Mutation

Chuxiang was genuinely taken aback. The fact that his lip had been pierced was of little concern, but what truly baffled him was why this PDA had a hidden blood testing function. Had it been with him since he woke up, and did it carry some special significance? Could this help uncover the lost memories from his leap off the cliff? After all, according to the timeline, it had been over a year since Chuxiang's fall, yet he could not recall a single thing from that time.

The PDA continued running for more than five minutes before it finally stopped. At that moment, the screen shifted, and a woman with shoulder-length hair, around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, appeared. To his surprise, she began speaking to Chuxiang!

"Hello, congratulations on your perfect breakthrough in human physical capabilities. Your fitness level has now reached E-class warrior status, with all mutation metrics stable. In a short time, you will evolve to D-class Captain."

Chuxiang looked behind him; aside from Song Jun, still sleeping on the side, there was no one else around. He pointed at himself and asked, "Are you talking to me?"

The woman on the screen paused, then giggled, "Yes, who else would I be talking to?"

Chuxiang tapped Song Jun, trying to wake him. "Old Song, get up, God's calling."

Song Jun lazily opened his eyes and glanced at the woman on the screen. Still groggy, he mumbled, "Chuxiang, don't overthink it. There are plenty of good women out there. If your ex-girlfriends didn't appreciate you, that's their loss. I'm going back to sleep… we've got a tough road ahead tomorrow… I'll keep watch later…"

It seemed that Song Jun thought this woman was one of Chuxiang's past girlfriends. Unable to wake him, Chuxiang turned back to the screen. "Who are you? Are you communicating with me through satellite networks? Can you tell me what's going on in the world? Can humanity still survive?"

The woman replied, "I am an intelligent program. My name is Bai Xiaowei. If you need to connect to the satellite network and report your physical data, I can do that immediately."

Chuxiang hurriedly responded, "No need! First explain what's going on, or I swear I'll smash this cursed phone!"

Bai Xiaowei smiled, "Alright, as long as your physical metrics surpass those of a normal human, you are my master. I will follow your commands… I am part of the national military's ultimate evolution experiment."

Chuxiang, intrigued, asked, "Ultimate evolution? What is that? You're not implying that the T-virus was accidentally leaked during your country's experiments, are you? Is it just our country that got the bad end of this?"

Bai Xiaowei clarified, "No, the military's ultimate evolution research began after the T-virus spread globally. As with all things, there is an opposing force, and the T-virus is no different. It destroyed human order, but when applied to human evolution, it can create a new breed of superhumans."

Chuxiang asked, "Are you saying that when you extracted my blood for testing, I was infected with the T-virus but didn't die? Instead, I evolved?"

Bai Xiaowei confirmed, "Correct. According to my database, evolution occurs in five stages: E-class is the Warrior; D-class is the Captain; C-class is the Major; B-class is the Lieutenant Colonel; A-class is the Colonel. Your body's metrics have already surpassed the basic level. If your evolution continues properly, you will soon reach D-class Captain. The lower the stage, the faster the evolution, and vice versa."

Chuxiang interrupted her, "I don't want to hear this. What I want to know is: what happened to the world? Where did the T-virus come from? Is there any way to eradicate it? How many people are left, and has the government found a solution? Where should we go to stay safe?"

"I'm sorry," Bai Xiaowei replied with the same smiling face. If she were human, she would certainly be very beautiful. "My database lacks data to answer your questions. Would you like me to connect to the satellite network for an update?"

Chuxiang responded, "Don't rush it. If you connect to the satellite, won't the military learn about my situation immediately?"

Bai Xiaowei confirmed, "Yes, that is my duty."

Chuxiang then asked, "What if I don't allow you to connect? Will you still report my data secretly?"

Bai Xiaowei replied, "No, whether or not to connect to the satellite network is up to you. My programming is set to upload data only once connected to the satellite."

Chuxiang remained cautious. "Are you really just an intelligent program? I've never heard of such an advanced AI. Even Microsoft in the U.S. hasn't reached that level, right? I think you're a real person. Are you trying to deceive me?"

Bai Xiaowei responded, "No, I am not a human. There was no such technology before, but now there is. My creator is incredible; I am merely her copy. She is the real Bai Xiaowei. She's a scientific genius, only twenty-nine years old, and as beautiful as I am…"

Chuxiang couldn't help but think that the real Bai Xiaowei must be quite narcissistic, but he now understood that Bai Xiaowei's role was limited to detecting physical data. When it came to communicating with the outside world, Chuxiang didn't want to risk it. He now understood that his enhanced physique was the result of his disappearance for over a year, but he would not allow himself to become someone's experiment. He could not let anyone know he was an extraordinary experiment subject.

Despite Bai Xiaowei not being able to provide much information about the ultimate evolution or Chuxiang's background, she could still access all the PDA's data. The most convenient feature was that Chuxiang no longer had to search for maps manually—he could simply tell Bai Xiaowei the location, and she would quickly open the relevant map. Moreover, Bai Xiaowei could engage in complex emotional exchanges, a welcome change for Chuxiang, whose past relationships had often ended in failure. As long as she didn't expose his identity, he was reluctant to destroy her.

Through Bai Xiaowei, Chuxiang learned the six key metrics for perfect human health: intelligence, mental strength, cell vitality, immunity, neural reaction speed, and muscle strength, all scored at a baseline of 100. When he woke up at the military base, his values must have been in this range.

To achieve E-class Warrior status, the requirements were: Intelligence: 170; Mental Strength: 180; Cell Vitality: 220; Immunity: 200; Neural Reaction Speed: 190; Muscle Strength: 210. Chuxiang's current metrics exceeded the E-class Warrior standard, but there was still a considerable gap before reaching D-class Captain, which required an additional 300 points in each category. Bai Xiaowei assured him that, given the rapid pace of his evolution, he would soon meet those requirements.

Among the six metrics, immunity was the most crucial, as it determined whether one could be infected by the T-virus. Bai Xiaowei explained that if immunity dropped below 70, infection was highly likely, even airborne. The higher the immunity, the lower the risk of infection. If Chuxiang were to reach A-class Colonel, his metrics would all reach 1000, making him nearly immune to T-virus infection, even if exposed to large quantities of the virus.

Learning about his own physical state pleased Chuxiang. This was a great advantage for his search for his family. Before the T-virus outbreak, he had been an average person, always dreaming of becoming invincible like a superhero. Now, with the potential to evolve into an A-class Colonel, he could become almost unstoppable, even without the ability to fly.

However, Chuxiang was still unsure how many others had undergone similar experiments. Bai Xiaowei's database was limited, and despite her claims that "life will always find a way," no naturally evolved humans had yet appeared.

After using the PDA for so long, Bai Xiaowei had drained its battery, forcing Chuxiang to turn it off. Although he had a car charger, he couldn't risk revealing the PDA's secret to the others, whose true identities were still unclear.

As he carefully stored the PDA, Chuxiang settled down and closed his eyes, holding the device close like it was the beautiful, mature Bai Xiaowei. But suddenly, he opened his eyes again and sat up. The ring on his finger, small and inconspicuous when he woke up, might hold a secret like the PDA. Could it, too, be something extraordinary?