Chapter 17
“I’d better go back to the three-meter-wide bed in my 100 million mansion and prepare for the civil service exam with tears in my eyes.”
“—named Rong Qi?” Nielsen squinted and asked.
Basel, Switzerland, International Supervision General Administration.
Nielsen looked out of the floor-to-ceiling window at the distant snow-capped mountains and heard Shen Zhuo’s calm and steady voice on the phone, “Yes, I’ve had people investigate. There is no household registration, no background, and no trace of any identity materials. Three years ago, he was burned to death on a bed in an abandoned health center. The body was completely carbonized, and only some cells remained, and it is speculated that a complete body was regenerated from the remaining cells.”
Nielsen furrowed his cold gray eyebrows and muttered quietly after a while, “Genetic resurrection-type evolutionist…”
The International Supervision General Administration has detailed classifications for each evolutionary direction. The strongest was undoubtedly the destructive attack type, to which both Nielsen and Yue Yang belong. However, the most challenging to deal with was the genetic resurrection type because they were nearly impossible to kill, and they often mutated into extremely bizarre, unimaginable abilities that exceeded conventional cognitive understanding.
“According to speculation, yes,” Shen Zhuo said. “If he is indeed a genetic resurrection-type evolutionist, then his abilities, ambitions, and destructive power are unpredictable. I can’t even determine his level right now because he’s still in a wheelchair, clearly indicating that the evolution is not complete.”
Nielsen played with the pen cap on the table, falling into silence.
“We captured his underling, a broker named Liu Sanji. According to his confession, this Rong Qi appeared not long ago. He likely has a stash of meteorites and possesses a special ability similar to ‘bestow,’ allowing D-class evolutionists to advance to A-class for a second time. Consequently, he quickly attracted a large number of followers.”
After a pause, Shen Zhuo continued, “My suggestion is that we must eliminate him as soon as possible. We absolutely cannot give him time to complete the final evolution. Genetic resurrection-type evolutionists are too unique, and I’m afraid if he mutates into some super S-class ability, it will be uncontrollable.”
Nielsen stopped playing with the pen cap, speaking after a moment, “You’re right.”
He stood up from behind the desk, picked up the silver-gray suit jacket from the hanger, and walked briskly toward the door. “This person must be eliminated without any further delays. I will personally go to Shenhai soon.”
“…,” Shen Zhuo seemed a bit surprised. “No need; Mr. Bai is currently residing in Shenhai. He should…”
“Shen Zhuo.”
“Yes.”
Nielsen said lightly, “We actually don’t understand Mr. Bai’s combat power.”
Every S-class evolutionist has their own unique ultimate ability, known as Fatal Strike in the International Supervision General Administration—the strongest and unique power that distinguishes the S-class from the A-class.
This kind of nearly invincible skill, like a finishing move, was possessed by every S-class evolutionist, including Nielsen and Fu Chen in the past, and had been documented for another dozen or so S-class evolutionists. But remarkably, Bai Sheng never demonstrated such power.
He seemed to know a bit of everything and possessed a wide range of abilities, even having a superficial understanding of healing powers. However, he appeared to dislike violence, never using any unique killer moves. Many people remembered him as an easygoing and cheerful rich second-generation individual.
“I don’t know why Mr. Bai’s genes have reached S-class, but if he’s not an attack-type, then his chances against a genetic resurrection-type evolutionist are relatively small.”
Nielsen paused, implying, “Shen Zhuo, you’re an ordinary person, and S-class evolutionists can influence you through certain means.”
“…,”
“Don’t let Bai Sheng influence you.”
“I understand.” After a long while, Shen Zhuo said sincerely, his voice intimate and gentle. However, a mocking smile played on his lips as the office’s floor-to-ceiling window reflected it. “You’re right. I’m ready whenever you come over.”
“I will do everything in my power to protect you.” Nielsen emphasized solemnly, “Shen Zhuo, as long as I’m in this position, the International Supervision General Administration will always have a place for you.”
Shen Zhuo replied with a smile, “I understand.”
With a soft click, Shen Zhuo ended the call and gently placed the satellite phone on the desk.
The large conference room was empty. Shen Zhuo looked down at the phone, openly sneering for a moment:
“…Pray that you don’t get kicked out by the UN Security Council; you still have the nerve to talk behind others’ backs.”
Knock, knock. At this moment, the slightly ajar door was urgently knocked a few times: “Supervisor, Supervisor!”
Shen Zhuo glanced.
The inspector outside hurriedly came from downstairs, slightly out of breath: “Captain Chen said Liu Sanji’s condition is very bad; he might not make it through tonight. He wants you to come and take a look!”
Although expected, it came sooner than he thought.
Shen Zhuo stood up and walked out of the conference room, heading toward the elevator at the end of the corridor.
……
A sound as soft as water rippled, and a gentle white light disappeared into Bai Sheng’s fingertips. The last trace of a scar vanished, and his scarred fingertips were completely restored to their original state.
The damage caused by abilities was different from ordinary injuries and was usually challenging to heal. However, Witch Italdo, being an extraterrestrial being, had a healing ability much stronger than the average evolutionist. Bai Sheng leaned back on the sofa, repeatedly examining his hands, and sighed after a while:
“Inspector Shen… He has me in his heart!”
Witch Italdo: “…”
Chen Miao: “…”
That elusive Toshisuke Noda was indeed challenging to guard against. Concerned since leaving the health center, Chen Miao immediately had someone fetch an anti-ability shielding device from the storage room for Shen Zhuo to wear on his wrist. After activating the shield, no spatial tunnel could be opened within a radius of twenty meters.
In addition to this, for the safety of the entire supervision office building, concerned Chen Miao, with a heavy heart, also brought two cans of peach slices to find Bai Sheng. He intended to invite Mr. Bai to help guard the supervision office; however, Mr. Bai declined gracefully, saying:
“You see, I’m just a volunteer doing voluntary work—no position, no salary, not even a place to reimburse the thirty-eight yuan and six mao taxi fare for overtime at night. I really can’t bear such a heavy responsibility. I’d better go back to the three-meter-wide bed in my 100 million yuan mansion and prepare for the civil service exam with tears in my eyes.”
Chen Miao: “…”
Chen Miao felt miserable in his heart. Just as he was about to lead a group of subordinates (note: all with positions) to cling to Mr. Bai’s thighs and entreat him, a supervisor came running from a distance with an imperial decree. When the decree was opened, it deafened everyone’s titanium alloy dog ears:
By the grace of heaven, Supervisor Shen decreed that Mr. Bai had injured his hand. He advised Mr. Bai not to go home first but to go to the supervision office to let Witch Italdo help heal his hand, and that he really appreciated his help.
In the next second, everyone saw Bai Sheng beaming with joy. He forgot about his salary, didn’t mention the taxi fare and the hundred-million-yuan mansion was like smoke. Holding those two cans of peach slices, he happily boarded the car to the supervision office.
Everyone was in awe, unanimously agreeing that Supervisor Shen was wise, and if he used these methods to become the king of the sea, even the Three Gorges Dam couldn’t contain the fish he raised.
“I have a question,” Witch Italdo finally couldn’t help but ask.
Bai Sheng sincerely replied, “Yes, we men are shallow and easily satisfied.”
The pure-hearted youth Chen Miao quietly protested, “I’m not like that, I swear!”
Shui Ronghua’s office was located on the basement floor; turning left led to the special care ward, and turning right led to the morgue—a very reasonable layout. If someone was treated to death on the left, they could conveniently be pushed to the right, saving time and effort.
Through the one-way glass, one could see Liu Sanji in the adjacent ward, unconscious and almost deformed, presumably tortured by Shen Zhuo in the warehouse. The vital signs monitor emitted a rhythmic beeping sound.
“Your taste is quite unique,” Witch Italdo remarked, picking up a melon seed and putting it in her mouth. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with a cunning idea: “Handsome, how about we work together?”
Bai Sheng: “?”
“I’ll have Shui Ronghua prepare a medicine for that surnamed Shen, and you can take him home and lock him in bed. From then on, we can rule and dominate Shenhai, do whatever we want, and eat as many people as we like. What do you think?”
Chen Miao: “?!”
“I’m very tempted, beautiful lady.” Bai Sheng smiled, lounging lazily on the sofa with his legs crossed. “But we, the outstanding tyrants who graduated from the Male Virtue Class, no longer favor that forced imprisonment routine. Firstly, it’s easy to turn into a tragic drama about Tyrat turning into a legal coffee addict. Secondly, we still have aspirations for genuine love. Generally, we focus on cultivating relationships, and if that doesn’t work, we use force after courtesy.”
The witch immediately asked, “When do you plan to use force?”
Bai Sheng earnestly assured, “I currently enjoy the feeling of being a dumb fish fed every day. When I feel like using force, I’ll definitely let you know.”
The witch sighed and gave up, saying disappointedly, “I advise you to strike early; don’t mess it up like Fu Chen did. It’s a pity. I was really hopeful for him.”
Bai Sheng immediately perked up: “So, Senior Fu and Inspector Shen back then…”
“Cough, cough!”
Chen Miao promptly puffed up his chest and solemnly clarified, “Fu-ge was not that despicable. Fu-ge, like the senior, only has a noble pursuit of scientific exploration!”
The room fell into a quiet spell, with both people wearing indescribable expressions.
After a while, Bai Sheng clapped his hands in appreciation.
“?” Chen Miao felt insulted, “Really, at that time, I was still in graduate school, writing papers day and night, suffering next to Senior. How could I not know? Senior never even went out for a meal with Fu-ge!”
Bai Sheng patted him encouragingly, “Yes, we believe you. Senior Fu only had a lofty pursuit of human science.”
Chen Miao: “…”
Chen Miao’s ability to thrive and grow by Shen Zhuo’s side for so many years indicated that he was naturally immune to all sorts of oddities. Blinking his innocent eyes at Bai Sheng, he nodded dazedly and said, “Hm.”
At this moment, the warning indicator in the special care ward beeped, signaling that Liu Sanji’s IV bag was empty.
“I’ll go change his IV bag.” Chen Miao stood up from the office sofa, reminding anxiously, “Bai-ge, once your hand heals, quickly bring Senior Shui back. The hospital bed we brought back from the clinic is still in the adjacent biochemistry room, waiting to extract Rong Qi’s DNA.”
Bai Sheng responded with a confident expression.
Chen Miao felt relieved and left. However, the moment he closed the door, Bai Sheng immediately stood up, sat next to the witch, and got straight to the point:
“How did the one surnamed Fu die?”
“…” The witch said, “Handsome, I like your quick-changing acting skills, the skilled tyrant who can switch faces like turning pages of a book.”
“Flattery, flattery. If it weren’t for finding the daily pay of 2.08 million too little, I would have joined the entertainment industry long ago and brought an Oscar back to our country.” Bai Sheng, feeling completely at home, lounged on the sofa. He reached for the cigarette box on the table, pulled one out, and handed it to the witch. “Beauty, it’s just us here. Help me dig up some information on my rivals, and I’ll buy you Chanel. Deal?”
The witch didn’t know what Chanel was, but she did love talking behind Shen Zhuo’s back. She peeked out of the window, then withdrew and took the cigarette, gesturing with her finger, implying, you know what I mean.
Bai Sheng immediately understood, lit the lighter with a snap, and graciously lit the witch’s cigarette.
“Fu Chen, the first S-class in Asia, died as a love saint.” The witch, flipping her hair behind her ear, exhaled a puff of smoke from her crimson lips, “Do you know what his strongest ability was?”
Bai Sheng showed an expression of eager listening.
“Cross coordinate.” The witch gestured with her palm, saying, “When this ability is activated normally, an upright cross appears on Fu Chen’s hand, representing infinite health and absolute defense. Any attack coming at him will be automatically reflected and evenly distributed to everyone present, meaning that when an explosion occurs, as long as the upright cross is activated, Fu Chen won’t die.”
Bai Sheng asked, “Then why didn’t he do that?”
“Because what he activated was the inverted cross.”
The witch’s tone was somewhat disdainful and complicated: “The effect of the inverted cross was completely opposite. It pulls all the damage values from everyone on the scene, regardless of friend or foe, back to the caster. In other words, Fu Chen was willing to bear all the explosive impact alone to keep others safe… In other words, he sacrificed himself for Shen Zhuo’s survival, willingly choosing death.”
The office fell silent for a moment.
Bai Sheng’s expression underwent a subtle change.
“So, what about Su Jiqiao?” Bai Sheng asked after a while. “Why was Su Jiqiao severely injured in the explosion?”
“The evolution source explosion was too intense. One inverted cross couldn’t catch it, and there was an overflow of excessive impact. Right before Fu Chen died, his last action was to put a vacuum shield on Shen Zhuo. But Su Jiqiao had nothing. You understand.”
The witch shrugged, wearing a somewhat malicious expression: “The most ironic thing is that even after Fu Chen went to such lengths to protect Shen Zhuo, that surnamed Shen, after waking up, shifted all the responsibility onto him. He claimed that Fu Chen’s mishandling triggered the explosion, completely absolving himself of any blame. He nearly drove Fu Chen’s brothers crazy with anger… I heard that those people once kidnapped Shen Zhuo and prepared to kill him. Do you know why Shen Zhuo wears gloves? It’s because of that time when Yue Yang, in front of all the brothers, used a knife to carve a humiliating mark on Shen Zhuo’s hand. Everyone in the world knows that Yue Yang particularly hates him!”
“…”
Bai Sheng’s expression was subtly complex, not confirming or denying the last statement.
“So, strike when it’s time to strike.” The witch encouraged, patting Bai Sheng and summarizing, “That surnamed Shen isn’t worth your courtesy. Beware of him turning you into the second Fu Chen. Just use force when it’s necessary.”
Bai Sheng leaned back on the sofa, looking thoughtful. His slender fingers caressed his jaw, and after a while, he asked, “So, how did the Evolution Source explode? Haven’t you used time-space regression to investigate?”
The witch, bored, blew a smoke ring and said, “Handsome, regression is random and one-time. It requires a very high degree of overlap in the scene where the incident occurred. For places like the Qinghai test site, where the whole place was blown to bits…”
Beep-beep-beep!
At this moment, the life detection alarm suddenly sounded urgently, coming from the adjacent special care ward.
“Where’s Senior Shui? Has Senior Shui returned?” Chen Miao pushed the door and entered. Seeing the witch still on the sofa, he exclaimed, “Something’s wrong with Liu Sanji. Quickly, let Senior Shui come and check!”
The witch extinguished her cigarette, stood up discontentedly, and said, “What’s wrong? Just let me eat him. That surnamed Shen has already finished interrogating. I’m still hungry…”
As soon as she entered the ward, her voice choked.
Compared to a few hours ago, Liu Sanji had almost transformed into a different person.
He lay on the hospital bed, emitting rapid and hoarse moans. His skin was rapidly deteriorating, with large areas breaking down, and his limbs became soft and slender. His hands and feet hung limp like four bright red water pipes.
“Sa… save me…”
With each word squeezed out, blood foam kept oozing from his mouth, mixed with fallen teeth.
“…” Bai Sheng fell silent for a moment, then turned to the witch and asked in a low voice, “Forget it; should I take you to have lobster salad at Michelin?”
“I changed the IV bag and received a call. When I turned back, he had already changed like this.” Chen Miao dared not approach the hospital bed. “What’s going on?”
The witch’s appearance quickly faded away, flesh and blood grew over the exposed bones, blood spots disappeared from the skin, and red curls turned black. In just a few seconds, she reverted to the form of Doctor Shui, wearing a white coat and flat shoes with a smart and charming face.
“Side effects of secondary evolution.” Dr. Shui wrapped her long curls behind her head, skillfully securing them with a pen, and instructed Chen Miao, “This person is beyond saving. Go and inform Supervisor Shen.”
“Yes!”
Chen Miao immediately opened the walkie-talkie and hurried out, shouting, “Emergency in the special care ward on the underground floor. Request the supervisor to come immediately! Hurry!”
Dr. Shui quickly approached the hospital bed, swiftly checking various signs. Bai Sheng followed her, looking Liu Sanji up and down in his extremely miserable state, questioning, “—Secondary evolution’s side effects?”
“Secondary evolution shouldn’t exist in the first place.” Dr. Shui, examining Liu Sanji while injecting a painkiller, explained, “This person’s genetic limit is D, but it was forcibly elevated to A. The consequence of doing so is that the entire genetic structure becomes unsustainable, and the DNA double helix breaks. It’s like stretching a rubber band to its limit until it snaps with a ‘pop,’ the same principle.”
“…”
“Chromosomes in the body deactivate successively, cells can’t regenerate, then the skin festers, the liver dissolves, organs melt… it’s equivalent to skipping the step of death and directly turning into a living corpse, just like what you see now.”
Liu Sanji twitched violently, and a large piece of skin was torn off when the needle was pulled out.
Bai Sheng’s pupils slightly contracted. In an instant, scenes from the county hospital in Quanshan County flashed before his eyes: Shen Zhuo stepping heavily onto the windowsill, his figure lean as a bow, his features dark and cold, and a blood-red A on the back of his hand.
“…Why,” he murmured, “Why did Shen Zhuo evolve forcefully to A, and nothing happened to him?”
Dr. Shui was busy with her hands and didn’t speak.
“Did Shen Zhuo really gain his ability by injecting drugs?” Bai Sheng’s sharp gaze suddenly turned to the female doctor. “What were you people doing in the research institute back then? What exactly is that drug?”
After a while, Dr. Shui finally looked up at Bai Sheng calmly and said with a steady tone, “Meteorite Active Extract.”
“Supervisor Shen has already told you. He injected Meteorite Active Extract.”
Bai Sheng stared at her, narrowing his eyes dangerously. He was about to speak when he suddenly paused, sensing a cold, powerful, and unfamiliar aura from the next room.
It was an ability.
The perception of an S-class evolutionist was extremely keen. Bai Sheng instantly looked toward the door. Dr. Shui was puzzled, but the next moment, she saw him rush out of the ward, sternly saying, “Stay here and don’t move!”
“?”
The female doctor hesitated for only two seconds, took a silver pistol from the drawer, loaded it skillfully, and quickly followed out of the ward. In the next moment, her whole body stiffened.
Bai Sheng, with his back to her, stood in the middle of the corridor on the underground floor. His back muscles were completely tense, facing a figure that appeared out of thin air not far away.
—It was a young man sitting in a wheelchair.
He was probably in his early twenties, and there was no sign of any disability on him. He wore simple but neatly refined clothes and unexpectedly had handsome features. His eyes were as soft and profound as obsidian.
Compared to three years ago on a hospital bed, the changes were too significant, but Bai Sheng recognized him at a glance.
“…Rong Qi,” he murmured.
“I heard Supervisor Shen send a message, asking why I didn’t come in person.”
Rong Qi interlocked his long fingers and leaned back on the wheelchair in a surprisingly calm and relaxed posture.
“So here I am.”
……
With a muffled sound, the descending elevator abruptly stopped, stuck between the 10th and 11th floors.
Shen Zhuo was about to press the elevator call button when suddenly his hand was pressed down by someone. It was the inspector who had just informed him to come downstairs, and he smiled slyly, “Supervisor Shen.”
In an instant, Shen Zhuo had a bad feeling.
He quickly pressed the alarm button, and a sharp alarm rang through the building. However, it was too late. The face of the “inspector” automatically split in half, revealing a completely unfamiliar true face. It turned out to be a disguise-type evolutionist. He tore off the ability suppression device from Shen Zhuo’s wrist and crumpled it into a piece of scrap iron with his bare hands!
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Shen Zhuo didn’t hesitate, pulled out his gun, loaded it, and squeezed the trigger before the opponent could pounce on him. Bang! Bang! Bang! Three consecutive shots turned the head of the disguised evolutionist into a bloody mess, and the corpse fell to the ground with a thud.
At the same time, the surroundings lost their suppression, and a black hole silently appeared behind the elevator. In a fraction of a second, Shen Zhuo was about to turn around and shoot when his throat suddenly felt cold and a sharp blade pressed against his neck.
“We met again, Inspector.”
The metal door of the elevator reflected the scene behind Shen Zhuo. A person emerged from the black hole, and it was Toshisuke Noda!
“…What do you want?” Shen Zhuo’s neck was forced to tilt backward, “What are you here for?”
Toshisuke Noda smiled.
The red light inside the elevator flashed urgently, revealing a two-inch-long, sharp scar on his profile, the one Shen Zhuo had whipped himself. Toshisuke Noda seemed to want to retaliate by slashing the same scar on Shen Zhuo’s porcelain-like cheek, but after a couple of empty slashes, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he harshly wiped Shen Zhuo’s neck with his thumb, scraping off a layer of flesh, from which hot blood gushed out immediately.
Shen Zhuo clenched his teeth, and the fresh blood meandered down, soaking through his clothes to the collarbone.
“I’m here to kill that S-class named Bai.” Toshisuke Noda whispered next to his ear, his malicious smile barely concealed. “I’ll take you to see it with your own eyes today.”
Chapter 17
“I’d better go back to the three-meter-wide bed in my 100 million mansion and prepare for the civil service exam with tears in my eyes.”
“—named Rong Qi?” Nielsen squinted and asked.
Basel, Switzerland, International Supervision General Administration.
Nielsen looked out of the floor-to-ceiling window at the distant snow-capped mountains and heard Shen Zhuo’s calm and steady voice on the phone, “Yes, I’ve had people investigate. There is no household registration, no background, and no trace of any identity materials. Three years ago, he was burned to death on a bed in an abandoned health center. The body was completely carbonized, and only some cells remained, and it is speculated that a complete body was regenerated from the remaining cells.”
Nielsen furrowed his cold gray eyebrows and muttered quietly after a while, “Genetic resurrection-type evolutionist…”
The International Supervision General Administration has detailed classifications for each evolutionary direction. The strongest was undoubtedly the destructive attack type, to which both Nielsen and Yue Yang belong. However, the most challenging to deal with was the genetic resurrection type because they were nearly impossible to kill, and they often mutated into extremely bizarre, unimaginable abilities that exceeded conventional cognitive understanding.
“According to speculation, yes,” Shen Zhuo said. “If he is indeed a genetic resurrection-type evolutionist, then his abilities, ambitions, and destructive power are unpredictable. I can’t even determine his level right now because he’s still in a wheelchair, clearly indicating that the evolution is not complete.”
Nielsen played with the pen cap on the table, falling into silence.
“We captured his underling, a broker named Liu Sanji. According to his confession, this Rong Qi appeared not long ago. He likely has a stash of meteorites and possesses a special ability similar to ‘bestow,’ allowing D-class evolutionists to advance to A-class for a second time. Consequently, he quickly attracted a large number of followers.”
After a pause, Shen Zhuo continued, “My suggestion is that we must eliminate him as soon as possible. We absolutely cannot give him time to complete the final evolution. Genetic resurrection-type evolutionists are too unique, and I’m afraid if he mutates into some super S-class ability, it will be uncontrollable.”
Nielsen stopped playing with the pen cap, speaking after a moment, “You’re right.”
He stood up from behind the desk, picked up the silver-gray suit jacket from the hanger, and walked briskly toward the door. “This person must be eliminated without any further delays. I will personally go to Shenhai soon.”
“…,” Shen Zhuo seemed a bit surprised. “No need; Mr. Bai is currently residing in Shenhai. He should…”
“Shen Zhuo.”
“Yes.”
Nielsen said lightly, “We actually don’t understand Mr. Bai’s combat power.”
Every S-class evolutionist has their own unique ultimate ability, known as Fatal Strike in the International Supervision General Administration—the strongest and unique power that distinguishes the S-class from the A-class.
This kind of nearly invincible skill, like a finishing move, was possessed by every S-class evolutionist, including Nielsen and Fu Chen in the past, and had been documented for another dozen or so S-class evolutionists. But remarkably, Bai Sheng never demonstrated such power.
He seemed to know a bit of everything and possessed a wide range of abilities, even having a superficial understanding of healing powers. However, he appeared to dislike violence, never using any unique killer moves. Many people remembered him as an easygoing and cheerful rich second-generation individual.
“I don’t know why Mr. Bai’s genes have reached S-class, but if he’s not an attack-type, then his chances against a genetic resurrection-type evolutionist are relatively small.”
Nielsen paused, implying, “Shen Zhuo, you’re an ordinary person, and S-class evolutionists can influence you through certain means.”
“…,”
“Don’t let Bai Sheng influence you.”
“I understand.” After a long while, Shen Zhuo said sincerely, his voice intimate and gentle. However, a mocking smile played on his lips as the office’s floor-to-ceiling window reflected it. “You’re right. I’m ready whenever you come over.”
“I will do everything in my power to protect you.” Nielsen emphasized solemnly, “Shen Zhuo, as long as I’m in this position, the International Supervision General Administration will always have a place for you.”
Shen Zhuo replied with a smile, “I understand.”
With a soft click, Shen Zhuo ended the call and gently placed the satellite phone on the desk.
The large conference room was empty. Shen Zhuo looked down at the phone, openly sneering for a moment:
“…Pray that you don’t get kicked out by the UN Security Council; you still have the nerve to talk behind others’ backs.”
Knock, knock. At this moment, the slightly ajar door was urgently knocked a few times: “Supervisor, Supervisor!”
Shen Zhuo glanced.
The inspector outside hurriedly came from downstairs, slightly out of breath: “Captain Chen said Liu Sanji’s condition is very bad; he might not make it through tonight. He wants you to come and take a look!”
Although expected, it came sooner than he thought.
Shen Zhuo stood up and walked out of the conference room, heading toward the elevator at the end of the corridor.
……
A sound as soft as water rippled, and a gentle white light disappeared into Bai Sheng’s fingertips. The last trace of a scar vanished, and his scarred fingertips were completely restored to their original state.
The damage caused by abilities was different from ordinary injuries and was usually challenging to heal. However, Witch Italdo, being an extraterrestrial being, had a healing ability much stronger than the average evolutionist. Bai Sheng leaned back on the sofa, repeatedly examining his hands, and sighed after a while:
“Inspector Shen… He has me in his heart!”
Witch Italdo: “…”
Chen Miao: “…”
That elusive Toshisuke Noda was indeed challenging to guard against. Concerned since leaving the health center, Chen Miao immediately had someone fetch an anti-ability shielding device from the storage room for Shen Zhuo to wear on his wrist. After activating the shield, no spatial tunnel could be opened within a radius of twenty meters.
In addition to this, for the safety of the entire supervision office building, concerned Chen Miao, with a heavy heart, also brought two cans of peach slices to find Bai Sheng. He intended to invite Mr. Bai to help guard the supervision office; however, Mr. Bai declined gracefully, saying:
“You see, I’m just a volunteer doing voluntary work—no position, no salary, not even a place to reimburse the thirty-eight yuan and six mao taxi fare for overtime at night. I really can’t bear such a heavy responsibility. I’d better go back to the three-meter-wide bed in my 100 million yuan mansion and prepare for the civil service exam with tears in my eyes.”
Chen Miao: “…”
Chen Miao felt miserable in his heart. Just as he was about to lead a group of subordinates (note: all with positions) to cling to Mr. Bai’s thighs and entreat him, a supervisor came running from a distance with an imperial decree. When the decree was opened, it deafened everyone’s titanium alloy dog ears:
By the grace of heaven, Supervisor Shen decreed that Mr. Bai had injured his hand. He advised Mr. Bai not to go home first but to go to the supervision office to let Witch Italdo help heal his hand, and that he really appreciated his help.
In the next second, everyone saw Bai Sheng beaming with joy. He forgot about his salary, didn’t mention the taxi fare and the hundred-million-yuan mansion was like smoke. Holding those two cans of peach slices, he happily boarded the car to the supervision office.
Everyone was in awe, unanimously agreeing that Supervisor Shen was wise, and if he used these methods to become the king of the sea, even the Three Gorges Dam couldn’t contain the fish he raised.
“I have a question,” Witch Italdo finally couldn’t help but ask.
Bai Sheng sincerely replied, “Yes, we men are shallow and easily satisfied.”
The pure-hearted youth Chen Miao quietly protested, “I’m not like that, I swear!”
Shui Ronghua’s office was located on the basement floor; turning left led to the special care ward, and turning right led to the morgue—a very reasonable layout. If someone was treated to death on the left, they could conveniently be pushed to the right, saving time and effort.
Through the one-way glass, one could see Liu Sanji in the adjacent ward, unconscious and almost deformed, presumably tortured by Shen Zhuo in the warehouse. The vital signs monitor emitted a rhythmic beeping sound.
“Your taste is quite unique,” Witch Italdo remarked, picking up a melon seed and putting it in her mouth. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with a cunning idea: “Handsome, how about we work together?”
Bai Sheng: “?”
“I’ll have Shui Ronghua prepare a medicine for that surnamed Shen, and you can take him home and lock him in bed. From then on, we can rule and dominate Shenhai, do whatever we want, and eat as many people as we like. What do you think?”
Chen Miao: “?!”
“I’m very tempted, beautiful lady.” Bai Sheng smiled, lounging lazily on the sofa with his legs crossed. “But we, the outstanding tyrants who graduated from the Male Virtue Class, no longer favor that forced imprisonment routine. Firstly, it’s easy to turn into a tragic drama about Tyrat turning into a legal coffee addict. Secondly, we still have aspirations for genuine love. Generally, we focus on cultivating relationships, and if that doesn’t work, we use force after courtesy.”
The witch immediately asked, “When do you plan to use force?”
Bai Sheng earnestly assured, “I currently enjoy the feeling of being a dumb fish fed every day. When I feel like using force, I’ll definitely let you know.”
The witch sighed and gave up, saying disappointedly, “I advise you to strike early; don’t mess it up like Fu Chen did. It’s a pity. I was really hopeful for him.”
Bai Sheng immediately perked up: “So, Senior Fu and Inspector Shen back then…”
“Cough, cough!”
Chen Miao promptly puffed up his chest and solemnly clarified, “Fu-ge was not that despicable. Fu-ge, like the senior, only has a noble pursuit of scientific exploration!”
The room fell into a quiet spell, with both people wearing indescribable expressions.
After a while, Bai Sheng clapped his hands in appreciation.
“?” Chen Miao felt insulted, “Really, at that time, I was still in graduate school, writing papers day and night, suffering next to Senior. How could I not know? Senior never even went out for a meal with Fu-ge!”
Bai Sheng patted him encouragingly, “Yes, we believe you. Senior Fu only had a lofty pursuit of human science.”
Chen Miao: “…”
Chen Miao’s ability to thrive and grow by Shen Zhuo’s side for so many years indicated that he was naturally immune to all sorts of oddities. Blinking his innocent eyes at Bai Sheng, he nodded dazedly and said, “Hm.”
At this moment, the warning indicator in the special care ward beeped, signaling that Liu Sanji’s IV bag was empty.
“I’ll go change his IV bag.” Chen Miao stood up from the office sofa, reminding anxiously, “Bai-ge, once your hand heals, quickly bring Senior Shui back. The hospital bed we brought back from the clinic is still in the adjacent biochemistry room, waiting to extract Rong Qi’s DNA.”
Bai Sheng responded with a confident expression.
Chen Miao felt relieved and left. However, the moment he closed the door, Bai Sheng immediately stood up, sat next to the witch, and got straight to the point:
“How did the one surnamed Fu die?”
“…” The witch said, “Handsome, I like your quick-changing acting skills, the skilled tyrant who can switch faces like turning pages of a book.”
“Flattery, flattery. If it weren’t for finding the daily pay of 2.08 million too little, I would have joined the entertainment industry long ago and brought an Oscar back to our country.” Bai Sheng, feeling completely at home, lounged on the sofa. He reached for the cigarette box on the table, pulled one out, and handed it to the witch. “Beauty, it’s just us here. Help me dig up some information on my rivals, and I’ll buy you Chanel. Deal?”
The witch didn’t know what Chanel was, but she did love talking behind Shen Zhuo’s back. She peeked out of the window, then withdrew and took the cigarette, gesturing with her finger, implying, you know what I mean.
Bai Sheng immediately understood, lit the lighter with a snap, and graciously lit the witch’s cigarette.
“Fu Chen, the first S-class in Asia, died as a love saint.” The witch, flipping her hair behind her ear, exhaled a puff of smoke from her crimson lips, “Do you know what his strongest ability was?”
Bai Sheng showed an expression of eager listening.
“Cross coordinate.” The witch gestured with her palm, saying, “When this ability is activated normally, an upright cross appears on Fu Chen’s hand, representing infinite health and absolute defense. Any attack coming at him will be automatically reflected and evenly distributed to everyone present, meaning that when an explosion occurs, as long as the upright cross is activated, Fu Chen won’t die.”
Bai Sheng asked, “Then why didn’t he do that?”
“Because what he activated was the inverted cross.”
The witch’s tone was somewhat disdainful and complicated: “The effect of the inverted cross was completely opposite. It pulls all the damage values from everyone on the scene, regardless of friend or foe, back to the caster. In other words, Fu Chen was willing to bear all the explosive impact alone to keep others safe… In other words, he sacrificed himself for Shen Zhuo’s survival, willingly choosing death.”
The office fell silent for a moment.
Bai Sheng’s expression underwent a subtle change.
“So, what about Su Jiqiao?” Bai Sheng asked after a while. “Why was Su Jiqiao severely injured in the explosion?”
“The evolution source explosion was too intense. One inverted cross couldn’t catch it, and there was an overflow of excessive impact. Right before Fu Chen died, his last action was to put a vacuum shield on Shen Zhuo. But Su Jiqiao had nothing. You understand.”
The witch shrugged, wearing a somewhat malicious expression: “The most ironic thing is that even after Fu Chen went to such lengths to protect Shen Zhuo, that surnamed Shen, after waking up, shifted all the responsibility onto him. He claimed that Fu Chen’s mishandling triggered the explosion, completely absolving himself of any blame. He nearly drove Fu Chen’s brothers crazy with anger… I heard that those people once kidnapped Shen Zhuo and prepared to kill him. Do you know why Shen Zhuo wears gloves? It’s because of that time when Yue Yang, in front of all the brothers, used a knife to carve a humiliating mark on Shen Zhuo’s hand. Everyone in the world knows that Yue Yang particularly hates him!”
“…”
Bai Sheng’s expression was subtly complex, not confirming or denying the last statement.
“So, strike when it’s time to strike.” The witch encouraged, patting Bai Sheng and summarizing, “That surnamed Shen isn’t worth your courtesy. Beware of him turning you into the second Fu Chen. Just use force when it’s necessary.”
Bai Sheng leaned back on the sofa, looking thoughtful. His slender fingers caressed his jaw, and after a while, he asked, “So, how did the Evolution Source explode? Haven’t you used time-space regression to investigate?”
The witch, bored, blew a smoke ring and said, “Handsome, regression is random and one-time. It requires a very high degree of overlap in the scene where the incident occurred. For places like the Qinghai test site, where the whole place was blown to bits…”
Beep-beep-beep!
At this moment, the life detection alarm suddenly sounded urgently, coming from the adjacent special care ward.
“Where’s Senior Shui? Has Senior Shui returned?” Chen Miao pushed the door and entered. Seeing the witch still on the sofa, he exclaimed, “Something’s wrong with Liu Sanji. Quickly, let Senior Shui come and check!”
The witch extinguished her cigarette, stood up discontentedly, and said, “What’s wrong? Just let me eat him. That surnamed Shen has already finished interrogating. I’m still hungry…”
As soon as she entered the ward, her voice choked.
Compared to a few hours ago, Liu Sanji had almost transformed into a different person.
He lay on the hospital bed, emitting rapid and hoarse moans. His skin was rapidly deteriorating, with large areas breaking down, and his limbs became soft and slender. His hands and feet hung limp like four bright red water pipes.
“Sa… save me…”
With each word squeezed out, blood foam kept oozing from his mouth, mixed with fallen teeth.
“…” Bai Sheng fell silent for a moment, then turned to the witch and asked in a low voice, “Forget it; should I take you to have lobster salad at Michelin?”
“I changed the IV bag and received a call. When I turned back, he had already changed like this.” Chen Miao dared not approach the hospital bed. “What’s going on?”
The witch’s appearance quickly faded away, flesh and blood grew over the exposed bones, blood spots disappeared from the skin, and red curls turned black. In just a few seconds, she reverted to the form of Doctor Shui, wearing a white coat and flat shoes with a smart and charming face.
“Side effects of secondary evolution.” Dr. Shui wrapped her long curls behind her head, skillfully securing them with a pen, and instructed Chen Miao, “This person is beyond saving. Go and inform Supervisor Shen.”
“Yes!”
Chen Miao immediately opened the walkie-talkie and hurried out, shouting, “Emergency in the special care ward on the underground floor. Request the supervisor to come immediately! Hurry!”
Dr. Shui quickly approached the hospital bed, swiftly checking various signs. Bai Sheng followed her, looking Liu Sanji up and down in his extremely miserable state, questioning, “—Secondary evolution’s side effects?”
“Secondary evolution shouldn’t exist in the first place.” Dr. Shui, examining Liu Sanji while injecting a painkiller, explained, “This person’s genetic limit is D, but it was forcibly elevated to A. The consequence of doing so is that the entire genetic structure becomes unsustainable, and the DNA double helix breaks. It’s like stretching a rubber band to its limit until it snaps with a ‘pop,’ the same principle.”
“…”
“Chromosomes in the body deactivate successively, cells can’t regenerate, then the skin festers, the liver dissolves, organs melt… it’s equivalent to skipping the step of death and directly turning into a living corpse, just like what you see now.”
Liu Sanji twitched violently, and a large piece of skin was torn off when the needle was pulled out.
Bai Sheng’s pupils slightly contracted. In an instant, scenes from the county hospital in Quanshan County flashed before his eyes: Shen Zhuo stepping heavily onto the windowsill, his figure lean as a bow, his features dark and cold, and a blood-red A on the back of his hand.
“…Why,” he murmured, “Why did Shen Zhuo evolve forcefully to A, and nothing happened to him?”
Dr. Shui was busy with her hands and didn’t speak.
“Did Shen Zhuo really gain his ability by injecting drugs?” Bai Sheng’s sharp gaze suddenly turned to the female doctor. “What were you people doing in the research institute back then? What exactly is that drug?”
After a while, Dr. Shui finally looked up at Bai Sheng calmly and said with a steady tone, “Meteorite Active Extract.”
“Supervisor Shen has already told you. He injected Meteorite Active Extract.”
Bai Sheng stared at her, narrowing his eyes dangerously. He was about to speak when he suddenly paused, sensing a cold, powerful, and unfamiliar aura from the next room.
It was an ability.
The perception of an S-class evolutionist was extremely keen. Bai Sheng instantly looked toward the door. Dr. Shui was puzzled, but the next moment, she saw him rush out of the ward, sternly saying, “Stay here and don’t move!”
“?”
The female doctor hesitated for only two seconds, took a silver pistol from the drawer, loaded it skillfully, and quickly followed out of the ward. In the next moment, her whole body stiffened.
Bai Sheng, with his back to her, stood in the middle of the corridor on the underground floor. His back muscles were completely tense, facing a figure that appeared out of thin air not far away.
—It was a young man sitting in a wheelchair.
He was probably in his early twenties, and there was no sign of any disability on him. He wore simple but neatly refined clothes and unexpectedly had handsome features. His eyes were as soft and profound as obsidian.
Compared to three years ago on a hospital bed, the changes were too significant, but Bai Sheng recognized him at a glance.
“…Rong Qi,” he murmured.
“I heard Supervisor Shen send a message, asking why I didn’t come in person.”
Rong Qi interlocked his long fingers and leaned back on the wheelchair in a surprisingly calm and relaxed posture.
“So here I am.”
……
With a muffled sound, the descending elevator abruptly stopped, stuck between the 10th and 11th floors.
Shen Zhuo was about to press the elevator call button when suddenly his hand was pressed down by someone. It was the inspector who had just informed him to come downstairs, and he smiled slyly, “Supervisor Shen.”
In an instant, Shen Zhuo had a bad feeling.
He quickly pressed the alarm button, and a sharp alarm rang through the building. However, it was too late. The face of the “inspector” automatically split in half, revealing a completely unfamiliar true face. It turned out to be a disguise-type evolutionist. He tore off the ability suppression device from Shen Zhuo’s wrist and crumpled it into a piece of scrap iron with his bare hands!
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Shen Zhuo didn’t hesitate, pulled out his gun, loaded it, and squeezed the trigger before the opponent could pounce on him. Bang! Bang! Bang! Three consecutive shots turned the head of the disguised evolutionist into a bloody mess, and the corpse fell to the ground with a thud.
At the same time, the surroundings lost their suppression, and a black hole silently appeared behind the elevator. In a fraction of a second, Shen Zhuo was about to turn around and shoot when his throat suddenly felt cold and a sharp blade pressed against his neck.
“We met again, Inspector.”
The metal door of the elevator reflected the scene behind Shen Zhuo. A person emerged from the black hole, and it was Toshisuke Noda!
“…What do you want?” Shen Zhuo’s neck was forced to tilt backward, “What are you here for?”
Toshisuke Noda smiled.
The red light inside the elevator flashed urgently, revealing a two-inch-long, sharp scar on his profile, the one Shen Zhuo had whipped himself. Toshisuke Noda seemed to want to retaliate by slashing the same scar on Shen Zhuo’s porcelain-like cheek, but after a couple of empty slashes, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he harshly wiped Shen Zhuo’s neck with his thumb, scraping off a layer of flesh, from which hot blood gushed out immediately.
Shen Zhuo clenched his teeth, and the fresh blood meandered down, soaking through his clothes to the collarbone.
“I’m here to kill that S-class named Bai.” Toshisuke Noda whispered next to his ear, his malicious smile barely concealed. “I’ll take you to see it with your own eyes today.”
