Mechanical Antenna

"Unbelievable!"

"Lu Zhan, you really have given me a surprise!"

"Is this the Antenna that Mutant Beast had?"

A sheet of white paper lay spread before Xin Ya, displaying Lu Zhan's crude drawing skills in all their glory.

It was a somewhat irregular circle, like a shriveled apple with two pieces of wire stuck into it.

The circle represented the rest of the Mutant Beast.

Since he simply could not remember those parts, he could only use a circle in their place.

Although the all-important "Antenna" looked like two pieces of wire in Lu Zhan's drawing, it was packed with detail. He had even drawn the patterns on it.

"Interesting!"

"No wonder you thought this was a mechanical antenna. These patterns really don't look natural."

"Excellent, excellent! Lu Zhan, you've earned yourself some credit this time!"

After carefully studying the two richly detailed mechanical antennae, Xin Ya found herself warming to Lu Zhan more and more.

An expert in material alchemy, Xin Ya had already gleaned a few clues from those two antennae.

Those exquisitely precise patterns could not possibly have been something Lu Zhan had casually doodled.

As an ordinary person, Lu Zhan could not possibly possess that knowledge.

Her diligent work and late-night interrogation had not been in vain.

Unfortunately, this was all Lu Zhan could remember. Fortunately, Xin Ya had not expected too much.

After all, even the Armored Warrior trainees who had awakened their life ripples could only recall about this much detail.

According to the information Xin Ya had received, the seventeen severely injured trainees had provided a total of ten "puzzle pieces" of the Mutant Beast.

Now there was another piece, and it was the crucial head section.

This contribution was enough to see Xin Ya successfully through her internship.

Why?

Why was it two antennae?

Normally, the claws that ripped my belly open should have left a much deeper impression!

After finishing the drawing, Lu Zhan had fallen silent-or rather, into a daze.

Both his near loss of mental control earlier and the two antennae that had suddenly surfaced in his mind left him utterly confused.

The former seemed attributable to the merging of memories after his transmigration-a lingering side effect.

Yet judging by Xin Ya's "calm reaction," that did not seem to be the case.

As for the latter, it felt even stranger to Lu Zhan-or rather, more unsettling.

For some reason, Lu Zhan kept feeling as though those two antennae had taken root in his mind. He even felt a stirring, as if they were about to "break out of their shell."

Instinctively, Lu Zhan reached up and touched his skull.

This time, however, it was not because of excruciating pain, but an itch that went bone-deep.

It felt as though horns were about to sprout from his head.

"Lu Zhan, through your honesty and hard work, you've earned yourself an opportunity that could change your life."

"While you were unconscious, we performed a final examination to determine whether your gene sequence had been contaminated."

"Fortunately, you weren't infected by the Mutant Beast."

"Originally, you would have gone on living an ordinary life, just like the other fourteen survivors."

"But now another path has opened up before you!"

"During our tests, we discovered that you have the talent to become an Armored Warrior."

After much hesitation, Xin Ya had decided to give Lu Zhan a substantial reward.

Before this, she had never intended to tell Lu Zhan the news.

Even Xin Ya did not know why she had suddenly made this decision.

Perhaps Lu Zhan's background had touched her in some way, but the most important reason was surely that she was "fair enough" to reward every contribution.

"What?"

I actually have the talent to become an Armored Warrior?

Xin Ya's words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving Lu Zhan stunned.

No longer caring whether horns were about to sprout from his head, Lu Zhan immediately focused all his attention on Xin Ya.

He was terrified that she might merely be joking.

Lu Zhan's loss of composure was understandable. Every commoner in Yero City knew that becoming an Armored Warrior was the only way an ordinary person could rise above their social class.

As someone who had transmigrated, Lu Zhan naturally did not want to spend his entire life tightening screws as an alchemy apprentice.

He could have lived that sort of life in his previous world. There was no need to transmigrate for it.

But becoming an Armored Warrior was extraordinarily difficult.

The first hurdle was a talent assessment that cost ten years' wages from tightening screws.

Only those with the talent could qualify to become an Armored Warrior.

Such talent was exceedingly rare among ordinary people, often appearing in fewer than one in a thousand.

Otherwise, the Wutu Gang would not have sold them straight into factories. It would have had them tested first, then sold them for a higher price.

"That's right, Lu Zhan. You really do have the talent to become an Armored Warrior."

"But let me warn you: this isn't an easy path. You might die before you've taken more than a few steps."

"Think carefully about which choice you want to make!"

"We'll leave the matter of the Mutant Beast here for now. It's unlikely, but if you remember anything more later, you must report it to me immediately."

Xin Ya was not at all surprised by Lu Zhan's reaction.

In Yero City, ordinary people were not exactly starving or living with their lives constantly in peril, but they had virtually no avenue for advancement.

Lu Zhan was only eighteen and had yet to experience reality's cruelty. Naturally, he still harbored dreams of becoming an Armored Warrior.

Ignoring Lu Zhan, who had already fallen into a state of ecstasy, Xin Ya began packing up to leave.

Although there had been little need, Xin Ya had used some specialized equipment for this interrogation to demonstrate her professionalism.

For instance, of the dozen or so devices connected to Lu Zhan's body, several had nothing to do with treatment at all. They were there to detect lies.

These instruments monitored Lu Zhan's vital fluctuations. An ordinary person like Lu Zhan stood no chance of fooling them.

Even an Armored Warrior who had already awakened their life ripple could not have pulled the wool over their eyes.

How devious!

You

can't judge people by appearances. Xin Ya definitely isn't as kind as she seems.

She probably had another motive for telling me about my talent.

But whatever the case, I've made it through this hurdle.

After Xin Ya and the others left, Lu Zhan did not let his success go to his head.

Only after carefully removing every device from his body did he let out a long breath of relief.

It was not that Lu Zhan was overly cautious. He simply could not afford to let his guard down.

After all, this world's alchemical technology was rather strange.

As for why Lu Zhan, a "critically injured patient," dared to remove those life-support devices so casually-

It was, of course, because his body had told him that he had already recovered completely and no longer needed those "burdens."

Yes, Lu Zhan's body had called those devices "burdens," and he had even "heard" it with his own ears.

Although it was bizarre, even somewhat fantastical, it truly had happened to Lu Zhan.