312: escape

[GUPA Headquarters · Near Training Area]

Lu Jianchuan was performing adaptive recovery training in the Simulated Gravity Room of the training area, sweat dripping from his temples. Although the silver skeleton form was powerful, the burden it placed on his body was real; he needed to maintain peak condition at all times.

Suddenly—

"Rumble!!!"

A dull but exceptionally strong vibration came from beneath his feet, as if some gargantuan creature was suddenly stretching its body underground, causing even the thick walls of the training room to hum. The alarm didn't go off, but this was by no means normal.

Lu Jianchuan immediately stopped his movements, grabbed a towel to wipe his sweat, and quickly walked out of the training room. In the corridor, many Researchers and action team members were also heading quickly toward the source of the vibration—the deep Monitoring Zone of the headquarters—with looks of suspicion and uncertainty.

"What's going on?" Lu Jianchuan asked, pulling aside a familiar Field Agent.

"I'm not sure. The commotion came from the Monitoring Zone. It seems... it seems like something grew out?" the agent said uncertainly.

Lu Jianchuan frowned and immediately followed the crowd. Before he had gone far, he encountered Shen Mingyuan at the entrance to the Monitoring Zone, who had also arrived upon hearing the news. The two exchanged a glance and, without needing a word, rushed toward the scene together.

When they arrived at the observation corridor on the periphery of the Monitoring Zone, the sight before them left everyone stunned.

The originally sturdy alloy walls, ceiling, and parts of the floor had been forcibly torn apart and propped open by a massive, coarse structure with a grey-brown woody texture.

The main body of that thing was gnarled and coiled, over two meters in diameter, extending upward through several layers of the structure with no end in sight.

It had tree-like branches and a rough, bark-like exterior, but eerily, not a single leaf could be seen anywhere on it, nor any flowers or fruit. It was bare, like the skeleton of a "tree" that had been drained of all vitality, leaving only the most primitive supporting structure, yet it carried a sense of forced, burgeoning, and unsettling "growth."

It was rooted so abruptly and violently within the GUPA Headquarters building, completely out of place with the surrounding high-tech environment.

Several security personnel and Researchers who had arrived first were nervously surveying the scene and setting up cordons. Lu Jianchuan and Shen Mingyuan entered the inner circle after identifying themselves. A safety supervisor in charge of the area walked over with a grim expression and reported in a low voice:

"It's Cynthia... her previous isolation monitoring room was right below this area. Before the vibration occurred, surveillance showed her emotions were suddenly extremely unstable, and then this... this thing erupted and 'grew' out from the location of her room and the surrounding structures, destroying all containment facilities and surveillance. By the time we arrived, she was gone. Preliminary judgment suggests she used this... this growth phenomenon to create chaos and a passage to escape."

Just as he finished speaking, a set of steady and hurried footsteps approached. Golden Bone arrived with two personal adjutants. He glanced at the eerie "bald tree," his gaze landing on the safety supervisor. "Status?"

The supervisor quickly repeated the situation.

After listening, Golden Bone remained silent for two seconds, his eyes as sharp as blades. "Understood. She won't get far; the GUPA Headquarters' perimeter surveillance and defense networks aren't just for show. Retrieve all relevant data and track energy residues and life signals." He gestured to his adjutants and several elite members. "You guys, come with me. Everyone else, lock down the scene, assess structural damage, and do not approach this 'tree' without orders."

"Need help?" Lu Jianchuan stepped forward and asked. He had just gone through a fierce battle, but his condition was acceptable.

Golden Bone glanced at him, his gaze pausing for a moment on Lu Jianchuan's face, which still showed traces of his training. He shook his head. "No need. You just finished handling last night's business and need to rest; stay on standby. I will personally take charge of retrieving Cynthia and assessing her new 'abilities' and current status. You stay here, assist in stabilizing the scene, and..." He looked at the "tree" again, "...find out exactly what this thing is. Be careful."

With that, he didn't dally and quickly left with his team, their footsteps soon vanishing at the end of the corridor.

Lu Jianchuan and Shen Mingyuan refocused their attention on the massive creation before them.

"Is this... Cynthia's new Awakened ability?" Shen Mingyuan stepped closer, his red visor glowing slightly as he performed a multi-band scan. "The form mimics a tree, but it lacks photosynthetic organs, which doesn't fit any known plant evolutionary path. It's more like... a manifestation of a pure 'growth' or 'Breakthrough' concept, or perhaps a byproduct of some defense or escape mechanism."

"Whatever it is, it's too dangerous to leave here; it must be cleared out." An Engineering Department head walked over, looking worried. "It has already damaged the main load-bearing structure and multiple layers of pipelines. It must be removed or reinforced as soon as possible. We've already brought in heavy cutting equipment."

Soon, a Small Engineering Mecha was guided over, its robotic arm equipped with a High-frequency Particle Cutting Blade. The operator cautiously controlled the mecha, aiming the blade at a relatively thin branch extending into the ceiling's mezzanine, preparing for a tentative excision.

The cutting blade lit up with a blue-white glow, slowly approaching the grey-brown "bark."

At the very moment the edge was about to make contact—

*Squelch—*

A faint sound, like cutting into flesh, could be heard.

Immediately after, a dark red, viscous liquid gushed out from the "wound" opened by the cutting blade. It flowed slowly down the "trunk" and dripped onto the floor, emitting a metallic stench mixed with a strange herbal scent.

Everyone present, including Lu Jianchuan and Shen Mingyuan, felt their pupils suddenly contract.

This leafless "tree"... was bleeding.

The sight of the dark red liquid gushing out made the scene freeze for a moment, but the well-trained GUPA personnel reacted quickly.

"Move! Get out of the way!" A Researcher wearing a hazmat suit squeezed to the front, carrying a specialized sample container, his voice trembling with excitement. "Collect it carefully! Don't let it get contaminated! Is this... some kind of mimicry of plant exudate, animal blood, or a completely new biomass? It must be taken back for immediate analysis!"

Under his direction, others carefully used sterile tools to collect the flowing "blood" and tissue fragments scraped from the cut. Meanwhile, the Engineering Department wasn't idle either. Now that it was confirmed the thing had some kind of "life response" and might even perceive damage, they adjusted their plan and brought in special cutting equipment with cryogenic freezing and biological sealing functions.

"Prioritize clearing the parts invading key structures, and perform immediate cryogenic hemostasis and sealing on the 'wounds.' Note: act fast to minimize stimulation," the engineering head ordered.

Under the handling of more professional equipment, the eerie "bald tree" was sectioned, frozen, and sealed for removal. Although a small amount of dark red liquid still seeped out during the process, it was quickly controlled, preventing large-scale contamination or loss. Eventually, all visible abnormal growth structures were cleared from the building, leaving behind damaged walls, floors, and ceilings in need of major repair. The subsequent structural reinforcement and restoration work would naturally be handled by other departments.

Watching the last section of the "trunk" being sealed and hauled away, Shen Mingyuan turned to Lu Jianchuan, his faceplate already deactivated, his brow slightly furrowed. "Honestly, Brother Lu, I have a feeling... this isn't over."

Lu Jianchuan wiped the sweat from his face and looked at the busy repair site, his eyes calm. "These are troubled times. The issues with Cynthia might be more complex than we anticipated."

The two didn't stay long in the Monitoring Zone. Golden Bone was responsible for the subsequent tracking and investigation; they needed to maintain their condition to handle whatever situation might arise next.

As time passed, Wei Ziqing finished his work at the filming base and returned to the headquarters.

It wasn't until the night deepened that Golden Bone's signature steady footsteps echoed in the corridor once more. There was a trace of imperceptible fatigue on his face, but his eyes remained as sharp as a hawk's. He directly summoned Lu Jianchuan, Shen Mingyuan, and the recently returned Wei Ziqing to a small Encrypted Briefing Room.

The door closed, and the soundproofing field was activated. Golden Bone didn't waste words; his gaze swept over the three of them, his voice low and clear:

"The tracking of Cynthia encountered interference. The opponent is very cunning, utilizing the city's underground pipe network and some of our internal surveillance delays. But she won't get far; the net is tightening."

Then his tone shifted, suddenly becoming more intense:

"I've called you here to talk about something else—preparations can begin. We are going to catch the 'Mole.'"

The three of them tensed up.

Golden Bone continued, each word carrying weight:

"Based on the tracing back of clues from recent operations, the deep cracking of Prometheus's legacy data nodes, and the cross-validation and analysis of encrypted intelligence intercepted from special channels, it can now be basically confirmed—"

"The 'Mole' lurking within our ranks, who has caused us the most trouble, is in fact the founder and original core promoter of the organization known as 'Prometheus.'"

A dead silence filled the briefing room. This information was too shocking. Prometheus, that fanatical organization that conducted insane human experiments and viewed life as a tool—its founder had actually been hidden within the high levels of the official agency opposing it?

"In other words," Golden Bone's gaze was icy, "the person we are going to arrest is not just a traitor, but the culprit who personally created countless tragedies and will continue to be a threat."

"He used his position and authority within GUPA to feed resources and intelligence to Prometheus, and might have even directly guided the direction of certain events, all while ostensibly leading the investigation and crackdown on Prometheus... playing a beautiful game of both sides and hiding in plain sight."

He looked at the three Aptitude Holders before him, who had experienced many battles and held different ideals.

"This operation's target is extremely dangerous and cunning, with deep involvements. I need you to be fully prepared—both psychologically and tactically. The time for the reckoning has come."