A moment later, two items were retrieved.
The first was a palm-sized metal device with precise patterns covering its surface and a light blue crystal embedded in the center.
It was the very device Zhou Hu had used in the ruins earlier to interfere with Su Wan’s ability.
The second was a strange-looking telescope, noticeably thicker than a standard one. The barrel was covered in fine scales and featured several buttons and indicator lights that Su Wan didn't recognize.
Zhou Hu’s expression shifted as he watched his belongings being taken away, but in the end, he did not struggle.
Su Wan took the two items and weighed them in her hand.
She issued a command to the system to analyze the objects.
【Command confirmed. Commencing scan and analysis…】
【Analyzing…】
【Analysis complete.】
【Item 1: Portable Energy Jammer (Model: PX-7)】
【Origin: One of the high-tech pieces of equipment excavated and reverse-engineered from Old Era ruins by Panshi Company.】
【Function: Emits energy ripples at a specific frequency that can interfere with an Ability User’s energy circulation within a certain range, significantly reducing their efficiency. Interference range: 100-meter radius. Duration: 30 seconds (at full power). Charging method: Solar/External power source.】
【Current Status: 23% energy remaining, fully functional.】
【Item 2: Long-range Observer (Model: OV-3)】
【Origin: High-tech equipment excavated from Old Era ruins by Panshi Company. Rare and reserved for high-ranking personnel.】
【Function: Integrates multiple observation modes including optical, infrared, and thermal imaging. Capable of high-precision observation within a ten-kilometer range. At five kilometers, it can clearly identify the veins on a leaf; at ten kilometers, it can observe the outlines and movement trajectories of large targets. Features include autofocus, target locking, and night vision enhancement.】
【Current Status: 67% energy remaining, fully functional.】
Su Wan’s eyebrows rose slightly as she read the system’s analysis.
A Long-range Observer.
It could see large targets ten kilometers away and leaf veins within five kilometers.
Zhou Hu had used this device to watch the Terminal Station from a distance, monitoring her every move.
No wonder the system hadn't provided an early warning.
No wonder she hadn't sensed anything unusual.
Three kilometers was beyond the system’s standard monitoring range and beyond the sensory limits of her mental power.
She put the two items away and turned her gaze back to Zhou Hu.
“You’re with Panshi Company,” she said calmly. “What are you doing here?”
Zhou Hu remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking.
“The company sent me to see if this building could really withstand the Death Tide.”
“If it could, I was to report back. Whatever the higher-ups decide to do with that information is none of my business.”
Su Wan nodded.
The answer was close to what she had suspected.
However, something else suddenly occurred to her.
Zhou Hu had been able to move during the Death Tide.
The Death Tide had lasted over eight hours, and during that time, he had stayed in the ruins, observing every move made at the Terminal Station.
But the mist of the Death Tide was lethal to ordinary people.
Even as a Level 3 Ability User, whose resistance to the mist would be much stronger than a normal person’s, it should have been impossible for him to stay in the Death Tide for over eight hours and remain unscathed.
How had he done it?
She looked at Zhou Hu and voiced her doubt. “How did you survive in the Death Tide?”
“Is your ability… special?”
Zhou Hu fell silent again.
His eyes flickered, and his lips thinned into a line, clearly unwilling to answer the question.
Sensing his resistance, Su Wan grew even more curious.
“Zhou Hu, you are my prisoner now. When I ask you something, you’d better answer honestly.”
“If you cooperate, I might consider giving you a chance to live.”
“If you don’t—”
She paused, her voice turning cold. “I have plenty of ways to make you talk. It’s just that you’ll have to suffer quite a bit in the process.”
Zhou Hu’s face paled.
He recalled the agonizing pain from moments ago, and a chill ran down his spine.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse. “I can’t really explain it myself…”
Su Wan’s brow arched. “What do you mean?”
Zhou Hu took a deep breath and slowly raised his right hand.
Su Wan stared at his hand, her gaze unblinking.
Then, she witnessed a truly bizarre sight—
Tiny droplets of a transparent liquid began to seep out from the skin on the back of Zhou Hu’s hand.
The liquid was thick and viscous, quickly covering his entire hand and shimmering slightly under the dim light.
It looked like the mucus secreted by certain animals.
“This is…” Su Wan’s pupils constricted slightly.
Zhou Hu gave a bitter smile and withdrew his hand. The layer of mucus was quickly reabsorbed by his skin, vanishing without a trace.
“I can secrete this substance,” he whispered. “If I cover my whole body, I can block out the Death Tide mist. Radiation, pollution, toxic gas… it’s the same.”
“But this… isn't an ability.”
Su Wan was shaken.
This was incredible.
The Death Tide mist could corrode any flesh and blood; an ordinary person wouldn't last more than a few minutes in it.
Yet Zhou Hu could move freely within the Death Tide just by secreting this mucus from his skin?
She knew Zhou Hu was right; this strange power wasn't an ability.
Abilities required the circulation of an Energy Core and the consumption of mental power.
But when Zhou Hu had just demonstrated this, she hadn't sensed any energy fluctuations at all.
If it wasn't an ability, then what was it?
Just as Su Wan was wondering, the system’s notification rang in her mind:
【Ding! Abnormal life signatures detected within target individual ‘Zhou Hu’!】
【Commencing deep scan and analysis…】
【Analyzing…】
【Analysis complete.】
【Non-human gene insertion fragments detected within the target’s body, showing high similarity to multiple animal gene sequences. Gene chimeric rate: 37%.】
【Preliminary judgment: The target is a ‘gene-modified organism,’ a human individual modified through biotechnology. Multiple animal genes have been fused into his body, granting him physical attributes and special abilities far beyond those of an ordinary person.】
【Currently detected special abilities:】
【1. Mucus Secretion (Derived from amphibian/reptile genes): Can form a protective mucus layer on the body surface, effectively blocking radiation, pollution, toxins, and Death Tide mist corrosion.】
【2. Strength Enhancement (Derived from large feline/ursine genes): Base strength far exceeds that of Ability Users of the same rank.】
【3. Accelerated Healing (Derived from certain reptile genes): Injury recovery speed is approximately 3-5 times that of a normal human.】
【4. Acute Senses (Derived from feline genes): Vision, hearing, and smell are all far superior to ordinary humans.】
【Notice: There is significant genetic instability within the target’s body. Some gene fragments are in a free-floating state, which may lead to uncontrollable ‘beastification’ reactions.】
Su Wan stared at the lines of text on the system panel, waves of shock crashing through her mind.
A gene-modified organism.
Animal gene fusion.
A laboratory product.
Rate on N.U.
