90: Chapter 90: The Harvest List and Hidden Clues

"By the way, ask him if the design blueprints for that gun are in his filing cabinet."

These words were thinned out by the four-in-the-morning wind, scattering into the dust of the Red Hook District industrial streets.

Yan Zheng turned the corner of the third dark alley, shifted his canvas bag from his left shoulder to his right, pulled his hat brim very low, and the water stains from his shoe soles did not dry until he had walked another twenty meters.

Undead Knight Dawn was moving in the parallel alley on the left, his petrified body pressed against the outer wall of the building, his shoulders occasionally brushing off the peeling brick dust from the wall.

For a two-and-a-half-meter tall figure, trying to avoid streetlights was basically equivalent to asking Mr. Brute to learn ballet.

"Mr. Dawn, stick to the low walls, don't take the main road."

The Knight adjusted his direction, and the brightness of the golden light orb dropped to the lowest standby level.

Brute followed in a narrower alley on the south side, white steam still rising from the three dissolved wounds on his chest, and residue of half-liquid stone armor dripped onto the ground, making a hissing corrosive sound, slightly scorching the asphalt into light gray dotted marks.

"Mr. Brute, your wound is still dripping."

"Don't leave too many traces. If the Police investigate the scene tomorrow morning and follow the scorch marks all the way here, we'll end up like a real-life Hansel and Gretel house."

Brute's dual-colored phosphorus fire flickered, his pace did not change, but his walking route was slightly adjusted, sticking to the edge of the drainage ditch to let the residue drip into the water.

Yan Zheng did not run.

There were almost no pedestrians in the industrial zone at four in the morning, but running was easy to attract attention at any time.

He maintained a normal walking speed, following the pre-recorded route toward the nearest subway station.

In the Mental Link, No. 6, No. 5, and No. 4 had already dismantled into bone fragments and burrowed back into the drainage pipe network; the three green pulses were stable, with none left behind.

"Report evacuation progress."

His lips barely moved, his voice kept very low.

"Three Skeleton Soldiers, returning via the underground pipe network, expected to arrive in one hour."

"The Knight and Brute are taking the ground-level dark alleys, expected in two hours."

"I am taking the subway, home in forty minutes."

The dust column from the chemical plant in the distance had not yet dissipated, pulled into skewed gray ribbons by the sea breeze, hanging over the skyline of the Red Hook District.

The siren of a fire truck was already coming from the west, sharp and intermittent, more than two kilometers away.

Yan Zheng sped up by half a step.

"Mr. Dawn, Mr. Brute, stick to the original route."

"If you encounter a patrol car, hide in the gaps between factory buildings."

"If you encounter pedestrians, do not make eye contact."

"If you encounter a Super Hero, notify me, and I will consider whether it is worth detouring to collect the corpse."

The Knight responded with a pulse.

Brute gave a low-frequency grunt, acknowledging the order.

Four forty-one in the morning.

The subway platform was empty, the overhead lights were white, and a homeless man was snoring on the bench opposite, the white steam he exhaled scattering into a thin mist under the cold light.

Seven minutes until the train arrives.

Yan Zheng sat in the corner seat, his canvas bag resting on his knees, his head leaning against the tiled wall, the uneven seams rubbing against his scalp.

He closed his eyes for three seconds, then opened them again.

"This is not the time to rest."

"Clear the accounts first."

The system panel unfolded in the corner of his field of vision.

"Operation Termite total spoils, list."

The amount of information spread out on the panel was larger than expected, divided into three sections.

[Operation Termite Spoils Summary.]

[Category 1: Freezer Extraction, nine genetic materials.]

[1. Ice Crystal Gene, common quality, source: low-level Mutant of the freezing type.]

[2. Bone Liquefaction Gene, excellent quality, source: intermediate Mutant of the bone reconstruction type.]

[3. Electric Gland Gene, good quality, source: bio-electric type Mutant.]

[4. Acid Secretion Gene, common quality, source: chemical type low-level Mutant.]

[5. Elastic Constitution Gene, good quality, source: deformation type Mutant.]

[6. Thermal Sensing Gene, common quality, source: sensory type low-level Mutant.]

[7. Sonic Resonance Gene, excellent quality, source: sonic type intermediate Mutant.]

[8. Metal Skin Gene, good quality, source: hardening type Mutant.]

[9. Telepathy Fragment, inferior quality, source: unknown psychic type Mutant. Note: Information chain is incomplete, requires similar materials to activate.]

Yan Zheng's gaze lingered on the ninth item for two seconds.

"Telepathy."

"Fragment."

"Although the quality is poor, this category is too rare."

"The freezers at E.S.S. only stored fragment-level remnants, which means they themselves couldn't obtain stable psychic-type samples."

"Remember this gap."

The panel scrolled to the second section.

[Category 2: Specimen Extraction, six aberrant genetic materials.]

[1. Scaled Armor Gene (Aberrant), inferior quality.]

[2. Electric Pulse Gene (Aberrant), inferior quality.]

[3. Bone Eversion Gene (Severe Aberration), poor quality.]

[4. Sensory Amplification Gene, common quality.]

[5. Cell Hardening Gene (Aberrant), inferior quality.]

[6. Stress Division Gene (Aberrant), poor quality.]

"Six pieces of aberrant material, can't be used alone."

"But if broken down and used as a filling base, they are qualified."

"When stitching together elite-level ones, a large amount of low-quality genes is needed as adhesive, and these six are just right for filling the gaps."

The panel jumped to the last item, the font enlarged by two sizes, and the golden border pulsed with light in his field of vision.

[Category 3: Core Collection.]

[Weapon X Project adamantium symbiotic bone fragment, legendary quality.]

[Core Attribute 1: adamantium skeleton, durability assessment: cannot be destroyed by currently known means.]

[Core Attribute 2: Super Healing Factor · Advanced, regeneration speed: fatal wound repair cycle is approximately 4 to 8 seconds.]

[Current Status: Stored in the independent gene bank, awaiting deep analysis.]

Yan Zheng looked at this item, the curve of his mouth appearing very clear under the cold white light of the platform.

"Nine standard materials."

"Six aberrant fillers."

"One legendary grade."

"How many years of family fortune have the E.S.S. gentlemen saved up underground, wiped out in one go tonight."

The train lights spread from the tunnel entrance, and the sound of wheels grinding over the tracks came from far to near.

The door opened, and there were old newspapers and cola cans on the seats in the empty carriage.

Yan Zheng walked in and sat down, the doors closed, and the carriage swayed slightly.

The tunnel walls outside the window retreated rapidly, and the light strips stretched into intermittent lines on the glass.

"Operation Termite was a success, but this matter itself is an arrest warrant."

"The E.S.S. outpost was destroyed, and that supervisor ran away."

"He took the files, he knows what was taken."

"Weapon X remnants still have living transfer facilities in Paterson, and there may be a larger web behind it."

He lowered his head and glanced at the scratch on his left shoulder; the jacket fabric was cut by a fragment, leaving a three-centimeter-long opening, and there was a light red abrasion on the skin underneath, with sweat and dust sticking to the wound, which hurt when pulled.

"And that blue light rifle."

"How much of the energy weapon technology line that can dissolve Brute's stone armor has E.S.S. mastered?"

"If it's not a rifle next time, but a vehicle-mounted version."

"Mr. Brute's armor cannot withstand a second round."

His fingers rubbed back and forth on the zipper of the canvas bag, and the metal teeth made a very soft humming sound in the quiet carriage.

"So there is only one priority next."

"Before the Weapon X remnants track us down, turn this pile of materials into something that can stand up and fight."

"The first thing to dismantle after going back is that legendary-grade one."

He raised his hand to straighten his crooked gold-rimmed glasses; there was still thin dust brought back from the Red Hook District on the lenses, and he wiped it with his fingertip, but it didn't come clean; instead, it smeared an arc-shaped mark on the lens surface.

"Mr. System."

"Wait until I get home, let's have a good talk about this bone."