Chapter 20 – Infiltration

“I have something very important to tell you.” The voice on the other end of the line belonged to a woman. After hearing those words, Su Lifeng frowned slightly and cut her off. “Come home tonight.”

“But I still have work…”

Before she could finish, Su Lifeng had already hung up. He glanced at the number on the screen, thinking with some surprise: She could tell it was him? Surely she didn’t greet everyone who called her like that?

At the thought, Su Lifeng couldn’t help but shake his head. In his survival plan, she was perhaps the most difficult person to deal with…

During the days he had spent lying in the hospital, Su Lifeng had been constantly pondering how to prepare for the apocalypse that could arrive at any moment.

However, to deal with an apocalypse, there were simply too many things he needed to prepare for.

And just now, he had finished the first item on his list.

But this was only the beginning…

Su Lifeng pocketed his phone, looked at the hurried passersby around him, and hailed a taxi.

“Where to?” the driver asked.

Having just returned to Ningnan, the destination Su Lifeng gave wasn’t his home, but another place entirely…

“Ningnan University, please.”

After finally squeezing out of the crowd while lugging two large suitcases, Qiu Yuming couldn’t wait to start looking around.

As expected, the result was disappointing; she didn’t see any sign of Senior Su.

Taxi after taxi stopped and drove away. Qiu Yuming waved vigorously at an empty cab. Before even getting in, she spoke to the driver through the window with excitement and pride, “I’m going to Ningnan University! Oh, right, are there any flower shops on the way?”

…

Just as Qiu Yuming had said, since the tragedy occurred, the gates of Ningnan University had become a place for spontaneous public prayer. Even the walls on both sides of the gate were covered with floral offerings and cards. The walls were also plastered with photos of the missing. Judging by the many slogans hanging there, most people were still praying for their safe return.

Unfortunately, while the sentiment was beautiful, it was destined to never be realized.

Su Lifeng sat in the slowing taxi, his eyes dimming as he watched the scene.

“We’re here.” The car had been stopped for over ten seconds before Su Lifeng snapped out of his daze, reacting only when the driver spoke up to remind him.

He quickly paid the fare, adjusted his mindset, and opened the door to step out.

While at Shencheng Hospital, Su Lifeng had avoided any ultrasounds, blood tests, or similar examinations to prevent his secret from being exposed. He had only accepted a few days of glucose IVs and daily blood pressure and temperature checks. However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t concerned about the state of his own body.

Therefore, the second thing he did upon returning to Ningnan was to come to the place he knew had the most comprehensive equipment-one that was even more advanced than large hospitals in many respects: the School of Life Sciences.

Since it was still summer break, the laboratories at the School of Life Sciences were very quiet. Su Lifeng easily bypassed the security guards, jumped over a patch of bushes, and slipped toward the exterior of the laboratory building. What he intended to do had to be kept secret from everyone.

After several days of “digestion,” Su Lifeng clearly felt that the Xenospecies power was becoming more compatible with his body.

Compared to before, he was noticeably more enduring, faster, and more agile. Even compared to those who engaged in long-term athletic training, he wasn’t far behind. Furthermore, after multiple secret training sessions, his Exoskeleton had gradually shifted from appearing passively to being controllable by his own will.

Using the Exoskeleton was, in fact, a natural instinct, much like a human using their own limbs. However, if a person hasn’t walked for a long time and suddenly regains the ability to walk, they will still feel a lack of control-to say nothing of Su Lifeng’s situation, which was starting completely from scratch.

As a graduate student in biology, Su Lifeng was well-versed in training biological habits. He had used the most blunt and direct method to accelerate the most difficult step: initial adaptation through slamming himself against a wall.

Every night, Su Lifeng would lock himself in a bathroom stall and strike the wall with force. In the beginning, there were times when the Exoskeleton failed to manifest in time. However, once Su Lifeng’s subconscious memorized that piercing pain, the Exoskeleton-acting as a self-preservation mechanism-began to react rapidly to the stimulus.

By the second time he struck with the same force, the Exoskeleton would surface.

But that wasn’t enough.

After repeated practice, Su Lifeng finally managed to memorize the sensation of the impending impact. Now, even without hitting a wall, he could summon the Exoskeleton whenever he needed it.

Though he had suffered quite a bit to achieve this, it killed two birds with one stone… His inexplicable acts of self-harm only made his excuse of being “mentally traumatized” more believable.

“Haha, alright then. We’ll grab a bite after the shift change,” a security guard nearby said into his walkie-talkie, his back turned to Su Lifeng.

Once Su Lifeng was certain the guard wouldn’t suddenly turn around, he darted to the base of the wall. A layer of bone-white Exoskeleton quietly emerged over his knuckles as he struck the latch of a window with a quick, sharp blow.

The sound was muffled, but the latch was jolted open.

Many professionally trained individuals could produce this kind of force, but an ordinary person like Su Lifeng would find it difficult to do so without injuring themselves. The existence of the Exoskeleton ensured he remained unharmed.

By the time the guard lowered his walkie-talkie and turned back toward the laboratory building, Su Lifeng had already slipped through the window and pulled it nearly shut behind him.

He was in the restroom, the only place besides the labs themselves that lacked surveillance cameras. Even though it was summer break, Su Lifeng believed the cameras were still operational; it was just that no one was likely monitoring them in real-time. Furthermore, the time he had chosen happened to be the lunch hour.

Su Lifeng relaxed his body, then walked straight out of the restroom, reaching out to pull the main circuit breaker just before he rounded the corner.

He knew this place like the back of his hand.

The lights in the corridor instantly died, and the cameras ceased functioning. Without breaking stride, Su Lifeng sprinted up to the second floor and flipped another breaker on his way.

The lights flickered, and by the time the cameras’ red lights began blinking again, the corridor was already empty.

“Phew…”

Inside a laboratory, Su Lifeng leaned against the door he had just closed and let out a soft breath.

Before the disaster, he never would have believed he could perform such an act so calmly and seamlessly.

But compared to the sheer terror of a life-and-death struggle, a minor matter like potentially being expelled seemed trivial. Though it wasn’t obvious, Su Lifeng felt his mindset had undergone a subtle shift.

“Let’s begin.” Su Lifeng looked at the cold instruments in the lab. His previously calm demeanor suddenly gave way to a surge of nervousness.

What exactly was inside his body?