Chapter 29

"Finally, it's over." 

This time it wasn't an illusion. Batman relied on his almost superhuman willpower to forcefully suppress the mental infection that caused him to see illusions. With great mental pressure, he successfully completed the counter-kill. 

But as the kill was accomplished, the screen in front of Chu Cheng immediately went black, returning to the hero selection interface. 

Batman in the character panel became unselectable, and the only hero available for battle was the Huntress, who had been obtained from the previous ten consecutive draws. 

Chu Cheng moved the cursor to Batman and paused for three seconds. A line of status description appeared below the character. 

"Resting, progress 0%, estimated remaining time 24 hours." 

In other words, although the hero character controlled by Chu Cheng could be revived and recover from negative states, it wasn't like in ordinary games where they could instantly resurrect at full health in the same spot. Resurrection had a cooldown that required time. For example, after Batman was completely depleted, he needed a day to fully recover and go into battle again. 

Chu Cheng's gaze then fell upon the Huntress beside him. 

Before, I thought it was unnecessary to draw a hero character that had a similar role to Batman. But now, it doesn't seem completely redundant. At least during the following twenty-four hours when Batman is overextended, if there's another sudden situation that requires a fight, Chu Cheng can still rely on the Huntress as his only available hero. 

In short, she's a substitute. Just like the water dispenser administrator in a team, they may sit on the bench and manage the water dispenser throughout their contract until retirement, but without that position, things wouldn't work as smoothly. 

Chu Cheng had been in a state of intense concentration throughout the entire ordeal, operating with complete focus. Now that he finally stopped, he realized that he was drenched in sweat, and his clothes were sticking to his body, soaked and sticky. 

There's a saying that practice makes perfect, but Chu Cheng had gone through this several times already, and yet the post-battle fatigue hit him even harder than the previous two times. 

He even felt a bit weak in his limbs, and when he tried to stand up from the chair, he almost stumbled. 

His eyelids felt heavy as if they were filled with lead. At this moment, he didn't care about anyone but himself. He leaned against the wall, groping his way to the bed in a daze, and with a roll, he tumbled into it. 

The vast and soft sensation felt like the essence of life, immediately engulfing his entire being. He closed his eyes for a long time and drifted into a deep sleep. 

While Chu Cheng peacefully fell asleep, the rest of the team was destined to stay awake. 

The Special Operations Ninth Bureau quickly sealed off and controlled the scene. All individuals suspected of being infected were taken for isolation and investigation. 

As the only field agent who was present throughout the entire incident, Agent Luo Yajun underwent a comprehensive examination that seemed like they wanted to dissect him, and finally, he was brought back to headquarters. 

When he entered the conference room, the senior officials and top experts had been waiting for quite some time. 

Before Agent Luo Yajun arrived, the experts had already engaged in a heated academic discussion about the appearance of the monster in the city. 

If an ordinary person were to see this creature with tentacles all over its body, eyes, and spikes, they would either associate it with some insanity-inducing thoughts or wonder if it had anything to do with magical girls. 

But researchers have abstract thinking. After seeing that creature, their focus was on how impressive it was and what principles were involved. They pondered whether they could try to recreate such a damn thing in the laboratory. 

In fact, the emergence of these infection incidents wasn't a recent occurrence. The initial infections were discovered just over two years ago. The Special Operations Ninth Bureau was also a newly established department, and the experts were only in the early stages of understanding the principles behind various infection incidents, with half-baked knowledge and ongoing exploration. 

An event where multiple infected individuals' spirits converge to form a large-scale monster is unprecedented. The Special Operations Ninth Bureau has no experience in handling such incidents, and even the management, who were sound asleep in their own homes and others' homes in the middle of the night, were dumbfounded upon hearing the news. 

In the past, incidents involving infected individuals could be brushed off with explanations like mental illness, alcohol-induced madness, or societal revenge. If the scale was larger, they could still contain the information, and even if one or two individuals with superpowers emerged occasionally, they could be suppressed. 

After all, they wielded the forbidden technique of total internet censorship. They were unrivaled in the online world. 

But this time, the situation was different. A large number of civilians at the scene were affected by that eerie creature, and there were undoubtedly more people who saw it in the city. 

After all, not everyone is a gamer. 

They couldn't just fool the public by saying that this octopus-like monstrosity was a result of dumping too much unwanted stuff into the sea, right? 

Actually, if they really wanted to cover it up, it wouldn't be impossible with the capabilities of the Special Operations Ninth Bureau. Even an incident of this scale might be forgotten if they were determined to make it happen. 

But even if they forget this time, what about the next time? 

The rampaging monster this time might not be an isolated incident. No one can guarantee that it won't happen again. 

The body of the man named Guan Ye has been recovered and is undergoing routine security checks. Once the checks and isolation observation are completed to ensure safety, it will be time for the dissection and research of the infection source. 

They must understand the principles behind the infection source in this case. 

Apart from the abnormal infection source and the monster, the most intriguing aspect of the incident is, of course, the Batman. 

This is also the main question that everyone in the conference room wants to ask Agent Luo Yajun. 

Luo Yajun began by recounting his infiltration of the underground gang's casino. The earlier parts didn't particularly interest anyone, and he quickly summarized the parts without any questions being raised. 

But as soon as he mentioned the Batman, the questions from everyone immediately multiplied. 

Luckily, Agent Luo Yajun had activated the image recording device on his person during the operation. So despite the low image quality and some less-than-ideal camera angles, it was still first-hand visual material. The first-person perspective observation was akin to Nick Fury reading a bulletin board, providing a clear view. 

During the first half of the footage, the discussions among the people in the room focused on the opponent's extraordinary agility and the peculiar high-tech equipment. 

For example, how he silently took out most of the people in the casino hall without anyone, including Agent Luo Yajun, noticing, or how he casually threw various bizarre props out of his belt as if they were worthless. These aspects were enough to prove that this person was not only well-trained but also had an abundance of money to the point of being able to kill someone with banknotes. 

Not to mention the technological level and technical complexity of the props he threw, just looking at the amount of money he spent on this trip was beyond what an ordinary tycoon could bear. 

Then the footage showed the appearance of the monster, and everyone witnessed the black Bat-Jet, which was so cool that it could make anyone jealous, hovering in mid-air. The Batman raised his hand and used his grappling gun to catch the aircraft, soaring upward, leaving everyone with an incredibly back view. 

"A jet fighter hovering in the air." 

The man sitting at the head of the conference table was a poised and dignified figure. He had remained silent throughout the previous discussions but exuded an aura of authority without anger. It was Chairman Li Changcheng of Special Operations Unit Nine. 

"Dr. Hines, can we develop something like that?" he turned to the person next to him, a man in a white coat. 

Dr. Hines, an expert in the relevant field, adjusted his glasses perched on his nose and replied, "It's not impossible. We already have prototypes with similar functionality, but the technology is not mature enough to be officially deployed in combat. The technology on that aircraft indeed appears to be more advanced than the prototypes we've been testing. If possible, I would also like the opportunity to study how they overcame the technological challenges we have encountered." 

He paused for a moment and added, "It is indeed cutting-edge technology that cannot be acquired simply with money. However, related technologies are already in the testing phase, and I believe we should have combat-ready aircraft equipped with similar systems within a year." 

If, up until this point, Dr. Hins was still appreciating the black aircraft on the screen and holding some inexplicable confidence in their own technology, then the next few minutes would shatter that confidence and naive worldview like the relentless onslaught of 3,600 rounds of a Gatling gun. 

The Bat Fighter on the screen began to move rapidly. If an outsider were to witness some of its maneuvers, they would find them exciting, agile, and magnificent. However, for an expert like Dr. Hins, watching these scenes made him feel like all his years of scientific research had gone to waste. 

What the heck was that smooth turn? 

What the heck, it can even drift like a sports car? 

What the heck is this Armstrong jet with a three and a half spin? 

And then, the continuous bombardment of Dr. Hens' worldview reached its climax when the Bat Fighter performed a reverse parking maneuver that defied the laws of physics. 

Dr. Hins was dumbfounded. 

Was this thing even an aircraft?