Chapter 302: The Terrifying Alien Species
Luke and A.R.G.U.S.
When Luke arrived, the area around the crash site was already cordoned off by Tesla security. Diorr, the newly appointed head of the Security Department, spoke in a low voice,
"The R&D department requested some meteorite debris for research."
Luke stared intently at the meteorite. The constantly glowing stone seemed to possess a consciousness, giving off a strange rhythm of life.
This thing isn't actually alive, is it? Luke wondered to himself, his brow furrowed. "What about casualties?"
"Only two unlucky guys out for a walk were knocked down by the shockwave from the crash. They've been sent to the hospital. Nothing serious."
"That's good."
Luke took a drag from his cigarette, glancing over the surrounding crowd. He immediately instructed, "Seal off the perimeter and forbid anyone from approaching. As for research..."
"Forget it. This thing feels incredibly strange to me. I doubt it's anything good."
A short while later, two black SUVs pulled up to the roadside. The doors opened, and a group of men in black suits emerged. The leader held out identification.
"Hello, Mr. Shaw. I am Delling Crichton, head of the A.R.G.U.S.'s Metropolis Field Office."
Luke quickly scanned the ID and said,
"Since you've arrived, my people should stand down."
"Dior, pull the security back. It's Christmas; they deserve some time off."
"Understood, Boss."
Dior waved his staff to retreat in an orderly fashion, handing the site over to the A.R.G.U.S. personnel.
Seeing this, Delling was inexplicably relieved. Lately, high-ranking defense officials, led by A.R.G.U.S. Director Sam Lane, had been clashing with Tesla over the exoskeleton armor. He heard things had been very tense. He had expected the company to try and obstruct their operation, but it went surprisingly smoothly.
"Mr. Shaw, thank you for your cooperation."
"It's the least I can do."
Luke said nothing more, turning to leave. Once back at the factory, Dior couldn't help but ask,
"Young Master, are we really just going to let it go?"
"I've already instructed AVA to secretly collect some meteorite debris. Until we figure out its source, don't get involved in anything unnecessary. Also, arrange your work this afternoon. You're coming back to Coast City with me tomorrow."
Christmas at Shaw Manor
Since there were no casualties, the meteorite incident was quickly drowned out by the enormous wave of Black Friday excitement. After returning home, Luke routinely paid a visit to his eldest uncle's family. As for his second uncle, he was handling business in the UK and wouldn't be back this year.
Luke left the gifts in their living room and returned to Shaw Manor with Billy. The family enjoyed a lavish Christmas dinner. The Old Man officially introduced Linda to everyone, speaking in a manner that suggested he intended to adopt her.
Fortunately, Luke quickly changed the subject. He didn't want an extra aunt out of the blue; that would be unbearably awkward.
After dinner, Billy sought out Luke and whispered,
"What's your relationship with that girl, and when did she move into our house? I had no idea."
Luke swirled his wine glass, saying unhurriedly,
"Just keep your distance from her."
Billy blinked, glancing at the sweet-looking and beautiful Linda. His expression was truly strange. "You guys aren't, are you...?"
"You're thinking too much. We don't have that kind of relationship. Let me put it this way: don't let her cute looks fool you. Her strength is this level." He held up his thumb.
"The one floating over Metropolis might not even be her match."
"Holy cow!"
Billy was shocked, his eyes wide as saucers.
"Seriously?"
"You can go try her, but don't expect me to save you."
Billy was tempted but also hesitant. He kept glancing over, but after careful consideration, he decided to stay far away from her.
Luke wasn't the type to joke around. If he said the girl was a human-shaped Tyrannosaurus, it had to be true. He was only in his twenties, with the best years of his life ahead of him; there was no need to provoke a human-shaped Tyrannosaurus.
Linda heard their entire conversation. Her accumulated good mood vanished completely.
"Luke Shaw!"
With her emotions boiling, her power showed signs of going out of control. The stainless steel knife and fork instantly twisted into a knot. The Old Man's eyes twitched nervously. He immediately grabbed a cushion and threw it at Billy's head.
"You brat! You lie down as soon as you finish eating? Are you a pig? Get over here and help clean up!"
Parasitic Threat
Christmas is a day for family, but for Sam Lane, this year came with a small complication.
Inside a military base in western Metropolis.
In a small laboratory stood several scientists in protective suits. These were top academics gathered from across the country, assigned by Sam Lane to analyze the purple meteorite that fell from the sky.
After two days of research, they had reached a preliminary conclusion. Professor Carmone, the head of the research team, began to speak.
"Analysis shows that the meteorite contains a sealed, special life form. Classified biologically, it is a single-celled organism, but the cell volume is quite large—thirty times that of a human egg cell. The internal structure is complex, containing many components we cannot identify with current biological technology."
"This cell is highly aggressive. We extracted a small portion of the cells and injected them into a mouse. The results were startling."
Professor Carmone led the group to an adjacent, sealed room. On a table in the center sat a glass box. A massive mouse was charging wildly inside the box, occasionally slamming its head against the wall.
This mouse was different from the lab's white mice; its body was purplish-brown, its face ferocious, and its eyes glowed red, making it look exceptionally savage. Even more shocking was its strength. The box was made of high-strength bulletproof glass, which was extremely hard, but with every impact from the mouse, it vibrated irregularly, and tiny cracks even appeared on the surface.
Everyone frowned simultaneously. Sam Lane said gravely,
"What's going on? Why is this happening?"
"The alien organism within the meteorite appears to be a parasitic species. It can invade a host's body in a short time, changing the cellular structure at a genetic level and negatively affecting the mind. It makes the host aggressive and violent..."
As he was speaking, the mouse in the glass box suddenly collapsed onto the floor, trembling violently. Then, like a shriveled balloon, it rapidly contracted inward, becoming a mummified corpse.
Professor Carmone sighed with a solemn expression. "That is its aggressiveness—or rather, its predatory nature. A host infected by it requires the constant consumption of other organisms' life force to survive. Once deprived of food, it dies."
"General, this is a very dangerous alien species. I strongly recommend a full search of Metropolis to collect all meteorite fragments. They absolutely must not be allowed to come into contact with humans."
Sam Lane took a long look at the rapidly desiccating mouse, then turned and said,
"I will handle this matter. I need all of you to work at full capacity and obtain all information on this organism as quickly as possible."
With that, he and his subordinates left the laboratory.
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