Time drifted by in the silent, airtight bunker. Thien Anh had no idea how long he had slept; perhaps the battle with the wyvern pack and the grueling labor that followed had finally drained every last drop of his reserve. He had fallen into a sleep so profound that the world outside ceased to exist.
Upon opening his eyes, driven by the instinct of survival, his first move was to scan the room for Thien Lang and Thien Thanh. To him, these two little ones were now more vital than his own life.
But the sight before him made his heart seize in terror. Both Thien Lang and Thien Thanh lay perfectly still on the rug—motionless, silent, and unresponsive.
"Mutt! Thanh!"
Thien Anh bolted from the sofa, lunging to the side of his companions. He was no veterinarian; he could only tremble as he checked their pulses and breathing. Only after confirming their complexions remained normal, their breaths rhythmic and steady, and their bodies free of any signs of seizure or rejection, did he dare let out a long, shaky breath of relief.
He slumped onto the floor, gradually reclaiming his composure. Observing their deep, trance-like state, he murmured his suspicion: "It must be the dragon meat from earlier."
Absorbing an immense amount of energy from a high-tier organism had triggered a violent evolutionary process. It was entirely logical for them to fall into an 'evolutionary dormancy' to restructure their physiology.
While Thien Anh was focused on his observation, a soft sound drifted from the bedroom. Lam Linh, dressed in Thien Anh's thin, oversized t-shirt, slowly stepped out. Because the shirt was far too large and the fabric translucent under the yellow incandescent lights—and with no undergarments to provide cover—her youthful contours were subtly visible.
However, whether she was simply too exhausted or had placed absolute trust in Thien Anh, Lam Linh seemed entirely oblivious to her unintended exposure. She stepped close to his side, looking down at the two beasts, and asked softly:
"What happened to them?"
Thien Anh replied quietly, a hint of lingering worry in his voice:
"I'm not entirely sure. They were like this when I woke up. They're likely evolving."
Lam Linh noticed the unease in his eyes. She sat on a chair right beside Thien Anh, carefully inspecting Thien Lang and Thien Thanh before suggesting:
"Perhaps we should bring out the bio-monitoring system. Tracking their vitals and biological markers will be far more accurate than guesswork."
Thien Anh slapped his forehead, offering her a faint smile:
"I forgot I have a professional doctor here. How are you feeling, by the way? Still exhausted?"
Lam Linh smiled gracefully, her eyes shimmering:
"Much better. Thank you for taking care of me. If I ever get the chance, I'll be sure to return the favor with equal care."
Thien Anh raised an eyebrow teasingly:
"I truly hope that day never comes; I'm afraid you'd starve me to death. Anyway, move aside a bit so I can get the equipment."
Lam Linh tilted her head with a giggle, then nonchalantly tucked her legs up onto the sofa, clearing the path for Thien Anh. He shook his head with a suppressed laugh and hurried into the medical bay, pushing out a bulky multi-parameter monitoring suite.
The machine was a tangle of modules and cables, but thanks to its intelligent design, Thien Anh pushed it out as easily as a garden cart.
Lam Linh immediately got to work. With practiced fluidness, she attached sensor electrodes to Thien Lang and Thien Thanh before booting the system. While waiting for the analysis, she took the opportunity to instruct Thien Anh on the basic operations.
"Look here. This reading is the heart rate, and this is the blood-oxygen saturation… In case I'm not here later, you'll need to know how to use this."
Though Thien Anh wasn't particularly fascinated by biomedical hardware, he listened intently, memorizing every step. The two of them stood side-by-side, eyes glued to the monitors where genetic and cellular graphs were dancing in a frantic rhythm.
The bunker's advanced computer system began spitting out clear, real-time updates:
[Cellular fortification: 5%...] [Skeletal structure recalibrating: 8%...] [Muscle density increasing: 15%...]
Seeing these figures, Thien Anh finally relaxed. His companions were in excellent condition—they were undergoing a metamorphosis to become more powerful than ever before.
However, glancing sideways, Thien Anh saw Lam Linh's jaw dropped in absolute, unadulterated shock. He whispered, "Is it that surprising?"
Lam Linh quickly closed her mouth, but her bewilderment remained.
"Surprising doesn't even begin to cover it… This rate of cell division defies every medical theory I've ever studied. They… they are truly mythical beasts."
With that, she turned back to the screen as if mesmerized. Thien Anh, seeing that she had entered her 'mad scientist' mode, decided not to disturb her. He sat in a corner and pulled out his specialized personal computer.
He logged into a secret, multi-layered encrypted website—a portal he previously had to access with extreme caution. But here, within the reinforced walls of his bunker, Thien Anh felt a renewed sense of security.
He thought to himself: "If anyone wants to come and play with me, by all means, come. I'm waiting."
The screen flickered with lines of cyan command prompts against a black void. Thien Anh began his search for the latest intel on the black market and abandoned weaponry caches in the region. A new plan was taking shape in the mind of the young assassin.