326: It turns out Bear came.

The cold scrutiny on Chen Changqing's face suddenly transformed into a strange expression. He spoke slowly, his voice kept very low, carrying a deliberately crafted sense of danger:

"So you've come prepared... you even controlled the alarm System. But do you think I'm helpless because of that?"

He took a small step back, his gaze becoming sharp and resolute: "Facing opponents like you... whom conventional means can hardly handle, I naturally have a final trump card. An ultimate secret technique, so dangerous... that even I feel dread."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing's aura suddenly tightened. The muscles beneath their armor instantly entered an optimal state for power delivery, their eyes locked firmly on Chen Changqing, guarding against any unknown attacks or methods he might employ.

Chen Changqing took a deep breath and suddenly made an exaggerated, almost all-out movement—he didn't charge forward or activate any hidden mechanism; instead, he twisted his heel hard, and with an agility completely unbefitting his age and status, he completed a rapid 180-degree turn!

"This final move is—"

He shouted at the top of his lungs in a tone that was almost comical yet carried a hint of desperation, while his legs exploded with startling speed, sprinting toward an inconspicuous emergency exit door on the other side of the laboratory, "—Nigerundayo!! I'm running away!!!"

While his voice was still echoing in the laboratory, his figure had already crashed through that door like a startled rabbit, scrambling and crawling, instantly disappearing into the dark passage behind the door, leaving only the panicked sound of heavy footsteps fading into the distance.

Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing, still maintaining a high-alert combat posture, were momentarily frozen by this completely unexpected development.

"Holy crap, so shameless? He can still run?" Wei Ziqing was stunned for a moment before reacting.

"Chase!" Lu Jianchuan barked low, his body already shooting out like an arrow from a bow, with Wei Ziqing following closely behind.

As an ordinary person, Chen Changqing's speed naturally couldn't compare to the two in their armor states, but he knew the structure of his building inside out. He specifically chose narrow, winding backup passages and freight elevator shafts to traverse, and for a moment, he actually managed to pull away some distance. He finally rushed toward a secure sealed door that required an executive access card to open, pulling out his card and frantically swiping it several times, but the indicator light on the door remained stubbornly red, showing no response.

"F*ck! They even hacked this kind of door?!" Chen Changqing cursed in exasperation and immediately turned to rush down another fork in the path.

Just as Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing were in hot pursuit and almost reached out to grab his coattails, Chen Changqing rushed into a relatively spacious passage, with what appeared to be a small equipment transit platform ahead. And he, too, came to a sudden halt.

Because not far ahead of him in the shadows, a person was standing quietly. That person seemed to have been waiting there for a long time, with their back to the passage entrance, only slowly turning around upon hearing the hurried footsteps.

Lu Jianchuan also braked and looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting the moment he saw the person's face clearly. He recognized this face—Xu Yan, one of Zhao Qifeng's confidants. He was a core technical staff member who had narrowly escaped during the previous "Purge Operation" because Zhao Qifeng was unexpectedly killed by Cynthia, causing parts of the intelligence chain to break. He was a major fugitive currently wanted within GUPA.

Wei Ziqing didn't recognize the other party, but he felt a sense of immense danger and abnormality from Lu Jianchuan's instantly tensed posture and the eerie situation of the other person appearing here.

Xu Yan's gaze swept over the pursuing Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing, a flash of surprise crossing his face before turning into a cold realization as he muttered to himself: "Oh? It's actually 'silver skeleton'... and 'Hero Shadow'?"

Hearing this, Chen Changqing, who was in front of him, whipped his head back to look at the pursuers and then looked at Xu Yan with uncertainty, his voice slightly cracking: "Official people? They really are from the authorities?!"

Xu Yan curled his lips into a cold smile without any warmth, his gaze still locked on Lu Jianchuan:

"That's right, official people."

Facing Xu Yan, Lu Jianchuan's voice came through the armor, carrying an unquestionable solemnity:

"Xu Yan, you should be clear about the crimes you are currently suspected of. Surrender now and cooperate with the investigation. In the subsequent trial, it might be counted as a voluntary surrender, and you could strive for leniency."

"Ha?" Xu Yan let out a short laugh as if he had heard something extremely ridiculous, yet his eyes were ice-cold,

"Surrender? What kind of joke are you playing? The ones who are wrong are clearly you! Officer... Officer Zhao Qifeng's actions were not wrong at all! His path was the correct one!"

"Correct?" Lu Jianchuan's voice suddenly rose, carrying suppressed anger, "Even after sacrificing so many innocent people and conducting so many inhumane experiments?"

"Those were necessary sacrifices!" Xu Yan's tone also became agitated, carrying a fanatical paranoia,

"The Officer did it for this country! For a greater goal! Whether it was the mass-produced armor or here—"

He suddenly spread his arms, pointing to the surrounding laboratory that hidden the giant strange flower,

"Look here! This was also one of our strongholds! The research conducted here was for all citizens! To prolong life, strengthen physiques, and resist diseases... those drugs, those technologies, they were all prototypes born here! Otherwise, how do you think 'Evergreen Group' established itself in the high-end life technology field?

Why is it famous for 'extending life'? It's all built on the foundation laid by the Officer!"

"Even so," Lu Jianchuan interrupted him decisively, every word ringing with power, "I will never acknowledge this 'correctness'! To disregard the lives of some people and view them as stepping stones that can be consumed at will—no matter how noble the goal sounds, the means themselves are an absolute error!

No one has the right to arbitrarily deprive others of their right to survival and dignity in the name of 'progress' or the 'big picture'! True progress is never achieved by trampling on the flesh and bones of one's own kind!

If those suits of armor and drugs you speak of are truly built upon the pain and death of innocents, then the so-called 'transformation' they bring is nothing more than poison wrapped in honey, which will eventually backfire!"

Xu Yan clicked his tongue, his face showing a mixture of impatience and contempt:

"Why do you always insist on dwelling on such pointless details? Every year, every day, so many people die all over the world—from diseases, accidents, natural disasters... why can't you view the losses in those experiments as 'natural attrition' just like earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons?

Ignore their individual misfortunes and look at how much substantial transformation the Officer brought to this world! Those suits of armor, the potential of this 'corroding abyss', and the research results here... their benefits to the country and the future are real!

Can't you just... treat those who died as 'natural reduction'?"

His words became increasingly extreme, even taking on a provocative tone:

"Besides, if you really want to save people so much, why don't you go challenge a grander goal? Go conquer the laws of nature, go eliminate all diseases and aging!

Wouldn't you be able to save more people that way? To put it bluntly, your current justice is only so self-righteous because we look 'easy to deal with', right?"