TTAETSC Chapter 35.3 - Schrödinger's Fallen Vest

Self-destruct devices?

Ye Yunfan searched around and finally found a bright red button in a narrow gap where he discovered the diary.

On it was the word end*.

*End was in English in the original text

Below was a line of small danger warning words, most of which were unclear. Only the words "countdown thirty minutes" remained legible.

In fact, from the current perspective, the mutants have indeed greatly increased the possibility of human survival. Captain Chen is a very good example.

But such people were only a very small minority, resulting in tragedy.

So, during this period, humans had begun to have the concept of mutants.

Ye Yunfan pondered: when did gifted individuals first appear?

While mutants can still be explained by genetic theories, the supernatural powers of gifted individuals seemed to defy scientific understanding entirely.

Furthermore, the supernatural abilities of gifted individuals bore a striking resemblance to the skills of players, to the point that even Yuan Ye once considered players to be gifted individuals.

Is there any connection between the two?

At this moment, the tentacle holding the notebook suddenly paused, while another pink tentacle extended and probed above.

[There's something up there.]

[Something is coming.]

[Blood, smell of blood.]

Ye Yunfan immediately abandoned the notebook and became alert.

---

At the same time, on the surface, hundreds of meters above, Chen Xinyue was treating the wounds on Jon's hand. The curly-haired puppy grimaced in pain but resisted crying.

"Cap... Captain, weren't you just..."

His gaze lingered on Chen Xinyue's blood-stained chest, wanting to speak but hesitating.

"I was indeed shot, but I had taken precautions beforehand. I wore a bulletproof vest, and my body could mutate to produce some extremely tough fish scales, which offset the most lethal damage of the bullet. At most, I would be seriously injured, but I wouldn't die."

"This is part of Mr. Yuan Ye's plan."

"Plan?!"

Jon was stunned.

"Yes, I need to act as bait. That's why I've been carrying this medicine box with me. I need to look seriously injured, close to death, so the other party will approach me willingly. Only then can we capture a live prisoner."

Chen Xinyue glanced at Wei Jing, who was bound next to her. He had released his skill and was in a weakened state, with shriveled muscles and pale skin. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have been almost like a dead person.

At the same time, Hu Changchuan was squatting in front of him, panting heavily and interrogating him.

"Brother*, tell me... how did you end up on this wayward path?"

When Hu Changchuan at the T-12 sentinel tower sensed that something was wrong, he immediately drove to the entrance of the occupied area. Upon entering the occupied area, in order to speed up, he abandoned the car and ran all the way, finally catching up along the marked path.

Yuan Ye left internal markings of the decontamination officers' organization on the road, but they were versions that had been abandoned a few years ago. Hu Changchuan immediately understood that the other party was directing him to go past.

"Buddy, I've always been so good to you, and you actually want to kill me?"

*Laodi, (affectionate form of address for a male who is not very much younger than oneself)

Hu Changchuan still had the appearance of a kind old man. He sighed.

"That's right, buddy, your work is still too immature, too many slip-ups."

"You... You, how...?"

Wei Jing was dumbfounded.

Wei Jing originally intended to kill Hu Changchuan. He tampered with the engine of the other man's car. At the moment of the explosion, the sealed flesh and blood hidden within the car's body leaked out. This drew the attention of otherworldly creatures, leading to their attack in response to the car's sudden explosion.

It was enough to deal with a third-class decontamination officer.

Hu Changchuan, who appeared average and unremarkable, seemingly drifting through life in middle age, was especially easy to underestimate. However, Wei Jing did not expect that Hu Changchuan was deliberately concealing his strength, which ultimately led to his survival.

"You didn't expect that I was not dead, so you went ahead to find Team Leader Liang and Bard to have them salvage the king creature's body and minimize the losses."

Hu Changchuan took out a handkerchief and helped him* wipe his face.

*Wei Jing

"But because the chief is at the supply station, it's not convenient for you to show up. So you sent a shapeshifter gifted individual instead."

That was Zhang Nan, but Wei Jing never expected Yuan Ye would help Chen Xinyue.

So Zhang Nan died.

At that time, Wei Jing and Tu Shanshan were even less likely to take any action. They just threatened Liang Kun to help cover up.

"Then, you went to kill Ma Lin to silence him, but you didn't expect him to hide a recording chip. Once Captain Chen finds that chip, your identity will immediately be dug out. So you started to panic, rushing to kill Captain Chen to eliminate future troubles."

"You... You already know?!"

Wei Jing listened to how the man he once thought was a fool actually dismantled his plan clearly. He looked at Hu Changchuan's innocent and amiable face, feeling a wave of fear creeping over his body like corrosive bone-eating ants.

"No, no, no. There are still many things I don't know."

Hu Changchuan showed a kind smile. He reached out and slowly clenched his fist. Suddenly, the soil beneath Wei Jing seemed to come alive. It enveloped Wei Jing's body, wrapping around him until it formed a sphere.

"I'm not usually a curious man, but the things that the above would ask me require me to know the answer."

Crack, crack—

The earth sphere began to tighten inward, squeezing, and then a cracking sound of bones echoed from within.

Wei Jing's throat was hoarse. He didn't even have the strength to scream. But he gritted his teeth tightly and remained silent.

Jon took a few glances, then withdrew his gaze with lingering fear. He had previously thought that the uncle in flower underpants was unreliable, but now, looking at the still kind smile on the other person's face, he suddenly felt terrified.

At that time, Chen Xinyue had bandaged Jon up and taken out the medicine given by Old Doctor Xu before.

"Mr. Yuan Ye was aware of the situation inside long ago. He intentionally led us in because there were people smuggling military weapons, and at the same time, the presence of numerous otherworldly creatures capable of restraining him would put the other party at ease..."

From Fang Shuo's perspective, with the restrictions of the otherworldly creatures, Yuan Ye spent a lot of strength and gifted ability inside. At the same time, they also had the shelter's layout plan, occupying the geographical advantage.

Therefore, with such advantages and certainty, he dared to appear in front of Yuan Ye. Otherwise, even with his mental attack skill, he would have been reduced to mincemeat in a single face-to-face encounter.

"Officer Hu."

Chen Xinyue stood up and turned to look at Hu Changchuan.

"Let's discuss the interrogation later. We've captured a live prisoner, but he's seriously injured. We should keep him for now and let him rest before questioning him again. And Mr. Yuan Ye is still down there. I'm a bit worried."

"Right, right, Officer Yuan Ye is still down there! Oh right, and the little jellyfish too!"

Jon's head popped out from behind. He was also very worried about this.

"Uh..."

On the contrary, Hu Changchuan was not worried at all; this kind of situation was just a piece of cake for the chief. But after some thought, he still agreed.

"I'm also quite worried about the chief, so I'll go down and check on him now."

The man nodded amiably and stood up.

"Oh, right, you mentioned earlier that there was another person wearing a black cloak, right? I'll go look for them. Maybe we can catch another one."

—That would be a great achievement.

In this way, he might be able to remove the charge of negligence.

Hu Changchuan partnered with Wei Jing for two years, not noticing any abnormalities on his part, even allowing the man to secretly control Liang Kun.

This is a serious case of negligence and dereliction of duty.

Now looking back, Wei Jing should have been in contact with Bard and Liang Kun through that shapeshifting gifted individual, which was why Hu Changchuan didn't notice.

However, no matter what, Hu Changchuan urgently needed an opportunity to make a contribution.

He walked into the collapsed entrance, and a thick layer of yellow mud suddenly coated his body. Then, Hu Changchuan seamlessly merged into it.

At the same time, Fang Shuo, who was about to escape from the shelter, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He sensed that someone had come down.

Hu Changchuan?!!

Before Fang Shuo came, he specifically looked at Hu Changchuan's information. The man seemed like someone who was greedy for life and afraid of death. He was a slippery person who only sought comfort. However, he was at least a decontamination officer.

So Fang Shuo recognized him.

Damn it!

Bad luck, just right at this moment!

He couldn't go out in front, so Fang Shuo could only turn back. He remembered that there was a very safe laboratory underground where Wei Jing had originally obtained the blueprints.

Fang Shuo carefully recalled and confirmed that it was indeed a good hiding place, so he went back again, intending to rest there for a while.

[Coming!]

[Coming, coming.]

[Very close!]

[Blood, smell of blood.]

Ye Yunfan's brows furrowed slightly. If it was an otherworldly creature, then the little tentacles would directly say that there's meat and want to eat.

But they didn't show any excitement, indicating that it wasn't an otherworldly creature, but a human.

A human has blood, and they can also move quickly underground...

Ye Yunfan immediately confirmed the identity of the other person.

It was the black-cloaked man who had just escaped.

It was unclear whether the person specifically came for Yuan Ye or if the laboratory itself was the intended target.

Ye Yunfan's mind raced, but he didn't stand idly in place. He scanned the room, but unfortunately, there was no place for a person to hide.

And if the other person really came for Yuan Ye, then it means that the black-cloaked man must have a way to locate Yuan Ye's coordinates, so hiding would be useless.

Ye Yunfan turned off the lights, held the person in his arms tighter, then stood in the corner, and activated his camouflage skill.

The figures of the two gradually became transparent, blending in with the colors of the environment.

A minute later, the quiet space was filled with the man's cursing voice.

"Fuck!"

Fang Shuo crawled out from the shadows. His leg had received basic first aid and seemed to be under anesthesia. In any case, his current mode of action could only be crawling.

"Hu Changchuan didn't show up at the beginning, but now he's blocking the escape route... Fuck, I've been set up so badly."

Hu Changchuan?

Ye Yunfan was momentarily stunned, immediately realizing that this might be the final safety measure in Yuan Ye's plan.

Otherwise, it's highly likely that the man in the black cloak would have escaped by now.

Should he catch him?

The other party had lost both legs and sustained severe injuries from Yuan Ye. While this presented an opportunity, their ability to move through shadows made them difficult to deal with.

Or...

—Kill him.

The moment this thought appeared in Ye Yunfan's mind, he instinctively grabbed the handle of the knife with his tentacle.

"Who's there?!"

At this moment, Fang Shuo suddenly exclaimed in alarm.

He had always been cautious in his actions. After the initial outburst, he subconsciously searched in the shadows, eliminating the possibility of a surprise attack.

Click—

Ye Yunfan's tentacles hidden behind him turned on the lights.

The incandescent light illuminated the entire room, dispelling all shadows.

Bang!

Fang Shuo fell to the ground, his pupils shrinking violently as he stared unwaveringly at the empty corner. Before he could yell out, Ye Yunfan directly revealed his figure holding Yuan Ye.

Fang Shuo saw a stranger, a man with pink hair and blue eyes.