The Natives of This World Are Fierce

The Monkey King and Lü Bing, brought in by an expedited private jet, were now at Research Institute No. 3, under the direct authority of the Kyoto Special Security Team.

Lü Bing’s condition appeared critical. Even the medical staff thought he wouldn’t last long, but somehow, he had managed to hold on until now.

The Monkey King was with another team, who were redressing its wounds and planning a new course of treatment. Lü Bing, meanwhile, was inside a large, reinforced glass chamber.

He lay flat on a bed inside the chamber, his head and neck kept at a fixed angle by a brace.

An IV line connected to a blood bag was inserted into one of his hands, but the drip had been stopped.

Inside the glass chamber were several robotic arms, while nearby monitors displayed real-time scans of his entire body.

"Prepare for removal of the anomalous mass. All non-essential personnel, fall back beyond the restricted line!"

The lead research director issued an order to the surrounding Soldiers, and more people moved outside the lab to stand guard.

Only four researchers remained inside.

"Introduce the new experimental host."

A small hatch on the reinforced glass chamber opened. A black-furred wild boar in metal restraints was moved inside, stopping less than half a meter from Lü Bing.

"Stimulate the experimental host to consciousness."

Hearing the order, a research assistant at the side quickly manipulated some controls. One of the robotic arms approached the quiet, resting boar.

With a BZZZZZT of released electricity, the wild boar was shocked awake.

SCREEEEEEEEE—

The sound of frantic squealing filled the air as the wild boar struggled violently, but the metal rings holding it fast didn’t budge an inch.

"Robotic arms one and two, on standby. Double-layered partition, ready. Commencing removal procedure!"

With a faint trace of tension, the researchers began working quickly at the main console. Two operated joysticks, one monitored the instrument screens, and the last one oversaw the entire operation.

With a nearly inaudible hum, the two robotic arms slowly descended from above and positioned themselves over Lü Bing’s body. The leather straps securing him immediately tightened.

"Disengage the head brace! Prepare the fluid receptacle!"

With a dexterity that belied its clumsy appearance, one robotic arm deftly removed the device securing Lü Bing’s neck. The other arm positioned a soft, transparent receptacle underneath him.

The lead researcher took a deep breath and, amidst the boar’s continued squealing, gave the most critical command.

"Begin extraction!"

An assistant nervously manipulated both a joystick and a series of digital buttons. A robotic arm carefully twisted Lü Bing’s head to a specific angle.

The twisted black substance writhed continuously as high-speed video and still-shot cameras recorded the entire process.

WHOOSH—

SCREEEEEEEEE—

The wild boar’s bloodcurdling scream erupted two seconds later. It happened too fast for the naked eye to follow, but the black mass on the side of Lü Bing’s neck was now on the boar.

"Deploy the partition! Now!"

An assistant immediately slammed a button that had been prepared for this moment. Two transparent partitions dropped from the ceiling, separating Lü Bing and the boar on opposite sides of the chamber.

"Patient is hemorrhaging! Collect the tainted blood!"

Another robotic arm immediately moved into position. In addition to passively collecting the runoff, it used a soft-tipped suction pump to carefully siphon the tainted blood from the floor and Lü Bing’s body.

"Director, the patient’s carotid artery has ruptured! He’s losing blood fast!"

The research director said nothing, his eyes fixed on the dark red blood gushing from Lü Bing. Everyone, both inside and outside the lab, was sweating with anxiety.

After about twenty seconds, the high-definition imaging monitor showed that the blood flowing from Lü Bing’s neck had returned to a healthy, bright red.

"Start the transfusion! Medics, suture the carotid artery!"

Two medics in full-body hazmat suits, who had been on standby, rushed past the restricted line. They entered through an open door in the side of the glass chamber and began operating on Lü Bing’s artery.

Only when Lü Bing’s condition had stabilized and the team began cleaning the residual filth from his body did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The people inside and outside the lab must have shed gallons of sweat combined.

It wasn’t that they were all so deeply concerned for Lü Bing’s life, but rather that they were terrified of the bizarre, black anomalous mass.

Unlike Mo Shaoge and Cui Ying, who had suffered numbness, itching, mild poisoning, and minor skin ulcerations after contact with the tainted blood, Lü Bing—the second host of the anomalous substance—had shown no subsequent surface reactions. This had led the researchers to several theories.

This extraction experiment proved that the host’s artery would rupture upon removal of the anomaly, a detail that matched the hikers’ descriptions. From this, they could infer that the Monkey King must have possessed some form of arterial self-healing ability.

Now that the host was a wild boar, any further procedures would carry far less psychological weight.

The black anomalous substance itself couldn’t be detected by infrared or any other form of interference scan; it was only visible to the naked eye and on camera.

...

In France, at the first outpost on the edge of the Death Illusion Barrier quarantine zone, Tao Xingzhi was on a call from his home country, getting a real-time update.

"Yes, good. That’s good to hear. Excellent, that was the right call. Yes, I’ll arrange for Jiutian to head back. Keep a close watch on the patient’s condition."

After hanging up, Tao Xingzhi stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray.

"This situation back home demands our full attention. The forest sweep has already begun. As for the research institute... Jiutian, you’ll have to make a trip back."

Huang Jiutian finished wiping the parts of his handgun clean before reassembling them one by one.

Ever since his Perception had truly evolved, he, who had once been the worst shot in the Special Security Team, had become a deadeye marksman.

"Will it be a problem for me to leave France, then?"

"Our work here in France has wrapped up for the time being. We currently lack the means to effectively study the Death Illusion Barrier. I suspect our only short-term hope of unraveling the mystery of the deaths inside is to make contact with those enigmatic figures suspected of being from the Dawn Association."

"Alright, I’ll head back to the country right away. Hey, Chief, need me to take that gift for your wife back with me?"

Tao Xingzhi aimed a playful kick at him.

"Get lost! I’ll surprise her myself."

"Yes, sir!"

Jiutian shot a salute, gave a knowing look to his other colleagues who were resting, and walked right out of the room.

Huang Jiutian had no objections to the order to return home. Ever since Qin Xiaoxia had heard the news, he’d been completely fixated on the incredible Monkey. Even without Tao Xingzhi’s command, Jiutian would have found a way to request a transfer back.

Based on the intelligence Jiutian had relayed, Qin Xiaoxia’s analysis was that the bizarre "Black Poison" anomaly, if not some kind of supernatural entity from the Otherworld, was very likely a form of Magic Power—one with an exceptionally unique nature.

And it was rare to see a power that remained so aggressive after being separated from its Magic Controller.

’If it really is Magic Power, where is its master? This Monkey King encountered an invading creature that wielded Magic Power—and a blatantly offensive kind at that—yet it somehow survived. What in the world happened?’

’And what about the overgrown vegetation in the mountains? Is that happening all over the country, or even the globe?’

The first few points would require either Jiutian or Qin Xiaoxia to verify in person. As for the last point, the Special Security Team had already organized a covert, nationwide investigation.

...

「Fourteen hours after the Baiyun Mountain rescue operation」

Just past noon on the second day, the private jet carrying Huang Jiutian arrived in Kyoto.

His first stop was to check on Lü Bing. He found that the man’s physical vital signs were stable. Although his Soul Nature was somewhat unstable and showed multiple points of damage, his life was not in danger.

He then followed the researchers to the place where the Monkey King was being held.

His escort included the research director, a protective detail of Soldiers, and several elites from the Special Security Team, but Huang Jiutian was the only one of captain rank.

Through a reinforced glass window in the wall, they could see the Great Macaque. Its fur was glossy, and it lay with its eyes closed, restrained on a metal bed fitted with a mattress.

"Hm?"

Huang Jiutian murmured in confusion.

"Director, has the Monkey been in this state the whole time? Hasn’t it moved?"

"No. Just like Lü Bing, it’s been unconscious the entire time."

The graying research director replied after double-checking the logbook.

"Unconscious? Heh, I doubt it."

Everyone understood the implication behind Huang Jiutian’s words.

"You’re saying it’s faking? But we just drew its blood a moment ago!"

"Which just goes to show how incredibly intelligent this Monkey King is."

In truth, with his own Perception amplified by Qin Xiaoxia’s Magic Power, Huang Jiutian could tell that the soul aura emanating from the Monkey King already surpassed that of a normal human.

These people had seen plenty of strange things, so this situation was hardly worth batting an eye at.

"Should we take any measures?"

What the research director meant by "measures" was essentially sedation and suppression.

"Not yet. It can’t break free of the alloy locks. If it could, you probably would’ve sustained casualties during the blood draw. Just watch it closely."

As Huang Jiutian spoke, he opened his mental senses completely, his focus locked on the Monkey King.

It was just an inkling, more like a gut feeling, but this Monkey, already in an evolved state, seemed to be showing signs of a Magic Power awakening.

"Come on. Let’s go see that boar and the tainted blood you collected."

Before leaving, Jiutian glanced back at the Monkey King, still restrained on the bed inside the room.

’Rest well, Wukong.’

The research director closed the manual in his hands.

Special Security Team Anomaly Event, Security Level: Category Four. Codename: Monkey King Wukong.

PS: First Chapter for Saturday.