Chapter 187

After the project team took on the project, Dongzi Zhenren's life became very much a three-points-and-one-line routine.

Research, rest, entertainment.

Considering that some research is also done out of interest unrelated to the project, perhaps the research phase can also be counted as entertainment.

The guiding and reshaping of the negative energy monster is actually nearing its end, just as the members discussed not long ago; whether to finish and participate in next month's monster exhibition is merely an internal discussion.

The number of people who drag time just to waste money is overwhelmed by those supporting participation in the monster exhibition; everyone wants to make big money directly.

Of course, the achievement of creating monsters is also important, making future job-hopping easier.

Although it's unlikely they'll actually leave.

The company held a meeting yesterday, saying that monster trading has a great prospect, and the research department indeed has a trend toward transforming into monster creation.

If things develop this way, Dongzi Zhenren's team will also become leaders of some projects; this is no longer just a matter of career development, but rather the pure obsession of negative energy monsters, which she already likes.

The obsession extracted from those running elves makes her feel beautiful every time.

But this will inevitably invite obstruction.

Even if everything is legal, the behavior of monsters constructed from horse-girl spirits will still provoke public backlash and inevitable obstruction from the URA Association.

Because just one success would become a trend, and besides, Dongzi Zhenren is confident in increasing successful cases, which also 'benefits' from the special living environment of the horse-girl group.

The girls' sensibility and their visibly growing extraordinary power are seen as natural competitiveness—these can guide the cultivation of ever purer obsession.

Enough to become a breeding ground for negative energy monsters.

But as soon as this is proved, the horse-racing culture that has been stable for nearly a thousand years and the overall image of horse girls will suffer an impact.

This path, visibly difficult to walk, Dongzi Zhenren also doesn't want to make it so troublesome; she is merely someone who likes that purity and wants to fully retain it—just an Ascendant.

Whether becoming a trainer or a researcher, these are choices made for that purpose.

So these past days, while the team members were working overtime, she took out some time to contact some former partners.

For example, those who had her resign under the pretense of 'death by illness' and made everything proper.

She prepared for the day when the company, standing at the forefront, would be unable to handle a problem.

She plans to run away, after all, provoking the URA Association in Boundary Gate District is clearly unwise, with too low a chance of success.

But that is something for after the work is published and the company promotes it; for now, she looks forward to the perfect spirit she herself has created.

deep, deepimpact, the Dazhenhan at the Gaoyue Prize.

The impression most deeply etched in her mind is like a tranquil, burning ice block, a beauty that will not deteriorate.

Deeply imprinted in her mind, it will also be drawn from her mind to correct the negative energy monster she now possesses.

Today is no different.

She lies in the cabin equipment, her mind recalling the Tresen training ground of years past.

Dongzi Zhenren the trainer and the training clips of her undertaking the horse-girl Dazhenhan—among them likewise mixed in is the self of another horse-girl.

Using external force, with source energy and instruments that adjust brain waves to link and synchronize them, this is what she is doing, and inevitably, her spirit repeatedly merges with the latter's.

This indeed easily causes cognitive impairment, like each time she misjudges the headset position and subconsciously adjusts her sitting posture for a nonexistent tail.

She has the illusion of becoming a horse-girl.

But today she does not need to experience this sense of dislocation, for her spirit has encountered a much deeper shock, right here, right now——

——Violent shaking caused the equipment to shut down automatically; Dongzi Zhenren, still with the gel adhesive pads attached, rose from the cabin, her ears filled with the team members' startled cries, and looking up she saw the dark room continually flashing with alarms.

Dark room?

Power cut!?

How could the backup power of the underground research lab possibly fail!?

"We can't contact the surface unit—attack! It's an attack! First go find weapons to protect ourselves!"

Someone in the dark room felt out a light source.

The discernible vibration stopped for a few seconds, then suddenly resumed.

Some leaned on support points, some relied on source energy or prosthetic assistance, and each individually realized that the manner and frequency of this vibration were definitely not an earthquake.

Like some explosion or impact.

Among the project team's researchers there are also some Ascendants who remain calm in crisis, and at this moment they can actually take charge of the situation.

"Zhenren, you're awake too? I'll help you!"

Others also noticed the team leader waking up and helped her remove those adhesive pads.

"Is it the same as three days ago?" Dongzi Zhenren still remembers that three days ago someone also attacked the company, and the attacker's identity as a horse-girl made her especially concerned; these past days she has been thinking about planning an escape route in advance.

Although everyone, including her, thought that attack was foolish, aside from wounding too many mercenary squad members it had no meaning; it was basically a senseless rampage, which instead left them with a pretext.

The symbolists haven't yet come to the company for inquiries, probably because their own family has a reckless, troublemaking horse-girl… Dongzi Zhenren thought that at the time.

Although encountering that incident actually made her feel rather relieved, thinking that they'd gained nothing from causing such a ruckus, they'd probably behave themselves, and the company would surely tighten security.

But today, how……

Is it an accidental attack?

"Wow!"

"!"

"!)"

""……" Suddenly a shout that broke the train of thought came from the hallway outside the lab, and everyone's gaze turned that way."

""Damn, what's the random yelling, scared the hell out of me!" Also a short-tempered coworker walked up to give her a pat on the shoulder."

""Did we see a ghost?"

Just saying it for fun; nobody here would fear a spirit, even if it gave them a bloody makeup.

""There's a monster! There's a monster at the elevator entrance!"

""The elevator entrance?" Someone frowned, looking at the elevator entrance lit with a few lights, which was empty."

"Is there still power supply at the elevator entrance?" Someone's focus was here.

"Could it be that the test specimens from a few other project teams escaped? Those that were the control group." Someone speculated it was a leak from other colleagues, and didn't suspect the colleague had misseen.

"No matter what, if the elevator moved, there must be someone? Stay alert! By the way, why haven't we heard any movement from the other labs?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's hearts tightened.

Almost immediately, someone pointed the light source in their hand toward those labs' location, and the beam of light that split through the darkness was indeed utterly silent.

"I think we should wait for rescue, but gathering more colleagues is also good. Team Leader Zhenren, can you activate mental detection?"

In the experimental team, the Ascendant naturally had the highest rating—Dongzi Zhenren. Even though she was merely a researcher and not skilled in combat, as support and reconnaissance she could still be useful.

"Mental detection isn't very useful here; there are too many rooms blocking detection." Zhenren frowned.

The underground research facility housed only projects requiring secrecy, and its architectural standards naturally had certain demands.

"First, let's confirm the monster Tengqiao spoke of—he hasn't been involved in any hallucinogenic projects, so that thing should still be in the hallway."

"..."

Zhenren nodded as instructed, without needing a hint to close her eyes in concentration, her perception spread outward.

The nearest were familiar spirits, while farther away—

——!

She caught her breath.

Even though the ground beneath her feet still trembled slightly, it failed to rouse her immediately.

Azure lightning and icy killing intent wove a rigid domain in that colorless mental world.

And in the reality visible to her colleagues.

Footsteps echoed in the Hei'an.

A pair of pale lights captured everyone's minds.

It was not a feat of mental prowess, but a condensation of killing intent.

Its monstrous form advanced step by step, its body shrouded in a pallid glow like moonlight.

Monster……

Even though they were no strangers to demons, upon seeing that figure that made them hold their breath, as if their hearts skipped a beat, their minds could only think of this.