Just then, the heavy alloy door of the isolation ward was silently and gently pushed open from the outside.
Sergeant Gestalt Iron-Gray-Resolute, a towering and oppressive figure, walked in slowly, like a black iron tower. The heavy "lead-gray" aura surrounding him now carried an air of scrutiny that was more solemn and complex than ever before.
Ryan followed closely behind. His signature red hair was a mess, and his eyes were filled with an unprecedented mix of complex emotions as he looked at Shen Kai. There was immense shock at being a survivor, deep confusion about the unknown power, repeated gazes of disbelief, intense, unconcealable jealousy, and even a trace of deep, hidden fear that he himself would be unwilling to admit.
"You're awake?" Gestalt walked to the bedside and looked down at Shen Kai, his voice steady, without any detectable emotional fluctuation.
Shen Kai subconsciously avoided his sharp gaze, which seemed capable of piercing through everything, and answered weakly, "I'm okay."
However, Ryan, as if he could no longer hold back, began to mumble in a low voice. His tone was a complex mixture of excitement, confusion, and unwillingness, and his pitch wavered due to the intense emotional turmoil.
"Okay?! I'm telling you, Ghost, what the hell kind of hidden monster are you?!"
"That 'Calamity-Tier' behemoth that not even Sergeant Jones's entire battle-hardened 'Reinforced Sentinel' squad could beat—you actually got rid of it with those last few moves?!"
"You little bastard... you hid yourself way too damn deep!"
"Ryan! Shut up!"
Gestalt whipped his head around and glared at Ryan with such severity that it could have frozen the air. Ryan immediately fell silent, though his eyes remained fixed on Shen Kai.
Gestalt turned his heavy, almost tangible gaze back to Shen Kai and said, word by word, in a clear, official tone that brooked no argument:
"I have already truthfully reported all the details of your situation during the encounter in Patrol Zone 03 to the Federation's Supreme Command and relevant technical divisions."
"As Nadeshiko said, Specialist Li Jian's team from the Federation Technology Division and the Special Operations Section of the Internal Affairs Investigation Department have now shown a 'great and special interest, unrestricted by conventional regulations' in you and your 'Colorless Core.'"
Gestalt deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of "great interest" and "special interest," his tone cold as if stating an established fact.
"After conducting a preliminary physical examination and analyzing your residual core energy, Specialist Li Jian submitted an informal, confidential assessment report."
"He said your 'core' is very special."
"Its energy properties and operational mechanisms are beyond the scope of all existing theoretical models in the Federation."
"It belongs to an unknown type for which there is no record in the Federation's core database."
"Its potential value and risks are immeasurable."
Special? Unknown type? Immeasurable?
Every cold, emotionless word of the official assessment struck Shen Kai's heart like a heavy iron hammer.
He had survived. He hadn't died under the monster's claws.
Yet, he found that he had become a mysterious "object," laid out on a cold laboratory table, coveted by various powerful factions.
Perhaps this was an even crueler fate than dying directly on the battlefield.