104: rabbit

That night, Lu Jianchuan did not sleep soundly. The question posed by "The Forger" lingered in his dreams like a riddle without an answer.

The next morning, he sat by the bed and opened that starry sky avatar again. He deliberated for a long time before slowly typing.

Lu Jianchuan: Sorry. But right now, I can't give an answer to this question. Perhaps... I need more experience to truly figure it out.

After sending the message, he let out a soft breath.

The Forger: I completely understand. The weight of this question isn't something that can be measured overnight. If you ever make up your mind, I'll be waiting for your answer at any time.

Seeing this reply, Lu Jianchuan felt a slight warmth in his heart, mixed with a trace of heaviness. He put away his phone, tidied his police uniform, carefully hid the armband under his sleeve, and went to the GUPA Base to report for duty.

He found Golden Bone directly. Golden Bone was inside a maintenance pod; that signature mechanical exoskeleton had been completely removed and was surrounded by several technicians performing deep repairs and component replacements. Clearly, the damage from yesterday's battle was not light.

"You're here." Seeing Lu Jianchuan, Golden Bone picked up a mission briefing from the workbench and handed it to him. "My exoskeleton needs time for repairs. You'll be in charge of the perimeter patrols and anomaly signal investigation missions for the next few days."

Lu Jianchuan took the briefing and scanned it quickly.

"Pay close attention," Golden Bone added, his tone serious. "Based on the analysis of their morphology and behavioral patterns, those high-speed targets we encountered last time are most likely Rabbit-form Evolved Entities. In all likelihood, they are minions of the 'New Federation.' Be extremely vigilant during your patrols."

"Understood." Lu Jianchuan nodded.

"How many personnel do you need?" Golden Bone asked. "A standard tactical squad?"

Without much hesitation, Lu Jianchuan shook his head. "No, let me handle it alone this time."

He looked up, his gaze calm and resolute. "Against them, I'm more flexible acting alone. Too many teammates might actually become a burden or increase unnecessary casualties. My combat power should be enough to deal with them. The base's defenses and security in other areas need the manpower more."

Golden Bone scrutinized him for a few seconds before nodding curtly. "Alright. The mission authorization has been issued. Keep the communication lines open and call for backup immediately if you encounter any issues."

"Understood."

Over the next few days, Lu Jianchuan launched a high-intensity investigation into the Rabbit-form Evolved Entities. Utilizing the armor's extraordinary mobility, he conducted a dragnet search of suspicious locations like the urban-rural fringe and abandoned factory districts, coordinating closely with GUPA's intelligence network.

[Three Days Later · GUPA Command Center]

A briefing marked with encryption was delivered to Lu Jianchuan. The Intelligence Chief's expression was grave:

"silver skeleton, we've found their temporary nest. It's located at the 'Fengmao Logistics Abandoned Warehouse' on the edge of the North District."

He paused, his voice dropping lower. "The cost was high. We lost two of our best scouts just to confirm this location. They're too fast; our team members... didn't even have time to send a warning."

Lu Jianchuan took the briefing. Beneath the cold touch of the document was a heavy weight. His gaze swept over the warehouse's structural diagram, and his eyes grew sharp.

"Coordinates locked. I'm heading out immediately."

With the coordinates confirmed, Lu Jianchuan didn't delay for a second. That overly flashy silver-white motorcycle was clearly unsuitable for this stealth mission, so he requisitioned a standard-issue GUPA black off-road vehicle. The engine let out a low growl as he sped toward the North District warehouse area.

The vehicle stopped in the shadows two blocks away from the target warehouse. Lu Jianchuan quickly got out, moving like a ghost blending into the night. Using abandoned containers and buildings as cover, he approached silently.

Outside the massive side door of the warehouse, he stopped, leaning his back against the cold wall. From inside came dense, rustling sounds and a disturbing gnawing noise.

He hesitated no longer and pressed the armband on his left wrist with his right hand.

"Hum—"

With a low biological hum, silver-white biomass fluid instantly covered his body. The sharp-lined silver skeleton armor emerged in the darkness, its visor lighting up with a cold azure glow.

With the transformation complete, he no longer hid. His right leg suddenly exerted force, and he kicked heavily at the rusted hinges of the warehouse's side door!

"Boom!"

The entire iron door twisted and collapsed inward, kicking up a cloud of dust. The scene inside the warehouse was instantly exposed to Lu Jianchuan—

Inside the door, that white "tide" instantly boiled! Dozens of pairs of crimson eyes locked onto the silver figure at the entrance. In the next second, a piercing screech erupted, and the hind legs of more than a dozen Rabbit-form Evolved Entities at the front slammed against the ground. They turned into white afterimages, pouncing toward Lu Jianchuan from different directions! Sharp claws and glinting incisors aimed straight for his vitals.

There were too many of them!

Lu Jianchuan's pupils constricted, instantly judging that he couldn't rely on dodging. His gaze immediately landed on the twisted iron door he had just kicked down.

This is it!

Without hesitation, he slammed his right foot onto the twisted iron door, his will activating his power!

Zzt-zzt-zzt—!

Intense bio-currents erupted from beneath his feet, instantly conducting through the entire iron door. Under extreme heat, the metal rapidly turned red and softened, transforming into a glowing, flowing liquid metal.

Immediately after, the silver skeleton armor seemed to come alive, generating a powerful suction that frantically drew in and covered his body with the dark red molten iron! The liquid metal fused perfectly with the biomass armor. Instead of cooling and solidifying, it maintained a brilliant crimson glow, as if he were wearing a set of heavy armor forged from lava, radiating an astonishing heatwave.

In an instant, silver skeleton had transformed into a crimson god of war radiating intense heat!

The moment the heavy armor was complete, the attacks from the Rabbit-form Evolved Entities arrived!

Bang, bang, bang, bang! Sizzle—!

Dense impact sounds were accompanied by the strange noise of burning! Claws and bites landed on the crimson metal layer; not only was it difficult to penetrate, but at the moment of contact, they were scorched by the terrifying heat, sending up plumes of smoke. The air was instantly filled with the pungent smell of burning fur.

Several rabbits were burned by the high temperature and retreated with pained cries. However, they were numerous, and the subsequent individuals still threw themselves forward fearlessly. Using their speed, they darted around Lu Jianchuan, looking for a weakness. Lu Jianchuan's heavy punches were dodged by them at the last moment by a hair's breadth. His crimson fists only smashed the ground, leaving behind charred pits.

Their speed is indeed troublesome... but "The Forger's" intelligence... is real!

Lu Jianchuan's thoughts raced as he immediately changed his tactics. He no longer obsessed over direct hits. Instead, he suddenly crouched and slammed both fists hard against the concrete floor!

Boom!

Debris flew everywhere! His arms, covered in crimson metal, swung in rapid succession like skipping stones, launching dozens of fragments of various sizes at different angles and speeds in all directions!

These stones themselves weren't very powerful, but they instantly created a chaotic barrage within the limited space of the warehouse.

Sure enough, just as "The Forger" had analyzed—faced with these sudden "attacks" coming from multiple directions, the high-speed Rabbit-form Evolved Entities fell into obvious confusion!

Their ultra-high-speed brains seemed unable to process so many trajectories simultaneously. Several rabbits skidded to a halt, their crimson eyes spinning wildly as they tried to lock onto the path of every stone. Their entire bodies stiffened briefly due to the sudden overload of information.

One rabbit, instinctively jumping backward to avoid a stone flying toward its head, was so focused on the stone that it completely failed to notice its companion beside it. The two collided with a "thud" and tumbled to the ground.

Now!

Lu Jianchuan's gaze was like lightning, having already locked onto the rabbit that lost its balance in the collision. Exerting force with his feet, his crimson figure shot out like a cannonball. Before the opponent could even crawl back up, his heavy fist, covered in high-temperature metal, slammed down mercilessly on its head!

Splat!

Accompanied by the terrifying sound of a skull shattering and flesh being instantly scorched, the rabbit didn't even have time to let out a wail before it went completely silent.

The tactic worked! By utilizing the neural response delay pointed out by "The Forger" and using feints to create information overload, he was able to create a precious window of opportunity for himself.