"Word just came in. Dawn has locked onto an anomalous region."
"It's that group of survivors from another world. They're undergoing a large-scale zombification, and we suspect our target is behind it." Captain Geng Fu of the Rhino Task Force reported to Chunyu Bao immediately.
By now, Chunyu Bao had recovered, thanks not only to his own regenerative abilities but also to the healing medication he received from the Watchman Morning Company.
A sharp glint flashed in Chunyu Bao's eyes as he ended his rehabilitation training.
"Move out!"
He wasted no words. If there was an anomaly, it had to be investigated.
"Supervisor Chunyu, for you to go in person seems like a bit of an over-deployment. Just let our Rhino Task Force handle it," Geng Fu interjected.
In his view, since the suspect's energy weapons were out of commission, the target was completely defenseless.
'We're a task force. We came all this way. We can't just be bloodhounds whose job is over the moment we sniff out the target, can we?'
"You? No offense, but you're probably not his match." Chunyu Bao raised an eyebrow; he knew what Geng Fu was thinking.
'It's just Geng Fu looking for a chance to score some merits. If I went with them, they'd never get any of the credit, which is why he's suggesting this.'
"You're underestimating us, Supervisor Chunyu. The Rhino Task Force is a tier-one unit," Geng Fu said proudly. "We may not have undergone the Immortal Surgery like you…"
"…but we've been implanted with the Rhino Combat Program. Without his energy weapons, how could he possibly stand a chance against us?"
When Chunyu Bao heard this, he had to admit it was true.
'As for the annihilation of the Cheetah Task Force? He knew about that. They hadn't been implanted with combat programs when they were deployed.'
The combat programs were also based on the Profound Virus; they were essentially a lower-tier modification procedure derived from the Immortal Surgery.
Take the Rhino Task Force, for example. They possessed the rudiments of a uniform type of supernatural ability. However, because the Profound Virus implantation was insufficient, they couldn't fully activate it.
Even so, it granted the Rhino Task Force physiques and strength far beyond that of ordinary people. Their skin, muscles, and bones could now just barely withstand the damage from a conventional handgun bullet.
"Fine. You can handle the investigation this time." Chunyu Bao decided to let them take charge.
'It wasn't the first time an anomalous region had appeared, and every time he went himself, he came up empty. It was better to let the men under him handle it.'
'Besides, there was no guarantee it was really the target this time.'
A look of delight spread across Geng Fu's face. "Thank you for the opportunity, Supervisor!"
Of course he was happy. It might just be a single investigation, but once a precedent was set, it would be hard to reverse.
From now on, whenever an anomalous region appeared, Chunyu Bao would just dispatch a task force instead of leading the mission himself.
That way, they'd be able to get a cut of the credit.
Chunyu Bao was here to atone for past mistakes, but they weren't. Any achievements they made would be solid merits for their own record.
"Go on. Don't waste any time," Chunyu Bao said flatly.
After the past few days, he'd completely stopped seeing the target as a threat. He was just a sewer rat that had lost its only advantage.
If the target really had any other aces up his sleeve, he wouldn't still be in hiding. He would've struck back long ago.
At first, he'd considered him a formidable enemy, but now he saw him as nothing more than a lucky amateur scientist who was good at hiding. Someone like that could never truly amount to much.
The moment he slipped up would be the day he was captured alive.
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[Scanning signal detected. Please leave the area immediately to avoid exposure.]
The AI's reminder came just as Qi Suian was finishing trussing up Jin Linyun, preparing to take him back to the original air-raid shelter safe house.
"So soon? Then again, I made such a commotion. There's no way they wouldn't have noticed." Qi Suian wasn't surprised.
"What's the signal's source?" Qi Suian asked.
[Satellite. It is beginning to lock onto the area. There is a seventy percent probability that the enemy is en route. Please evacuate immediately.]
The AI urged him again.
Qi Suian was good at taking advice, so he left at once.
He couldn't defeat Chunyu Bao right now. Not unless the man was suddenly struck with a severe case of stupidity.
Otherwise, his chances of victory were practically zero.
The AI immediately plotted a new route, and Qi Suian began the return trip with Jin Linyun.
As he traveled, Qi Suian wondered, 'Are there any other survivors with high-quality talents like this nearby?'
He casually opened the "Permanent Event: Transgressor" tab and checked his stats. The survivors who had been infected and turned into zombies by the aerosolized Profound Virus he'd created were all being counted toward his kill total.
It multiplied his kill count several times over.
At the same time, the bounty on his head within the event skyrocketed.
'For the time being, however, he didn't need to worry too much about the other survivors making another move on him.'
'This massive spike in his kill count would surely make any restless survivors cool their heads and reconsider if tangling with him was worth the risk.'
'The bigger the number, the safer he was.'
"Still, I have to be careful. It would be a huge problem if a survivor joined the Watchman Morning Company and, by some twist of fate, gave them my location."
It wasn't an impossible scenario. For instance, a "protagonist's halo" could push Qi Suian toward opportunities related to the Profound Virus.
In that case, all Qi Suian could do was counter-kill, and then counter-kill again.
The plot would likely devolve into a cycle: get hunted, counter-kill, get stronger; get hunted again, counter-kill again, get stronger again.
This was certainly a stable growth cycle, but it came with one very serious problem: danger.
A single mistake, and he would pay a terrible price.
It was a complete tightrope walk.
"It's just… I can't change this role I've been given…" Qi Suian felt helpless. He simply wasn't strong enough to fight the Apocalypse Game.
Of course, this role wasn't without its benefits. Eventually, some top-tier survivor would think they had amassed enough power to claim the generous reward on his head.
When they delivered themselves to his door, Qi Suian could kill them, study their talents, and take all the item-based rewards they had acquired from the Apocalypse Game.
It was just like the Secondary Profound Virus Serum and the small Profound Virus Resistor he'd looted from Jin Linyun. The serum was similar to the Secondary Solid Clearing Serum, except it had to be actively consumed, unlike the Solid Clearing Serum, which had a passive effect.
The small Profound Virus Resistor, on the other hand, was similar to Trait 1 of the Ancient Dian Kingdom Jade Seal in Qi Suian's possession, in that it could reduce the severity of Profound Virus infection and increase efficiency.
However, based on Qi Suian's preliminary observations, their operating principles were likely different. When carried, the resistor could lower the Profound Virus's activity, thereby slowing the infection process.
As for the finer principles, Qi Suian would have to conduct more in-depth research to find out.