103: question

The internal investigation concluded, and all discovered eggs were gathered in the isolation room.

"They must all be destroyed to eliminate any future trouble," a Security Supervisor stated firmly. "The samples are too few; we should keep some for research to find their weaknesses," another Researcher objected.

The argument in the isolation room came to an abrupt halt with the heavy sound of an airtight door sliding open.

Everyone's eyes turned toward the door. The tall figure of Golden Bone stood there as he led his team members inside in a single file.

His mechanical exoskeleton still bore fresh scratches from friction with obstacles during high-speed movement, and there was even a clear patch of charred black on his shoulder armor where strong acid had splashed and corroded it. His pace remained steady, and his cold face showed no sign of fatigue, only the sternness that followed a completed mission.

He walked straight to the central console and placed a specialized glass sample tube, about the thickness of a thumb, onto the cold metal surface with a 'click.' Inside the tube was a small amount of powder shimmering with a faint purple light—the incredibly dangerous Bursting Crystal Umbrella spores.

"Spores, a portion recovered." His voice was low and devoid of emotion, yet it caused the atmosphere in the entire isolation room to tighten. "Most have already been transferred."

Immediately after, he added the most critical piece of information, his gaze sweeping over the Researchers and Security Supervisors present: "That starfish-shaped Parasite has been incinerated by me on the spot and thoroughly eliminated."

His gaze finally landed on the slimy egg clusters in the isolation room, which were still slightly squirming and emitting an ominous aura.

"These things," he raised a hand and pointed at the eggs, his tone brook no argument, "keep thirty percent for research value. For the rest, execute the high-temperature destruction procedure immediately."

The command was issued clearly and was indisputable. The previous argument instantly lost its meaning.

The research and security personnel responded and moved immediately, like precision gears engaging once more, splitting up to execute the orders—counting quantities, classifying and labeling, preparing destruction equipment... The isolation room was once again filled with a tense and orderly bustle.

[Consciousness Space]

The commotion and emergency investigation at the external base were, naturally, clearly perceived by Han Chengyu.

"System, can you track it?" His stream of consciousness carried a sense of gravity. "What exactly intercepted the spores?"

[Accessing available external surveillance networks... Retrieving relevant time nodes and geographic coordinate signals...] the System's cold electronic voice responded, as a vast stream of data began to surge within the Consciousness Space.

[Locked onto three unofficial wilderness surveillance cameras; captured relevant combat video fragments. The images are severely damaged with strong environmental interference; performing multi-frame noise reduction and dynamic compensation...]

A blurry, violently shaking video clip unfolded before Han Chengyu's "eyes." The background was a desolate countryside, where the figures of Golden Bone and his team members were vaguely visible, engaged in a fierce battle with several white targets moving so fast they almost left afterimages.

"Pause!" Han Chengyu ordered. The screen froze on a relatively clear frame. The System continuously enlarged and sharpened the blurry white shadow in the center of the image.

Although the form had already mutated—limbs longer and more powerful, covered in some kind of smooth white carapace, and ear tips possessing a sharp, metallic texture—the unique head silhouette and body proportions still pointed to an indisputable prototype.

"Rabbits?" Han Chengyu felt a sense of absurdity, but more so, alertness. "Evolved rabbits... for their speed to reach such a level that even Golden Bone couldn't take them down immediately?"

[Based on morphological model comparison, the match rate is 87.3%. It can be preliminarily determined that the targets are individuals from common rabbit species catalyzed by the evo factor, specializing in the direction of 'Extreme Speed.']

The System confirmed his suspicion and continued its calm analysis: [Beginning combat behavior pattern analysis... Noted an anomaly: Although the targets possess ultra-high-speed mobility, there is a significant delay in their evasion behavior. Statistics show that over 92% of effective evasive maneuvers are only triggered at the critical point when an attack is about to hit (average distance < 0.5 meters).]

The screen then switched, quickly showing several slow-motion shots. They clearly displayed that the white rabbit-type evolved entities often only twisted and dodged at the last possible second, almost as if showing off, when Golden Bone's fist or energy blast was nearly touching their fur.

[Inference: The System concluded, the targets' neural signal transmission and information processing speeds have failed to fully keep up with their muscular outbursts and movement speed. Their ultra-high-speed movement relies more on instinct and preset paths. When facing complex, variable, and especially sudden attacks, they require longer reaction times to process information, leading to 'Judgment Lag.' This is a key tactical weakness.]

"I see." A flash of realization went through Han Chengyu's consciousness. "Extreme Speed, but paired with a 'brain' that can't process information fast enough. It seems that against them, prediction and area-of-effect attacks will be much more effective than simply chasing their speed."

Meanwhile, in the real world, the state of emergency within the base came to a temporary end with Golden Bone's return and the issuance of his orders.

Lu Jianchuan watched as the Researchers and security forces began to efficiently execute the "keep three, destroy seven" command, standing in place without moving for a moment.

Golden Bone's gaze swept over him, and he spoke succinctly: "There's nothing left for you to do here. It's clock-out time; if there are no other tasks, you can head back."

Lu Jianchuan nodded. "Then I'm leaving." "Goodbye," Golden Bone said, then turned back to focus on the processing progress.

Lu Jianchuan didn't linger. He left the base, hopped onto his silver-white motorcycle, and merged into the city's traffic. Amidst the roar of the engine, his thoughts could not settle.

The New Federation, animal evolved entities, the stolen spores, Prometheus, the Second Form... one thing after another that defied common sense weighed heavily on his heart like stones. Although his body wasn't tired thanks to the energy replenishment, he felt a deep sense of mental exhaustion.

He parked his bike under the old residential building where he rented an apartment but didn't go upstairs immediately. Instead, he leaned against the seat and pulled his phone out of his pocket. The night wind blew, bringing a hint of chill. He suddenly remembered that he hadn't contacted that mysterious information source for a while.

He tapped on the contact with the starry sky profile picture—"The Forger."

Lu Jianchuan: You there?

Almost the instant the message was sent, a reply popped up.

The Forger: Here.

Lu Jianchuan: I recently joined an official organization called GUPA. I've experienced a lot of things—Prometheus, and... recently, another organization called the "New Federation" appeared. Most importantly, some very dangerous spores in the base were stolen by them. Do you know who stole the spores? I know it's the New Federation, but specifically, what kind of... things are they?

Just as his message was sent, the other party replied within seconds.

The Forger: I know.

Following that, a processed short video file and several analytical conclusions were sent over. The video resolution wasn't high, but one could make out Golden Bone's team fighting several figures as fast as white lightning. After being enlarged and sharpened, it was clear that they were rabbits with mutated forms and covered in white carapaces.

The analytical conclusions clearly pointed out that these rabbit-type evolved entities were extremely fast, but their neural reactions suffered from a delay, and they only performed limit-dodges when attacks were about to land.

He looked at the intelligence regarding the rabbit-type evolved entities on the screen and replied seriously.

Lu Jianchuan: So they're rabbits... and they have a weakness like that. This is very impressive intelligence, thank you. Also, I have something to tell you. Recently... I unlocked a Second Form.

Just as the message was sent, the other party responded as if they had already expected it.

The Forger: I know. That was one of the evolution paths I designed for you from the beginning.

Seeing this reply, Lu Jianchuan was slightly stunned, his fingers tapping on the screen.

Lu Jianchuan: Is that so? I thought... it was a new power I burst out with on my own in a moment of desperation.

The Forger: Your will is indeed the spark that ignited it. But whether the spark can burn steadily rather than instantly incinerating itself requires a blueprint. What I provided was that "blueprint." Of course, if you were to force an outburst entirely based on your own will, you might display a more primitive and powerful instantaneous force... but that power is often accompanied by loss of control and destruction, with costs that are difficult to estimate.

Looking at The Forger's explanation, Lu Jianchuan remembered his hideous, savage posture when he first transformed in a rage, as well as the feeling of near-collapse after the battle, and he understood.

Lu Jianchuan: I understand. Stable power is far more important than uncontrollable outbursts. Thank you.

The Forger: You're welcome. Being able to help you is what's most important.

In that case, I have a question I really want to ask you.

Lu Jianchuan looked at the new message popping up on the screen, feeling slightly surprised. This seemed to be the first time The Forger had questioned him so proactively and solemnly.

Lu Jianchuan: What is it?

The Forger: As you know, the members of the New Federation are all animals.

They, like you and me, are lives nurtured by this planet, embarking on their own paths of evolution amidst the wave of the evo factor.

If, in the future, contradictions cannot be reconciled, and human civilization and this nascent 'animal civilization' inevitably move toward opposition or even a full-scale conflict... at that time, holding power and being at the center of the vortex, how will you choose?

Will you uphold the belief that 'those who are not of our kin must have a different heart' and completely annihilate them for the survival of humanity? Or... will you seek another path, perhaps a much more difficult one, of attempting coexistence?

The light from the phone screen reflected on Lu Jianchuan's face. His fingers hovered over the virtual keyboard, yet he couldn't bring himself to type.

Annihilation? Coexistence?

In his mind flashed the look in White Star's eyes as she gazed at the ocean screen before dying, the monster in the warehouse mutated from a human, Crystal Orchid's smile upon gaining a new life, and the hideous head Golden Bone had brought back... They were all lives on the path of evolution, yet they had reached vastly different ends.

Humanity, animals, evolution, civilization, survival, destruction... these grand terms intertwined, turning into a heavy fog that shrouded his thoughts. He tried to organize his words, typed a few lines, then felt they were superficial, and finally deleted them all slowly.

He couldn't give an answer. Even he himself couldn't see the road ahead clearly.

On the other end of the screen, The Forger seemed to sense his confusion and struggle and did not press him. The dialogue interface finally rested on his unsent, hollow question, falling into a long silence.