”

Later, the school was attacked by pollutants. The driver covered the students’ escape but was unfortunately infected. He truly evolved an ‘eagle eye.’

His eyes were like a snail’s, connected by thin stalks that could rotate freely. His evolution level wasn’t high, making him seem somewhat dull. “The dragon and the dog are fighting.”

“Who’s winning?” Lu Zhi asked.

“The dragon wants to kill the dog, but the dog won’t die. The dog wants to kill the dragon, but it can’t bite through.”

Lu Zhi: “Makes sense. Dragon bone. The dog’s teeth would just chip.”

“The firebird met the ice crow. The crow’s wing is injured. The firebird ran off with a metal case.”

Lu Zhi pondered. “The ice crow is Odin. Who’s the firebird?”

The driver couldn’t answer. He didn’t know either.

“The dog… also ran.”

Lu Zhi only cared about one thing. “Is the dragon alive?”

“…” The driver hesitated for a long time. “Hard to tell. He’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Figures. Twelve thousand against sixteen thousand. Surviving is impressive enough.” Lu Zhi slowly blew a smoke ring. “Would be better if he died. I’ve always wanted to open a branch slaughterhouse in A City. Expanding overseas all these years is such a headache.”

She took one last look at the bustling A City, her gaze filled with obsession and greed. “I went to university here. I loved this place. Let’s go back.”

As she spoke, she casually stuffed a fresh strip of meat into the driver’s mouth.

The driver chewed slowly, replying dully, “Okay.”

*

6:30 AM.

Inside the Third Research Institute.

To prevent experimental pollutant subjects from escaping, and due to space constraints, major research institutes were always isolated, far from populated areas. The Third Institute, for example, was located in a valley on the outskirts of A City.

At this moment, the institute’s monitoring ward was in chaos.

Researcher A sprinted towards the storeroom. “Sedatives—get the sedatives!”

Researcher B: “What about the special medicine?! Bring out the PHR-A3 special formula! Don’t get close! Use the tranquilizer gun!”

“No! The side effects are unknown!! It hasn’t been approved for use on Awakened yet!!” Researcher C flipped through Tang Xian’an’s medical file, anxiety twisting inside him. “Can’t we use the original formula?!”

“Should we contact the Twelfth Institute to prepare for euthanasia?!”

The moment he said it, he was met with fierce glares from several of Tang Xian’an’s teammates.

The speaker immediately shrank back. “I… I… It’s just a precaution!”

Ji Wen had a cold sweat on his brow. “The Twelfth Institute doesn’t have the capability to euthanize an Awakened of this level. We need to lower Tang Xian’an’s aberration rate first. Otherwise, losing the Third Institute is the least of our worries. If the Tyrant becomes a Rampaging Dragon, A City might be finished.”

Tang Xian’an’s body was already showing clear signs of aberration, just like when he’d first completed the fusion surgery.

It was clear he was fighting for control, but the aberration was progressing irreversibly.

His draconic wings were spread wide, covered in bloody gashes and holes pierced by his own bone spikes. His teammates, tears in their eyes, pulled on ropes from different directions, trying to calm him down.

Golden blood splattered on the floor.

The data monitor’s light flashed. Ji Wen glanced at it. 99.4%.

At the same time, the pollution value monitor began to fluctuate.

It started rising by dozens, then quickly jumped by hundreds per second.

Ji Wen’s heart hammered in his chest.

Despite the presence of others, the researchers still didn’t dare get too close. Mainly out of fear of triggering Tang Xian’an’s predatory instincts.

Several doses of the special medicine were loaded into tranquilizer guns and fired. The effect was minimal.

Ji Wen gritted his teeth. “Give me the special medicine! I’ll administer it orally.”

Oral administration was more effective than injection.

Researcher C stepped forward. “Teacher, I had the worst grades in school. Let me go.”

Researcher A said, “I eat six bowls of rice a day. I’ll go.”

Researcher B said, “I have the fewest research projects. Let me.”

Bai Ze, one of Tang Xian’an’s team members, yanked on the chain in his hands, furious. “Hurry up, will you?!”

He turned back, tears streaming. “Team Leader Tang! Calm down! My wife is six months pregnant. I still want to be a dad!”

The chains weren’t metal, but tendons from a deep-sea pollutant. The tendons were already starting to fray.

Finally, Researcher C charged forward without hesitation.

He pried open Tang Xian’an’s mouth, which no longer looked human, and poured the special medicine down his throat like water.

A low roar erupted from deep within Tang Xian’an’s throat. The spiritual power shockwave made Researcher C, whose tolerance was low, bleed from all seven orifices.

Trembling, Researcher C pulled back his hand. Something glinted under his white protective suit.

The next second, Tang Xian’an pounced on him. He couldn’t hold back his strength. His claws tore a bloody hole in Researcher C’s shoulder.

Researcher C screamed. Instinct for survival screamed at him to scramble away, but past research proved struggling only increased the chance of death. So he covered his mouth, forcing himself to calm down, and went limp.

Tang Xian’an didn’t press the attack. Instead, he hooked a claw and ripped something off Researcher C’s wrist.

It was Researcher C’s protective talisman.

The black dragon uncurled its claws.

Xiao Bing scrambled away from the containment area, his heart still hammering against his ribs.

A single pane of glass now separated them from the creature within. Inside the isolation room, the monster finally stilled.

The dragon settled on the floor, tucking its blood-stained claws beneath its body, curling into a tight, unmoving coil.

Like a great wyrm guarding its hoard.

The heavy, ragged sound of its breathing filled the chamber. As the dragon closed its eyes, the monitors flickered. The aberration rate hadn't dropped, but the pollution value was steadily decreasing.

A collective sigh of relief rippled through the room.

Researcher A doused the wound on Bing's shoulder with hydrogen peroxide, making him flinch and whimper.

Ji Wen approached. "What did he take from you?"

Bing sniffled, tears welling. "It… it was from before. Remember that other Awakened we treated? The one with the brain injury from an encounter with a Holy Spirit."

"He had an aberration episode while unconscious. When I was changing his dressings, I noticed one of his golden scales had come loose. It… it just looked so pretty. Shiny. I had it tested. No residual pollution, just incredibly dense. So I drilled a hole and wore it as a charm."

It wasn't strictly against the rules, but it skirted the line. Smacked of pilfering.

"Please, Teacher, I'm sorry! Don't fire me!" Bing clutched at Ji Wen's pant leg, a fluffy white rabbit tail popping out from his lower back in his distress. "My mortgage… I still have years left."

He was Awakened, but his talent ranking was abysmal. No combat power to speak of, a low spiritual power threshold.

No other job paid half as well as the Institute.

Ji Wen ruffled his hair, a flicker of pity in his eyes. "Write a report. And I'll see about an extra chicken leg in your lunch tomorrow."