Chapter 177 – Split Personality
The teacher had managed to break free from his restraints and had beaten up the two security guards, even grabbing one of their guns and preparing to shoot. However, just as he was about to fire, he regained his composure.
He went through this cycle of alternating between rage and clarity seven times. During his lucid moments, the two security guards had confined him in a small, dark room in the basement and called the police.
The guards from the Executive Department arrived quickly.
Determining him to be a genetic monster under the influence of a divine medicine, they contacted the Pioneers.
When Tu Ran arrived at the underground level B2 of the teaching building, Min Tao and his partner had already entered the small dark room.
A circle of guards surrounded the area.
Seeing Tu Ran’s arrival, they all cleared the way.
Nothing could be seen from outside, but the sounds indicated that the fighting inside was quite intense.
“What are the requirements for this genetic monster? Should it be dead or alive?” Tu Ran asked the nearby guard.
The guard replied, “It needs to be alive. The research institute believes that this genetic monster can temporarily control its human-like rationality, making it of great research value. It must be kept alive.”
Tu Ran thought to herself that she knew it—those researchers always spoke without understanding the real situation.
In any case, capturing it alive was not their concern; they just needed to stay safe in the research institute, waiting for a drugged, defenseless subject to be delivered to them.
They would face no danger or risk of death.
“What’s the situation inside now? How long has the fighting been going on?”
“It’s been going on for more than ten minutes,” the guard glanced at the small dark room where bullets were sporadically firing and said with confusion, “The school security said that this person usually goes mad for only three to four minutes at a time, followed by a period of about ten minutes of lucidity before going mad again. But now, even though more than ten minutes have passed, the fighting inside shows no sign of stopping.”
It could only be that the effects were prolonged.
Fighting off the invasive effects of the divine medicine with human rationality was no easy feat.
Otherwise, why was he the only one who could briefly regain his sanity, while others could not?
Tu Ran had a premonition that this individual might be the key to the Federation’s creation of real genetically modified human.
“How is his defensive capability? Can the anesthetic needle penetrate?”
The guard shook his head. “When Min Tao and his partner went in, they brought an anesthetic gun.”
Alright, just like the other aliens within the Threshold.
“Open the door, I’ll go in and take a look.” Tu Ran stood at the door and raised her submachine gun, ready for action.
The guard by the door opened it, and Tu Ran rushed in immediately. The door closed quickly behind her.
The small dark room was originally an underground air raid shelter, spacious enough to occupy the entire underground level B2 of the teaching building. The walls were thick and sealed, so even the most intense firefights would not damage them.
There were no windows; only weak lights along the ceiling illuminated the space.
As Tu Ran charged in, she immediately spotted the target.
The target still vaguely maintained a human form, with arms and legs and no additional limbs. His muscles were highly inflated, causing him to stoop in the low shelter. His skin had a silver-white sheen, as if artificially coated in silver.
The bullets fired by Min Tao and his partner left no mark on him.
Let alone the anesthetic gun.
“Min Tao, you come with me. We’ll pry open his mouth. Xiao Di, hold the anesthetic gun and look for an opportunity to shoot into his mouth.”
“Yes!” The two nodded and followed her instructions. Min Tao threw the anesthetic gun to Xiao Di and, holding his submachine gun, began shooting at the monster.
The bullets hit the monster with a sharp, ringing sound, like striking metal walls. The monster raised its hands to shield its face and charged toward the gunfire.
Min Tao immediately dropped his submachine gun and delivered a powerful kick to the monster’s head.
The immense force made the monster stagger back two steps, its head smashing into the ceiling.
Tu Ran, positioned behind the monster, drew her long knife and rushed at it.
She swung at its neck, but the blade clanged against its silver armor, causing her arm to go numb from the impact.
The monster’s retreat was abruptly halted, and it tried to move forward to evade.
Although the monster’s defense was strong, its agility was lacking, and the low air raid shelter restricted its movements, preventing it from even running quickly.
Tu Ran and Min Tao attacked from both sides with precise coordination. The monster wobbled, barely managing to keep its balance.
Tu Ran gathered her strength for a final blow, delivering a powerful kick to its knee.
Its body lost control and fell forward, crashing heavily to the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, Tu Ran pounced on it and pinned it down.
Min Tao quickly joined her, helping to restrain the monster’s upper body.
The monster struggled and tried to rise, scraping against the ground.
If there were only two humans on its back, it might have been able to shake them off. But with Tu Ran there, who was using [Immense Strength] to apply additional pressure, even two such monsters wouldn’t be able to escape her hold.
Tu Ran grabbed its hair, forcing its head up and causing its mouth to open naturally.
“Xiao Di, quickly!”
With a “thunk,” an anesthetic needle shot into the monster’s open mouth.
The monster’s struggles grew more intense, its mouth gagging as its thick arms pounded the ground, shaking it with a thunderous noise as if trying to crack the floor open.
Dust quickly filled the air in the long-neglected air raid shelter.
In the midst of the swirling dust and blurred vision, Tu Ran struck the back of the monster’s neck with a powerful chop.
The brutal force of the blow caused the monster to immediately lose consciousness.
As the dust settled, Xiao Di looked at the now-motionless monster and said happily, “The anesthetic took effect; it’s unconscious.”
“Yes,” Tu Ran replied with a smile, agreeing with him.
Tu Ran and Min Tao both jumped off the monster.
“Zero, call them in,” Tu Ran instructed.
The heavy door of the air raid shelter was opened from the outside, and a group of guards quickly entered, surrounding the fallen monster with their guns.
Following them were members of the research institute.
Tu Ran and the others stepped out of the air raid shelter, leaving the rest to the incoming team.
As soon as they were outside, Min Tao sat down against the wall, exhausted.
“How are you, Brother Tao?” Xiao Di asked with concern, stepping forward.
Min Tao shook his head, removed his helmet, and sighed deeply, “I’m completely worn out.”
The physical exertion from fighting the monster had been draining.
He looked at Tu Ran, who seemed unchanged, and exclaimed, “You have great stamina!”
Tu Ran maintained her composed expression and nodded, “Yes, I do a lot of training.”
“Impressive,” Min Tao said, giving her a thumbs up.
Tu Ran pressed her lips together and casually glanced elsewhere.
With her [Diamond Body], she could recover quickly from fatigue.
“It looks like I need to improve my fitness too,” Min Tao said, shaking his head with a sigh.
“You’re impressive too, Brother Tao,” Xiao Di comforted him.
Tu Ran nodded sincerely, “Very impressive indeed.”
