Chapter 313: I'm Back

Now is the time!

Lin Yu moved. He was no longer a shadow dodging, but a predator on the offensive. The silenced pistol rang out again, muffled thuds, each one hitting precisely. He used the complex terrain formed by concrete pillars and vehicle wrecks to weave, change direction, and shoot at high speed. His movements were simple to the extreme, without any wasted flair, only the most efficient slaughter.

Bullets exploded concrete debris where he had just been. An armed person just poked half his body out and was shot in the neck by Lin Yu from the side-rear, falling silently. Another tried to establish a firing point behind an SUV, but Lin Yu slid over first, pressed the pistol against the opponent's knee, and pulled the trigger, simultaneously snatching the automatic weapon the opponent had dropped, and firing a short burst, taking out the enemy trying to flank from the other side.

Gunfire, explosion echoes, vehicle alarms, and the groans of the wounded mixed together. But Lin Yu turned a deaf ear; his world contained only targets, cover, and trajectories. Within a few minutes, the garage was quiet again, leaving only a few people groaning on the ground and Zhao Kang, who was limp and had blurred consciousness. The thick smell of gunpowder and blood permeated the air.

Lin Yu walked to Zhao Kang, his combat boot stepping on the hand he was trying to reach for the metal box. He crouched down, tore off the protective mask on Zhao Kang's face, revealing the face twisted by pain and fear.

"'Ouroboros', 'Ark Project', YA-001," Lin Yu's voice was low, devoid of any temperature, every word like an ice pick, "Xuanyuan Qing. Speak."

A rattling sound came from Zhao Kang's throat, his eyes full of terror. "It's... it's funded by 'Ouroboros'... the hospital is just the executor..." he opened his mouth intermittently, the backlash of the nerve interference making even speaking extremely difficult, "'Ark'... is... is consciousness backup... YA-001... is the first successful... consciousness carrier..."

"What about Xuanyuan Qing?" Lin Yu's force increased, and Zhao Kang's wrist bone made a slight cracking sound.

"Container... the perfect container..." Zhao Kang groaned in pain, "Her genes... can maximize compatibility with YA-001... we are cloning... need her active samples... right upstairs... special monitoring area..."

Cloning... container... YA-001 consciousness backup...

Every word was like a red-hot branding iron, burning on Lin Yu's heart. He raised his hand suddenly, smashing a heavy punch into Zhao Kang's jaw; the latter groaned and passed out completely.

Lin Yu stood up, looking around at the messy garage and the scattered bodies on the ground. He was just about to set off for the so-called "special monitoring area" when a steady sound of footsteps, accompanied by the sound of neat and uniform marching, came from another entrance of the garage.

Lights lit up again, but this time it wasn't headlights, but the beams of tactical flashlights, precisely locking onto him. More than a dozen personnel wearing uniforms different from security guards or mercenaries, more like internal special agents, spread out in a fan shape, surrounding him in the center.

A middle-aged man wearing a white coat, hair combed meticulously, and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, walked out slowly from behind the special agents. He looked refined, even carrying a trace of gentle regret on his face.

"Lin Yu, or should I say, Dr. Lin," the man spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly transmitted throughout the garage, "It's been so many years, and the way you return here is still so... intense."

Lin Yu's body stiffened imperceptibly. This voice, this face. The Dean, Zhou Minghui.

"It seems that you still haven't let go of what happened back then." Zhou Minghui pushed his glasses, "'Ouroboros' appreciates your talent very much and has always hoped you would return. Zhao Kang is just a stupid person who is eager for quick success, but the direction he took was not wrong."

"Direction?" Lin Yu's voice was as cold as ice, "Using innocent people for experiments? Cloning life to carry some unknown consciousness?"

"For evolution, sacrifices are inevitable." Zhou Minghui's tone was flat, as if discussing an ordinary medical topic. "YA-001 represents the future of humanity. And you, should have been one of the most important creators of this future, but chose betrayal."

He raised his hand, a clear instruction. "Take him away. 'Ouroboros' needs an explanation."

The special agents slowly approached.

Lin Yu stood with his back to the unconscious Zhao Kang, facing his former guide, now his enemy. He slowly raised his hand, not to surrender, but pointing at Zhou Minghui, and also at the shadow of the entire hospital behind him.

"I will settle everything here," he spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying a certain decisive will, piercing the silence of the garage, "Tell 'Ouroboros', I'm back."

The light at the other entrance of the garage was cut by more than a dozen figures, and the neat and uniform tactical footsteps echoed on the concrete floor, carrying the cold hardness of metal friction. Unlike the chaos of the previous security guards or mercenaries, these people's movements carried strict discipline, and their gun muzzles were stably aimed at the center—Lin Yu.

Zhou Minghui walked out from behind the special agents, his white coat spotless, his face behind the gold-rimmed glasses calm and gentle.

"Lin Yu, or should I call you Dr. Lin?" He stopped at a safe distance, his voice spreading through the garage's echo, "So many years, the way you chose to return is still so... uncompromising."

He pushed his glasses and continued: "What happened back then was a regret. But 'Ouroboros' appreciates your ability very much and has always kept a position open for you. Zhao Kang is a fool, eager for quick success, but the direction he chose was not inappropriate. Come back, your position is far more than this."

A short, snort-like sound came from Lin Yu's throat.

"My position?" He moved his left arm, which was in excruciating pain but could still barely be raised, "Is it like you back then, stepping on the research of your companions, tampering with data, kicking all the voices that didn't suit you out of the project one by one, and finally sitting in this Dean's position? Zhou Minghui, under your white coat, it's dirtier than the waste oil in this garage."

The gentle disguise on Zhou Minghui's face cracked instantly, gloominess covering his face.

"It seems that communication is superfluous." He no longer concealed, "Take him alive. Bring him back, we need to have a good 'talk' with him."

The encirclement formed by the special agents began to shrink.

Just as their footsteps moved, Lin Yu moved! He stepped hard on the ground, and a metal fragment collapsed by the explosion was kicked up, spinning toward the face of a special agent. At the same time, his body slid sideways, using the oil stains remaining on the ground to avoid the lock of the two gun muzzles in front of him at an incredible angle, his right hand reaching toward the wall.

Bang! The fire hydrant glass was shattered, and the red valve was violently turned on by him with a clever force!

The high-pressure water column surged out, mixed with the smoke and dust produced by the explosion, instantly forming a white mist in the corner of the garage, the beams of the high-intensity flashlights refracting and scattering in the mist, vision severely obstructed. The water flow impacted the ground, kicking up more oil stains and debris. ===== CHAPTER 314 =====