33: Battle ended

Lu Jianchuan stood where he was, his silver-white armor silent under the city's neon lights and the cold glow of screens. He slowly lowered his defensive posture, his deep blue eyepieces staring at the massive, lifeless body and the direction of its final gaze.

There was no joy of victory in his heart, only a heavy void. This giant beast had been forced from a gentle White Whale into a berserk monster, finally ending its painful life in such a tragic manner before a phantom of its home. None of this should have happened.

In the distance, the sound of sirens drew nearer and clearer, mingled with the clamor of crowds and the sound of footsteps. He couldn't stay any longer. He took one last deep look at White Star's corpse, turned abruptly, and his silver-white figure made several swift leaps, accurately gliding toward the corner where he had previously hidden his clothes.

He grabbed his dark-colored sportswear and held it tightly in his arms. Without staying for a second, he exerted force through his feet, and like a shadow merging into the night, he rapidly retreated in the opposite direction of the sirens.

【Consciousness Space】

The moment White Star's life force completely dissipated, the System's calm, emotionless voice rang out in Han Chengyu's consciousness.

【Detected a sharp decline in high-concentration evo factor activity; target's vital signs have vanished. Commencing post-battle scan and data archiving... Scan complete.】

【Recorded the complete evolutionary path and biological memes of the deviant individual 'White Star' (original form: White Whale). The core of its evolutionary direction is 'Extreme Environmental Survival Adaptability,' manifested specifically as: Biological Electrostatic Coating Defense/Energy Absorption System, High-intensity Biological Electromagnetic Pulse Generator, and amphibious adaptive reconstruction of skeletal and muscular structures...】

【This biological meme library, especially its energy resistance and absorption mechanisms, has been archived to the core database. It can be used for future optimization or designing new armor templates to enhance adaptability to specific energy-attack environments.】

“Recording these... is to learn its way of evolution?” Han Chengyu's consciousness fluctuated with a hint of understanding.

【Correct. Structures produced by natural evolution under the Law of 'Survival Priority' often possess extremely high energy efficiency and practicality. This data serves as valuable reference material,】 the System confirmed.

Han Chengyu nodded silently and redirected his attention to the outside world. He saw Lu Jianchuan clutching his clothes, weaving through the complex city alleys by relying on the armor's speed and mobility, skillfully avoiding main streets and potential surveillance.

Lu Jianchuan's movements were extremely fast, and his utilization of the surrounding environment was exquisite. He could feel Lu Jianchuan's intention—to maintain his transformed state and return as quickly as possible to the rented room on the top floor of that old residential building.

Once he cancelled the transformation, the terrifying sense of weakness and hunger would instantly strip him of his ability to move, leaving him like a lamb to the slaughter in the open.

Just as Lu Jianchuan darted out of an alleyway, preparing to cross a relatively quiet side road, the harsh sound of screeching tires came from not far away. Two familiar, unmarked deep-gray vans were charging through the loose cordon the police had just set up, racing toward the center of the plaza with a domineering stance.

It was the Special Affairs Investigation Bureau! They were here!

The passenger window of one of the vans rolled down, and an investigator seemed to glimpse the fleeting silver-white reflection at the mouth of the alley. He immediately pointed in that direction, shouting something urgently into his communicator. The door of the other van even opened, with armed personnel making a move to pursue.

But Lu Jianchuan's reaction was faster! He had no intention of fighting or observing. The moment their gaze locked onto him, he exploded with maximum speed, like a bolt of silver lightning flying close to the ground. He instantly vanished into the depths of the even more intricate old city alleys across the way, his figure disappearing completely after a few turns.

The Investigation Bureau's vehicles were blocked by the chaotic scene and the crowd that had not yet fully evacuated. Ultimately, they could only stop unwillingly, having lost the target's trail.

Lu Jianchuan did not slow down at all. He heightened the armor's perception to its limit, evading all possible lines of sight and cameras. The wind whistled in his ears, and the city lights flowed over his silver-white armor like blurred bands of light. He had only one thought in his mind: get home! Back to the rented room that could provide him with a brief respite and hide his secrets!

Finally, the familiar old residential building with peeling paint appeared before his eyes. He didn't take the main entrance. Instead, like a nocturnal bat, he used the minor protrusions on the outer wall and the window sills to climb directly to the fourth floor with agility far beyond that of an ordinary person, silently flipping through his window, which he habitually left unlatched.

“Bang!” The window was quickly closed, and the old latch made a soft “click.” He pulled the curtains tightly shut, isolating himself from everything outside. Only when he leaned against the cold, familiar wall and felt the twisted sense of security brought by this tiny space did Lu Jianchuan's tense nerves relax for a moment.

He lowered his head and looked at his left hand, which was still covered in silver armor. His index finger pressed accurately and steadily onto the blood-red gemstone at the center of the wrist ring, which looked as if it were formed from congealed blood.

“Deactivate.”

Without any earth-shattering commotion, the silver-white biological armor covering his body was instantly covered in fine cracks, like an ice surface being struck. Then, like a weathered sand sculpture, it shattered and disintegrated, turning into countless tiny silver specks of light that quickly annihilated in the air, revealing the exhausted body beneath, which was already soaked in sweat and trembling slightly.

Almost the same moment the armor disappeared, a terrifying hunger—more fierce than the last time, like the maw of an abyss—accompanied by an extreme weakness that felt like his bone marrow was being drained, instantly seized him! His vision went black, and dense static appeared at the edges of his sight. His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the floor with a “thud.” His stomach cramped violently from the extreme emptiness, triggering a bout of uncontrollable dry heaving.

Forcing himself to endure the dizziness and nausea that threatened to consume his sanity, his trembling hand fumbled through the pockets of the sportswear scattered on the floor, pulling out the compressed biscuits he had prepared earlier, tightly wrapped in waterproof paper.

He didn't even have time to tear off the packaging properly; he used his teeth to brutally bite an opening and frantically stuffed the hard, dry biscuit fragments into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed with mechanical force, choking several times in his haste and triggering violent coughing fits.

The coarse food scraped down his esophagus and fell into a stomach that felt like a bottomless pit. Only then did the hunger, which was enough to drive a person mad, begin to recede extremely slowly, like a tide.

He leaned against the wall, gasping for air, his forehead covered in cold sweat, feeling the sensation of strength returning bit by bit to this body that had been nearly hollowed out.

One compressed biscuit was quickly finished, and the heart-palpitating weakness was only slightly suppressed. He fumbled for an energy bar, tore open the packaging, and continued to wolf it down until he had devoured all the high-calorie food he could find on him.

When the last bit of food was swallowed, he leaned back as if drained of all strength, the back of his head resting against the wall as he sat slumped on the cold floor. Through the gap in the drawn curtains, a sliver of faint light from the city's never-extinguishing neon lights filtered in, illuminating his sweat-drenched profile and hollow eyes.

Once again, he had survived.