56: Go home and rest

A silver figure slid in through the window like a ghost, landing silently on the floor of the rental room. Lu Jianchuan closed the window behind him with a soft click and drew the curtains tightly, completely shutting out the neon lights and clamor of the city outside.

Only then did he lean back against the cold wall and slowly slide down to sit on the floor.

He raised his right hand, his fingertips pressing precisely on the center of the blood-red jewel embedded in the silver-gray armband clinging to the skin of his left wrist.

The silvery-white biological armor covering his entire body emitted a series of faint, dense cracking sounds, as if its internal structure was fracturing. Immediately after, the armor's surface instantly became covered with countless fine, web-like cracks, like tempered glass that had been struck.

In the next second, the entire suit of armor shattered with a crash, disintegrating into countless silver fragments the size of fingernails. However, these fragments did not fall to the ground. The moment they scattered, they seemed to lose their substance, like ashes scattered by the wind, rapidly fading, turning transparent, and ultimately vanishing completely into the air without leaving a trace. On his left wrist, only the silver-gray armband remained.

The anticipated extreme weakness that felt like having one's internal organs hollowed out and the overwhelming, mind-numbing hunger did not appear.

Yes, the hunger was still there. His stomach sent clear signals of emptiness, and a sore, weak fatigue from the intense battle pervaded his limbs.

But this level... compared to the near-fainting, deathly sensation he felt after his first transformation, which required him to frantically devour food to recover, was like a trickling stream versus a raging flood.

Lu Jianchuan subconsciously raised his hand and touched his abdomen.

Through the thin, sweat-dampened undershirt, he could feel a strange, steady warmth emanating from deep within his abdominal cavity. It was as if a small, highly efficient furnace had been added inside his body, continuously outputting energy to support his nearly depleted form.

He lowered his head, looked at his slightly trembling but still strong hands, and murmured softly, as if confirming an unbelievable fact: "Is it because of... that new 'organ'?"

This was not a full recovery; the toll was still immense. Yet, an unprecedented sense of having some 'leeway' brought him a slight measure of peace.

Pushing against the wall, he stood up somewhat unsteadily and walked to the wardrobe. Opening the door, he saw his police uniform hanging neatly inside, with several sets of ordinary spare clothes folded beside it—he had long been prepared for such "unexpected" situations.

He deftly removed the undershirt that had become loose and stretched during his transformation and changed into a clean T-shirt and trousers. The soft cotton fabric touching his skin brought a touch of everyday comfort.

Then, he went straight to the kitchen, opened a certain cabinet, and found the high-energy protein bars and compressed food he had stocked in advance, neatly arranged inside.

He tore open the packaging, leaned back against the cold refrigerator door, and began chewing in large mouthfuls. The energy bar had a dry, coarse texture, but he ate quickly and intently, feeling the sugars and proteins transform into a warm current, gradually merging with the strange warmth in his abdomen, further dispelling the fatigue in his body.

After eating two energy bars and downing a large glass of cold water, the lingering hunger was finally suppressed.

Dragging his still-heavy steps, he walked to the bed and fell onto it face-up. His body sank into the familiar mattress, and the accumulated exhaustion surged over him like a tide, yet his mind remained unusually clear.

In the darkness, he lay with his eyes open, staring at the faint patterns on the ceiling.

Li Zhe's face, streaked with tears and filled with pleading, appeared vividly before his eyes. The way he shielded that dangerous evolved creature behind him, that desperate stubbornness... Was letting that cat go the right or wrong decision?

That Special Affairs Investigation Bureau, how would they treat it? Would so-called "research value" imply an even crueler fate?

And Li Zhe, dragged into the center of such an incident, what would he face in the future?

Then there were the words of that Investigator Leader—"I know you."

"...to express my thanks."

Their attitude seemed to have shifted, from pure wariness to an attempt at communication, even... with a hint of recruitment? Was this a trap behind it, or a turning point?

Tangled thoughts wound together like a knotted ball of yarn, impossible to unravel. Physical exhaustion ultimately overcame mental agitation, and his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Amid slight frustration at his own powerlessness and vague anxiety about the unknown tomorrow, his consciousness gradually blurred. His breathing became long and steady as he sank into a restless sleep... *Brrrring—!*

The piercing alarm sound, sharp as a blade, sliced through the morning's tranquility and forcibly dragged Lu Jianchuan out of his brief slumber.

His eyes snapped open. After a moment of confusion, clarity quickly returned. Outside the window, the sky was already faintly light, heralding the start of a new day.

He sat up, stretched his neck and shoulders, and his joints emitted soft cracking sounds. The fatigue remained, clinging like a stubborn illness, but it was now within a range he could bear and conceal.

He got up, washed up methodically, changed into his crisp police uniform, and carefully concealed the armband on his left wrist beneath the cuff of his uniform sleeve.

The man in the mirror still looked somewhat pale, with faint dark circles under his eyes, but his gaze had regained its usual steadiness and calm.

He forcefully pushed all thoughts about last night, about evolution, about the armor and the organization, back into the deepest recesses of his heart.

No matter what stormy seas he navigated at night, when daylight came, he was still that ordinary police officer Lu Jianchuan, who needed to clock in on time and handle trivial police matters.

He straightened his collar, took one last look at his reflection in the mirror, turned, pulled open the door, and stepped into the dimly lit hallway of the early morning, heading towards his workplace in the "normal" world.

Lu Jianchuan entered the Police Station, where the bustle of the morning had already begun to permeate the air.

He had barely settled into his familiar desk chair, not yet taken a sip of the steaming cup of tea, when his partner Wang Qiang hurried over with a file folder in hand, wearing an expression that said 'I knew it' mixed with a hint of sarcasm.

"Xiao Lu, you're here? Perfect timing, there's something." Wang Qiang handed the folder to him, tapping the cover with his finger, not too lightly, not too heavily.

"About that incident with the three punks last time, the school bullying case it uncovered, the handling results are in. The school is under a lot of pressure. The original principal was transferred, and this newly appointed one wants to quickly launch some positive image projects to clean up the mess."

Lu Jianchuan silently took the folder, his fingertips registering the cool touch of the paper. He opened it, his eyes scanning the formally structured, carefully worded text: investigation conclusions, disciplinary decisions, situation reports... Black on white, it seemed to draw an official conclusion to that turmoil.

But beneath these cold regulations were Li Zhe's eyes, burning red with anger and grievance; that Orange Cat that had evolved in a dark corner, its pupils narrowed to crimson slits; and the splashing water, the blinding electric light, and that shrill, inhuman shriek in the bathroom last night.

Wang Qiang's robust voice interrupted his momentary daze: "The new principal personally contacted the station, posture very humble. Wants to invite us—especially you and me, the ones who handled the case from start to finish—to give a joint lecture at the school. The theme is 'Oppose School Bullying, Build a Harmonious Campus Together'."

"Scheduled for this afternoon. So, get ready, come with me to meet those kids again?"

Lu Jianchuan's fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the document. Going to the school. Returning to that place filled with youthful noise but also hiding cruelty and abnormality.

He had just engaged in a life-or-death struggle there with inhuman strength, and now he had to put on his police uniform and preach justice as an upholder of order. This intense sense of dissonance made his stomach churn slightly, as if the exhaustion and chaos he had forcibly suppressed last night were surging up again.

But he couldn't find any reason to refuse. This was his duty, the daily routine he had to fulfill as a police officer. Moreover, a faint voice deep inside said that perhaps this was an opportunity to see Li Zhe again, to confirm whether the child dragged into the vortex was truly safe and sound.

"Alright, I understand." Lu Jianchuan closed the folder, his voice steady, betraying no hint of abnormality, and gently placed it back on the desk. "Do I need to prepare a detailed script?"

"Hey, no need to be so formal!" Wang Qiang waved his hand, looking completely at ease. "Mainly, I'll talk about the case, break down the legal provisions that bullying behavior might violate, emphasize the consequences.

"You, just talk about your experience, combining how we noticed something was off last time, how we intervened in the investigation, and how we finally nabbed those three guys.

"Then give the kids some encouragement, tell them not to be afraid if they encounter this kind of thing, to be brave and speak up, tell teachers and the police immediately. You have a good image, young, more persuasive than an old guy like me."

As he spoke, Wang Qiang clapped his large, fan-like hand heavily on Lu Jianchuan's shoulder with his usual solid force. He was clearly completely unaware of the stormy seas his capable partner was currently navigating internally.

"Mm." Lu Jianchuan nodded, his gaze falling on the sunlit leaves outside the window. "Then I'll organize my thoughts."

He sat back down at his workstation. The computer screen reflected his slightly pale face. He raised his hand and, under the guise of adjusting his cuff, his fingertips secretly brushed against the silver-gray armband hidden beneath the fabric of his police uniform.

Its cold, hard texture was like an eternal brand, constantly reminding him that beneath this seemingly ordinary daylight, another perilous, bizarre world existed.

In the afternoon, he would return to that stage interwoven with ordinary human malice and extraordinary evolutionary tragedy, in the identity of Police Officer Lu Jianchuan. This time, he would not be facing an invisible hunter or a frenzied monster, but a group of students with eyes either clear or confused, and a young man he didn't know how to face.