The more I look at this data, the more real it seems.

Xiao Bai replayed the two-second combat footage multiple times before evaluating himself:
"So this Comprehensive Autonomous Combat Module is actually this powerful? It's just last year's version, yet it performs so well in battle?"
"My hands seem to have learned before my mind even registered it?"
"Well, that makes sense. With my immense power, unparalleled processing power, top-tier equipment, and constant surveillance of the enemy's movements, losing would defy the laws of nature."
"As they say, Heaven rewards diligence. Hard work always pays off—this is the fruit of my labor and sweat!"
He converted the combat footage into a GIF and saved it before descending to begin the absorption process.
Behemoth-Grade Life Energy Absorbed: 500
Biological Chitin Absorbed: 80,000
Metal Worm Gene Sequence Absorbed
Neural Center Embryonic Fragments Absorbed: 10
Biological Alloy Absorbed: 10,000
Rare Ore Absorbed: 300
As the absorption continued, the massive head withered visibly, rapidly shrinking until it crumbled into a pile of black debris that scattered across the ground.
"Hmm, not bad, but not quite what I expected."
Xiao Bai had anticipated more chitin and life energy. The gene sequences and biological alloy were within expectations, but the rare ore and embryonic fragments were unexpected.
He then approached the buried portion of the body and resumed the absorption. Despite the remaining torso being longer than the head, it yielded disappointingly little: only 20,000 units of chitin and 50 points of life energy.
"Seems like the harvest depends more on quality than size. That Blade Tyrant was skin and bones, yet it still had 30 energy points."
"So what's the point of being so long if only the head's worth anything?" Xiao Bai muttered as he infused the newly acquired life energy into his physical body. He then flew to the distant Guardian Mecha, which had been cheering him on like a sports team, and retracted it. Finally, he soared back to the Radar Station.
With this chitin, combined with the spare parts and electronic components in stock, Xiao Bai finally had everything needed to assemble three Biological and Genetic devices that he hadn't been able to complete before.
Moreover, with the reactor, the persistent energy shortage that had been holding him back was finally alleviated, marking his official entry into the "gene" research path.
On the way back, Xiao Bai logge d into the Tavern, packed up all the data and images related to the Giant Metal Worm, added his own handsome GIF, and sent it all to the Qingqiu Research Institute, a department under the Federal Academy of Sciences specializing in Paradise Demonic Beasts.
This research institute had even contributed to compiling the current introductory textbook on demonology.
He had learne d about this avenue from Professor Wang during casual conversation. The Qingqiu Research Institute regularly solicited information and data on unusual and newly discovered demonic beasts through the Tavern, making it an excellent way to earn contributions.
As for contributions, thanks to the Prometheus Society's generous rewards, Xiao Bai had already accumulated 2,000 points, reaching Contribution Rank 3. Now he could ride the subway and visit parks for free.
It had been remarkably smooth and quick. A normal investigator would either have had to risk their life or spend years struggling to achieve the same results. Xiao Bai's success was only possible because he happened to coincide with the Fire Thief's urgent need to launch a new engine.
However, as the Terror Turtle grew increasingly powerful, the data it sent back seemed to have shattered the con fidence of those on the other end. Professor Yang, who was in charge of the project, vented his frustration with remarks like, "What kind of junk have we created?" and "This isn't the Terror Turtle—it's just a chick!" before halting the project altogether.
The project was to be reassessed, and there was even talk of starting over from scratch. This meant Xiao Bai wouldn't be able to reap any more easy rewards for a while.
Fortunately, this was only temporary. Professor Wang clearly conveyed Professor Yang's message: whether the project was restarted or merely optimized further, it would depend entirely on Xiao Bai's data. The Fire Thief's support remained solidly in place.
Still, it was hard to tell who was really benefiting more from this arrangement...
"In any case, contributions are a good thing. And I'm about to burn through a lot of them soon, so I should stockpile as many as I can while I can."
Xiao Bai muttered as he sent the email.

Ding! You have a new email titled "Giant Metal Worm."
At the Qingqiu Research Institute, a researcher in his thirties heard the voice notification. He finished watching a short video on his smartphone, gave it a thumbs-up, and finally turned his attention to the glowing screen before him, muttering:
"Giant? A hazard level 3 little worm? How giant could it possibly be? You won't fool me, old man!"
He was highly skeptical. In this job, he'd seen every sensational headline imaginable: Apocalypse-class Beasts, Abyssal Sovereign Hatchlings, Prehistoric Supergiant Demonic Beasts—you name it.
Without exception, they were all clickbait trying to scam contributions, lacking basic biological knowledge and Photoshop skills. It was obvious at a glance.
"Hmm... This looks quite realistic. The graphics are impressive—clearly someone put effort into this fake. But the data is simply absurd. It's dozens of times larger than the recorded maximum size for Metal Worms."
The researcher casually glanced at the report and nonchalantly condemned it to oblivion.
Following procedure, he needed to produce a verification report pointing out the errors in the submitted data and issue a critical warning.
Of course, he didn't need to do this himself; he could just let the system AI handle it.
He continued scrolling through short videos on his phone until he estimated the AI had finished generating the report, then looked back up.
But a notification popped up on the screen:
Comparison verification complete. Issue contribution reward?
"Huh? The AI actually thinks this data is real? Another bug?"
The researcher's first instinct was that the AI was malfunctioning. He quickly selected "Cancel" and manually adjusted the data himself.
But as he worked, he suddenly froze.
"Wait a minute... the more I look at this data, the more it seems... genuine."
He quickly rubbed his eyes, grabbed his coffee, and took a big gulp to wake himself up. Then he began carefully examining each piece of data.
"This actually perfectly matches the verification formula? Could a Metal Worm really grow this large? How is that possible?"
He then input these data into a formula that calculated the hazard level of Demonic Beasts—the standard by which humans ranked them from low to high risk—and pressed Enter.
As the numbers scrolled by, the final result settled on '5'.
"It's already reached hazard level 5? If it completes its full metallization, won't it shoot straight for level 7?"
"What on earth has it been eating? And what kind of environment could have caused it to mutate to this extent?"
"Is the sender still okay? A hazard level 5 theoretically requires at least a company's worth of combat power to handle..."
As the researcher spoke, he finally noticed the last animated GIF.
He froze, stunned.

Chapter end