The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

The warm light of the setting sun shone through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the newly renovated and more elegant terrace restaurant.

Shen Ge and Cheng Shengnan sat in their familiar seats, the dishes in front of them were exquisite and delicious, and the atmosphere was peaceful and serene.

"See, I told you there wouldn't be any surprises this time, right?" Cheng Shengnan took a sip of juice, a relaxed smile in his eyes, and teased Shen Ge.

Shen Ge cut the steak on her plate, a slight smile playing on her lips: "I hope my 'special constitution' stays on vacation today."

That being said, he never truly let down his guard.

Especially before entering the hotel, Xiao Qi let him know through his earpiece that the leader of the "Twelve Branches" was not just passing by.

Almost as soon as Cheng Shengnan finished speaking, Shen Ge's wristwatch vibrated very slightly, and Xiao Qi's voice rang in his ears:

"Master, an unusual substance has been detected attached to the underside of the target vehicle. Preliminary scans show it to be a high-density, low-activity organic substance with a complex structure and extremely strong mimicry and camouflage characteristics."

"Its energy fluctuations are deliberately suppressed to almost nothing. If it weren't for the Blood Spider Network conducting a carpet-like molecular-level scan, it would be extremely difficult for conventional detection equipment to detect it."

Shen Ge continued eating the steak without pausing, while asking in a low voice, "Analyze it in detail, monitor it continuously, record all changes, and don't alarm it for now."

"..." Although there was a dining table between them, Cheng Shengnan still vaguely heard what Shen Ge said, and his expression immediately froze.

"It can't be that effective, can it?"

Shen Ge shook his head and laughed, "It's not that bad. It's just that I've been watched by anti-espionage organizations from other countries for too long these past two years, so I've gotten into the habit of putting in some spies. I didn't expect to have any extra gains."

"Oh?" Cheng Shengnan raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

Shen Ge replied, "I'll explain in detail later."

"it is good."

Soon, Xiao Qi completed the scan and reported the situation to Shen Ge: "Master, the material exhibits non-Newtonian fluid properties and has achieved initial physical fusion with the target vehicle's front tire rubber and metal rim."

"The fusion process is extremely subtle and imperceptible to the naked eye. It is preliminarily identified as a new type of 'assimilation parasite' whose purpose is not to immediately destroy or infect the host—your vehicle. Instead, it lies dormant and moves with the host into a specific environment, most likely within the Special Operations Department."

"It is speculated that it has latent functions such as information collection, environmental perception, and even remote communication or energy extraction. The person who deployed it was professional and shielded physical monitoring, but failed to avoid the Blood Spider's distributed perception network."

"Where is the target?" Shen Ge picked up his water glass.

"The perpetrator has left the monitoring area by car, heading in the opposite direction from the Special Operations Department. The vehicle's characteristics and the coordinates of its last disappearance have been marked, and the data has been synchronized to the intelligence network of Zhang Quan, the Minister of Information."

“Okay, keep an eye on it. By the way, is the person who released the parasitic anomaly the new leader of the ‘Twelve Branches’ whom I met before?” Shen Ge asked.

Xiao Qi replied, "Master, the similarity in appearance and figure is as high as 83%, but the age seems to be 'younger' than before."

"understood."

Shen Ge briefly explained the situation to Cheng Shengnan. After the two finished their meal, adhering to the principle of going out occasionally and seeing a movie, they chose a recently released film.

In the darkness of the cinema, Shen Ge continued to communicate with Xiao Qi, while the Blood Spider continued to monitor the parasite under the car in the parking lot.

Like the most patient hunter, it is quietly undergoing a deeper integration and infiltration under the "indulgence" of Shen Ge and Xiao Qi.

After confirming the situation of the "assimilation-type parasitic anomaly" and that no other monsters had set their sights on the car since the new leader of the Twelve Zodiacs took over, Shen Ge asked Xiao Qi to contact Deng Yuqi and report the situation.

After the movie ended, Shen Ge and his companion returned to the brightly lit underground parking lot.

Shen Ge's gaze seemingly unintentionally swept over the front wheel area of ​​his vehicle, which to an ordinary person would appear no different from the vehicles next to it.

However, in the scan view shared by Shen Ge's eerie eye and Xiao Qi, the barely perceptible trace of "assimilation" was as clear as a firefly in the dark.

"Go straight back to the ministry?" Cheng Shengnan asked.

“Yes.” Shen Ge opened the car door, her tone calm.

Hearing Shen Ge say this, Cheng Shengnan realized that the "assimilation-type parasitic anomaly" in the car was not "dangerous," and she was immediately relieved.

The car smoothly drove out of the parking lot and merged into the night traffic.

“Master, I have informed Minister Deng and Minister Li. I have given a detailed report on the strange situation of the parasite and suggested activating the ‘Nest Cleanup’ plan. Minister Li has dispatched a special ‘purification’ team to be on standby at the entrance to deal with the ‘parasitic anomalies’,” said Xiao Qi.

"it is good."

At the underground entrance of the Special Operations Department, the atmosphere was different from the usual somber mood, carrying a highly restrained tension.

Behind the heavy alloy gate were not fully armed combat agents, but a research department "purification" team wearing specially sealed protective suits and carrying various precision instruments and special containers.

The team leader was Li Xiang's top assistant. She stared sharply at the monitor screen, which clearly showed the route Shen Ge's vehicle had taken.

Next to it were several transparent isolation chambers filled with inert gas and a field to suppress strange energy.

Standing at the command post slightly behind, Li Xiang confirmed in a low voice through the communicator: "Attention all groups, the target vehicle is about to enter the 'Clean Nest' passage. Execute according to Plan A, ensuring the parasite is completely removed and preventing any leakage of parasitic energy or transmission of information."

“‘Purification’ team, understood!” The assistant’s voice came through the mask, steady and powerful.

Shen Ge's car slowly drove into the dedicated lane at the underground entrance of the Special Operations Department. Just as it was about to pass through the first routine security check gate, the indicator lights on both sides of the lane suddenly turned from green to red, and a soft electronic synthesized voice sounded: "Vehicle X-007, special maintenance needs detected. Please follow the guide lights to enter the 'Clean Nest' maintenance lane."

This was the pre-set "Clean Nest" contingency plan activation signal. The car obediently followed the blue guide lights on the ground and turned into a normally closed, brightly lit, independent passage.

The heavy alloy door closed silently behind the vehicle. The inner walls of the passage were smooth as a mirror, emanating a faint scent of disinfectant and a neutralizing energy field. The vehicle came to a stop on a huge circular platform in the center of the passage, and instantly, transparent energy barriers descended, completely enveloping the vehicle.

Meanwhile, dozens of slender robotic arms extend from below the platform and the surrounding walls, their tips gleaming with probes and micro-tools of various colors.

"Activate full-band energy jamming!"

"Inert gas injection, concentration increased to 99.99%!"

"Physical scan locks onto target area!"

"Stripping process initiated!"

The assistant's orders were quickly issued via intra-team communication, and the entire "clean nest" passage was instantly covered by a high-frequency energy field, completely shielding internal and external signals. Cold, inert gas rapidly filled the space, and a high-precision scanning beam precisely focused on the vehicle's front wheels.

Several robotic arms extended at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, their tips releasing invisible force fields and high-frequency vibrations that precisely acted on the black substance that was almost integrated with the tire.

Under the combined effect of the force field and vibration, the disguise was forcibly "peeled off," like a plaster being torn off, revealing the black, oily substance underneath that was wriggling and struggling like a living thing.

"Captured!" the assistant hissed.

Another set of robotic arms instantly extended, their high-strength suction containers opening wide, the powerful suction precisely drawing the escaping black substance into the containers. The container opening sealed instantly, and a ghostly blue freezing beam and a strange energy suppression field illuminated the inside.

The entire process took only a dozen seconds, as fast as lightning and with perfect precision. Apart from a tiny, barely detectable mark on the tire surface, the vehicle itself was completely undamaged.

"Target captured successfully. Container is sealed intact. No super energy leakage." A member of the "Purification" team reported, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Vehicle exterior disinfection program activated," the assistant continued. The spraying system started, and a specially formulated disinfectant mist covered the entire vehicle body.

The barrier rose, the platform moved, and the vehicle was sent out of the "clean nest" passage and back to the regular area, as if nothing had happened.

Shen Ge and Cheng Shengnan got out of the car, and their assistant, wearing a protective suit, came up to them. He nodded to Shen Ge through his mask, his eyes conveying the message that "it's all done."

Cheng Shengnan thanked her and took Shen Ge's arm as they walked towards the dormitory area.

Behind them, the "purification" team, carrying the strange energy collection container containing the "assimilation parasite weirdness," quickly entered the high-risk sample laboratory deeper underground.

Li Xiang and Jiang Peiwen's eccentric research team were already waiting there, their eyes gleaming with the brilliance of research fanatics.

This is a strange sample personally released by the newly appointed leader of the "Twelve Branches," so its research value goes without saying. Even Mr. Jiang, Li Xiang's teacher who was preparing to rest, couldn't help but come to the experimental area to observe it.

"Well done." Li Xiang looked at the black substance slowly wriggling in the suppression field inside the energy storage container, as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

"'Twelve Branches'... You thought you sent in a spy? No, you've given us a great gift! Let's see what secrets you're hiding this time!" Old Jiang, with a fanatical expression, was about to walk towards the protective suit changing room when he was stopped by Li Xiang and Jiang Peiwen.

“Teacher, this… let us do it.” Li Xiang was worried that Elder Jiang was too old and might cause problems during the research, but he overlooked a researcher’s passion for unknown creatures.

"You, you!" Old Jiang angrily slapped Li Xiang's hand away, intending to slap Jiang Peiwen's hand as well, but in the end he "didn't dare" to lay a hand on his daughter.

Outside the heavy isolation door of the laboratory, Li Xiang and Jiang Peiwen had to use a lot of persuasion to convince Old Jiang, who was eyeing the wriggling black mud with great longing, to return to the rest room.

As soon as the door closed, the two looked at each other and saw the seriousness and excitement in each other's eyes.

"Let's begin." Li Xiang's voice, coming through the protective suit's mask, carried a hint of metallic quality.

As soon as the words were spoken, the research team began their study on the "bizarre assimilation parasite".

Over the next few days, the research center conducted a top-level secret study on this "gift" personally presented by the leader of the "Twelve Branches".

Li Xiang and Jiang Peiwen personally led the team, practically living and working in the high-risk sample experimental area.

Preliminary physical and energy analysis revealed the tricky nature of this "assimilating parasite." Its structure is ingenious, and its core is not traditional biological tissue, but a highly compressed, crystallized energy polymer, which is wrapped in a mimicry layer that simulates the molecular structure of rubber and metal.

It is almost integrated with the tire, not only in terms of physical properties, but also in the fact that the faint energy fluctuations it emits simulate the noise of a vehicle engine running, making its stealth capabilities unparalleled.

"This mimicry technology... is so ingenious." Jiang Peiwen looked at the sample slices under the high-powered microscope, which were slowly adjusting their structure to adapt to the scanning environment like living things. She exclaimed sincerely, "If it can successfully infiltrate and hide inside a device or in a structural gap, it will be impossible to detect by conventional scanning."

However, an even more alarming discovery was yet to come for the research team.

When Li Xiang attempted to compare and analyze a small sample of the isolated parasitic tissue with the parasitic bizarre sample previously extracted from York's "future" arm, the supercomputer emitted a piercing alarm!
"Minister! Vice Minister Jiang!" A researcher's voice was filled with disbelief and excitement. "The core energy polymer structure... shares more than 75% homology with the 'core matrix' sample of the parasite inside York's arm. Although the expression method is more primitive and crude, the underlying architecture... is highly similar!"

The laboratory fell silent instantly, with only the hum of the instruments.

"Homogeneity?" Li Xiang suddenly looked up, strode to the analysis screen, and stared intently at the complex comparison results of the strange energy spectrum.

Jiang Peiwen immediately came over, her delicate brows furrowed.

“Yes! It’s like… different iterations of the same design concept. The one in York Arm is more advanced, more stable, and more adaptable, almost like a ‘finished product.’ The ‘assimilated’ one we’ve captured now is more like… an earlier ‘prototype’ or ‘simplified version’!” the researcher explained quickly.

This discovery was like a thunderbolt. Combined with the fact that York came from a fragmented world whose timeline might be "ahead" of their reality, a chilling deduction emerged in everyone's minds:
The twelve zodiac signs... are very likely the predecessor of the "Hunter" organization that has grown stronger and more unpredictable and dangerous in the future fragmented world!

Or rather, it was the early form of the "Hunter" organization in their current timeline!
"No wonder their methods are so similar, and their goals are so clear...it turns out they're all from the same lineage!" Li Xiang slammed his fist on the control panel, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. "In the 'future,' they possess even more powerful parasitic technology, and can even create 'weapons' like York!"

"And now, they've already started laying the groundwork here! This 'assimilation' is a key milestone in their technological evolution!"

This discovery is significant, not only revealing the potential connection between the "Twelve Zodiacs" and the "Hunters," but also providing valuable reverse engineering samples for researching methods to combat future "Hunters"! (End of Chapter)