15: Surveillance

The entire afternoon after the questioning ended and he returned to his workstation was torture for Lu Jianchuan. He forced himself to process some backlogged documents, but his efficiency was low, and his pen tip paused multiple times on the paper.

Sorrow enveloped him like a heavy, damp quilt, but what was more piercing than sorrow was a strange, gradually clarifying sensation of being watched.

At first, he thought he was being paranoid. Having lost Uncle Li and carrying such a huge secret, it seemed understandable to suspect everyone of ulterior motives.

But this feeling was off, and it was becoming clearer and clearer.

When he made an excuse to go to the archives in the afternoon and walked through the long corridor, his peripheral vision seemed to catch a figure quickly disappearing at the end of the hallway;

When he walked restlessly to the window and looked down at the street below, a black car parked across the street for a long time had window tint that seemed unnaturally dark;

Even when he simply got up from his desk to get water and his gaze inadvertently swept past the window, the feeling of being locked onto by a professional, calm, and distant gaze, like tiny ice needles, repeatedly pricked at the edges of his perception.

This was definitely not the sympathy or curiosity of colleagues. This was surveillance.

The counter-surveillance awareness honed at the Police Academy, combined with the extraordinary intuition that seemed to have been unlocked after his brief transformation that night, acted like two mutually calibrating radars, simultaneously sending him sharp, undeniable alarms.

This intuition wasn't clear images or sounds, but an almost instinctual sense for malice and attention, several times sharper than when he scored full marks at the Police Academy!

It was that Zhan Yong and Chen Xing! They never believed him! The so-called end of questioning was just shifting the investigation to a more covert, more professional level.

This surveillance didn't appear immediately after the questioning ended, but started after some time had passed, which only showed how cunning and experienced the other side was—they were waiting for him to let his guard down!

A chill instantly shot up from his tailbone to the top of his head, making him almost shiver.

He had originally planned to tough it out until the end of the workday today, then immediately go find a sufficiently remote Riverbank or Abandoned Factory to test the transformation and familiarize himself with this uncontrollable power.

This thought had become incredibly urgent after experiencing the life-and-death struggle in the Warehouse and the terrifying hunger.

But now, this plan had to be abandoned immediately and completely. Under the eyes of professionals, any abnormal action heading to a remote location would be tantamount to exposing his identity!

He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the urge to master the power, locking it deep in his heart along with the surging sorrow.

Not daring to show any change in his expression, only his fingers gripping the water cup turned slightly white from the force. He returned to his seat as if nothing was wrong, his gaze lowered, still appearing like just a young police officer crushed by sorrow, unable to think of anything more.

He had to endure.

As usual, he toughed it out until the end of the workday, nodded silently to a few colleagues, and walked out of the Police Station. He could clearly feel the hidden gaze sticking to his back like invisible threads.

He didn't take detours or head to any sensitive locations as planned, but went straight to the Bus Stop home, his steps even heavier and more tired than usual, perfectly playing the role of a young man who had suffered a blow.

He squeezed onto the bus, found a seat by the window, and watched the rapidly receding street scenes outside, his heart cold.

Practice and experimentation had to be postponed indefinitely. Before shaking off these "eyes," he couldn't do anything, not even show any physical ability or alertness beyond the ordinary.

Lu Jianchuan rode the bus for nearly an hour, deliberately transferring once midway, and after confirming that the persistent feeling of surveillance still existed, he finally returned to the apartment building he rented. He didn't go directly upstairs, but turned into the 24-Hour Supermarket downstairs.

In the supermarket, pushing a shopping cart, he purposefully swept through high-calorie, easily stored foods: packs of bottled water, whole boxes of milk, high-fat nuts and chocolate bars, carbohydrate-rich bread and frozen foods, and a large amount of canned meat.

The cashier, curious about his near stockpiling-level purchase, but seeing his unchanged police uniform and tired expression, just thought it was due to the special nature of police work and didn't find it strange.

Carrying the heavy shopping bags home, locking the door behind him, and stuffing the food into the originally empty fridge and cabinets, he finally relaxed a little.

But this wasn't enough. He immediately turned on his computer, searched online, and ordered a large amount of Military-Grade Compressed Rations and High-Energy Protein Bars. These were the "strategic reserves" prepared for that terrifying consumption.

After doing all this, the sky outside had completely darkened. He tightened all the curtains, creating the illusion that he had already rested, but didn't turn on the lights. Instead, he sat on the living room floor in the faint city glow seeping through the window.

His gaze fell on the left wrist, where the armband had returned to its plain and unadorned state. Now, the biggest problem arose—how to transform again? Last time, it was triggered almost instinctively under extreme grief, indignation, and a life-threatening crisis.

Now, in this relatively safe (though monitored) environment, how should he activate it?

He focused his mind, silently thinking, "Transform." No reaction.

He tried pressing the Crimson Gem with his right hand, his fingertips feeling its cool touch, but the armband remained silent.

He recalled the feeling at that time—the boiling blood, the humming bones, the burning sensation of power bursting forth... Meanwhile, in the Consciousness Space.

"System, is he... trying to figure out how to transform?" Han Chengyu noticed Lu Jianchuan's focus and attempts.

"Based on behavioral patterns and analysis of subtle physiological changes, the Aptitude Holder is attempting to actively activate the armor System, with clear intent."

"He really dares to think, huh? There might still be people watching outside."

"Detected continuous energy monitoring signals around the building, consistent with the surveillance source during the day. It is speculated that his intent is: after mastering the ability to transform actively, use the armor's performance to shake off surveillance and go to a safe location for training."

"Up to him."

Although Han Chengyu said this, his consciousness was also tense, closely monitoring the outside world, "But looking at him like this, he won't stop until he tries it out."

As if to confirm his words, outside, after several failed attempts at mental communication and pressing, Lu Jianchuan seemed to gradually grasp a bit of a clue.

He stopped being impatient, slowed his breathing, and focused his attention entirely on the armband on his left wrist, striving to recall, to capture that feeling of being connected by Bloodline to the armor, to "call" the power sleeping within his own body.

Just as his mind was highly concentrated, almost able to feel a faint response coming from within the armband—

The armband on his left wrist, that Crimson Gem, lit up on its own without warning! Like a sleeping beast quietly opening its eyes, it emitted a faint, pulsing red light, particularly conspicuous in the dim room.

Success! Lu Jianchuan's heart tightened, mixed with excitement and nervousness. Subconsciously, he was about to press the gem directly like last time.

But just as his fingertip was about to touch the red light, he abruptly stopped.

Wait... clothes! Last time he transformed, that armor "grew" directly from his body, the berserk power tearing his original police uniform to shreds. If he did it again at home this time... He almost didn't hesitate, immediately stood up, quickly stripped himself naked, and neatly folded his clothes on a nearby chair. Standing naked in the center of the room, the slightly cool air touching his skin calmed him down a bit.

He raised his left hand again, looked at the gem steadily emitting its tempting red light, and took a deep breath.

This time, without any hesitation, he pressed down firmly with his right index finger.