Chapter 106 - 103: An Upgraded Transformation
"When! When did you find out?"
Lazov looked at the extremely surprised and slightly dazed Ivan, then turned to Tao Xingzhi and all the members of the Hua Country Special Security Team present. His tone was dead serious.
Tao Xingzhi, on the other hand, was quite relaxed.
"General Rozov, please don’t get worked up. If I told you we discovered it before your plane even came to a complete stop, would you believe it?"
A few members of the Special Security Team smiled.
Of course, this was an exaggeration on Tao Xingzhi’s part. "Huang Radar’s" effective active Perception range was only about a few hundred meters. If his own safety was at risk, however, the range would extend significantly, depending on the level of the threat.
Ivan obviously wasn’t a threat to Jiutian, so the discovery was made during the airport pickup, and it was only truly confirmed during their recent exchange of pleasantries.
"I’ve always wondered how you managed to eliminate those invisible creatures. It seems I have my answer now!"
Lazov stared at Tao Xingzhi without blinking.
"Your guess is spot on!"
After saying this, Tao Xingzhi stepped away from the podium and smiled at Lazov, as if inviting him up.
Lazov took a deep breath, pulling Ivan along with him as he walked up.
This was truly an unexpected "surprise."
"My apologies. I concealed some information from you earlier. Allow me to properly introduce my subordinate."
"Ivan Nelyev. Much like in your Hua Country, we call them newly evolved humans. Ivan has the ability to control small animals. His strength is also greater than an ordinary person’s, and it’s still increasing."
Tao Xingzhi nodded, while the meeting scribe typed rapidly on their keyboard, recording the information and making a preliminary analysis.
"So, is Ivan able to communicate with these animals to some extent?"
Lazov’s gaze snapped to him. Clearly, Tao Xingzhi had once again hit the nail on the head.
"That’s correct. Ivan can communicate with some animals, but only to a limited extent. It’s heavily dependent on the animal’s own intelligence and memory, and it’s also tied to Ivan’s physical and mental state. At present, it can’t be reliably used in ’practical applications’."
"Thank you, General Rozov."
But Lazov wasn’t finished. Having been forced to reveal Ivan, he wasn’t about to walk away without getting something in return.
"So, what about you all? Are you prepared to reveal the newly evolved humans you’ve found? And what about our friends from Wu Country?"
He tossed out the last part casually, making the dozen or so people from the Wu Country delegation visibly uncomfortable.
"Apologies, but our country has yet to discover any newly evolved humans, nor have we received any reports of such."
A lieutenant colonel in a Wu Country military uniform cleared his throat. After he spoke, he and the Russians turned to look at the Hua Country delegation.
"That’s right, just as you have all guessed."
As Tao Xingzhi spoke, an interpreter relayed his words in a measured, professional tone.
"We have also discovered a newly evolved human—a Perception Type, whom we’ve nicknamed the ’Human Radar’!"
"They can actively send out their Perception over a considerable distance, effectively detecting aberrations or objects containing special energy. They also possess a degree of danger precognition..."
An Ability like that was priceless. Everyone in the room understood its value.
"However, I’m afraid I cannot disclose their identity. A Perception Type is far too important. We won’t allow them to appear in public places at will."
Tao Xingzhi remained perfectly straight-faced even while lying, which made Huang Jiutian want to laugh.
Hua Country’s secretiveness naturally displeased the Russians, but they soon had no time to dwell on it, because Hua Country proceeded to drop one bombshell after another.
From the discovery of aberrations suspected to possess intelligence, to the approval of a nationwide mobilization and deployment plan, Hua Country was steps ahead of the other two nations in every regard.
This was especially true for the Special Security Team’s classic "Tenth Man" hypothesis, to which two more crucial points had been added.
There was a high probability of "secluded insiders" existing, and some aberrations might originate from other planets, or even the "Otherworld."
The main purpose of the invitation, aside from sharing intelligence, was to form a closer alliance. They hoped to effectively pool their resources and better prepare for the escalating crisis that lay ahead.
Siberia!
That vast expanse, a world of ice and snow for most of the year.
The Hua Country representatives stated bluntly that they had their eyes on it, hoping to cooperate on building third-phase concealed fortifications within its borders.
This was only touched upon briefly in the conference room; the main discussions were being held among the highest levels of leadership.
Only today did Russia and Wu Country learn that, under the guise of a "civil defense upgrade," Hua Country had already initiated its third-phase construction plan with astonishing efficiency.
Unlike the first two phases, which focused on cities and densely populated areas, the third phase’s infrastructure projects were predicated on harsh, concealed locations like plateaus, icefields, and mountain ranges. It was a plan for the worst-case scenario.
This wasn’t just a matter of boldly investing huge sums of money; it was also made possible by Hua Country’s well-established reserves of construction materials and labor.
And while Russia had similar plans in place, they were far behind schedule.
...
One week after the trilateral meeting, Huang Jiutian stepped out of a taxi. Dressed in casual clothes, he looked much sharper than usual.
He took out his phone and dialed Qin Xiaoxia’s number.
"Hey, Xiaoxia, I’m back! I want to treat you and Brother Gou to a meal. Oh, and bring Doudou. The kid’s been waiting for this for a long time!"
It was Han Feng Garden again, but the owner had changed.
Kehua District had a strange phenomenon: prime storefronts changed hands frequently. New shops opened all the time, but very few managed to stay afloat. You’d often see a brand-new store, only to find it up for lease a few months later.
When Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou arrived, the weather had started to warm up, so they were dressed much differently. That, combined with the time that had passed, meant that even the waiters who were still there didn’t recognize them.
At the dinner table, Qin Xiaoxia was relatively reserved, and Doudou was his usual self. Gou Junbao and Huang Jiutian, however, were devouring their food like they hadn’t eaten in days.
’So, naturally evolved humans really do exist,’ Qin Xiaoxia mused to himself in a low voice.
"How many of them are there?"
"Not many. Just the one from Russia. As for Hua Country... there are definitely some among the civilian population, we just haven’t found them yet."
Listening as he ate, Gou Junbao was completely lost.
"What are you two talking about? Newly evolved humans? Major world powers? Have you been watching too many sci-fi movies?"
In contrast to the quiet conversation between Qin Xiaoxia and Jiutian, Gou Junbao seemed to be shouting. Yet, no one at the surrounding tables appeared to notice anything strange. It was as if they were subconsciously ignoring the table’s occupants, their ears unable to hear—or perhaps filtering out—the conversation.
Neither of them paid any attention to Gou Junbao. Only Doudou took one of his favorite scallops and used it to plug his mouth.
"It’s always what you fear most that comes to pass," Qin Xiaoxia said. "This kind of spontaneous evolution... it means the changes to the world aren’t as simple as a crack in the dimensional barrier!"
Qin Xiaoxia didn’t have many informants in the outside world, but by sheer coincidence, they were all in exceptionally critical positions.
By combining their reports with his own knowledge, his analysis of the situation became far more complete.
’Good thing my own progress has always been a few steps ahead.’
’Still, from the looks of it now, strengthening the association’s power is imperative. I need to accelerate the establishment of the Crystal Ball Witch, the Silent Knight Order, and the European Branch.’
’The biggest headache is finding reliable help for the future.’
’Baru is calm, wise, decisive, and capable—a truly great talent who can hold his own. But aside from him, there’s just too little suitable talent to be found.’
’And then there’s the crucial Wishing Gold Coin. Its function isn’t nearly as useless as Doudou seems to think.’
PS: Chapter 4/5.
Readers familiar with my previous novel might be happy to hear this, because I’m planning to incorporate some unresolved plotlines from that book! Heh! It’s going to be a crucial part of Dawn’s development in this story~