Chapter Twenty-Five: Anomalous Data

Yellow tape sealed off the collapsed, abandoned factory. High-powered searchlights flooded the site with daylight, and a large contingent of security officers combed through the ruins, occasionally picking up stray hairs and placing them in evidence bags for analysis.

Guo Yixian stood at the edge of a crater, his electric gaze sweeping over the dark pit, seeing what even the searchlights could not reveal.

Yuan Liming frowned beside him. “I’ve never seen such a bizarre scene—it’s impossible to reconstruct what happened…”

Guo Yixian did not turn. “Tell me what you can see.”

Yuan Liming, spurred by Guo Yixian’s cold tone, immediately straightened. He had been bailed out because the Pulse-users valued his local knowledge and investigative skills; if he showed incompetence, he would surely be discarded and thrown back in jail.

He could not afford to sulk. Prison was a miserable place, especially with the burly man next door who kept staring at him with a foolish grin, making him feel a chill deep within.

“There’s a massive reaction to blood traces at the scene, but not much fresh blood. That means it was cleaned up in advance. Given the scale, it couldn’t have been done by just a few people in a short time. And all the blood is from feline animals.”

“Underneath, there are large cavities, apparently dug by animals. The hairs confirm they’re from brown city rats, but based on the digging patterns, the rats must weigh at least a kilogram and measure thirty centimeters—a size that's far too large.”

“Witnesses mentioned many shadows in the sky, suggesting an abnormal gathering of birds.”

“Some of the heavy machinery, at least a ton each, has sunk into the ground, but those that remain intact bear clear signs of being moved.”

“There are no obvious signs of retreat.”

“In summary, I can only surmise that Amerst’s supernaturals fought here—multiple types of powers, including those capable of summoning animals. Nothing else explains these traces.”

Guo Yixian sniffed the air. “It’s the same stench from the Trade Tower.”

Yuan Liming lifted his nose and sniffed hard, finding nothing. “I don’t smell it. I’ll have the soil sent back for analysis.”

Guo Yixian stepped down into the three-meter-deep pit, landing as lightly as descending a staircase. He grabbed a handful of soil and inhaled deeply. This spot was where Tindalos once traversed the shadows.

The stench of decay had faded, replaced by a sense of renewal. If Guo Yixian’s sense of smell wasn’t far beyond ordinary, he might not have detected it at all.

“Was this an Amerst feud? The bio-beasts and supernaturals have turned on each other… The bio-beast was that woman’s creation. Does she have some hidden agenda?”

Guo Yixian’s thoughts raced.

Yuan Liming glanced at the black pit but resisted the urge to jump down, calling out, “There are some tunnels around the crater. I’ve sent people to check them out, but they seem to be wandering a bit too far…”

Suddenly, Guo Yixian shifted sideways, as a burst of muffled gunfire erupted.

Yuan Liming instantly recognized the sound—submachine guns fitted with silencers!

The mound of earth surged, revealing a group of black-clad figures in ambush, their gun barrels barely flickering with sparks.

Most believed this was a routine post-battle investigation, neglecting to thoroughly search the dark pit that few dared approach. They planned to examine it in daylight, leaving a blind spot that allowed this ambush—both accidental and perilous.

There were about ten figures in all, modified humans left behind by Adonsa. Each possessed expert fighting and shooting skills, formidable in combat.

After capturing Arthur and Angsa, control of the modified humans fell to Adonsa.

They lay hidden, motionless, their body temperature and breathing reduced to a minimum. Their sole target: Guo Yixian, the Pulse-user.

Pulse-user—Adonsa had found this term in Arthur and Angsa’s memories.

A mysterious existence, their presence threaded through the history of the Shenzhou lands, yet in the modern world, they had become mere legend, dismissed by many.

Only those who stepped into the shadowy world understood the terror of the Pulse-users.

Pulse-users were powerful, but just how powerful, Arthur and Angsa had never witnessed firsthand.

Adonsa did not expect the modified humans to slaughter everyone; the goal was to test a Pulse-user directly, gather basic information, and decide his future strategy.

With the modified humans lying in ambush, the security officers in the tunnels would likely fare no better.

“Fire! Fire!”

The sudden attack startled Yuan Liming, but he quickly drew his pistol to suppress the enemy and called for fire support.

Yet Guo Yixian’s voice sounded calmly: “No need. I’ll handle it myself.”

With his keen senses, Guo Yixian had naturally detected the presence of the modified humans. He had not struck immediately, out of compassion, to avoid innocent casualties.

He willingly entered the ambush circle, drawing all fire onto himself, facing ten heavily armed opponents alone.

No matter how ghostly his movements, he could not dodge such concentrated fire for long. After his initial evasions, Guo Yixian surged forward at full speed. His leisure training outfit flexed with every movement, blocking all bullets—a finely crafted, lightweight bulletproof vest.

Ordinarily, no matter how good the vest, it could not absorb the impact force of bullets. An ordinary person, even with protection, would suffer intense pain or fatal internal bleeding from just one shot.

But a Pulse-user possessed an extraordinary physique. Guo Yixian endured a barrage as if being pummeled by a burly man with a club, not even furrowing his brow. He rushed the first modified human and delivered a punch to the chest, collapsing it inward, ribs piercing through flesh in a horrifying display.

The sickening crack of bone hadn’t even reached Yuan Liming’s ears when Guo Yixian, with a double kick, sent a stone flying into the forehead of another gun-wielding modified human, shattering the brain beneath the skull like tofu.

Without pause, Guo Yixian twisted past another opponent; in the blink of an eye, the man’s head was wrenched 180 degrees, life extinguished.

Like mist, like a dance, Guo Yixian turned, his palm brushing another modified human’s armpit. Blood mist erupted from seven orifices as both eyes popped out—the vicious internal force traveled from the armpit straight to the brain, detonating it.

The remaining six, seeing him so close, dropped their submachine guns. The two in front drew military daggers and charged.

Guo Yixian didn’t even use his hands or feet; he merely crashed into them with shoulder and elbow, sending both flying five meters, bodies twisted, dead before they could even strike.