The Natives of This World Are Fierce

X-rays, chest fluoroscopy, tissue analysis...

Ben was once again subjected to a thorough top-to-bottom examination and study.

But no matter how they examined him, they couldn’t find anything unusual.

In the end, they had to rely on Ben’s own feelings. He repeatedly tried to provoke a change in the symbiotic substance through various stimuli, such as different emotional states, holding his breath, and breathing fire. All the while, Huang Jiutian, who was standing by, used his Perception to track the changes and compare them with the data from the scanning machines.

Only then did they finally establish a rough behavioral pattern for the foreign substance.

It was extremely sensitive to Ben’s emotions, disliked anaerobic environments, and had a high sensitivity to nearby open flames, allowing Ben to influence those flames to a certain extent.

Although Ben’s conscious mind appeared to be in control, the unknown organism seemed to have integrated with his lungs or even his entire thoracic cavity. It was gradually spreading throughout his body at an extremely slow pace, and at times, it would make him irritable.

Furthermore, research on Ben’s body tissues revealed that after his flame Ability was triggered, his metabolic rate had accelerated by at least two-fold.

This was also the reason for his recent, drastic increase in food and nutrient intake, placing him in a state of evolution.

The evolution also showed a tendency to disrupt Ben’s original genetic structure, steering his physical development in an unknown direction. This process might also be influenced by the food he ate, his current emotions, and the information he processed.

This, in turn, troubled Norton.

He had originally thought they might soon have many more Evolvers, but now he suddenly realized these Evolvers could turn into ticking time bombs.

Rather than locking them in a lab to pursue uncertain and slim research outcomes, Norton hoped they could serve the country like Huang Jiutian. That was the correct way to handle the changes the world would face in the future.

What was the original form of this symbiotic thing that assimilated itself into the host? Why did it seem to have no physical body, yet could still influence the host’s consciousness?

Ben’s lungs, all the organs in his thoracic cavity, and even every tissue in his body were composed of normal cells. They contained no foreign organs. How did that symbiotic, mutagenic substance manage to exist?

After a period of joint research and observation by researchers from China and the United States, the submitted reports once again brought up the "soul theory" and the "spirit theory."

The friendly forces that appeared during the Flame Demon incident, which were possibly Spiritual Creatures, also served as strong supporting evidence.

The true foundation for research on Type II Evolvers in both China and the United States began at this very moment, with the soul theory having a particularly profound influence.

This was also the type of Evolver that was later confirmed to have a certain possibility of being artificially created through technical means. In contrast, the origin methods and reliable principles for Type I and Type III Evolvers were never grasped.

Ben’s trip to the US, originally scheduled for one week, was extended to a full month because of this incident.

What was supposed to be an exchange of information and tentative contact turned into a collaborative, shoulder-to-shoulder battle to solve a problem from multiple angles.

The experience and data both sides gained, along with the series of inferences and hypotheses they developed, would provide crucial directional guidance for the future.

...

"Ahhh~ I’m so sleepy, I just wanna go to bed~"

Cui Ying stretched languidly, letting out a whining whimper.

"Here, here, the barbecue’s here! Lamb skewers, potato slices, grilled eggplant, roasted chicken wings... We’ve got it all! First come, first served, or you’ll be out of luck!~"

A male colleague hollered as he walked into the editorial office carrying two large bags of barbecue.

The overtime workers, previously drowsy, erupted with enthusiasm, flashing over to the communal table in the blink of an eye.

He opened the bags, and the fragrant aroma of barbecue made everyone’s mouths water.

The editorial department of *Where the Nightingale Flies* had been working overtime for quite a while, preparing to make a big splash.

Given the incident they had encountered in Town last time, they had a sharp sense that the government was hiding something from everyone.

Seeing themselves as responsible members of the media, the focus of their reporting had since undergone a subtle shift. They began to pay close attention to matters outside the public eye.

It was just like solving a crime. From a god’s-eye view, some clues seem incredibly simple, so why does it take so long to find the culprit? Is it really because the investigators are incompetent? Probably not.

What’s missing is a connecting thread or a guiding line of thought.

This is the same principle behind identifying suspects first when looking for a murderer. Once you have a target, you can efficiently pursue multiple leads based on that, even if there’s more than one suspect.

Now, with Cui Ying and the others intentionally looking, they quickly discovered abnormalities in some of the nation’s construction projects.

But they were just one small editorial office. Even with a few connections, how could they possibly uncover the details of such projects?

Even worse, while they couldn’t investigate the higher-ups, the relevant higher-ups had investigated them.

The restless little editorial office was ordered to "rectify" its content by removing all "inappropriate information" from its articles, or else be shut down.

Well, that was a ruthless blow. They had to go back and check every article, piece of information, and short video they had ever published, and revise them all. The censors wouldn’t just be looking for their over-the-line content; they’d probably drag out every slightly dirty joke too.

This overtime work really felt like they were reaping what they’d sown.

"Sigh, I was starving in the middle of the night. Eating a skewer of lamb kidney just makes you feel bursting with power!"

Cui Ying chewed the delicious morsel in her mouth, filled with a sense of bliss.

"Boss, once we’re done with these revisions, let’s take a break. We shouldn’t provoke the people upstairs anymore..."

The "Count" was already mentally and physically exhausted.

But at this, Cui Ying’s spirits rose again.

"Don’t you guys find it strange? The things we were investigating shouldn’t be considered that sensitive, right? But the moment we dug a little deeper, we were targeted?"

"Civil-military dual-use air defense projects... I’d say that’s pretty sensitive..."

The Count quickly interjected.

"No, the Whining Monster does have a point."

A stout man spoke up after taking a couple of bites from a corn cob.

"Forget the Scarecrow incident. I’m talking about those few cases we looked into later for material for *Strange Tales and Ghost Stories*. Guess what happened?"

"What happened? There’s a hidden story? How come we don’t know about it?"

The stout man chuckled mischievously.

"I was extra careful. I asked a few of the people we interviewed. Without exception, every single one of them was paid a follow-up visit by someone from the government!"

"What!? No way!"

"Are you kidding?"

The stout man had a serious expression as he gnawed on his corn.

"Do I look like I’m kidding?"

"You do!"

"Get lost!"

The stout man was actually right about this. Even Haohao Barbecue had been visited, and they had even taken some of Haohao’s medical records and X-ray films.

However, the barbecue shop owner was a man of principle. He had felt guilty about accepting a limited interview in exchange for a cosmetic surgery membership card before.

’Now people were here investigating the "Master." Weren’t they going to arrest him for promoting feudal superstition and throw him in jail?’

’That’s unacceptable!’

And sure enough, the investigators’ official line was that same old "feudal superstition" story.

He had witnessed the "Master’s" skills; that was a man with real abilities.

The "Master" was Haohao’s savior, like a second parent. The Haohao family cared deeply about him. So they stuck to one story: the Master had come to the shop on his own initiative to find them, and after bringing them back to the shop, he left and they lost contact.

This story was nearly identical to what was written in the *Where the Nightingale Flies* article, so the matter wasn’t pursued any further.

From this perspective, Qin Xiaoxia had actually almost been screwed over by Cui Ying’s group because of a small, early mistake.

Back in the editorial office, after the stout man’s revelation, everyone felt that things were even more fishy.

Even though one or two of the stories seemed pretty fantastic, their main goal was just to get clicks and gain followers. Was it really necessary for the government to investigate all this?

A sense of excitement was immediately stirred up, but it deflated even faster.

They were already being watched. If they wrote anything else out of line, they would definitely be discovered immediately.

SMACK!

Cui Ying slapped the barbecue skewer onto the table. Puffing out her flat chest, her presence was as imposing as a rainbow.

"Even if we’re going down, we’re going down knowing why! Let’s probe them one last time! If we get investigated again, then we’ll behave and do the revisions!"

PS: Chapter Three.