Chapter 443: To Evolve

"This is outrageous!" Huoge stood up from a pile of rubble, his entire body trembling with rage—he had spent a hundred days in Qiji, and this was the first time he'd suffered a major setback from a fire-based ability, especially one he'd created himself; he immediately prepared to strike back in fury.

But Lin Xian immediately called out to him over the communication channel.

"Huoge, don't attack!"

Huoge's abilities always manifested on a massive scale; they were currently inside this underground base, and he risked injuring their own people. Moreover, Lin Xian immediately realized that if this monster could absorb abilities, then Huoge's fire ability, if countered, would become even more dangerous.

After interrupting Huoge's counterattack, Lin Xian saw the strange figure melting large sections of his "Iron Curtain" drone's shield with intense heat; he swiftly directed more "Iron Curtain" drones to surround it completely, while simultaneously ordering a large number of "Thunder Prison" drones to prepare for high-voltage arc oscillation.

"Kiki."

"I know."

Kiki and Lin Xian worked in perfect sync; as Lin Xian prepared the drones for attack, she immediately enveloped the target with her telekinesis.

Ziiii!

The "Thunder Prison" drones unleashed their arc oscillations; the blinding flash illuminated the entire hall, and after the thunderous explosion, the space fell silent.

Just as Lin Xian prepared his next move, his powered armor system suddenly detected an intense surge of energy density—next moment, the white monster, encased in countless "Iron Curtain" drones, erupted with thousands of lightning arcs!

These arcs seemed to be a response to Lin Xian's attack—and their power was even greater, piercing through Kiki's telekinetic shield and frying countless surrounding devices!

"This thing can absorb and convert all forms of potential energy—not just abilities!" Lin Xian retracted his AT force field shield; the white figure had already burst violently from the half-melted drone debris. At that instant, a flash of light streaked through the air—Xiaoqing struck with blinding speed, severing one of the monster's arms midair. Whether due to the energy discharge creating an opening or an inability to deploy a biofield in time, the white monster crashed to the ground. Xiaoqing fired a grappling hook with pinpoint accuracy into its forehead, then surged forward like a bullet, her blade glinting as she prepared to decapitate it.

The white monster seemed to sense the danger; it grabbed the grappling hook embedded in its forehead and, facing Xiaoqing, emitted a trembling, low moan from its stitched mouth.

The moment the sound issued, the surrounding air vibrated violently—Xiaoqing's blade twisted instantly at the tip as she swung down.

Infrasound!

Boom!

At that moment, a colossal explosion erupted—Ningjing rushed in from the side and delivered a punch. The monster sensed the threat; its dark-gray biofield flared into view, while one of its claws shot out a lightning arc straight toward Ningjing. But Ningjing's punch came with the force of a collapsing mountain, exceeding the pressure-release limits of her powered armor's joints. In the enclosed space, it unleashed a thunderclap-like roar, shattering the monster's biofield outright—and taking off its head and half its shoulder!

Boom!

A fan-shaped spray of blood mist and tissue fragments erupted, staining nearly half the area crimson.

The white monster twitched violently, its flesh writhing like a grotesque amalgamation of multiple organisms, then collapsed into the pool of blood, lifeless.

Ningjing stood up, breathing heavily, clenched her fist, and turned to look at Lin Xian.

"Lin Dui, this looks like… a person."

"Another kind of human Gui?" Kiki asked.

The battle had lasted less than a minute, swiftly resolved, but everyone had felt overwhelming pressure. Lin Xian stepped forward and used a drone to retrieve a fragment of the monster's tissue: "Send it to Director Ding."

"This thing is terrifying—it can absorb energy: fire, electric arcs, even invisibility, and fire infrasound. It's not just one ability." Ningjing said.

"Then it seems Red World research has made further progress." Xiaoqing sheathed her blade, her expression cold.

"Researching such demonic abominations makes me want to kill them all!" Huoge slapped the charred sections of his powered armor, his face filled with murderous intent.

Whenever human Gui were mentioned, everyone immediately thought of the Red World.

"Lin Xian."

At that moment, Kiki tapped on a monitor in the control center, her tone mysterious.

"Take a look at what I found."

Lin Xian walked over and saw Kiki had opened several surveillance feeds. One showed a massive underground deepwater floating port, where a black Abyss-class North Wind-09 strategic nuclear submarine was visible. Simultaneously, on the dock, over a dozen members of the Shengcheng Organization, dressed in identical uniforms, were using cranes to lower what appeared to be specially designed torpedoes onto the submarine.

Another feed showed a laboratory zone, where a large door had opened—the system displayed a warning: 【DANGER】.

"We found them—they're inside the submarine dock. It looks like they knew we were coming, so they released this monster to cause us trouble," Kiki analyzed.

Lin Xian's gaze fixed on the surveillance screens, his voice low:

"It's nighttime now—where are they planning to go?"

…

The lights of the nuclear submarine dock cast mottled reflections on the dark water.

The Abyss-class North Wind-09 strategic nuclear submarine lay half-submerged in the ink-green sea like a slumbering steel behemoth, its black hull gleaming with cold metallic sheen, its bow sonar array resembling a silent, gaping maw ready to devour threats from the deep.

On the dock, over a dozen researchers in white radiation suits bustled about, operating massive crane arms to slowly lift specialized torpedoes. The torpedoes' exteriors bore special decoy markings that glared vividly under the dim lighting.

"Careful! Don't damage the stabilizers!" a middle-aged man wearing safety goggles barked sharply, his voice echoing through the enclosed port.

The hydraulic systems of the crane arms hummed low and deep; steel cables tightened as the torpedoes were steadily lowered into the submarine's vertical launch tubes. Another team scanned the hull's seals with handheld detectors, their instruments beeping rhythmically like some eerie countdown.

On the submarine's command tower, several Shengcheng members in black uniforms communicated via comms with the interior compartments—their voices were hushed but carried undeniable authority.

"Loading progress?"

"Seventy percent complete. Estimated eight minutes remaining."

"Hurry up. The tidal window doesn't wait."

The water's surface rippled slightly as the submarine's buoyancy system made fine adjustments to maintain stability during loading. Occasional droplets slid from the hull and fell into the abyss below, triggering faint ripples quickly swallowed by darkness.

The air reeked of oil, saltwater, and metal—damp and icy.

On a metal walkway beside the floating port, a middle-aged man in a tactical vest and sunglasses stood quietly, watching the activity below, his fingers idly tracing a silver pocket watch.

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor.

"Professor Chen!" a young subordinate rushed over: "Surveillance shows they've neutralized Composite Test Subject No. 3—they've likely detected us and will engage soon. Should we retreat?"

"What if we open the floodgate's sealed door? Let that thing in—it'll definitely hold them back," a nearby assistant whispered.

Chen Yanxiu slowly raised his head, adjusted his glasses, and calmly scanned the surveillance screen through the lenses.

On the screen, Lin Xian's figure was advancing through the metal corridors toward the inner dock.

Chen Yanxiu fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly:

"A Special-Class entity to block the Phoenix Society's Sword-Bearer?"

"This…" the assistant fell speechless.

"The Master has already made arrangements," Chen Yanxiu waved his hand. "Inform everyone—if you don't want to die, lay down your weapons."

"Lay… lay down weapons?" the subordinate stared in shock.

"Correct," Chen Yanxiu turned around. "Come. Let's meet this Sword-Bearer."

"No need. I'm already here."

A voice came through Chen Yanxiu's comm—he froze mid-step. Everyone's expressions turned stunned. Chen Yanxiu stared at his comm, his face complex. After a long silence, he sighed heavily.

"Mechanical ability…"

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Below, everyone dropped their weapons and raised their hands. From the far end of the corridor, footsteps approached. Before anyone saw a figure, dozens of metal devices materialized out of thin air, precisely locking each Shengcheng member's limbs. Simultaneously, countless "Lei Sun 2000" drones emerged, their pulse cannons aimed squarely at every forehead.