Chapter Forty-Eight: The Evolution Serum

Several hours later, Carey and Kelly returned to Lancer City.Kelly, clearly in low spirits, locked herself in her room.Carey didn't press her for answers. Instead, he took the keys to her SUV and drove off once again, leaving the city behind. After several more hours, he arrived at what resembled a military base.

At the iron gates hung a black plaque inscribed with the words: Alliance Bureau of Paranormal Affairs, Division Two.

The guards stationed there recognized Kelly's SUV and promptly opened the gates. Carey drove inside without delay.

"Paul! Paul!" Carey called out as he pushed open the door to an office.

Inside, a thin man in a white lab coat, with thick glasses perched on his nose, was typing furiously at a computer. His disheveled hair suggested it hadn't seen a comb—or water—in days. This was Paul, the man Carey had come to find.

"Carey? What brings you here?" Paul said, eyes fixed on a second monitor even as he spoke.

"Last time, you mentioned your evolution serum was ready for testing. I've come to try it," Carey said, utterly serious.

Paul raised his head, surprised. "You're serious?"

Carey slid his hands into his pockets and took a few steps closer. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Paul sighed, stood up, and walked over to a nearby refrigerator. He opened it, retrieved a pale blue syringe, and held it up. "This dose can elevate you to a Level Four Paranormal, but there may be side effects. You'd best think it over."

Carey's gaze grew sharp as he stared at the syringe. "I don't care about the side effects. Inject it—now."

Without further argument, Paul inserted the syringe into a vein in Carey's left arm and slowly pushed the glowing blue liquid into his bloodstream.

Carey gritted his teeth as his body began to tremble uncontrollably from the pain.

Meanwhile, Xiao Feng had arrived at Alice's hospital room. Old White sat beside her bed, exhaustion written across his face, eyes bloodshot from days without sleep.

Xiao Feng stepped inside and glanced at Alice, now asleep, her eyes covered in gauze, her lips curved faintly in a peaceful smile.

"Uncle, has the surgery been completed?" Xiao Feng asked softly.

"Yes," White replied with a weary smile. "It was a complete success."

"That's great. Uncle, why don't you get some rest? I'll keep an eye on her."

"No," White replied, smiling gently. "I want to be the first thing she sees when she wakes up."

Xiao Feng folded his arms and shook his head. "Uncle, her full recovery may take days. Are you planning to stay awake the entire time? If you collapse before she wakes, what good would that do?"

"You little brat, always full of sass," White grumbled with a smile as he walked over to the couch across from the bed. Wrapping himself in his coat, he lay down and added, "If Alice wakes up, promise me you'll wake me immediately."

"Got it. Now get some sleep."

As Carey drove away from Division Two of the Bureau, he could feel it—his body had undergone a profound transformation. He knew without a doubt: he had reached the level of a fourth-tier paranormal.

Without returning home, he drove straight toward Godo City. There was still an opponent there he had yet to settle accounts with.

Not long after his SUV rolled into the outskirts of Godo, Pierre received a report from the stationed Alliance troops.

"The envoy from the Alliance has returned."

Pierre frowned. "Again? Didn't they learn their lesson the first time? Keep a close eye on them. If anything gets out of hand, inform me immediately."

The soldier saluted crisply. "Yes, sir!" Then turned and departed.

Meanwhile, Carey sat behind the wheel, a cigarette between his fingers as he dialed several numbers. A sly smile tugged at his lips as he chatted on the phone.

His destination was the headquarters of the X Mercenary Corps. He didn't even need to think twice—Xiao Feng would be there.

But just as he left the city proper, Carey spotted a lone figure standing some distance ahead in the middle of the road.

Traveling at high speed, Carey immediately slammed the brakes. The SUV screeched as all four tires locked, skidding dozens of meters before coming to a halt just in front of the man.

"Are you out of your damned mind?!" Carey yelled.

The man stood with a toothpick between his lips, his expression disdainful. "You're Carey, right?"

Carey studied him through the window: a well-fitted black trench coat over a crisp white shirt, a handgun visible at his hip, and matching black trousers. But what truly stood out was his jet-black hair—he was Asian.

Though he resembled Xiao Feng only slightly, something about his presence reminded Carey of him.

"I'm Carey. What's it to you?"

The man smirked. "Relax. You can call me Lin. I came to give you a warning—stay away from Xiao Feng, or we won't be so polite next time."

Carey's eyes narrowed. Since discovering his own paranormal abilities, no one had dared speak to him this way. He unbuckled his seatbelt, stepped out of the SUV, and adjusted his tailored suit before facing Lin. Though they were roughly the same height, Lin radiated a calm, dangerous confidence that made Carey feel like an impetuous youth.

Carey's face darkened. "And if I don't stay away?"

Lin's grin widened, the toothpick still in place. "Then I'll kill you. Simple as that."

Carey chuckled, stretching his shoulders. "Kill me? That's rich. Can you make your threats any more absurd?"

Now a fourth-tier paranormal with a speed-based ability, Carey was confident he could dodge bullets. Balling his fists, he thrust one hand into his pocket and launched a punch straight at Lin's jaw.