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"How is S1 doing?"
His voice was hoarse and raspy, as if it had been rubbed against a blower and was accompanied by a faint cough. Hearing such a voice, Jing Xia couldn't believe that this man had been speaking normally with him just an hour ago.
Qi Yang's complexion was ghastly with a translucent respiratory mask covering the lower half of his face. He pulled the mask down slightly and let it rest on his cheek. As he spoke, a faint mist formed on the mask and quickly disappeared. He was half-lying on the bed while propped up and gazing at Jing Xia and Ji Chuancheng.
Jing Xia was momentarily stunned, then replied, "S1? You mean this mutant beast?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Yang nodded with difficulty with his voice low. "Yes, it's... cough... an important experimental material."
Understanding his meaning, Jing Xia quickly turned around to look at the situation inside the box. As soon as he lowered his head, his eyes met a pair of bright, trembling eyes.
The front of the beast's pupils was somewhat round but the corners were elongated with a ferocious scar running from the right eyelid down to the lower part, exposing red and white blood vessels and flesh.
Its entire body was curled up in the corner of the box with a black circular scar on its forehead, likely left by an energy cannon. Despite appearing too weak to struggle, its eyes were fixed intently on Jing Xia with a wary and defensive look.
It was like a cornered young beast and ready to use its last strength for a final counterattack.
This thought suddenly popped into Jing Xia's mind, and he was stunned for a moment before turning back to answer, "It's doing okay. Although its injuries are severe, it's not bleeding anymore, and the wounds have healed. But..." After a moment of thought, Jing Xia finally asked, "It seems no one has bandaged its wounds. Are the assistants unwilling to do it?"
After a few minutes of adjustment, Qi Yang could now speak normally, though his voice was still hoarse and low. "Without me, they don't dare to treat it. It's... very resistant."
Thinking of the mutant beast's previous resistance, Jing Xia said, "Hmm. But it's recovering well now, so you don't need to worry."
"What kind of mutant beast is this?" A magnetic, low voice suddenly rang out as Ji Chuancheng reached out and "snapped" the box door shut.
Qi Yang slowly curved his lips into a smile. Due to his extremely pale complexion, his smile lacked its usual sharpness and aggression, instead appearing somewhat fragile. "Based on its external appearance and organ structure, I can't determine its species. After a DNA comparison, it doesn't resemble any known creature."
Hearing this, Jing Xia's brow furrowed slightly.
Perhaps because he hadn't fully recovered from his illness, Qi Yang spoke slowly but clearly, "It has 24 pairs of chromosomes with DNA similar to various marine creatures like dolphins and manta rays. Almost every pair of chromosomes is abnormal, but when combined, its appearance doesn't show characteristics of these creatures."
Jing Xia's tone was grave, "Are you sure... this mutant beast only has a powerful self-healing ability?"
Leaning back on the soft white pillow, Qi Yang couldn't help but chuckle, "Do you doubt my abilities? I'm certain. From the first time I captured it, it was a Class C mutant. To this day, it remains so. Apart from its incomprehensibly strong self-healing ability, its attack power is low. An ordinary evolved human could capture it."
"Have you figured out its self-healing ability?" Ji Chuancheng asked.
Hearing this, Qi Yang's smile slowly stiffened. After a long while, he sighed, "There are many things in this world we can't understand. With my limited abilities, I still can't determine why it has this mutation. Just like I've never figured out why Qin Chu or you have these abilities."
Qi Yang's words were directed straight at Ji Chuancheng.
Jing Xia suddenly realized, "You mean, you understand my ability but not Ah Chuan's or Qin Jie's?"
Qi Yang nodded with a slight smile, "Your water-based ability is the most basic kind. You can clearly sense the presence of water molecules then gather or disperse them, and utilize them. Sometimes you can change the physical state of water molecules to heat or cool. If you use it skillfully or if your ability reaches a certain level, you can directly strip water molecules from a living being and instantly kill the enemy."
Jing Xia's eyes widened, his astonishment clearly visible.
He had never heard such things before, or rather... in his previous life, no one in the human base had ever conducted specific research on abilities and reached such conclusions.
Qi Yang chuckled softly, "But reaching the level I described is extremely difficult and I doubt you'll achieve it in your lifetime. As for Qin Chu, her ability is the one I least understand in the entire S City Base. The reason for her healing, the methods she uses, and where she gets the energy needed for those cells are all things I want to study."
Ji Chuancheng's expression turned slightly cold, "So when she first awakened her ability, you kept having Professor Qi perform ability tests on her."
Having been exposed so bluntly, Qi Yang showed no shame and admitted candidly, "That's right, but unfortunately, I never figured it out. And you, Major Ji. Your dual abilities are also beyond my comprehension. Fire and water are two entirely different entities. How do you manage to unify them and..."
"Mm, I don't want to hear any more," Ji Chuancheng interrupted expressionlessly, then turned to Jing Xia, "We can leave now."
Qi Yang: "..."
Jing Xia: "..."
Ji Chuancheng's long, narrow phoenix eyes lightly swept over the black box, and he lowered his head, "Time flies. We don't have time to waste here. Let's go."
His urgent tone was a stark contrast to the relaxed man from earlier.
Jing Xia couldn't quite understand this 360-degree shift in attitude.
Qi Yang, however, sneered, "Is Major Ji feeling... that my 100w light bulb is too bright?"
Ji Chuancheng glanced down at him coldly, "Yes, exactly." His admission was straightforward.
Qi Yang: "..."
Unable to stay in the room any longer, Jing Xia quickly grabbed Ji Chuancheng's hand and led him out. The latter was initially surprised, but when he looked down and saw the hand tightly gripping his wrist, his eyes softened, and he followed out the door.
"Ah Chuan, you really have a way with words! How could you say that in front of others? If..."
"Others?" His tone slightly lifted and carried a hint of amusement.
"I mean Qi Yang. It's not good for him to hear that. Anyway, don't think about going back to the dorm tonight. The open-air grandstand at the entrance is waiting for you with its luxury seating and all."
"..."
The so-called "other," Qi Yang, watched the two figures gradually fade into the distance and couldn't help but raise his hand to his forehead before muttering to himself, "I'm... an 'other'? Hah, how interesting."
With that, he laughed softly and the sound gently echoed in the room.
He leaned back against the cold metal bed frame.
The icy bed frame with its silvery sheen, transmitted its coldness through his thin shirt and just looking at it felt chilling.
In the vast room, only Qi Yang leaned weakly against the bed with his head lowered and lost in thought. His laughter grew softer and softer until it completely faded into his throat and turned into a long sigh. His thin frame and sickly pale face made the air in the room feel even colder.
It was a feeling of loneliness.
"Bang, bang, bang—"
Suddenly, the sound of impact disrupted Qi Yang's thoughts. He turned his head in surprise towards the table. The faint sound of collision continued, as if something was trying to break free, but at this moment, it seemed more like a silent resonance.
The man's startled gaze lingered on the black box for a long time before he finally looked up at the smooth, white ceiling and murmured to himself, "Since the brain can withstand an energy cannon's impact without fatal consequences, then... where should I start tomorrow's experiment?"
"Tsk, tsk, what a dilemma."
"S1."
The impact sounds abruptly stopped, as if in response to his words or perhaps startled by the danger and killing intent in his voice.
The room fell into a long silence.
Qi Yang chuckled softly before covering his face with his hand.
..............
The vast, boundless ocean, deep and blue, covers 71% of the Earth's surface and holds 97% of the planet's total water. Its area spans 360 million square kilometers, yet humans have explored less than 5% of it.
Beneath the seemingly calm and peaceful surface lies an uncountable number of mutant beasts. Among them are low-level mutants from Class C to E, and countless Class A and B mutants. There are even S-class mutants that humans have yet to detect, and perhaps... even higher.
These potential threats have remained hidden, seemingly waiting for a trigger, or perhaps a catalyst for eruption.
Twelve nautical miles from Zhoushan Archipelago's Haijiao Island, a massive, round head quietly emerged from the sea.
Its head was covered in large, raised bumps, like the red patches of a mange-ridden dog.
Its round, bell-like eyes stared straight at the distant beach, as if its gaze could pierce through the land to the bustling S City Base in the distance.
Its long tail was covered in sharp barbs.
With a forceful slap on the water, it created a 30-meter-high tidal wave. Countless fish and shrimp were tossed and killed or stunned by the surge, while some mutants slowly surfaced alongside it, looking at the giant beast with awe.
A strange, grating sound, like stone grinding against stone, rang out.
Then, disaster-like grating sounds responded in unison.
In moments, the suddenly appearing mutant beasts all sank back into the sea.
Everything that had just occurred seemed like an ordinary gathering, or perhaps... it concealed a terrifying conspiracy.