Chapter 8: Since I'm Here Anyway, It Doesn't Cost a Thing!

Riding his bike, Xu Wang soon arrived at the Union Corporation’s biotechnology park. As a major technology company, the exterior of the bio-park was quite modern, with large panes of glass adorning the cylindrical building. However, once inside, Xu Wang found that it felt more like a low-budget zoo in a small town.

The park appeared to be open to the public, as the guard at the entrance didn’t stop him at all. There were quite a few other visitors there that day besides him. He observed carefully but found no sign of the protagonist from "Dragonfly Man." This meant that either this world didn't have a "Dragonfly Man," or he had arrived earlier than the story began.

"Students, please look over here. These are biological samples modified by Union Tech. Please refrain from using bright lights, as some of the animals are sensitive to them. Thank you." In the park, a scientist in a white lab coat was leading a group of students.

*Click!*

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sound of a shutter followed by a flash erupted. Xu Wang, who had just entered the park, was taking a photo of a parrot with his personal terminal.

*Whoosh!*

Struck by the flash, the parrot instantly burst into flames!

"Whoa!" Xu Wang exclaimed in surprise. Seeing the white-haired scientist leading the group turn to look, Xu Wang quickly grabbed the parrot and tossed it into a nearby pool!

"Excuse me, sir, did you see a flash just now?" The white-haired scientist sniffed the air; he seemed to smell something burning but couldn't find anything amiss, so he looked toward Xu Wang.

Xu Wang acted as if nothing had happened, looking around and whistling.

"Sir! Sir!" The scientist called out a few more times. Only then did Xu Wang look up, appearing as if he had just been snapped out of a daze, pointing at himself with a confused expression, as if asking: "Are you talking to me?"

"Yes, sir. Did you see a flash just now?" the scientist repeated.

"No, I just got here," Xu Wang denied flatly.

"Very well, please follow our facility's rules while visiting." The scientist looked around suspiciously, found nothing, and turned back to continue his tour and lecture.

Seeing that the scientist was no longer paying attention, Xu Wang bared his teeth and hurried to the pool. The parrot was now perfectly fine, soaking in the water with its flames extinguished.

Xu Wang breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad you're okay."

Just as he spoke, the surface of the water churned, and a saltwater crocodile lunged out, swallowing the parrot in one gulp! With a flick of its massive tail, the crocodile and the "fleeting" parrot disappeared beneath the surface.

"Uh..." Xu Wang’s face stiffened. He quickly checked his surroundings, and seeing that no one had noticed, he turned and jogged away.

A dozen meters later, he spotted a row of rubber chickens on a wooden rack. Without hesitation, he picked one up, returned to the bird stand where the parrot had been, and placed the rubber chicken firmly on the perch. He took a few steps back, biting his thumb as he scrutinized his work, and finally revealed a satisfied smile. He straightened his shoulders, held his head high, and walked away proudly.

Three seconds later, Xu Wang returned, carrying a wooden board. He stuck it next to the rubber chicken's perch with a sign written in bold, bright letters: "Hibernating, please do not use flash."

Having done all this, he finally left. Though his intense curiosity had been delayed by the evil tricks of the Union Corporation, it could not stop his righteous plans. He hadn't forgotten why he was here: the mutant dragonflies were his primary target.

Shortly after Xu Wang left, another scientist in a white coat arrived with a group of reporters.

"Dear friends of the press! Please note, this is a truly miraculous modified creature! We call it the Phoenix! Once exposed to bright light, its physiological stress response causes it to spontaneously combust."

The reporters gasped in amazement at the scientist’s words. "Whoa!" The scientist was very pleased with their reaction.

Someone suggested having the parrot demonstrate the combustion. The scientist waved his hands to stop them. "No, no, the parrot is still too fragile at this stage. If it can't be extinguished in time, it will surely die. It is a precious specimen, and we only have one, so I cannot perform it for you."

As he spoke, the scientist turned around, squinting his eyes to look at the rubber chicken on the perch behind him. "Damn it, why did I forget my glasses? But it's fine; such an upright posture, and those yellow feathers—it seems you're in great shape today."

He nodded with satisfaction and gave the rubber chicken a squeeze.

*Squeeeeeak!*

The rubber chicken let out a long, high-pitched wail as the scientist let go.

"Excellent, strong breath, very healthy!"

After finishing the daily health check on the rubber chicken, the scientist squinted and stepped aside, smiling. "Ladies and gentlemen, you may take photos, but please, do not use your flash."

As soon as he finished, the reporters swarmed forward, pushing the scientist aside and surrounding the rubber chicken, snapping photos incessantly.

On the other side, Xu Wang had found the glass enclosure housing the mutant dragonflies. Inside was a small artificial ecosystem where seven mutant dragonflies were flying about. In the movie "Dragonfly Man," it was one of these that escaped and bit the protagonist, causing his transformation.

"Finally found you." Xu Wang stood with his hands on his hips, smiling, and took an empty plastic bottle from his backpack. He was short on everything else, but not bottles.

Looking around, he found a small access window. It was locked with a common brass padlock—something he had been able to pick since he was six. With a flick of his wrist, he opened the lock, reached in, and grabbed one of the dragonflies. He shoved it into the bottle and screwed on the lid, which he had already poked with air holes.

His mission was accomplished.

Just as he zipped up his backpack, Xu Wang looked at the six dragonflies still fluttering inside the glass case and blinked, as if considering something. After three seconds of silence, he happily reached back in, teasing the group of mutant dragonflies wildly. He didn't stop until one of them finally bit his hand, at which point he pulled it back with satisfaction.

Getting bitten by a dragonfly was the key to gaining superpowers. Perhaps he wouldn't necessarily get them, but he had to try, right? Since he was already here, he might as well get bitten. It didn't cost a dime.

He happily closed the small window and prepared to leave. However, his initially brisk pace gradually slowed. He looked at the various animals in the bio-park, and a stroke of genius struck him once again.

"That's right! Since I'm already here, and it doesn't cost anything!" Xu Wang exclaimed with delight.

Suddenly, all the animals in the park felt a chill and turned in unison toward Xu Wang. The pigs, roosters, rabbits, cats, geese, horses, donkeys, mules, and even the snails instinctively took a step back. Their instincts told them to get as far away from Xu Wang as possible.