267: A strange, pink creature.

Shen Mingyuan listened and nodded, his voice sounding somewhat muffled through his mask.

"A grand ideal... but there are too many levels to consider when researching this kind of thing. Safety, universality, the impact on ordinary society... It's like giving everyone a gun versus a total ban; both have pros and cons, and both have risks. The country's hesitation is completely understandable. Your starting point is good, it's just..."

He paused. "Once any technology is born, it's inevitable that someone will try to distort its original intention. Anyway, is that all for today?"

The Researcher seemed to hesitate for a moment but eventually shook his head. "Actually, there is another long-term project... but that one is indeed inconvenient to disclose; it involves a higher level of confidentiality. In short, your visit for today is almost over."

"Alright, then I won't disturb you." Shen Mingyuan expressed his understanding.

Afterward, the Researcher accompanied Shen Mingyuan through the decontamination procedures, helped him take off the hazmat suit, and escorted him out of the core area of the experimental zone. Breathing the air of the ordinary corridor again, Shen Mingyuan let out a soft sigh of relief. Where to next?

He didn't have a clear goal himself. Wei Ziqing had seemed fairly stable lately, staying cooped up in the training field practicing hard; Lu Jianchuan was likely handling follow-up matters for GUPA or his own police work.

After thinking for a bit, Shen Mingyuan decided not to disturb them for now. He left the base alone and returned to the bustling city streets.

It was midday, the sun was shining, and the streets were bustling with pedestrians, filled with the atmosphere of daily life. Shen Mingyuan walked aimlessly along the sidewalk, his gaze sweeping over shop windows and the passing crowds, enjoying this rare leisure belonging to ordinary people.

However, this peace was quickly broken.

"M-Monster!"

"What is that?! How terrifying!"

A few panicked screams suddenly came from not far ahead. The originally orderly flow of people suddenly became chaotic like a stone thrown into water. A few people turned and ran with pale faces, causing a small-scale shove and commotion.

Shen Mingyuan's eyes sharpened. His sensitivity to abnormal events made him instantly alert.

Without hesitation, he moved against the panicked crowd and quickly squeezed toward the center of the commotion.

Soon, he saw the source of the panic—

A physically fit adult man wearing a hoodie was clutching a pink creature, head down as he wove through the gaps in the crowd, rushing toward a nearby alley!

The pink creature's appearance was quite strange, looking particularly eye-catching in the afternoon sun, and it seemed to be making faint, non-human whimpers.

"Stop!" Shen Mingyuan barked instinctively, his legs already exerting force.

Hearing the voice, the person holding the pink creature didn't stop but ran even faster, making a nimble sharp turn into the alley, clearly quite familiar with the nearby terrain.

Shen Mingyuan didn't hesitate and immediately gave chase. His figure was swift as he wove through the crowd and followed into the relatively secluded alleyway.

The sunlight was sliced by the buildings on both sides, casting a pattern of light and shadow in the alley. The running figure holding the pink creature was swaying not far ahead.

The figure made several sharp turns through the complex alleyways and the few people there, moving with exceptional agility and seeming to know the terrain like the back of his hand.

Although Shen Mingyuan pursued relentlessly, he had some reservations to avoid causing a larger commotion or exposing his abilities in front of ordinary people. After a few turns, the figure ahead seemed to disappear from his sight.

Deep in the alleyway, in a dead corner where clutter was piled and few pedestrians passed, the man in the hoodie finally stopped. He leaned against the wall, panting heavily, clutching the pink creature tightly in his arms.

"Whew... whew... looks like... I lost him..." He looked back with lingering fear.

"I'm sorry..." The creature in his arms made a weak voice with a strange echo, its tone full of apology.

It was a strange creature about the size of a child, its whole body a healthy, delicate pink, its skin smooth.

It had a broad, flat head like an Axolotl, with three pairs of bright red, soft external gills extending from the sides of its head, trembling gently like feathers.

But its body was closer to human form, with slender limbs and distinct fingers and toes. Its large eyes were watery and currently lowered in guilt.

Overall, it looked like a cute humanoid life form with aquatic features that had evolved strangely from an Axolotl toward a human direction.

The man looked down at the little fellow in his arms and sighed, his tone full of doting and helplessness:

"Sigh, there's no way around it... Little Pink, you must remember, most humans haven't seen anything like you, so they'll definitely be scared if they see you suddenly. In the future, if you want to help or see the outside world, you must be more careful and discreet, okay?"

"Okay, I understand..." The humanoid Axolotl creature called "Little Pink" nodded obediently, the external gills on its head drooping a bit listlessly.

Just then, Little Pink's large watery eyes suddenly widened as it looked above and behind the man. Its tiny arm suddenly shot up to point there: "Ah! What's that? Watch out! Get out of the way! Get out of the way quickly!"

Its perception of danger seemed exceptionally keen! Although the man didn't know why, he had no doubt about Little Pink's warning. At the first word, his body instinctively dove forward and to the side!

"Boom—!!"

Almost as he left his original spot, a huge, hard, dark red crab claw with serrated edges, carrying a foul wind, smashed down hard on the spot where he had just been leaning! The concrete wall was smashed, sending stone fragments flying and dust filling the air.

The man rolled several meters away while clutching Little Pink. He looked back in shock to see an abandoned old sedan parked at the alley entrance. The door and part of the roof had been violently torn and peeled open from the inside. A massive Hermit Crab with a thick shell and high-set eye stalks was emerging halfway from that "steel shell"! That crab claw had extended from the driver's seat.

"It's you..." Little Pink hid in the man's arms and said softly, its voice carrying fear.

"It's you persistent guys again!" The man shielded Little Pink behind him and gritted his teeth as he stared at the giant evolved Hermit Crab.

The Hermit Crab's pair of eye stalks turned nimbly, finally focusing on Little Pink, and it emitted a dull sound mixed with the friction of its shell and air vibration:

"Gurgle... Your evolutionary path is so close to land mammals, especially the human form, and your level of intelligence is quite considerable... Why do you always refuse to join the 'New Federation'? We can give you protection, so you won't have to hide like this anymore."

"I don't want to! I don't want to join you!" Little Pink mustered its courage, but its voice was still small, carrying a resolute rejection.

"Hmph..." The Hermit Crab made a dissatisfied sound, its eye stalks retracting slightly. "In that case, if you insist on associating with these short-lived and xenophobic land monkeys, then... die!"

Before it finished speaking, the other giant crab claw had already gathered strength. Carrying an even more violent wind, like a massive battering ram, it swept toward the man and Little Pink! The range of this strike was huge, and in the narrow alleyway, there was almost nowhere to hide!

Just at this critical moment—

A matte black figure dropped like a ghost from the eaves above and to the side, precisely cutting into the trajectory of the crab claw's attack and between the man and the Axolotl! The newcomer spread his arms, instantly grabbing the startled man and the screaming Little Pink. Exerting force with his legs, he swept backward several meters by a hair's breadth just a split second before the claw struck!

" Bang!!"

The crab claw smashed heavily into empty space, gouging a shallow trench in the ground.

The man only felt a blur before his eyes and was already taken out of danger. After being set down, he looked in shock at the figure that had suddenly appeared, covered in strange black armor with red goggles: "You... who are you?!"

The figure in black armor—Shen Mingyuan—released his grip and stood up calmly. He glanced at him through the red goggles and then turned to the giant Hermit Crab, saying indifferently:

"Hmph, I'm just a passing Detective. Remember that."

After saying that, he officially turned his gaze to the evolved Hermit Crab that had completely crawled out of the car shell and appeared even larger. His tone turned cold: "Another animal from the 'New Federation'? You really... don't stick to traditional habitats, do you?"

His gaze finally swept over the pink humanoid Axolotl creature being shielded by the man, who was looking at him timidly yet curiously. The light in the red goggles seemed to flicker slightly.

"As for this one... an evolved Axolotl individual? The characteristics are quite obvious."