167: Flight mode

Meanwhile, Shen Mingyuan and Wang Ming stood by the sidewalk, the afternoon sun somewhat scorching.

Shen Mingyuan held a sealed evidence bag containing a micro-camera memory card copy that had undergone preliminary verification, showing Wang Ming's innocence process, along with supplementary photos and sketches from the scene investigation.

"Alright, Mr. Wang, the key evidence has been secured, and the scene conditions largely match your statement."

Shen Mingyuan carefully placed the evidence bag into his briefcase, his tone clear and confident as the work reached a temporary conclusion. "Based on the existing Materials, I am fully confident about tomorrow's court hearing.

After you return, just follow what we rehearsed—answer the judge and the opposing lawyer's questions truthfully and calmly."

Wang Ming's face broke into a relieved smile, nodding repeatedly. "Thank you so much, Lawyer Shen! I really don't know what I would have done without you this time."

"It's my job." Shen Mingyuan gave a slight nod, then added with a serious expression, "Also, there's one thing I must remind you again: tomorrow at 9 AM, Third Civil Courtroom. Please make sure to arrive on time.

Don't slack off because you think the evidence is solid, or let nervousness make you want to avoid it. The consequences of missing the hearing would be very unfavorable for you."

He had seen too many clients who backed out at the last minute for various reasons and had to lay out the harsh truth upfront.

Wang Ming immediately straightened his posture, assuring him, "Don't worry, Lawyer Shen! I'll definitely be there! Even if I'm nervous, I'll crawl there if I have to!"

"That won't be necessary." Shen Mingyuan rarely showed a faint smile. "Just remember to be on time and dress neatly. Well then, we'll see each other at the court tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Lawyer Shen!" Wang Ming nodded vigorously, thanked him again, and turned to leave.

Just as the two were about to part ways—

"Hiss..."

A sharp, stabbing pain suddenly shot through Shen Mingyuan's left forearm without warning, as if an electric current passed through his bones and muscles. He couldn't help but gasp sharply, his left hand jerking violently, nearly dropping his briefcase.

This abnormality was immediately noticed by Wang Ming, who hadn't gone far yet. He turned back and asked with concern, "Huh? Lawyer Shen, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Shen Mingyuan quickly steadied his posture and expression, gently pressing his left forearm with his right hand. His face had already regained composure, even showing a hint of helplessness. "Oh, it's nothing. Probably just a cramp from squatting too long while examining the ground traces earlier. An old issue—it'll go away with some movement."

"I see. Then please take care and rest more." Wang Ming didn't suspect anything, waved goodbye, and quickly left.

Shen Mingyuan stood in place, watching Wang Ming walk away until his figure disappeared around the street corner before slowly lowering his head.

The stabbing pain in his left arm came and went quickly, now completely gone, leaving only a faint warmth as if something had "awakened" or "reassembled" beneath his skin.

He glanced around, then quickly walked into a relatively quiet alley nearby. After confirming no one was paying attention, he took a deep breath and forcefully rolled up the left sleeve of his shirt.

On his wrist, the streamlined dark silver "watch" was gone.

In its place was the simple black armband he was more familiar with, fitting snugly against his wrist bone. The crimson gem at its center emitted a steady, warm glow, like an eye that had just opened after slumber.

"Changed back? Upgrade completed?" Shen Mingyuan thought to himself.

Almost as soon as he observed the change in the armband, his phone in his suit inner pocket vibrated twice in succession. He immediately pulled it out.

First was a message from "The Forger":

.: Upgrade complete. The core direction for the Second Form has been determined: Bionic Flight. The cost is sacrificing some of the First Form's sensory abilities in exchange for flight mobility—traded sound waves and thermal perception for it.

.: Note: This form requires holding the 'twin stars' and activating it with a specific frequency. Takeoff needs some initial speed, like a running start or jumping from a height.

Landing... well, the cushioning design isn't optimized yet. You'll have to use the wings yourself or find a place to glide down—might not be very graceful. For the first test, it's best to find an open area with no people.

Shen Mingyuan quickly skimmed through it, raising an eyebrow slightly. Sacrificed sound waves and thermal perception?

This was indeed a significant weakening for the "shadow" mode, which relied on environmental information for judgment and sniping.

But flight capability... its value was immeasurable when dealing with complex terrain, emergency reinforcements, or seizing high ground.

Shen Mingyuan quickly finished reading, swiped his finger, and saw a second message from an unfamiliar local number, but the opening directly stated the identity:

[Lu Jianchuan]: Shen Mingyuan, this is Lu Jianchuan. A high-threat out-of-control Evolved Entity has appeared in the direction of Wild Fox Ridge in the West of the City, fleeing toward the Urban Area. GUPA is intercepting, but the situation is tricky. If your location is convenient, please come support quickly. Coordinates attached. Situation urgent!

Followed by a precise geographical coordinate location.

Shen Mingyuan's gaze sharpened. His left thumb tapped the screen rapidly.

His reply to "The Forger" was brief and forceful:

Shen Mingyuan: Received, upgrade information understood. Thanks.

His reply to Lu Jianchuan was equally swift: Shen Mingyuan: Location received. On my way.

Shen Mingyuan glanced at the coordinates Lu Jianchuan sent, quickly planning the fastest route in his mind. He strode toward his black car parked not far away, started the engine, and merged into the traffic flow.

His driving style became exceptionally efficient and swift, weaving within the limits of traffic rules as he sped toward the western outskirts of the city. The scenery outside the window gradually shifted from dense buildings to sparse suburban structures, and finally to scattered factories and undeveloped plots.

Based on the coordinates and Lu Jianchuan's description of "Wild Fox Ridge direction" and "fleeing toward the Urban Area," Shen Mingyuan judged that the interception point was likely further ahead at the junction between the mountainous forest and the Suburban Area. He needed to reach the Combat Zone quickly, and driving clearly couldn't traverse the complex terrain.

His sharp gaze swept over the buildings along the way. Soon, an Unfinished Building about seven or eight stories tall at the edge of an abandoned factory area came into view.

It stood alone in a patch of wasteland, structurally mostly intact, with empty windows and devoid of people.

Shen Mingyuan turned the steering wheel, and the car left the main road, crushing through wild grass before stopping in the shadow on the shaded side of the Unfinished Building.

He quickly got out, retrieved a black long case from a hidden compartment in the trunk, took out the pair of matte black "twin stars" pistols with dark red veins, quickly assembled and checked them, confirming they were fully charged.

Without hesitation, he held the assembled "twin stars" in his left hand and pressed the crimson gem on his left wrist with his right hand.

A faint light flowed, and the silver-black "shadow" armor instantly covered his entire body, the visor glowing with a dark red light. The slight sense of fullness from the transformation dispelled the last trace of fatigue.

He didn't delay. The armor's exceptional physical prowess allowed him to easily climb the scaffold-like structure on the exterior of the Unfinished Building, reaching the Rooftop Terrace in a few leaps.

The wind howled across the empty rooftop, offering an excellent view of the undulating Mountain Forest contour in the distance. Time was tight.

Shen Mingyuan stepped to the edge of the rooftop, looked down, focused his mind, sensed the unique biological connection with the "twin stars," and conveyed a clear intent—"Form transformation."

The "twin stars" pistols suddenly shuddered! The dark red biological veins blazed brightly.

Immediately after, the two firearms softened and transformed like living creatures, turning into two streams of dark red, metallic-lustered liquid biological matter that rapidly spread up Shen Mingyuan's arm along his grip, deeply integrating and reconstructing with the "shadow" armor on his body!

The armor's color deepened into a purer darkness, the original red lines replaced by mysterious, cold purple light streams.

The shoulder blade area underwent intense changes, extending into huge wing-like structures composed of countless densely arranged, shimmering "iridescent black" biological feathers. Simultaneously, a long, streamlined balance tail covered in scale armor and feathers unfolded from the lower back.

The biological matter streams from the "twin stars" finally solidified and took shape on his forearms.

As the light stabilized, intricate embedded interfaces formed on the outer sides of Shen Mingyuan's forearm armor. With a thought from him, the interfaces opened, and two dark, sharp blades shot straight forward—precisely the pair of Arm Blade.

They weren't curved hooks or barbs, but slender, straight, double-edged sword-like weapons, like two black longswords growing from the arm armor, steadily pointing forward.

The blades were entirely dark, with intense red energy stripes running through their centers, surrounded by flickering black-red electric arcs.

With a thought, the Arm Blade smoothly retracted into the arm armor interfaces; with another thought, the blades instantly extended again, stable and lethal. This pair of Arm Blade became an extension of his arms, freely retractable and extendable according to the combat situation.

The new form construction was complete!

Shen Mingyuan felt the distinctly different surge of power within him. The "vision" of sound waves and thermal perception had vanished, replaced by a keen instinct for airflow, altitude, and speed, along with a seamless control over these new weapons.

He took a deep breath, locked his gaze on the direction of the western Mountain Forest, and the huge metallic wings on his back snapped fully open with a "whoosh," shimmering with deep iridescent dark colors in the sunlight.

He took a step forward and leaped from the edge of the rooftop.

Strong airflow rushed against his face. The new form's instincts immediately took over, fine-tuning the wing surfaces and lightly adjusting the tail. The downward fall transformed into a powerful forward glide, speed rapidly increasing!

Amidst the sound of tearing through the wind, Shen Mingyuan lowered his body, adjusted his posture, and shot toward the battlefield direction like a dark arrow slicing through the air, speeding away!

During flight, the Arm Blade on his arms were in a retracted state to reduce drag, optimizing all energy and structure for speed.