92: Second Form

Lu Jianchuan confirmed that Lin Wan seemed to have only inhaled a small amount of mist and was not in any major danger, which put his mind somewhat at ease. He was preparing to turn his attention back to the fallen Crystal Orchid to check the condition of the controlled individual.

The very moment he turned his head toward Crystal Orchid—

An extremely subtle yet icy, stinging sensation suddenly shot through the gap where his neck armor met his helmet!

An injection!?

His whole body stiffened. He tried to whip his head around, but only felt a wave of intense, world-spinning dizziness instantly sweep through his brain. The scenery before him began to blur and double. He tried to stand firm, but his legs felt as useless as overcooked noodles. The heavy armor now became a burden, dragging him down as he involuntarily slumped to the side.

In the final moment before he completely lost his balance and his vision failed, he saw Lin Wan, who had been leaning weakly against him, stand up nimbly and steadily. Where was there even a trace of her previous pain and pallor?

Almost simultaneously, a figure wearing a metal mask—the Heartbinder—paced out from the shadows like a ghost and stood beside Lin Wan.

Lin Wan looked down at Lu Jianchuan, who was kneeling on one knee and struggling to remain conscious. A complex smile, mixing pity and mockery, appeared on her face. She shook her head gently, her tone carrying a hint of derision:

“Lu Jianchuan... you've been fooled again.”

“Wh... at? How...?” Beneath the faceplate, Lu Jianchuan let out an incredulous, hoarse voice that was broken by dizziness. The immense shock even temporarily overrode his physical weakness.

The Heartbinder's processed electronic voice also rang out coldly: “Excellent sample data, ‘silver skeleton’. Your compassion is your most fatal weakness.”

“Wh... y?” Lu Jianchuan squeezed the question through his teeth, enduring a dizziness that felt like his very brain was melting.

Lin Wan leaned down and said softly, in an almost affectionate tone, “What a shame, Officer Lu. If you had nodded and agreed back then, you might be admiring the blueprint of the new world with us right now, instead of being like this... like a trapped beast.”

The Heartbinder’s cold electronic voice rang out, every word sounding like the reading of a long-written verdict: “There is no need for confusion. You were always a ‘Rough Stone’ we carefully screened. From the moment you were observed, your fate was sealed.”

“Wh... at?” Lu Jianchuan tried to struggle, but his limbs felt as if they were sinking into a quagmire.

“Remember that monster in the warehouse you ended with your own hands?” There was even a hint of engineering-like admiration in the Heartbinder's voice. “That was the previous work I handled.”

“We meticulously designed a ‘perfect’ accident for him, precisely controlling the degree of damage to ensure that amidst that extreme pain and desire for survival, he would bloom into the evolutionary form we desired... He truly was a failure full of wild beauty.”

His gaze pierced through the mask as if admiring Lu Jianchuan: “But it proved the feasibility of guided evolution. Thus, we found a more suitable embryo—you, Lu Jianchuan.”

“Your EVO concentration of 0.038% is like the brightest star in the night sky. What did you think those coincidental encounters were? Fate? No, they were the ladder to power that we paved for you.”

“You... since when...” Lu Jianchuan's voice was distorted by extreme rage.

“Since a long time ago,” the Heartbinder said frankly. “Even before you knew you possessed a Treasure Trove, your name was already on our register. We simply waited patiently for a suitable ‘opportunity’ to carve a piece of unpolished jade like you.”

“Opportunity...” Lu Jianchuan suddenly looked up, his blood-red eyepieces locking onto the other. “Uncle Li... Li Ming... his death... was also your ‘opportunity’?!”

“Officer Li Ming.” The Heartbinder nodded slightly, as if recalling an experimental parameter.

“His sacrifice was the most critical and successful part of the entire ‘silver skeleton’ project. We calculated that only the mental shock brought by the death of a loved one could potentially break the threshold in an instant, perfectly activating your factor and guiding them toward a powerful, directional evolution like ‘protection’ and ‘revenge’. As it turns out, the results far exceeded expectations.”

He described the passing of a human life as an “expected result.”

Lu Jianchuan felt as if his heart were being squeezed by an icy hand, making him almost unable to breathe.

The Heartbinder continued to speak his blasphemies in that emotionless tone: “There is no need for guilt. The dust of the old era is meant to be sacrificed as the foundation for the new era. Those unable to evolve will eventually be swept into the trash heap of history. Officer Li Ming’s value lies in the fact that he became the highest quality fuel to ignite you.”

He added with a slight sense of regret: “The only minor flaw was that the heart toxin last time failed to prompt you to complete your secondary evolution. It seems the stimulus of ‘near-death’ was still insufficient. But no matter; once we take you back to the lab, we will have plenty of methods and time to slowly... polish you.”

“You... you... BASTARDS!!!”

Every string of reason snapped completely at this moment.

Uncle Li’s gratified smile, the warehouse monster’s death wails, and the innocent people ravaged by the potions flashed through his mind... All the images finally converged into the Heartbinder's cold voice: “Dust of the old era... the highest quality fuel...”

“Just what... do you think life is!!!” A roar that seemed to come from the depths of his Soul tore through the night sky. The intense mental fluctuations even caused the surrounding air to tremble.

Under this will driven by pure fury, the toxins invading his nerves were actually temporarily suppressed. The dizziness receded like a tide, replaced by a destructive impulse to burn everything to the ground.

【Consciousness Space】

【Emergency State: Detected high resonance between Aptitude Holder's extreme emotions and Second Form. Neurotoxin activity temporarily suppressed.】

【Logical Deduction: Current state is the optimal window for withdrawal. Suggest immediately guiding the Aptitude Holder to use the emotional energy burst to break through. Forcibly unlocking an unstable form carries a berserk risk exceeding 87%; consequences are severe.】

【Execution Suggestion: Initiate energy guidance program to assist in withdrawal.】

“No.” Han Chengyu’s consciousness flatly vetoed it, his will like a cold blade. “No withdrawal. System, execute final command. Remove all restrictions and immediately interface the Second Form architecture with him.”

【Warning: This decision violates core safety protocols. In a berserk state, the target will lose control completely, potentially causing irreversible damage and large-scale destruction. Logic cannot comprehend this choice. The optimal solution is withdrawal.】

“Of course you can't comprehend it!” Han Chengyu’s response carried a nearly cruel calmness.

“Your logic only contains survival efficiency and risk probability. But don't you see? What he needs right now isn't to escape alive! What he needs is power—the power to grind these pieces of trash who treat human life like grass into powder!”

His consciousness focused on Lu Jianchuan’s figure outside, which was filled with the utmost grief and indignation.

“If we let him run away like a stray dog now, he’s finished for life! His spine will be completely broken, and he’ll live forever in today’s humiliation and powerlessness! That is more terrifying than going berserk, more terrifying than death!”

【Reiterating: This decision carries extremely high risk...】

“System!” Han Chengyu used an unquestionable tone that invoked his highest authority, forcibly interrupting the System’s warning.

“I hold supreme decision-making power. I understand all risks and am willing to bear all consequences.” He paused, delivering his final command word by word: “Now, I command you—release the restrictions and give him the power. Execute immediately.”

After a brief silence, as if the very rules were struggling, the System’s response became incredibly concise and cold, leaving only pure obedience.

【...Supreme authority command confirmed.】

【Lifting all safety restrictions. Forcibly importing Second Form architecture... Energy channels fully open...】

【Real World】

Just as the Heartbinder and Lin Wan believed victory was within their grasp, a sudden change occurred!

The crimson orb at the center of the armband on Lu Jianchuan’s left wrist abruptly changed its light. It shifted from a deep crimson to a more dazzling, restless Orange-red, like molten steel, radiating heart-palpitating energy fluctuations!

The intense and blinding light caused the Heartbinder and Lin Wan to instinctively squint, and their movements faltered.

It was this moment of hesitation!

“Ugh... ah—!”

Accompanied by Lu Jianchuan’s roar—a mix of pain and release—his entire silver armor emitted the teeth-gritting sound of growth and restructuring!

The change first occurred in his arms. On the originally streamlined silver-white bracers, dark red biological tissue—resembling exposed, reinforced tendons and support structures—spread and bulged frantically, quickly covering his forearms and knuckles!

His arms visibly expanded and deformed, filled with a more primitive and violent sense of power. At his elbows and the backs of his fists, one could faintly see newly formed, yet-to-be-activated vent structures, though for now, they were merely solid bone armor.

All of this was completed in the blink of an eye!

“What?!” The Heartbinder realized something was wrong and tried to retreat.

Lu Jianchuan’s right arm, which had completed its initial mutation, let out a whistle that tore through the air. With speed and power far exceeding before, he threw a punch straight at him without any flourishes! This punch had no external energy release; it was only the purest, most overbearing physical force!

The Heartbinder only had time to cross his mutated arms in front of him for protection.

BOOM!!!!!

An incredibly dull, massive sound exploded! It was as if two heavy trucks had collided head-on.

The Heartbinder felt as if his blocking arms had been smashed by a hydraulic hammer. The piercing sound of bone cracking was clearly audible, and agonizing pain instantly submerged him!

His entire person was completely unable to resist this most primitive giant force. Like being launched by a catapult, his feet left the ground, and he went flying backward. He smashed through two trees the thickness of bowls before crashing heavily to the ground, unable to rise for a moment.

Beside him, Lin Wan’s expression changed drastically. She reacted extremely quickly, ignoring the Heartbinder entirely as she turned to flee into the shadows!

But she had only taken two steps when she felt a foul wind approaching from behind.

Lu Jianchuan, having completed his punch, didn't even turn to look at her. He used the momentum to twist his waist and swept his left leg back like a steel whip! The speed of this sweep was extreme, and its power was even more staggering!

Lin Wan only had time to let out a short cry of alarm before she was struck directly in the side of her waist by this sweep, driven purely by explosive power.

She felt as if she had been hit by a speeding motorcycle. Her whole body flew sideways like a discarded, broken doll, crashing heavily into a thicket over ten meters away, instantly losing consciousness.

Lu Jianchuan slowly stood straight. The newly grown dark red structures all over his body pulsed slightly like living things. His Orange-red eyepieces burned with cold fury, and a sense of pure power, like a physical pressure, shrouded the entire battlefield.