Chapter 137 - 134: Three Types of Evolvers
To be honest, Ben was more shocked—or rather, terrified—than anything else.
"Dr. Avin... has my condition worsened again?"
He could finally feel the stinging pain from the blisters at the corners of his mouth.
"Hiss—"
What could Avin say? His eyes were wider than anyone’s.
’What kind of complication is this? What is the principle behind it? Spontaneous human combustion?’
’Or maybe it’s not a disease at all!’
"Excuse me, sir, what exactly is wrong with Ben? As his attending physician, I want to understand the patient’s full condition."
It was Allen who spoke first, addressing Huang Jiutian. This was the question on everyone’s mind, so no one interrupted him.
Jiutian glanced at Tao Xingzhi. Only after receiving a nod of confirmation did he begin to explain.
"Evolvers, or new humans. This is a future evolutionary path for humanity, or perhaps a form of genetic selection brought on by the world’s changes..."
Avin was baffled. Although he was the attending physician for these patients, he had been kept completely in the dark. He wasn’t even qualified to access the Flame Demon corpse that was practically within arm’s reach.
The things Huang Jiutian was talking about went far beyond his normal understanding.
But Avin had a good habit: when he didn’t understand something, he chose to listen rather than interrupt.
"According to our country’s current research and inferences, Evolvers can be divided into three types. The first is through natural genetic selection. The second is through passive special erosion. The third, and most mysterious type, we call ’awakened evolution.’"
As Huang Jiutian spoke, most of the audience was left completely baffled. More than that, Norton felt an ever-growing sense that his own side was far more behind in responding to these global changes than he had ever anticipated.
"Then which type is Ben’s condition?"
Norton suppressed his emotions, asking the question as calmly as he could.
"Ben’s condition should be the second type, passive special erosion. If it’s alright, I’d like to see the records of his treatment."
"Of course! I’ll go get them for you right now!"
Without waiting for an order from Norton, Avin immediately left the isolation tent.
"Also, Ben, you’d better put the cooling ice packs back on. You can’t control your Ability yet. You don’t need the respirator anymore, though."
Baru stepped forward himself to help Ben with a harness of specialized ice packs.
He could clearly feel the temperature around Ben was much higher than the ambient air.
"It’s incredible, Mr. Ben. To endure flames like that and only get a few blisters on your lips... Your tolerance for high temperatures is already far beyond that of a normal person. Mr. Huang, this is part of the evolution, isn’t it?"
Baru directed the last sentence to Huang Jiutian.
Baru’s composure helped Norton feel he’d regained a bit of face. He shot a sideways glance at the unflappable Tao Xingzhi.
’At least I have someone under me who can handle the pressure,’ he thought. ’I can’t let Hua Country steal the entire show.’
"I believe so. But we’ll need detailed research to draw a firm conclusion."
"TSSS~"
As Baru was helping Ben with the ice pack, his hand touched Ben’s neck. A burning sensation and a sizzling sound gave him a new appreciation for Ben’s current body temperature.
"Sorry, I didn’t mean to."
Ben quickly apologized to the intimidating-looking Baru.
"It’s nothing. That didn’t even hurt."
After finishing, Baru smiled and casually asked Jiutian,
"Which type are you, Mr. Huang?"
At this, Tao Xingzhi made his presence known with a chuckle, indicating that the question would not be answered for the time being.
Avin returned quickly, carrying all of Ben’s medical records from the onset of his illness to the present, along with a small USB drive.
Between Avin’s detailed explanation and Ben’s own recollections of what he felt, everyone present gradually pieced together the process of Ben’s evolution.
Previously, Norton had been plagued by the headache of this incurable new lung fever. Now, he suddenly had the feeling that these patients were all treasures.
"So, Mr. Huang Jiutian, does this mean all the patients with this new lung fever will evolve into new humans, just like Mr. Ben?"
"I can’t say for sure. So far, my Perception only tells me that Mr. Ben’s evolution is relatively mature."
Norton nodded.
’That was enough for him. All the patients were currently in stable condition. Ben was simply the second case, so his condition had developed for longer. More importantly, a significant number of the remaining patients were military personnel. That was a huge advantage.’
’Right now, this Flame Ability might not be as powerful as a flamethrower, but its research value was immense, and it held enormous potential for development.’
...
Afterward, the group told Ben to rest and then made their way to the reception area.
It had been a tense and thrilling day. They were physically and mentally exhausted, yet in high spirits. The key takeaway was the precious information they’d obtained about Evolvers. Although Hua Country had only shared a fraction of what they knew, maintaining this cooperation would be a tremendous help to the United States.
The delegation from Hua Country could finally rest, but Norton could not. He had an important, unscheduled video conference to attend.
In a small conference room sat only Norton, Baru, and Anthony, another of Norton’s key subordinates.
It took two hours for Norton to fully explain the critical intelligence that had been briefly touched upon during the day.
The word "Evolver" carried immense, heavy weight. But in light of its potential impact, getting Hua Country to share its current research progress was what truly mattered.
The day’s conversations made it clear to them: in this field, Hua Country had already established a theoretical framework. They likely had a wealth of research and even experimental data.
Their side, on the other hand, didn’t have many cards to play. In the video conference, Norton and his superiors reached a simple conclusion.
Given the limited data they possessed, just obtaining detailed results on Evolvers would be a net gain.
So, on the second day, the delegation from Hua Country, refreshed after adjusting to the time difference, found the American side’s enthusiasm had kicked up a whole notch from the day before.
They proactively disclosed information they had kept secret the day before, admitted their struggles with the Flame Demon research, and even offered to let the Huaguo People take some of the Flame Demon fragments back to their country.
At the same time, they proposed a future visit to Hua Country.
...
As for this unexpected boon, Tao Xingzhi had already initiated an internal observation plan, codenamed "Fire Boy."
During the exchange, he had secretly coordinated with Huang Jiutian to advance their research progress beyond that of the Americans.
In Huang Jiutian’s Perception, the Fire-breather could do more than just spit fire. In the future, he would very likely gain some degree of control over flames.
At the very least, whenever someone lit a cigarette near him, Huang Jiutian could feel a special aura within the dancing flame.
They did not share this detail with the Americans.
However, whenever his Magic Power stirred, the flame would instantly grow docile.
Late that night, in the common hall of the Hua Country delegation’s quarters, Huang Jiutian was slacking off, sipping coffee on the side.
Tao Xingzhi, the chain-smoker, was still puffing away.
"If I could breathe fire, lighting my cigarettes would be so much easier. Right, Jiutian?"
"Chief... if you keep smoking like that, I’m afraid you won’t die on the front lines fighting anomalies. You’ll die of lung cancer first."
"Cut the damn jinxing!"
Tao Xingzhi, having just taken the last cigarette, threw the empty pack right at Jiutian’s face.
Jiutian just smiled. Feeling the Magic Power within him, he watched his teammates who were still bustling about and suddenly felt like an outsider looking down on them all.
’Maybe this is how Little Hero feels,’ he mused. ’Magic Power... such a miraculous force. I wonder how long it will take for these busy people to even encounter it?’
With every new insight into Magic Power, Jiutian’s desire to possess his own grew stronger.
At this thought, his smile widened.
’Soon,’ he thought. ’After all, I’ve got connections in Dawn. Qin Xiaoxia might screw over someone else, but he’d never screw me over.’
"What’s so funny?"
Tao Xingzhi tossed him a stick of gum, which Jiutian hastily caught.
"I was just laughing, wondering how much longer we’ll have this peace to prepare and bustle about."
"That’s more of a bitter laugh, then... By the way, do you think that Spiritual Creature from the Americans’ files is really related to the mysterious beings we encountered back home?"
"Are they human, or something else?"
Huang Jiutian unwrapped the gum and popped it into his mouth.
"I don’t know if they’re human, but they’re clearly helping us. And yet, they’re wary of us. I don’t understand why."
These words seemed to resonate with Tao Xingzhi.
’Maybe I understand a little of it.’
He kept this thought to himself. For now, it was best to let things run their course.