Chapter 6: The Genetically Engineered Human

Tiger Girl suddenly appeared before him and lashed out with a powerful kick!

Boom!

Lin Xiaosu felt as if a tornado had swept through the shadowy basement.

The man who had just rushed up to him was struck directly between the legs by her kick, sent soaring into the air. In that instant, his face twisted grotesquely.

Yet the man’s peculiar abilities were immediately apparent. Twisting midair, he kicked off the wall, his body transforming into a black sword, a dark dagger flashing straight for Tiger Girl’s throat.

Tiger Girl spun away with lightning speed, avoiding the attack. Her right hand fell like a hammer, striking the man squarely on the head.

With a heavy thud, the man crashed to the ground, the floor trembling from the impact.

He struggled to lift his head, only to be met with a foot—at least a size forty-one—stomping down hard. The man slid across the floor and crashed into the far wall. His head lolled to the side, and he lost consciousness.

A beam of flashlight trembled in Zhou Mei’s hands. Even as a police officer, she had never encountered such peril before.

An ambush in the dark, an assailant armed with a deadly weapon—if it had been her, she would probably have ended up a tragic photo on the wall, her ambitions cut short. Yet in Tiger Girl’s hands, the attacker was dispatched with just a few ruthless blows.

Was this the prowess of free fighting? Was this the legendary might of the Tower Mountain’s female overlord, as rumored throughout the small county?

Lin Xiaosu stepped past the fallen man, and soon a cry of triumph echoed out: “Found him!”

With a whoosh, Tiger Girl appeared in the room, sweating at the nose as she looked at the scene illuminated by the phone’s flashlight.

It was Jiang Yang!

It was really him!

Jiang Yang lay atop a pile of packaging bags, sleeping soundly—clearly drugged.

Outside, Zhou Mei had just handcuffed the unconscious suspect, twisting his arm behind his back. Hearing the shout from inside, she jolted, causing her flashlight to slip from her mouth and fall.

She hurried into the room and, the moment she saw Jiang Yang in his blue hoodie—whom she’d glimpsed once before on surveillance—her heart leaped.

A phone call went out. Captain Zhang was stunned.

Mrs. Wang, who had followed anxiously all the way, jumped up, crying and shouting with relief.

Police cars wailed, racing toward the site at top speed...

At last, Lin Xiaosu met Zhou Mei’s gaze. Heaven bear witness, it was not a look of gratitude—rather, it held suspicion. “What’s your name?”

“Why do you need to know that?”

“I need to know—where were you an hour ago?”

“What the—! You think I’m a suspect?” Lin Xiaosu nearly jumped out of his skin.

“I know it’s rude to suspect someone who helped solve the case, but the way this all played out is too incredible. My criminal investigation knowledge can’t account for it. So you’d best answer honestly. If I’ve wronged you, I’ll buy you dinner and offer an apology,” Zhou Mei replied, calm and even.

Tiger Girl stepped forward. “Officer, you’ve got the wrong person! An hour ago, he was with me in Old Tower Mountain Village working another case. When we heard about the missing child, we rushed here together.”

“What case?”

“The Widow Feng Bath Incident… It’s already common knowledge in Old Tower Mountain Village. You can look into it. If not for him, my father would’ve been wrongly accused.” Tiger Girl crossed her arms.

“So he’s really like a police dog… tracking by scent?”

“Yes!” Tiger Girl said. “He’s got a keen nose. When we go hunting wild game in Tower Mountain, he’s always the one trailing after the scent…”

“Hunting wild game?” Zhou Mei’s eyes lit up.

“Ahem… nothing endangered, just rabbits and such. We know the law,” Lin Xiaosu hastily clarified.

“I’ve studied the Animal Protection List by heart,” Tiger Girl added quickly.

Zhou Mei fell silent.

Outside, the sound of sirens blared, followed by a rush of footsteps.

At the very front, stumbling and breathless, was Mrs. Wang. She’d lost her high heels, kicked them off, and now ran barefoot in a frenzy.

Lin Xiaosu gave Tiger Girl a gentle tug. “Let’s go.”

“Yeah, let’s go. My treat!” Tiger Girl followed him out of the construction site, hailing a taxi by the roadside.

Inside, facing the suspect, Zhou Mei’s expression was grave. “Captain Zhang, I suspect this man is a Gene-Human!”

Zhang’s face changed instantly.

Gene-Humans—the product of modern science. Spliced with multiple genes, endowed with extraordinary abilities. Once the fusion succeeds, they are no longer ordinary people—truly terrifying.

“What evidence do you have?” Captain Zhang asked, voice low.

“His reaction speed is inhuman. In terms of skill alone, even you might not match him, Captain. If Li Diandian hadn’t been here, I might be dead right now,” Zhou Mei replied.

Zhang reached for a small metal device resembling a thermometer, popped it into the suspect’s mouth, and removed it after three seconds. A blue glow shimmered inside.

In the blue glow, every officer’s face turned serious.

This was the method for detecting Gene-Humans. This suspect truly was one.

Zhang slowly looked up. “Any case involving Gene-Humans is a case of national importance. I’ll report this to headquarters at once…”

At Wan Prefecture Grilled Fish House, the most famed restaurant in the city, known for its signature grilled fish, Lin Xiaosu and Tiger Girl settled into a private room upstairs. After closing the door, Tiger Girl poured him some tea and lowered her voice. “I covered for you in front of that pretty lady cop today, but even I can’t convince myself—how can you track by scent? You’re more dog than a dog…”

More dog than a dog! What kind of backhanded compliment was that?

Lin Xiaosu shot her a look. “Maybe it’s because you force-fed me so much wild game my genes mutated.”

“How is that possible? I’ve eaten far more wild game than you, and I haven’t mutated,” Tiger Girl protested.

“You haven’t? What normal girl can kick a two-hundred-pound man several meters through the air? Your mutation is even scarier than mine—just in a different direction. I’m all brain, you’re all brawn…”

Tiger Girl looked dejected. “Maybe you’re right. My mother always said not to eat strange things. Mountain game is odd stuff. I eat their flesh, and they mess with my nerves in return.”

“It’s not so bad. In today’s world, it’s hard for ordinary people to get by. A special skill or two is a good thing. If you hadn’t been so fierce today, we’d both be done for.”

“Maybe so, but I’m still a girl!” Tiger Girl said. “Books say women are made of water, but I’m more like concrete. You won’t believe this, but my skin’s gotten so tough needles can’t pierce it.”

Lin Xiaosu was astonished. “No way! Didn’t you get stung all over last year when you poked that wasp nest?”

“That was last year. This year, it’s different. I went to pick another wasp nest just to see what the stings would feel like, but they just bounced off—they couldn’t get through. Even the wasps looked like they wanted to cry. Xiaosu, I… I’m a little scared, honestly.”

“What are you scared of?”

Tiger Girl hesitated. “I’m worried no one will ever want to marry me.”

“Don’t worry. If no one else will, I will! If I won’t take the fall, who will?” Lin Xiaosu said, puffing out his chest.

“You? You really think you’re up to it?” Tiger Girl shot him a glance. “I told you, even wasps can’t sting my skin. With your skinny frame… no offense…”

“Hey! I’ll prove it!”

“Go ahead, but don’t cry if you get hurt…”

They joked and bantered, but after dinner, Tiger Girl sped away on her bike, proving once again: she was all talk and no game.

What did that mean? She was always teasing Lin Xiaosu, always pushing the limits, but if things ever got serious, she’d bolt faster than anyone.

Night fell.

The lights of Feng City glittered.

Neon lights blanketed the streets, traffic flowed in endless streams—another seemingly ordinary night in the county town had begun.

By the banks of the Yichuan River in the east of the city, the top floor of the Public Security Bureau was ablaze with light in a small conference room.

Director Wang Feng, Deputy Director Li Sanli, and Political Commissar He Jiaqiang sat together.

Since ancient times, there has been a tradition for meetings: small matters get large meetings, big matters get small meetings.

Tonight, for the Bureau, it was a big matter.

News had just arrived from the Provincial Department—leadership was coming, and the news was to be kept secret.

No mention was made of which level of leadership, nor for what reason.

The shorter the message, the greater the issue.

Having spent their lives in the unpredictable world of law enforcement, the three men could sense, from the day’s events and the unusually vague message from above, that tonight’s visitors were no ordinary guests.

As midnight approached, the streets grew quiet.

The night was deep, starless and moonless.

A sudden breeze swept across the rooftop of the Public Security Bureau.

With the wind, a maglev craft landed silently.

Maglev vehicles were not yet available to civilians—only the military and secret agencies possessed them.

The craft’s door opened noiselessly, and two people stepped out, side by side, both in plain clothes—a man and a woman. The man had a crew cut and an unremarkable face, but his eyes glowed startlingly in the darkness. The woman was strikingly beautiful and graceful, her hair coiled up to reveal a long, swan-like neck, adding a touch of ethereal elegance to her presence.

“The Director is waiting in the conference room!” two officers said, bowing in unison.

“Good,” the young man replied, striding ahead, descending from the rooftop just as the maglev craft rose and vanished without a sound.

The conference room door opened quietly. The three inside stood up in surprise at the sight of the two young newcomers—these were not the provincial officials they had spoken to, but rather, people who were almost shockingly young. Who were they?

The young man entered, waving his hand gently.

The conference room door closed.

He approached the Director, raising his hand to reveal a golden badge.

On the gold badge, a golden dragon was engraved, coiled around a pillar, with a string of numbers: 088.

The Director’s face changed. “Hidden Dragon?”

The other two men also blanched.

Hidden Dragon—an extremely secretive organization, entrusted with matters of the utmost national importance. Some called them the “Shadow Sentinels of the Grand Summer Republic.” Others said they were those who, though dwelling in darkness, brought light to the nation.

“I am Hidden Dragon number 88. This is Long Night,” said the young man. “We have come because the child abduction that occurred in your county today is almost identical to a series of kidnappings erupting across the country. We suspect it is part of the ‘Hydra’ and ‘Blood Spear Plan.’ The situation is grave.”

“Hydra, Blood Spear Plan…” the Director repeated. “What kind of plan is this?”

“The level is too high for you to know the details. Just understand its basic direction. This plan is orchestrated by foreign organizations. Their aim is to select the most gifted children of the Grand Summer, genetically modify them, and turn them into Blood Spears—to pierce our nation’s defenses from within.”

Gifted children…

Genetic modification…

Deputy Director Li Sanli, in charge of criminal investigations, suddenly realized, “In the past three months, two children have gone missing in our county—one the heir to an ancient martial family, another trained in free fighting. And today’s victim, also a free fighter. All of them must have seemed promising to those people.”

“Of course!” said 88. “Where is the suspect?”

“In the special prison, held in isolation,” Li Sanli replied.

“Take us there. We’ll interrogate him tonight!”

“Yes, sir!”