[The first Transformation requires enduring the pressure of genetic recombination. The duration depends on individual tolerance. Failure to endure it will result in physical mutation.]
The catalyst’s power surged abruptly, flooding wildly into every cell of her body.
In that instant, Yin Zhen finally understood the meaning of "recombination."
Her bones were breaking, forcibly twisted into new shapes. Her skin was tearing from the inside out as feathers pierced through the fissures, bringing with them blood and shredded flesh.
She wanted to scream, but nutrient fluid poured into her mouth, only to leak out of her transforming beak. When the pain reached its absolute extreme, it instead brought absolute clarity. And the one thing she feared least was pain!
...
Outside the pod.
Ian was just about to record the data of the other two when he caught sight of the middle pod out of the corner of his eye. His fingers paused.
"Victor."
The blond man turned around and followed his gaze.
Inside the transparent sealed pod, a drenched black Raven was flapping its wings in the liquid, bumping clumsily against the pod wall.
Victor froze for a second, then he laughed. It wasn’t a laugh of appreciation, but one of seeing something completely absurd.
"A Raven?"
Ian looked down at the data panel. "Transformation into a Raven. The genetic recombination completion rate is excellent. The catalyst is still taking effect, and the ability Level has already broken through to C-level."
Victor withdrew his gaze, his interest noticeably waning. "Even if it’s an A-level Transformation, it’s still a Raven. Its combat power is practically zero."
He turned to the other two pods.
In the left pod, a dark-skinned woman was convulsing violently. The veins beneath her skin bulged, and her entire body seemed to have swollen a full size, as if something were stretching it from within.
Ian’s voice betrayed a rare hint of emotion. "Strength enhancement is breaking through... It has reached the A-level standard, but..."
Before he could finish, several grotesque fleshy tumors suddenly burst out on the surface of the woman’s skin. Her body began to twist irregularly like an overinflated balloon on the verge of popping. The warning lights above her Treatment Pod flashed, and a piercing alarm blared.
"Spiritual control lost. She mutated," Ian said calmly as he pressed a few buttons, injecting a certain liquid into the pod.
The warning lights went out, and the woman fell into a coma. The fleshy tumors on her body were still growing slowly. This experimental subject was considered a write-off.
Victor’s face darkened as he looked at the final pod on the right.
The red-haired woman floated in the nutrient fluid with her eyes tightly shut. Her body wasn’t convulsing, but visible ripples began to appear in the water surrounding her.
Ian pulled up her data, his pupils constricting slightly. "She awakened a second Extraordinary Ability."
"What?"
"It was originally a C-level speed enhancement, but now her spiritual power fluctuations are abnormal." Ian’s fingers slid rapidly across the screen. "Preliminary assessment is ’Water Manipulation’. The Level is still climbing and is expected to reach A-level."
Victor remained silent for a full five seconds.
Then he smiled. This time it was a genuine smile, a gleam of light dancing in his eyes.
"Water Manipulation," he repeated softly. "Rulers of the sea, the main force in purging Deep Sea Mutants. Ian, do you know what this means? Lucia is saved!"
Ian pushed up his glasses. "We can finally report back to the Dracula family."
Victor nodded, making a note of the red-haired woman’s number—S704. Then, he glanced at the middle pod. The black Raven had quieted down, submerged in the nutrient fluid. Ravens were pretty to look at but useless. They were only good enough to be sent to the nobles as pets. Victor looked away and turned to leave. He needed to report on S704.
Ian stood there, also watching the Raven.
It floated quietly, its feathers neat and its eyes calm. Its overall data hadn’t fluctuated much from start to finish. Based on his experience, if it wasn’t because her catalyst had failed, it meant she had used her spiritual power to guide and suppress the drug’s effects.
Ian’s gaze shifted back and forth between S717 and S704. Eventually, he saved S717’s data into his personal storage device and went back to monitoring S704’s status.
...
Seven hours later, Yin Zhen finally returned to her independent rest chamber.
Sitting on the hard, cold single bed, she was completely drenched and exhausted beyond measure.
[Character: SHL-717]
Transcendent: B-level Blood Source Resonance (D-level Super Sensing, C-level Transformation)
Yin Zhen knew there were cameras in the room. Every corner was under the company’s surveillance, so she couldn’t afford to show any emotion. Without batting an eye, she first checked her Player Card.
[Player]: Yin Zhen (2,033 words / 10,000 words)
[Explanation (1): Occupying more than 10,000 words in the novel qualifies one as a minor supporting character. The card will upgrade to a bronze color, the Player’s random Talent +1, Luck Value +3, and an exclusive Event Card can be drawn each round, yielding extra rewards upon completion.]
[Explanation (2): In addition to being used for upgrading the Identity Card, the word count can also be consumed for Special Items. Players are advised to use it cautiously.]
Thinking of this round’s mission and punishment, Yin Zhen felt a surge of urgency. To keep from being crushed by anxiety, she stood up to practice her new Transformation ability.
She closed her eyes and traced the image of a Raven in her mind. In less than two seconds, her body rapidly contracted and reshaped, turning into a pitch-black bird.
Her feathers were a glossy, oily black, shimmering with a dark blue metallic luster. She tried spreading her wings; the movement was smooth and powerful.
[Character: SHL-717]
Current form: Raven
Strength: 10 (Capable of carrying away light objects and tearing open the skin of small animals.)
Constitution: 10 (Can take two more punches than a cat.)
Wisdom: 8 (Slightly smarter than a cat.)
agility: 35 (Not as nimble as a cat, but can fly.)
Luck: 1 - 3 (Note: This is a minus sign.)
She wondered why her Luck was -2. Crows and ravens were omens of bad luck, so did transforming into a Raven deduct Luck?
Alright, that made perfect sense. As a person who practically invited disaster, she didn’t mind this little bit of bad luck. Besides, the Raven’s overall stats were significantly stronger than the cat form’s, and the sensation of flight was far more liberating than being a cat.
Yin Zhen tried flapping her wings. Her body left the bed, and then, without any surprise whatsoever, she crashed straight into the wall. Sliding down the wall, Yin Zhen squatted on the floor and shook her head. It didn’t hurt, but it was incredibly embarrassing.
She scrambled up and continued to flap, her body shooting forward in a wobbly trajectory. Just as she was about to slam into the opposite wall, she banked sharply, grazing past the edge of the wall.
After a bout of practice, Yin Zhen essentially mastered the ability to fly. She landed on the bed and tucked her wings away.
C-level Transformation didn’t just mean a faster transformation speed. In her Raven form, her perception was also much sharper than before, particularly her vision.
What was interesting was that while the catalyst was still taking effect back then, she had already undergone genetic recombination to become a Raven. Coupled with her desperate efforts to suppress and conceal it to avoid exposure, the remaining power of the catalyst somehow ended up stored inside her body, though she didn’t know the mechanics behind it.
Yin Zhen could vaguely sense this power but couldn’t actively tap into it. After a few fruitless attempts, she temporarily gave up.
Perhaps if she used Super Sensing and Transformation a few more times, the catalyst’s power would be triggered, thereby further increasing the Level of her Extraordinary Abilities. A sudden and drastic spike in an Extraordinary Ability would likely result in bodily mutation. Slowly improving and gradually adapting like this was a much safer approach for her.
Yin Zhen waited in the rest chamber for six hours. When the main door reopened, she thought she would head to training as usual. Unexpectedly, her training period had been terminated early.
[S717, please report to the Night City Guard Team immediately.]