Chapter 176 – Genetic Monster
Mira Wells woke up quickly. Seeing the humans around her, she tried to breathe fire, but a pure black muzzle of unknown material immediately covered her mouth. Unable to open her mouth, she couldn’t breathe fire, and black smoke started to seep from the sides of the muzzle.
She angrily attempted to struggle, but with her wings already broken, anesthetized, and restrained, she was completely immobilized—like a fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.
Once she was securely restrained, the helicopter slowly took off, carrying Mira Wells suspended in mid-air towards the research institute.
What awaited her would be endless experimentation.
She was currently the only captured genetic modified human with mutated bird wings who had only sustained minor injuries.
The mad researchers in the lab wouldn’t let her go easily.
The successful completion of this task was largely due to Tu Ran’s contribution. Deng Changtai’s attitude towards her became more friendly, and he arranged for her to stay at a high-end hotel.
Located in the eastern part of Pandalin District, it was owned by the Xie family.
Tu Ran headed to her hotel room.
Her helmet was damaged, and since the combat suit and helmet were integrated, lake water had seeped into her suit.
She instructed Zero to inform the administrative building’s equipment department to send a complete set of gear. Meanwhile, she returned to the hotel bathroom to clean herself and changed into a robe, waiting for the new equipment to arrive.
The hotel room was spacious, with a large, soft bed that was even more comfortable than the one at her own house. Tu Ran lay on her back, comfortably scrolling through the news.
Most of the headlines were about genetically modified humans.
Recently, stories about these individuals had been dominating major news outlets. There were numerous reports of genetically modified people committing brutal acts—murdering their own families and then slaughtering local residents. The scenes were so horrific that even news media, usually indifferent to graphic content, had to blur the footage.
These events had caused significant social panic, with ordinary citizens growing increasingly hostile towards resistance organizations and intensifying their resistance against genetically modified humans.
After scrolling through a dozen news stories about these genetic modifications, Tu Ran noticed that in most of them, the term “genetic modified humans” had been replaced by “genetic monsters.”
The term “genetic modified humans” had disappeared completely.
Some news articles even went so far as to explain the difference between “genetic modified humans” and “genetic monsters,” with these explanations ranking at the top of trending topics.
On the surface, the distinction between “genetic modified humans” and “genetic monsters” seemed quite pronounced. The many genetically modified individuals appearing now were more accurately described as monsters than as humans. They had completely lost their human characteristics, and the term “genetic monsters” fit them very well.
But upon deeper inspection, the Federal Government suddenly began differentiating between the two terms, leading Tu Ran to question their intentions.
Human and monster.
Both involved genetic modification; one was humans with enhanced physical abilities, and the other were monsters where beastly traits overtook human nature.
The resistance organizations had created monsters that endangered society, not humans.
It was the genetic monsters that committed brutal murders, not the genetically modified humans.
The Federation was capturing monsters, not humans.
Through various news outlets, the public’s perception was subtly shifted to reject only the genetic monsters, rather than the technology of genetic modification itself.
The Federation’s actions seemed to be a prelude, setting the stage for the true unveiling of genetic modified humans.
From the moment Tu Ran first saw news about genetic monsters, she knew the Federation would not overlook a technology that could greatly enhance human power.
The extreme protestors had created this technology, but it had become a stepping stone for the Federal Government.
While the resistance organizations could not control the technology, the resource-rich Federation could. The many elites in the research institute could study and further modify this “divine medicine.” Tu Ran believed that it wouldn’t be long before the Federation developed genuine “genetic modified humans.”
“Ding—Your delivery has arrived. Please check.”
A voice interrupted Tu Ran’s thoughts. She put down her communicator, got out of bed, and looked towards the source of the sound.
In front of the large floor-to-ceiling window, a small flying device had smoothly landed on an external platform, carrying a large package.
This type of platform, specifically designed for aerial deliveries, had become common in most cities within the Federation.
Tu Ran got out of bed, opened the window, and retrieved the package from the flying device.
“Ding—The delivery has been received. The drone will soon return. Please close the window to prevent dust from entering.”
Tu Ran closed the window, keeping her gaze fixed on the drone.
It was her first time using a drone for a delivery in this world, and she was quite curious.
Once the window was detected as closed, the blue lights on either side of the drone flashed twice, like small eyes surveying the area. The drone then activated its propulsion system, and three blue flames shot out from its bottom, lifting it into the air.
In an instant, it vanished from sight.
Where it had left, dust swirled around.
No wonder it had been important to remind her to close the window.
Tu Ran looked away, crouched down, and began unpacking.
Inside the package was a new set of combat gear.
Combat suits for each department in the Federation were designed according to the specific operational needs of that department and were unique, so she had to obtain a new set from the equipment room of the administrative building.
Of course, this set of combat gear was not free; it required a deduction of one-third from her monthly salary.
After putting on the gear, Tu Ran left the hotel.
The three of them had just arrived that morning and were scheduled to be on duty until 7 AM the next day. During this time, they couldn’t leave Pandalin District too far and had to be ready to respond immediately if needed.
Since she needed to change her gear before returning to the hotel, and because Min Tao and the others had already gone to their next task, she needed to hurry to catch up with them.
Their next destination was an elementary school in the Pandalin District.
The elementary school in the wealthy district naturally had children from affluent families.
It was a prestigious school, fittingly described as an aristocratic institution.
The one who ingested the miracle drug was a teacher.
The reason for his consumption of the drug was not discovered.
He had exhibited abnormal behavior an hour earlier, with dilated pupils, red eyes, and extreme agitation. He even lifted a small stool and attempted to throw it at a student.
The student managed to evade the thrown object and was not hit.
Afterward, the teacher quickly regained his composure and apologized to the student, but he was restrained by the arriving school security and was to be taken to the security department, which was managed by “Dead Fish Eyes” team.
During this process, the teacher exhibited the same symptoms again.
According to two security guards, at the time, the veins on the teacher’s neck had bulged in a frightening red, and his entire sclera was almost entirely covered by tiny capillaries, creating a truly horrifying appearance.
