Translator: CinderTL
That night, darkness enveloped Nanjiang City, its urban core illuminated by suspended neon lights. The streets remained bustling with traffic.
The Crimson Wave Energy Tower stood like a solemn giant amidst the vibrant metropolis, overlooking everything. Only now, late into the night, did the flow of people begin to thin.
"Sister Zhang, I'm heading out."
"Alright, Xiao Fang. Drive safe."
Employees wearing identification badges waved goodbye outside the tower, departing in cars or on foot from the neatly paved parking plaza.
Looking up, one could see the lights in the floor-to-ceiling windows gradually dimming, leaving only a few scattered offices and rooms still illuminated.
Moonlight bathed the city, and stars dotted the night sky.
It wasn't until after nine o'clock that...
"Lockdown," a voice crackled through the communication system. Security personnel sealed the tower's sole entrance—a fiberglass door on the ground floor—as surveillance systems across all levels switched to night mode. Heat scanners, infrared cameras...
Cyborgs in suits stood guard in the security rooms, while others patrolled the tower's floors on timed routes.
Such security measures were standard practice for mega corporations, designed to protect core secrets from theft and prevent hidden assassinations or sabotage.
Yet...
"Something's definitely not right," Chen Feng murmured, narrowing his eyes as he observed everything through the shared vision of the Holy Shield Colossus.
The colossal figure stood atop the towering skyscraper, its black cloak billowing in the wind. The hood and robe were custom-made, oversized and elongated.
By deliberately shrinking its massive frame and tucking its wings tightly against its body, the Holy Shield Colossus had effectively concealed most of its distinctive features with this disguise.
This was a precaution it had prepared during idle moments. After all, Sixth-Tier modification resources were rarely found in the public domain.
The Holy Shield Colossus's current strength was so immense that revealing its true identity would invite unwanted attention and awkward explanations. It wasn't yet ready to draw the gaze of Red City's upper echelons, let alone the Divine Generals themselves.
As this thought flashed through its mind, six White Ash Stone Statues popped into existence beside the Colossus, their wings fluttering as they scattered in all directions. In recent days, it had proactively split to create more of these miniature constructs.
Through them, the Colossus had temporarily gained a perception ability akin to Chen Feng's. By leveraging the collective senses of its stone statues, it could now map the entire area surrounding the Crimson Wave Energy Tower with its stony eyes.
The tower's security was primarily concentrated on the ground floor, with additional defenses in multiple subterranean levels. During shift changes, personnel invariably split into two groups, one taking the elevators and the other descending the stairs to the lower levels, clearly indicating the presence of something valuable stored below.
These observations, accumulated over time and confirmed by its current scan, led the Holy Shield Colossus to suspect that this might be the location of Red Wave Energy's forbidden experiments—the crucial research hub for the Martial Dao Cooperation.
After a moment's thought, Chen Feng quickly made his decision.
"How's the experimental data looking?"
"It's stabilized. There haven't been any more abnormal fluctuations."
"Excellent. It seems this method is working after all."
In the underground laboratory, researchers whispered to each other while armed security personnel patrolled nearby. Black cables snaked along the walls and floor, converging on a custom-built metal platform at the center of the room.
Rows of serum-filled vials stood upright on the platform, each connected to tubes injecting various energy fluids. Corresponding data flashed across a virtual display, showing comprehensive information about individual Martial Artists.
At the heart of the platform sat a vial of crimson serum, its glass container shimmering with silver flecks that resembled nothing human. Its fluctuating data parameters suggested it was actively attempting to match with the other serum data.
"Everyone, let's pick up the pace," a research team leader urged. "Secretary Liu and Director Feng have emphasized that we still have several more batches of serum to extract and process."
No one objected. Most researchers, their faces flushed with fervor, continued their work. This near-forbidden level of experimentation broadened their professional knowledge with each session.
Suddenly, an electromagnetic pulse rippled through the chamber, stimulating several of the serum vials with energy.
The scene had become commonplace, and the security team patrolling the area was long accustomed to it.
"This is so boring," one of them muttered. "Stuck here all day, can't even leave easily."
"I should have gone with Director Feng and Secretary Liu," another chimed in. "I heard they're at a new facility."
"It's all the same," a third voice said. "No one gets to move freely until the experiment's done. I just hope it ends soon."
Several cyborgs stood before the laboratory's metal door, shaking their heads quietly as they waited for their shift change.
The tightly sealed metal door was equipped with advanced force field defense systems. A virtual blue light screen hovered beside it, displaying surveillance footage from the Crimson Wave Energy Tower above.
"Finally, time for a break," one of the cyborgs grumbled, spotting other security personnel approaching in the surveillance feed, weapons in hand, ready to relieve them.
Several others wore similar expressions, their tense postures relaxing as they shuffled toward the door, looking relieved to be off duty.
"Stay alert," the Security Captain warned, frowning. "It's nighttime. If anything goes wrong, we'll all pay the price."
"Relax, Captain," one of the cyborgs scoffed. "We've been stationed in Nanjiang for ages. When has anything ever gone wrong?"
"Right, Captain. We're Red Wave Energy. Who would dare mess with us?" The cyborg security personnel replied with smiles, dismissing his concern.
The Modified Human Security Captain frowned slightly but ultimately didn't argue. He knew his team had a point. Nanjiang wasn't yet a true Central City, and few would dare provoke an organization backed by such a powerful patron.
"Relax, Captain. You're too tense."
"Once this mission's over, let's all unwind together," one of his teammates teased, and the captain shook his head wearily. Perhaps he was being overly cautious. Even at night, who would dare target Red Wave Energy?
Boom!!
Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted. The underground laboratory shook violently, rattling for a moment. The captain's expression darkened as he swiftly turned to his team. Each member's face registered shock and confusion.
Their gazes then shifted to the surveillance feed displayed on the floating blue light screen, showing the ground-level tower. A hulking figure materialized, cloaked in a wide, hooded black robe. The floor-to-ceiling windows shattered into shards, and the gray-tiled floor crumbled piece by piece.
"What—?!"
The Security Captain stared in disbelief as alarms blared throughout the building. Security personnel scrambled across floors, corridors, and platforms, guns blazing and large-caliber bullets tearing through the air. Missiles streaked toward the intruder, poised to strike.
At the moment of impact—
Boom!!
The figure slammed their foot into the ground, unleashing a deafening sonic boom. An invisible shockwave of compressed air detonated the missiles mid-flight and pulverized the bullets into dust.
The Security Cyborgs were thrown back by the counter-blast, their force fields shattered as they crashed into walls.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions continued to reverberate, painting the sky with fire.
Before the research personnel in the Underground Laboratory could react, a massive crater appeared on the building's ground floor in the surveillance footage.
An eerie silence descended. Everyone in the lab froze, their gazes drawn upward.
The alloy ceiling above them warped and buckled under immense pressure. The air suddenly felt heavy, and saliva caught in their throats.
Finally snapping out of his stupor, the Security Captain's face paled as he frantically activated the Force Field Defense system.
Hum!
A Sixth-Tier Force Field erupted violently, its blue electromagnetic energy surging like a tidal wave and expanding upward in a devastating shockwave.
The Security Personnel beside him tensed as if facing imminent disaster, their faces pale with terror. They activated their Armament Modules, shouldering Sniper Cannons and aiming at the alloy ceiling.
For a moment, an eerie silence hung in the air, broken only by the sound of cold sweat trickling down their faces.
Then—
Boom!!
The alloy ceiling shuddered violently as the visible blue Force Field energy enveloping it vanished in an instant.
The entire Underground Laboratory rocked and trembled violently, cracks spiderwebbing across the ceiling.
"Fire!" the Security Captain roared, maneuvering his Flying Shuttle to streak forward like a dart.
Behind him, the Security Personnel unleashed their Sniper Cannons.
Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!
Piercing sonic booms filled the air as powerful blue energy beams tore through the atmosphere.
But just as they fired—
Hum!
Another shockwave of compressed air erupted, utterly obliterating the Sniper Cannon blasts in a single burst of energy.
Then, with a resounding thud, a figure landed in the center of the shaking laboratory.
The holographic blue screens flashed over a dozen warning messages, scattering documents across the floor.
White smoke billowed through the air, mingling with debris raining from the newly formed hole in the ceiling.
Research personnel in white lab coats scurried backward in terror, some even fainting.
The cyborgs were blasted backward by the flying alloy shards, their Force Field Defenses and steel bodies pierced through. Their eyes widened in shock, unable to utter a sound.
The Holy Shield Colossus coldly surveyed the laboratory.
Its gaze swept across the assembled personnel before settling on the central platform, where rows of extracted Martial Artists' blood samples stood alongside a single vial of special serum.
"Primordial Creature Blood Essence?" Chen Feng narrowed his eyes, observing the scene through their shared vision.
He recognized the unique Primordial Creature Blood Essence, and it appeared to be of considerable quality.
However, glancing at the surrounding vials of Martial Artists' blood, he noticed traces of energy-infused liquids mixed in.
"What's going on here?"
His confusion deepened as he spotted white paper documents scattered across the floor:
[ Research Theory: Transforming Martial Artists into Biological Cyborgs ]
[ By fusing genes, we aim to integrate Primordial Creature Blood Essence into Martial Artists, thereby elevating the potential of both the Martial Artists and lower-quality bio-essences. ]
[ The genetic potency of Primordial Creature Blood Essence is overwhelming for the human body. By creating serums from Martial Artists' blood and conducting compatibility tests, we hope to identify suitable candidates for specific types of Primordial Creature Blood Essence. ]
Similar texts covered various aspects of the research, including discussions on success rates.
Chen Feng narrowed his eyes, finally understanding the true nature of Red Wave Energy's forbidden research.
Were they planning to find compatible Martial Artists, cultivate them, and transform them into Biological Cyborgs?
It bordered on forbidden territory, but wasn't quite there yet.
He couldn't help but recall the Lion King he had encountered in Niduo Kingdom's Capital. That man had forcibly broken through his limits by combining Ancient Lion-type Primordial Creature Blood Essence with methods from the Divine Martial Alliance Leader.
But such a feat must come with severe side effects—otherwise, someone would have attempted it long ago.
And now...
His gaze shifted to the bottle of Primordial Creature Blood Essence.
After a moment of contemplation, Chen Feng made his decision.
Boom!!
A surge of immense power erupted from the Holy Shield Colossus.
A shockwave of compressed air swept through the laboratory, obliterating all the Martial Artist serums and containers.
The shattered ceiling collapsed completely, leaving a gaping hole.
Peering into the darkness above, Chen Feng could see the Crimson Wave Energy Tower riddled with holes, its layered windows shattered into countless shards.
The deafening commotion pierced the night in Nanjiang, drawing horrified gazes from residents in nearby high-rises and pedestrians on the streets.
It was as if a monstrous beast had awakened within the tower, or as if a storm had erupted, engulfing everything in its path.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Wee-ooh! Wee-ooh! Wee-ooh!
A series of muffled explosions and car alarms erupted in rapid succession, sending shards of glass scattering across the ground.
The hundred-meter-tall skyscraper trembled violently, threatening to collapse as passersby screamed and fled in terror.
Until finally...
The neon projections faded significantly, leaving only fragments behind, and the chaos subsided into an eerie silence.
A hooded figure in black robes flickered into existence, then vanished in an instant, disappearing from all sight.
(End of the Chapter)
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