24. Female Mechanically Modified Human

In the park.

Several security officers quickly drew their guns and fired a burst at the Heretic Believer, aiming for the heart and head.

In just a moment, they turned the believer, who was mutating into a giant rat, into a colander.

However, riddled with bullet holes, the Heretic Believer merely fell to the ground and continued to transform.

After several more sniper shots, even with his head blown apart, the transformation persisted.

"Jiangbei West Road, citizens' park, a Heretic Believer is mutating into a giant rat, and ordinary firearms are not causing fatal damage!"

"Initial assessment suggests a fusion with Rat King genes!"

"We are unable to cope, requesting the deployment of Mechanically Modified Humans for support!"

Seeing that they couldn't handle the situation, the head of the security team immediately contacted the city security headquarters, requesting support from Mechanically Modified Humans.

"Captain, he's getting up!" yelled a security officer.

The Heretic Believer, who moments ago lay slumped on the ground, had somehow stood up.

More and more rat-like features began to appear on his body, with long whiskers, a pointed mouth, and his face covered in rat fur, becoming an upright walking rat-man.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Hold him off!"

"Fire and hold this beast back!"

"Just need to hold off for 2 minutes, and we can await the arrival of support from the Mechanically Modified Human!"

"Stop it, don't let it leave the park!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Under the captain's command, several security officers retreated while firing their guns to suppress and prevent the rat-man from leaving the park.

...

Outside the park.

Hearing the words of the park's security captain, Lin Zichen left his car behind, picked up Shen Qinghan from the back seat, and started to sprint away.

The situation had developed more seriously than he had imagined; he needed to escape the area quickly.

[You are sprinting at full speed with added weight, Qi-Blood +4, endurance +2, bodily coordination +2, running speed +2, running technique +2]

[You've sprinted 1000 meters at full speed with added weight, Qi-Blood +400, endurance +200, bodily coordination +200, running speed +200, running technique +200]

In just over a minute.

Lin Zichen had carried Shen Qinghan over a thousand meters, thoroughly leaving the dangerous park behind.

Though he had only run 1000 meters, the intensity was incredibly high, leaving him panting heavily with his hands propped on his knees.

Seeing this, Shen Qinghan immediately ran into a nearby convenience store, bought a bottle of sports drink, twisted off the cap, and gave it to him to help him catch his breath.

Lin Zichen took the drink but didn't drink it right away, still catching his breath.

He couldn't drink it with his breath still ragged.

"Ah, darn it, Xiao Chen, I forgot to take the Phantom Squid Meat from the bike basket!"

Shen Qinghan suddenly remembered this and her face immediately showed panic.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zichen felt a twinge of pain.

His first reaction was to go back for it, but reason quickly stopped him from making the foolish move.

It was still very dangerous at the park, and acting rashly could lead to an accident.

He decided to wait and see.

He would ensure his own safety first and then decide whether it was worth it to go back for the Phantom Squid Meat.

Just then, there came a loud roar from the sky.

It sounded like a high-capacity motorcycle accelerating past, rattling the eardrums and causing discomfort.

Lin Zichen looked up following the noise.

It was a Mechanically Modified Human!

But it was just a fleeting glimpse, disappearing hundreds of meters away in an instant, leaving no chance to catch a clear view of it.

Nevertheless, it was likely the support the security captain had just requested.

With a Mechanically Modified Human on the scene, safety should be guaranteed.

With this thought, Lin Zichen decided to go back and retrieve the Phantom Squid Meat.

So, he turned to Shen Qinghan and said,

"Wait here for me a moment, I'll go back to the park for the Phantom Squid Meat, I'll be back quickly."

"I'll go too!"

"I'll be faster if I go alone,"

"Alright then, be careful on the way, and come back quickly."

"Mhm."

Lin Zichen didn't say anything more and quickly turned to run in the direction of the park.

Since he wasn't carrying Shen Qinghan, it took him less than a minute to get back to the outside of the park.

At that moment, a massive amount of purple-blue smoke was wafting through the park, and intense combat noises could be heard from inside.

Lin Zichen ignored all that, quickly ran to his bicycle, stopped in front of it, and took out the Phantom Squid Meat from the basket.

As soon as he had it in his hands, he smelled a faint stench of decay.

He sniffed, and the scent was coming from the bag that contained the Phantom Squid Meat.

Lin Zichen immediately had a bad feeling about it.

With some trepidation, he opened the bag to peek at the Phantom Squid Meat inside.

Disappointingly, he found that the meat had spoiled and was showing clear signs of decay.

Damn!

The meat had a delayed spoilage time after its life essence had been devoured, not that it wouldn't spoil at all!

What was he supposed to do now?

How could he explain this to his parents when he got back?

Lin Zichen was very troubled.

At that time, even more intense fighting sounds came from the park.

Along with them was a sharp, shrieking sound that was like a mouse, yet also human.

The next second, a slender figure burst up from the dense purple-blue smoke, hovering in the sky thanks to the powerful reverse thrust device under their feet.

Lin Zichen looked up into the sky and what met his eyes was a female Mechanically Modified Human.

Her chest was flat, made of pure alloy, with a round glowing area in the middle, seemingly an energy pump.

Just by the alloy alone, she seemed stronger than the male Mechanically Modified Human he had encountered in an alley when he was in elementary school.

Suddenly, the energy pump on the female Mechanically Modified Human's chest emitted an extremely dazzling light.

The next moment!

A terrifying beam of energy shot out from the energy pump, blasting towards the ground below with a roar!

Then, a loud "boom" resounded!

The previously dark park was instantly illuminated by more than half.

A moment later, the light dissipated.

The park, which had been filled with noise, was now silent.

What remained was just a whiff of the faint smell of scorched matter.

Lin Zichen stood rooted to the spot, stunned by the scene before him.

This female Mechanically Modified Human could actually fire laser cannons?

Shanhai City was just a small prefecture-level city, and it had such high-level Mechanically Modified Humans?

That laser cannon blast looked terrifyingly powerful.

It was hard to imagine to what extent a living being's flesh and blood would need to evolve to withstand the damage from that laser cannon blast... Lin Zichen fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, the chest of the female Mechanically Modified Human in the sky was smoking, and the surrounding area was blackened.

It was evident how scorching the energy beam that had been released from there had been.

After confirming the Rat King below had perished, the female Mechanically Modified Human didn't linger and turned to fly away.

Lin Zichen watched her departure, his mind brimming with thoughts.

He himself possessed physical qualities far beyond his peers, all thanks to his hard work and daily exercise.

And Mechanically Modified Humans didn't have to do anything, just install powerful alloy equipment, and they could have incredible destructive power.

This rapid acquisition of power truly made one envious.

While Lin Zichen was lost in these various thoughts, the security team captain and others came out from not far away and jogged toward the park to clean up the scene.

Seeing this, Lin Zichen hesitated for a moment, then followed them in as well.

He wanted to see the extent of the damage caused by the female Mechanically Modified Human's recent laser cannon blast.

...

PS: Bowls out, begging for monthly and recommendation tickets!