Gao Yang's eyes widened as he glared at Wang Zikai, who sat cross-legged in the corner, watching Gao Yang.

The air was eerily silent, and no one moved.

"You..." Gao Yang finally broke the silence. "When did you wake up?"

"Just now," Wang Zikai grinned, his eyes brimming with excitement as he looked at Gao Yang.

"When exactly is 'just now'?" Fat Jun instinctively took a step back, asking.

"Maybe a few minutes ago?"

Gao Yang had a bad feeling. "You saw everything?!"

"Of course!" Wang Zikai’s spirit immediately perked up as he leaped to his feet. "Damn! When I woke up, I saw you guys fighting. It was insane... I thought I was dreaming at first!"

Waving his arms animatedly, Wang Zikai continued, "I saw Qingling being flung with a swipe, crashing through the glass. Damn! It was wild. That’s when I realized I wasn’t dreaming, and I was so terrified I just pretended to be dead!"

Gao Yang pressed his hand to his forehead, feeling a headache creeping in.

"Hey, what is that woman anyway? She's intense! She just turned into a lizard, but now she's dead and back to human form?"

"And you three... who the hell are you? Y-Men? Do you have superpowers? This is next-level stuff!"

"Wang Zikai," Gao Yang interrupted.

"What?"

"Shut up and let me think." Gao Yang was on the verge of a breakdown.

Fat Jun took a step back. "Bro, sis-in-law, we can’t let him stay... let’s handle him."

"I am not 'sis-in-law'," Qingling muttered from the waterbed, barely moving. "I’m exhausted. You deal with that idiot however you want."

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"Idiot?" Wang Zikai pointed at himself. "Are you talking about me?"

"No!" Gao Yang yelled, pointing at Aunt He, who was pinned to the wall. "We’re talking about that lizard freak!"

"Whoa! It really was a lizard freak!" Wang Zikai was getting even more excited.

Gao Yang took a deep breath, making a decision. "Wang Zikai, what I’m about to tell you is important. Listen carefully!"

"Okay!" Wang Zikai nodded solemnly.

Five minutes passed.

Wang Zikai’s face was filled with awe, trying to process. "So you’re saying, my body was modified when I was young, making me special, and now these lizard monsters are trying to kill me..."

"Exactly! We’re all modified humans, created to resist the lizardmen. But you’re different—you’re a one-in-a-million warrior, destined to face the lizard boss!"

"This is too much to take in. I need to process..." Wang Zikai leaned against the wall, lost in thought.

Gao Yang stepped forward, speaking with emotion. "Wang Zikai, Qingling and I have been secretly protecting you all along. I’ve distanced myself recently because my cover was blown. I didn’t want to drag you into this... you saw for yourself just now, that lizard nearly killed us all..."

"Really?" Wang Zikai turned to face him.

"Absolutely!"

"My brother! I knew it... you’d never abandon me!" Wang Zikai’s eyes reddened as he grasped Gao Yang’s hand tightly. "I have to be honest! The first day of school, the moment I saw you in the crowd, I thought you looked super likable!"

"Growing up, I’ve never liked anyone—not even my parents! But you... you’re different. I had no idea you were hiding this from me!"

"It’s fate," Gao Yang smiled. "Looks like we’re destined to be comrades-in-arms!"

"Hell yeah!" Wang Zikai was even more pumped. "We’ll take down those lizardmen! Crush them! Save the world!"

Gao Yang breathed a sigh of relief: Stupidity might actually be a lifesaver.

Fat Jun, standing aside, was completely dumbfounded. What kind of divine intervention was this?!

Qingling, still lying on the bed, didn’t object—or perhaps she was too exhausted to.

Fat Jun forced a stiff smile. "Brother, stay low-key for now! Humanity is still at a disadvantage, and lizardmen are everywhere. We must keep our identities hidden and grow stronger in secret. Live to fight another day!"

"Got it." Wang Zikai thumped his chest confidently. "Don’t worry, once I’ve grown strong enough, I’ll protect you all!"

...

Ten minutes later, Officer Huang arrived after receiving a call.

Pushing aside the debris, he entered the room.

"There’s been a bit of an accident. The mission failed," Qingling said from the bed, while Fat Jun treated her injured arm.

"The scene tells me everything," Officer Huang lit a cigarette, glancing at Aunt He, still nailed to the wall. "It was brutal. Let me guess... she looked like a lizard?"

"Yes, but what kind of beast is she?" Gao Yang asked.

"She’s a Chenshou, as far as I know. There are three types of Chenshou: Slayers, Devourers, and Horned Ones," Officer Huang squatted down, examining Aunt He's body closely.

"You must’ve encountered a Slayer. They’re strong. But this one was severely degraded. If it had been at full strength, I’d be collecting your bodies by now."