Chapter 442: Refusing to Cooperate

Lao Bao stretched his muscles, and only heard his joints crack twice.

His strength was a bit less than in the game, but far greater than his original body.

The fusion seemed to intensify further.

Hua Jian Lei sat on a slightly farther bed, even a thin blanket still covering his legs; he glanced at the thing on the floor that was getting up, then glanced at Lao Bao.

Lao Bao happened to cast his gaze at him at that moment; their eyes met in the air, and Hua Jian Lei then lightly nodded.

Lao Bao lifted his foot and walked toward the thing; the Aberrant Species lunged at him again.

This time its movements were smoother than before, its limb coordination clearly improved; Lao Bao didn't dodge, he thrust out his right hand, and a punch landed directly on the Aberrant Species's head.

Lao Bao heard the sound of bone shattering, but even so, it still struggled, reaching for Lao Bao's face with its other hand; Lao Bao tilted his head slightly to avoid it, then kicked the thing away with a foot.

The thing's body flew backward, blood splattered on the floor, and the floor tiles were corroded into several tiny pits.

Lao Bao released its wrist, grabbed its shoulders with both hands, lifted the whole creature, and then slammed it onto the ground.

The thing's back hit the cement floor with a muffled thud; its limbs twitched a few times, and a mouthful of black blood spurted out.

Lao Bao stepped forward a few paces, planted his foot on its chest, pressing down hard; the Aberrant Species's sternum cracked, sounding as if something inside was shattering.

The thing's body convulsed violently a few times, then finally went completely still.

Its eyes remained open, the blood hue in its pupils gradually faded, returning to a murky gray‑white.

The room was still that quiet.

No one spoke, no one moved; they considered themselves accustomed to the perilous wasteland life, yet it was still the first time they saw fellow players in the same situation employ such brutal combat.

After an Aberrant Species is killed, it's best to stay far away within a certain radius; although the Mutation fades gradually, each living Aberrant Species remains a roaming Mutation Source.

Hua Jian Lei's gaze swept through the crowd, finally landing on the doorway.

Someone moved outside the door, probably having heard the earlier commotion, hurrying toward here.

The door was pushed open from outside.

A man in a dark‑blue uniform stood in the doorway, a work badge pinned to his chest bearing the words "Emergency Response Unit".

He seemed to have anticipated this scene, and Hua Jian Lei instantly understood everything.

Since the officials could relocate them all to one place, they must have prepared in advance for the appearance of Aberrant Species.

Perhaps the room contained weapons targeting Aberrant Species; not acting immediately might also be to test players who possess Special Ability Practitioner powers.

Hua Jian Lei guessed this possibility and pushed Lao Bao out to serve as the target.

However, his identity could not be hidden, after all he had always represented Entropy Increase in negotiations with the officials.

"Everyone, after exiting, please turn right toward the stairwell, then proceed upstairs to the designated rest area; we have placed signboards along the way."

With officials present, the crowd surged toward the doorway like a hive, as if they had finally found a backbone.

Hua Jian Lei didn't push through them; after most had passed, he left through the doorway, his gaze falling on the walls on both sides of the corridor.

Every few meters there was a door labeled with numbers from 301 to 309; the one they emerged from was 305.

The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving the corridor empty, with only Hua Jian Lei, Lao Bao, and the man in the dark‑blue uniform remaining.

The man turned and looked at them, his gaze lingering a bit longer on Hua Jian Lei's face before shifting to Lao Bao's.

He probably noticed Hua Jian Lei's long silver‑powder hair; in the real world that hair color is uncommon, but not unheard of.

"Currently, the officials grant many privileges to players who have awakened Aberrant Arts, such as better living conditions, more intelligence bias, and guidance on Aberrant Arts development—benefits ordinary people cannot enjoy."

He spoke slowly, his attitude genuinely sincere.

"If you're interested, you can come with me to learn more; it won't take much time."

Lao Bao said nothing, merely glancing at Hua Jian Lei.

Hua Jian Lei leaned against the wall, relaxed, but his pink peach‑blossom eyes were slightly narrowed, the curve at the corners half‑smiling.

"We don't need it."

Hua Jian Lei straightened from the wall, raised his hand and patted Lao Bao on the shoulder.

"Compared to that, we now need a place to rest."

This was a clear refusal of the officials' recruitment.

The man merely nodded, his expression unchanged, stepped aside, and gestured toward the end of the corridor with a "please" sign.

"Then follow the main group; someone ahead will arrange rest for you." He paused, then added another sentence.

"However, there's one thing to clarify beforehand: you just had direct contact with an Aberrant Species. According to regulations, you must stay here for a period of observation before leaving, for the safety of the public; we hope you understand."

Hua Jian Lei nodded without replying, and the two gradually moved forward, one after the other, fading away.

The man stood where he was, watching the two's silhouettes disappear around the corridor corner.

He fished the intercom from his waist, pressed a button.

"Room 305 possibly has two Special Ability Practitioners."

He paused, then glanced back at the still‑wet black blood pooling on the floor inside the door.

"The short‑haired one has strong combat power, his body strength clearly exceeds that of ordinary people; as for the long‑haired—" He tapped the edge of the intercom twice with his finger.

"I suspect he's also a Special Ability Practitioner, and judging from their interaction, the long‑haired one seems to be dominant."

The intercom was silent for two seconds, then a "Received" sounded.

The man tucked the intercom back to his waist, turned, and pulled the iron door shut.

For the current officials, how to handle these players is also a major issue.

At least this "Return" incident exposed many players who had been hidden among the crowd.

Yet dealing with these players requires the officials to be even more cautious.

After all, they did not voluntarily defect; they were passively forced to reveal their identities.

If they were willing to trust the officials and join, that would be the best outcome, but they refused.

The officials currently state that all Special Ability Practitioners among the players should be registered, and if they refuse to join, they must not be forced, and should be treated politely.

At least until they explicitly refuse to cooperate with the official action, they only need to dispatch people to increase surveillance, just to ensure no problems arise.