Chapter Fifty-Two: One Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty Times

Adonsa believed that many years ago, a being of its kind—or at least a similarly advanced lifeform—had once descended upon this planet. This being had broken through the third stage of evolution, yet ultimately was defeated, leaving only broken fragments of itself to eke out a meager existence.

Its powerful genetic will had hijacked Adonsa's own splinter, resulting in an extremely peculiar transformation.

Just now, Adonsa had finally uncovered news of that missing splinter.

Lin Jicang, an ordinary name, but upon his shoulders rested the immense vitality of two super lifeforms.

What kind of extraordinary existence would such a fusion give birth to?

Adonsa was deeply intrigued.

If he could find this man, Adonsa might be able to reverse-engineer the evolutionary path of the genetic will, greatly enhancing his own life force.

If humanity were willing to pay any price, they might still have a chance to destroy him.

However...

Adonsa browsed through various pieces of information, using chaotic algorithms to infer the blind spots in the intelligence.

It seemed that some great upheaval had occurred in the nation of Tianjing; the military and pulse users were being deployed frequently, yet instead of mobilizing against Adonsa, they were gathering in the southern mountains of Tianjing, for reasons unknown, apparently in pursuit of someone.

This, then, was the perfect opportunity for Adonsa to consolidate his own strength.

Once more, Adonsa issued his command.

"Find this Lin Jicang. Capture him at all costs."

————————————————————

"Xiao Cang, come home and visit when you have time."

A figure, wrapped tightly from head to toe, hurried down the street, strikingly conspicuous amid the bleak emptiness. This person was Lin Jicang.

The scalding oil had nearly melted his entire body, even cooking his internal organs. With a bit of preparation, he could have been served up as deep-fried lung slices, stir-fried heart and liver, sautéed kidney, spicy grilled—

Yet the mysterious power within him, faced with such grave injury and pain, exploded with its final potential, dragging him back from death's door with both feet already in the coffin.

Reborn, he was covered in hideous scars; his face alone could frighten Freddy into tears. He had no choice but to wrap himself up.

He entered a residential complex, climbed the stairs, and stopped suddenly at his door.

He heard more than a dozen quick, urgent breaths echoing nearby.

Lin Jicang paused, but still knocked. A woman, her voice somewhat unnatural and aged, opened the door. "Xiao Cang, you're back. You—why are you dressed so thickly..."

---

Lin Jicang took a deep breath, gritting his teeth. "Mom, are you being threatened?"

"N-no, of course not."

Lin Jicang shouted, "Whoever's there, come out now!"

In an instant, more than a dozen fully armed security officers emerged from the corridor, guns trained on Lin Jicang.

Lin Jicang looked startled. "Security… Why are you trying to arrest me?"

He had expected some strange organization to come after him—never in his wildest dreams had he imagined the government would be the one pursuing him. No wonder his mother had lured him home; it turned out the security bureau had won her trust!

Suddenly, his mother’s sadness broke through. "Xiao Cang, if you've done something wrong, just confess. I'll be waiting for you."

Lin Jicang managed a bitter smile, pulling down his hood. "Mom, believe me, I haven't done anything wrong."

At the sight of Lin Jicang’s jerky-like visage, his mother’s tears fell involuntarily—a mother's instinctive grief for her wounded son.

Realizing something was amiss, she tried to rush out and protect Lin Jicang, but an old hand yanked her back and the door swung open.

Inside, another seven or eight armed security officers stood ready, guns aimed at Lin Jicang.

A senior officer at the forefront sighed. "Lin Jicang, is it? My name is Li Qinghai. I’m sorry for arresting you so suddenly, but I’m only following orders."

Lin Jicang roared, "Let my mother go!"

Li Qinghai shook his head. "Don’t worry, we won’t harm her. She’ll be properly taken care of."

"Bastard!" Lin Jicang felt a tangible flame burning inside him; his unstable emotions rousing his transformed body into turmoil.

Beneath his clothes, his skin bulged and contracted uncontrollably. He slammed a fist into the wall, leaving a deep dent, sending a chill through the security officers.

He tried to calm himself, but seeing his mother struggling in their grip made it impossible.

He stepped forward; all the guns instantly raised. He inhaled deeply. "I… will… go… with… you!"

Li Qinghai seemed relieved. "You all stay here and look after the lady. We’ll take him back."

Just as Lin Jicang surrendered, his mother suddenly erupted with unimaginable strength, clawing at two burly officers and desperately breaking through their formation.

"Xiao Cang, run! Run! These security men are not good people!"

Chaos broke out. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out—Lin Jicang’s mother fell, blood pooling beneath her.

"Damn it!" Every hair on Li Qinghai’s body bristled in alarm.

To guard against Lin Jicang, every weapon had been readied. In the chaos, someone’s gun had discharged by accident.

---

Li Qinghai made a snap decision. "Fire!"

The dangerous aura radiating from Lin Jicang exploded like a volcano—the fact that his mother was hurt sent him into a murderous frenzy.

Though it had been their own mistake, now was not the time for mercy or reason.

Bullets whistled through the air. Lin Jicang threw himself atop his mother to shield her.

He felt each bullet pierce and spin within him, but none lodged inside. The bullets passed through his body, striking his mother beneath him again.

"No!" Feeling the lifelessness of his mother underneath, Lin Jicang leapt up, felling several officers in a single bound, smashing their chests with fists like sledgehammers.

His wounds hardly bled; within moments, only pale scars remained. But his mother, an ordinary woman, had already lost her life in a pool of blood.

Driven utterly mad, Lin Jicang straddled one officer, pounding him again and again until his skull burst.

The others kept firing. Suddenly, a bullet struck Lin Jicang squarely in the forehead, lodging there, smoking—but it failed to penetrate. Unbeknownst to all, his bones had evolved to rival steel.

"Monster, monster!"

Lin Jicang tore the bullet from his head and roared, fury pouring out from within. His body swelled, muscles bulging until his clothing burst, even fangs sprouting from his mouth.

"You all must die!"

In the narrow hallway, there was no escape. Their perfect ambush had become their own grave.

Using hands, feet, and even his teeth, Lin Jicang attacked like a beast. The heavily armed officers were no more than chickens thrown to a tiger, shredded by his claws and fangs.

In moments, blood ran like a river and corpses lay everywhere.

At last, Lin Jicang noticed the stunned Li Qinghai.

Li Qinghai had not participated in the night raid on Adonsa. More a civil official, he had seized the chance for merit, never imagining he'd face such a monster.

"Damn it, Tang Haoming never said anything about a creature like this!" he screamed inwardly.

This was precisely the outcome Adonsa had desired.