54: Battle in the hospital

Lu Jianchuan slammed his left hand onto the armband on his right wrist, his fingertips precisely touching the crimson orb.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, nor any dazzling light effects.

The change began from beneath his skin.

His muscles tensed instantly, and the tissues beneath his skin seemed to be awakened and reconstructed by an invisible force. The first anomaly appeared on his left forearm, where he had pressed the orb—a silver-white, dense carapace with a biological texture didn't extend from the armband, but instead "pierced" through the surface of his left arm's skin, "growing" out rapidly!

Immediately after, this terrifying growth spread across his entire body like falling dominoes!

A breastplate "pushed" out from the skin of his chest, abdominal plates "spread" to cover his midsection, and leg guards "climbed" along the muscle lines of his legs to take shape... The entire process was accompanied by an extremely faint yet hair-raising "rustling" sound, as if flesh and bone were being forcibly reshaped. The clothes he had been wearing were easily torn and burst open by this terrifying internal force, like fragile cocoons, falling away as fluttering scraps of cloth.

Almost before the bystanders' screams for the injured "Green Skin" had fully subsided, a suit of silver-white full-body armor, boasting sleek lines and biomechanical beauty, had replaced the youth in the hoodie and stood tall in the corridor.

The moment the helmet covering his head finally took shape and sealed shut seamlessly, two beams of cold, deep-sea-like azure light suddenly ignited at the visor.

He stood there, surrounded by a few scraps of clothing that had yet to hit the ground. His silver-white body shimmered under the corridor lights with the restrained yet tough luster characteristic of biological cuticles, looking like a predator that had just finished molting and descended upon the world.

The surrounding screams came to an abrupt halt. Everyone was struck dumb by this incomprehensible, silent, yet even more terrifying scene, standing frozen as if even the air had solidified.

The silver armor's visor coldly scanned the wailing "Green Skin" on the floor before abruptly turning toward the empty shadow at the other end of the corridor.

He could feel it—that cold, violent killing intent was hidden right there.

"Found you."

The silver armor stood as still as a statue amidst the fluttering scraps of clothing, the flowing azure light from the visor being the only source of light in this space that lacked any warmth. He "looked" at the empty shadow as a silent alarm, born of biological instinct, shrieked inside his helmet—it was right there, like a cold wedge driven into reality, with killing intent spreading from that direction like a thick spider web.

On the ground, "Green Skin's" wails had turned into intermittent sobbing. The sweet, pungent scent of blood was undoubtedly the best catalyst to stimulate that invisible hunter.

He couldn't wait for it to make the first move. The narrow corridor was its slaughterhouse; he had to force it into an environment more favorable to himself.

Water. A clear thought flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning. The nearby restroom!

To think was to act!

Without warning, the silver figure suddenly tore through the stagnant air. Instead of lunging toward the source of the killing intent, he executed a perfectly fluid side-step, darting to "Green Skin's" side!

"Mon... monster! Don't kill me!" Seeing the cold metal faceplate approach, Green Skin's fear even eclipsed the intense pain in his leg, his voice twisting and deforming.

Lu Jianchuan ignored his wailing. His armor-clad left hand precisely grabbed the man's collar, his fingers closing like iron pincers. Pushing off with his feet, the tile floor emitted a faint friction sound as he shot toward the men's restroom at the end of the corridor like an arrow from a bow, carrying the weight of an adult male! The movement was as swift as lightning, yet followed a strangely calculated trajectory.

Just as he started moving—

"Rii—p—!"

An ear-grating sharp sound, like the toughest fabric being forcibly torn, exploded behind where he had originally stood! Three intersecting, incredibly deep gashes appeared on the hard white paint and the underlying cement of the wall, with debris falling away as if gouged out by an invisible giant claw.

The attack had missed! But it had also made its move!

Lu Jianchuan's heart turned cold as he pushed his speed even further. With a "bang," he slammed his shoulder into the half-closed swing door, barging into the restroom with "Green Skin" in tow.

The pale lights reflected off the tiled floor. The space was cramped, filled with the scent of disinfectant and a faint hint of mold. Without hesitation, he exerted strength in his arm and threw the limp "Green Skin" toward the innermost corner near the stalls like a sandbag. Green Skin groaned and rolled across the floor, temporarily pinned there by fear and pain.

Almost at the same instant "Green Skin" left his hand, Lu Jianchuan's left arm swept out like a war hammer, aiming directly for the outermost stainless steel sink in the washing area!

"Clang—Crash!!"

The ear-piercing sound of twisting metal erupted! The sink, which had been firmly embedded in the countertop, was forcibly bent upward and deformed by his armored palm's immense strength! The PVC water supply pipe buried in the wall couldn't withstand the strain and instantly burst!

"Hiss—!!!!"

The long-suppressed high-pressure cold water found its outlet, turning into a violent white water dragon that surged from the breach. It struck the mirror opposite with immense force, shattering the glass! Cold water sprayed wildly in a fan shape, pitter-pattering against the walls, ceiling, and Lu Jianchuan's armor. In the blink of an eye, the smooth tile floor was covered by a rapidly expanding, shimmering film of water.

Lu Jianchuan stood tall beside the gushing water column, letting the cold stream wash over his silver-white armor as droplets continuously rolled off the sleek plates. He lowered his body slightly, shifting his center of gravity, while his azure visor acted like a precision scanner, moving at high speed with tiny increments to capture every sliver of movement in the space.

It was inside. It had to be.

Sure enough! Near the doorway, on the section of floor just covered by water, several shallow, plum-blossom-shaped paw prints abruptly appeared in the water, only to quickly blur and vanish as the water flowed—it was moving! It was extremely fast, hugging the wall like an invisible shadow of death, its target still the blood-scented "Green Skin" in the corner!

Now!

Lu Jianchuan slammed his right arm up without further hesitation, thrusting his hand, encased in silver-white biological armor, deep into the base of the continuously gushing water stream!

"Zzzzt—Boom!!!"

A blue-white electrical discharge, more violent and blinding than any before, surged out from his palm like awakening thunder snakes, racing through the rushing water! Electricity conducted through the water far faster than through the air, instantly filling the puddles across the entire restroom floor!

At that moment, the waterlogged floor was no longer just a floor, but a blue-white electrical grid that had suddenly snapped open to cover everything! The electric snakes hissed and jumped, intertwining with one another and casting a flickering light over the entire space. The air became thick with the pungent scent of ozone, like burnt hair!

"Wulu—Augh—!!!"

A bizarre shriek that definitely didn't belong to any known creature—a mix of extreme agony, rage, and the sound of a physical structure being forcibly disrupted—suddenly erupted from that invisible silhouette!

The powerful current ruthlessly penetrated its skin, which was specialized for invisibility and relatively weak in physical defense, directly invading its nervous and muscular Systems! The blue-white electrical arcs clung to it like maggots to a bone, flashing and coiling around its silhouette, forcibly overloading the precise biological currents and neural processing power required to maintain its Optical Camouflage!

Like a flickering holographic projection, a blurry, violently distorted dark orange figure was forced to manifest amidst the blinding electrical flashes. It was significantly larger and sturdier than an ordinary house cat, its hairless skin convulsing uncontrollably under the electric shock. Those cold, vertical pupils narrowed into two madly trembling crimson lines—the Optical Camouflage had been forcibly deactivated!

It was now fully visible, slumped in the wet, conductive puddles, its limbs still twitching from the residual current as it struggled to stand. Intermittent, threatening "wulu" sounds came from its throat, and its vertical pupils, burning with primal madness and malice, were fixed dead on Lu Jianchuan.

Lu Jianchuan seized this fleeting opportunity created by the current and kicked off the ground! The standing water was blasted apart by the immense force, forming a brief curtain of spray. He became a streak of silver lightning that tore through the air, bursting through the mist and the lingering, blinding arcs of electricity to lunge straight at the temporarily incapacitated Big Orange!

His right fist was tightly clenched, and the energy circuits beneath his arm guards lit up with unprecedented intensity. The violent bio-electricity was no longer scattered arcs but was instead highly compressed and condensed at the front of his fist, forming an unstable, humming, nearly pure white orb of plasma! The smell of ozone in the air instantly became even more pungent and sharp.

There was no attempt to subdue, no hesitation. Facing a dangerous entity that had already drawn blood and possessed eerie abilities and hostile intent, any wishful thinking would be irresponsible to other potential victims. At this moment, his duty as a police officer overrode his last shred of pity for this creature that had once been close to Li Zhe.

This punch was aimed directly at the core of its skull! It was a total, absolute—fatal blow!

[Consciousness Space]

Han Chengyu's consciousness closely followed every frame of change in the outside world. Looking at Lu Jianchuan's unreserved punch, condensed with destructive energy, he felt no desire to stop it. The System's cold logic overlapped with the perception he had developed after gradually immersing himself in this role: eliminating a confirmed high-threat Deviant Individual was a necessary step in maintaining stability and fulfilling his mission.

"The surveillance cleanup work was truly done in the nick of time." He confirmed this fact once again. This invisible Information Barrier ensured that this necessary purge would not bring any subsequent trouble.